I'm Sorry, What?

I 100% love the movie Sweet Home Alabama - I will watch it every.single.time. it is on.

Seriously - every time.

This morning I shaved 14 seconds off of my 2000 meter row!

I rowed it in 8:35 - the top five board in the gym has #5 at 8:17 - I have a little work to do.

But I did keep a fairly consistent pace for the 1500m and 1000m after that, so I was happy with my performance.

I turned 31 on Saturday.

And cut off all of my hair.

How adorable is BabyBunner's face in this picture? That kid is CUTE!

Seriously!

Look at that face!

And those rolls!

Be still my beating heart!

Do you know how I know I'm old?

I'm starting a juice cleanse on Saturday and I am super stoked!

I did a lot of research and thought about buying the juice and having it delivered, but that was super expensive, so Match came up with the idea of me buying myself a juicer and making my own juice.

So my wonderful sisters and Diddy got me a juicer for my birthday!

And do you see that apron? Glinda made it for me!

So great!

It was inspired by this. But you should probably read this. And then go ahead and start at today's post and read these blog entries until your kids start crying because you haven't fed them for three days, because this lady is HILARIOUS!! 

On Sunday morning I got to spend some quality time with this kid:

And I taught him that new trick.

He was pretty excited.

I intended this post to be something completely different...

It's crazy how my mind works.

Friday Food Day!

friday

Also known as Diddy's birthday and the day I fell of the food wagon.


Seriously, I ate so much that I think I was full for the two days following.


Match, Superfan, and I started the morning at Hob Nob Hill. It was like taking a step back in time.


Do you see those chandeliers?

This was also the day that I forgot to take pictures of my food before I started eating it.

Oops.

Match got toast with her meal and they brought out the jelly in these orange halves. It was super cute, but Match was pretty sure that the jelly came from a jar.

Not impressed.

But they more than made up for it with their homemade sausage patties.

Seriously - yum!

Superfan and Match were impressed with their meals as well. We definitely recommend this place for breakfast if you make it to San Diego.

With some time to kill, we thought that we take a little tour. I was attempting to take us to Old Town, and somehow ended up in the Gayborhood. 

So, I changed the plan and had Match look up how to get to Little Italy.

I'm fairly certain that we took the scenic route there, but it was well worth it when we saw this wonderful sign!

We decided to park for a minute and take a walk around.

So I pulled into a parking spot on the street next to a sausage deli where three old men were sitting outside drinking coffee and shooting the bull.

I was looking for some change to feed the meter and then I got out of the truck. As soon as I closed the door, one of the old men barked at me, in a heavy Italian accent, "Fifteen minutes only."

It totally made the trip worth it!

Then we walked into a coffee shop for a quick cup of joe and found this:

I decided that Diddy needed one of these for his birthday. There was a baked version as well and Superfan asked, "Do you want it baked or fried?" 

I'm sorry, did you just hear yourself?

When we got back to the hotel, we gave this to Diddy and then we all took a bite and Oh. My. God!

Seriously, this had to be one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten!

And then it was off to Ocean Beach.

When we were on the way, I texted Seaman that I was in his old hood for lunch. He had no idea where I was going and he replied with:

Hodad's?!? If not, you're wasting your time.

Luckily, we weren't wasting our time.

And we were not disappointed.

Our group shared a basket of fries and onion rings and then I had the Blue Jay.

So, so, so good. 

I want to drive to San Diego right now and get a hamburger.

Right. Now.

That evening, we headed down to Petco Park to catch a baseball game for Diddy's birthday.

The seats were amazing, the weather was perfect, the company was great!

All in all it was a great vacation!

Memorial Day

All gave some. Some gave all.

Some stood through for the red, white, and blue

And some had to fall.

And if you ever think of me,

Think of all your liberties and recall

Some gave all.

~Billy Ray Cyrus

Today is dedicated to all of those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we may live free.

But we should think of them every single day.

Every time we get in our car.

Every time we unlock our homes.

Every time we board a plane.

Think of the men and women who have given their lives so that we may live.

San Diego...Discovered by the Germans in 1904

PapaBear has an annual meeting in San Diego. It usually happens in June, and I wrote about it last year.

In the past, I either was in San Diego for the entire week and had to sit through the meetings for work or I only came at the end of the meetings to enjoy the family vacation fun.

But this year...

...this year was a whole new world!

While the boys and Dirty sat in meetings, Match, Superfan, and I went on the Food Network Tour of the San Diego area.

It was delightful.

And I thought about never eating again.

wednesday

We left B-Town on Wednesday morning. Dirty, Diddy, and I in one car. Match, Papa, and Superfan in the other.

The first stop when we go to San Diego was the Blue Water Grill. 

I enjoyed a cup of Ciopinno and Hawaiian Wahoo tacos.

The table shared an order of the biggest, meatiest, tastiest oysters I've ever had; and some fresh shrimp ceviche. 

All delicious, but I had to add hot sauce and salt to every dish.

What can I say? I like it spicy!

Seriously, the fish was so fresh! And delicious! And amazing!

And the tacos each had a half pound of fish.

But I have to tell you - the special of the day was Ahi Poke and Chips. It was basically like a Ahi Poke ceviche served with corn chips - and that is what Diddy ordered.

And it was PHENOMENAL! 

It was salty and ginger-y and fresh and so, so, so delightful!

If it is on the special board when you get there - ORDER IT!

Match and Superfan shared the softshell crab sandwich, which they had eaten before and they loved it as much the second time.

thursday

Have you ever watched The Best Thing I Ever Ate?

I had to stop watching it when I almost got on a plane to Houston at 8:00pm on a Tuesday night to get chorizo and homemade tortillas.

However, Superfan didn't stop watching it and one night she saw an episode about brunch that included chilaquiles at a restaurant in Chula Vista, CA.

Just a short drive from our hotel by the bay and we were at Talavera Azul in downtown Chula Vista for breakfast nachos.

Seriously, folks, I have had chilaquiles before in a layered version, kind of like a breakfast lasagna. But this:

This was nothing but breakfast nachos.

Freaking DELICIOUS breakfast nachos, but nachos nonetheless.

Just to give you an idea of what you are looking at (because I realize it doesn't look that great), there are deep fried squares of corn tortilla (basically chips) and some shredded chicken covered in a chipotle cream sauce, with an over-medium egg on top.

Served with refried beans and potatoes.

Go here.

Eat this.

Trust me.

The remainder of Thursday was full of shopping and drinking and gambling. 

Good times were had by all.

I think.

The tequila seems to have clouded those memories.

Oh, but can someone tell me why these cookies are "killer?"

I just don't think they should put killer in quotes - it sends the wrong message.

I'm going to have to save Friday for tomorrow's post because I'm making myself hungry.

Ballin'

Trainer* and I went golfing yesterday morning.

I need a lot of help when it comes to the golf course!

We decided that we would play only 9 holes as a start.

Because, really, 18 holes is just stupid! Who has 4 hours to waste?

Either way, as we got started, it was apparent that I could not play a decent round of golf.

We went through some serious practice swings at the tee box of every hole while we waiting for the group in front of us to finish. I swung at nothing. I swung at pine cones. I swung at golf balls.

And finally, I connected.

On hole 7, with a 3 Wood, at a 180 yard hole, I did everything right and hit the hell out of that ball. 

It hit before the green and while I turned around to walk back to the cart, Trainer said, "You're on the green."

I didn't really believe him, but as we drove up the fairway to find his ball, I saw something totally unbelievable.

My ball was within a foot of the hole. 

No shit, y'all.

I was within a foot of getting a hole in one!

So Trainer decided that he was going to video me putting in my first birdie.

And to prove that it was a fluke, I missed the putt and only hit in for par.

And yes, Diddy, it is a little embarrassing. But life is about laughing at yourself.

Age Old Question

It is a question that has plagued mankind for ages...

If a tree falls in your backyard and you don't hear it, does it prevent you from yelling obscenities the following day when you discover the damage?

For the record - the answer is no.

So I took these pictures and texted Match and Papa.

I bet you can imagine the sheer joy I felt tonight when I walked outside to grill dinner and found this.

And Match replied: Try to save it.

Oh yes. Give me a moment while I run inside and put my Captain America costume on. Because really, I can't hold a downed tree with one hand and dig a hole with the other hand without that costume.

Then Papa called.

I told him of my dilemma of not being able to save the tree because I'm only one person.

He asks, is it a big tree?

Well, it isn't huge, but it is still a tree and I sill can not lift trees on my own.

I CrossFit, but I'm not a freak of nature.

Happy Birthday, Sister!

Today is Sissy's birthday!

Which is the only reason that I will forgive her for harassing me via text message last night.

Well, probably not the only reason.

That "dolly blanket" was Sissy's version of a bobo

I do believe that I have told you before that Sissy and I are only 13 months apart. So basically, I was born with a best friend.

There isn't a memory that I have that doesn't include Sissy.

Sissy, Freckles, YogaHippy, Rejuba, and me

I would be lying if I told you that we always got along. But I always knew that if I needed something, Sissy would be there for me.

She has been my toughest competition and my fiercest supporter throughout the years.

She has pushed me to be better.

As little girls we shared a room. Match and Papa would put us to bed and we would be quiet for a couple of minutes and then we would sit up in bed and talk and giggle until we fell asleep.

We would play bank in Papa's closet. And Sissy always got to be the banker.

We would go out to swim. And Sissy would spend an hour spraying off the pool deck.

I can't be sure, but I think she is making me give her the eggs I found.

I see so much of her in BiggieSmalls. Which both makes me smile and scares the bejeezus out of me.

How freaking adorable are we?

 My sister can make me crazier than any other person I know, but there is no way that I can imagine what I would do without her.

I love my big sister more than words can express.

And I don't know why I even wrote this blog, because she doesn't even read it...