Kya the TERROR...

So last night I knew I wouldn’t be home until late because I was going straight from work to a bridal shower. Adam was out of town for a business trip and I knew I needed someone to at least feed the puppy and let her outside – perhaps play with her a bit too. My mom and dad did all of that and were nice enough to bring her over to their place for a couple of hours to chill with them in the back yard, be outside for a while, and play with Maddie.

All was going well until my they noticed that Kya was somehow over in the neighbor’s yard… There is a fence between their yards. Apparently Kya CLIMBED over the fence as though it were a ladder in order to play with the kids in their kiddie pool next door. I am still trying to picture Kya climbing like that and am amazed that if she is indeed able to do that why she hasn’t attempted before at home?!?!

The neighbors didn’t mind Kya’s company too much because they too have a wild, obnoxious dog so they are used to large, hyper fur balls jumping all over them. I’m sure she had a riot. Their little girl, Ellie, on the other hand, did not. Kya ended up somehow jumping up on Ellie and chin making her jaw slam shut. I guess one of her teeth was knocked sideways and her mom had to reach in and straighten it for her while she was screaming. (I would have been screaming too if my tooth bent over sideways and someone was trying to turn it back! Ow!) Poor girl!

When my mom called me she explained the whole situation and said that the mom next door was really good about it and totally understood. I am glad it wasn’t more serious, but am still mortified that she hurt Ellie. I need to call her mom and make sure she is doing ok today.

So anyways, Kya didn’t kill anyone, but there was blood. My little terror. Sheesh. (P.S. The picture is very old, but that is how we view her...still our little puppy, sweet as ever. Now she is almost 45 pounds and looks like a teenager. Hehe.)

A lesson learned...

I learned a very important lesson about yeast this past weekend. I learned how to KILL yeast. Who knew that you could kill yeast? I certainly did not!

I signed up to bring bread to the Easter meal on Sunday and was excited to try out a new recipe I found in my Cooking Light magazine for “No-Knead Overnight Parmesan and Thyme Rolls”. I loved the idea of making the bread the day before and getting the dirty work out of the way ahead of time. Perfect.

The rolls would have turned out beautifully too, had I not killed the yeast.

I followed the directions exactly as instructed, because with bread you can’t really experiment. (Well not the first time at least) This is a rare occurrence for me to actually follow a recipe. I typically look at the recipe, get a couple ideas about what to include, and then wing it from there. Not for this recipe. Not for Easter dinner. I wanted it to be perfect.

So I followed the directions and did everything just as the recipe said and when it came time to set the rolls out to let them rise – they simply would NOT rise. ??? I put them on top of the oven, near other warmed dishes, on the porch in the sunlight with the heater on… I tried everything to get them to rise. After leaving them out for a good two hours, I figured I had given my double batch a fair opportunity to rise and it was time to put them in the oven. I thought that perhaps they would rise once in the oven. Maybe? No, they didn’t. After baking the appropriate amount of time, I took my rolls out of the oven and stared at the pitiful looking centimeter tall blobs. They did not rise at all. I had failed. How frustrating.

I really had no idea what I had done wrong until chatting with my grandma at the dinner table that evening. I was explaining what I had done and the first thing she says is “did you kill the yeast?” I really didn’t even know how to respond, being that I did not know you could murder an ingredient. She went on to inform me that if you put the yeast in water that is hot versus warm, you will literally kill the yeast and the bread will not rise. I should have used just barely warmer than lukewarm water apparently, not water that had been heated to the point of boiling in the microwave. Oops. My thought process at the time was “the hotter the water is the better and the faster the yeast will dissolve”. I was wrong.

Well, there you go. I murdered my bread. Lesson learned. I suppose I should be thankful that I learned it so early on in life. I learned the hard way. May this be a lesson to you all – WHEN DISOLVING YEAST, USE WARM WATER AND NOT HOT WATER.

(Oh and I whipped up a batch of corn bread muffins quickly to bring to the dinner just in case the rolls did not turn out. Good thing too!)

No-Knead Overnight Parmesan and Thyme Rolls

Ingredients
1/2 teaspoon dry yeast
2 tablespoons warm water (100° to 110°)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/3 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1.1 ounces whole-wheat white flour (about 1/4 cup)
5.6 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/4 cups), divided
Cooking spray
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Preparation
1. Dissolve yeast in 2 tablespoons warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes or until bubbly.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add thyme to pan; cook 1 minute or until bubbly and fragrant. Add thyme mixture and milk to yeast mixture, stirring with a whisk; add 1/4 cup cheese, sugar, salt, and egg, stirring well.
3. Weigh or lightly spoon whole-wheat white flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Using a wooden spoon, stir whole-wheat white flour into yeast mixture. Weigh or lightly spoon 4.5 ounces (about 1 cup) all-purpose flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add all-purpose flour to yeast mixture, stirring well. Add enough of remaining all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to form a smooth but very sticky dough. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and refrigerate overnight. (Dough will not double in size.)
4. Remove dough from refrigerator. Do not punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a floured surface; sprinkle dough lightly with flour. Roll dough into a 12 x 7–inch rectangle. Brush dough with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup cheese evenly over dough; sprinkle with pepper. Beginning with a long side, roll up dough jelly-roll fashion. Pinch seam to seal (do not seal ends of roll). Cut roll into 8 (1 1/2-inch) slices. Place slices, cut sides up, on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until rolls have risen slightly.
5. Preheat oven to 400°.
6. Place pan in oven, and immediately reduce heat to 375°. Bake rolls at 375° for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

The beginning of my Modeling Career?

So yesterday the girl who works at the front desk in my building for the management company, Sarah, asked me if I wanted to model for some of their brochures and promotional materials. She made it sound like I’d be in the background with 30 or so people AND told me that free lunch would be provided to those who agreed to model… Free lunch? I’m in. So I agreed. Little did I know that I would be one of 5 people modeling!

I kept thinking that more people would show up, but as we were waiting in the chairs the camera guy started snapping shots of me and the other guy waiting. Then he’d take one of me and the older guy chatting. He just kept on snapping pictures. I began to understand that we were it as far as models went. No one else was coming. I convinced myself that it was ok by reassuring myself that I was getting free lunch for chatting with people – someone just happened to be taking pictures of me at the same time.

I was also sitting next to a large plate of about 2 dozen warm chocolate chip cookies. They were real cookies too – not just fake cookies sitting there to look good. These were steaming hot and the smell was just tantalizing. I finally grabbed a cookie when the “photo shoot” seemed to be nearing an end, but I think the photographer got a couple shots of me munching away. Oh, well. It really does fit me quite well.

This will have been my 3rd time modeling for some type of fee: Bethel University when I was 17, a parking company last year, and the 701 yesterday! Maybe I should put together a portfolio???

Tea Latte Fusions?

So this morning I tried Caribou's new "tea latte fusions"... I just can't seem to make up my mind though. I don't know if I like it or not. I tried the Caramel Earl Grey tea fusion and at first I thought it was bitter and had too much milk, but I warmed up to it after a couple sips. I think what was most difficult was how confused my brain was that a new flavor was coming out of this well-known, beloved Caribou coffee cup. I have trained my mind to anticipate the smooth white chocolate liquid that just glides down my throat. When I see that medium sized paper cup wrapped in a brown card-board sleeve, I know the taste that is soon to follow… only today, that taste was absent. Perhaps this just takes some getting used to? So, what are your thoughts on Caribou’s new tea latte fusions?

Promoted to Wedding Coordinator!

So this past weekend Adam and I were helping out with a couple’s wedding at the Millennium Hotel in Downtown Minneapolis. Adam was an Usher and I was helping out as needed, lighting candles before the ceremony, and various set up tasks.

At the rehearsal the night before the wedding, the Pastor, Clark, spotted me sitting watching and asked if I was doing anything. At the moment I was really just sitting back and observer, being careful not to overstep my bounds and take over accidently. He then asked me to “make this happen”, meaning the order of the ceremony. No one was in charge of telling people when to start walking or what order to go down the aisle in. I was happy to oblige.

So I wrote down the order of who walked who down the aisle and then we ran through it with me telling them when to start walking. How fun is that!?! I got to be a wedding coordinator! It was actually quite nerve-racking, which I didn’t expect. I forgot what it was like to be nervous. I guess I felt a lot of pressure because I was partially responsible for someone else’s “big day”.

When Saturday came around, Adam and I arrived around 1:00, as instructed and helped with the set up. Everything looked perfect! The ceremony was about to begin and a couple of those in the wedding began panicking – the mother of the groom and the groom himself both got a bit uneasy wondering if things were ready. I was happy to calm them down and assure them that everything was under control. I had everyone starting to line up and ready to go and queued the pianist to begin the processional music. The groom seated everyone in the correct order, the brothers of the bride got all the aunts in the right places, and everyone was ready for me to give them the sign to start walking. It was so fun to see everything fall into place.

From this experience, I realized how fun it is to be behind the scenes. I have been a bridesmaid before, but never before part of making everything happen in this way. I enjoyed the rush of adrenaline just prior to the ceremony. I enjoyed calming family members down. I enjoyed the whole process. Who knows, maybe wedding coordinating/planning could blossom into a hobby…or a job… Who knows?

Cadaver Bones!?!

So lately I am discovering how much I despise doctors and dentists in general. Just this past week, I had a rather eventful and yet horrible appointment at a Periodontist. I went on Tuesday to discuss getting some work done on my gums behind my molars. My dentist told me that there is a spot in the very back of my mouth where the gums need to be “trimmed” basically. They slice them and then make it so they fit nicely around the tooth. Sounds simple enough – as long as I cannot feel it. So going into this Periodontist I expected “gum work” to be the topic of discussion, but instead it turns out I have to have the bone under my gums grafted??!?!?! He told me that he uses human cadaver bones and goes in to replace the bone that is deteriorating. Is it ok to freak out yet? Ick! It came as quite a shock to me being that I am rather anal about my brushing and flossing habits. I’m not moving on anything as of yet though. He still has to look through my x-rays and make a treatment plan up. Then I get to decide if I like it or not and what I want to act on exactly. He mentioned that this is probably due to my wisdom teeth being impacted before I got them removed back in 2006. That may have been what messed up the gums and ultimately the bone too. Not happy. I am too young for Periodontal Disease. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what he says and try not to freak out in the meantime. Oh how I despise waiting. I’ll keep you posted!

While on a walk the other night...

So Adam and I were on a walk with the puppy the other night, when we saw some sort of machine at the end of a neighbors driveway about a block and a half away from our house. As we got closer we realized it was a snowblower - a not so bad looking snowblower - with a laminated sign attached to it that read "FREE". We looked at each other and proceeded to carry it home together with Kya pulling us along. It required lifting because one of the tires was flat. Once we got it into the driveway, Adam tried it and it actually started. He figures it just needs gas and a new tire. Holy cow!!! A snowblower!!!


I went online to go look up the make and model number. Turns out, it is a $500 YardMachine! Wow. Yeah, pretty excited. And who better to get it to work if we DO run into a problem than my very own Mechanical Engineer. Hehehe...

My Productive Tuesday

I had the most productive Tuesday I’ve had in a long time. Last Tuesday night I got home around 5pm to let Kya out and feed her. Due to the fact that it was still light outside, I decided to take her for a run. It was still chilly out, but at least I could see where I was stepping. We didn’t run too long, but it was great to get some fresh air and let her run around a bit after being cooped up in her crate all day long.

After our run, I put in a load of laundry and emptied the dishwasher. I think sometimes I feel better if I know there are two things going on at the same time. So because the washer was going and I was doing the dishes, I felt like I was getting two things done at once. What can I say – I am an efficiency expert.

Then I decided to try out these two new recipes I found online last week. One was a “Lemon, Mint, & Pear Spinach Salad” and the other was “Chicken with Fig Preserves and Red Wine Sauce”. Both turned out really well.

Lemon, Mint, & Pear Spinach Salad: For the dressing you mix 3 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice, 1 Tablespoon of sugar, and 2 teaspoons of oil together. Then you tear up some fresh mint leaves, cut up a big pear, and toss together with the spinach. Pour desired amount of dressing on the salad and enjoy immediately.

Chicken with Fig Preserves and Red Wine Sauce: Brown 2-3 chicken breasts in a skillet. Stir together 4 Tablespoons of red wine (any kind will do), ¼ cup of fig preserves, and 1 Tablespoon of fresh Rosemary (or less if you use dried). Pour mixture over slightly browned chicken, cover, and let cook for about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook on low heat until the sauce becomes fairly thick. Enjoy!

After dinner, while Adam went off to study, I went outside and shoveled the whole driveway. There must have been a layer of ice below the 2 inches I was shoveling because I had to absolutely chip it off the driveway layer by layer. Ick! I guess it was a good workout for me so I shouldn’t complain.

Overall, it was an extremely productive day and I felt I accomplished quite a bit by the time I called it a night.

Talking elevator?

This past weekend Adam and I went to the Song of Solomon marriage conference by Mark Driscoll. Mark is the pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington. It was a great conference and I feel like we learned a lot. Everything he talked about seemed to be convicting to at least one of us if not both. It was a growing and bonding experience.

The funny thing that happened to us at this conference actually took place as we were leaving the conference. We were in somewhat of a hurry because we had to rush home, let the dog out, feed her, change, and get out the door and on the road to Chanhassen. We had Adam’s work party at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre and were cutting it close already. So we were on the elevator leaving the St. Paul RiverCentre and the couple ahead of us got off the elevator, leaving just the two of us remaining. I thought to myself "Hey, my hubby and I are alone…it is a marriage conference, I should give him a kiss." So I did! Next thing I know, I hear a voice from a speaker go "Ooo-ooh!" What the!? So I respond "Hello?" and the voice says "Bye-Bye!"

That was one of the oddest things ever. I was so confused when I heard the voice because I didn’t think there was any way someone could have been watching because I glanced around to be sure there was no video camera before kissing him. Oh, well – I got a great kiss and a few giggles out of it so I’m happy!

Florida in a Nutshell

We are now home from the beautiful state of Florida and I am missing it already. We had 75 degree weather most of the 6 days we were there and the sun was shining brightly pretty much the entire time. Thank you, Jesus.

In chronological order, here are a couple (or all) of highlights from the trip:

Friday:

• Arriving in Florida to find the rain had stopped just as our plane landed. Everything was drying up as we were renting our car and making our way to Island of Adventures.
• Spending the day walking around Island of Adventures and going on two incredible roller coasters: The Hulk and Dueling Dragons! Awesome coasters – though after going on each one twice I did start feeling a bit ill and had to sit still for a couple minutes.
• “Mystic Fountain” Story - Probably our favorite memory from the two parks (Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios) overall! So there is this rock structure surrounded by a fountain and people were standing all around it and it would occasionally squirt water out at people or burst into a huge geyser. It also spoke to those walking by and seemed to indicate that whoever was running the fountain could see the whole scene surrounding the fountain. Adam and I were so intrigued by this that was stood off to the side leaning against a stone wall watching for a good 15-20 minutes. We eventually decided to move along and the voice coming from the fountain says “Goodbye lovely couple sitting on my stone wall for the past 20 minutes watching me. I’m so sad you’re leaving because now I’m…All by myself…All by myself…” It started talking and singing! To us! We thought that because we were behind it and fairly far away, we wouldn’t be seen. We were wrong! We ended up asking a park attendant how in the world the talking fountain worked and all he would tell us was that the person behind it all was no where near the fountain. They watched and listened from a distance. They must have a camera that sees in every direction a good 30 feet out! We were totally shocked and completely caught off guard. Well done and touché, Mystic Fountain!
• Driving over to our hotel (http://www.rosenshinglecreek.com/) and finding that it was the largest, most gorgeous hotel I have ever seen! It looked like the Bellagio in Vegas – huge with a million fountains!
• Adam and I walked around the hotel and found an empty arcade. Being that we were the only ones, we thought we’d try out “Dance Dance Revolution”. Yeah, I am not good at that game at all, but it was really fun being down there all alone just being goofy together.
• Ate dinner outside by the pools then sat in one of the outdoor hot tubs and just relaxed.

Saturday:

• Spent the day at Universal Studios going on lots of 3D and 4D rides as well as a couple great roller coasters: Rip, Rock-it, Ride and The Mummy were awesome!
• Met up with Eric, one of Adam’s co-workers, and continued seeing the sights around the parks.
• Went out to eat at Copper Canyon (http://ccgrill.com/) with a couple of Adam’s co-workers. I had a fabulous, fresh Grouper that night and boy was it good.

Sunday:

• Slept in and decided to check out the fitness center for a bit before lying out by one of the 4 pools. I ran on the treadmill for a while, lifted some weights, tried out a couple machines, and then cooled off on the treadmill.
• Basically laid outside all day and just relaxed. J Rough life – I know.
• The whole Weidt Group gang went over to Houlihan’s to sit at the bar and watch the Vikings get crushed. Sad day, but still a fun group.

Monday:

• Monday was my “Spa Day” where I seriously felt like royalty. I woke up slowly and had a banana while watching TV in bed.
• After letting my food settle I went down to the fitness center again to loosen up before my massage and body wrap later on.
• I then spent an hour in the spa area rotating between the sauna, steam room, and whirlpool before being called by for my Body Scrub and Wrap.
• Step 1 was the exfoliated brown sugar rub, Step 2 was the mud wrap, and Step 3 was the hydrating cream and massage. All I can say is “Amazing”.
• The one funny thing that happened during the mud application was that I had my eyes covered with a towel so I asked if the mud was seriously mud, if it was green, or cream colored or what. The woman (who happened to be black) said to me “honey, right now we could be sisters – you are definitely part of the sisterhood.” I looked up and sure enough, I was dark brown/black! It was quite a silly conversation.
• I took my time cleaning up, grabbed a cup of tea and a pear, and then headed back up to my room. Just another relaxing day at the spa...
• That evening, we went out to eat at a restaurant known for their fish and appropriately enough called Big Fin. The 8 of us shared 3 appetizers: Calamari, Sushi, and a Crab Fondue. And I tried them all. I am certainly proud of my self too. For my main dish I ordered MahiMahi and Adam chose a beautiful Salmon (that was served still on the cedar plank). Both were definitely delicious. I think we shared 6 or so deserts, only because they gave us 2 of the wrong cheesecakes, so they brought us two more. I didn’t complain a bit.

Tuesday:

• This was my day in the sun. I woke up and again woke up slowly before heading down to the pools.
• I spent from 10:30-12:30 at one pool, took a break to have lunch with Adam and Eric, and then laid out at a different pool from about 1:30-4:00.
• While out at the second pool, which happens to be the one where they wait on you and bring you drinks and food, the three of us decided to order fun drinks. Eric ordered a Pina Colada, Adam got a Strawberry Daiquiri, and I got some lovely combination of the two. Heavenly Nectar is what I shall call it. We finished up our drinks while sitting in the outdoor hot tub. It was a bit breezy so we decided to stay warm in there.
• Tuesday evening we headed over to the Summer Bay Resort where Adam’s grandparents and parents were staying for the week. We played a round of mini golf with them and then enjoyed our only home-cooked meal there. It was nice to be with family for a low-key evening.

Wednesday:

• This was our last day in Florida so I wanted to soak up the nice weather while Adam was busy in his last seminar. I decided to go for a jog outside and explore the area a bit.
• After my run I cleaned up and then ran downstairs for a couple last minute errands. I grabbed a bagel and cream cheese, ordered a coffee, and did a little shopping - all from the little shops downstairs in the hotel. I love that hotel!
• My last task was to pack up our bags so they would be ready when Adam came back from his seminar. His seminar ended at 12:30 and we had to be completely checked out by 1:00 so it was tight, but we made it in time. We then headed off to the airport to catch our flight home.

It was a lovely trip and I enjoyed myself thoroughly while Adam sat inside big air conditioned rooms listening to speakers all day long. At least we had a good portion of the afternoons and evenings together. At the end of the trip we decided that when we are older (and can afford it) we are definitely spending the winter months in Florida…sigh…

Just wrap me in warm mud!

So, come this Friday morning, Adam and I will be on an airplane heading to sunny Orlando, Florida. This is a work trip for Adam, but for me – relaxation! Adam is attending the ASRHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers) winter conference and I am going along for the ride. While Adam is participating in seminars about “Cooling Load Methodologies for Under Floor Air Distribution Equipment” and “Effective Design and Operation of Thermal Energy Storage Systems in Hot and Humid Climates” I will be sleeping in, reading a ton, hopefully getting a little sunshine and vitamin D, AND spending one of my mornings at the hotel’s spa!

I decided to go for the “Everglades Scrub and Body Wrap” and added on a 25 minute massage, which they somehow incorporate into the 80 minutes “scrub and wrap”, making it 105 minutes in HEAVEN!!!

Here is the description from the website: “This body envelopment combines the sweets smells of sugar with the invigorating essences of citrus. The treatment will begin with a brown sugar body scrub which has incorporated the finest oils including sweet almond, apricot kernel and wheat germ. Next you will enjoy a warm mud wrap utilizing the nutrient rich mud harvested from the Florida Everglades which has been infused with grapefruit, lime, jasmine and lemongrass. A mega moisturizing body butter rich in vitamin E and the essences of orange, tangerine and mandarin will complete this invigorating treatment.”

Yummmm!

My Family...

So I wanted to post a couple pictures of my precious family...

Here we have my mom and dad. Cute, aren't they? Believe it or not, these two have been married for 30 years! They just took a trip to New York for their big Anniversary this past August. Dad works at OptumHealth right now as an IT Consultant. I always keep an eye out for any incredible jobs out there for him. Mom works at Allina up in Coon Rapids at the front desk. She handles the extremely high maintenance and demanding patients that come in for appointments. She also has a jewelry business called Embellishmentz. Check it out online at http://www.embellishmentz.com/.

This is my oldest brother, Christopher, and his beautiful wife, Kelly. These guys just bought an adorable house in Columbia Heights so they are nice and close to us! Chris works at WellsFargo downtown just a couple blocks from me and Kelly is an Art Teacher up in St. Michael. This is my favorite picture of them because I love their bright, smiley faces! They are such a good looking couple! I just love them to death!

And here we have Spencer, Kimberly, and new baby girl, AnnaBelle. This is actually my baby brother, though he is almost a foot taller than me. This cute little family lives down in Texas to take care of Kim's family's business. They both work there at the family business together. These folks get to enjoy 80-90 degree temperatures on a daily basis. Lucky. And that sweet little girl is AnnaBelle Grace Dahl. She was born September 1st in 2009 and is a little darling. She is just too precious. It is so fun when these guys come home to Minnesota to visit. Looking forward to the next time they make it up here to the frozen tundra!

My first attempt...

So I decided to give it a whirl.

This is my first attempt at a blog. I am still figuring this out. The reason I am starting this is because Adam is studying valiantly for his PE exam coming up on April 16th of this year and I am finding myself with a great deal of free time. What is the PE you ask? Well, when you are an Engineer you take the FE exam (Fundamentals of Engineering) right after college and then after 4 years of working in the engineering field you take the PE (Professional Engineer) exam. So, Adam will become a Professional Engineer!

That being said, I am left to find a hobby. I have busied myself thus far by cleaning, watching movies, taking baths, playing with Kya, and reconnecting with friends. As much as I miss spending ever evening with Adam, I have been enjoying my moments of solitude. It has been a great deal of “me time” and it hasn’t been all that bad. Don’t get me wrong, I miss hanging out with my wonderful husband and just relaxing together. I have just been making the most of my alone time.