A Spoonful of Drama

It was a nice weekend with a spoonful of Drama.  You know Brandi and I had a great time, but our other friends are going through something I hope to never go through.  I feel for everyone, especially the children.  I hate how each one has told me bits and pieces, there is 3 involved.  A wife, husband, and his best friend.  I would have rather not known, but this is life and I know not everything is peach and king.  I hate that this has happened, I hope everything turns out alright in the end.

On a lighter note, Brandi and I enjoyed the beautiful beaches and wonderful seafood while we were there.  We always have so much fun, I love that girl :).  We ate so much seafood I dreamed of Mahi Mahi and dancing shrimp last night.  

I will post more pictures tomorrow, I need to rest up and give my fur terds some attention.

Whales Tails + Rubber Boots

Brandi and I arrived in Destin on Thursday.  The boys left us that night, and here is the spot we enjoyed our wonderful seafood at, we sit there for hours with a conversation that kept on going most of our weekend. (I can say only one thing, drama is on the boat right now)  We looked over to the ocean and sipped on The Whale, which was a blue drink.  It was quite relaxing and my meal was mighty good.  

(Here we sit on a wooden bench facing the ocean while eating our yummy food)

( Brandi and I with The Whale)

The next day it rained and while Brandi and I were in Target (Our FAVORITE SPOT) 

we found rubber boots, I chose the Pink she chose the black poka dots.  I have always needed some rubber boots, I hate when it rains and you get your pants and feet all wet.  Now, I will be good to go.  The pictures below are of Brandi and I trying our boots out. They work great.

(ME)

(Brandi and her boots)

After the rain moved out, we sit on the beach until evening.  It was nice and relaxing and the people watching was great.  Here is what the water looks like in Destin, its beautiful. Only thing is, there were jelly fish everywhere, so we didn't get to swim any :( Hopefully today we can enjoy the water without getting stung.  Tonight the guys come in...I hope their trip was good.   (update you soon)

The Emerald Coast

Tomorrow we leave for Destin.  Jim has entered the Emerald Coast Classic Bill Fish Tournament...I told him I should go since I know how to win but he didn't fall for it.  Brandi and I found a condo on the beach and I'm sure most of our days will be laying out on the sand.  I will take pictures, Destin has beautiful beaches. 

We also have found a water park we might go to, I love lazy rivers and slides.  It's called Big Kahuna's.  The only thing I have a problem with is I'm sure there are millions of rug rats running around since school is out.  You know they pee every chance they can get in all the pools. 

My favorite thing to do when I'm out of town is eat out.  I plan my whole day around lunch and dinner.  I will be eating all the fresh seafood I can eat.  There is this great restaurant in Destin that serves fresh shrimp, fish, and sushi rolls.  They even have a Cowboy Roll which is a steak sushi..sounds nasty but it's quite tasty.  I will eat a shrimp for all of you :)  The restaurant is located out on a fishing dock.  So you know the fish is fresh.  You can see the boats coming in an unloading there catch for the day.  I can't wait! :)

 Tonight I will cook on my EGG one last time before he gets a break.  I will make balsamic vinegar glazed steaks with garlic mashed potatoes.  Baby Bear I'm sure will watch since he knows the suitcase is out.  It will be a short trip this time.  I am excited about the Beach.  Destin by far is the best tournament spot.  Cant WAIT!

The Weekend and the BOAT

I promised to post pictures of my weekend so here they are.  I will show you where I stayed and what it looked like being out there so far away .  :)

(Picture taken Saturday evening right before our dinner)

(Billy helping me rig my bait)

(It took us 5 hours to get to the oil rigs, this was about 2:30 in the morning, I caught my first tuna about 15 minutes later...The oil rigs look small in these pictures but there huge, they even had helicopter pads on top)

(This was inside of the boat, its very DIRTY)

(This is where you drive the boat, there are 2 levels to the tower, I love sitting up there while trolling)

(Here we are before we weighed our fish in, we didn't know it was the winning fish yet)

We leave again this weekend.  Jim is on the tournament this time and I will be on the beach with Brandi.  Brandi and I have so much fun, we cant wait!  We will be in beautiful Destin.  The beaches are white with aqua blue water.  Look forward to it!

WE TOOK 1ST PLACE :)

We took 1st place in the Wahoo category!  I was so happy to win on our FIRST LADIES tournament, that means we will get to go out again! :)  I also caught my first Tuna on the oil rigs, we were 100 miles out fishing and it was an amazing experience!  The tuna was the size of a football, but It was mighty fun catching it.  I'm exhausted from driving for 7 hours, so I will post more on my trip tomorrow.  :) 

Pirates and Pools

She came with samples, stones, and wonderful pictures for every kind of pool you could imagine. She stayed a good 2 hours and I loved every minute of it. I really think my calling is DESIGN…I want to design our future pool and come up with something that is so extraordinary and unique you will never want to leave the backyard, and I will stay under budget. I’m keeping my fingers crossed we get one!

I vision a rustic pool with a cobalt blue bottom. It will have many curves and stones that will remind you of a natural spring with smooth pebbles rounded by the water. We will plant tropical shrubs, flowers, and palm tree’s, and have a raised patio just for the EGG. I will send pictures of the plan if we go ahead with all of this.

(I love how I spelled BE )...nice

Tonight I have to pack. This is the first All Ladies Tournament we have entered and I hope to catch the 1000 pound Marlin. I have to drive all the way up to Orange Beach, AL which is a good 6 ½ hours drive. I hate driving by myself but I gotta do it. I’m excited and I think it will be a great time. We are fishing 100 miles out; I will be out on the seas from Friday until Sunday evening. I have never been out that long and it’s a scary thought because I always think of the pirates, and huge freight liners that come into the Gulf at night. If we were to ever need help, it would take a boat at least 3 to 4 ours to get to us. But, I need not worry about things I can’t control. Please wish me luck! Try to vision me pulling in a HUGE fish! I need all the luck I can get.

Icy Cold Dreams in the Hot Summer Days

I glided right into work this morning, thank you Coldplay. We have someone coming out tonight to give us an estimate on a pool. We aren’t getting one anytime soon but would like to know the prices so we can have a goal. I have always wanted a pool and if we were to ever get one, I would be in hog heaven. Every time I go outside in the sticky heat I imagine myself jumping into an ice cold pool. I have a vision of what I want. Last night while grilling I pretended it was there. If we had one I swear I would eat dinner every night outside in front of it. I would get tiki torches, a table with an umbrella, I would string lights up and have citronella candles, it would be my little paradise. For now I will dream, but maybe one day in the future I will blog about the progress of the building of our pool. Who knows? :)

Viva La Vida

Coldplay's ALBUM was released today! I have been waiting on this day for a long time.  I already have it, its great and a little different then what they regularly play.  I will be listening to this every day on my way in to work for the next month! Can't wait for my car ride in the morning. :)

Mosquitoes the size of weiner dogs

(One of the Vampires on my phone)

No joke, we have mosquitoes the size of small dogs! I couldn’t even enjoy grilling last night. They swarmed me like I was some warm sticky candy. I’m not sure why my scent attracts bugs, but it does. When a mosquito bites me they swell up the size of large sand dollar. I have many bumps on my legs and arms that I’m scratching profusely. Today I purchased some Tropical OFF which smells good but I hate to know how many harmful chemicals are in it. I have tried Skin So Soft by AVON and the little vampires seem to love it. So tonight while I’m out in the yard, I will smell like a chemical tropical smoothie. I hope it does the trick.

Here is a monument we should have in our back yard. This is about the right size; maybe they molded one of our mosquitoes to make this statue. If anyone knows of any healthy remedies to keep these suckers away, please let me know.

I Have a New Found Love

Last night my tenderloin turned out delicious! The Green Egg has been the best purchase we have ever made! I have a new LOVE for grilling. I can say I'm EGGdicted...he he (made that one up myself) :) Jim and I went to the grocery store and we have all our meals planned on the EGG this week. I love Holiday sales, we purchased Lobster, Shrimp, etc...all were GREAT prices. Here's the menu for the week...all prepared on the EGG.

Tonight:

Grilled lobster tails soaked in lime,cilantro, butter
Chilled Orzo Salad
Asparagus Spears

Tuesday:

Classic grilled hamburgers & garlic potato wedges

Wed:

Hand tossed Pizza with fresh garden toppings

Thurs:

BBQ Shrimp
Mashed Potatoes
Corn on the Cob

Fri:

I might be off to my first ALL LADIES FISHING TOURNAMENT IN PENSACOLA FLORIDA...I MIGHT HAVE TO HOLD OFF ON MY MENU :)

By the way, tonight is the Bachelorete, I CANT WAIT!!! Now I'm headed home from work in the stormy weather to heat the EGG up.

Soon to be an Egg Head

(The Green Egg)

Soon you can call me an Egg Head.  We purchased a green egg today and I'm already in love with it.  It's amazing!  I made grilled onions & chicken and the meat was tender, juicy, and fell right off the bone.  The sales guy we bought it from told us all about it.  He is an official EGG HEAD.  They even have an Eggtoberfest...who knows, maybe one day I will attend Eggtoberfest.  

(Me and the Green Egg)

The charcoal heated up with in 10 minutes on the EGG.  I have been using a tiny charcoal grill you can cook 2 hamburgers on, it took me at least 30 minutes to heat up the coals.  I also had to pour at least a gallon of starter fluid on it, the Green Egg needs NO lighter fluid.  I will cook my pork tenderloin on it tomorrow, I will let you know how it turns out. 

   

This time last week...

This time last week Brandi and I were sipping on Citrus Bliss's listening to our IPOD out at the hot beautiful pool.  We were so lucky to have all our day's filled with sunshine.  O, boy do I wish I were still there.

(Brandi and I in our Biloxi room...see how HAPPY we look)

Today I have bathed all 3 dogs, it's hard bathing 1, and after 3 your worn out.  I love how I worked so hard washing them and after each one of their baths they manage to find dirt and roll around in it.  I still have yard work to complete which will be the rest of my day.  I think I might run into town and purchase a green egg, which is suppose to be the best smoker/grill/BBQ ever made!  

Tomorrow, I'm making Jim's dad a father's day meal.  I have figured out how to make the best pork tenderloin ever! It's sweet, tender, and juicy and melts in your mouth.  I grill it out on the charcoals.  I will probably make my mashed potatoes, and a vegi and be done with it.  

Happy Father's Day to ALL!!  HOPE EVERYONE HAS A WONDERFUL DAY!

Coffee Anyone?

I found these for $9.99 at the World Market.  We go through so many tiny coffee cups I have no space in my cabinets, BUT NOW, I found these and all you do is stack them up! They are cute and save space.  I thought this was a great price and I loved the colors.

Me

Your favorite quality in a person?
non-judgmental

Your favorite qualities in a man Independent, Intelligent, and affectionate

If not yourself, who would you be?A person that was happy with just herself, and she would travel the world!

Where would you like to live? Rome, Italy

Your favorite color and flower? In Clothes would be BLACK, if not clothes ocean blue or purple. My favorite flower is the hydrangea

Your favorite painter? Michelangelo, When I went to Italy, seeing the Statue of David for the first time brought tears to my eyes, it was amazing!

5 Things you keep in the fridge at all times? Anchovy Paste, Pickles, BBQ, Diet Coke, & Milk.

Your favorite foods: King Crab Legs, Clams & linguini, anything in Italy, Mexican, I LOVE Hibachi, Steak, Potatoes, Macaroni and Cheese, SUSHI and the list will go on and on!

Your favorite thing to cook? Seafood, like Clams in a wine sauce or BBQ Chicken on the bone…ask me for the recipe.

Your Favorite Drink? Champagne & Cream Soda

Last thing you ate? Tabouli

Your favorite names? For a boy, Trajan (A Roman Ruler in the early A.D.’s that was loved by the Romans) and a girl, ALEX

One thing people might not know about you? I’m very artistic and I have a good eye for things (It runs in the family…my grandmother was asked to work for Walt Disney and she declined!) Thank god she declined; I wouldn’t be here if she would have left Oklahoma.

Things that make me relaxed? A hot Bath and a hot cup of tea

Favorite thing to do? Travel

Goals for the future? Own my own graphic design business, and travel outside of the US to as many foreign countries as I can.

Biloxi

It's great to be home, but Biloxi was WONDERFUL!  Brandi and I are like 2 peas in a pod, we could have fun in a card board box.  We spent most of our days at the pool sipping on Citrus Bliss's (My new favorite drink: Champagne, Orange Juice, and Citrus Vodka) they were very refreshing... We spent the nights dining and enjoying the nightlife.  The guys left us on Thursday morning so we headed straight to the pool.  We spent most of the day laying out.  We then relaxed at the spa until our dinner.  We ate Hibachi, which was the best I have had in a long time! I don't understand why the food taste so much better!  It was wonderful.  Afterwards, the Beau Rivage (The Casino and Resort where we were staying)  was throwing a Tiki party out at the pool, the theme that night was VEGAS...We were thinking of a tiny pool party but to our surprise they had turned the whole outside into a club...it was amazing! :)

The next day we ate lunch at Emeril's restaurant "Fish House" It was one of the best lunches I had ever eaten!  I had grilled fish, veggies, and potatoes.  We then went to Walmart :)  We wanted to get an IPOD dock so we could play Collective Soul in our room when we were getting ready.  We wanted to freshen up since it had been since the 90's.  We headed to the Hard Rock that night for the concert.  I can say one thing, I felt like I was in the movies, it was an amazing night and Brandi and I had way to much fun!

The picture below is at Emeril's "FISH HOUSE".  I will post pictures of the concert when I get them from Brandi.

FREE!

I'm at the Tampa airport waiting on my flight.  ITS FREE to pull up the web! I was amazed, I always am board because I'm so cheap to buy it, I don't want to pay $10 for 10 minutes on the web.  So, now I'm happy, finally something free.  Hopefully it will be a safe flight, I board in 1o minutes.  Wish me luck!

Ryan K

On the Road Again

Bear and I ready for bed (That's his Bear)

Bear and I are in bed.  I have finally finished packing.  It was hard since I'm still sick and my show was on tonight.  I wish it were another weekend but I'm sure I will get over this soon, or at least I hope!

Bear knows when the suitcase comes out his mama is leaving.  He was starring at it while I packed.  It breaks my heart :(  

Bear watching me pack (suitcase)

I downloaded as many Collective Soul songs as I could onto my Ipod.  It's been a few years since I have listened to them so I need to freshen up, the concert is Friday night so that gives me plenty of time.  My plane leaves tomorrow at 2:30, I have to drive all the way down to Tampa which I dread but It's a direct flight.  Were going to Mississippi for the Biloxi Bill Fish Classic.  Brandi and I will stay at the casino but everyone else will be gone for a couple of days hopefully catching the winning fish.  I hope to feel better in the morning. 

Life

I'm learning no matter who it is, you need to make YOU come first. I care to much about people in my life that don't care in return. I have been selfish in the past and now that I look back I can't believe my actions, but I have no regrets since it has molded me into the person that I am today.

Last Friday, I was waiting on my food at my little Cuban place that I'm addicted to and a homeless man walked in. He gave his dollar to the women and said, give me whatever you can. I stood up and handed her $5 and said give him what I get. (Which is the best chicken and rice meal in the WORLD and it's only $4!) He was so thankful, tears came to my eyes and I realized some people are grateful. He took his meal and walked out. I stood up to pay for my meal and she told me that it was on her. One good deed turns into many. I do believe if you help someone that needs it, they will give someone help in the future.

My Sunday

Yesterday Lori and I went to the movie Sex in the City, I did LOVE it, but if you have never been a fan of the show, I wouldn't go.  It made me think that everyone is lonely sometimes (like I am right now).  I won't talk much about the movie, I will wait a week so I won't spoil it for anyone.

I'm sick again!  I have a sore throat, I woke up this morning without a voice.  I hate a scratchy voice, it bugs me.  Even though I'm sick I had to mow the lawn.  My finished lawn is the picture below.  It was bad and looks so much better.  

I went to the grocery store today and bought me a special treat...King Crab legs and clams, there both one of my favorites.  I also bought cupcakes for my cup tree, I tried making fake ones yesterday and they were HORRIBLE.  I will just use real ones until I buy some fake ones on Ebay.  I'm cheap so it may take me awhile.

(Pic of my Cup Cake Tree above and below)

 I'm going to go drink some medicine, I will probably watch a movie and go to bed early tonight.  I look forward to getting up early and going in to work, while Jim sleeps and gambles in Biloxi.  Hopefully he has good luck.