5K #2

Yesterday I dragged Joe out to run a 5K at 8 a.m. I was super tired and the course was hilly, so it took us an even 37:00 to finish, but we both managed to run the whole thing, so I'm proud of both of us.

It's been a great weekend in Mountain Home. Friday night was full of crazy weather, so it took us almost 90 minutes to get from Harrison to Mountain Home. But I did manage to work in three naps and a lot of good food. I feel a little less guilty about my gluttony since I ran yesterday and walked today, but man, I have eaten way too much.

Estella made crab cake salad tonight for dinner and it was fabulous!

There's no place like home

It occurred to me today, after being in the car for seven hours, that I pay about $30 a day to own a house I seldom see. Granted, it's cheaper than a hotel (at least one that I'd sleep in), but that's some pretty expensive furniture storage.

Now don't get me wrong, I have a major sense of wanderlust and had a fabulous time in Mountain Home this weekend with friends, but I've spent a grand total of two nights out of the past eight sleeping in my own bed.

I am tired. And I want to spend a few days at my house. After all, my name's on the mortgage and they don't pro-rate for the nights you actually stay there.

The good news is that I managed to start running again tonight after an injury and travel-plagued couple of weeks. It's not a coincidence that I have a massage appointment in the morning. I hope I can actually get out of bed. But if not, at least it's my bed. Home sweet home.

Thou shalt not covet thy friend's pantry

I'm aware that I am commanded not to covet, but it's one of my biggest sins. I often find myself staring at another woman, thinking... I want her shoes. I love her handbag. I wish I had her six pack abs.

My friend Estella has many things I covet, not the least of which is the most amazing pantry you've ever seen. Her house was designed around it. Doesn't it just make you want to cook?

Her whole house looks beautiful. Check out our friend Sunny's pics on her blog from yesterday. (She took the pantry pic, too.)



Sunny and I iced and decorated sugar cookies for about five hours on Friday. Yesterday's Open House was a big success, with 60 people dropping by to taste the fabulous corn and crab bisque and citrus champagne punch, finishing with a masterpiece of a Christmas cookie.

Today we went to the Christmas cantada at church (where Estella rang bells) then had brunch at the club before a three-hour nap. We're headed to the movies in a bit to see "The Blind Side."



Guess I'll go home tomorrow.

Christmas countdown

I think I need a vacation to recover from my vacation. Luckily I only have 14 more days of work before 9 days off in a row. I can't wait!

In the meantime, I have KISS in Austin this weekend, a party in Mountain Home the weekend after that, graduation, and multiple holiday gatherings. Let's hope I get through it all without a major crash. Today I had to take a 90 minute nap during my extended lunchtime. But I did manage to finish cleaning and decorating my office and am nearly done decking the halls and organizing the garage.

Today I found this pic of Alisa and me in Branson a couple of weeks ago. We had so much fun!

Just two wild and crazy gals

So my night turned out to be a bit disappointing. After some power shopping, Alisa and I ended up at Powerhouse, which was a decent steak, but certainly not the haute cuisine that I expected. Steak in Mountain Home? Much, much better.

We had plans to hit the piano bar afterwards (which I love), but due to the tornado warning and ensuing deluge, we waded water to our shins (I kid you not) to the car and decided to return, albeit slowly, back to the hotel.

So now I'm soaked and tired. Guess I'm too old to party hardy after all. The most important thing is that we got to spend time together and visit. Besides, all the weather preempted the Pam and Jim wedding on 'The Office,' so I would have been frustrated, anyway. At least I can watch it tomorrow via InDemand and not have to listen to the weather watchers when I should be listening to Michael Scott spew some nuggets of wisdom at Niagra Falls.

Bedtime at 10 p.m. Jen, that means you and your man friend are off the hook.

TGIF!

Weekend wedding

Awesome weekend in Mountain Home! Heather's wedding was beautiful, and the reception was a lot of fun. Now back to the old grind...

Why can't we be friends?

Those of you who've been following the Drivel more than a couple of years may remember the infamous "friend of friend," the boy I talked myself into being attracted to who, in turn, told me he wasn't attracted to me. Yeah, it's been two years, but I'm still mad about it.

Why are there so many men who find me unattractive? Seriously, what's up with that?

Before LB wasn't into me, FOF wasn't into me.

This weekend I'm in Mountain Home for a wedding shower for my friend. As in the latter "friend" in "friend of friend." And guess who was here... FOF.

I'm happy to report that I was the bigger person (although he was literally the bigger person) and said hello. He gave me a blank stare. He obviously didn't recognize me because he had no idea I would be at the party.

Later, however, he found it necessary to corner me to chit chat about what I was up to, how I liked my job, how I was... Thankfully some other guy rescued me and I was able to avoid a long conversation.

Because yeah, I'm still not into him, but I'm still mad he's not into me. I'm petty like that.

Arkansas, not Australia

I spent the past four days driving across northern Arkansas. I had a great time in Mountain Home, relaxing and cooking. Melbourne was a different story. The Hornets made it to the state semifinals yesterday before getting beat in OT by the home team. There were some bad calls, but we had our chances and didn't take advantage of them. Taylor played great, and I'm really proud of him. The great news is that they are a team of juniors who are now hungry to come back next year and win the whole thing. All in all, 33-2 isn't a bad year.

On Friday morning I had a massage, followed by a nap, lunch, and shopping. Friday evening we met some of Chris and Estella's friends at the country club for a three-hour meal of prime rib, tiramisu and lots of talking. Yesterday Estella taught me how to make eggs benedict florentine for brunch, then I went to the game. Last night we made shrimp and grits for dinner, then saw "Taken" at the theatre (four stars... intense, but very good).

Now I'm back in Siloam, doing laundry and getting ready for a busy week. And still feeling smitten, but that's another story.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I'm finally home from my marathon weekend. After two days of chopping onions, sprinkling powdered sugar and making small talk with strangers, it feels good to be back in my own bed. I had a fantastic weekend, but after the five-hour party yesterday, I am tired.

I stopped in Fayetteville today to buy some wrapping paper. It was 66 degrees when I left there, and 46 degrees when I got to Siloam 30 minutes later. Now I'm snuggled under the down comforter waiting for the snow to start.

This is a busy week, with a trip to Little Rock on Wednesday-Thursday and the hosting of two parties next weekend. I finally gave in to my brat-dom and have a housekeeper coming this week to clean. Yeah, it's ridiculous, but that's why I went to college for 12 years... so that someone else can scrub my toilet. We're still negotiating whether she needs to clean once a month or every two weeks, but since I have no husband, kids, or pets, it really doesn't get very gross.

I know some of you are itching for info about the boy, but I'm just not ready to share yet. I'm not sure if there's anything there, but when and if it happens, I'll be happy to bore you with all of the details. For now, the boy and I (we'll call him LB for now) are planning lunch this week prior to the non-date this weekend. Suffice it to say that I'm seriously, ridiculously smitten with LB. Ugh. I hate that.

Christmas Party

I've been in Mountain Home since Thursday, helping Estella get ready for her Christmas Open House. It was so nice, but I'm pooped. Here's a pic of Joe and me, right before the party.

Weekend weecap

I'm still a brat. I had a great weekend of good friends and fantastic food in Mountain Home. We canceled our Branson shopping trip in lieu of a lazy Saturday of napping. We caught SATC during the Saturday matinee, so I've now seen the movie three times in three different cities. It's still great!

I have some pics I'll post tomorrow.

Lazy, rainy day

My dad's upset that I've messed up his routine by not updating my blog the last couple of days, so this post is for him.

Not a whole lot to report today. I'm in Mountain Home, watching "Just Shoot Me" after a massage, pedicure, brunch, and a long nap. Yeah, it's tough to be me sometimes.

I've been everywhere, man

Let me preface this post by admitting that I'm a brat. A spoiled brat who has a cheese-ball life. The past four days have merely confirmed that.

On Friday, my event ended at 9 a.m., so I took a minor detour on my way to Mountain Home through Branson for a bit of shopping. My outlet shopping experience has always been that it's either great and you find lots of stuff, or you find zilch. My shopping fell into the former category. Not only did I find Ann Taylor suits for $50, I found shoes for $19. And it was such a beautiful day, that I walked down the cobblestone pathway at Branson Landing and felt pretty bratty.

Estella, Chris and I had dinner at El Chico on Friday night. Then, on Saturday morning, I had a fantastic massage, followed by lunch at the club with Estella and Heather, a two-hour nap, and an evening movie.

Yesterday I went to church with Estella and Chris (ET had to play handbells); Chris let me drive his vehicle, and let me tell ya, there's no cooler feeling than driving up to the club for Sunday brunch behind the wheel of a Porsche. Nice.

After brunch yesterday I took a nap, then we went to see the worst movie ever, There Will Be Blood. I want three hours of my life back.

I had a meeting in Mountain Home this morning, then I drove for three hours in the deluge. Now I'm in my hotel room, getting ready to meet Joe for dinner at Michelangelo's.

Hey... I told you I was a brat.

There you go, Jen. The weekend update.

Guten tag!

Life continues to be a series of good news/bad news and good days/bad days or, as Paula Abdul would say, "all the many shades of all my favorite colors" (would someone please check her medicine cabinet?). But I digress.

My weekends have been lifesavers these past few weeks because they not only allow me to catch up on my sleep, but to be lazy and watch TV and not have to think. Or stress. I'm so happy that I had a week off between jobs to get my house settled, because quite frankly, I've done next to nothing to it since. My project for today is to get my office set up so that I will only have one messy and disorganized room left in my house.

I left work an hour early on Friday because, frankly, it all became too much and I wanted to run away and hide under the covers. I know we all have days like that, but I generally figure out a way to make that happen.

Back to the good news... turns out '08 may be the "Year of Lori" after all. This looks to be the year that I cross yet another thing off my life list. It's all very unscheduled and not at all a done deal, but it appears that I have a need to obtain a passport before the end of the year. I do so love to travel and I've never been outside of the U.S., so the possibility is thrilling. Now I need to learn some conversational German. I'll keep ya posted.

Last night I went over to "The Corridor" to shop at Target and meet my friends Kelly and Amanda for dinner and a movie. Our waiter at Carrabba's was a total tool (he mocked us because we didn't know Italian... I'm sure lots of folks in Rogers do), but the food was pretty tasty. I managed to not completely ruin the diet with my entree, but the three or four or eight pieces of bread weren't so healthy.

And you know how I love me a romantic comedy, and we saw one of the best movies I've seen in a long time, Definitely, Maybe. The critics hated it, but I thought it was wonderful. Even better than 27 Dresses.

I got into bed at 2 a.m. Now I need a nap.

This should be a very short week since I'm only in the office for three days, then I'm on the road for a week. But I found a cool hotel in Eureka Springs with a big bed and no Internet. I bought two books last night at Target so that I can simply relax and read while I'm there. Then I'm off to Mountain Home to hang out with Chris and Estella, where I will get a massage and have gourmet cooking lessons.

All things considered, I have a pretty good life.

P.S. Congrats to my wonderful nephew, Taylor, and his Hackett Hornets, who won their 28th game in a row on their way to a regional basketball tournament victory. On to state!

Weekend recap

Well I'm back from my weekend of marathon interviews, kitchen slavery, and hours in the car. On Friday I spent 9 a.m. until nearly 5 p.m. in continuous interviews. It was exhausting, I nearly lost my voice, and even I finally tired of hearing myself talk. I think things went as well as they could have (thanks for all your prayers!). They're interviewing at least one other person this week, so I probably won't know anything until later in the week, or even after the holidays.

I arrived in Mountain Home around 7:30, and Joe and I spent the evening dipping cherries in chocolate and making a savory cheesecake. Then we got up at 7:30 yesterday morning and started getting ready for the party. Estella and Chris' house looked beautiful, the food was amazing, and about 75 people came and went in a five-hour time span. Joe and I spent that time washing dishes, refilling food, and running around like crazy people. Estella served Italian chicken vegetable soup, a pumpkin curry (which sounds icky, but was really very good), and a creamed cauliflower soup. We also had chicken salad, cheese ball, and Godiva-chocolate-covered pretzels.

We slept in this morning, then Estella made a yummy breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and eggs. I got back to C-way around 2:30 (just over two hours, can you believe it?), took a nap, and have been laying around like a slug since.

Here are some pics from this weekend.

Chili Recipe

As referenced in some earlier posts, I become a bit obsessed with chili once the weather gets well, chilly. When I was in Mountain Home this weekend, Estella made some awesome chili. And it's easy. So I thought I'd share the recipe.

'Stella's Chili

3 lbs. ground beef
6 small cans tomato sauce
1 can Rotel chili fixings
1 pkg. Williams chili seasoning

Brown ground beef and drain. Add everything to crock pot and simmer on low all day.

It's yummy. It's easy. You're welcome.

Driving Me Nutts

How 'bout them Hogs?

I saw Nutt on the news tonight when I got home. His assessment was that the Vols played so well yesterday because they're worried about Fulmer losing his job. Gee, too bad the Hogs didn't seem to feel the same way. But I guess that's just wishful thinking on my part. That game was like a train wreck. That's why I spent the second half napping through my depression.

We had another great dinner last night and another great round of Mexican train before bedtime.

I got up early-ish this morning and walked four miles on the golf cart track (walked on it, Alisa... didn't drive on it this time). Then we had brunch at the club, put up Estella's Christmas tree, and headed back to Central Arkansas. Now I'm watching the 'Boys beat the Giants and doing laundry.

Can't believe I have to go back to work tomorrow. Ick.

Long Night

I feel like I've been ran over by a big truck. After a wonderful dinner (see visual below) and a rousing game of Mexican train, we went to bed with the intent of going to Branson today. Unfortunately we spent most of the evening in the ER, so no Branson. But the good news is that 'Stella's fine and I get to watch the game. Hmm... I'd rather watch football than shop. Go figure.

Life on the mountain

Howdy from Baxter County! We had such a great day. Slept in, went hiking at the lake, then had a fantastic lunch at Gaston's resort. Then we took long naps and enjoyed a fabulous dinner of salmon, black bean salad, and gazpacho.

Here are some pics from today.





Tomorrow we're headed to Branson to go to Branson Landing and shop.