BBQ & Guesstures Night

Our Friday night consisted of a last minute, thrown together BBQ at our house and a wicked game of Guesstures. We had lots of yummy food and best of all, fun time with friends!

 Krista, Bethany, Megan, Julie

Heather, Lyndsey & Denise

 Hangin' out on the deck - Brennan, Cole, Brian

Abby, Lyndsey, Megan, Julie - cute pic!

Jeremy was lovin' the grilled veggies

Cole & Abby

Cole making Brian crack up and he is trying to take a pic of us:)

Now, this wasn't just any ordinary game of Guesstures. It was a very intense, competitive game, thanks to Bethany, Studer and I. What can I say? We get really into games (actually anything that involves a competition) and we really like to win.

The first game was an even mix, but the second matchoff was girls versus boys. It came down to the boys winning by only one point, but they totally cheated:). The boys talked when acting a few times which is totally against the rules, and the girls basically got robbed. Ok, ok...all competitiveness aside, the boys won. But I am a terrible loser and I don't like to admit being defeated.:)

For some, this was their first Guesstures experience and for others (like me) played excessively as a kid. But it's an awesome game...similar to charades. Here's a quick explanation for anyone that may not know the game.

Everyone is split into two teams. Each player takes turns acting out the words on the cards, as their team members guess. There is no talking allowed when you are acting. There is a time limit, and the cards eventually will fall down into the dispenser if your team doesn't guess the word and you don't grab the card in time. The team with the most points at the end wins!

Here are a few of the words we acted out:
chimney, wheelchair, pancakes, stork, kangaroo, stapler, toupee, umpire, vomit, cow, molar, hide, poison ivy, skateboard, hickey, nerd, checkers, tripod, square dance, sign language and see more below.

Spoon. Yep, Brian definitely spooned our dog.

Turban. It was so funny! You should have heard the racial slurs that were yelled out! LOL

Vampire.

 Cole was a first-timer.

Beth & Corey

The boys

 Julie & Josh

X-ray for Nothin'!

So, I finally went to the doctor for my self-diagnosed stress fracture:). Well, turns out that the x-ray they took showed absolutely nothing! Go figure. I knew -- from my very diligent research online -- that the x-ray wouldn't show anything. The computer told me it wouldn't! Doctor, schmoctor...I knew I shouldn't have gone. Why do you need a doctor when you have the world wide web? :)

Well, the orthopedic sports doctor had me walk for him, poked around on my shin a bit, did some other weird, vibrating tool test, and all he told me was that I'm an overpronator, meaning I roll my foot too much when walking, and that I should get an MRI to know about the fracture for sure. Yeah right! Do you know how much those cost!? I'm not too sure I will be taking his advice quite yet, I'm not in that much pain. I'm just frustrated that I haven't been able to run in about 10 weeks now. It tends to hurt after lots of walking (my walking challenge doesn't help much), wearing really high heels and running.

He also suggested that I get new shoes, so I'll probably look into that. So I asked him if I were to get the MRI and it showed a fracture, then what? He would order me to stay off the leg (only walking and swimming) and physical therapy. I'm 26. Is this really happening? I feel like an old lady! I told him I have never had any problems with this "overpronating" in my life.

His response was, "well as we get older, our anatomy changes."

Well I say Boo to that.

Walking Challenge

So, I'm participating in this walking challenge at work. Some of you might have seen my really cool pedometer attached to my hip. Well, anyways, it's to promote wellness and we are teamed up with a partner. The prize is only a $100 gift card to Dick's, but hey, it's been very interesting to see how your days vary when your sitting on your butt!

My partner and I both work out in the mornings and we're fairly active individuals, so we thought we had a great shot at a victory. Well, I guess we forgot the fact that we both sit at a desk ALL day long and stare at a computer. It's pretty sad to see how much walking you don't do throughout the day while at work. So, we've tried to change up our daily habits a bit and get our butts moving. A few things we are doing:

-Walk to the 3rd floor to use the restroom (we are on the first floor)
-Don't use the elevator. Ever. We work in a three story building, no one should be using the elevator.
-Park in the lower lot farthest away from the front door when arriving to work. Also, park far away at the grocery store or when running errands.
-Walk to lunch (We walked to Ingredient downtown last week and Grinder's West today. Must take advantage of this gorgeous weather!)
-Go for a walk at night. Even if it's short. Jake loves walks:).

So, some of these may sound dumb, but it's amazing how many steps it adds to the pedometer. An average healthy person should walk 6,000 steps per day and a person wanting to lost weight, 10,000 steps per day. My partner and I are locking in 9,000-12,000 steps per day, so we are doing pretty good. However, there are some of our superintendents who walk the job all day long so they are going to give us a run for our money.

To give you an idea of variance, last Friday, I accumulated 23,645 steps!! This was working out in the morning, walking to Ingredient for lunch, to the bars from our hotel in Manhattan, all around Aggieville, major dance party and back to the hotel.

And Sunday, I walked 3,213 steps. Can you guess what I was doing all day? :)

Pure laziness.

Pizza You Gotta Try

So, have you ever had the Herb Chicken Mediterranean pizza in the Thin DeLite crust from Papa Murphy's? Well, it's fantastic. It's thin crust, very flavorful, fairly healthy and oh so good.

Well, I recreated the recipe a few months ago and we had if for dinner last night so I thought I would share it with you! It's super easy and really good for homemade pizza.

Now bear with me because I don't measure some of the ingredients. I just use what I think works:) It's all about trial and error. I did include the things I do know.

Ingredients
pizza crust (pre-cooked/made or the package you just add water to)
little bit of olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves depending on how much garlic you prefer
2 chicken breasts
sundried tomatoes
spinach
feta cheese
mozzarella cheese

Step 1: Prepare crust
If using the package (this is what I did), prepare according to the directions on back. Basically, you add water, mix up, roll out on pan, brush with olive oil, bake for 5 minutes at 475, then top with toppings, then cook for additional time.

If using a pre-cooked crust, follow directions on package.

Step 2: Saute chicken
Cut raw chicken into bite size pieces, then saute in a pan with water. May use olive oil if preferred. Add a little Mrs. Dash or a spice of choice. Something not too powerful.

Step 3: Prepare Toppings

Chop spinach and sundrieds, and dice garlic. I put my garlic into a mini food processor, which is really easy. Buy Mozzarella shredded in the bag, makes it even easier.

Step 4: Make Pizza
Layer on crust in this order. Or, feel free to mix it up! It's just pizza so you can't mess it up!
-mozzarella cheese
-garlic
-spinach
-sundrieds
-chicken
-feta cheese
-more mozzarella if preferred

Step 5: Bake
Again, follow directions and just watch it. I cooked it for less time than the package called for. Watch the edges of crust, when they are a little brown, it's done!!

Ta-da!!

Step 6: ENJOY!! It's yummy. We paired with a glass of pinot grigio:).

Here's the link to Papa Murphy's actual website. Looks almost identical!
http://www.papamurphys.com/#our_menu/pizza/deLite/herb_chicken_mediterranean_deLITE

Nutritional Info:
Herb Chicken Recipe (Per Slice)
Calories: 180
Calories from Fat: 80
Total Fat: 9
Saturated Fat: 4

Compared to Pizza Hut's Supreme (the meat lovers was much more than this)
Calories: 290
Calories from Fat: 130
Total Fat: 14
Saturated Fat: 5

Chi Omega Reunion

Wow, what a great weekend.

I  returned to Manhappiness this weekend to celebrate sisterly love. It was BEAUTIFUL weather and such a great time with the girls!! However, we were missing some girls and it wasn't the same without you guys!

The weekend was packed full of laughing, dance parties, tea time, flip cups, frat house reminiscence, picture taking galore, movie making skills thanks to Bakian, basketball player run-ins, Aggieville, house tour with a bursting re-enactment, macho mug, lots of Jimmy Johns and Pita Pit, $5 pitchers, way too much drinking, not enough sleeping, and most importantly, a weekend that will always be remembered.  

We started Friday night out at Rusty's. Well, actually we started out by taking a shot at Shot Stop. We definitely flipped a coin to decide if it was wise to start out with a shot. Sure enough, the coin landed on heads and we found ourselves starting the night off with a bang! The rest of Friday was spent bar hopping and ending with a classic dance party at Kite's. Oh, and Jimmy Johns.

Saturday, we attended a luncheon at the Alumni Center followed by a house tour. The house is completely different, much nicer and renovated and definitely not the same house we lived in! The afternoon was filled with summer brews, bloody marys and shopping. Saturday night we went to the dinner/dance at Holiday Inn where we had to cancel out the chicken dance and lame music with a game of flip cups! Gotta love playing flips at a nice hotel on a table with a table cloth, and miniature solo cups. Needless to say, we all still have awesome flip-cup skills. Thanks to ATO parties in college, we are all pretty much pros. Just sayin.

Our next stop was Sigma Chi. Yes, we went to a frat house. Would you really expect anything less from us? It was only fitting. We almost went to ATO on Friday and stole a composite, but somehow in midst of our drunken stupor, we decided it wasn't a good idea:)

Following flip cups at Sigma Chi, we headed to the Ville and of course ended with Pita Pit. I forgot how much I loved to eat at 2:00 in the morning after a night of binge drinking.

So, here's to all my wonderful sisters. Thanks for a great weekend! Can't wait until the 100th!! Do we really have to wait 5 years? Maybe we should have our own reunion next year? :)

This is for Wiseman...CHI-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO (As we all raise our glasses). Inside joke, but most of you will get it:)

I took WAY too many pictures, so I had trouble choosing just a few to post.

Tea timin' :)

The coin landing on heads! 

Run in with the basketball players. Wally Judge!

Hannah doing pours for our missing homies.
Don't worry, we did a pour for Dyer too!

Alumni luncheon.

chi-o alum.

Doing the dinner toast, standing on the table. To the skull and the cross bones!

At the house.

Rock-A-Belly

Summer brews and bloody marys. yum.

macho mug at the hotel

Playing flip cups

Sig Machi

classy chi-o's

Grass Stains

Jakey Boy loves playing outside when Brian mows the grass. The only problem is that when you have as much moisture as we have had lately, he ends up with green paws! You can't really tell in the picture, but his entire bottom half of his legs are a greenish yellow. Like yellow Gatorade! Too cute.

Asparagus Pee

So, we had asparagus for dinner tonight and it reminded me of a conversation that I recently had with some co-workers. Asparagus pee, such an inspiring post:).

First off, check out our dinner. It was really yummy! Brian is getting to be quite the grilling guru. Love springtime!

So, we all know that asparagus (well I hope you do:) makes your pee smell funny, but did you know that only some people's pee smells after eating asparagus? And even more bizarre, did you know that only certain people can smell the odor? Well...I didn't and I was really shocked. And it brought me to do a little research! Gotta love days when you have no deadlines at work!

Apparently, asparagus contains a sulfur compound called mercaptan. It's also found in onions, garlic, rotten eggs and in the secretions of skunks. Ewwwww Sick! So, the signature smell occurs when this substance is broken down in your digestive system. However, not all people have the gene for the enzyme that breaks down mercaptan, so some can eat all the asparagus they want without stinking up the bathroom. Only 40-50% of people have the pungent smell to their pee.

Further, there is a segment of the population who can't smell the odor urine and it's all based on genetics. Only those with a certain gene can break down the chemical inside the asparagus into their smelly components, and only those with the proper gene can smell the results of that chemical breakdown! So, basically, your pee could have the asparagus stench and you might not even know it!! Weird? I think so!

Deprivation

So, Lent is over. It was chocolate for me and soda pop for Brian. We both did really, really well. I'm proud of myself knowing that I can do it because it definitely wasn't easy!

Sunday, he enjoyed a large glass of Cherry Dr. Pepper and I indulged brownies that I made for Brian's baptism/confirmation party. But I did wait until Sunday to have one, or two...ok I had about four:) They were very yummy and a twist to the usual brownie. They were made with applesauce and egg whites - a healthy alternative. It sounds grose, but trust me, they weren't! They were very moist and yummy!

I only have one problem now.

I can't stop eating sweets! I just love them so much. Today, I have already had a very large handful of gummy bears, 3 Dove chocolates, 3 Reese's bunnies, a handful of Starburst Jelly Beans and a Cadbury Creme Egg. Sick, right? I know, it is sick how much chocolate and sweets I can put in my mouth, but this is coming from a girl that used to eat spoonfuls of sugar as a child. No joke.

These sweets are keeping me from this:

Beach body. I want thee. I need you for Mexico. 

And then I can and will destroy you with the all the food and cocktails I will induce on the beach. 

Oh well. We only live once. Right?

Cute suit though. I totally bought that from Victoria's secret for the trip:)

Brian Ambrose

My husband is so very special to me, so this post is entirely dedicated to him:) On Saturday, he was baptized and confirmed into the Catholic faith. It was such a touching experience to be a part of, and I am so proud of him for completing this journey.

Brian started attending the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initation of Adults) classes last September to see if it was something he wanted to take part in. Well, as you are aware, he stuck with it! He has attended the classes every Tuesday evening along with numerous weekend masses. And I think he definitely got his church-fill this past week. After Thursday, Friday and Saturday services, he can now say he is catholic! Congrats baby!

You really did make the burlap look good:)

To make it more special, it was a family soiree for a special Easter weekend. Mom and Pop Biddle, Momma K, Grandma and Grandpa Biddle, and my brother were all there to support him. Not to mention his amazing sponsor, Greg, who supported him throughout the entire process. Even my cousin Drew from Denver stopped in to wish him well.

Now's here's the funny part of the story. Due to Brian's primping and high-maintenance tendencies when it comes to getting ready...he is now a semi-celeb at Sacred Heart. For baptisms, they always put the guys last because there is the thought they can dry off and get changed quicker than the gals. Therefore, Brian was the third baptism. So after he gets doused, he makes his way to a back room to change while the rest of the parishioners make their way back to the pews. So, we wait a few minutes for the three to get dried off and changed.

Out comes the first gal. (Surely, I thought Brian would be next)

Out comes the other gal. (Where is Brian?! The girls beat him!)

Well, he did have to get into a suit and tie, so maybe he did need a extra minute or so. Meanwhile, Father and the two gals are standing at the front of the church ready to start the next part of the mass as we all wait for Brian's entrance. A few more minutes pass and he still isn't out! Father makes a few jokes about losing Brian and hoping that he didn't think the service was over:).

It has now been a full 5 minutes of waiting on him. I sat there and thought, "yep, that's my hubby, a little high maintenance when it comes to getting ready." But it's ok babe, I know lookin' good doesn't come easy. LOL

He finally walked in from the back of the church as everyone clapped for him.
Pressed suit, check
Perfectly tied tie, check
Shoe laces tied, check
and...
Fresh gel in the hair, check! Love you babe!

From a wet burlap to babe material! NICE WORK!

Kneeling down, ready to get baptized!

Brian Ambrose (Ambrose is his Saint name), I baptise you in the name of the father (pour), the son (pour) and the holy spirit (pour).

All the kids thought it was so funny that Father was pouring water on their heads. They were all laughing!

All done and washed of sins!

Right after his primping session and entrance.

Getting confimred. There were 12 of them.

Procrastination

I was forced to do a post because of my hubs. Why does it seem that all men are uber procrastinators? I swear, I feel like I'm spoon feeding a child to get him to even think about accomplishing things in a timely manner.

On the other hand, there's me, who has to constantly mark things off the list. I pretty much go insane if I'm not accomplishing something productive every day. I can't help myself, but the excitement I get from eliminiating crap from my to do list is almost as great as chocoloate.

Mom, I definitely take after you.

Dad, you and Brian are too much alike.

If I were to list all the examples of his procrastination, we would seriously be here all day long. And the thing that gets me the most is his procrastination turns me into a "nagger". I always get "Krista, stop nagging!" Babe, I'm not nagging. I'm just feeding your procrastination.

He had to pick out a Saint for his confirmation tomorrow and he waited until the last minute to do some research.

I told him he needed to pick a Saint that resembled procrastination. He didn't think it was funny.