A Sad Realization

Well, as much as I wanted to post about the trip as I went along, I am letting you all know that it looks as though all the posts will have to take place when I get home. 1 week into our trip and it seems as though I have only had internet access twice! Vegas and now Provo, Utah. We leave Provo today and make our way to Jackson, Wyoming...and then into Yellowstone where we will have no power for the next few days. Alas..no internet again. So I am taking the time to let everyone know that I will post post post away as soon as I get back. There will be a lot to write about seeing as how we are only on Day 8 and Jay and I have downloaded over 1000 photos :)


Having an amazing time and can't wait to see what the second have of the trip has in store.
Love,
Lesli

Road Trip...Part 1!

Well, I am finally in a place that has internet, so I thought I would type a quick post about our adventures so far. I can't say that I have really minded having absolutely no technological contact with the world for the last five days. It has been wonderful. You know you are having an awesome vacation when you forget that everyday is not Saturday and you really have to ask what day it is in order to remember that it is the middle of the week.

Our adventure started out with an absolutely flawless day of travel. I mean truly flawless. We knew that we were going to be traveling for 24 hours straight so we were all a little nervous. We made it through the airport without hesitation and the flight was ontime and super smooth. (Always a plus with me) We grabbed the rental car and took off the Cruise America in Denver, CO. Again...no issues at all. We grab our Minnie Winnie and off we go for a six hour drive to Moab Utah!

The trip was planned strategically to wind through Colorada, along the river and through the Rocky Mountains. Through the Vail pass and into Utah. The drive was spectacular (except for the fact that we learned that my inner ear problem makes riding in the back of a very rickety RV slightly problematic...more to come on that in Part 2) and it was complete weather weirdness as we wound through the Rockies. Sunny and 62, then cloudy, then snowing, then raining, then sleeting, then sunny, then snowing, then blizzard. Craziness I tell you.

And the steepness...let us not forget about the steepness. I am NOT a fan of the steepness going down. Going up....NO PROBLEMO> Going down..let's just say...ummm..yikes. (We soon learn that my hatred of the downward steepness is more because of the RV...than me. ) We arrive in Moab. Moab, Moab Moab.. (I just like saying that) to beautiful weather and natural rock phenomenon like I have never seen.

More on Moab when I return from my Buffet at the Bellaggio!

Who Can Tie the Perfect Knot?

I can I can.

After yesterday, there should be no doubt. Tying 150 perfectly flat knots around wedding invitations. I am a pro..although, incase anyone ever wondered this strange fact....yes, the tip of your finger can go numb from having tied so many knots and using your middle finger to hold down the base while finishing the knot.

In fact, it is still numb and it has been more than 24 hours since the tying extravaganza. Let's hope it isn't permanent.

The Countdown Begins...

That's right people.....5 more days before the plane touches down in Denver. I CAN"T WAIT! For those of you who do not know about every last thing that is happening in my life...my sister, her husband Dan, Jay and I are flying out at the end of the week to Denver to begin our 17 day trip through the west! And if you can believe it...it will be the first actual vacation that Jay and I have taken together since we met and began dating (You do the math). All of which would not be possible without my BIL (the master planner) and my sister.

I have pretty much been all over Europe, but absolutely nowhere in the US. So, in order to remedy this we are taking a flight to Denver and then RVing it through Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana, Nevada, Arizona, and a littttttle bit of Nebraska. We finish up in Denver and fly out over Memorial Day weekend. I am super pumped to say the least. Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Zion, Mount Rushmore, the Hoover Dam, Las Vegas (Babbby). You name it, we are doing it.

Just so you all have something to look forward to, yes, horseback riding will happen (for anyone interested in picturing Jay on a horse!) I WILL be bringing my cowboy boots, I am pretty sure whiskey will be consumed and I will be found riding a mechanical bull at a rodeo in Cody Wyoming. And no you do NOT have to worry that I will elope in Vegas. Unless that whiskey is involved again, then there may be some issues.

My hope is to try and post pictures as we go. But, you know me and my best laid plans. For now, I am just trying to sit tight and not get to crazily excited about our impending departure. Did I happen to mention YIIIIPPPPPPEEEE!

It is May.......

........And I am still fat! This is NG. I have a triathlon in less than 3 1/2 months and I feel like a complete slug..not to mention that I look, a little bit, like a thick side of beef right now. Hmmm, seriously NG.

It is to the point where I may have to enlist the help of a professional. I wonder if Tony Horton makes house calls? No, he is too busy making infommercials. He won't be available. What about the women on Bravo..Jackie Warner. She looks tough..I bet she could kick my ass a little here.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. I need to drop 30 in 3....any suggestions?

Have You Laughed Today?

My new obsession. Butter rice cakes with garlic and herb laughing cow cheese. I have no idea why I decided to eat this one day, but now it is getting out of control. I keep a stash of the cow in my little fridge at work and I now keep a sleeve of rice cakes in the desk drawer. Just in case. I actually noticed today that I found myself looking up at the clock waiting for 2:30 to roll around so I could bust into the snacks. (I eat a snack everyday at 2:30 to hold me over until dinner)

I am not joking either. I wanted this rice cake so badly that I couldn't stop looking at the clock. It's kinda like those days where you really want a beer and you watch the clock, longingly, until it hits 12:01 so can bust open the beer without your friends thinking you are a lush (come on people, you know you have been there.) But with rice cakes...really Powell, I must be going downhill pretty fast.

There was a just a pause in my typing this because I had to stop to eat the cake. It was just sitting there...calling my name. Eat Me Eat Me!

Nana

Asking everyone out there to say a little prayer. Jay's Nana passed away on Monday afternoon. She will be missed. Send some Happy Thoughts and Prayers Jay's way :)

The Giant Scallion

I have these GIANT scallions in my garden. They are really giant. I got them from Jay's uncle Frank about 2 years ago and they are out of this world. They are so strong that they grow through the winter. Seriously, you can go out to the garden and... peaking out through 4 or 5 inches of snow.... will be these little green spikes. I can't believe how massive these things can be. Well, we aren't even fully underway interms of gardening yet, I haven't even turned over the soil for the rest of the garden, and these scallions are easily almost 1 1/2 feet tall already. And thick. Really Thick.

I sometimes go out to just stare at them because I am amazed at how fast they grow and how random it is that I have these things growing in my back yard. We have tried to eat them before, but they can sometimes be a bit tough. We have wrapped chicken in them (like a tamale), which should give you an idea of how big they are. Last night we discovered the secret behind the giant scallion, tried it out, and it was FANTASTIC!

I made what I now call, the Green Monster Sauce. Soo delicious.

I chopped up the scallions and sauteed them in Earth Balance Butter. This helped a gret deal with softening them up and making them a little less bitter. Then I mixed them in the food processor with:
2 inch chunk of fresh ginger root
3 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
3 cloves of garlic
splash of grapeseed oil
seseme seeds
3 tablespoons of honey

Once it was chopped I streamed in some canola oil. It was thick...but it was AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME.

We put it on salmon and then crusted them with seseme seeds. Then used the same dressing (thinned out a bit) over a huge salad. Holy Deliciouness batman. A simple side dish of fresh carrots cut on an angle, a small onion sliced, cooked together in Earth Balance Butter, clear corn syrup, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper. The best candied carrots you will have!

I am hungry again just thinking about it. I should have taken a picture before we ate. There was, as I am sure you would imagine, nothing left. AT ALL!