Happy Birthday

Hey gang!
So I figured I would wait and hit you all with something cool for my next blog. I understand my birthday isn't for another month, but hey you don't always get to see your favorite band on that day so I had to settle for a little early. Jess and I went and saw Incubus live in Dallas. The rain postponed the show by about an hour, but because the hassle they Pavilion let us sit in reserved seating instead of the grass. Here are a few clips of the show, sorry no pictures.
The show was pretty awesome minus the lack of sleep he are having and suffering from today, but it was totally worth it.

I have to say a big thank you to my wife that bought the tickets and stood next to me and sang the words as loud as she could. Jess is the best concert buddy anyone could ever ask for. She was up late with me and we both battled rain, drunks, and lots of smoke (some cigarette), but most of all she put up with some people (and some songs) that get on her nerves and she did it for me. Thank you Dessi (Jess' new nickname)


Pardon Me (The Encore)
Talk Shows on Mute (Acoustic)
Are You In? (Jess' Favorite)


Incubus thank you for continuing the show even after some serious rain. You guys put on an amazing show that can bring people to tears, laughs, and brand memories in our hearts. Please keep up the hard work for many years to come.

It's Been A Long Time Coming

You’ll never guess where I am…

Fine. You win.

This time, I am accompanied by grande cups of Tazo peppermint tea, as Ryan so graciously keeps them coming to comfort his sniffling wife. I was honestly expecting to get sick, because I nannied for two runny-nosed, congested, and coughing little boys on Thursday. Even though I washed my hands thoroughly every time they simply looked at me, the effort was not enough to keep me well. I always get sick after such encounters (yes, this has happened multiple times at my job—usually over holiday weekends where I would love to stay sick in bed), but I was feeling generally hopeful all morning because I still felt pretty good. I called my adorable twin late this afternoon to giggle over silly stuff and catch up on her life, and as soon as I got off the phone — BAM — it hit. Suddenly, my nose was running and so stuffy at the same time that I lost all ability to say my ‘m’ and ‘n’ words I am so fond of. [Side note: I’m not exactly sure which words these are… you can use your imagination to come up with any fun words that involve either a ‘m’ or ‘n’].

Anyways, as I went to the bathroom to blow my nose for the fourth time tonight, I was struck by a desperate longing for some TLC in the form of one of my comfort foods… Gru. [Side note #2: to fully encompass the greatness of ‘Gru,’ you must pronounce it with a heavy grunt—even if you are reading this in your head… just do it.] I sincerely think it should replace chicken noodle soup as the healing remedy for the common cold.

I was first, and only, introduced to Gru by my father-in-law Paul. Apparently, as the stories go, Gru began its remarkable heritage as a simple ‘Campfire Stew’. Paul has a very strong opinion about what belongs in this dish, and rightly so because it is incredibly addictive. All I know is that green chile, potatoes, browned pork, green chile, some kind of broth, possibly diced tomatoes, and more green chile go into this stew. There are, of course, other ingredients… but I fail to remember them as my focus is primarily on the green chile involved. My poor Papa Paul naturally gets teased about the inordinate amounts of hatch chile he includes while cooking, but I am convinced that this is the secret ingredient to his success. I love it!

With time, and possibly assorted beverages, ‘Campfire Stew’ changed to ‘Campfire Gruel’ (possibly to accentuate the hearty and filling nature of the stew), and eventually was just shortened to ‘Gruel’ when we decided to cook it over coals in the side garden instead of an actual campfire (yes, you guessed correctly… this intoxicating concoction reaches its full potential in a dutch-oven). For some reason unbeknownst to me, ‘Gruel’ was suddenly dropped like a burning piece of pork fat and the shorter, more enticing name ‘Gru’ was adopted. So was the grunt.

That leads us to the present, where I sit in a Starbucks comfy chair… my head filled with snot and Gru Grunts. I have had this delectable dish twice in the past while sick and it has cleared my sinuses remarkably well. Maybe because of all the hot chile? Maybe because it is, indeed, a stew? Maybe because all the care that goes into making it cannot but help come out? For whatever reason, it is the only food I am craving right now and I am hoping someone who reads this will possibly get me the recipe. While I do not have a dutch oven, hopefully the green chile in my freezer will help the Gru make its debut in Texas.