Tag Archives: dog

Gatsby, Summer Brews, and an Unplanned DNS

Posted by Melissa on May 20, 2013 1 comment

My first DNS. Not even mad about it.

By the time I headed home from work on Friday, I knew the weekend was going to be shot. Our annual client conference was last week and after three non-stop days, my whole body was tired and my brain was fried. I managed to get laundry done as soon as I walked in the door Friday night but after that? I spent a sweet 24 hours alternating between the bed and the couch.

At the beginning of the week I realized that there might be a chance I’d need to miss this year’s Spartan Race in Burnet. Neither of us were too upset about it considering Brad’s back has been on the verge of going out lately and my work schedule was going to slip me into a state of exhaustion that would make climbing 10-foot walls and carrying cinderblocks incredibly difficult. When I woke up Saturday morning and could barely get out of bed, I knew skipping the race was the best decision we could have made.

Gatsby and the Growler

I wasn’t exaggerating at all when I said I spent 24 hours in the horizontal position. Stupid me in my “mid-conference-the-weekend-is-almost-here” haze bought us tickets to the 10pm showing of the Great Gatsby on Saturday night. Brilliant, Melissa. Just brilliant. I finally peeled myself off the couch at 4pm to shower, only to get into bed afterwards until 8:15. And THEN I got ready to go out.

As usual, we went to the Alamo Drafthouse for the movie. It makes no sense for us to go to the movies if the theater doesn’t offer beer and fried pickles. What? You don’t bring a beer growler to the movie theater with you? You’re missing out. And doing it wrong.

From what I heard, the Great Gatsby received mixed reviews. We’ve been waiting for the damn thing to come out since last summer so we were going to see it regardless. The verdict? It was really good! I will say this: if you thought the movie itself was going to be as fast paced as the trailers they released, then it’s understandable why you were disappointed. As much as it pains me to say this, Leonardo DiCaprio (NOT his biggest fan) did a great job as J.Gatsby. Some people complained there was too much partying and too much boozing. I think it portrayed the 20s pretty accurately. Bottom line: don’t always trust the critics!

Sunday and Summer Brews

9am came awfully fast on Sunday and the only thing that got me out of bed was the beeping sound coming from the coffeemaker when it was done brewing. It took half a pot of coffee and three hours for me to finally get a grocery list together. Then I remembered we actually needed to leave the house in order to get the grocery shopping done. Super depressing realization.

Thirty minutes and $125 later, we emerged from HEB unscatched, despite the post-church crowd that nearly ran both of us over with their carts multiple times. Something very exciting came out of the trip:

Ah yes, it’s that time of year again. No, not variety pack season. That happens EVERY season, especially in our house. But it’s time for the Sam Adams Summer Variety Pack! I only had a couple and will say that Blueberry Hill wasn’t my favorite (too fruity) but so far so good on the rest.

Spoiling the Dog

While I savored the last few hours of one of the laziest weekends ever, I decided to make Bo some dog treats from scratch. On Friday night’s episode of Shark Tank there was an 11-year old boy who started a company that made all-natural dog treats. Surely if HE could do it, then I could do it too. (Make the treats, not start a company. Let’s not get crazy.)

Brad searched the internet for common ingredients while I covered the kitchen in flour and cinnamon. Why are those two so messy?! Anyway, I used an (unmeasured) mix of whole wheat flour, eggs, cinnamon, salt, pumpkin, and peanut butter for the treats, and then baked in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

They tasted pretty plain to me, but Bo LOVED them. He proceeded to lick the floor for 10 minutes afterwards to make sure he cleaned up all the crumbs. Think we can call that a success, yes?

Overall

As I mentioned above, this weekend might go down in history as one of the laziest ever: skipped a race, slept all day, saw a movie, and had a few beers. My body is still convinced it needs another day of recovery to make up for the lost sleep last week.

Or maybe it’s just Monday.

Bo Loves CHO

Posted by Melissa on January 2, 2013 3 comments

A few weeks ago at the dog park a gentleman we were talking to mentioned he gave his dog a couple tablespoons of Greek yogurt a few times a week. There’s a lake at the park where our dogs swim and while it does have a filtration system, it probably doesn’t keep the water 100% clean. Probiotics in the yogurt help battle bad bacteria and also aids in digestion. After a bit of research, it turns out feeding your dog Greek yogurt is safe (as long as they are not lactose intolerant) so we decided to give it a shot with Bo.

The verdict? He LOVES it! When I pull his container (yes, we buy him his own container – SO spoiled) out of the fridge, he sits patiently near the kitchen while I top his food with a couple spoonfuls of Chobani.

Finally coming up for air … annnnd it’s GONE.

Bo loves his CHO.

Nothing but Good.

LDW Wrap-up & September Changes

Posted by Melissa on September 4, 2012 23 comments

I’d be hard pressed to think of a long weekend that was more relaxing than this one. It consisted of a ton of cooking, three coffee-fueled trips to the dog park, adult beverages, and sleeping in. Sounds terrible, right?

Here’s an Instagram tour of the weekend:

The final meal of the weekend was inspired by a recipe from The Wannabe Foodie: Butternut Squash Mac n Cheese. Because I have a realllyyyy hard time following directions, I revamped the recipe as follows:

1 container DePasquales fresh pasta (or 1 box gemelli) 1 box Ancient Harvest Quinoa Veggie Curls
1 cup butternut squash puree pumpkin puree
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons fat free half and half
1/4 cup chicken broth vegetable broth
1 heaping tablespoon 1/3 fat cream cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese smoked gouda
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup onions, sliced thinly leeks, thinly sliced
1 glove garlic, sliced thinly or grated
1 large crispy apple, grated
4 tablespoons crumbled bacon
1 teaspoon dried sage fresh basil
freshly grated Fontina for garnish

Did you think I was exaggerating when I said “revamped”?

I knew I’d end up omitting the bacon so I wanted to add something to enhance the flavor of the dish a little. The smoked gouda was perfect for that. I think it would definitely be better with bacon BUT if you’re a vegetarian, this recipe is still a homerun. Make it. You won’t regret it. I’ll be happily eating leftovers all week.

So back to that whole vegetarian thing. Yesterday I mentioned we were embarking on a meat-free journey for the month of September. I’m trying to broaden our horizons when it comes to meals so this will force me to try a few new (to me) things, like spaghetti squash. Cooking is something I’m really passionate about and I think this month will really push me outside my comfort zone and get a little creative.

I used to be a vegetarian so this isn’t a “see if I can last a month without bacon” challenge. I know I can do it, and physically (and mentally) feel better when following a plant-based diet. I’d like to get back to that point. Brad is joining me for the month, but may not stick to it 100%. If he wants meat, he says he’ll cook it himself. And once that calendar flips over to October 1st I’m sure he’ll go running back to his carnivorous ways. As for me? I wouldn’t be surprised if I remained an ovo-lacto. We shall see.

Are you a vegetarian? If no, have you followed a plant-based diet in the past?

Link to your favorite vegetarian recipes below! {please&thankyou}

Dog Days of Summer

Posted by Melissa on September 1, 2012 1 comment

One of my favorite parts of the weekend is taking our dog to the park. Bo gets to run around {and swim like a FISH!} while Brad & I catch up. It’s super relaxing and just what we need to unwind after a hectic work week.

This morning we made our way to the dog park around 9am. It was overcast and breezy – perfect weather.

There was some action nearly right as we walked through the gate and Bo was quick to join in.

There’s an American Mastiff at the park every single weekend, and he is a BEAST – no exaggeration. At only nine months old he tips the scale at 175 pounds!

He makes Bo look like a puppy.

There was a pretty decent amount of dogs out today so Bo kept busy while we enjoyed some coffee and chatted with fellow dog owners.

He spent almost an hour swimming laps in the pond, as usual. I think he’d be in heaven if we had a pool in our backyard, or lived on the beach. Hell, I’d be in heaven too…

As things we were winding down, a young vizsla showed up and I immediately thought of Roo, Melissa’s dog. This vizsla was very young and had a TON of energy. Bo just stood there while it literally ran circles around him. I bet that dog would be perfect to run with!

Just over the two hour mark, Bo was ready to call it a day. Someone looks a little tired, huh?

He’s now curled up in a ball, passed out on the couch.

Eleven Things

Posted by Melissa on February 13, 2012 4 comments

11 random things about myself:

1. I don’t like lasagna. I like each of the ingredients individually, but together? No thank you.

2. I hated dogs my entire life, until I moved in with my boyfriend and fell in love with his. Now, ours

3. I don’t like flowers.

4. I despised country music up until last year. Now? I add it to running playlists.

5. I’m obsessed with pens. Sharpie Pens are my #1, closely followed by Pentel EnerGels and Pilot G-2s. And I keep these in my purse at all times. Yes, all of them. Nerd alert.

6. I keep a bottle of Sriracha, chili infused olive oil, and container of crushed red pepper flakes in my desk at work.

7. I’m TERRIBLE at public speaking.

8. I once ate an entire extra, extra large pizza at Pete & Elda’s to get a free t-shirt.

9. I don’t drink milk. If it would be acceptable to put water on my cereal, I would.

10. I’m obsessed with scarves.

11. I think Valentine’s Day is the dumbest holiday ever. To quote my Facebook status from last year: Flowers? Candy? Waste of money. Valentines Day? Not a real holiday. Suckers. We don’t celebrate fake holidays in this house.

Candice’s Questions

1. What is your biggest and/or hardest goal for 2012? 5:15 marathon. Um, that’s ONE HOUR off my previous marathon time. Lofty goal I’d say.

2. Vegetarian or Meat-eater? Baconlover. Carbivore. Okay fine, meat-eater. Although I did go vegetarian from 2009-2010.

3. Would you rather write something down with pen/paper or on a computer/cell phone, etc? I do both because I’m an organizational freak. One note goes in my planner, one in GCal or GTasks.

4. Dog or cat person? dog.

5. What is your favorite season and why? Fall. That’s when all the good races are AND it’s not 100 degrees everyday here in Texas

6. If you could live anywhere other than the place you currently live, where would you live? San Diego

7. Do you prefer Facebook over Twitter or vice versa? Twitter over Facebook. 140 characters really forces people to keep it short & sweet. I like.

8. What is the longest run/race/workout you have ever done? 26.2 miles

9. If you could only read one book over and over, which one would it be? Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster

10. What is the biggest risk you have ever taken? I left my job and all of my friends in Florida behind to move to Austin for a BOY. I’m a silly girl…

11. What motivated you to start blogging? running. It began as a way for my best friend and I to document race recaps & review wines, and slowly grew from there.

Thanks for tagging me, Candice! I’m not going to follow the rules because generally I prefer to break them. Therefore, I won’t be tagging anyone. BUT! I do have a question for all of you…

What was the highlight of your weekend?

What I’ve Been Up To

Posted by Melissa on December 29, 2011 2 comments

Merry {belated} Christmas!

I’ve been pretty much “unplugged” for the past week and it was glorious! Sometimes you just need to take a little time for yourself.

Leslie and I met up at Brushy Creek on rainy and cold Christmas Eve morning. The weather may not have been ideal but the company was great and we chatted the whole time, making the 4 mile run pass by fairly quickly.

I spent the remainder of Saturday planted on the couch watching football with a mimosa in hand.

I’m heading into week 2 of the fantasy football championship down by 2 points. Not happy.

Saturday night I recreated Carrabbas’ Chicken Bryan dish for dinner, and then we watched Jim Carrey’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Christmas morning we each opened our gifts and sent Bo on a treasure hunt to find his present.

Only a few short hours later it looked like this:

Then we feasted on eggs benedict and popped open another bottle of champagne for mimosas.

Around 4pm we switched from mimosas to wine and got started on dinner.

On the menu: Spinach Salad with Pears, Candied Walnuts, and Blue Cheese.

Followed by Ribeyes with Burgundy Butter and Garlic Stuffed Hasselback Potatoes with Herbed Sour Cream. Heavenly.

It was such a relaxing day and an absolutely great first Christmas together!

Monday was the 2nd Annual Operation Jack Satellite Run.

I covered the 10k distance in 1:13 and then tacked on a bit more to round it out at 8 miles. I didn’t PR, nor was it the most enjoyable run I’ve ever done (due to the mimosas & wine the day before), but I went out there and got it done.

And for that, I get a medal.

Life is SO hard

Posted by Melissa on November 20, 2011 2 comments

Bo has such a tough life.

House Wine–Happy Hour

Posted by Melissa on August 8, 2011 5 comments

Sundays are usually a pretty unimpressive day due to the sadness of the weekend being almost over. The best way to combat these negative feelings is to schedule a blogger/Twitter meetup mid-afternoon. So that is what we did!

Carly & I met up with Brittany and Jeanette at House Wine, a small wine bar in downtown Austin off of Lamar. It boasts a fairly extensive wine list and various cheese options as well as hummus, olive spread, and a small dessert menu.

On Sundays, all wine bottles opened on Saturday night are served by the glass at half price. Brilliant idea. Just brilliant.

It wasn’t long before we were empty, and it was time for round 2.

Waiting patiently for the next glass…

The cheetahs were in their element; House Wine felt like home.

Hunger set in, and we did what any normal person would do: order a giant plate of brie, with brown sugar and almonds.

And then proceed to inhale it.

Absolutely delicious. I’ve never met a plate of brie that I didn’t like.

Lindsay met up with us as well, and after a bit of time passed by, everyone was ready to head home. We were excited to meet up with some fabulous ladies and enjoy affordable, delicious wine while having great conversation. All in all, it was an awesome afternoon.

Carly and I decided we still had another glass of wine to conquer, and another cheese plate (with gouda & manchego) to devour.

And then (because this seemed like another genius idea) we split one final glass of wine and ordered dessert.

A brownie sundae, drizzled with port wine. Fantastic!

Before our departure, we lounged on the patio a bit, savoring the last few moments of our weekend.

Carly posed with a cute little bird:

And we listened to this gentleman jam out on his keyboard:

We sadly left House Wine to head home. We couldn’t make it back to the house without stopping to pick up a bottle of wine to cap the night off with.

The party continued at the house:

And Bo showed his true colors

He won’t look at the camera because he doesn’t want to acknowledge that he has a drinking problem.

Got him. BO – WE’RE ON TO YOU! We know you love a crisp sauvignon blanc on a hot summer afternoon…

In true cheetah fashion, we’re now unwinding in front of the television. Watching the Real Housewives of New Jersey.

Personally, I can’t decide which show makes me more ashamed to be a Jersey girl: Jersey Shore or RHONJ. Either way, it’s pretty embarrassing.

How do you survive the Sunday blues?

Cheetah Friday: Sponsored by Vendange

Posted by Melissa on July 30, 2011 2 comments

Carly and I hit our second home, Target, for frozen pizza and a bottle of wine. After much deliberation we each chose our own pie – yes, we bought two.

Off to the aisle of happiness: the wine aisle. We chose a larger, less reputable bottle (don’t judge) to save some cash and also so it would last through the weekend.

The night started innocently enough

We were deep in conversation and the wine continued to flow. Brad came home from work and we moved the party onto the patio. We then decided it would be fun to play with Bo and chase him around the yard

After playtime with Bo, it was yoga time! There were sun salutations, downward dogs, eagle pose, and the favorite of the night: bird pose.

We were on a mission to nail this damn pose.

And that, my friends, is yoga success. All it takes is a little (ahem, gallon) of chardonnay and determination.

Speaking of that gallon of wine…

Yeah. The bottle that was supposed to last us all weekend? GONE.

Best laid plans…

A dog’s life

Posted by Melissa on June 28, 2011 No comments

Awhile back I talked about our Sunday morning ritual: enjoying the largest cup of coffee we can find and bringing our dog downtown to Auditorium Shores. On Memorial Day weekend a new park opened up much closer to our house, and we’ve been taking Bo there every Sunday ever since.