A Birthday, Sangrias and the Boobie Trap

Whew! What a busy couple of weeks! Happy Almost First Day of Summer. I guess technically, summer doesn't start until this evening, but it's been in full swing for Derrick and I, and we're enjoying every minute of it! 

To start off, last week, we celebrated the birthday of this lovely lady:

My friend, Pauline, celebrated her birthday! We had a fun dinner and Sangrias at Urban Table and it was a great way for the girls to catch up after a couple of weeks.

 All the ladies - Me, Morgan, Pauline and Brooke

The birthday girl and Brooke - Loved the books as the restaurant's way of giving you your check. How appropriate for this group.

In other news, the Summer of Music has officially kicked off. We saw the Devil Makes Three at Crossroads a few weeks ago. It was a good show, but it was a little chilly (yes, in early June). I can't remember the last time I've gone to a show and ordered coffee. Oh that's right, because I've never ordered coffee at a show! I mean, who does that? Well, this girl did.

This past weekend, we headed to Topeka to cross off another show on our summer music list at this little gem:

It's the Boobie Trap and it is Topeka's Home of Live Music. It's a small dive bar with four tables, a few chairs, pool tables and an even smaller stage. Even driving up to the place was a little sketch, but once you got past the name, it's outer appearance, the lack of air conditioning and knocked back a few PBRs, it was a lot of fun. Even Derrick's family was with us as well and everyone seemed to have a great time. Thanks to Brooke and Kipp for introducing us to the Trap and hanging out!

We got to spend some time with Derrick's parents for Father's Day in Topeka, then headed to see my folks in Olathe. Everyone was in good spirits and in good health and it was really nice to catch up with family. We are both so blessed to have family close by where we can see them often.

Finally, we headed home. We were exhausted from having a late Saturday night and getting up early Sunday morning, but we had a great time. I'm sure we'll do it all over again real soon.

Beasley exhausted after his long weekend.

How to Save a Life -- The Blessings of Organ and Tissue Donation

Today we are celebrating! Twelve years ago today, Derrick underwent a specialized heart surgery called The Ross Procedure. Due to a condition called aortic valvular stenosis, Derrick's surgery involved replacing his aortic valve with his own pulmonary valve, then replacing his pulmonary valve with one from a donor. Twelve years ago, doctors thought he might have to have another surgery down the road. A few years ago, doctors said the need for another surgery was highly unlikely. Today, Derrick continues to live an active and healthy life.

Without people registering to be an organ and tissue donor, Derrick may not have the opportunity to have the surgery. Without the surgery, Derrick would be a very sickly person. The same goes for the thousands who have undergone a transplant. But more importantly, what will be the outcome of thousands currently waiting for a donor?

Thanks to my dear friend, Brooke, I was introduced to Donate Life America, a non-for-profit organization committed to increasing organ, eye and tissue donation, According to the organization, as of March 2012, more than 113,000 patients are waiting for a donor. In 2011, there were 8,127 deceased organ donors and 6,017 living organ donors resulting in 28,535 organ transplants. An average of 18 people die each day from the lack of available organs for transplant. It's clear the demand far exceeds the number of donors.

Being a donor was something I never really gave a second thought to. My dad's an organ donor, so whenever I renewed my driver's license, I would always sign the donor card and my license would indicated I was a donor. It was as simple as that. Aside from one acquaintance, I had never known anyone who had undergone a transplant until I met Derrick. 

 Derrick, post operation

But I'm glad someone thought to be an organ and tissue donor. Without that individual, Derrick's quality of life would have been much different. And who knows, we, or a family member, may be in need of a transplant someday.

So today, as Derrick and I celebrate the blessings of these last 12 years, I encourage you to check out the Donate Life America website. Understand donation, how it works and how it helps. And if you aren't already, consider being an organ and tissue donor. 

You might save someone's life.

Aloha Abs

Relaxation on Hawaii’s Big Island - Source

Derrick and I decided that we would make every effort to take a nice trip every year. Last year we crammed in a couple of nice trips like to Miami, Key West and Gulf Shores. This year we've scaled back a bit. We're only taking one nice trip (so far), but I couldn't be more excited about the destination.

In a few short months, we're traveling to Hawaii for a week. Neither one of us has been to Hawaii, but we have an excellent opportunity to visit some friends who recently relocated there and see their new baby due in June!

I decided that now was as a good time as any to get in shape. When I was about 25 ymy doctor told me that as I approached 30, my metabolism would slow down making it easier to gain weight. Boy, was she right. Since my wedding two years ago, I've gained about 10-15 pounds. At 32, I can imagine this only getting worse if I didn't do anything about it.

So I decided to get a personal trainer. She's a celebrity. She comes to my house every day between 5:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. She pushes me. She tells me if I want to go jeans shopping, or better yet, bikini shopping, I have to do five more pendulum lunges with hammer curls. Sometimes I just want to throw my two-pound weights at her head, but I can't because that would totally ruin our flat screen TV.

Her name is Jillian Michaels and for the past 20 days, I've been working out to her 30-Day Shred video. She uses a 3-2-1 interval system to combine strength, cardio and abs and packs it all into a 20-minute workout. There are three levels, each increasing in intensity.So far, I've done level 1 for 10 days and this morning, I just completed 10 days of level 2. Level 1 was difficult because I was in horrible shape. I could barely do a push up, but at the end of the 10 days, I was doing push ups, more jumping jacks and bicycle crunches.

Level 2 is a whole other story. It pretty much sucks with every other circuit involving some kind of plank exercise. There were plank thrusts, plank jacks, walking push ups (which involves a plank) and plank twists. I literally felt like I was going to die, which is exactly how Jillian wants you to feel. Well, at least she's effective.

While I haven't noticed much weight loss, I have noticed more strength, more energy and my stomach doesn't jiggle as much when I walk--dare I say I see little definition in the abs? I do have some recent measurements I had to take for a wedding I'm in, so I can certainly compare at the end of 30 days. However, it doesn't help when you go to work and this is the first thing you see:

A basket of treats and tray of donuts. I blame about 50 percent of my weight gain to these kinds of occupational hazards. But after working out this morning, I am able to forgo the temptation and resort to healthier alternatives. 

Level 3 starts tomorrow then I'll be on to some other kind of torture. But for now, I like working out with Jillian. We have a love/hate relationship. But as long as she can get me into smaller jeans and a bikini by September, I'll love her.

Do you have a favorite workout?

Pizza Night

Something new was tried in our household. It was pizza night, but not just any old pizza night, it was homemade pizza night. It was something we've never tried before, and surprisingly, it's something we'll definitely try again.

I've started back on a health kick recently. I get up every morning and work out (more on that later), I drink smoothies with spinach and whey, I drink less coffee, eat less carbs and I'm slowly phasing out red meat and pork. I drink a ton of water, avoid the candy jar and treat tables at work, and try to eat more fruits and veggies. This lifestyle change is challenging, but I can definitely tell a difference in the way I feel.

What's more challenging is finding healthy meal ideas that even Derrick will eat. It's always a crap shoot when I go to the grocery store alone because he never knows what I'm going to bring home. But last night, I think he was pleasantly surprised. 

We (I) decided to do pizza night, but we weren't going to get take out. We were going to do it ourselves. I asked him what he wanted on his half then proceeded to go to Trader Joe's. Once my destination for inexpensive wine, it's become my go-to store for groceries. It's a good 15 minutes from my house, but it's definitely worth it. So here's what I bought:

  

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Fat Free Pizza Sauce

Roma Tomatoes

Canadian Bacon

Jalapenos

Onion

Balsamic Vinegar

Mozzarella

I managed to pick up a few other goodies while I was there. I couldn't help myself. 

I let the dough set out at room temperature for about 20 minutes and then I was ready to go to work. I liberally used some flour and started stretching out the dough. The idea of tossing pizza dough sounded fun to Derrick so he decided to take over. He worked in a bar in college so he said he knew what he was doing.

That didn't go over so well and he finally admitted he had no idea what he was doing. In the meantime, I put my pizza stone in the oven and waited for it heat up. Once we finally got the pizza stretched, it was time to add our ingredients.

On my side, I added leftover spinach I had in the fridge, tomatoes, mozzarella, onion and balsamic vinegar. Derrick's side consisted of Canadian bacon, jalapenos and mozzarella. The instructions said to bake for 10-12 minutes, but it was more like 20.

And voila!

Although, the dough was still a little chewy on the inside, the crust was crisp and the bottom was toasty, so I would say it was a success. My side was delicious. Derrick liked his side, but wasn't a fan of the whole wheat crust. He enjoyed the experience so much, he's ready to tackle homemade pizza crust. I think next time, I'll get the wheat dough for myself and he can have regular dough or make his own and we can do personalized pizzas with the leftover ingredients.

All in all, it was a great way to finish our Monday. We spent quality time together, had a few laughs and enjoyed a delicious and somewhat healthy meal.

Summer of Music

This morning, Derrick sadly reminded me that this time last year, we were heading down to Gulf Shores, Alabama for the Hangout Music Fest. It was our first long road trip together and I always thought if we could survive 16 hours in a car together, then our marriage could withstand anything. We're solid.

Well, we survived and had a great time. Our condo was just a two-minute walk to the beach. The weather was gorgeous and the company was amazing. Each day we got to see acts like Foo Fighters, Paul Simon, The Black Keys, The Avett Brothers, Cee-Lo Green, My Morning Jacket, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Amos Lee, Trombone Shorty, Michael Franti & Spearhead and many more. It was four days of non-stop music right on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico.

Last year we had grand plans to make this year’s trip even more awesome. We were going to fly instead of drive, get a beach house, get a bunch of people to tag along and enjoy another great weekend in one of my new favorite vacation spots. Alas, life got in the way. As we get older, it’s tough to realize that we can’t just grab our friends and pick up and go whenever and wherever we want. There are now work and family obligations we have to contend with and, unfortunately, we couldn’t make it happen this year.

However, leave it to Derrick to make the most of the situation, especially when it comes to music. He has devised a way to get his music fix this summer by reinstating the D&A Music Tour. The D&A Music Tour is something Derrick and I started before we got married. We would just go to random concerts and shows around the Kansas City area. They weren't even big acts. If a bar was having live music, we were there. Since we didn't make it to the Hangout this year, Derrick put together a schedule of all the shows we are going to see or want to see this summer. He literally said he wants this summer to be "the Summer of Music."

Well all right! The tour kicks off May 31 with The Devil Makes Three, May 31 at the Crossroads. See below for clips and other tour dates. 

The Devil Makes Three

Patrick Sweany, Czar Bar, June 9


Trampled Under Foot, Frontier Park, June 15


Wolf Creek, The Boobie Trap (Topeka), June 16




Fitz and the Tantrums, Crossroads, July 5


Sam Bush, Frontier Park, July 6


The Avett Brothers, Crossroads, July 26


My Morning Jacket, Starlight Theater, August 6


Buzz Under the Stars, Riverfront Berkley Park, August 8

Bucket List

After watching the Derby and hanging out with friends at the lake Saturday, Derrick and I did the most unusual thing—we sat on our patio with nothing but candles, the super moon, some music and a pad of paper. Derrick got the wonderful idea to start our bucket list. I had a great time just sitting and chatting and dreaming.

There are a lot of things we’ve done and places we’ve been, but not together. So we brainstormed a list of things we thought we could eventual attain at different points in our lives. Below is just a taste of what’s on our growing list (in no particular order).

Two-Man Band – Derrick and I would perform together, he on the drums and me on the mic. This almost became a reality when were in Jamaica for our honeymoon, but someone chickened out. 

Visit All 50 States – We’ve been to a lot of states between the both of us. Not sure when we will ever get up to Vermont or Idaho, but we’ll figure something out.

Napa Valley and French Laundry – Napa Valley is the easy part. Eating at French Laundry will be a bit more of a challenge. Considering reservations can be hard to get and a prix fixe meal currently is $270, we may have to save this one for retirement.

Euro Trip – I’ve been to London and jetted around France, but that was when I was 13. It’s hard to really appreciate Buckingham Palace or the Louvre when you’re a tween. Derrick would like to go to the UK and I’d love to visit Italy and Spain.

Sky Diving – I’ve done this and my dad told me never to do it again (after I landed safely and five years later ON OUR WEDDING VIDEO). We’ll see how this goes.

Move to our Forever Home – We love our house. It’s the first house we bought together and over the past two and a half years, we’ve worked to make it our home. But we never intended for it to be the house we stay at forever and now that we are talking about starting a family, we’re thinking we may need something a tad bit bigger, with some land … and a basement. Leave it to us to buy a house in Kansas a.k.a. Tornado Alley, and not have a basement.

Go to the Top the St. Louis Arch – As many times as I’ve been to St. Louis, I’ve never been in or up the arch. I’m doin’ it next time I'm there.

Train Trip – I’ve only traveled by train once and guess where it was to? St. Louis … where I did not go up the arch. We’re interested in something a little more scenic. 

Shark Dive – Derrick wants to be in a cage and let man-eating sharks swim around him. Not too fond of that idea, but I guess as long as we’re together …

Swim with Dolphins – I think he snuck this one in, but I’m cool with that.

 

Culinary Class – I cook fairly regularly, but I think it would be fun for the two of us to take a cooking class together. It'll be like a culinary adventure.

Bahamas Fishing Trip – Derrick and a few of his friends have done this. However, he wants a couples trip. Can you imagine me in the middle of the ocean trying to gaff a marlin? I can’t. Me in the boat with the girls and a rum punch sounds more like it.

See Pearl Jam – We better get on this one. They're not getting any younger.

What's on your bucket list?

Wine Wendesday

I had the pleasure of enjoying a few sips of vino this afternoon (the perks of working at an ad agency, I guess). This week's theme was boxed wine. Wine connoisseurs, don't fret or wrinkle your nose at the notion of wine in a box. Boxed wine is becoming very popular and it's a very practical and economical way to enjoy one of nature's greatest creations. But not all boxed wine is created equal. Some have undesirable outcomes (one day, I may share the my Franzia wine story with the masses, but I'll keep it to myself for now). But there are some boxed wines that deserve a few more sips, or gulps, however you choose to consume.

Today, I tried Wine Cube from Target. Target calls it "the perfect, low cost answer for everyday wine lovers ..." Believe me, I love wine, and I love it everyday. Pictured below is a Sauvignon Blanc, but I today, tried a Malbec. At first, I wasn't sure I could really get with the taste, but after a few swishes, I was impressed. Target also has Pinot Noir, Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon. Unfortunately, I live in Kansas and Kansas Targets, or Kansas grocery stores for that matter, can not sell wine or liquor. So if I want to try any of these varieties, I will have to venture over to a Target across State Line. But I think it would be perfect for float trips, camping, picnics or just any occasion where a glass bottle just won't do.

Next time you're in the mood for an inexpensive wine, without all the fuss, check out the Wine Cube.

 

Source: Target.com