Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Big changes happening here! And no, we're not adding a member to our family. I'll share more later this week.

MLK Holiday

If you are not at work today because of the holiday, please take a moment to reflect on MLK and what he did for this country!

How are you spending your day? I'm off for a run once it warms up this morning. Vella and I will take a long walk later. Other than that, no plans! I have some organizing/cleaning out to do, so I'm sure I'll tackle that this afternoon.

Happy Monday!

January Thaw

It was heat wave here today at 48 degrees! It was so nice to go for a run in Central Park without gloves and a hat. I'm FINALLY on the mend from the wisdom teeth removal and was able to get five miles in today. Honestly, I stopped complaining about it as I watched what was going on in Haiti.

We took Vella to the dog park today and she had a blast. I then bribed her in to the bathroom with cheese so I could give her a bath. She tolerates baths, but doesn't love them. She's sacked out on her bed right now.

Matt heads to London tomorrow for business. That means I have most of Sunday and Monday (MLK Day) to myself. I'm going to finally try that cuban beef recipe I posted tomorrow night, I'll report back.

Haiti

I didn't have the TV on last night and it became apparent to me today that I didn't grasp the magnitude of what's happened. I'm watching CNN right now and I can't comprehend what these people are experiencing. The government is not capable of helping it's own people, the Red Cross is out medicine and supplies, and aid is being hampered for numerous reasons. I'm not sure how we can help, but I'm writing to encourage my fellow bloggers to share how they're helping whether it is through churches, synagogues, the Red Cross, etc. Let's get the word out and let each other know about the organizations that are going to rely on all of us to make a difference.

Update 1: Kelly just posted some great information here, I encourage everyone to read it.

Update 2: Hip Hop artist Wyclef Jean is urging people to donate $5 to his Haitian charity, Yéle Haiti, by texting "YELE" to 501501 (the donation will be automatically charged to your cellphone bill). 60 minutes recently ran a feature on Wyclef Jean and the work he does to raise money for his country is astounding. Another way we can give!

72 Hours Later

Who knew getting 4 teeth removed would totally kick you in the you know what?!? This is why they advise having your wisdom teeth removed when you are a teenager, not in your 30's. I'll stop whining now and start icing. I'll be back later in the week with something more exciting.

Out with the Old

I'm off to get my four wisdom teeth out, which I should have done over 10 years ago. The worst part? No coffee this morning!

Update 1 @ 12noon: Home and thinking, "That was breeze!" Yeah, right. My next update when the numbness is gone might be filled with four-letter words. Time to order some soup and ice cream. That's the best part of NYC, you can order anything you want 24 hours a day.

Update 2 @ 4pm: Are they serious? I'm STILL NUMB. I haven't eaten because I can't feel anything yet. I'm starving.

Update @ 3pm: Word of the day kids: HYDROCODONE. That's hI-drO-'kO-dOn. noun: a habit-forming compoundC18H21NO3 derived from codeine and used as an analgesic and cough sedative called also.

It's always nice and comforting to see "habit-forming" in a drug description.

Easy on the Eyes

If we're friends on FB, you read about this last night. I had the pleasure of working out next to this handsome man on Tuesday.

Slow Cooker Cuban Beef

This is on the calendar for the next few weeks! Thought I'd share with all of you looking to mix things up a bit on your weekly menus.


1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
2 red bell peppers, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
kosher salt and black pepper
1 1/2 pounds flank steak, cut crosswise into thirds
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 avocado, sliced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, oregano, cumin, 1½ teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Nestle the steak among the vegetables. Cook, covered, until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily, on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.
Twenty-five minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions. Using two forks, shred the beef and mix it into the cooking liquid. Serve with the rice and top with the avocado and cilantro.

Recipe and photo Courtesy of Real Simple.

Custom Order

With all of the holiday craziness, I never had a chance to share these. These were a custom order and I plan to make them again since the color combinations are so pretty.

Can I add make more jewelry to my 2010 list since it didn't register on Friday morning? And, let's also add a new camera to that list while we're taking a look back. Seriously, we've been using the same camera since 2002 and it ain't cutting it anymore.

2010

Our house is still sleeping, so I'm taking advantage of the time to catch up on blogs. I love seeing Christmas pictures and New Year's wishes. How did we just say good-bye to a decade?!?

Do you remember when you first started working and went through the goal-setting process? The one thing that stuck with me is to make sure your goals were SMART - specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and team-oriented/time-related. I don't know where 2010 will take us, but the list above has me thinking about the year ahead and the goals I want to set for myself outside of work (in no particular order).

1. Run 750 miles, with a little help from training for The NYC 1/2 Marathon in March, The Hamptons 1/2 Marathon in October, and the NYC Marathon in November (if all goes according to plan, I'll be running the Marathon for charity).
2. Join a synagogue. Long before we said I DO, we made the decision that this was best choice for us and our future family. I did not convert and my husband is Reform, which can be tricky when you're looking for a home, but I'm confident we'll find the right place. I'm excited to share this journey.
3. Be a better wife. I need to focus on not taking out the stress of my day on my husband.
4. Be a better friend. I want to connect more often with my friends.
5. Be a better daughter and sister. This one doesn't require any explanation!
6. Travel, travel, travel! We took this year off because of the dog and the economy, but I'm ready to go. We have two big overseas trips in the works, one in the Spring and one at the end of the year. More to come.
7. Volunteer. I don't quite know what this means for me, but I'm committed to finding the answer. Do I join NYC JL or find another outlet?

Happy New Year!

Tying up Two Years of Loose Ends

We spent the better part of Tuesday and Wednesday getting things in order here at the house. We had pictures and shelves in almost every closet that needed to find a home, and after almost two years of home ownership, I thought the days leading up to 2010 were the perfect time to tie up these loose ends. I purchased these prints in July and just got around to having them framed. Agreeing on a layout for the wall took about an hour, and thankfully my husband is a genius with a tape measure.