Love Is All We Need: November 2008

Thanksgiving 2008

Nov 30

HAPPY TURKEY DAY!

YYYYYYYYYYYYYY

So thankful for one another!

Joe and I decided we wanted to host Thanksgiving dinner at our house again this year. My mom, dad, sister, and brother-in-law came. Joey and I were going to fry a turkey, but we decided against it. Instead we got a turkey and brined it for 8 hours and cooked it special. It was absolutely the most delicious, juiciest turkey I have ever had.

Along with it, I made a chestnut sage stuffing and cheesy mashed potatoes. Everyone enjoyed the meal and my dad even said that it was the best turkey he had ever tasted....which for him to say, is really a compliment. We had a nice time and we are thankful for everything we have...including each other.

Somebody was sleepy afterward.

Rocky had fun playing with Uncle Aaron.

Leslie served up some yummy pie.

Our New Condo

Nov 19

This is Joe and I's new condo in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

It is on the Intracoastal canal (Coral Ridge Isles area)

The condo is newly remodeled and has two master bedrooms and two full baths. We can also bring Rocky, because pets are allowed!

It is on the water, so we might get a three seater jet ski to put at the dock. We can also just hang out by the pool area.

Here is some more info on the area:

Coral Ridge Isles is a beautiful Fort Lauderdale real estate neighborhood consisting of 1,000 homes with nearly 400 of these being waterfront homes with ocean access.

Coral Ridge Isles is an upscale Fort Lauderdale real estate community located just minutes from the turquoise blue Atlantic and is replete with wonderful entertainment, dining, shopping, transportation and education options.

In close proximity to the Coral Ridge Isles community, are fine restaurants on the beach where you can dig your toes in the sand while you enjoy the freshest bounty from the sea or friendly neighborhood grilles, upscale steak houses, ethnic foods, and fabulous dining options with food prepared right at your table. On one hand, there are dinner shows that thrill visitors with the excitement of fire and dance and, on the other, romantic waterfront dining experiences with multi-million dollar yachts gliding by.

I have already started shopping for furniture and can't wait to go down for a nice relaxing vacation!

Cooking Class

Nov 19

For my 28th birthday, Joey got me a gift certificate for the New York Wine & Culinary Center in Canandaigua. I had been there with Joe before and I fell in love with the hands-on kitchen and thought it would be fun to take a class there. I looked online and booked a class. It was called Mushroom Madness. The menu items sounded yummy.

Well, last night I went for my cooking class. My neighbor, Barb, and her daughter came too. I had an absolute blast!!!!!!! The kitchen was gorgeous and the class was full. Amy, my neighbor's daughter, and I were the youngest people there. We were nervous about our lack of culinary experience. Everyone else looked as if they knew what they were doing. Amy and I were partners as well. We worked together on the Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom Ragout. It was fun to search around the kitchen for our ingredients and to be held responsible for making the meal taste yummy.

Amy is a pro

There were three cooking islands, four stations at each island, and two people at each station. After we finished creating our yummy meals with mushrooms, we gathered it all and got to eat it all up. There was beef wellington, mushroom risotto, a mushroom soup, mushroom biscotti, vegetable and mushroom lasagna, portobello mushroom burgers, some other mushroom appetizer, and my yummy pork tenderloin dish. They served us NYS wine as we stuffed our faces with the delicious creations. We even got to take home left overs. Joey munched on some when I got home and was surprised at my special new skills.

What a masterpiece!!

I had a blast and am already looking in to returning to take another class.

http://www.nywcc.com/

Update on Dad

Nov 10

I spoke to my mom on the phone this morning and she says that my dad has really been trying his best to cut down on the smoking. I was relieved to hear this and am proud of him. It has got to be a very difficult thing to stop something that you have been so used to doing...especially when it is so addicting. He is even trying it without the patch or any of those pills. So, I say, "NICE JOB DAD!!" Keep up the good work!

Dad's Visit to the Hospital

Nov 06

About two years ago my dad had chest pains and went in to the hospital to have his heart looked at. They did an angiogram and found that he had multiple blockages and they had to put a stent in. His doctor told him that he needed to quit drinking and especially smoking or else he would be in the same situation a few years down the line.

Well.....it has been a few years now and pops went to the doc and testing showed that there could be more problems. Today, he went to the hospital for a scheduled cardiac catheter. This is when they go into an artery in your groin area and go all the way up to your heart to take a look at what is going on. Well since he did not quit drinking or smoking....there were more blockages. He was all spastic about the possibility of having to spend the night at the hospital, but his doctor said there was nothing else they could do to that artery and that no stent or angiogram was going to help. He was going to be able to go home in a couple of hours. She also said that he NEEDED to quit smoking ASAP or his other artery would become blocked as well.

After waiting two and a half long hours, listening to my dad bitch and moan to the nurses and be quite disruptive (as to be expected), he was discharged and my mom took him home. My sis and I went back to their house to see if he would follow the strict procedures needed after this test, like: stay reclined for the rest of the day with your leg elevated, no heavy lifting, no driving for two days, and NO DRINKING OR SMOKING!

So, do you think he followed these directions, or took the advice of his doctor to stop smoking??? Take a look.

YEAH RIGHT!!! Someone doesn't care about taking care of himself!

Halloween Party

Nov 03

My friend Megan, who I teach with, had a Halloween Party on Saturday. Costumes were, of course, a requirement. Joe and I went as punk rockers. We looked hysterical and had a blast.

Megan was a Geisha girl and her dog Kiwi was a bumble bee

Me, Stina and Megan

The #39 school teachers: Megan, Kelly, Me and Stina

We are pretty sexy in our costumes!

Me rockin out next to Joey

Joe was sleepy toward the end of the night and I was messing with him. LOL!

pumpkin picture

Nov 01

Joey took a picture of my pumpkin last night. I knew you all wanted to see my special carving skills. I think I did quite well...and actually I won 2nd place in the neighborhood pumpkin contest.