Texas Lou

Archive for the ‘Holidays’ Category

Good morning and happy Thankful Monday!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Tuesday night, my friend Kristen came over to visit while I cooked this cranberry sauce recipe and my mom’s Broccoli Cheese Casserole.  Wednesday, I worked from home and then we enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with Ben’s parents, Ian, Sarah, and Sarah’s family.  Everything was delicious and I ended up stuffed!  I especially LOVED the citrus apple cider that Ben’s mom made…best apple cider I’ve ever had!  Thursday, Ben and I watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and then I enjoyed a nap before heading over to have Thanksgiving lunch with his mom.  Then I  had a great phone date with my best friend/cousin Megan.  I worked from home again on Friday and then went to Friendsgiving for more yummy food and fabulous friends at Collin’s house.  Saturday, Ben, Sarah, and I went to see Hunger Games: Catching Fire which was much better than the first one and I splurged on movie popcorn. Sunday I was very productive and got some more boxes unpacked.  Even though I had to work, it was a nice holiday filled with wonderful people.

Here’s what I’m thankful for today:

1. I’m thankful that in less than a month, my family will be here to celebrate Christmas with me.  I’m so thankful that they are able to travel to Virginia this year for the holiday, especially since last year was the first year the four of us were not all together on Christmas.
2. I’m thankful that my dad, step mom, and three little brothers made it home safely from France and had a nice vacation.
3. I’m thankful that my mom made it safely to Dallas last night and got to spend some time with family.  I’m also thankful for a great opportunity she has.
4. I’m thankful for loving family and friends that I was able to spend the Thanksgiving holidays with.
5. I’m thankful for my new bookshelves and my husband who put them together for me.

Happy December!

Good morning and welcome to my Monday morning Thankful Monday post!

I feel like everyone is especially thankful this week because Thanksgiving is on Thursday.  Here’s my thankful list for today:’

1. I am thankful for my husband Ben.  He made me french toast for breakfast yesterday, and even though he has this week off of work and didn’t have to get up early, he got up at 6:30 AM and offered to make me breakfast before work.  He made me french toast again (DELICIOUS) and it’s the first time in a long time I can remember eating my breakfast at home and not taking it with me to work!  He is also coming to meet me for lunch today since he has the day off!  I love him and I’m so lucky to have him!
2. I’m thankful for having a working heater and for modern heating systems.  It was 17 degree this morning when I left the house and yesterday the high was only 35 degrees.  I am definitely not a fan of winter and cold weather so to be able to stay nice and warm inside is something I appreciate greatly!
3. I’m thankful for a healthier mind, body, and outlook on life this year.  This time last year, I was very depressed and anxious.  I knew I was going to have to spend the holidays (both Thanksgiving, my birthday, AND Christmas) without my family for the first time ever and I wasn’t adjusting well to having to leave my old job and everyone that I loved working with as well as my wedding being over.  Thanks to a great deal of hard work, research, soul searching, and mindfulness techniques that I learned (including these Thankful Monday blog posts), I am learning how to be happy and find happiness from within.  I still have a long way to go and recognize that this is a lifetime process that I can’t just stop once I think I’ve mastered it.  I’m just so happy to be in a much better place than I was a year ago.
4. I’m thankful for wonderful friends who brighten up my life.  Tuesday, I enjoyed girls night with two good friends and their lovely daughters.  It’s always fun to see their babies growing up and to catch up with them.  Then Friday, I had frozen yogurt (YUM) with Sarah, Meghan, and Meghan’s cut little baby at Bloop, followed by dinner with lots of friends at Miller’s to bid farewell to my awesome friend Wilson before she moves to the west coast.  Then I got my Bodo’s fix (I hadn’t had Bodo’s in way tooo long) while visiting with Ian, Sarah, and Cris.  My life is full of wonderful friends!
5. Lastly, I’m thankful for a family to spend the holidays with.  I know that alot of people don’t have anyone close to them to spend Thanksgiving with or can’t afford to travel home to be with the ones they love, so I am thankful that I married a man whose family loves me and lives nearby.  I always remember a man that I worked with at VGT named Charles.  Every year, he and his wife would invite everyone in the company (there were at least 250 of us) to his home for Thanksgiving dinner.  Alot of people at VGT relocated for the job so I think this gesture was especially generous because so many people were living far from their families.  Sadly, Charles died not too long ago, but I will always remember his generosity, especially around Thanksgiving time.

Happy Thanksgiving and have a wonderful week!

Good morning!  Yesterday was Memorial Day and my brother was in town visiting for the long weekend, so I didn’t have a chance to log in and write my weekly Thankful Monday post so here it is for Thankful Tuesday:

1. First and foremost, I am so thankful for all of the men and women who have given their lives and those who continue to serve to allow us to live in a wonderful and free country.  Words will never be sufficient to honor them, but I am grateful for the sacrifices of them and their families.
2. Secondly, I am so thankful for a weekend with my little brother, Mikey.  He drove up from South Carolina to spend the weekend with us and see our new house.  We had such a blast hiking and swimming in Sugar Hollow, hanging out on the farm and shooting skeet, trying different beers and wines at local breweries and wineries all over the area, and of course watching Arrested Development!  I’m so grateful to get to spend time with my family and also very thankful that Ben’s family embraces my family and that we all get along.  I love my brother and can’t wait until we get to have another sibling weekend!
3. I’m thankful for the beautiful weather this weekend that allowed us to spend some time in nature and the outdoors.
4. I’m thankful for family, friends, and fun times.  We had a blast at the Market Street Wine Shop Free Wine Tasting, Fridays After Five, Beer Run, Timberwood Grill, the Beer Hound Brewery, Sugar Hollow, the Whiskey Jar, Commonwealth Skybar, Mountfair Vineyards, Jefferson Vineyards, and Stinson Vineyards.  I’m also thankful for the opportunity to live in such an amazing place with so many things to do.
5. Lastly, I’m thankful for the 3 day weekend and a short week!

Have a good one!

Good morning and welcome to this week’s Thankful Monday blog post!

I’m thankful for the following (and lots of other things not listed here as well):

1. I’m thankful for modern medicine, especially allergy medicine.  It’s spring time and with that time of year comes seasonal allergies.  Mine are as bad as ever so I’m very happy to have some Allegra, Zyrtec, Flonase, Nasonex, etc. for some sweet relief.
2. I’m thankful for my in-laws, especially my mother-in-law  Virginia Mom, who helped us celebrate a lovely Easter Sunday with a delicious lunch, great company, and Easter egg dying!
3. I’m thankful that we were officially approved for our mortgage loan on the house we have under contract.  I’m also very thankful for the wonderful inspection and appraisal that it received, the great deal we are getting on it, and the nice and friendly couple who are selling it to us and have taken such great care of the house.
4. I’m sad that one of my favorite shows, The Walking Dead, is over until October, but very happy and grateful that its Sunday night spot will be replaced with another one of my favorite shows, Game of Thrones.
5. I’m thankful for another Monday and a new month to start fresh!

Happy April, happy week, happy everything!

Good morning and welcome to the last day of 2012 and today’s Thankful Monday post.  Here’s what I’m thankful for:

1. I’m thankful for a fresh start with a new year starting tomorrow.  I’m ready to do right by 2013!
2. I’m thankful that my brother comes home from South Africa tomorrow.  Even though we live 6 hours apart, we’ve been talking alot and I miss our little chats.  Plus I’m really excited to hear about his adventures!
3. I’m thankful for the ability to work from home on occasion.  It made me feel alot safer to work from home rather than drive to work last week when we had a snowy and icy day and there were lots of car accidents being reported.
4. I’m thankful for my wonderful mom and her amazing talent for gift giving.  We are loving our new AeroGarden and Soda Stream, both of which will save us some money and help us to live healthier lives.
5. I’m thankful for my mother-in-law Virginia mom and her craftiness and creativity.  She helped me make an amazing New Years wreath yesterday and has really introduced me to some great projects lately that have allowed me to healthily distract myself from my anxieties.

Happy New Year everyone!  May 2013 be your best year yet!

Welcome to today’s Thankful Monday Wednesday post!  Monday was my birthday and yesterday was Christmas and my mom was in town so there was little time for blog posting.  Here’s what I’m thankful for this week:

1. I’m thankful for the BEST most wonderful mom who loves me so much.  She knew I was down in the dumps about not being able to fly to Texas for my birthday and Christmas this year (the first time ever) so she flew to Virginia and surprised me!  I love her so much it makes my heart hurt!
2. I’m thankful for my wonderful husband and friends who helped facilitate my mom’s trip by picking her up from the airport and delivering her to me at the ugly Christmas sweater party I was attending.
3. I’m thankful for my Virginia family who not only helped my mom plan the surprise but were generous hosts while she was here, making us dinner and desserts on several occasions.  I’m also thankful for them welcoming us into their home on Christmas Eve and Christmas.
4. I’m thankful for airports, pilots, airplanes, and everything else that allows us to travel far and wide these days.  Mom was able to travel to Virginia Friday night and then back to Houston on Christmas morning in order to spend time with my sister on Christmas after she got off work.
5. I’m thankful for my husband for being caring, considerate, and understanding, and giving me a shoulder to cry on when it was finally time for my mom to leave.  I miss her so much, but I’m so thankful for the people who I love who live close by to get me through the times when I find myself missing my family unbearably!

Merry belated Christmas to everyone and mom, if you are reading, I love you so much and am grateful for you everyday!

Saturday night, I was in the mood for some pumpkin themed activities, so we headed over to Ian and Sarah’s house for dinner, pumpkin carving, pumpkin seed roasting, and pumpkin beer tasting!

Sarah cooked the amazing dinner and I provided the pumpkin ales and pumpkins for drinking and carving.  Sarah made white bean vegetarian chili which was delicious.  It had the consistency of potato soup but the taste of chili and it was perfect for a breezy fall evening.  I brought over Rogue Pumpkin Patch Ale, Williamsburg Alewerks Pumpkin Ale (a Virginia beer!), and Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale which I picked up from Beer Run which always has an amazing beer selection!  Rogue and Smuttynose were both kind of spicy with hints of pumpkin and nutmeg while Williamsburg Alewerks was more sweet like pumpkin pie.

After dinner, we carved pumpkins with the help of Amy, Joel, Collin, Ian, and Ben.  Sarah opted for an awesome design created using the power tool pumpkin carving method.  She used a drill to create decorative holes all around the pumpkin’s surface.  I of course had to go with a Texas theme!  Due to my lack of artistic ability, I had Ben draw the shape of Texas  freehand.  It looked great but we were worried it would be too difficult to carve, so he drew me a Texas Longhorns logo instead.  It came out great and the Texas themed jack-o-lantern is now being proudly displayed outside our front door.

Sarah with her lovely pumpkin!

My Longhorn pumpkin!

The cool longhorn pumpkin cut-out.

We used the seeds from our pumpkins to roast cinnamon sugar pumpkin seeds and garlic pumpkin seeds and ended the evening feasting on them while watching Netflix.  It was a great night with great friends and the perfect way to celebrate Halloween weekend!

In my post yesterday, I talked about how my sister brought me some Saint Arnold‘s Oktoberfest from Houston.  Saint Arnold Brewing Company is Texas’ oldest craft brewery.  My family and I have been to their old facility and their new one in Houston several times for the tastings and tours.  It’s always a treat for me to get some of their beer since it’s only available in Texas and Louisiana.  Every year, they produce a limited amount of their Christmas Ale and we tend to buy several 6 packs of it when we are home for the holidays.  A couple of years ago, my brother and I both packed up some Christmas Ale and brought it back with us in our suitcases to our respective non-Texan residences.  For my wedding, my friend Cody drove from Houston to Virginia to attend the party, so he brought me an assortment of Saint Arnold brews as a gift.

When you go in for a tasting, you pay $7 and get a souvenir Saint Arnold glass to keep.  You also get 4 tokens that you can trade in to have your souvenir glass filled with different draft beers brewed right there on the spot.  Patrons are encouraged to bring snacks and food and enjoy the company while sampling the different beers.  In addition, if you bring in the cardboard six pack cartons for them to recycle, you can trade them in for cool Saint Arnold swag.  You can also upgrade you souvenir glass to a larger pint glass or even larger boot glass or mug and use your tokens to have those filled instead.

It really is a great brewery in a great city in a great state and I always enjoy going there with friends and family.  Here are just a few pictures of some good times had enjoying tasty Saint Arnold beer.

I got to try Santo, a black Kölsch, when I was in Texas last Christmas.

I bought this Saint Arnold Texas pint glass on one of my trips to the brewery in Houston. On this particular day, I was enjoying a Summer Pils that my friend Cody brought me from Texas as a wedding gift.

This is a 2012 Oktoberfest that my sister brought to New York from Houston for me to try.

Saint Arnold prints messages on the bottom of their bottle caps. This one from a Saint Arnold Lawnmower I enjoyed a few weeks ago describes my exact feelings about craft beer.

My friend Josh, my brother Mikey, my mom, my friend Charles, and I made a trip to the brewery during Christmas break of 2007. Notice my boot that I’m drinking out of!

Mikey, Mom, and I most likely enjoying the seasonal Christmas Ale in the winter of 2007.

There are still a ton of beers that Saint Arnold brews that I have yet to try.  I’d love to get my hands on some Winter Stout, Divine Reserve, Pumpkinator, and Endeavor (I believe named for the space shuttle) so I’ll just have to keep making trips to the brewery whenever I’m in Houston visiting.  And for those who aren’t crazy about the taste of beer or who prefer to indulge in non-alcoholic beverages, they brew a delicious Root Beer.

If you’re not in Houston, be sure to check out the Saint Arnold Brewing Company website and if you are in Houston, get to the brewery ASAP!

Happy Easter from Virginia!

Halloween can mean lots of different things to different people.  For kids, Halloween is about procuring large amounts of candy and staying up late to enjoy their sugar high.  For many college girls, its the opportunity to get away with dressing like a slut for one night when it is socially acceptable.  For some, Halloween introduces the challenge of seeing how many people you can scare as a undead-like zombie or a 50 year old man dressed in drag (my former step-dad’s costume one year when I was in high school).

For me, Halloween is about creativity.  Since I began working at VGT in the Fall of 2008, I have dressed up for Halloween every year since we are allowed and even encouraged to wear our costumes to work.  We even have a costume contest where our coworkers get to vote for the scariest, most original, and funniest costumes.  I’m not really an extremely competitive person, but I do like to get reactions out of people so I usually try to come up with something that is going to accomplish that goal.

I know it is nowhere near Halloween, but I dressed up for work today (a dress compared to my usual jeans and a sweatshirt) because I am meeting my dad and my brother at some fancy schmancy restaurant in Washington D.C. for dinner after work that has a stricter dresscode than my workplace.  Wearing something “unusual” to work got me thinking about the other times I’ve traded in my casual attire for something intriguing.

*Halloween 2008* I dressed up as the farmer in the dell…box!  I had just bought myself a new laptop so I took advantage of its packaging!

*Halloween 2009* I was Mario from the Super Mario Brothers.  I was especially proud of myself for reusing the GIGANTIC overalls from my farmer costume I wore the year before.  I never knew how difficult it was to find overalls, especially in my size and these were the smallest I could find!

*Halloween 2010* I decided to go with 80s rocker chick mainly because I had just gotten over Bronchitis and didn’t have a ton of energy to go all out on a costume.  I couldn’t find real legwarmers, so I made my own by chopping the bottoms off of a large pair of tube socks.  I used my guitar hero guitar as a prop to give the costume that extra edge.

I have to say that I think I’ve had more fun dressing up for Halloween in the past three years than I ever did as a kid.  Soon I’ll start thinking about what my costume will be for next year.  I know Halloween is still 6 months away, but I’m going to need alot of time to come up with a costume that will top the previous three!