Way down upon the Swanee River...

Gosh, I just can't get this darn song out of my head! ACK!

Lisa getting her work-out on...


Steven on Thunderbolt...


A little found civilization from yesterday... *sigh*


A little tired but still hangin' tough...

Jasper, Florida

I'm in Florida with Lisa; most of you know that. Here are some pics from the Swanee River. Sadly, I forgot my good camera so these are taken with the cell

What a cutie (she's 3)!


This one's cute too!

...Christmas 2008...

Best Christmas song EVAH! Thanks Magen for finding this jewel!

...Birthday, No Blues...

Turkey Sausage $2.00
Biscuits $1.59
Homemade Gravy $0

Friends that bring love, laughter, frittata and mimosas for a Sunday morning brunch on your birthday... PRICELESS.

Lots of hugs and love to Amanda, Ted, Lisa and Tiste! Not to mention Mom and Dad; without you this wouldn't have been possible. ;)

PS. Thanks Mom for my phone call; it was neat having the lyrics spoken to me like slam poetry! I LOVE YOU XOXO

...Baptiste, then and now...

Speaking of found pictures...

One day in 1996 I went to Stone Park in Ghent with two friends to work on a project. Tim was helping me by allowing me to photograph him for my class but Baptiste hated having his picture taken... However, we were joking around and I caught this image with Christ & St. Luke's Church in the background. Gosh, we were so young back then!

THEN (1996)



















My chimera, my protector, my Baptiste.


Last year for our first Christmas together, he asked what I wanted for Christmas. I'm a simple girl so I asked for a picture of him to put on my desk at work. He and our friend, Catie, went and took pictures around Norfolk. He made sure to have some of them taken in front of Christ & St. Luke's Church. I was surprised he remembered. I hadn't even mentioned it!

NOW (2007)

...My Mom & Dad...

My parents eloped in 1972. I don't know the full story and I probably never will. I do know that no pictures exist, they were wearing bell bottoms and they had pizza after. I have no clue what started the exchange that led to them driving from Norfolk, VA to Elizabeth City, NC to get married. However you look at it; it's 2008 and they're still married!

This picture is from their 25th wedding anniversary. Mom lost her copy of it in the fire. Luckily, I have a scanner at work and I found my copy!

Cheers Mom and Dad; this picture's for you.

XOXOXO... Your favorite (oh, yeah - only) daughter,
Ajay ;p

...Extra Fortune...

Only you can decide what is important to you.
Lucky Numbers 30, 33, 37, 39, 40, 45

...Grma's House...

I spent my lifetime growing up with this house; Grma's house. Playing hide and go seek, trying to avoid the trolls in the basement, watching out for my grandfather and even the privilege of living with my Grma (aka Anna Sr/Queen Mum) for a year during my final year of HS. If these walls could talk...

Thanks Mom for posting the picture on your blog so I could gank it!

Fortune 12.16.08

Never forget a friend, especially if he owes you. Lucky Numbers 4, 5, 9, 15, 28, 29

Bento 12.15.08

...rawr...

This *is* mah happy face.

Saturday 12.13.08

My friend Lisa and I had grand plans of a day of Art and Leisure. Sadly, I got a call from my mom to let me know that Grma Anna was in the hospital. Lisa is a great friend; we decided to visit one gallery where a high school friend of mine had a show and we enjoyed some amazing art before heading over to the hospital. We spent some time chatting with Grma before she sent me off with marching orders. Lisa and I picked up everything she needed bananas, books, oranges before heading over to the house to look for a radio and the cell phone charger. It was really great to have a friend with me to help me focus on just getting things done and we swiftly procured everything into one spot (sans the charger which is nowhere to be found) and got it together for my cousins to take over to the hospital later that evening.

I'm heading over to the hospital again today, I think I'll take a deck of cards also... Or, maybe Uno. Something to keep Grma entertained. Mom's coming up today and will be here for a few days. I think it's a good plan. While I'm sure Grma would be happier that we didn't "make a big deal" out of it... She's her daughter and has every right to come. That's my 2 cents on it anyway.

Lisa told me later that evening that my Grma was awesome and I agree. She's a good catch. I feel fortunate to have lived with her for a year and formed my own relationship with her.

I'm off to see her again today and I'm taking one of my birthday ballons; a unicorn! I know she'll just "love it"! *snicker*

Bento 12.12.08

Leftovers from last night, YUM!

...Happiness Is...

Friends!

Last night was the birthday dinner that Lisa and Amanda arranged for me, and it was fabulous! We went to Momo's Sushi and Noodle Shop. It just so happens to be my new favorite sushi place! ;p

I missed Jesse, Don, Magen and a few other peeps but overall it was great for everyone to come out. I really enjoyed sitting with everyone for a minute to give them their handpicked gifts. I keep telling people; it's a tradition in my family to give people gifts on your birthday and they always look at me funny!

I was especially please giving my girls their gifts. Amanda was stoked to get another great multi-tasker for the kitchen while Catie and Lisa immediately put their pendants on their necklaces (I think Lisa almost cried). The boys weren't as animated but I know heard that they both liked their gifts.

I got some awesome gifts as well. Tiste got me games I wanted for the PS2, a digital picture keychain from Rain and Joe, Amanda got me a *lovely* wallet and Lisa made me a beautiful necklace! Catie got me a card and told me that my present wasn't ready yet - I'll be interested to see what's coming!

*SOMEONE* forgot the camera so below are a few off of my cell phone. Don't worry, she'll be punished later!

The MoMo Special (My Dinner/Leftovers!)


















Tiste's Dinner (The one in the middle ended up having crab in it so I had to eat it for lunch today... Darn the bad luck!)


















Big Mike, Catiesocks and Special Ted


















Me & Tiste (he's tryin' to look cool)


















The most divine cupcakes I've ever had (Chocolate & Basil)!


















Thanks Amanda and Lisa; y'all gals rock!

Bento 12.10.09

Tomato soup, meatballs, 1 tortilla, two pieces of cheese and two decadent one bite desserts from my freezer. Mmmm...

Hey Cupcake!

Lisa and Amanda got together last night to bake cupcakes for my birthday dinner tomorrow. I totally crashed their evening and had to sit on my hands so as not to get involved in the process (as I was forbidden to help). We enjoyed many laughs and some great red wines! :)

And, Let me just tell you... This cupcake (without frosting); it's heaven.

Flourless Chocolate-Basil Cupcake
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
4 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 packed cup fresh basil (leaves only)
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, and center a rack in your oven. Line a regular muffin tin (12 muffins) with cupcake liners. Melt the butter and the chocolate in a small saucepan over very low heat, stirring constantly. Remove as soon as mixture is smooth. Pour into large mixing bowl. Stir in vanilla and salt to combine.

Make a basil-sugar: pulse sugar and basil together in a food processor until the basil is very finely chopped and uniformly green in color.

Add basil-sugar to chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Whisk in eggs one at a time. Sift cocoa powder over mixture and combine completely (mix on low speed). Pour into prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes or until tops are just a little cracked. Let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer onto cooling rack.

Promises, Promises

I didn't blog about it on Saturday because Tiste wanted me to wait and tell the parents at Christmas. But, I couldn't hold it in and I called my parents last night.

Tiste, my beloved, and I have been dating for *almost* two years. We've been living together for just over a year. Since the divorce I haven't been keen on getting married again and Tiste is from a divorced family; marriage isn't a bad word in our house but not necessary to define our commitment to our relationship. We talked briefly around Thanksgiving about something to symbolize our relationship. Rings? Pendents? We couldn't decide... at least I thought.

While I was getting my hair cut on Saturday he wandered over to Kay Jewelers and purchased my Christmas gift. A Promise ring, and it's beautiful. I was completely surprised and giggly about it! I'm such a girl sometimes.

When I told my mom about it she asked me what the promise was; did it mean he promised to do the dishes? *LOL*

Well, Tiste and I have joked since we started dating that I only claim him on Thursdays, Sundays and every other Monday. He claims me on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and every other Saturday. Last night we were joking around about it again and he said, "You know when you get your ring back from being sized, you're going to have to claim me every day". I smiled at him and said, "Gladly".

Who needs paper?

Holiday Cheer!

This pic was sent to my phone from my friend Patty; probably taken in the storage room at her work. She's trying hard to be chipper for the holidays! It's hard when her BF is getting sent out to sea in the next week.

Bento 12.09.08

This was a yummy bento but 4 meatballs was too much so I only had two for lunch and I'll have the others sometime this afternoon. The veggies are peas and cauliflower. The peas have a little bit of butter and garlic powder. The cauliflower had a little bit of butter and curry powder. The sweets are yogurt covered pretzels shaped like Christmas trees! :)

Cut the bad out!

I'm excited about my hair. I know, it's trivial but it's what I have to talk about at the moment. If I lived closer then we'd probably be having a conversation about this... So, anyway... I'm excited about my hair.

Over the last year I have REALLY hated my hair off and on. Essence is fixing it for me and I love her for it! She's fixing the layers and keeping the length. All the while she's blending the crown and the cowlicks with everything else.

I can't wait to get my hair cut again in January!

ALH luvs ELG

You know, sometimes you get up and you think it's just going to be an ordinary day. Yesterday was not that day!

I went to the mail to get my hair did; I know it doesn't look it but I am thrilled with the cut!


It was a good day.

Happy Birthday Rich

Friday was my friend Rich's 40th birthday. We celebrated like teenagers with Rock Band, board games and cake!

The Birthday Boy (who really didn't want his picture taken)


Lisa and Ted (Rock-Band-Aholics)


Bea (Rich's wife) and Maria

Bento 12.05.08

...grrrr...

My artistic director just introduced me to a potential artist. She came into my office and said, 'Oh - you're so organized... You must not be artistic"! I hope that my overwhelming urge to jump over my nicely organized desk didn't show on my face... *Sigh*

...devine dishes...

Speaking of dinner with Lisa and Ted; I was in charge of dessert. I decided since we were going with a South American theme (of super awesome food) that I would get something super yum and simple ('cause I'm a simple girl). I stopped and picked up Abuelita, Authentic Mexican Chocolate Drink and Dulce de Leche waffer cookies.





It was perfect! Not too heavy; just a simple sweet. I had forgotten that Mom used to make Abuelita when Joel and I were kids. Atleast, I think this is what she used... the taste was familiar and warm (like a good hug!). I made it with skim milk, didn't add any sugar and we split 4 servings amongst the 5 of us - Nathan, Lisa's nephew, seemed to really like it.

We also had a few tasting chocolates which were an absolute treat. Ted and I shared small squares of Chocolate & Cardamon, Chocolate & Cumin, Chocolate & Anise and Chocolate & Orange.

I decided that I loved the Chocolate & Cardamon the best!!

Bento 12.03.08

T and I had dinner and dessert with the Foye's last night; they're such a great duo! Lisa sent us home with leftovers for bento lunches. Lunch should always be this fulfilling!





















Lime Cilantro Chicken, Black Bean and Mandarin Orange Salsa and Jasmine Rice with mango; YUM!

Amanda made something very similar, which I've featured below!





















Lentils & Salsa, Swordfish and Veggies

Bento 12.02.08

Bento with late afternoon snacks and drinks.

It has been decided that two roll-ups are just too much food. So, I only made one and included cheese on it.

...sand-which-es...

The title is a link to a page of sandwich recipes. For example they have ideas like the following...

Open Face Portobello Sandwiches
1 medium tomato, chopped
2 teaspoons snipped fresh basil, thyme and/or oregano
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 medium portobello mushrooms, about 4 inches in diameter
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 of a 12 inch Italian flat bread (focaccia), quartered or 1/2 of a 12 inch thin crust Italian bread shell (Boboli)
finely shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

In a small mixing bowl combine tomato, basil and salt; set aside. Clean mushrooms; cut off stems even with caps. Discard stems. Combine vinegar and oil; gently brush over the mushrooms. Place mushrooms on the unheated rack of the broiler pan. Broil mushrooms 4 to 5 inches from the heat for 6 to 8 minutes or just until tender, turning once.* Drain mushrooms on paper towels. Thinly slice mushrooms. Place bread on a baking sheet. Place under broiler for 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through. To serve, top bread with mushroom slices and tomato mixture. If desired, top with Parmesan cheese.

*Note: If desired, grill mushrooms on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes or just until tender, turning once.



Which sounds yummy! And, then there's others like... Well, here's one that I know my resident bacon lover will appreciate! *L*


Peanut Butter, Apple and Bacon Sandwiches

1/2 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
4 large slices whole wheat bread, toasted lightly
8 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and drained on paper towels
1 small crisp apple, cored and sliced thin
1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts

Spread peanut butter evenly on bread slices. Layer bacon, apple slices, and sprouts on 2 bread slices and top with remaining bread slices. Makes 2.

Bento 12.01.08

Bento and late afternoon snacks for the day.

...it's a little disturbing...

When some guy trots into your office then goes poking around in your ceiling!



It was an odd day...

...shopping for the man...

Well, shopping for Tiste last year was EASY. I knew he wanted an MP3 player as his CD player was dieing and, well, it's sooo 1999. *LOL*

This year has been different. I've had no clue what to get him - especially since we're staying ON BUDGET this year. I've gone back and forth on some ideas. Sadly, what I want to get him is over our designated $75-$100 budget. I wanted to get him a Nintendo DS, but if I got him that it would be 1) over budget, 2) leave no money to buy him games and 3) I don't want him to feel bad because he knows I want one too and I know he wouldn't be able to get me one.

I settled on finding a sake set made by one of the potters in Seagrove. Sadly, it was more expensive than I wanted to spend so I had to leave it where I found it. However, we stopped by two more potteries and Tom Gray happened to have some great drinking cups. I was contemplating the cups when my mom said that if I didn't get them for Tiste, she would. I know it's easier for me to come up with another idea than Mom so I let her go for it. He'll love it and I know she'll be glad to be able to mark someone off her list.

I did some online shopping today; I couldn't decide on this or that. I went back and forth but I finally settled on some things that will come in handy, he'll really appreciate AND I stayed within budget! This year we're doing Christmas in Raleigh with my brother and future sister-in-law and I'm darn excited about missing the hectic chaotic mess at Grandma's house! There he'll be opening...

Robot Chicken, Season 1 (Uncensored)
Futurama Coasters (Collectors Set & Tin)
Black Satin Sheets (He's been wanting them for ages now & I found them for under $20!)
2 Case Logic CD Binders (Because he has a mac-ton of music!)
Anvil's Black Expandable Attache (His current one is falling apart.)
Black Silicone Carrying Case (For the MP3 player he got last year.)
A Car and A/C charger (For the MP3 player he got last year.)

I'm totally stoked and proud of myself for getting that done! Not to mention that I got holiday shopping for friends done this past weekend as well. Now, I need to focus on Mom, Dad, Joel and Katie. I would say what I plan to get the 'rents but they read my blog! Joel & Katie might just get Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift cards or cash.

...geisha...

These pictures are for Lisa to browse; she's working out some decorating for rooms in her house! I saw these ladies over the weekend while in Seagrove visiting the 'rents. Oh, and BTW - Mom says that you, Amanda and I need to come down one weekend!









This bowl is larger than it appears; it's actually hanging on the wall.