Is my cape fluttering?

Food porn galore!

Happy Saturday and welcome to the latest edition of Food Porn. Today, we have a full agenda, so hang on firmly! We're gonna move fast.

First of all, check out this post over on the Cooking Blog (which I've been ignoring lately). Light, fresh and delicious!

Now for the food porn from last night.... I know you've been waiting for this. It's the chili encrusted lamb chops with lime and black bean tabbouleh and peach ketchup! So good!

It has fresh mint in the tabbouleh and I just can't stop eating it!

The chili last night was a lightly spiced chicken Verde which made my half order of nachos look very interesting!

Finally, we finish our pub fest with an order of steamers and sourdough bread the gentleman on the other side of me ordered.

Lastly, I tried one of the new starbucks beverages yesterday, the Vivanno. Their "nourishing blend" breakfast drink. I had the orange, banana, mango.

$3.75 for this. I found that a little spendy considering I can get a much larger smoothie for the same price at Emerald City Smoothie or Jamba Juice. It does have protein powder and whole banana it it. It wasn't too gritty, so it was well blended. Could have used more ice as it warmed up quickly. I could barely taste the mango. My opinion.... Meh. I wouldn't go out of my way to have one. It just wasn't amazing.

TOG is pushing me to get my butt moving. Off to see if I can get my foot in a shoe! Woot!

Have an amazing day! Asthmagirl out!

A little perspective

Generally I'm pretty good about maintaining my momentum in posting... I tend to keep things moving forward with only an occasional backwards glance to make sure my hair isn't on fire! And while that works most of the time, I really need to go back and pick up some threads I've left hanging... otherwise next week isn't going to make much sense to y'all!

Remember the tonsil abscess K2 endured? The one that landed her in the ER on morphine? Yeah, that one. It's back. It started up last week and the consensus is that the tonsils are now the source of infection instead of helping to filter infection. Basically, stick a fork in them, they're done. While they could keep the infections at bay with antibiotics, it's really a better idea to remove them... during her last quarter of nursing school... while she works in a hospital. Add to that, if she doesn't get them out this month, she loses her insurance because....

TOG changed jobs. He was hating his and found another engineering job at a hospital five miles from us. Which means his insurance is over the end of this month and doesn't kick in at the new job until November... by which time K2 will have graduated nursing school (if the tonsil thing doesn't throw a wrench in the works) and not be eligible anyway. So it's now or never for her. Surgery is Tuesday. TOG in the meantime, is happy as a clam in his new job and his commute time is down to zip.

The leg continues to do well and surprisingly has shown no new signs of infection in 6 weeks or so. Believe me, the celebrations have been legion! The ankle from last weekend is... well... there. The swelling is almost non existent in the morning after being elevated all night. It's puffy and pasty when I get home at night from being on the floor all day. Driving is still a little painful. So, no hiking this weekend. But TOG wants to try it on a bike ride. If I can stabilize the ankle, it could work. I am walking with full weight on it even though it's a little uncomfortable.

Remember the security issues? Some guy came to the door a couple nights ago peddling alarm systems. I was making dinner and paid little attention. TOG spoke with him and announced he was coming back last night. I didn't ask why. Apparently it was to finalize the deal. TOG.... Mr. Consumer Reports, comparative shopper, lets looks at three more before we decide up and bought a system from these guys we've never heard of. No references.... just signs the contract. Then the guy announces it that his installer is "in the neighborhood" and can be there in a half hour. How convenient. So now we have an alarm system, complete with shrill beeps that make the dogs howl. I forgot how to arm it last night and I think I set it but it started beeping like crazy so I disarmed it and went to bed. Apparently I'm going to need more training!

Finally, thanks for you comments regarding my little munchkin yesterday. She's a unique kid. Some of you were correct in your assessment that we could ask for a Power of Attorney which would protect her in certain situations such as legally binding contracts. That actually is the middle step as we understand it. However, retaining custodial rights would allow us to continue to insure her and unfortunately would erase her right to vote. I'm leaning toward that. I spoke with K3 last night and even though she thinks voting is "dumb" and something "that parents do" (much like buying flowers for the yard which she thinks is the dumbest adult behavior) she would like to retain as many rights as possible. But she also wants to be able to go to the doctor.... so more discussion for sure.

Remember my car window and the guys in Canada that clamped the window up? Not covered by my extended warranty. Oh they covered the work done when I got back, but they have a bazillion reasons why they won't cover the work in Canada. The dealership didn't call first, they don't reimburse tools (vise grips), they don't reimburse private parties (me), they didn't actually "fix" anything.... What it boils down to is that they just choose not to. I've already written the first letter. I'm considering a letter a week until I grow tired of it. Why? Because the guy actually told me I should have left the window down the entire time we were in Canada. Yeah... It pissed me off.

I still have more, but must get ready for work... I'll try to get more posted with food porn this weekend. I actually cooked something and photographed it for the cooking blog last night, I just didn't have time to download the shots.

This shot is one of my favorites from Canada. The weather was so calm, there was no point in even putting the sails up....

A little protective

This is my youngest daughter. She's just had a birthday and is now 18. She also has a developmental disability and is now legally an adult. She functions at a much younger age in terms of her interests and social skills. In many areas, she is simply not aware of messages in her environment or what dangers may be present. For this reason, I consider it highly unlikely that she would ever be able to drive. However, I do think she has a number of capabilities that may play in her favor in terms of employment, like her photographic memory.

I've actively avoided discussing her on my blog because she wasn't an adult and my other children are. I also find it difficult to describe her. Not because people wouldn't understand, it just takes more than a few sentences! It's not like having a child with a defined diagnosis, like Down's Syndrome. She's been diagnosed as being mentally retarded (not true in the classic sense) as well as having Pervasive Developmental Disorder (probably true) and a few other terms. At this stage in her life, I'd probably describe her as being on the high functioning end of the Autism spectrum. Mostly, I would just describe her as unique!

While she inspired me to eventually pursue a career in the disability field, she presents a dilemma for TOG and I on how best to help her. As a child, we've always been able to make decisions on her behalf. Now that she's an adult, we can no longer act on her behalf unless we petition the court for continued custody. While this sounds like a no brainer, to do so would have two outcomes... the first being that it would protect her in that she couldn't enter into a contract without our consent and we'd still have authority in situations where we could act in her best interests. Unfortunately, it would repeal every other right as an adult, such as the right to vote or make any significant decision independent of her father and I.

Thus I'm torn. I don't think you should lightly strip anyone's rights away. However, I desperately want to protect my daughter while she learns to navigate the adult world. I wish there were easy answers.

Asthmagirl out

ABC Wednesday and more!

Z is for Zipline

The ride of your life!

ABC Wednesday is brought you by the lovely Mrs. Nesbitt.

Also today is the inaugural edition of the Monthly Ho-Down for Spud lovers over at Noble Pig! Do stop by!

Rocky path...

... or "how Asthmagirl's brain works"!

As I was laying in bed this morning, I pondered the number of times I have pretended to be better at something than I actually am. And then I quit counting because in my imaginary world, the numbers don't matter! I am achieving miracles daily, dang it! It's not that I want to be famous, but sometimes I would like to have the skill set that goes with fame, only use it on a very small scale!

Like when I ride my bike and my lungs are whining, I wish I could ride like Lance Armstrong. Of course, I can't but for a few moments, the lungs get distracted and I get another half mile out of them before stopping to medicate!

Sometimes in the kitchen, when I'm filleting onions with my mandolin, I'm convinced I might be Mario Batali. Except without the tummy and orange crocs. And not balding. And I can't say half the things he creates on Iron Chef, but other than that, I'm practically the same person. Right? Whipping up amazing dishes that dazzle the eyes and delight the senses. Or just getting dinner on the table on a week night!

And when I'm working on computers at work, I wonder if I'm a moronic version of Bill Gates. The kind of technician that understands the problems but isn't sure how to fix them sometimes! Nah... if I was Bill Gates, I would have never dreamed up Vista! But I would give buttloads of money away to charities!

I don't have a persona when I'm hiking. My big goal when out on the trail is not to become famous. I don't want to be that news story at 11PM... the klutz that slipped off the snow field and broke their leg... the asthmatic that had to be air lifted off the mountain... the direction-challenged hiker that uses her cell phone to call for help and says "I have no idea where we are, can't you find us?"

So when we were walking down on Saturday, I didn't have delusions of grandeur to keep me moving. I had fear of exposure! No one gets famous for hiking well. To be a good hiker is to be unknown, unheralded and uninjured! Well, two out of three isn't bad!

What do you want to be known for?

Alpine hiking

TOG and I have been dying to hike in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, but the snow pack was so deep this year, that many great hikes are still not accessible even in July. On Saturday, we read the trip reports and thought we might have a shot. Our hope was to find some alpine flowers to admire, not necessarily getting to a lake or a ridge which is usually the goal.

As we got to a trail head, we found the following:

We didn't know how much snow might be on the trail, but since we didn't have a goal of going the distance, we thought we'd give it a try. Maddie was very curious about the snow, but not opposed to hiking across small patches!

The views on the trail were amazing with shots of the peaks all around us.

I love this shot of Red Mountain! TOG thought it looked like we were hiking in the Alps!

One of the best things about hiking during melt off is the beautiful waterfalls! On this hike however, it presented some unique opportunities....

This waterfall fell directly onto the trail! This is where you hike! Saturday was probably around 87 degrees, so tiptoeing through a waterfall felt great with the spray hitting your legs!

This waterfall was higher up, and as you can see, Maddie was unconvinced. (she was carried by TOG through all the waterfalls!) This part of the falls was so pretty, I hiked down to get a better shot of the whole thing....

At this point, I stopped taking pictures. Had we completed the route to the peak, we would have gained some 2700 feet and been around 5400 feet. I think we made it to about 5000 feet. Unfortunately, we ran into quite a bit of snow. Some of the snow fields were large enough that we lost the trail and had to scout for it. Eventually, we were climbing onto snow fields that were 4-5 feet high with only hiking boots and mountain poles. Finally, as I was leading across one and telling TOG that everything ahead on the trail looked even worse, my left foot slipped. The top of the snow was getting wet from the heat of the day, and harder to walk on. As I planted my right foot, the ankle rolled all the way under, and that was the end of the hike.

We were about 5 miles from the trail head and all we could do was tighten my boot and walk down. On the way down we saw another party that had a woman with a sprained ankle. I think hers was worse than mine. It was 7PM before we even made it back to the truck.

The best news however was that my lungs were awesome! Yeah, they needed some medicating along the trail, but considering this trail was a 4 out of 5 difficulty, they did great!

So what did you do this weekend? Asthmagirl wants to know!

Food Porn Plus....

It seems like forever since I've done any food porn! I can't believe I'm so out of practice! TOG and I were sitting at the pub last night and I was in the mood for some Nachos! I've been eating the heck out of them these last few months... Khava told me that the chili was You'll-regret-it-tomorrow Buffalo chili and that I'd regret eating it. Since I plan on hiking today, I didn't want the chili coming back in any manner, so I quickly opted out of the nachos. It totally threw off my groove though....now what? Khava said they didn't have turkey burgers this month so i couldn't go that route either.... I settled on this beast:

It's the No-Doubt-Stout burger, complete with bacon and swiss! And even potato ho's need a break... I veered off the planet with these Sweet Potato fries! So good with the stout bbq! Their No-Doubt-Stout is so smoky and smooth... it makes a great bbq sauce! This burger was the bomb! And the fries were to die for! They also use their stout ale to make their sauce for pulled pork sandwiches (which are awesome with their cilantro slaw stuffed right in the bun with the pork!)

Okay, back to Victoria. There's this pub up there that makes possibly the best salmon cakes in the world. I think I've talked about them before, if not, I should have. They are amazing. They come with sauteed greens and lay in the tiniest pool of stout malt vinegar. OMG. I couldn't stop myself from falling on them with lust in my heart and fork in my hand, but I want you to know that I stopped eating half way for you. Because I knew I could scarf through the rest of the order and have nothing to show you. So, here's half an order of the best salmon cakes in the world!

Drunk with Cider and fueled with salmon cakes, I made my way to the ladies room, camera in hand. Why? It's right next to the kitchen! I got this wonderful shot of fish and chips. And then the whole kitchen turned and looked at me like I was a paparazzi. I quickly went back to my table and put the camera away. TOG breathed a sigh of relief!

That is all I have for you today for food porn! Back to the award,,,,

I'm giving this award to:

David at Life in a cone of silence

Flea at Flea's world

Hen at Domestic Hiss

Tracey at Oliver Rain

Mama at MamaHut's House

There are so many other blogs that are just plain fun and I'm trusting these folks to pass the award on to those that make their day! Thanks again Snooty for thinking of me, I'll figure out how to get it on my sidebar, I promise!

Have a wonderful day.... we are off to hike!

Asthmagirl out!

Envelope Please!

Last week, I got worked up about the afternoon treasure hunt being too easy and talked the rest of the planning team into making it a little harder. (to see what I'm talking about, please read yesterday's post) The rest of the team wasn't sure but helped me make the changes. But until the day of the event, you don't know if you're right or wrong. I visualized people returning to base hot and frustrated screaming "we only found three clues. It was the worst game EVAH!" In hind site, it's a good thing we did increase it to 12 locations because 5 of the 8 teams finished all 12 locations!  (we did hear there was some cheating, but that may have been sour grapes)

Many of the businesses had their way with the contestants. Any team that went to see my friend Ed, at the Ford dealership had at least a half hour of BS to get their next clue. He sent teams to the parts department, across the street to used vehicles, over to the leasing office, down the street to the Kia dealership.... He sent one team to a rival Ford dealership 20 minutes away! The auto parts store held their clues for ransom. They required cash money, or you had to work behind the counter for 10 minutes. The car detail shop had people out searching in glove boxes and in the used rag bin! The lawn mower shop set out post hole diggers and told people they buried the clues out back!

It was fun and even better that two team tied. The Exec did Rock, Paper, Scissors as a tie breaker and each member of the winning team got dinner for two at one of five area restaurants! Today, I just need to go in and finish cleaning up. Uggg....

In other news, it looks as though K2's tonsils are flared up again. She's back on another dose of antibiotics but I think it's just a matter of time until they have to come out. She's debating on doing it soon or waiting until she completes her clinicals. This last quarter of nursing school is all at the hospital where she rotates through every department. To top it off, TOG changed jobs this week, so her insurance runs out the same day the quarter is over. The timing really blows. Her tonsils have had 22 years to get to this stage. Now is not a good time!

Finally, I end today with a thank you! Earlier this week, the delightful Liz of Snooty Primadona awarded me the following:

 

I spent about 30 minutes one morning this week trying to fit it into my sidebar before giving up and telling myself I'd have to deal with it AFTER the big day! Liz, thank you so much, I'm really tickled that you thought of me! Especially since I get such a thrill from reading your blog! I'll get to awarding it to others in the next few days. AND getting it on my sidebar. I think I am sidebar challenged!

Off to clean clues off my desk, pick up trash, thank businesses and do other "after the event" type stuff! Coming your way... Food Porn and Hiking! What a combo!

Have a wonderful day! Asthmagirl out!

PS~ Don't you love Happy Feet!

The big day!

Thursday is the Day! I'm writing this Wednesday night because I have to be out of the house by about 6:15 in the morning. I'm picking up the catering orders on the way into work, and arriving early to set up the eats and pack my car.

Here's what's happening: We're getting our entire agency together (from both counties and all divisions) and doing a team building day. They'll be given breakfast, then split into teams and given their first assignment. The morning consists of team exercises and events. They'll have to costume their team by theme, create a group portrait, play a memory matching game with three foot by three foot cards in a park, buy themed desserts for other teams and ride go carts. After I feed everyone breakfast, I'm leaving early to staff the go carts all morning. I'll be wearing tons of sunscreen and basking in a lawn chair next to a ice chest full of water. When teams arrive, I'll get them signed in, take pictures of their ride and provide clues to their next destination!

Then we all meet for lunch (pizza) and laugh at the desserts they were assigned to buy. (example: must be yellow and oblong and feed six for under 12.00)

In the afternoon, we've created a treasure hunt. We've spent the last month taking pictures of local businesses. We've created a set of three pictures for each business (hard, easier, spells it out). Each team will try to solve the first location using the fewest amount of clues. Once they figure out where it is, they go there for their next set of clues to the next location. Each team has a total of 12 locations to find. No route is the same, many teams will not see the same businesses. Each route takes about 2.5 hours to drive. They have 3 hours to complete the course. The team that opened the fewest envelopes wins cool team prizes! I don't think it's possible for any team to complete the course.

Today I went and laid out all the clues. It took about 6 hours. All the businesses are excited to be a part of it. Many of them want to mess with the contestants! It should be interesting to hear the stories as they make their way back to headquarters! I'm going to hide out at one of the intersections of various routes and see how the teams are doing!

By the end of the day tomorrow, I'll be a happy and tired camper! But hopefully the contestants will have fun and the stories they tell on each other for next few months at the staff meetings are hilarious!

Off to bed! Thanks for your patience this week while I help to pull this off! Catch up with you soon!

Asthmagirl out!

PS ~ There is food porn coming your way... the spiced lamb chops with the peach ketchup? They're back!

ABC Wednesday

Y is for Yacht.

Sorry, I don't have any rhyms or poems or anything. I'm short of sleep and not getting to all my bloggy friends this week. I can't wait until Friday when it's all over!

ABC Wednesday comes to us from the lovely Mrs. Nesbitt, who used the same Y word today. Except her picture is prettier! Drop by to see other Y words!

Miss you all!

PS~

YYYARGHHH!