Emily Gayle

On New Year's Eve and New Year's Day many of you will celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another. I will too, but more important is the celebration of my sister's 30th birthday.

Now if you know me, you know my sis. She is Sisterpants. For the first half of my life I called her "Sissy," now it is "Sisterpants."

She is my favorite person on the planet. She and I were joined at the hip growing up. She talked for me until the doctors literally had to tell my mom to separate us, so I would learn to be less dependent on Sisterpants for everything. Well, try as Mama may, it didn't work. Maybe she doesn't speak for me when directly spoken to, but Sisterpants is generally behind every decision I make in life. Well, the good ones anyway, the bad ones she just helps me correct.

I am definitely going to take heat for posting this picture. It is pretty hilarious though and typical of us; Emily is taking care of me.

Sisterpants has had her ups and downs in her own life, and I can only hope I am as present in those moments for her as she is for me. If I'm happy I want to share it with her; if I'm sad or in trouble she is absolutely my first call.

I guess you can say she is more than just my sister; she is certainly my best friend. No words on any blog could ever do our relationship justice, and further they could not begin to describe what an incredible person she is.

This is us at Sister's wedding in April. I have never seen her look so amazing or happy!

I hope her next 30 years give her everything she could possibly dream of and then some. And to start I'm giving her a package with 30 of her favorite things. She got the first already, a book by her favorite author. When she gets back from her vacation, she'll get the rest and I'll post a picture!

Until then, Happy Birthday Sisterpants (on Sunday), I love you!

xoxo Sara Marie (Gayle)

Iowa, Iowa, Iowa, Iowa, Iowa

If you watch the news at all, "Iowa, Iowa, Iowa, Iowa..." is all you hear. Apparently there is some sort of primary election there next week. Ha. 4 days to be exact. Actually, 104 hours to be EXACT. Whoa. Well it is no secret I will be there. I leave at 6:45am Sunday morning. Yes, that is a couple of hours after most people will be going to bed after celebrating the end of 2011; I'm dedicated, people. Here's how I think it will go...

It is going to be cold. That is for sure. It's going to go quick that is also for sure. So after landing around 11am in Omaha, NE it will be off to the races. A coworker and I will be helping with the Sioux City Volunteer Center for Governor Perry as well as help the Texas State Legislators who are making the trip to speak on behalf of Governor Perry at specific Caucuses. We will be phone banking and sign waving, and kissing babies wherever we can.

I think Governor Perry will end up at least 3rd...at least. Could he pull off a win? Not likely, but a 2nd place finish is not a crazy theory. And whichever it is, we come home on Wednesday.

And from there, who knows...South Carolina, Florida, let's go people. Before we know it, it will be March or April and we will have a candidate. Let's hope for the unemployed Americans everywhere, that candidate is Governor Perry.

xoxo Sara Marie

New Year's Resolutions

OK folks I basically have my list done. As I said in an earlier post, in order to actually achieve a number of different things in 2012 I am going to have a New Year's Resolution for each month. I have a list of 12 picked out and I'll list them here. Now I will say that I have not decided which resolution will be for which month. I think my plan of attack will be to make that decision as the month approaches. This way I won't have some ridiculous, like "save money" in a month when I am taking a vacation or "workout 20 times in one month" when I have an injury. Here are the 12 I have picked out thus far:

1. Drink 225 glasses of water

2. Save 500 dollars

3. Cook 3 nights a week

4. Workout 20 times

5. Attend Church 3 Sundays

6. Vegetarian Diet

7. Send four letters to four friends/family

8. Eat no fried food

9. Catch some air on a dirt bike...more than once

10. Redesign this blog layout

11. Clean out my closets/office/kitchen/etc

12. 240 hours of sleep

So there they are! It is an attempt to make all of these things more of a habit. Hopefully by the end of 2012 my diet is healthier, I attend church at the Cathedral more regularly, and I'm more organized among other things. I haven't decided which I will start with but I am thinking either the water one or workout 20 times. I'll post here what the decision is soon. (duh I have less than 38 hours until 2012 begins!)

Happy New Year, and good luck with resolutions!

xoxo Sara Marie

Charles Barkley

He is one of my ALL-TIME favorite athletes. I'm not kidding. This guy was not only a force to be reckoned with during his years in the NBA, but he is one of the most entertaining commentators ever. Is he a loud mouth, cocky jerk sometimes? Sure. But what honest, larger than life personality types aren't? It is like I said entertaining…and his book, hilarious. It is an easy read, nothing deep but funny and enlightening. I forget the name, something about "A Loud Black Man" or something. It's worth the quick read, trust me.

So with the return of the NBA, we get Barkley back on TV again and I think that might be the only reason I watch. The Spurs have been so disappointing lately and with Barkley's addition of Shaq to their Pre-Game shows, yah that's where my attention will go. Those two guys together will not only be two of the greatest players of my lifetime, but also two of the funniest.

So Go Spurs Go, I guess, and even better here's to my man Sir Charles.

xoxo Sara Marie

Friendship

My childhood best friend came over tonight. We just played catch up for three hours, then went and grabbed a drink.

This is what I have to say about friendship: it is always evolving.

There have been times I didn't speak with or email or whatever my best friends...from my childhood BF to my college roommate to my college best friend. It happens, ya know.

It sucks, but it happens. My life is super busy, and so are my super successful best friends. And bottom line: it doesn't matter. Nothing matters to that real-life, true best friend.

Tonight my childhood BF and I caught up like we had not missed a beat. And the most comforting thing in the world is being with someone who knows you better than any other person in the world. I have probably 4 people like this in my life... my sister, my two best friends and my boyfriend. I can't get something past these people. They know me too well... and I love it. I love being with these people; its home to me. No matter where I am with them, they are home.

We may not be able to hang out or even talk/email everyday or every other day, but I love you. You know who you are and you make me who I am. Thanks yall.

xoxo Sara Marie

Cindy Kimmel Cookies

I want to start this post with a disclaimer: Cindy Kimmel, if somehow you read this, I'm sorry if the recipe is a little bit off, as I don't actually know who you are.

The story goes like this...

Each year my boyfriend's mama bakes Christmas cookies. I joined her and their family on the Christmas cookie baking day this year, and we made 22 dozen cookies. It is a fun tradition. The gals cook up sugar cookies and gingerbread and snicker doodle cookies, and the guys decorate the outside of the house. Then when all the cookies are cooled we sat at the table and iced them. It was, like I said, a great time. At the end of the day we had dinner and discussed the 22 dozen cookies we whipped up.

That is when I first heard of Cindy Kimmel cookies. After going over all the different kinds, my boyfriend, his brother and father all mentioned how they wished us gals would have made some "Cindy Kimmels." After a back and forth for a bit I chimed in and asked, "Uh, what is a Cindy Kimmel?"

They all were a little surprised I didn't know until they realized that "Cindy Kimmel" is actually just the lady who gave my boyfriend's mom the recipe. The cookie has a name, unknown to any of them because they always referred to them as "Cindy Kimmels."

So after the guys complained about not having these particular cookies, my boyfriend and I decided we would make them and he could take them when he came back for Christmas weekend as a nice little surprise.

We struggled with how to find the recipe since we didn't know the exact name, but after googling the ingredients, we found it.

And so we made them last Thursday night. I had gone to the store earlier in the week and bought all the goods. When we decided to start cooking I realized I had not printed the recipe. So while I was getting my computer out to look it up, my boyfriend was in the kitchen looking at the sweets. That's when he realized the exact recipe was on the back of the butterscotch chips, which is one of the ingredients. RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF HIM. The recipe we found on line was called Magic Bars, on the back of the butterscotch it was "7 Layer Bars." Either way they were Cindy Kimmels.

Here is the recipe!

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/3 cups shredded coconut

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Place butter in 13 x 9 inch pan and melt in oven. Swirl to coat bottom and sides with butter.
2. Spread crumbs evenly over bottom of pan. Layer chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and nuts over crumbs. Pour condensed milk over nuts. Sprinkle coconut over condensed milk.
3. Bake until edges are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool.

Ok so we decided to mix everything (the butterscotch, chocolate chips, coconut, and nuts) pour it all over the crumbs, then pour the milk, then bake.

They were delicious. They are a little sticky, thus hard to get out of the pan in perfect little squares, but we managed and they were yummy.

Now when the boyfriend took them home, he wanted to wait until Christmas Eve night to share them. So we wrapped them up like a fun present so he could put them under their tree. he did, but his mama went investigating and discovered them. They all had a good laugh that we went ahead and made them, so despite the other 22 dozen they could have their favorite Christmas time cookie!

But I will say too that there is nothing particularly Christmas about them, so feel free to make them anytime!

xoxo Sara Marie

I forgot...

I forgot the list of coming soon blog posts:

Cindy Kimmel Christmas Cookie Recipe. These have a funny story and a yummy recipe.
Iowa Update. As if there is anything new to report, but I have some thoughts.
Californication, the show. It's good and interesting, and totally inapropriate too. Ha.
Top Chef Texas, it's on tonight, can't wait.

Ok These will be posted sooner rather than later. Check back for them!

xoxo Sara Marie

Back to the Grind...

Alright so I am back in the real world. I say that because my Christmas was so great that it almost felt like a dream. I got tons of gifts; I mean tons and tons of stuff...all useful or fun stuff. And I spent lots of quality time with family and the boyfriend. And the food... lots of yummy food. Let see, I'll list some highlights and then give a couple of blog topics I plan to do later today. (Not so much to tease yall, but mostly to force me to actually do them, and not just draft them then let them sit in the pending file. My motivation is not back up to speed, obviously.)

So Christmas weekend highlights in chronological order (kind of). Ready, set, go...

Fogo de Chao dinner, yum.

Cookie baking, fun.

Cafe Blue dinner, that crab Mac and cheese is such a hit with Sara Marie

The Zilker Tree, cold, but I twirled, mission accomplished.

Saw my Mema, that is always special.

Midnight Mass, Bishop Vasquez did a beautiful job, as usual.

PRESENTS PRESENT PRESENTS... From new luggage to new jeans to hand-made, piston-ring earrings and 10 boxes of my favorite coffee, I got a ton of stuff. My condo and life basically got a makeover.

Mission Impossible. I generally hate these movies, but this one was BY FAR my favorite. Not just my favorite either, it is the only one I have liked except maybe the first, which I don't even remember now. Go see it.

Sleep, I got lots of it. In my massive king-size bed at my parents that is more comfortable than any other bed in the world.

And finally yesterday, after the boyfriend headed home, I cleaned out my entire condo. I just had so much new stuff that I found myself going through my old stuff. It was a cleansing evening. Ha. My condo has been De-Christmased and I'm ready for summer.

Here are a few Blackberry pics from my Christmas Weekend...

My puppies. Jack and Larry enjoying that big'ol bed I mentioned.

Cafe Blue's Maple Pecan Cheesecake. I don't ever order cheesecake, but the boyfriend does. I tried it, and then had a few more bites, and then a few more. Delicious.

My RoCkStAr Luggage. I love love love it.

Me being me at a little moto shop downtown. Glitter helmet? Yes, please!

Happy Christmas and now, back to life, back to reality...

xoxo Sara Marie

Top Chef Texas, Hellllllo AUSTIN!

All the chefs packed up and headed to AUSTIN on last night’s episode of Top Chef Texas. San Antonio and Dallas each got two episodes, maybe three and I'm thinking Austin will get all of the rest. There are still 10 chefs left. Now there may be a few double eliminations yet to come, but at least 5 or 6 episodes remain!

And Paul, the Austin boy, won the Quickfire Challenge! This guy is so awesome. He always pushes the envelope and is generally successful. He is still, by far, my favorite.

Heather, my least favorite, got kicked off. Oops, I hope it wasn't DVR'd for ya, because if so, I just ruined it. Whatever, despite being in the ATX it wasn't that great of an episode.

I will say my opinion of Beverley is slowing changing. She really stepped up her game last night and was in the top 3 in the Quickfire and Elimination Challenges.

Sarah won. She cries too much. It annoys me.

The best part of last night's show... the previews for next week! They will be cooking at THE SALT LICK. The Salt Lick is an institution around here and 10 minutes from my childhood home. I have probably eaten there thousands of times in my life, if not more. It is one of my favorite places to eat in the universe, and I cannot wait to see the chefs compete there!

Maybe I'll even head over to the Salt Lick for some BBQ this Christmas weekend!

xoxo Sara Marie

Merry COWBOYS Christmas...

There was a Christmas card on my desk when I got to work this morning... from Jerry Jones.

Ok, Ok so it was not for me... it was for my boss. However, I will be taking it home (with her permission of course.) I've decided my new goal in life it to get on this Christmas card list.

And chill out, people... I don't want one because it is from Jerry Jones. I hate him. But my love for the Cowboys transcends Jerry Jone's ego.

So Merry COWBOYS Christmas!!

xoxo Sara Marie

Chillllll outtttt...

So I missed a day...I am alive, just busy. This will be an ultra random post. I'll start with a recipe from the P90X Newsletter courtesy of Sisterpants.

Banana Mousse

·  2 Tbsp. low-fat milk

·  4 tsp. brown sugar

·  1 tsp. vanilla extract

·  1 medium banana, quartered

·  1 cup plain, low-fat yogurt

·  4 slices banana (1/4 inch each)

In a blender, blend milk, sugar, vanilla, and the quartered banana together at high speed until mixture is smooth. Pour into a bowl and fold in yogurt. Chill mixture for at least 45 minutes in refrigerator; when chilled, spoon mousse into 4 dessert dishes. Cut 4 1/4-inch slices from banana, and stand 1 banana slice on its side in each bowl. Makes 4 servings.

Next I will say that the polls in Iowa have a mind of their own. Seriously, Bachmann was leading (granted she was one of the few in the race when she did) then Perry, then Cain, then Newt, now Ron Paul. And while I love the early state battles and chaos, I think this is getting ridiculous. Iowa is a Middle America, not very populated state. Why they hold such an important role in the primary calendar is beyond me. That would be like Texas mattering that early in the year. Everyone knows we are a little off the mainstream path down here and by no means a good sample of the average American. And we have a ton of delegates, thus going early could be a disaster if a candidate wins and then backs out of the race at some point. Last time Huckabee won Iowa, and then just as I said, backed out. If someone like Ron Paul wins Iowa and then either doesn't make it the distance or loses in the end, I think it will only strengthen my argument that Iowa is not, or should not be as important as it seems this year.

The one thing Iowans do have going for them is they almost require meeting the candidate before supporting them. That is insane, but also pretty credible. Sally Jo from Sioux City, IA isn't going vote for some prick that was an hour late to his own event and then preached with no passion. So maybe they are a good gauge at least from that prospective.

Anyhow, I am going, and I can't wait. Never in my life have I looked forward to cold and phone banking. But this is important, people. And with the polls so fluid, it may not be the last ditch attempt to save the Perry campaign, but rather helping pull off a big win! And if that happens, I promise to change my outlook on this middle-America state completely! Ha.

Ok now shifting to CHRISTMAS. It's this weekend! I could not be more excited. Tomorrow there will be 3 different Christmas parties for my office one of which is a fancy dinner party at one of my favorite spots. Friday will be spent doing last minute, stocking-stuffer present shopping. Saturday is a day trip to Houston to see family before Midnight Mass at the Cathedral downtown. And then the big day will be spent opening presents lunching with family and seeing another movie!

Happy Christmas week to everyone!

xoxo Sara Marie

Ding Dong the Witch is Dead...

Everyone is happy today because Kim Jong is dead....finally. HOWEVER, I'm not that excited. All these people are praying for the freedom of the North Korean people and such, and that is great, but also still farfetched. The crazy dictator's son is the one in charge now. And he had three sons to choose from, and he chose the most radical. This is not good, folks. It could even be worse. Most likely it will be the same. Rumor is that this son has actually been in charge for a while anyway. Sort of like Cuba, Castro sucks and it will be great when that repressive asshole is dead too. HOWEVER, his brother gains the power (or already has it really) and he is probably worse than Castro. So while yes, it is great that the world is rid of a little bit of its evil in the passing of King Jong II, North Korea still has a very long road of an equally ridiculous ruler.

I will say though, 2011 has not been a great year for outrageous tyrant leaders. Amen to that.

Happy Monday. Ha.

xoxo Sara Marie

Cafe Blue and Sherlock Holmes

We saw the new Sherlock Holmes movie yesterday. It is our Christmas tradition to open presents, eat a fabulous meal, and then go to the movies. And since yesterday was our Kinney Christmas, we didn't stray from that plan.

The presents were awesome. I got some jewelry and a canvass of sister pictures from my sister's wedding events. It’s beautiful, all of it.

So after zipping my sister into one of her presents (a new snowboard case) we decided to head over to Cafe Blue.

Cafe Blue is a restaurant in the Hill Country Galleria. It was called Ocean Blue or something, but after a soft opening the managers took off with all the money and art work. They were suddenly looking for new investors to reopen the business and my dado is one of the new investors.

They changed the name and reopened this last week. It is amazing. There is an aquamarine theme and that coupled with the reggae music makes you feel like you are dinning on a cruise ship. Not that I have ever done that, but it is what I'd imagine in that situation. Anyway, we had, at the table of 5 of us, calamari, Louisiana Catfish, Crab Mac and Cheese, Artichoke pasta, Drunken Tenderloin, and Jerk Chicken Quesadillas. There was not one complaint at the table. My Crab Mac and Cheese was delicious, and I especially liked the toasted bread crumbs on top. I highly recommend this spot, and not just because my dado is involved!

After lunch we headed to the movie (after a little shopping of course) and saw the new Sherlock Holmes. Now I will say a few Christmases ago we saw the other Sherlock Holmes movie, and I kind of hated it. I am not great at paying attention to every little detail, and I feel like you have to in order to follow these films. Well this time, I made sure to pay attention, and I loved this movie. It was clever and fun. My only complaint is that is it a bit long. I think Robert Downey is the perfect fit for the role though, and I will definitely be seeing this movie again.

Additionally, the previews were fantastic. A Man on a Ledge preview was shown. I was in New York in November 2010 and they were filming this movie at our hotel! The entire block was shut down and it actually made my boyfriend and I late to the wedding we were in town to attend! The movie looks really good though, and I'm excited for when it comes out officially.

All in all Kinney Christmas was a success! Go eat at Cafe Blue and go see the new Sherlock Holmes!

xoxo Sara Marie

Happy Christmas!

Happy Christmas from my family to yours...

We are ready for Kinney Christmas! Sisterpants arrives in a bit then it's presents, lunch at a restaurant my Dado has recently invested in, and a movie!

I hope your Saturday is as merry as mine!

xoxo Sara Marie

Christmas Come Early...

No, Really... I'm celebrating Christmas with my family tomorrow. My sister got married this year which means she now has to split her holiday time between two families. We got her for Thanksgiving, so the in-laws get her for Christmas. No big deal, we just get to celebrate a week early! I'm obviously ready...

It's dark, but it is my tree with alllllll my presents!! I'm very excited for the weekend. I hope yours is equally as fun!

xoxo Sara Marie

The Debates are Over...

Haaaaaa.  They aren't over, but the first Election Day will come before the next one. Whoa. That is intense.

So my thoughts on the debate last night are not great. I will say it seemed like the most substantial debate thus far. Good job Fox for covering all the important topics, giving all the candidates questions, and not letting it turn into a circus.

I really thought everyone would take this chance to really go after Newt knowing he wouldn't have a similar setting to respond or take revenge before Iowa. That did not happen. There were some attacks but it wasn't ugly. I'll stick with my player by player breakdown:

Newt- The clear frontrunner. He talks a lot. And this is good for him and bad for his opponents. Why? Because the moments when he defends big government and things like Freddie Mae and Freddie Mac get lost in his history lessons and I know more than you tones. It's obviously working and he stuck with that approach last night.

Romney- He is really showing his true colors I think. He had a few shining moments because, duh, he's been at this for like 5 years now, but overall he's weak. The questions were sharp and he had to defend more than anything last night. It's not good to constantly play defense; you can't ever score. Although I still think he has one of the best shots at the nomination. Grr.

Perry- He had a good night. It wasn't a great night, but he held his own. He also had a few really bright moments too. The whole bit about a part-time Congress was well received and his judicial answers were spot on. I still think this is the man for the job. If he can pull off a strong finish in Iowa and just hang around through New Hampshire, it will be off to the races in Florida and the South....where by the way, people love him. Perry 2012. Oh side note: I did not love the Tim Tebow analogy...mostly because I don't love Tim Tebow, but whatever...

Huntsman- I think it is funny he pretended to give a shit about Iowa last night when all along he has ignored the state and their caucuses completely. He surges a little bit in New Hampshire and suddenly thinks he's in it to win it. But winning it means competing everywhere, (remember Giuliani's Florida only strategy in '08, yah frontrunner to out in January) so he runs out to Iowa for a minute and tries to jump in. It ain't going to work buddy. He did have some good answers but his jokes are awkward at best and his love for China is borderline scary.

Bachmann- She looked like a beauty pageant contestant last night with her hair up and dressed in white. I'm not saying she looked bad, obviously very pretty, but out of place for sure. She too had good answers occasionally. She did go after Newt at one point, but opposite of Newt she loses ground as she continues to talk, where Newt gains as he rambles.

Santorum- He sounded about good as he can last night. He was less like the little kid getting bullied on the playground and more presidential. However his chances are down there with Bachmann and that is not in contention. Though I will say he has literally covered the most ground in Iowa, and those people take that into serious consideration.

Paul- I hate to say it, but he too sounded more legit than usual. Until he goes off on Austrian Economics and allowing Iran to have nukes, he doesn't sound that crazy. Then he rants like a bitter grandpa and loses all creditability. Bachmann went after him on the Iran stuff and made him look flat stupid. If he ran as a Third party his numbers would go up, but then we would FOR SURE lose to Obama, so pray that does not happen.

So that is my run down. It is not that different than the previous debates. In Iowa something like 60% of voters are willing to change their mind the night of the caucuses so although there is a clear front runner, I'll stand by my "it’s anyone's game" theory.

As for Nikki Haley, it was not a huge surprise as Romney endorsed her before anyone in her own race. It is a good grab for the grassroots folks and obviously for South Carolina, but I think the timing of the announcement, right after the debate, shows they know his performance was not great.

18 days to Iowa.

xoxo Sara Marie

Debate Anticipation!

Tonight is the final debate before the Iowa caucuses. I see it going like this... Newt and Romney rip each other apart. Newt is going to try and play nice, but when Romney continues to poke the bear, he will unload. And it will be good for Newt because most people don't like Romney. I see Newt winning back the few points he's lost in the last few days. However, Romney will lose a few points. And Governor Perry will pick those up, and we will be in a fight for 2nd place.

But I'm going to Iowa to win folks. And two weeks to cover Newt's spread, I'll take that challenge. Governor Perry is blitzing that state like no one has done before... radio, TV, and a 44 stop bus tour. Come on. Iowans are going to meet this man, hear his message, and fall in love with his record. How could they not?

Here's to tonight... and Jan. 3rd.

xoxo Sara Marie

TIM LOVE on Top Chef Texas.

In the first 5 minutes of Top Chef last night, they announce this episode's guest judge and the Quick Fire Challenge.....Tim Love and cooking with Tequila. HELLLLLLLLLO AWESOME!

Two things I love: Tim Love and Tequila. The latter more, but Tim Love is authentic Texan.

I have had a culinary crush on Tim Love for quite some time. I literally stopped watching Top Chef Masters when he got booted.

And tequila, well if you know anything about Sara Marie you know I love tequila.

This episode was shaping up to be my favorite…
…until the chefs opened their big, fat mouths. Seriously this show should be played in mute at times.

Sarah made some gross fennel something and talks way too much. I hate that her name is Sarah because I really want to like her; I just don't though. Ty-Lor, who I do enjoy, is also getting annoying. Every time they introduce an ingredient he has some story about cooking it in some random part of the world. He did this twice last night, once about cooking wild game in Thailand or something and then again with a story about margaritas on the beach in some other country. Chill out dude, your food impresses not your bragging. He does win the Quick Fire and rightfully so. (Ha, as if I was there and tasting the food, whatever it looked awesome.)

I want to take this moment here to say that Ugly Chris's hair is so awful. The half ponytail thing on the top of his head is just disgusting. It flops as he talks and it makes me want to scream.

Now on to Heather… Wow, this gal is a real piece of work. Seriously she is mean. I liked her in the beginning. I like strong, vocal people, but she takes it a little too far. I still don't like Beverley, but I am finding myself feeling sorry for her when she is the victim of all Heather's wrath.

So the elimination round is cooking wild game. Duh, it's a Tim Love challenge! Heather bitches aboutt Tim Love's kitchen which I think should get her kicked off altogether, but alas it does not. Sarah cries because the competition is so tough. Get over it honey, it will only get harder. And in the end Nyesha and Dakota go home. Terrible decision judges. I think one thing on their plate was bad, the venison that was under cooked, but Heather and Beverley’s plate was atrocious.

Oh well. Paul is still in it and he is my favorite.

In the scenes from the next episode it shows the group hitting the road to AUSTIN. Yes! This is what I have been waiting for. And it will be home court advantage for Paul. #winning. Oh and Emeril is back!

Welcome to Austin Chefs!

xoxo Sara Marie

New Year's Resolution

It is only two weeks away folks. 2012. And I have a feeling it is going to be a big year. We will have a Presidential Election, the Summer Olympics in London, and the end of the world according to the Mayan calendar!

So it is probably time to think up a good New Year's Resolution. I always have one and generally make it to about mid February with it. Ha. I will blame my religion because come Fat Tuesday I focus on my Lent sacrifice and lose my handle on the New Year's Resolution.

So I have a plan this year. I know a couple of different people who have attempted this and they were successful; so now I'll try. The plan is to pick a different goal for each month. I will basically have 12 resolutions. I will pick them ahead of time in January and write them on a calendar hanging in my condo. Then as I turn the calendar each month a reminder of that month's resolution will be waiting for me!

Now I just have to come up with the 12 resolutions....

xoxo Sara Marie

SEARS FAIL.

I just saw a commercial for a Sears Christmas sale. It is called the "Real Big Gift Sale."

What the hell??? Real Big??? How about Really Big?

I get that in advertizing they sometimes play little tricks on slogans. They turn the R around backwards in Toys R Us. They might even spell a word wrong intentionally or misuse capitalizations.

But to have a grammatically incorrect slogan or sale title, come on!

Our language gets hit every day with the "yalls" and the "yous guys."And that isn't what bothers me. What bothers me is that I am 27 years old, and I have colleagues and former classmates that can't differentiate between "your" and "you're," or "their," "there," and "they're."

And to have a nationwide sales commercial running on national TV during primetime with a sale titled, "Real Good Gift Sale," this is just outrageous and only adding to the disintegration of the English language.

Shame on you Sears.

xoxo Sara Marie

Hungover

Ok so not really. But it is as though I am hungover from being sick. Or maybe I am just still a little sick. Anyway, today I'm moving, but slowly. Which is more than I can say for yesterday when from 7am until 7am today I spent 16 and a half hours in bed. And while my body is still recovering, my mind is ready to go, here are things that made me feel better:

1. Orange juice

2. Day and Nyquil

3. Bananas

4. Healthy Choice Chicken and Dumpling soup

5. Seinfeld reruns

6. My pink robe from Ulta Beauty

7. pinterest

I'm pretty sure no matter what bug or cold you catch, if you combine the things listed above with 15+ hours of sleep, you will feel better. I know I do. And a little bit more and tomorrow I should be back to my old self.

xoxo Sara Marie

Team Perry, Iowa.

He's making a move people. And this time it is upward. Poll numbers in Iowa are, like every week in the race thus far, moving around again. Perry is strengthening, and Newt is losing some ground. I've said it before and I'll say it again. With more than a majority of Iowans making their decision the night of their caucus, or are at least willing to change their mind that late, it is anyone's game.

I'm going to Iowa as I mentioned here. And Dado is coming, and while it could be one of the more miserable weeks of our lives, it could very easily be one of the best too! We could lose. We could freeze to death (literally). Or we could do well, and have a blast. I'm obviously pulling for, and quite frankly expecting, the latter.

To help secure the good option there a coworker and I have decided to look up some Man vs. Food and/or Diners Drive Ins and Dives spots in the areas we will be campaigning. So far we have Amato's (visited by both shows) in Omaha, NE and a spot over in Council Bluff, IA. I figure even if the worst does happen, at least we will be well fed!

Go Team Perry. 21 days until Iowa Caucuses.

xoxo Sara Marie

Tis the Season

Friday I bought new shoes at the Galleria in Houston and enjoyed Torchys Tacos in ATX.
Saturday I lost miserably in Mama's annual Gingerbread contest, but had a blast.
Sunday I helped bake 17 million cookies!

Here's the story of each...

Friday I did a few laps around the Galleria and ended up with these shoes.

I have been looking for booties and brown closed-toe heels so why not get both in one!?! Oh and they were 50% off! #winning That night I was back in Austin and hopped over to Torchy Tacos for a nice feast. We tried a few new tacos, and by "we" I obviously mean my boyfriend. Ha. All of it was delicious as usual.

Saturday  morning started by picking out a Christmas tree for my boyfriend's family at the Austin Optimist Club Tree Lot. My dado is a member and has been in charge of this very lot before many, many times. We went through several trees before finding the right one. And the right one it was. The beauty was tall and full and just perfect. I heard O Christmas Tree playing in my head as my boyfriend helped carry it to the front of the lot.

This is not the best picture I took, but if you are friends with me on Facebook, you saw the best already.

After that we headed to my Mama's party. It was really awesome. We had tons and tons of food and Sangria and fun! The houses were as spectacular as ever too! We had a Yankee Stadium, two beach houses-- one on stilts, a Vegas casino, a sports themed house, The Hidden Hills lodge, a log cabin, a dog house, and the CainTrainWreck. I think yall can probably guess which was mine.

Merry CainWreck Christmas!

The concept was complicated, too complicated. But in the end, I must say, I think it looked fun and the party was a great time for all. Next year I think I will try and go with something simpler.

Before I get to the bazillion cookies, I must also mention going out Saturday night. My boyfriend and I met his sister and brother out at Kung Fu Saloon and while this is not my favorite bar in Austin, it was a blast this time. After dancing around, including on a very large speaker, we also saw a number of poor girls get sick, were a stop on the Santa dressed bar crawl, and saw a gal fly off the patio into a serious faceplant on the sidewalk. It was one of those nights where you just laugh...a lot.

So then on Sunday it was baking day at the boyfriend's parent's house. We made 22 dozen cookies. It was crazy. There was lots of flour and sugar and fun. We ended by icing the sugar cookies and decorating them before we had to head back home.

All in all it was such a great Christmas-y fun-filled weekend. Here's it to a few more of the same in the weeks to come...

xoxo Sara Marie

The Boys

The Cowboys lost in the final seconds of their game AGAIN this weekend. Even worse this week, it was to the Giants.

Now not only am I a huge Cowboys fan as most readers of this blog already know, but I also have a large amount of friends in the Northeast that are Giants fans. Thus, this game comes with a more than usual amount of pride attached to it. Now I understand I was on the losing end last night of that pride allotment, but generally speaking I have done pretty well in this match up.

And the one positive thing I can say about last night's game is no  matter how much I hate Tony Romo (ahem, fumble in the end zone) I will never not enjoy his excitement after scoring a touchdown. The jumping up and down and fist pumping the air is just an added bonus to the 6 points. Unfortunately he didn't get to celebrate as much as Eli last night. And so I'll go back to hating him now.

Here's to next week and us not blowing our shot at the playoffs completely.

xoxo Sara Marie

Mama and Dado to the rescue.

I left work at 11am this morning sick a hell. My head was pounding and my throat was on fire. I am not going to blame my sisterpants or my brother in law, although I will mention both were sick with the same issues last week.

Anyway, this morning I  made it through bootcamp, but got worse and worse as it got later in the morning. By 1030am I couldn't even think straight because my head and chest were hurting so badly. So I packed it up and called it a day at work. I grabbed a Happy Meal on the way home, ate it and was in bed by 1130am. I got out of bed at 430pm.

Sometime during my sickly slumber my dado and mama called. I told them I was sick and they offered to come bring me food and meds. Being the responsible adult I said that I would run to the store this evening but it only took mama saying once more she didn't mind for me to cave and beg for soup and Dayquil.

They brought both, and orange juice and crackers and bananas. I may be a little dramatic here, but I already feel better.

So thanks Mama and Dado. I will probably be able to face the world tomorrow because of yall's love... and bananas.

xoxo Sara Marie

Sunday night.

You know it was a good weekend when you are laying on the couch watching football too exhausted to eat dinner and thinking about bed before halftime of you favorite football game of the season.

Cowboys will play the Giants again in January right? Can't I just go to sleep now?

Anyway, I intended on getting up several posts this evening including the details of my very eventful and Christmas-y weekend, Rick Perry, and the  already-mentioned-Cowboys. None of that is going to happen. So check out the blog tomorrow to find all of that.

Until then, I'm going to pump some Vitamin C through my scratchy throat and get to bed around my 6 year old niece's bedtime hour.

Good weekend, and good night.

xoxo Sara Marie

Here's to the Freakin Weekend...

It's a song people. I'm not bitter, so don't read it that way... I mean quite the opposite actually. I am currently sitting at a Starbucks enjoying a Skinny Vanilla Latte in a Christmas cup while trying to get motivated to get through a little work before going to shop with that teammate I mentioned I was meeting up with yesterday.

I'll break that out some... last night I came to Houston. I love this city. I don't love the traffic, but I love this city. The drive in was simple, and pretty fun with Christmas jams pumping the whole way at a pretty ear-piercing volume.

I met up with my former teammate and her mom and friend. They are all down from Philly and we were heading out to an authentic Mexican dinner. After almost killing them on the way, a few times, we enjoyed a nice dinner and caught up on the last year. The last time we saw one another was a wedding in NYC and the next will be this particular teammate's wedding in 2012. Knowing that would again be far too long to go without hanging out I decided I would join them on the last part of their shopping adventure today. Thus I'm "getting some work done" now and meeting them in a bit.

My morning so far, as mentioned, is great. My latte is a little too warm to really get through, so a blog post and some phone calls come before it warms my insides.

And this weekend will hopefully be just as lovely.

Tomorrow is my mama's annual Christmas Gingerbread Party/Competition. It sounds cute, and different. I'll give you different. And while the houses are cute when completed and arranged on display, the competition is fierce, and a candy disaster is definitely made. It is always a fun time and this year, with like 30 people coming, it should be the best party yet!

So that's all I have for now. I will probably sit here and work on my Christmas poem that I am writing for another Christmas party next week, and try to get through those phone calls. Either way, it's the freakin weekend, and I'll drink to that. (a latte for now, ha)

xoxo Sara Marie

Dammit.

Pujols to the Angels. Fabulous. It’s too bad the Yankees already have a few guys that can swing like him and play first base. He would have been a pretty nice grab. Instead we will now have to pitch to him, a lot. Whatever. 2012 = 28.

And speaking of 28... I don't think it is any coincidence that the week after the 2012 World Series I will be turning 28 years old. The week after the Yanks win their 28th championship, I will celebrate 28 years of life. The Yankees will have a championship for every year of my life. And then we will both embark on our quest for 29...together. I can't think of a better present.

xoxo Sara Marie

Thursday Things.

Its Thursday, but Friday for me! I am heading to Houston this afternoon to see one of my favorite teammates ever! She is getting married next year and on a wedding dress/jewelry hunt in Htown. Given that she lives in Philly, I'm very excited to see her and her mama!

Last night I watched some Top Chef when I should have been cleaning my condo, whatever. And Whitney went home. Good. There are people in this world that belong in reality TV (in any format from cooking to Real World) and there are people who do not. Whitney did not. She was just a little bit boring. Grayson on the other hand is fabulous and I was happy to see her win the Quickfire Challenge. The task was to make a sauce and I obviously loved it when she said, "I'm feeling f*&king saucy!"

Anyway today is going to be a blur, so I'll leave you with a fun quote:

"Confidence is always key. Regardless of what situation you are in, if you believe you've got swagg, so will everyone else."

xoxo Sara Marie

Struggle.

I have hit a wall in my week. I mean... I cannot focus, I'm sleepy and motivation is a foregin concept right now. So of course I hit up Pinterest.

Here are a few of my most recent pins:

This dress is so hot!

These shoes are really fun and the blue toe nail polish is great too!

Obviously this quote is both fun and true.

The Captain. Legend.

And I absolutely had to throw in some sparkle...this time, pillows.

xoxo Sara Marie

I'm going to get real political here...

Ok folks I have to rant a little bit today.

Up first is this Fast and Furious saga. If you have not heard about this, you probably don't care enough to keep reading so skip to the next topic, but if you have here is my opinion:

I don't see a whole lot wrong with the program itself. It was a covert operation that if executed properly, and covertly, it could have been successful. And by successful I mean we would be catching bad guys not losing our own men and women at the fault of the program.

Two things that I think are terrible and at the heart of the problem: 1. clearly this did not go as planned. And when you have such a high stakes effort to reign in a major international problem like the international cartels between America and Mexico, everything has got to go as planned. And if for some awful reason it does not go as planned, someone must be held responsible.

That is where #2 comes into play. The second thing that is disturbing about this is that the highest ranking official in the Justice Department, the Attorney General should be all over this. To the contrary Attorney General Eric holder has said he “only learned of the program weeks before the hearings to investigate it." Unbelievable. Seriously, it is unbelievable. Not only is he allegedly lying (under oath) I think it might be worse if he is not lying. How could the Attorney General not be aware of such a high risk operation? How does a program like this get off the ground without some serious approval process including his signature?

Either way Holder has got to go. And I realize that the American people, the media, even some of the most educated folks may not know all the details behind this program, what went wrong and what is being done about it. I get that there is classified information that could change the circumstances, but I think based on what we do know Holder either doesn't have a good enough grip on his own responsibilities or he lied under oath. And I'll say it again, either way; it is unacceptable of the Attorney General of the United States.

My next rant of the day will be on Don't Ask, Don't Tell. And I am probably going to really piss some folks off here, but alas, it’s my blog so I get to spew my opinion.

I am not against gay people. One of my very best friends in the universe is gay, and it is neither here nor there. I am not for gay marriage; however I'm not against it either. I make a lot of decisions in my life that other people may not agree with, so I can't judge another for making a decision I might not agree with also.

HOWEVER, with that said I will lay out my opinion of Don't ask, Don't tell. This policy does not keep gay people from serving in the military…and when instituted it was actually thought to protect gays that do serve. If some straight, jerk of a Marine or GI Joe wanted to persecute another comrade because of their sexual orientation, he could not. No one could ever bring up anything where sexual orientation was concerned. No one can ask and no one can tell. It really protects everyone. It removes sexual orientation from the equation whatsoever. How is this policy a bad idea? It is like saying restaurants cannot make black people use one bathroom and white people another. Everyone gets to use the same bathroom... no distinction can be made.

Now that there is no such policy that jerk of a Marine or Naval officer or whoever, will know exactly who is like themselves and who is not where their sexual preference is concerned. And how do you think that is going to pan out? Do you think there will be less of a division between soldiers or more? Yah, more. Do you think those serving who are gay will be more susceptible to persecution or less? I think more.

Again this is my opinion. And again I'm not some person that thinks all gay people are going to hell. Maybe some, ha, but then there are a whole lot of straight people that are probably heading South, and it has nothing to do with who they chose to love.

I think Eric Holder should resign or be removed from office, and I think that Don't Ask, Don't Tell is a solid policy that benefits our soldiers. And that is my political rant for this Wednesday.

xoxo Sara Marie

Iowa, Perry Strike Force

Its official, I'm going... January 1st-4th. Today the high in Sioux City, IA is 20. The low is -6. I was freezing my ass off this morning in 33 degree weather. I am so screwed.

I don't care though. It is going to be so awesome. I did a similar adventure for Giuliani back in '08 in New Hampshire and Florida, and I can't wait to do it again for Governor Perry.

It goes like this... A coworker and I fly out at 645am on the 1st. (Ridiculous I know, but its for the love of the game folks.) Anyway, once in Sioux City (you fly into Omaha, NE and pretty cheap prices from Austin on American Airlines) and once there it will be strictly GOTV and caucus action. We will be phone banking and knocking down doors. On Election Day there are 1800 caucuses in 750 different locations. The Perry Strike Force team will be dispersing to speak on behalf of the Governor at the different sites. Something like 60 or 70% of Iowans decide that night or are at least open to changing their mind the night of the caucuses. That means it is anyone's game. We intend on winning.

And when we do, we will party the night away, hit the road (or air) back to Texas, and keep moving forward to the nomination!

If you want to join the adventure, let me know and I can get you some details.

Happy Tuesday Folks!

xoxo Sara Marie

Boot Camp

Ok if you follow this blog you may recall my attempt to train for a marathon. Fail. It seems that my body was not built for long distance running. In my first half marathon I broke a foot. In the training for the marathon I never ran, I aggravated my sternum. Ok so really that injury came from a flag football collision, but nonetheless I could not continue running miles upon miles while that was healing. Honestly, it still has not healed either. Apparently you are supposed to take off 6 solid weeks. I mean not lifting more than 5lbs for 6 weeks. People, the door to the Capitol, which I go through at the very least twice a day, weighs more than that... not to mention my computer bag that I carry everyday probably weighs more than that too. Whatever.

Anyway, back in November (the week of my birthday) I did a boot camp with a friend. She had a "bring a friend free for a week" pass, so I tried it. It was awesome.

So I signed up for a month, and this week is week 3. We workout 4 days a week at 530am. I know that sounds crazy, but it is perfect with my schedule. I wake up, blow through the hour, and still make it home and to work by 8am.

Now I'd be lying if I say that I am not exhausted by 3pm on Thursday, but it is so worth it. The workouts are fierce. Mondays and Wednesdays focus on arms, and Tuesday and Thursday are heavy on the leg exercises. However each day it a total body workout with lots of cardio mixed in with the specific arm/leg focus of the day.

I think coming from a background of team sports, I do better in group workout atmospheres. I like to have a buddy to push myself, and a coach telling me what to do. That sounds crazy, but generally if I walk into a gym I get a little bit lost in all the hoop-la. I forget to count; I stop when I get bored, etc. In Boot Camp though, there is no stopping. There is no getting bored as everyday is a new workout or new combination of workouts. And finally I have my friend there keeping my mind off the pain and making me laugh through the early morning torture.

So if you have trouble hitting that gym and want to try something different for your New Year's Resolution or something, try out a boot camp.

Austin Synergy is a good place to start too!

Now I better get through my evening and off to bed early. That alarm is going off again tomorrow at 430am so I can get my (group) workout on!

xoxo Sara Marie

Hruska's Bakery: A Gas Station

My boyfriend lives in Houston. I live in Austin. This is not exactly the most ideal situation; however I must say we handle it well. One way we have made the distance thing seem easier is to meet halfway when there are weekends that one of us can't make the trip to the other. Halfway is Ellinger, TX. This cute little town is not exactly a booming metropolis so the choices for dinner or lunch are sparse. And by sparse I mean there are two. One is a pretty decent BBQ place that I'm sure the truckers love because of their $1.99 BBQ sandwich. I've had it once and while it is a great deal, it is not quite up to par with my snobby Salt Lick BBQ pallet.

So the only other choice is Hruska's. And a fabulous choice it is. They just finished a massive remodel that took the little Chevron gas station into a huge pit stop along HWY 71. Inside the sprawling stop are two big counters to order at, one for their famous kolaches and the other for all things from the grill. We usually do just hamburgers, but yesterday we chose a little bit of everything. My boyfriend had some kolaches, and we both got our usual hamburger order.

Let me tell you about these burgers. They are huge...big patties, big buns and lots of fresh veggies. One burger fills me up plenty. We met around noon yesterday, ate about 1230pm or so and I didn't even have dinner last night; that is how filling these things are!

To end the lunch date yesterday we ordered up a cinnamon roll. It was warm and delicious.

All in all, this place is far beyond the gas station exterior. It is a shop, a convenience store and above all else a scrumptious halfway date spot!

xoxo Sara Marie

The CAINwreck.

It's over folks, thank goodness. Herman Cain has officially left the presidential race. Excuse me, he has suspended his bid. Whatever. That phrasing alone continues his ridiculousness... not the good, fun ridiculous either.

Anyway, he is done and riding on a possible endorsement for any hopes to stay relevant. And let's talk about this silly endorsement. We all know Governor Perry will not get it. Cain has made no secret he does not like Governor Perry. I think it is probably that age-old you don't like something because you really are so much like it situation there... minus the whole serial infidelity issue. Seriously though they are both Washington outsiders running unconventional campaigns against the Washington machine. But alas, if the rumors are true Cain will endorse Newt. And why not? Newt is the flavor of the week and the one who through the scandals, Cain can identify with most.

I'm not going to say his endorsement is worthless because he did have some loyal followers, but in less than a week or so it will mean less than his poll numbers are worth.

I'm just glad we won't be hearing about 999 anymore!

xoxo Sara Marie

Sara Marie 1, The Weekend 0.

I really knocked it out this weekend.

Friday I ran to San Antonio and hit up the NCAA Division III soccer championship semi-final game with my sister. Random, I know, but one of my sis's best friends ever was in town watching the tournament because his little brother was playing in the game! Unfortunately they lost, but we had a great time at the game and at dinner with my sis's friend and his family.

I miss the families of the Northeast. I'm not saying that they are better than families down here in the South, but there is a noticeable inclusive-ness that they exude. My friends and teammates back in NYC had families just like this, and while it is hard to explain, it is something that people who know, understand. Southern families are welcoming and nice, but in the Northeast you become a part of the family the second you meet. It's a special feeling and after seeing it firsthand again Friday night with our New Jersey visitors, I realized how much I miss it.

After watching some soccer and eating my weight in Mexican food, Sisterpants and I headed to a country-western bar to celebrate the birthday of her law partner. It was as honky-tonky as you can imagine and a great time. The night ended just after the gals in the group and the birthday boy rocked out the Cupid Shuffle. Pretty happening Friday night.

Saturday is when I really started kicking some ass. Sister and I knocked out 3 Christmas presents before I headed back to Austin. Along my drive home I ran a few errands and even managed to clean out my car and start some laundry before picking up one of my besties for a shopping date. To begin our date, we hit the mall. We had to park in Egypt. Seriously, every single person in the city of Austin must have been at Barton Creek Mall on Saturday afternoon. What happened to waiting until the last minute people? Oh well. We got into the mall, through the Apple store, did a lap through Victoria's Secret and Express and still managed to get out of that place in less than 30 minutes. Impressive.

From there we drove over to the Brodie Shopping area in South Austin. Along the way we decided that not only would my bestie be joining my boyfriend and me on a team for my Mama's annual gingerbread competition at her party this coming weekend, but we also decided on our house theme. I obviously cannot tell what it is, but just know that if pulled off, it will be a slam dunk win. Booyah.

OK after some Bed, Bath, and Beyond action we decided we already needed a break. So that's when we had a drink, about a million carbs in pasta and shared a Tiramisu dessert at Johnny Carinos. It was a pretty epic decision and only fueled us back up for the second half of our shopping date.

A little pick me up! Yummy.  

Because the pasta was not enough calories for a day of Christmas shopping.

After doing the standard swing through Ulta for girlie goodies, we headed for the Dollar store at the recommendation of a friend. We both needed crafty stuff and Christmas stuff like wrapping paper and decorations, and apparently the Dollar store was the place to find all of that. And boy did we. I spent 25 bucks and got two bags full of stuff, 5 rolls of wrapping paper and a box of glassware. My bestie had a similar experience.

We thought we were going to end at Hobby Lobby where they were having a huge sale, but there was nothing left, so we headed to Michael's to end the date. And when we walked out of Michael's I had all but two presents on my list. (And those two are easy and cannot be purchased too far ahead of time, ahem, chocolate)

The ass kicking continued at my condo. It was a wrapping party for one! I got all the presents purchased that day wrapped and under my tree. The only two not wrapped were one that was too big and my boyfriend's that I ended up knocking out Sunday morning. Boom people, I'm done with my elf duties.

I got my wrapping skillz from my mama. Happy Christmas boyfriend!

Sunday was a little slower pace but still productive. I started with some chores, then I ran to Ellinger, TX for lunch with my man. We do this occasionally and yesterday for some reason it was extra fun. We chit-chatted about our week and weekends and enjoyed some really delicious hamburgers. More about that though in another post title "Hrusk'a Bakery: A Gas Station."

Finally yesterday evening I went to Mass at the Cathedral and cleaned out Randall's on Lake Austin Blvd.

And it is a good thing I busied myself with all these things because apparently Tony Romo reverted back to his usual ways, losing in December. Ok, Ok so I heard it wasn't Romo's fault this time, but seriously, that guy vs. December is pathetic. At least the Giants lost too I guess.

So other than the Cowboys downer I pretty much beat this weekend up. I'm looking forward to doing the same to this week. Here's to that.

xoxo Sara Marie

FRIDAY!

OK its Friday folks, we made it. I have several things going on this weekend including Christmas Shopping, hanging with my sister and a "meeting halfway date" with the boyfriend.

As for Christmas shopping, I want it on the record that I will have all of it done by Sunday afternoon. And by "done" I mean bought and wrapped under my cute tree. Booyah.

Its going to be a rainy and cold weekend, and week next week. And that is just how it should be for Christmas shopping right? Whatever, I'm going for the silver lining in shitty weather.

I'll end with a quote, ok two because this is a seemingly worthless post to this point.

"Sometimes have a plan, but sometimes wing it."

This one is kind of stupid but it sums up my life. I generally plan things, but I'm also known for "winging it."

The next one is a Maya Angelou original that everyone has heard, but it is too good to not post for yall again.

"People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel."

Happy Friday!

xoxo Sara Marie

More Top Chef Texas!

I'm not obsessed with this show, I just watched two episodes in one night. Ok so maybe that is a little much, but its good competition and great looking food.
Last night the chefs headed to Dallas!

I really don't like Beverly. She is not very smart and annoying.

Disclaimer: All of these opinions are in the scope of Reality TV, thus they could be far off from actuality.

Edward does this weird thing with his mouth when he talks. I guess his food is good because the judges rave about it, but it doesn't look too fabulous to me.

Ty-Lor is gay?!?! I usually have a pretty good gay-dar for this type of thing, but I just didn't see it in Ty-Lor. He seems more masculine than typical gay guys. (That is not to say all masculine guys are straight, yall know what I mean, stop hating on me.) Anyway, he also cooked for Bill Gates, something else I would not have guessed. He doesn't seem incredibly refined. He is kind of bohemian or eccentric. I really had this guy all wrong, but I like what we are learning about him.

So the chefs head to Dallas and boom a TEXAS STATE TROOPER with a cameo!!!! I loved it!

In the Quick Fire Challenge Edward "pulled his back." In an earlier episode he cut his finger open too. Get it together buddy! And his complaining about the heat and time made me want to kick his butt.

In the Elimination Challenge, Dakota got dessert again and she doesn't generally cook dessert. I feel bad for her, but in the end she rocked it out.

So in the challenge the chefs are cooking for some Highland Park couples and they could not have picked people to make Texas look any more pretentious. It was a little bit awful. Although they are the most judgmental folks around so for the competition sake I guess it was a good decision.

When in San Antonio the show made Texans appear to all be Tejanos, now we are all snotty, rich people. Hopefully when they move to Austin normal people will be on display, but I imagine it will be a lot of hippies.

Back to the challenge round.. Neyesha (whose name I continue to spell wrong, I'm sure) is really growing on me. She is so calm and cool.

And while ugly Chris is really creative I can see that side of him being his fault ultimately too. And it is tonight in the end. Luckily he does not go home.

Tom is starting to piss me off a little. He has the disposition of pure annoyance. It is as though just being in Texas is beneath him. He laughs at all things Texas in a snarky, condescending way. I really like Tom and his cooking, but if he stays on the track I'm going to start changing that opinion.

Where is Emeril by the way? He wasn't on either episode I watched last night.

Heather is good. Her food looks good and the judges seem to enjoy most of it. However, Heather sweats a lot... a lot a lot. Gross.

Hot Chris's cupcake looked awesome but apparently tasted awful. Tom's comment was "If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all right? I'll keep quiet." Something like that. Ouch.

So the winners were Paul, Dakota, Grayson and Sarah. 3 of my favorites are in there (not Sarah) so that made me happy. And Paul won! Yah Texas boy!

In the end hot and ugly Chris and Chuy were in the bottom and Chuy went home. Good, he was getting annoying fast.

Next week looks crazy when they go cook at Southfork Ranch!

Happy Thursday everyone!

xoxo Sara Marie