Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, It’s Off to Work We Go…

Sunday night’s peaceful silence was punctuated by the seal-like barking of Ethan’s croup cough. Whenever one of the kids is sick, Joel and I review our schedules and do a sort of negotiation. “I have a deadline.”
“I have a conference call at 9, but I can call in from home.”
“I’ve got more PTO.”
“Well, I’m not too busy, you go ahead and I’ll stay home.”

It’s always a bit of a juggle to determine who will be on sick duty and who will go to work. But Monday’s negotiations determined I would stay home with the kids. Luckily, I can get a lot of my work done from my computer at home, and when the kids are sick they tend to just watch TV all day anyway. (Judge if you want…I’m okay with lots of TV on sick days!)


Well, wouldn’t you know it, but by about 9:00 Ethan had made practically a complete recovery. So the kids played happily together for most of the day, and I got quite a lot of work done from home. By about 1:30, though, I decided that I would have to go into the office for a little bit and then drop off a submittal package to ADEQ. I gathered the kids, put some shoes on their bare feet, washed their faces (okay, I actually forgot to do this…) and we took a field trip to Mommy’s office.

They behaved like perfect little angels! Elliot sat in my cube and drew some pictures and even labeled one of them “for pipes”. No one I know actually knows what I do for a living, least of all my kids. But they do know it has something to do with pipes. I think her design looks pretty good!

I had reminded both of them that they would have to talk in whispers so as not to disturb anyone. When we were settled in at my desk, a certain person who sits near me and speaks VERY loudly ALL day long got on the phone. Ethan tapped my arm and said “Mommy, that boy isn't using his whispering voice.” Tell me about it, son. Tell me about it…

My little future engineers (NOT!!!) then accompanied me on our submittal errand. Since they were so good, I decided to reward a job well done with some hot fudge sundaes from McDonald’s. Every worker earns his wage!

Running Firsts!

Sunday afternoon's training run was awesome! I really think the biggest surprise I've encountered during my training has been discovering that I actually enjoy this! A long weekend run is about a billion times more fun than a short midweek treadmill run. I LOVE the sun, fresh air, wildlife, trees, and friendly fellow trail users that round out my weekend runs. And on this last run, I accomlished several 'firsts', making me feel like I've really arrived as a runner.

• First time cracking the double-digit mileage barrier! My run on Sunday was 10 miles on the Reach 11 trail (my new favorite running spot). At the end of my run, Paula Radcliffe made a guest appearance on my Nike+ to congratulate me in her British accent.
• First time eating GU. Around mile 7.5 I refueled with a vanilla bean flavored pouch of, well, goo. My running friend had recommended that flavor because it tasted like cake frosting, and she was right! It definitely seemed to help, too, because at the end of this run, I felt like I could have kept going. (A week before I had only run 9 miles and was exhausted afterwards.)
• First time squatting trailside to pee. I won't give you too many details on this one. But if one is out running for more than an hour while continually rehydrating from their Camelbak, one may be quite thankful indeed that the trail is well vegetated with large, lush trees.

Next weekend: 12 MILES!!

Chocolate Fountain FAIL

I recently attended a holiday mixer for a professional association I'm involved with, the local chapter of APWA (that's the American Public Works Association...ain't no party like an engineering party...'cause an engineer party don't...er...doesn't...uh...stop...or something like that. Engineers Rock.)

Well, there were door prizes, and can you believe it? I won one of them! My ticket was drawn for the chocolate fountain. (I hope I don't get a bunch of crazies coming out of the woodwork now, claiming to be related to me and trying to get a piece of my good fortune. You know how these things go...)

I brought said chocolate fountain home and, in the eyes of my children, was immediately transformed into the coolest person on the planet. Even cooler than iCarly and Heinz Doofenshmirtz. After considerable begging, pleading, and offering of very pretty pleases with cherries on top, we commenced to melting chocolate.

I must admit, I too was excited to unleash the flow of delicious, melty goodness. The chocolate would flow like wine. Beautiful women would instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano. It was going to be grand.

So how did it go? Perhaps I'll just let the picture speak for itself.

Well, it may have resembled a sludgy tar pit more than a scrumptious fountain. But the kids still claimed it was "the best night EVER!" It's hard to be too disappointed in chocolate...even if it doesn't quite turn out the way you'd hoped!
 

 

A Spontaneous Disney Adventure!

It may seem out of character for two engineers, but Joel and I are actually pretty spontaneous people. Now, we don't go around doing crazy things everyday. We do have jobs and kids to take care of. But every now and then, we'll get a wild idea and act on it. On Wednesday morning, he called me at work for our usual morning chat. (I think that's how our crazy half marathon idea started as well...It would seem our scheming tends to take place when we're bored at work.) He mentioned how much he enjoys the Christmas decorations at Disneyland. I agreed wholeheartedly, and told him I had just been discussing that very same topic with a friend earlier that morning. We reminisced about all of the amazing lights, decorations, music, and food, and then lamented our current locales, with their uninspiring fluorescent lights and beige cubicle walls. So I said, "we should totally go... if we left after work, we could be there by 11:30." And Joel told me to book us a room. And that was that!

Now you might think we are completely wicked, but we made this trip without the kids. And it was awesome! I love sharing the magic of Disneyland with my kids, but this trip without them was an absolute blast. We had no strollers to push, we didn't ride Dumbo at all, we enjoyed terrific shows, we walked at our own pace... it was purely fantastic (and a heck of a lot cheaper without them!) Around dinner time, little kids all around us were getting fussy and tired, crying and carrying on. Joel and I just looked at each other and smiled. They weren't our tired kiddos, and we were free to continue enjoying ourselves until closing time!

After the park closed, we climbed in the car and drove home! We took turns driving and made it home in a mere 5.5 hours.

We had such a great time, and I think the spontaneity of the trip made it even more exciting. We literally decided to go at 10:45 on Wednesday morning, and we were on the road by 6:00 that evening. Who knows when the next adventure will take place?

The Main Street Christmas tree, by day and by night 

 Delicious treats! The delicacy in the top picture is a Yule Log from Plaza Inn. The second picture is the famous Monte Cristo sandwich from Cafe Orleans. It's like a sandwich wrapped in a donut. YUM!

The lighting of the castle, with snow falling on Main Street!

2010: The Year in Books

At the beginning of 2010, I set the lofty goal of reading 50 books in one year. I’m standing at 42 books right now, with a little over three and a half weeks to go, so it looks like I just might be able to make it!

As the year winds down, I’ve been reflecting on my reading this year. And so I shall highlight the literary highs and lows of 2010.

The Best Book I Read This Year:

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

This book was un-put-downable. It was so good, in fact, that it just warranted the creation of a stupid new word: un-put-downable. Verghese created fascinating characters, set them in an intriguing and exotic country, tangled them in captivating relationships, and threw in some history, politics, romance, and medicine, just to make things a bit more interesting. Fantastic!

Funniest Book:

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

You wouldn’t expect a Pulitzer Prize-winning classic with a villain as treacherous as Blue Duck, a setting as unforgiving as a cross-country cattle drive, and a hero as tragic as Captain McCrae to be my pick in the comedy category. But there you go. The dialog alone often brought me to tearful giggles. (This is not a strictly ‘funny’ novel though… McMurtry skillfully guides his readers through sour jealousy, bone-aching cold, blinding dust, stinging embarrassment, hollow hunger, and deep, deep love. It is a long journey, but every minute is a pleasure.)

Saddest Book:
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
I highlighted this book briefly before, but this one was definitely one of the most heart-wrenching reads of the year.

Most Interesting Non-Fiction:
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Super Athletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
I don’t read much non-fiction, but this one really captured my attention. As I’ve been training for the half-marathon, I found these stories of ultra-runners to be very absorbing. As McDougall investigated the astounding endurance of the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico, who regularly run hundreds of miles at a time in their homemade sandals, he introduced us to a cast of other elite runners. It was inspiring, educational, and entertaining. I’m not going to take up barefoot running, but I will certainly be focusing on my form!

Worst Book of 2010:
Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo
It wasn’t easy choosing a selection for this dubious honor. Unfortunately, there were several contenders. March, Twilight, and Olive Kitteridge were all disappointing. But Sworn to Silence is the clear winner here. Why on earth this book has a 4.5 star rating on Amazon is beyond me...

Honorable Mentions:
I didn’t get a chance to review all of the books I read this year, but I really enjoyed Leota’s Garden, The Hunger Games series, Shutter Island, The Irresistible Henry House, I Capture the Castle, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and These Is My Words.

I wonder what I should read next year? I’m actually thinking about cutting waaaay back. We’ll see how that goes. I might have better luck quitting chocolate!

Jackie and Chandy: We Do Wedding Cakes!

Last weekend was our big debut as official Special Occasion Confectioners, or makers of wedding cakes, if you will.

If there is one thing we are reminded of each time we make a cake, it is the importance of patience. It is a painstaking, precise, and deliberate process, and there is simply nothing that can be done to rush things. Skipping one step, bending one rule, or hastening even one element will result in a shoddy product that will, at best, look terrible, and at worst, collapse into a slumping heap of cake and frosting.

The actual baking was done well in advance, and my mom's freezer was brimming with ten wrapped cakes, ready to be assembled. We started with the bottom layer, which was actually constructed from four half circles. When stacking tiered cakes, it is so important for each piece to be square and level. Each side had to be a perfect 90 degrees, and the top had to be completely flat and level.

Once the general shape of each tier is set, the frosting can be smoothed to get that fondant sheen. After the frosting is set and dry, we smoothed it by lightly pressing strips of Viva brand paper towels. (I overheard about six different wedding guests remark how nice the fondant looked on the cake. But this was just covered with basic frosting!)

We placed the bottom layer on our custom cake plate. (It is a serious pet peeve of mine to see a gorgeous cake that has just been plopped onto a piece of plywood covered in aluminum foil. Just look at the cake featured in this post. The cake is gorgeous, but the plate really falls short.) After each layer is completed, we entered the assembly stage! This is where it started to get fun! We used cardboard circles and a caliper-type ruler to trace the circle in the exact center.

Next, we cut plastic dowels and inserted them into the cake to support the next layer. We really decided to be extra cautious and use a lot of dowels. These cakes get very heavy, and you can't have too much support.

Once the cake was assembled, we added the final embellishments. The bride requested a sage green ribbon trim, and we added a fondant pearl border around each tier. I think this really added some nice texture to an otherwise very simple cake. A couple of weeks before the wedding, my mom applied a coat of Scotch guard to the ribbons. This gave the ribbon adequate time to dry, so no chemical taste would transfer to the frosting, but prevented the greasy frosting from bleeding through the ribbon.

The final, and perhaps most difficult step, was transporting the cake to the wedding venue. We folded down the backseat of my parents' SUV, and placed the cake on top of a large foam pad covered in a white sheet. (The foam absorbed a lot of the impact and the sheet prevented any dust, fuzz or hair in the car from settling on our frosting.) It was an emotionally draining experience bracing the cake back there. We felt every single bump and turn in the road, and it seemed like the cake wiggled like Jell-o for the entire trip. But, it made it there in one piece!

My mom and I had a great time making the cake, and most importantly, I think the bride and groom were very pleased with the result. 

On an unrelated side note, our crew cleaned up pretty nice! We don't get dressed up too often, but at least we haven't completely forgotten how!