QOTD

My brother emailed me the link to this CNN article, which provides the quote of the day:

"Opponents of gay marriage aren’t defending the Bible’s values. They’re using the Bible to defend their own."
 
-Jonathan Dudley

Thanks for Asking

Our yoga studio has a tradition: if you're in class on your birthday, then the class will sing happy birthday to you during the most difficult posture, which makes this posture shorter.  On Friday my husband went to class and even though my mom has never been to yoga he convinced the class to sing happy birthday to "his mother-in-law."  So 50 people, my mom will never know, sang happy birthday to her on her birthday.

On Sunday we were taking yoga and the teacher asked me if my mother had a nice birthday.  She also asked what we gave my mother for her birthday (gift card to Anthropologie and a banana cake).  It just made me feel incredibly "normal" for the teacher to understand that my husband's mother-in-law is my mother.  I loved that she connected the dots, because stuff like that doesn't always happen to us...

Toy Closet

The closet of my old bedroom in my parents' home has become the toy closet for Presley and Paxten.  The girls love to get all their toys out.  My grandparents kept toys in their middle bedroom closet, and as a child I remember having fun digging out all the toys when we visited.

We're keeping Presley a few times this fall, and we don't have a toy closet...uh oh! 

Happy Birthday Mom

Saturday evening we celebrated my mother's birth with my parents, my grandparents, my brother, his wife and his girls.  My parents picked up food (so no one had to cook) and I baked a banana cake with cream cheese icing.  We gathered to honor my mother, but the best part of any family gathering is interacting with Presley and Paxten, and watching other people interact with Presley and Paxten.  They are so much fun!

So Long Georgians

We had dinner on Friday night with our cousins, the Georgians, at Hibiscus; they are soon leaving Texas to return to the Republic of Georgia. (Summer is officially over.)  We discussed numerous topics at dinner, it's fun to have conversations with people that have such a worldly perspective, but somehow we ended the night discussing the arc of one's life.  The subtext of the conversation was defining the meaning of life.  We all agreed that in the end money and stuff does not matter; what matters most is your family and friends - the people you love!

I just wish the U.S.A. would let me marry the person I love the most. 

Beautiful Light

Restoration Hardware has published their fall source book online, and this light fixture caught my eye.  Isn't it both beautiful and interesting?  I'm always looking for that combination for our house.

Roasted Root Vegetables

Roasted root vegetables are delicious!  Skin 'em, chop 'em, toss 'em (in extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper) and then roast 'em (in a 400 degree oven for about thirty minutes).  It's greatness.

Twenty FIve Years

My mother was 25 when she gave birth to me; however, the older I get the closer to my age my mother becomes- or at least that's the way it feels.  My mother turns 56 at the end of this week.  Ten years ago she was 46; in fifteen years I'll be 46.  The difference between 31 and 56 doesn't seem as great as the difference between 5 and 30.   Is it just me?

Jersey For Sho'

My husband does not approve of my MTV's Jersey Shore addiction.  This show fully entertains me.  Pauly and Vinny make me laugh, all the time!  However, my husband thinks the show is awful.  In order to avoid my husband's judgement I clear out our DVR of Jersey Shore episodes when he's out of town on business.

I Am Beat Down

Today, during a meeting, my boss (the CFO) said "that's so gay" twice (as in two times) before he realized what he was saying in front of me.  My boss defended his "that's so gay" statements by saying to me: "It's just an expression.  It doesn't mean anything."

When I got home I was motivated to update my resume.  I am not joking.  My resume is in its beta form, because I plan to get the ball rolling...I want to work for a boss that won't use "that's so gay" during company meetings.

Here's more information on why you shouldn't use "that expression."

Restaurant Week

It's Restaurant Week in Dallas!  It's Dallas' best dining deal were you can get a three course meal for $35 at exceptional restaurants around town.  And the restaurants donate $7 from each meal to the North Texas Food Bank.  We went out Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to support the North Texas Food Bank...

Friday Night - We dined with my husband's parents at Kenichi in Victory Park.  They must have fired their cleaning lady, because the dinning room in Kenichi was not clean.  I noticed dirty drapes and piles of crumbs in the corners of the floors.  Plus, I think their bar furniture was a bit tattered.  The food was good, but it wasn't exceptional.  I did enjoy the night with my husband's parents, but I don't think I'll return to Kenichi.

Saturday Night - We dined with my parents at The Grape in Lakewood.  The Grape is the most loved neighborhood restaurant in Dallas.  Everyone loves that place.  They serve delicious food, but their dinning room is the size of our living room, and it's out of my comfort zone to sit so closely next to strangers when you're paying top dollar for a meal.  Since the food is so good I would return to The Grape and pay full price!

Sunday Night - We dined with my buddy Dave and his girlfriend at Al Biernat's, which is in the fancy part of Dallas.  Al Biernat's was amazing on every level.  We were wowed by our dinning experience.  I was hesitant to eat there because it's where all the cool kids like to eat, and by "cool kids" I mean both real and fake millionaires and both real and fake Dallas celebrities.  I cannot wait to find an excuse to return to Al Biernat's.  You must go eat there!

Blackberry Preserves

This morning we made blackberry preserves.  My husband likes to call them my preserves without preservatives since I don't like to use "Sure-Jell" in my jellies.  My favorite thing to do is research recipes and then create one recipe that combines the best parts.  I'm a champion blackberry cobbler baker, but this is my first time to make blackberry preserves...and I think it's a success!

112 Degrees

It's hot in Texas.  My husband's car said 112 degrees today during his lunch excursion.  I'm ready for some cooler weather.  But aren't we all?

310 Million People

We have 310,000,000 people in the U.S.A., and Rick Perry is the presidential front runner in the Republican party?  This is the best the Republicans can do?  Rick Perry is so anti-gay it's unbelievable.  You must read this CNN article.  Here's one quote from the article: "Political strategy for Bush, however, is religious dogma for Perry. A devout fervor informs Perry's resistance to same-sex marriage, as if he had just wandered a desert for 40 years and had been handed the dictate against it on a tablet of stone from a bearded man."

Cilantro

Is it possible to genetically engineer cilantro so that its leaves are larger?  Just think if cilantro had leaves as large as a banana tree?  I love cilantro leaves, but I could do without the stems.  I'm much to busy to pick leaves off the stem every time I want to add some cilantro to my cooking.

Mr. and Mr.

Kate Spade's bedding collection includes "Mr." and "Mrs." pillows, but lucky for us they sell the pillows separately.  I purchased two "Mr." pillows for our bed. 

QOTD

 "Jesus hung out with 12 guys and a prostitute.  He was more like me than you." -This guy's sign.

Cancer Sucks

This is a picture of our "wall of mothers" in our house.  My husband's mother is on the left, my mother is on the lower right, and my grandmother is on the upper right.   In October of 2009 I blogged about my grandmother's cancer.  Cancer sucks.  Over the last ten days my 79 year old grandmother has lost her independence.  My grandparents are having help come to their house during the day.

A gloomy cloud is hanging over our family.  I'm trying to stay positive in hopes that my grandmother will bounce back- like she's done so many times before.  But if I look at all the facts, then this situation really, really sucks.

Circus Fun

We had a fun family outing at the circus this weekend.  My brother's family, my parents, my uncle and the two of us attended the show.  Paxten, who's 1.5 years old, wasn't really into it, but she liked the popcorn and her sister's snow cone.  Presley, who's 3.5 years old, loved the show.  As soon as it was over she wanted to watch it again.  The circus is a really big show.  There were at least 100 people in the show, and parts of it reminded me of Cirque du Soleil.  My favorite part was watching the 7 motorcycles in the metal sphere.  The circus is also a money grab; they had stuff you could buy everywhere.

I spoke with the PETA protesters before we went into the show; they said the elephants are abused.  However, after watching the show it's the tigers that looked mistreated.  They appeared to be scared cats.  I'm always conflicted when I see working animals, I never know if it's good or bad.  These elephants might not be free, but they aren't going to be killed by poachers. 

A Terrible Idea

What if the person running for President was anti-you?  How would you feel?   I can deal with my Governor being anti-me, but it's terrible to think about "what if" the man leading our nation is Rick Perry.  He does not like gay people.  He governs with his religious beliefs.  It's scary.

Read this: Top 5 Examples of Perry's Anti-Gay Agenda.

Pumped Up Kicks

The first time I heard Foster The People's Pumped up Kicks I wanted to be cruising around the lake in a really nice boat.  I wanted to jam to the song while I was swimming in cool waters under a hot summer sun.  The song is catchy.  It sticks in your head with the other songs that are forever stuck in the mind's jukebox.

I would nominate Pumped up Kicks for the perfect song of the summer 2011; however, I Googled the lyrics and now I am disturbed by this song.  I think it's about a kid right before he goes on a killing spree.  Not the happy song of the summer I was first thinking. 

God Bless the Troops

A currently serving military guy tells his friend that he's gay, and the friend replies with, "it's all good" and then continues with "I don't give a rat's ass, love is love."

First, that is a fantastic friend.  Second, this is the way it should be.  Why does anyone care if he's gay?  This clip gives me hope.

Not Ready to Say Farewell

I'm bummed Oprah is no longer on television.  I understand why she ended her show; her phenomenon cannot last forever, and she went out while she was still on top.  Plus, she deserves to live her life without the rigor of a daily television show.  If I was in her place, then I would've said farewell too. 

I'm happy for her.  I'm sad for me.

I'm sad because (like millions of individuals) I consider Oprah a friend, but our friendship only existed through her television show (and a letter).  The television show has ended, which means our friendship has ended too. I feel silly even blogging about how I think Oprah is a friend, but it's how I feel. 

I have not watched the last episode of Oprah.  It sits on my DVR waiting to be enjoyed.  That's ridiculous, right? I felt less crazy about my inability to watch the final Oprah show, when my friend Dooley told me she waited three months before she could watch the last Sex and the City episode. 

I'm not ready for it to be over, even though it is OVER!

Pickle Update

My pickle experiment was moderately successful.  I've created a pickle more interesting in flavor than a regular bread and butter pickle, however my concoction is not as great as Nathan's.  You must try a sweet horseradish pickle a.k.a. a Horsey Pickle when you get the chance.

My Daily 21

Since June I've listened to Adele's 21 album every day.  I get a ton of work done, because when I have Adele playing no one seems to bother me.  I don't know the last time I consumed all tracks of an album on a regular basis.  Thanks Adele for making great music.

Welcome Rabbit

I don't mean to brag, BUT, the beautiful work of art that makes me smile has a new addition.  In the photo above look to the right of the "rustic romp taper holder," and you'll see a "rustic rabbit taper holder."  I think it defiantly adds to the piece.  My husband likes to call it the "animal orgy" but I remind him that none of the animals are having sex. They are simply working together to accomplish one goal- to hold up candles.  I don't think he likes it as much as I do.  Once I asked him if he likes this piece of art, and he told me that if it makes me happy, then he loves it!  (He scored major points for that line.)

Viva Rice Salad

In May when we were in the Republic of Georgia one of the dishes that appeared on the table at a few of the epic meals was called "rice salad," and it was basically white rice with fresh dill.  I liked it, because it was delicious.  This summer I've been experimenting with a Texas version of rice salad, and I've found a winning combination:  I cook white rice according to the directions on the package, and then I add as much chopped cilantro as possible, the freshly squeezed juice of at least two limes, and some salt to make the flavor pop.  It's a great side to anything my husband cooks on the grill, and it's healthier than any other starch I'd cook.

Billion Dollar Idea

I used Invisalign to get my teeth in order, and it worked as promised.  Someone needs to invent Invisalign for the body.   That way I could just sleep in a body invisalign, and after a few months I'd be able to do the splits.  My hips are so tight that if I don't practice yoga four times a week, then I cannot get into some of the postures.  In Bikram it's always a battle to get my hips and shoulders opened up.  Invisalign for the body would work- it's a billion dollar idea - now someone please go invent it!  Because I dream about doing standing head to knee... 

Fun, But Not Like Us

My husband and I were entertained by the first season of Logo's The A-List New York; however, I've found it hard to watch the second season. It is so full of drama, gossip, and sabotage.  I know the men on The A-List do not represent all gay men just as the women on the Real Housewives franchise do not represent all straight women.  However, when there are limited out gay men on television it's frustrating that this is what we have to see.

The whole point of this blog is to prove that we're just like you.  My husband and I are two people in love trying to make our way in this world together.  Unlike all the men in The A-List, we're not millionaires that are obsessed with designer labels, walking red carpets, having pretty friends, and spending our summers in a Hampton pool.   This gay stereotype is entertaining, but it's not helpful in convincing Middle America to give us equal rights. 

Breakfast Tacos

My husband cooked up his secret combination of potatoes, eggs, cheeses, and spices this morning.  We topped that combination off with leftover beef fajita meet from last night and rolled it up in a tortilla.  I added caramelized onions and black beans to mine, and my husband added a tab bit more cheese to his.  It was a delicious way to start the day! 

Sending Love

Our daughter's namesake lost her uncle unexpectedly last week.  I understand the sting caused by such a sudden loss.  My beloved aunt died unexpectedly when I was in middle school.  We're sending the original Sarah Dooley lots of love right now.  This morning we took several photos of the four-legged Sarah Dooley to show our love and support of the two-legged Sarah Dooley.

Horsey Pickles

We ate at Bolsa for brunch many months ago with my husband's parents, and I cannot stop thinking about their "Horsey" pickles. They taste like bread and butter pickles with a nice bite of horseradish flavor.  I've searched the Internets, but I haven't found that combination of pickles for purchase. Today I'm trying to make my own horsey pickles.  I've added two tablespoons of horseradish to one jar of pickles, and I'm letting them soak together in the fridge.  I hope my version will be a close cousin to Bolsa's horsey pickles.

I Love Lucy More

For my 16th birthday I got a Jack Russell Terrier puppy, and I named her Legend Lucy after Lucille Ball.  I've always been a big Lucy fan. Today would have been Lucy's 100th birthday, and thanks to Towleroad for pointing out that Lucille Ball was ahead of her time on gay rights!  (Isn't it fun to discover something new about someone you thought you knew so well?!)

When asked "How do you feel about gay rights?" by People in February of 1980 she replied with, "It's perfectly all right with me. Some of the most gifted people I've ever met or read about are homosexual. How can you knock it?"

I love Lucy more.

Pass the Snake

It's tough being a plant.  If the heat doesn't destroy them, my car said 111 degrees on my drive home from work, then Dooley will!  Dooley likes to attack the plants in our back yard, and then she also likes to bring portions of her kill into the house through the doggie door. I tell her to not bring stuff into the house, but she pretends to not understand me.

I don't mind picking up dead plants.  This past weekend while we were staying at my parents' house Dooley brought a crispy snake carcass into the house via the doggie door.  I told my husband to get the stick away from Dooley, and then he informed me it wasn't a stick it was a snake.   Then we told my mom to get the snake away from Dooley.  Yikes! One of my parents' Jack Russell Terriers probably killed the snake, it roasted in the hot summer sun, and then Dooley picked it up and brought it into the house.  My mom picked it up from Dooley and threw it in the trash, but then my father fished it out of the trash because he didn't want it to stink up the house and he took it back outside.  Thanks to Dooley it was a fun game of pass the snake!

Bird Seed Bread

Once, in passing, while at work I mentioned that my husband and I shop at both Central Market and Whole Foods.   I was trying to end a "Central Market vs. Whole Foods" conversation, by simply pointing out that they both are valuable.  However, I misfired into that conversation because the takeaway that everyone remembers all these months later is that I'm a grocery store snob.  If "grocery store snob" means I care about the source and quality of my food, then yes I'll claim that perception as my truth!

However, I was challenged during the original conversation.  No one could believe that after shopping at Central Market I'd drive another mile to shop at Whole Foods.  I was surprised at everyone's surprise; it's not like Central Market and Whole Foods are homogeneous products.  At least not to me.  The person supporting Central Market in the "Central Market vs. Whole Foods" battle asked me to name one item that I couldn't get at Central Market.  ("Just name ONE!") I immediately fired back with what I call "bird seed bread" but is really called (see photo above) Early Bird Multi Seed bread.  The group couldn't stop laughing at "bird seed bread."  At work for months after that conversation, all in good fun, if someone was being demanding/high maintenance/fussy, then a person on my team would say; "I bet they like bird seed bread too."  If that line was dropped correctly, it always made us laugh out loud.

As a gift for having us over to dinner I gave one of my colleagues a loaf of bird seed bread, and two days later I received this text: "Thanks for getting me addicted to bread that costs $4.50 for 15 slices."  Apparently he had purchases his own loaf!  I made him proclaim his addiction to bird seed bread the next day at work.

Winning.

Trigger Wins

I accidentally tumped over a large box of dog treats.   All at once Trigger, Dooley and I were on the floor picking up dog treats as fast as we could.  I'm pretty sure Trigger won the competition.  His one mouth could pick up treats faster than my two hands.

Two Shoes Today

It may be obvious to you that in the above photo I am wearing two different shoes, but it wasn't so obvious this morning when I was getting dressed in the usual Monday morning rush.  Furthermore, it wasn't so obvious to anyone in my office that I was wearing two different shoes today - all day.  My office is 35 miles from my house, which means I cannot go home to change shoes at lunch.  I don't have time.  I was in the office when I realized I had a different shoe on each foot- I wore them proudly all day long.  No one noticed.  It's just like in The Shawshank Redemption when Andy walks back to his cell wearing the warden's polished dress shoes: "Seriously, how often do you really look at a mans shoes?"

At the end of the day today I brought my team together and showed them my shoes.  We ended the day with a laugh.

Paxten at Reunion

Our niece Paxten is almost 18 months old, but she proves you're never too young to enjoy a hot and dusty carnival.  She watched her sister ride most of the rides, but she did enjoy several laps on the merry-go-round.

Presley at Reunion

Our niece Presley had a lot of fun at the carnival this weekend. The world may change, but carnival rides remain the same; I'm pretty sure twenty-five years ago I was enjoying those same carnival rides!