Snuggle Dog

It's pretty clear by now to pretty much everyone that I love dogs. One dog in particular, but also all dogs. I was inspired to write this post after I walked by the window today and saw Willow sitting under a tree in the backyard, waiting for squirrels. She's crazy. 

About 2 weeks after Nick and I started dating we went camping in Georgia. There was a sweet black lab that was timid and wouldn't approach people but he would stand across from our campsite and stare at us until we gave him food. After that we could not stop talking about how we wanted a dog, especially when we dropped food on the floor and felt too lazy to pick it up. Eventually I couldn't stand it anymore and was browsing Craigslist one day and found a 6 month old black lab mix who was being given away for free. Yes, it sounds sketchy which is why I made Nick call them. I happened to have a week off from clinicals so the next morning at 9am I was standing in the parking lot of my apartment complex with two crazy, backwoods, redneck people from Palatka. The owners were not very impressive but they seemed nice and genuine enough and the dog was so sweet. Nick told me that its best to get a dog thats smart, fast, and capable of catching frisbees. I told him that its best to get a dog thats cute and snuggly. Anyone who has met Willow knows who won that argument. She'd rather tear a frisbee to shreds and then go lie down on my bed and be loved, but I'm pretty sure Nick is more than ok with that. 

Look at that little baby

After having Willow for a day I decided I needed to break the news to my parents. I called and told them that Nick got a dog and she was just staying with me for the first week because I didn't have to be at school. They saw right through that and were not happy at all. Three days later they met Willow and the conversation never came up again. Now they spoil her and send her stuffed animals that she mutilates in the backyard within minutes. 

She may seem vicious when she's barking at squirrels or tearing the stuffing out of pretty much anything but she's actually really sweet. Just last night I got sent home early from work because we didn't have enough patients. I arrived home at 1:30 am. I unlocked the door and expected Willow to start barking, instead there was silence. I opened the bedroom door and watched as she stretched her head up from my bed, yawned, and wagged her tail, waiting for me to approach and give her a belly rub. Such a good guard dog. The best experience ever is coming home to Willow after 12 hours of work, which, for her means 12 hours of sleeping on the couch. Her tail wagging is out of control, she always yawns and makes loud, obnoxious, high pitched sounds,  and walks under my legs at least 5 times before walking to the back door to go outside and investigate all the sounds she heard outside overnight. I highly recommend witnessing this ritual, its adorable. I also highly recommend getting a dog in general. They love to love you, they're always entertaining, they snuggle, and you can talk to them when you're alone for long periods of time and not feel like you're talking to yourself (not that I do that very often or anything). 

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that you can dress them up during the holidays.

I also recommend that you watch this video. It's a day in the life of the Willowdog. 

I also forgot to mention that Willow has about 5 million nicknames. This includes: Willowdog, Littledog, Babydog, Willowface, Crazyface Angelface, Dogface, Animal, Willowhead, Dogbutt, Crazydog, and the list goes on. 

I know that most of this information is old news to everyone but I couldn't not have a blog post dedicated to my doggie. Also I'm very excited because one Willow's best friends is coming in a few days. She and Lia will be reunited and there will be a lot of this going on: 

Yup, I definitely found the perfect snuggle dog. 

Things I'm lovin' - New Hampshire

Ok let's be real its not like I just happen to be lovin' NH right now. It has and always will be my absolute favorite place ever. My mom grew up in New England and just happened to have some really cool parents who decided to buy a vacation house on Lake Winnipesaukee. Yes, after all these years (23 to be exact) of visiting the lake I still had to google the spelling, sorry Mom. Let's not talk about that. So as I was saying, my grandparents had several different vacation houses on Lake Winnepesaukee throughout my mom's childhood, but when she was in college they finally found a winner and have kept this house since the 70's. While the house itself is old, kind of musty, and probably in need of some new decor, but nobody really cares because it holds so much sentimental value, not to mention that it sits on one of the best lakeside lots in the area. Although I may be biased. Anyway, every summer we venture up to NH for at least 5-7 days of relaxing by the lake, swimming, canoeing, eating way too much pie and ice cream and, if we can wake up early and feel motivated, a hike in the surrounding area.

Sometimes we go a little early in the summer. For those of you who have never been there the summer starts in July, seriously. June is still known to be rainy, cold, and not anywhere near ideal swimming conditions. Last year we had to take vacation in early June because Nick and I needed to be in Houston by July. I don't think anyone really cared, but I know it took a lot of contemplating before jumping in the lake. Fortunately, aside from the chilly lake temps, we had beautiful weather and were able to stay for about 2 weeks. 

I don't know if the pictures will do it justice but maybe this will give everyone an idea of why this is my favorite place. 

The house is sort of a barn style. And the yard is shady and covered with pine needles.

And there are plenty of places to just sit down, relax, and just look out at the lake and the mountains in the background.

Last year Nick and I arrived early and went for a 3 day backpacking trip with Willow.

We camped in the woods on the side of a cliff, which had particularly chilly, but breathtaking sunrises. 

We also spent the next day hiking above the tree line.

Willow was amazing. She stayed with us the entire time, was always alert, and never stopped hiking. She proceeded to sleep for the next 2 days straight after we got home.

My family is always down for a day hike, and we usually have plenty of good weather to take advantage of. 

Unfortunately this crazy dog won't be joining us this year. Nick and I figured it would be a little too traumatic to have her fly. Oh and it costs about $400, no thanks. She will be missed but I have a feeling she will have lots of fun hanging out with a certain dog and cat here in Houston. 

It's been increasingly difficult for my family to coordinate vacations so that we can all get a chance to go up there but we still find a way to make it happen every year. On Friday, around 3am we will finally be arriving for a brief trip. We'll all be exhausted but it will be worth it to wake up and see this the next morning (or afternoon): 

Cookin' with Lidia

It's been a goal of mine to cook more meals rather than just cook food. When Nick is home from his weeks of oil drillin' I find it easier to actually do this. This is mostly because he is there to help me wash the dishes, but also because he helps me eat the food. But let's be realistic, we know I have no problem doing that on my own, the dishes on the other hand are annoying. Regardless, I sometimes feel motivated enough to suck it up and cook something worthwhile.

Earlier this week Nick's mom, Kathy, who also happens to be a big supporter of my blog, sent a cookbook to my Kindle: Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes. First I have to say it is really fun to be able to download your own gift. But more importantly, it should be noted that Nick's entire family is Italian, part Italian on Kathy's side and about 500% Italian on his Dad's side. My family is 0% Italian which means I still have quite a lot to learn about Italian food and cooking. Anyway, the book is awesome and really enjoyable to read. Lidia breaks each section into different regions of Italy and gives some history, as well as some personal accounts of the lifestyle, local foods, and her travels to the area, which I absolutely love. Another important aspect of the book is that there is quite a lot of variety in the food. Italian food is so much more than just pasta and I was really excited to see so many recipes with beans. Of course I also love that most recipes include cheese. I could care less about putting cheese on my burrito at Chipotle but when I get some really strong parmesan or gorgonzola I'm a happy camper. Fortunately our HEB happens to have a large section of specialty cheeses. For those of you who don't know, HEB is a grocery store found only in Texas that was once described by Nick as "a mix between Sam's club and Walmart." This description, of course, kept me from venturing inside of one for at least the first few months that I lived here until I went and realized that, while the description is true, they also carry pretty much everything you could ever need and actually have a lot of good stuff. Plus you really can't beat the prices.

Since I was determined to have my first dish be pasta free, I looked for something that was still somewhat traditional Italian and the gorgonzola risotto caught my eye. The ingredients were simple and I knew I would have no problem cutting the recipe in half. So on my day off I opted not to clean my incredibly messy house and instead made my kitchen a little more messy. The end result was worth it. Here's the recipe:

Risotto with Gorgonzola 
by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich


Ingredients:

6 to 8 cups broth (I used vegetable but chicken or beef works too)

1/3 cup olive oil

1 1/2 cup chopped onions

Salt (approximately 2 tsp)

2 cups short grain rice (I used Arborio)

1 cup white wine

8 ounces Gorgonzola, cut or crumbled into small pieces

1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano

Heat stock in separate pot almost to a boil. Keep it hot, near the pan.

Put Olive oil in pan over medium heat. Add onions and 1 tsp salt. Cook until onions are slightly wilted. Add rice and turn up heat, stir for a couple of minutes, until toasted but not browned. Pour in wine and cook, stirring continuously, until nearly all absorbed.

Ladle in 2 cups of stock, and stir steadily. When you see the bottom of the pan as you stir (about 5 minutes) quickly ladle in another couple of cups and remaining salt. Cook, stirring, until the stock again is almost completely absorbed, and then ladle in another cup or so. Continue until about 6 cups have been added, or add more if needed. Cook until risotto is creamy but still al dente.

Turn off heat and add gorgonzola (reserve a few spoonfuls for garnish) and sprinkle over some of the grated parmesan, stir until both cheeses are incorporated. Spoon into bowls and add more cheese if desired.

Lidia also suggests adding pealed and sliced pears, which I did, and I highly recommend. I also decided that some pecans would also taste pretty yummy with this combo. Just add as much as you like of either after the heat is turned off.

Also this is the exact recipe in the book, I used half the ingredients which still produced a lot of food.

The end result is amazing and it looks like this:

All the flavors complement each other well, and although the cheeses are strong, the blend perfectly. I also recommend eating this dish outside (which I obviously did) just make sure you eat it fast, otherwise it may be consumed by a curious little black dog. 

I really enjoyed cooking this, even though I made quite a mess in the kitchen. It's also nice to have something other than a pb&j or a microwave meal to bring to work tomorrow night. Willow was also very happy since I let her sample some of the cheese. She has a strong affinity for fine cheeses thanks to a certain member of my family who began feeding her jarelsberg cheese when she was just a puppy. 

I am happily full right now and looking forward to a night of kitchen cleaning and relaxing with my sleepy little dog. Thanks again Kathy for the awesome gift! 

Twins

I am ridiculous

Nick is also ridiculous

The Houston Galleria Apple store loves us for being ridiculous

Yes. I did it. 

Earlier this week, while blogging at Brasil I noticed it was dark and thought about how nice it would be to have a backlit keyboard. I also thought it would be really nice to sit wherever I want without worrying about needing an outlet because my battery was retarded. It only took about two days and a discussion with Nick to convince me that it was time for a new computer. You know, one that isn't 6 years old, bulky, and with a tiny harddrive (90GB was a lot 6 years ago). I had saved the money but couldn't quite justify getting a new one when, honestly, the 6 year old one ran perfectly. But when I get something like that stuck in my mind it's incredibly hard to get it out (Nick doesn't help either). 

So off we went to the Galleria (the 7th largest mall in the US according to Wikipedia). The Apple store was insane, per usual, even on a Tuesday afternoon. I found a sales associate who got the computer, recommended a case, and had me checking out almost instantly. When I left the counter I found Nick who was on the phone with a friend, who has been a Mac user for about 4 years; they were discussing whether it was worth it for Nick to get one as well. It took about 3 minutes before Nick was talking to another sales associate. I have never seen anyone look so disappointed about purchasing a computer. I think he hated himself for a few minutes. No worries, this quickly wore off once he got in the car and immediately opened the box. 

We left the apple store with some very well designed bags (read: backpacks) which came in handy because we also had to make two "quick" stops for shoes. "Quick" isn't always what you want it to be when you're in a four story mall and extremely anxious to get home (for obvious reasons).  But let's face it, I really didn't want to return to the Galleria for a while. I went last summer for the first time, I returned this summer, and hope to continue this yearly trend. Malls stress me out, not to mention I have to spend money when I'm there. No thanks. 

Finally we returned home to set up and play with our new toys. It was like Christmas. We actually ate lunch standing up and in record time before settling down to an afternoon and evening spent on the couch. 

Meghan meet Macbook 

Needless to say we hit it off immediately. We were made for each other. 

We've been having a lot of fun. 

And I really have to say it is an awesome computer. Yes, it's not a PC so there are some things I need to get accustomed to, but I am really surprised at how easy the Mac OS really is. I'm retarded when it comes to computers but I've still managed to navigate my way around, with Nick's help at times. It's actually been fun. 

Yes, I did a photo booth session with Willow. No big deal. 

Let's hope I blog more now that I have some new incentive to be in front of the computer. 

We basically live like this now: 

  

Trust me, I thought we both used to spend a lot of time in front of the computer...that was nothing compared to the past two days. I'll take a break when the honeymoon period wears off, although that may take a while. 

Zhen Zhen

I'm so in love with baby animals and just animals in general. I think my parents actually worried about me when I was younger. I'm not surprised, I was probably draining their bank account with all my stuffed animals that I just absolutely had to have. I just can't help it, they're so cute, I just want to snuggle all of them. I die every time I see cows, goats, or horses on the side of the road (which happens often when living in Texas). Pinterest does not help either. Although one of my most intense obsessions is pandas. They're so fluffy and sweet. They just love playing and the babies make such cute noises. I die. So for those of you who have Windows 7 I recommend the Panda Cam gadget. Its a live streaming video of the pandas living at the San Diego Zoo! They have several cameras so there are always different shots. Its amazing.

Sometimes they just like to hang out and munch on some bamboo

They also nap...a lot

That picture kills me. He's in a bamboo coma! I love it so much.

They also have a very well planned habitat with lots of trees to hang out it

I die every time I get on my computer and see a close up view of those little cuties

Can you tell I just used my phone to take pictures of my computer screen. Yes, I do it often, and then I send them to Nick. 

But sometimes when the pandas aren't around I just hit up youtube and watch videos of the little baby pandas playing

This is also one of my favorites

How can such a big sound come out of such a tiny little thing?

I also suggest you check out the San Diego Zoo website: http://www.sandiegozoo.org/pandacam/index.html

I also discovered that you can send email postcards from the panda cam...Sorry Nick.

Trendy Texas Treasures

So one of my very favorite people ever is here in H town! Ms. MC Wickham and I have know each other since kindergarten. We were little Catholic school girls together until high school when I went to the big bad public school and she stayed sweet and innocent for another 4 years by attending a Catholic high school (OK, that is slightly exaggerated). We coincidentally lived on the same dorm floor freshman year and finally realized how much we had in common and instantly became friends. 

MC is one of the most fashionable people I know. She always finds awesome clothes at awesome prices and puts together stylish outfits. Yes, actual outfits. This is something I am completely unable to fathom. If I can get clean clothes that actually fit me and can somewhat match then its an achievement for me. So I asked her to do a celebrity fashonista blog post with all the new items we acquired today. You can also see her blog (which is awesome) here. I love her, I love her blog, and you all are going to love this post. 

The fashonista herself...look how stylish she is. 

.........

Hey frands! Fashionista MC here. I'm in Houston right now and so excited to be hanging with MDiamond. Only seeing her twice in the past year nearly killed me. Seriously. I arrived yesterday morning, and after getting up for the airport at 4AM, our day, due to complete exhaustion, consisted of eating, a movie, and bed. Today though, we woke up feeling refreshed and ready to take on big bad Houston. After some Texas BBQ at Beaver's Icehouse, we decided to take our oh-so-thrifty selves on a shopping spree. Meghan took me to Buffalo Exchange, a place that I'd never heard of before, but loved instantly as soon as I stepped through the door. For those of you from Florida, it's very similar to Plato's Closet except with a way better selection and a little more retro. Determined to add some critical pieces to our wardrobe, we began our hunt. 

Items we were looking for: 

1. Blazers: After seeing Bridesmaids last night and seeing Kristin Wiig's totally cute, yet totally do-able outfits, we knew we each had to have one.
2. Scarfs: I know what you're thinking: It's summer, what are you....crazy?! Yes, I know it's summer. And if any of you know me at all, you know that I have a new obsession: Summer Scarves. Summer scarves are typically light and airy with brightly colored patterns that can be mixed and matched with tank tops and t-shirts. My wardrobe tends to consist of tank tops, jean shorts and flats during the summer. Add the summer scarf, and voila! You have yourself a fashionista.
3. "Going Out" Dresses: A must-have for any 23 year old gal. 
4. Shoes: wedges, flats, TOMS
5. Anything else that catches our I eye that we can't resist! 

Between Buffalo Exchange, and later trips to Blackbird Trading Co. (another local thrift shop) and the local Forever 21, we each walked away with items we completely love, and stayed completely within our budget! 

Item #1: The Summer Scarf, $10.50, Buffalo Exchange

As I said before, summer scarves are the perfect way to snazz up an outfit instantly. Pair them with a tank top or tshirt and shorts and you've got yourself quite the outfit. 

Item #2:  Black Wedges, $25.00, Blackbird Trading Co.

Wedges are our new favorite things. They are easy to walk in, and can be easily dressed up or dressed down.  The perfect addition to any summer outfit!

Item #3: Blazer (jcrew), $35.00, Buffalo Exchange

Ok, I just LOVE blazers. Pair them with a tshirt, jean shorts, jeans, a tank top, basically anything and voila - cute outfit.

Item #4: Turquoise Necklace, $4.00, Forever 21

Does turquoise ever go out of style? 

Item(s) #5: "Going Out" Dresses, $11.50 (Meg) & $17.00 (MC), Buffalo Exchange

Meg and I were so lucky to find these! At only $11, Meghan's blue dress was a lucky find. It's so comfy and can be dressed up for a night out or down for an afternoon of shopping. My dress had me at the criss-crossed back straps. Love them! PS - as you can probably tell, we adore dresses with pockets - another selling point for both dresses! 

 

Item #6: Pencil skirt, $10.00, Buffalo Exchange

Although I did not model this pencil skirt, it is absolutely perfect for a day at the office or a night out! I can't wait to debut this skirt back in FL.

And that's all folks! I'd like to thank Meghan for letting me take control of her blog for the night. I could have completely sabotaged her, and was so tempted, but....I didn't. Maybe next time. If you're interested in celeb blogging for Meghan or I, let us know! We're always looking for a some extra blog flair. 

Over and Out, Meghan followers. We're off to continue messin' with Texas.