5 days to go...

So it's here--the week before the triathlon. Yikes! I am really looking forward to this challenge, but I have a feeling it's going to kick my butt. OK, it is definately going to kick my butt. It's kind of nice to think that next week at this time, it will all be over. As nervous as I am, I'm really excited for a weekend away from teaching dance, getting away from the cold, and time with my awesome friend Amy and her cute husband Ben and their darling kids. We get to meet up with Liz and Anton for dinner on Friday night, and Blue Bunny is a must Saturday after the girls have napped. I hope we have enough energy to swim, hike, and do a little bit of shopping after the race.

I am wearing Izzy's bike helmet, and Dylan's goggles for good luck. I got a fortune cookie that said:

Achievement is one percent aspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.

I'll let you know how true that is next Sunday. I'm sure there may be at least one post with pictures before we take off. Wish me luck! I need it!

Gotta Love Tina

Love or hate Palin, this is funny.

White Corn Chowder

Last Thursday was yet another awesome dinner club! The theme this month was "fall favorites". We got together at Amy's house for lots of good food, great conversation, and plenty of cold diet coke. Liz suggested I look on Williams-Sonoma.com for a new soup recipe to try, and I'm so glad she did. It was really good, and not too hard. I'll definately make it again. Here's the recipe:



Ingredients:
4 to 6 ears of white corn, husks and silk removed
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 large yellow onion, minced
1 large celery stalk, minced
1 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup water
1 1/2 tsp. minced fresh thyme
1 cup half-and-half
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 Tbs. thinly sliced fresh chives

Directions:
Holding each ear of corn by its pointed end and steadying its stalk end on a cutting board, cut down along the ear with a sharp knife to strip off the kernels, turning the ear with each cut. Alternatively, remove the kernels with a kernel cutter. You will need 4 cups corn kernels. Set aside.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and celery and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the potatoes, stock, water and thyme and bring to a simmer. Cover, adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the potatoes are almost tender, about 8 minutes. Add the corn, cover and continue to simmer gently until the corn is tender, 3 to 5 minutes more.

Transfer about 4 cups of the soup solids to a food processor along with enough of the cooking liquid to achieve a puree. Secure the lid and cover with a kitchen towel. Process until smooth and return to the pan. Stir in the half-and-half and season with salt and pepper.

Reheat the soup gently over medium-low heat. Ladle into warmed soup bowls and garnish with the chives, dividing evenly. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Let me know if you try it!

7 years later...

We are having a hard time believing that Isabelle turned 7 yesterday. Her birthday was so much fun! She had a Rich's bagel for breakfast (thanks, Luke!), wore the 'birthday crown' all day at school, and had a special dinner at home. She also got the present she had been hoping for, but didn't think she'd get:



It seems cheesy to say it, but it seems like not that long ago, we were pulling away from the hospital with a 6 lb. 6 oz. bundle in our back seat. We had no idea what to do--what a strange feeling it was to suddenly be responsible for a tiny little person. And now that tiny little person is 7. Crazy! Time does fly when you're having fun.

Happy birthday, Isabelle!

Isabelle and Dylan

Just a quick little post about the cutest kids ever. I am so lucky to have Isabelle and Dylan in my life, and can't imagine what it was Luke and I did before they got here. Everything seems just a little bit sweeter with them around. Isabelle is full of energy and confidence. She has always been independent, and accepts any challenge head-on. She is a great reader and loves to learn. Dylan is very compassionate and emotional. He is very loyal, and makes friends easily. He is a good golfer, but prefers a cart to walking--my kind of boy. They keep me on my toes, make me laugh, and try my patience. I love to see the world through their eyes and learn with them every day. I wouldn't trade being their mom for anything in the world, and I hope each night when they fall asleep, they know how much they are loved.

Just For Fun

This is Isabelle's gymnastics coach:



If you want to see Paul's floor and bar routine, check out YouTube.

Labor Day

Ahh. Labor Day weekend. Ripe tomatoes, cool nights, school, and basketball. Lots and lots of basketball. I look forward to the leaves changing and apples and pumpkins. I love it all, and Labor Day seems to mark the beginning for me. Luke started off the holiday weekend with a bang. He took Dylan out to the Larry Miller Speedway for a night of hillbillies and racing. I'm not sure which was more entertaining, but at least Dylan got a churro. Isabelle and I stayed home for some much needed girl time. I have missed her this past week. Having her in school all day is a huge adjustment.

On Monday morning, we woke to this:

Crazy! We managed to find some relatively warm clothes, so we headed downtown to the planetarium. It was a lot of fun. Tons to see and learn, and everything is free. Yes, free. Unless you want to catch a 'Laser Floyd' show, but I graduated over a decade ago, so I opted to skip it. There were some really cool interactive exhibits that the kids loved. Isabelle tried out being a weather girl.

The kids visited Mars

and walked on the moon.

And I don't care how old you get, Uranus will always be funny.

To top off the day, Luke had a gift certificate for bowling. We love to bowl--it's tons of fun, plus it's a perfect opportunity to people-watch. Also, it gives everyone a chance to work on their pose. Because really, who needs to keep score when your pose looks like this:


All in all, a great weekend!