First Harvest

This past March we bought a couple of citrus trees which included an Improved Meyer Lemon, and a satsuma orange tree. I was told that we may not have fruit for the first year. This has held true for the satsuma orange tree, but look at the size of these lemons!!!!!!!!!

I think a lemon meringue pie may be in order :-)

-Greg

A Working Christmas List... (Will be updated with hyperlinks)

in general... I'd rather have dollars than a gift card because they have more flexible spending (or SAVING!) properties. With that being said here's a pretty all inclusive list.

A New String Line Trimmer (Stihl: electric or non-electric)

"Make it Fast Cook it Slow" by Stephanie O'Dae

"Jam it, Pickle It, Cure It"

"Good Eats: The Early Years"
"Essential Yoga" Olivia H. Miller

Music CDs - Four of a Kind, Music for Trombone Quartet;

Movies (Alien 1-3 Triple Pack, Grand Torino, Mr. Holland's Opus, Shine, Lord of the Rings Box Set, Indiana Jones box set)

Guitar Pickups - (Fender "Texas Special" Strat Pickup Set)

Trombone Mutes (Trumcor Super Stealth - for practicing, Jo-Ral B3- harmon style "wah" mute)

Guitar Strings (Acoustic: D'Addario Phosphor Bronze Medium; Electric: D'Addario EXL 115w Blues/Jazz Wound 3rd)

Shaving Brush and Stand

Shaving Creams (Trumper Violet, Taylor of Old Bond Sandalwood)

Mukka Express (Ebay)

Espresso Machine (DeLonghi)

Camera Flash

Bike Trainer

Running Shoes (Asics GT-2150 Size 9 4E)

Train-a-thon...

Lately, I have been sleep deprived. And yes, tonight's post is evidence of my latest contribution to this very problem. This past week I had to work a night shift and then over the weekend we had an hour time change.

All I can say is that I relate to Charlie Brown's sentiment.

My training has been thrown off SOOOO much over the past couple of weeks. I can only blame myself, but life get's busy ya know? I DID manage to run while I was out of town in San Francisco. This was an accomplishment in it of itself because who wants to leave the comforts of sleeping in at a nice hotel while on "vacation"? It was well worth it though. I got to jog out to a view of the Golden Gate Bridge and back... during sunrise. There were several other runners out along the same route and I felt like I belonged to an elite club. Artists were setting up there displays, there was fresh fruit being put out at a street market, and there was the aroma of sourdough from the local bakery. Down by the bay there was a lingering scent of seawater, and basil if you can believe it or not. I'm not sure where the latter came from, but it was there. There was even one street vendor that was cooking a big pot of what I would have guessed was chowder.

But enough about San Fran.

I'm trying to get back on track with training this week and it is challenging. I just did the math on my marathon goal and made the distinct realization that my initial goal may be pretty unrealistic. I'm hoping to keep an average pace of 10:30, but that didn't account for fade. My first Marathon was finished in 5:55:22. So maybe a more reasonable goal would be to shave at least 30 minutes from my time making it an average pace of 12:24.

I'm gonna train like I'm shooting for a 4:30 finish though :-) (Within reason. Believe me... I listen to what my body tells me. Well... except for the "sleepy" signals. I think there's a blown fuse ;-)

74 days and counting!

♪♫♫... I don't wanna grow up! ♪♫♪...

Sometimes, I wish I could be a kid again. Maybe that's what vacations are all about. Are we there yet?

:-)

Ode to autumn

Today was a long day. I'm not sure why exactly it just felt long and lonely.

There were several things that I wanted to get done, but it just didn't happen. I suppose that is why by the grace of God there is a new day each day. What do you think? I found myself longing for an adventure and the chance to experience Him in the wilderness. To come back refreshed and realize that this life... even the day-to-day stuff is a blessing and an adventure in and of itself.

I'd love to be driving somewhere right now. A long road trip with a destiny in mind.

I remember traveling to see Yosemite with Bruce, Ben and Kelly. I remember what it felt like to catch a cab back to the airport from Bear Trap Ranch in Colorado. I remember reading Through Painted Desserts and feeling like I had been to Oregon even though I've never tasted the salty woods of the Pacific Northwest. I remember Melissa falling asleep on my shoulder driving home from Fredericksburg and what it felt like sail the Atlantic with her off of the coast of Maine.

I look forward to the winter memories that come so quickly around the bend. I hope to savor a glass of blueberry wine from the fruit that we picked this summer. I hope that it is as good as the one that we tasted on our Honeymoon.

For all that I have had the pleasure of sharing words and time with... for imparting a memory to this heart of mine -- I raise a glass for you and offer a toast to thine.

feeling encouraged.

Today has been a good day. I got up and set out on a run this morning at 6:30(ish). It hurt and I walked a lot of it, but it felt good to just be out there and get back on track with my training schedule. When I got home I weighed in at the lowest I've weighed in years! Course, not low enough that I'm gonna post it here mind you ;-)

Anyway, success was how I felt the day begin.

I went to the Between Jobs Ministry (or "BJM" as it's called) and it was very encouraging to me. I was reminded of how I am valuable and how God has a plan. Those two things are SO powerful and yet, I don't believe hardly anyone (let alone myself) is reminded nearly often enough of those facts.

So, I got a card today which closed with some scripture and these two statements.

"Smile. You have God's seal of approval." I teared up at the very notion... and I did. Smile, that is. May it encourage you also.

... even if you don't know all the answers, or know exactly where the next step may land you. God knows and hopefully that's enough to comfort you.

~Greg

Leisurely Sunday Afternoon

Currently, I'm laying on our living room floor typing on Mel's old [working!] laptop and she is chilling out on the couch trying to feel better while surfing the web and listening to Taylor Swift. I have to say... I love afternoons like this.

It's leisurely, ya know? Even the windchimes are relaxed while hanging from the eves of our back patio.

Alas, I have an overgrown lawn that whines for attention and a grocery list that is destined to be filled out, but they must wait for the moment.

Last night was the first time we were able to hang out with our friends Lauren and Rodney in a long while. We were seeking something low key but arrived at quite the opposite. I'll let you check our Melissa's blog for all the details on the fire across the street. Needless to say, I didn't get to bed as early as I would have liked, but midnight is better than some nights I suppose.

Yesterday, I also had the joy of running 12 miles with my wife. Even though, we don't always stay together on the route, I love the fact that we are participating in something together with the same goal in mind AND we're staying healthy and getting in better shape to boot!

How else could we fill up the day yesterday? Well, Melissa and I are good about filling our plates, so what better way to do it than to go to my twin nieces first birthday party yesterday (but we did manage to sneak a birthday card to Dad at the party too :-) ? They are growing up altogether too fast. Sometimes I wish that life would slow down a bit more. I suppose that's part of the reason it's nice to write right now. But I digress...

My family was there (Grandparents, Brother-n-laws' immediate family, my parents...) and Lisa and Jeff's growing collection of friends that are in a similar life stage as them. It really warms my heart to see Lisa and Jeff in the role of Mom and Dad. God has specially equipped them to do this job just as he has equipped them to do so many other things well. I like seeing them slow down a bit to parent and plant roots vs. the somewhat "busy" lifestyle that had enveloped them a few years ago.

Melissa and I are still figuring out this chartered voyage. I'm still figuring out myself. Sometimes I feel as though my targeted goals are a bit myopic however. The most challenging task for me right now is knowing myself.... and being honest about it.

In closing, I'll leave you with a few pics of Sarah and Jessica enjoying their first cakes. Pretty precious, huh? :-)

Fire by night!

Something international...

So, besides my other international adventure.... I recently made Russian Black Bread and it was Delicious! One thing about it though, I pride myself in being a man of many talents and I strive to take ALL photos that I post on my blog. So, in some regard I guess I get to be a food stylist too :-)

Biting into this dark loaf rushed me over the Atlantic and put me smack dab in the middle of Latvia again. I could almost hear the language and taste the fresh dill and warm soup. I found this particular loaf to be excellent when it was paired with Greek humus. Who-woulda-thought?

The jury is still out on finding the right Kvas recipe.

Making room...

It was high time we cleared out some used (granted, rather poorly) cabinet space in our kitchen.... Recycling anyone?

Out with the "old" and in with the...

... "NEW???" Well, new to me anyway. The double-edge safety razor dates back to 1903 with King Camp Gillette and the concept has changed very little since then. But still, all this time and I've never even seen or held one so it is new to me even though it's been in use for over a century.

All I can say is that this is by far the best shave I've EVER had... period. The quest began after being tired of ingrown hairs and razor burn, or rather "perma-burn" around my neck line. So, I began researching. Apparently the multi-bladed razors that are currently available have more to do with marketing wars than a closer shave and the hefty price tag per cartridge comes with it. My new razor costs a whopping 50¢ per blade on average, AND the blade is made to Japanese surgical, stainless steel precision. We're talking NINJA sharp here.

That shouldn't be scary though. When I was in boy scouts we always used to say, "That a sharp blade is a safe blade" and after all the thing IS called a "safety" razor. The last thing you want is some sort of honed device just skipping along uncontrollably because of a dull edge.

My choice after all the research? A german-manufactured Merkur "Barber Pole" Hefty Long-Handled Classic. Weighing in at 4.4 oz. all I have to do is let the razor do the work. No pressing or nothing! The pleasure of hearing the whiskers fade away like the end of an old vinyl RCA 78 is hard to beat.

Music to my ears... and face! :-)

Whisked away!

So, I've never really owned a decent whisk. Sad but true. As much as I love to cook, as much as I love to fascinate the senses with culinary creations... I have been lacking a good whisk (or known technically as a "whip").

I've always gotten by with a trio of whisks that I purchased from the grocery store [in college no less] a long, long time ago. They have done their fair share of beating eggs to smithereens and incorporating wet goods into dry works; however, (and that's a BIG however) they have done a number on my hands, arms and shoulders when it comes to attempting anything that requires a decent amount of air whipped in - your meringues, whipped cream, or most recently... mayonnaise.

That's right. Mayonnaise. I've made the stuff at home and let me tell you it is by FAR a superior product than what can be purchased in the store (AND w/o the added preservatives). It was a lot of hard work though trying to whip into an obedient emulsion, especially when using such a puny device as the one that I had. After tossing out a couple of batches of ingredients and dirtying an entire kitchen in the process I decided that I needed to put my Sur La Table employee discount to good use and purchase a new one.

So I did.

Let me tell you this - if you know me well at all, you know that I like to research things. I research the bejezus out of them and I am satisfied to have found the "best" one. The pun is not intended. Okay, maybe a little intended.

The manufacturer of this whisk is indeed made by "Best Manufacturing"as you can clearly see on the handle. It has 10 stainles steel tines which are sealed into the handle by an epoxy thus keeping out both moisture and food debris making it more sanitary in the process. My old whisk had already had its fair share of problems with rust.

It was recommended by America's Test Kitchen to the best of my knowledge and Alton Brown spoke highly of it as well in his book Gear for Your Kitchen. "If I could own only one whisk, it would be a stout, wood-handled balloon whisk made by Best." It having a balloon shape means that it can incorporate air at a more rapid rate.

I bought this prior to having read Alton's book. It gives me a sense of pride knowing that I have chosen wisely. Alton is somewhat of a cooking hero to me and it makes me happy knowing that I picked one that he stands fully behind.

All I can say to end this is, "Eggs... watch your back!"

Blog this!

Yes, we have an internet filter. And yes, it works REALLY well. Actually, I highly recommend it if you don't have one... check out www.safeeyes.com. Dave Ramsey recommended too!

So, for the longest time... blogs have been blocked from usage [for me] because there is much out there with objectionable content. Melissa, holds the "keys" to our internet "gun safe" because she knows hows how to appropriately handle a device that can be weilded so dangerously. I on the other hand, have been burned too many times and would rather be safe than hurt again.

Believe me, I am THANKFUL for the barricade. It has protected me from many a wolves; however, it has caused me much grief as well. Due to the blog-blocking, I have been unable to read friends or family's postings. I have also not readily had access to write on my own blog. Of course, it could be done, but not without some hassle involved so I just let it go and felt sad whenever it was brought up.

The great thing about "Safe Eyes" is that it is highly custom-tailored to fit the needs of the individual. I don't know why we didn't talk to Safe Eyes tech support about this sooner, but there can be a bit of a learning curve involved in getting it tweaked just right. Tonight, that conversation happened and I am celebrating by writing.... and reading in the blogosphere.

I feel like I can breathe a bit more deeply now. I have been able to, but only through a straw.

Hopefully, we have the software tweaked into Goldilocks-style now... just right.

Y-Freedom Tri... and some personal fitness recap.

Just a few notes about the adventure before heading off to bed. You can check out my wife's blog and my sister's blog for more info on the adventure :-)

My sister is an inspiration to me and always has been. I attribute her zeal for fitness as to why my whole family is in much better shape than we were 5 years ago. After the 5k that I got to run with Lisa a while back, I didn't plan on being able to compete with her at this triathlon. So, my goal became to finish. I haven't done a triathlon in.... *GULP* 3 years! I was booked to do the 2007 CB&I triathlon, but I came down with a bad sickness and was unable to participate. Last year I had a couple of firsts (albeit, in reverse standard order) running a marathon in the summer and 1/2 marathon in the fall. So, that pretty much took up all of my training time in 2008.

The first triathlon that I "did" was the 2006 CB&I. The bike and swim got rained out so... it became my first 5k ever and was pretty emotional because at that point it was the longest I had EVER run for an extended time period in my life. My first "official" and only triathlon previous to this year was Jeff & Brede's Intergalactic Tri in 2006.

So... back to the present.

Based on my estimations my goal was to finish between 1:30 and 1:45 total race time. Actual time? 1:33:33.0 I couldn't be more pleased. Since my goal was just to finish (and I knew that in order to finish strong I couldn't push myself too hard on the swim and the bike... ) I kept things at a moderate pace throughout. I DID get to have the privilege of beating my sis at the swim portion though - by approximately 11 seconds! However, as she mentioned in her blog (and as I witnessed firsthand) there was a considerable pileup that she had to deal with. Who knows how we'd fair if this had been open water? I had a pileup to deal with too though. And I felt pretty victorious having passed 3 other swimmers during the course :-)

Overall, for me the most valuable time that comes from these sort of things is the time with family. My wife greeting me at the finish line, my parents giving the pre-race cheering, and the photos and encouragement along the way, and the laughter and love over a good breakfast afterwards. It feels good to be healthy. I'm craving more...

I got to catch up with my Dad some today over the phone. There is absolutely nothing that compares with hearing your father tell you how genuinely proud they are of you. I got to hear that today - with zeal and sparkle. My dad even remarked about how he was impressed with how much in shape I was to be able to do something like that. I think I've caught the tri bug because I want to do another.

On a side note - I don't think I'll be able to get the new Garmin 310xt until after we get back from our mission trip to Latvia. Who knows... maybe it will lower in price by then ;-) But I doubt it.

Latest craving...

June 8th can't come quick enough. At least that's when I heard the release date is for the new Garmin Forerunner 310xt. Orange (to match the bike) AND it's waterproof and transmits data wirelessly. Pretty cool. Now I just need the high tech elite body to match this kind of cool gear! ;-) Hopefully Garmin can help. My quest is kicking off this year with a 5k at the end of the month. And a tri in July. So, I know where my B-day money is going. Any suggestions for spending some extra $$$ at Sur La Table? What would you get for $50?

Picking Possibilities (for me) include: Grider attachment for my kitchenaid mixer, Bodum "Assam" teapot, KitchenArt Meassuring tools, a Butter Bell, Pastry Cloth, French & Balloon Whisks... hmmm too many things to ponder. Obviously I like cooking. I can't decide. Wanna Help? I'd love to hear what you'd get.

G

Time flies...

Much like the posts on my blog... time just seems to fly by. Two of my cousins graduated recently, my nieces are growing and changing before my very eyes, and I feel like before I know it I'll be hitting 40 and wonder where all the time has gone. I miss my family. I miss my friends. I long for some of those conversational moments where life seems to run in slow motion - even if only for a moment. Currently my RH index finger is broken due to accidental door closure. So I must keep this brief. It's cathartic to write a bit though. I'm thankful to have such a wonderful partner in life as its wheels keep on keeping on :-)

G

Spring is here!

Spring has returned! (Albeit, with some freaky weather - I guess that's what we get for being on the gulf coast of Texas). I have returned to gardening after my green thumbs went into a long hibernation. And, apparently the petunias that we planted last year decided to come back too. AND did they EVER!!!!!

All of these came back with absolutely NO effort on my part. I guess they are happy in their new home.

The one thing I can't figure out is why the gardenia on the left is doing SO much better than the other two on the right. Maybe the ones on the right just don't like the noise of the A/C unit :-)

I started a new raised bed today. I'm planning ahead for a vegetable garden this year. We already have a yellow bell pepper on the way. I can't wait!

Adventure Anyone?

So, the economy has finally reached me and I have lost a handful of students. I need to find something new and a little more stable. I feel like I know the pieces of the puzzle, but I don't know what the picture on the box looks like. The perfectionist in me wants to have it all figured out before taking the next step, but I realize it wouldn't exercise my faith if that were true.

The journey continues. I'll learn as life unfolds before me. I guess lately I've just been in a funk because I feel like my wheels are just spinning and it's the same ol', same ol'... dishes, cleaning, teaching, bills... wash, rinse, repeat.

My heart is longing for adventure and to see some new things. I'm longing to embark on conversations that embrace the deep and plant the seeds of new fertile memories. I suppose I'm just looking for the reassurance that life and the meaning thereof is FAR more interesting and meaningful than the mundane. But until then... I will do my best to be faithful with the tasks at hand.

God meet in the wilderness, but also at the well.

Cracks me up!

I know, I know, I don't blog nearly enough as I should. Melissa is always encouraging me to "write a blog about it!" and "you gotta seize the moment!" So this morning, I've been inspired :-)

My wife can make me giggle and giggle. She is VERY funny and this morning she made me laugh.

She informed that she was going to go into the kitchen this morning to bake a cake that she needs to take to work tomorrow and from the other room I hear,

"Awwwwww CRAP!"
"It's BOILED!!!" (see exhibit A... above)
<I commenced giggling>

"You should label these for me or something so I'll know!", she said.
(even though these are the same eggs that I boiled for her and informed her which carton was which:-)

Here is exhibit B (note the brown shells):















And in a valient effort to serve my wife, below is my feeble attempt at helping the said problem of sleepy-headed-egg-mis-identification:







(hee hee! more giggling...)
:-)

Upcoming Birthday-Girl! or alternatively, "Our Wii is smart!"

So, Melissa will soon be having her birthday. I think she's rather stoked about it let me tell you! ;-) Anyway, apparently our wii is clued in on the action! Check it out!!!!

Yes. Yes I have. Thanks Wii Fit! This thing is awesome! :-)

... or scary. I haven't quite yet decided how big-brother-ish it really is just yet.