2009 Highlights and 2010 Goals

2009 Highlights

• Vacation in FL to visit my father, brothers and nephew. Bob meets Dad for the first time!



• While in FL, we visit Disney together for the first time!



• Made some new, top notch friends



• Spent quality time with our existing, top notch friends
  
  
• Reconnected with some old, top notch friends (thanks Facebook!)
  
  
• We celebrated Bob’s birthday with a semi-dramatic rescue
  
  
• We grew tomatoes
  
  
• We got engaged!
  
  
• We got married!
  
  
• We had a wonderful honeymoon in Aruba . The first time out of the country for both of us. We got passports and everything!
  
  
• Gruxy picked us
  
  
• I started this blog and "met" some cool new people because of it!
  
  
• We enjoyed a wonderful weekend in Oguinquit, ME.
  
  
• My mother-in-law started a new, happier phase in her life
  
  
• My brother is starting a new, healthier phase in his life
  
  
• Bob joined a great new company, his business saw some real growth and he was awarded for his efforts at the end of the year by the owners.
  
  
• Because of our hard work, we paid off a lot of debt and were able to purchase some items that we needed to replace. We were also able to make some donations. Anyone who knows how we’ve struggled the last few years, knows what a big deal all this is for us. My husband is proof that hard work, compassion and persistence pay off.
  
  
• We went to - and fell in love with - San Diego
  
  
• I learned some things from each of my friends – about their lives, and about life in general. And I feel honored that they have shared so much with me.
  
  
• Bob and I officially have a new hobby to enjoy together… photography is so interesting, and so much fun!
  
  
• We enjoyed a lot of New England-y, Rhode Island-y things: The Newport Winter Festival, Iggy’s, apple picking, Pawtuxet Village Arts and Crafts Fair, Jack-O’Lantern Spectacular, Al Forno
  
  
• My company moved into a new, beautiful new office suite
  
  
• I got some really great news at work about some new business coming in, which means tons more growth and exciting new challenges.
  
  
• I got to deliver bonuses to my staff… so much fun!
  
  
• We celebrated my birthday with a weekend in Boston

At the beginning of 2009, Bob sat down with one of the owners of his company to make a list of goals for the year. Recently, he found his list and was so happy to see that he actually achieved everything on it. I know how good that made him feel - to actually see it in writing.

So, I'm taking a page out of his book and making my own list for 2010. These are not resolutions; rather an outline of what I want this year to look like for me personally. How exciting will it be to come back and look at it again at the end of the year and see I've accomplished what's on it?

Things I Hope to Accomplish in 2010

• Learn some new stuff – pottery, drawing, jewelry making, sushi making
  
  
• Get better at photography and Photoshop. Perhaps get my own digital SLR.
  
  
• Get a new (to us) car
  
  
• More blog writing
  
  
• More focus on health – shed pounds, become more flexible, incorporate yoga
  
  
• Attend the Realtor convention again – this time in New Orleans !
  
  
• More hiking
  
  
• More travel

So 2009 was a pretty great year for me personally. I'm so appreciative of every wonderful moment.

Unfortunately, for some people close to me, it wasn't so great. I'm fond of saying that you can basically just choose to be happy or productive or successful. And I do believe that to be the case most of the time... especially when it comes to personal relationships. But sometimes, crappy stuff just happens. Some crappy stuff has happened to some people I love this year. I guess the Universe has to throw you a doozy now and then.

My hope for all of us is that 2010 is full of love, fun, success and peace.

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Tandoori Chicken and Coconut Rice

Yum!

Not as good as Rasoi, but really good. Great ingredients, super easy and delicious. You do have to let it marinate, so be sure you have at least an hour to do that. Maybe mix it up and throw it in the fridge before leaving for work. I did one hour and it was great. For my gluten-free peeps: yup, it's safe!

It went really well with this recipe for coconut rice. It was good... you definitely could taste the coconut. I did put some butter and salt on it though... and some leftover pomegranate seeds!

Sorry about the bad photo quality... we were too hungry to get out the good camera and fiddle with lenses!!

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This Just Makes Me Happy.

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Pomegranates

Pomegranates are one of those "super fruits" you read about... high in antioxidants, may help to prevent heart disease, some types of cancer and Alzheimer's... but they're also yummy!

They can be intimidating at first glance...they're kind of funny looking and beautiful at the same time. Tonight, this little number made an appearance in a variation of My Favorite Salad! We used a greens mix, cucumber, grape tomatoes, avocado, black beans, feta, pistachios, dried cranberries and of course, pomegranate seeds.

Here's what the seeds look like, once you pop them out:

Brett Moore has a great article on how to cut open a pomegranate here. Personally, I love the seeds in salad and the juice is delicious (ever had a pomegranate martini?). But there are lots of ways people are using the fruit... chicken recipes, dessert recipes, salad dressing... the list goes on. I know I'll be trying Brett Moore's Pomegranate Banana Cheesecake and Heidi Swanson's Bulgur, Celery and Pomegranate Salad.

The season is here... runs till about January... if you've never tried a fresh pomegranate, why not give it a whirl?

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Butternut Squash and Black Bean Quesadillas

Whole Foods had some squash all peeled nicely for me, so I decided to do my Garden Grille knock off quesadillas...

Another super easy one:

Toss some cubed butternut squash with olive oil

Season with salt and pepper

400 for about 25 minutes (until golden brown)

Put it between two tortillas with jack and cheddar cheese and black beans

Heat it in a pan until each side is toasty and turning brown and the cheese is melted

Garden Grille puts avocado inside, I think, but I prefer it on the side

Enjoy!

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Eco-Friendly Dog Stuff!

I know. Can you stand it? I love that face. Erika took this picture and many more when she came by for Bob's headshots. She's such a great photographer... check her out at Eye Spy Candids.

So we went to the Holiday Pet Bazaar last weekend. Our friend Connie was there. She works for the RISPCA and asked us to stop by. We were happy to! Connie had some stockings stuffed with treats for the shelter animals, so we bought one for a cat (Goldie) and one for a dog (Rocky)... from Dave and Gruxy, of course :)

There were lots of tables set up with doggie stuff... home made sweaters, dog treats, crafty stuff. Alysha from Furry Friends was there as well. We chatted about the upcoming comedy show, Stand Up for Animals, to benefit the Providence Animal Rescue League. I'm looking forward to it... should be fun! More info can be found on the Furry Friends website.

Alysha had some eco-friendly Kong type things from Planet Dog at her table. I had seen them at Whole Foods, and Alysha told me all about them... minty smelling, recyclable and non-toxic. The boy loves it... he gets it before we leave the house every day and it keeps him busy for a long time!

We also got some great smelling waterless shampoo!!!! This stuff is so great... it smells like kiwi melon. It actually cleans, too... it doesn't just cover up doggie smell with heavy perfume. It's made by Happy Tails, it's all natural, the bottle is made from post consumer resin, and the labels are made without using trees!

I leave you with these thoughts...

• If you have a dog in your life, these are some great gift ideas for them and/or their owners.
• If you are thinking about adding a pet to your family this holiday season, please consider a rescue. There is something very rewarding about adopting... offering a warm home, consistency and lots of love. I feel like they know they are being rescued. I really do. I'll never forget the car ride home with Grux the day we picked him up. He curled up on my lap and just slept the whole way home. He wasn't scared at all. He's such a happy, loving dog. As much as we give him, he gives to us back...

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Chicken with Goat Cheese and Pistachios and Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Apples

Two of my favorite food bloggers, Kath (from KathEats.com) and Heidi (from 101 Cookbooks) joined forces for tonight's dinner.

Heidi Swanson, author of 101 Cookbooks, posted this brussels sprouts recipe back in October of 2008. The recipe the way she wrote it includes tofu, which I know would be fantastic in this recipe. We chose not to include tofu tonight because we were making it as a side dish to go along with a chicken dish. Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Apples turned out to be easy and very tasty. I also think it's beautiful - look at the bright green color of the sprouts.

Kath posted her version of a Robin Miller recipe in May of 2008, where she uses pistachios instead of macadamia nuts. It was so tasty, it's hard to believe how easy it was. Just slap some honey mustard on chicken breasts, throw some goat cheese on top of that, top with crushed nuts. Cover it with foil and bake at 400 for 20 minutes (ours took a bit longer), uncover and let it go for another 5-10 minutes.

The combination was very good and we'll be adding it to the rotation for sure!

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I'm Back!!

I've neglected my poor blog, but my dear friends Wendie and Connie have inspired me to get back into the swing of things. Wendie made a huge leap and resigned from her post as weekday editor of a celebrity gossip website to focus more on her own website, Mommytopia, and her book. Yup, I'm friends with a professional writer. Connie started her blog today... get this... ThreeLittleBirdsAndMe.com. Is that the cutest ever? Her first post brought me to tears and I'm so looking forward to reading more. The best part is that I'm having dinner with both of them tomorrow night, and they are meeting each other for the first time! It will be fun... a seasoned writer and one trying out her voice for the first time... lots to talk about.

So... here's what's been going on, for the three of you that are interested...

At the beginning of November, the company I work for moved into a beautiful new office. Our new place accomodates our growing staff very well. It's two floors and 8500 square feet of gorgeousness. My own office is coming together quite nicely :)

When I started working for this company 12 years ago, we were very small company. The number of employees has now quadrupled in size. Lots of changes come with growth, and it's been exciting to have been a part of it... I'm proud of what I've personally accomplished... having starting as a temporary part-time receptionist, my title is now Director of Communications and I have a kick ass staff of 3 to supervise. I'm also very proud in general of what we do here.

My company is an Employee Assistance Program. We provide free counseling to the employees of our client companies. So, if you work for one of our client companies, and you need someone to talk to... about parenting, work related issues, family issues, whatever... you would call us and speak to one of our amazing counselors, or you would see one of them face to face, depending on what type of contract your company has with us. The company I work for literally changes lives.

We also went to San Diego! Bob and several people from his company attended the National Association of Realtors convention and I got to go!! It was a quick visit, but we did get to the San Diego Zoo (see my friend Mr. Gorilla, at the top of the page), La Jolla, Torrey Pines and Hotel Del Coronado (that's us in the picture above on the beach there). I'm in love with San Diego... the west coast in general, really. The best part of this trip was that Karen and Rich were there!! Rich is a Realtor and attended the convention with Bob... and Karen and I got to spend a lot of quality time together. It was such a great time, and I'm so happy we did it. We talked about doing this every year... meeting up at the convention, wherever it may be. Next year it's in New Orleans! This is me and Karen in La Jolla.

Oh yeah... and I've been sick-twice. The first time was the week of the office move. Cough, cold stuff. The second time, last week, it was the flu. I don't think it was H1N1, because I didn't have respiratory stuff, but it knocked me out for sure. I feel way better now, and ready for the holiday season!

Meanwhile, it turns out my husband is an awesome photographer. Seriously... I'm so impressed... check this out

I asked him to take three gerber daisy pictures for the wall in my office. I wanted a red, an orange and a yellow. He totally made it happen. See the iPhone picture above of my office... doesn't that look cool against the chocolate brown wall? Since I brought these prints in, he's been asked to take some more pictures for other spots in the office suite. He's been bitten in a big way and I really can't wait to see what the future holds.

So that's it! Lots of fun stuff coming up...

• Dinner tomorrow night with the girls
• Holiday Pet Bazaar on Saturday
• Stand Up for Animals Comedy Showcase to benefit the Providence Animal Rescue League, sponsored by Bob's company, Williams & Stuart Real Estate next Friday
• My birthday is coming up next week! The mister is whisking me away to Boston for a night... so exciting!

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