Super Bowl XLV! part 3

It's 9 days till Super Bowl XLV. I'm thinking exactly the same thoughts I was thinking just days before Arizona hosted the Super Bowl 3 years ago. Which is....I'm happy for the Super Bowl to be in the city I live in. I'll be excited to watch the game and the commercials. But boy will I be ready for it to be over!

When you live in a city that hosts a Super Bowl there's extra cars on the road from those fans getting into town. And those fans typically don't know where they are going. There's extra police out and about. There's extra security. I went to the mall last week and I instantly noticed a difference. Similar to the difference I noticed in AZ at Scottsdale Fashion Square. So if I've noticed a difference last week I'm wondering what it will be like after the teams arrive and Super Bowl week truly gets under way which is tomorrow. With one of the teams staying in the area I'm hoping I'm not out and about when the team transport procession is going on. That will be one long procession of buses and police. I've been stuck in those long delays before back in AZ. Either for the ASU Football team, a visiting Fiesta Bowl team, or even the AZ Cardinals back when they played at Sun Devil Stadium.

This is kind of funny, I said to my boyfriend the other day that people out in stores and around seem grouchy. There just seemed to be grouchiness all around the other day when I was out. After I got done telling him this he simply stated, "It's because the Steelers are coming to town." Ha! Ha! I busted out laughing at that one.

Continuing with the anti-Steelers sentiment. I've seen many banners and marquees around welcoming the Packers and their fans to big D. I have yet to see one tiny sign welcoming Steelers or their fans.

I must say the stores sure have decorated things for the big game. When you walk down store aisles you might be walking on replica field turf or some sort of Super Bowl something. Archways and goalposts are at entrances or are marking special Super Bowl snack aisles. And Peyton Manning cutouts will greet you as you go down the soda aisle.

Arctic Blast #2!

We have some of the most beautiful weather one can imagine at the end of January. During this weekend I thought to myself a few times that Super Bowl organizers likely wish the Super Bowl would've been played this weekend instead of next. Can the city of Dallas get lucky 2 weekends in a row with great weather? We shall see!

The week ahead forecast is supposed to be a blustery cold one. With snow coming in on Tuesday. Snow that has a chance to stick around since Wednesday's high is supposed to only be in the mid-20s. Cody is tickled pink that arctic blast #2 is on it's way! He actually asked me to go buy him a parka. Oh wait maybe that was the barely-there-non-fury Simon that wanted the parka and Cody was hoping for a ticket to the South of Florida. LOL! The arctic blast will likely be over by the time Super Bowl Sunday gets here. These arctic blasts tend to last for about 4 days then it goes back to normal winter temps and Cody thaws!

I've been here long enough that I now notice the pattern of the weather. Whenever an arctic blast is coming we experience a few days that are slightly warmer then it should be for this time of year. We then experience the "winds are changing" day(that's how I refer to it). A day that's breezy with a bit of a chill to the breeze. The type of chill in the breeze that is tolerable not the type that makes you shiver once you step out in it. That slight chill in the breeze seems to be an indicator that a change is coming our way. The day that follows the "winds are changing" day is a day that features rapidly dropping temps throughout the day. Today in big D we are having a "winds are changing" type of day.

Lets see...last time we had an arctic blast I made beef stew. This time around I'm thinking chili! A nice homemade Texas chili, served with some cornbread and honey. Oh can you believe Texans don't put honey on their cornbread? My boyfriend looked at me slightly funny when I started dousing my cornbread with honey the first time we had cornbread together.

A Surprise Party and an All Important Pepper!

What a busy week this past week was for me and my boyfriend! I helped him plan and host a surprise birthday party for his mom. I spent many moments throughout the week looking at recipes, searching for recipes, and studying recipes.

I studied so many recipes that they all started to run together in my head! Here's an example of the recipes running together. I made a few different lists during the course of the week of things that needed to be purchased. I however, did wind up at the store once without the list I had made. Well, no biggie I have a decent memory when it comes to ingredient purchasing. So I just did the best I could and went in to do some of the shopping without a list. I remembered a certain kind of pepper that I needed for a dish I was making. There's many types of peppers out there if one goes and looks through the produce section. Fortunately, I was able to remember the specific name of the pepper I needed. I was so proud of myself! I even remembered I needed only 1. Over the years I've learned that when making a new recipe and shopping for the ingredients for the new recipe make sure you include the quantity on your shopping list. Otherwise you're standing in the middle of the grocery aisle in front of whatever ingredient dumbfounded because you aren't sure if you need 1 can or 2 cans.

After all dishes were made and the night had come to an end I looked over at the specially purchased pepper still sitting on the counter. What? Did I forget to put it in? Which dish was it supposed to go in? Did anything taste funny because it was lacking this all important pepper? Those were just some of the questions that rolled through my mind. By the time this afternoon rolled around I realized that pepper was for a different recipe that I chose not to use. That's just how many recipes I read through...I ended up purchasing a pepper that wasn't for any of the recipes I actually made. LOL!

I am happy to report that the surprise party went very well. My boyfriend's mom was very surprised! I know she will remember that party forever! We helped her make wonderfully fond memories last night. Truly special! A great time was had by all! Completely worth all our efforts!

Super Bowl XLV! part 2

And the Super Bowl match up is set: Packers versus Steelers! It's going to be a very yellow Super Bowl! Cheeseheads and terrible towels galore! Oh my!

Safe to say I'm for the Packers. There is absolutely no way I will root for the Steelers. The city of Dallas isn't all that happy to have the Steelers come either. Why doesn't Dallas like the Steelers you ask? Well it's simple...up until last night the Dallas Cowboys held the record for the most Super Bowl appearances by any NFL team. After the Steelers victory last night the Cowboys and Steelers are now tied with a record 8 trips to the Super Bowl. That's enough to make any Cowboys fan root against them. And the Steelers beating my Cardinals is once again enough reason for me to continue rooting against them. Yuk! Oh how I'm not looking forward to seeing a bunch of terrible towels waving at Cowboys Stadium!

Who's Coming to Big D? part 2

The match-ups are set. By Sunday night we will know who is coming to Big D for the Super Bowl. The Packers are still in it. As I predicted them to have a long playoff run. On the NFC side I really don't care which team comes. Although there's someone very famous that I'm no fan of, this famous person will most certainly be for the Bears. That famous person's Chicago loyalty could annoy me if the Bears end up being the team headed to Big D. LOL! Otherwise I'm good with either team. The AFC side is a mess in my opinion! Not fond of either team. As I've stated before, Pennsylvania doesn't get any love from me! I've vowed to remain bitter about them beating my Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII for many more years! Thank you very much! When I think about who's left among AFC teams I just get irritated that a decent team like the Colts isn't still around. Grrr!!!

So at this point I'm nearly certain my preference for the Super Bowl winner will be whichever team represents the NFC.

Super Bowl XLV! part 1

Well Super Bowl XLV is fast approaching. It will be here before we know it. Only 2 weeks away. Isn't that a strange thought...the month of February is less than 2 weeks away. January has gone fast so far!

Around town the Super Bowl XLV banners have gone up. On one road I drove down yesterday the banners were hanging on every other light pole. Very festive!

In other Super Bowl related news Cowboys Stadium(meaning Jerry Jones) and the NFL have decided to sell tickets to an outside area where large video screens will be set up for people to view the game while being just outside the big game. For those that don't know what the surrounding area of Cowboys Stadium looks like it has lots of grassy fields nearby. It has a bit of a neighborhood park feel to it when you drive through the stadium areas. Now I think this outside venue next to Cowboys Stadium is silly, just my opinion. I would rather be at home watching, not have to pay their sky high food prices or resort to using a port-a-pottie. Safe to say I will not be one of the knuckleheads that will be falling for this ploy to watch the game outside Cowboys Stadium. Whether or not this outside venue is successful is going to depend on the weather. Jerry Jones and the NFL may get lucky, a 56 degree day could come our way on Super Bowl Sunday. On the other hand I can't imagine people paying to sit outside if the temp is a mere 30 degrees like it is this very moment I'm typing this.

Head Tilting for Dallas!

It's been awhile since I made my last post. Obviously! Cody is extremely happy the arctic blast is done. We have our normal winter temps back instead of the freezing temps we were experiencing. It's pretty nice. Cold yes, but pretty nice overall. We had lots of fog this past weekend which was interesting to deal with.

Recently one day after doing some quick math in my head I realized I have now lived in Dallas longer than I lived in Seattle. That is noteworthy in my opinion. I told the boys this noteworthy fact, they didn't much care. They seem to both still recognize the word "Seattle". However not with too much interest in their eyes. They recognize it but if you want them to tilt their heads to one side and act truly into what you are saying the word "Dallas" gets that accomplished. A tilt for Seattle doesn't happen anymore! LOL!

Nowadays, for the maximum head tilt you must say "Dallas". Lol! What can I say?.....the boys are smart, they know where they live!

Arctic Blast! part 2

Boy is it cold! The arctic blast has arrived! By noon it had only "warmed up" to 26 degrees. It snowed yesterday. It was a very fast falling snow too. We kept commenting how fast it was coming down. Not that my car was clean before the snowstorm but it definitely isn't clean now. While I was out and about earlier it started snowing again just briefly though.

How is Cody dealing with the arctic blast? When we were out for a short walk today it was only a few minutes until Cody was done being outdoors, he began pulling both Simon and I in the direction to get back indoors. He's also somewhat picky on where he places each foot! That's funny to watch! It appears he's figured out which surfaces are colder than other surfaces so he's careful where his feet go.

And Simon? Little Simon has a special "cold stance". He gets low on his hind quarters but doesn't sit all the way down and all muscles in his legs quiver from the cold. The stance is kind of cute but seeing him shake is pitiful. I guess he assumes crouching low helps him stay warmer. With his barely there fur coat he's not a huge fan of 26 degrees either.

I don't mind the cold temps. It gives me an extra reason to use the fireplace and make special cold weather meals. My new Dallas appropriate coat has surely helped me deal with the cold this season.

Arctic Blast!

We are currently enjoying a lovely day. It's been pretty nice lately weather-wise. However an arctic blast is coming our way. A 30 degree drop in temperatures is supposed to occur tomorrow. Yikes! We have a chance for snow tomorrow and it will be very cold for the next week. Cody was delighted by this weather bulletin. Just kidding! He is likely wishing he was the type of animal that hibernates for winter. Wake him when it's spring! Just in time for Sime's bday! LOL!!!

I am excited at the possibilities of snow. I've been hoping for snow for awhile now. It may be too cold to go out for walks in the next few days though. Last year when it snowed the boys didn't seem to miss their walks. Their preference was to stay in where its warm to snuggle up by the fireplace or space heater. They'll be doing that a lot in the coming days!

NFL Playoff Race! Who's Coming to Big D? part 1

The local news of the day is that the Cowboys have hired Jason Garrett as their new head coach. So he's no longer just the interim. No surprise there!

This weekend is the start of the NFL playoffs! Who's coming to Dallas in February? The playoff teams of the AFC are: Colts, Jets, Ravens, Chiefs, Patriots, and the Steelers. For the NFC the teams are: Bears, Eagles, Packers, Falcons, Saints, and the Seahawks.

Well I certainly don't want to see the Steelers. Yes, I'm still holding a grudge for when they beat my Cardinals in the Super Bowl. They don't need to win another one this soon. And I live in Dallas now so that means I had to adopt an 'I don't like anything about Philly' mindset. So no Eagles in big D come February 6th and all other days of the year too! Yep, no love for the state of Pennsylvania in this post!

I don't care for the Patriots either. They've won enough bowls in recent history. However, I would rather see them here than the Steelers. I'm not completely fond of the Jets. Their coach is Buddy Ryan's son, all Zonies(former and current) remember the ridiculous "Buddy Ball" term. And the Jets quarterback went to USC. Yuk!!!!!

Of the teams I'm okay with I haven't yet decided whom I will root for the most. I suppose it will change with each game and each round. Oh wait the COLTS. I must root for the Colts in any and all games/rounds of the playoffs(wink, wink). I better say that or else I will be getting a flustered phone call from my mom. LOL!!!! I will add that I had a feeling the Packers would make it to the Super Bowl when the season first started so lets see if that is possible.

In virtually all playoff scenarios that I run through my head I don't see both the Steelers and the Patriots losing. I have a feeling one of those teams will be here in February. As I watch I still will be hoping for "certain" teams to face an early exit. If all 4 of my most disliked teams go out I will be doing my version of a touchdown dance!

p.s. since the Super Bowl is here in Dallas and since I love football get ready for quite a bit of football talk in these blogs for the next month.

Rose Bowl Victory for TCU!

Here in the Dallas area we were hopefully that TCU would make a better showing in their bowl game this year than they did last year. Boy did they! Yay! TCU is the new Rose Bowl champs! Knocking off Wisconsin in somewhat convincing fashion too.

I loved the little horned frog that had a rose in it's mouth on their helmets. Definitely a clever addition for the game! Good Job Frogs!

Happy New Year!

My first post of the new year...Just minutes into the new year I learned something I didn't know about Simon. He likes champagne! He's a near nut when given just the slightest taste of bubbly!

At the stroke of midnight all pets in the house were given a smidgen of milk to celebrate the new year while the adults celebrated with champagne. Well little Simon was rather curious about the bubbly. The question, "What is in the bottles that have those loud popping corks?" was clearly rolling through his mind. I'm not sure what possessed me to do it but I reached down to his bowl and poured a little bit of my champagne in his bowl. He lapped it up as if it was the best thing he had ever tasted in his nearly 9 years of life. He then began to stalk all glasses of champagne. He was a dog on a mission for more champagne! He stared with big bright eyes directly at each champagne glass. He moved his eyes when the glass moved. He did a little anticipation dance in hopes of getting more. He literally couldn't sit still, moving from side to side and foot to foot. I've honestly never witnessed Simon act that way. He was a crack up! We couldn't stop laughing at him. Cody could careless. He drank his small amount of milk and returned to his bed while Simon resorted to a new 2011 anticipation dance for more champagne. I enjoy champagne too much to have given him any more of mine....sorry Sime! LOL!!!

We had a lovely New Year's Eve. We had a small gathering at my boyfriends house. I fixed fajitas and a 7 layer dip along with some queso(my boyfriend's fave). We watched a movie and played some games. I also now know that Dallas shoots off fireworks at midnight. I'm not sure why but the Rockin' Eve from NY with Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest was shown live as the east coast was receiving the live feed, so an hour early for us. When midnight rolled around for TX they switched us to local programming where we watched the downtown Dallas fireworks go off at the stroke of midnight. No big deal to us, we enjoyed seeing some of the local program and at least I now know that Dallas shoots off fireworks for the New Year. A good time was had by all! Happy 2011!