What's for (Thanksgiving) dinner?

Part of this post is to take a moment and reminisce about all my favorite Thanksgiving foods (aka starchy foods). Part of this post is to remind people that in between Halloween and Christmas there is a holiday that may not have all the glitzy songs or decorations, but has what I consider to be most important: kick ass food.

This week is Thanksgiving and I for one am most excited to pile a load of cheesy, sweet, deliciously comforting carbs on a plate and devour it. It's the one tradition of Thanksgiving that I've been able to keep. As a kid, we didn't have a ton of Thanksgiving traditions. In fact, the only tradition seemed to be that we got together, which looking at it now seems like a good tradition to keep.

The Wrye Family Thanksgiving included getting up and going to both sets of grandparents. Some times we went to my mom's family first. Sometimes, my dad's. It just depended on when my mom's set decided to do something. My dad's side, aka my Grandma Wrye, always had dinner ready about 4 p.m., complete with setting off the smoke detector. Thanksgiving wasn't really Thanksgiving unless one of my tall, male relatives was reaching up to take the 9-volt out of the detector at some point. Never for anything big. Usually just some forgotten rolls. In the end, it was the BEST.

My mom's side, on the other hand, makes dinner for other people 363 other days a year as they own a restaurant. So my grandpa would insist that my grandma not cook a big meal. Sometimes she listened and we ate pizza. Sometimes she didn't and we had all the fixins. Toward the later years, my grandpa made sure my grandma didn't cook and made reservations for us to eat together. That was also awesome and the best. Again, the theme being that we actually got to see each other.

But as I got older and my time off was saved for the "big" holidays and people became more scattered, sometimes the only "Thanksgiving meal" I would get would be from the potluck at work (which is actually the smartest way to do it. Our office would pay for a precooked turkey and everyone brought in everything else. For the price of one dish (or bag of rolls if you were really lazy), you could get a full Thanksgiving meal.)

Now I'm fighting to keep Thanksgiving. It's hardly worth it to go all out for a full dinner for just the two of us
when I know the leftovers will never get eaten. So, I've picked my favorite carb and his and we'll dine on them. It will be delicious, if turkey-free. Maybe I'll get a pumpkin pie too. I love me some pumpkin pie. Or better yet, some Pumpkin Delight from The Pub (pumpkin cheesecake + pumpkin pie=heaven.)

What's your favorite Thanksgiving food?

When I was a Nanny. . .

for the briefest of moments, I helped my cousin Monica with her four girls and my other cousin Julie with her son while Julie, her husband and her parents went to Europe. It was awesome. On the first day, I overcame a rookie mistake. We had just fed the twins and one was getting squirrel-ly, so I picked her up and lifted her above my head. . .and she promptly spit up into my open mouth. It was like the reverse momma bird treatment.

These are the twins now. (Brooke and Abbey in a tornado machine)

Yeah, I feel old. The oldest daughter, Paula, had just finished up kindergarten when I was helping out. She just graduated from high school. INSANE.

Paula (back to us) and Julieanne

My cousin Monica

Anyway, I met up with them all in Nashville at the Adventure Science Center and had a great time catching up.

Then I went over to see this cutie. How can I NOT want to stay at Julie's house when she lures me in with such adorableness?!?! I am super thankful for her hospitality. Especially since I was about ready to punch a baby to breath normally. It's a week later and I'm still getting rid of snot.

Luckily, I had gotten my Afrin and didn't have to punch anything to feel better. We ate some delicious food at the Southern and I complained incessantly about the humidity killing my spirit. All in all, it was awesome. I miss my Julie, but am so happy that I get to see her--and everyone!

I cannot say no to Miles. Could you? No. Didn't think so.

Miles leading Joey and Julie!

The REAL Reason for the Trip (One Week Ago)

The wedding grounds from the first floor

A week ago, I had my real reason for heading to Indiana-Nashville: my cousin Lauren's (and Adam's) wedding. Not that I wasn't going to see family, because I was and I did. But the event that prompted my visit away from my usual "late summer when the allergens have been all dried up"  time period to the more moist and allergy-laden period was the wedding.

My cousin got married at her family's beautiful house in the middle of a cornfield. It was beautiful, gorgeous, and quintessential Indiana. My uncle had strung lots of lights above their pool and in the large trees that surrounded us to make the place, which is picturesque by day, even more beautiful at night. It was fun, lively and had free booze. The highlight of the night was hijacking one of the golf carts used to transport guests from the parking lot to the house. My cousin Doug, his son Eli, my cousin Austin, and I went rolling around the country roads in pitch black. I hung on to 4 year-old Eli for dear life, as flashbacks of another day when my friend went tumbling off the back of a very similar golf cart flashed through my head.

All in all, a beautiful night where I got to catch up with family members that I hadn't seen in a while, and enjoyed a beautiful wedding.

My Uncle Jeff walking Lauren down the aisle

Doug Smith,  Michael Clark and Me. Cousins reunited for the purpose of party. 

The lights reflected beautifully off the pool and provided a beautiful environment for the fun.

My Wednesday Off

Maggie and Matthew with Chef and Me.

Chef's grandparents ("granddad and Maggie") came into town today while on a West Coast cruise and they were nice enough to hitch a ride from port to the Farmer's Market with more family, Art and Lorna, to have lunch with us. The invite alone was enough of a reason for me to take the day off, so that's what it is.

It's a rarity to have a day off in LA on a weekday, and so I decided to take full advantage, in my weird way. I got up earlier than I do on work days, worked out, and headed to traffic court. I got there almost as soon as they opened to make absolutely positively sure that my ticket was dismissed (and it is now, but it was a good thing that I went down there). I then went to the grocery store, and just had time to unload before a very lovely lunch with the Loars. It's always great to catch up and I love hearing stories about what Chef was like as a kid. I don't get those enough :)

After that, we went to get some lovely orchids, because, well, why not? I found this one that looked like it
had painted leaves. I didn't see any other like it and so it had to be mine. Now to not kill it. . .

A wonderful, relaxing day off. Now back to work for two more days.

If I were a little bit more courageous...

I like to think that I'm adventurous, but in all actuality, I'm not that ballsy. I wish I was, but I'm not. I carefully plan for things to happen and have only taken a few big leaps of faith, but even those leaps were calculated.

What has me thinking like this? Two of my close friends/ family members have recently started their own businesses. My cousin Doug and his wife Erin launched Janus Investigations. This is my cousin's second business. 

And my friend Terry Price started his own writing mentoring business, with some adventure trips on the side. How awesome is it to spend your time doing things you loved?

It's not like I don't like doing PR or even working for someone else, but I love seeing friends and family living out their dreams. Taking risks to do things that make them happy.  I love the thought of doing freelance work. Of my success or failure being solely reliant on my actions. But at the same time I know I'm too chicken to do it. I have faith in myself, but maybe I'm just a big chicken. For now, I'm happy doing what I'm doing and cheering on others.

It's very inspiring...and maybe one day in the future it'll be contagious. 

Day One: Charleston

Coast Restaurant
--very French Quarter feel,
except less smelly

I'm travelling to Charleston, SC for work and although I've only been here a few hours, I have to say the place is pretty darn cute. And there are a plethora of little local restaurants and shops within walking distance of my hotel. If I can successfully navigate a business trip so that I don't have to drive once while being there, it's a good thing. 


Hit a restaurant called Coast tonight that was just a block down the way. Seafood which is awesome. I had a lobster and crab gratin with blue cheese mashed potatoes and green beans (pictured). They helped make up for the calorie gap since I ate two Fiber One bars while travelling today. Calorie gap and belly successfully filled. Delicious. If I didn't already have dinner plans, I'd probably go back tomorrow night. YUM!!


 Hopefully I'll have a few more pictures to post tomorrow after the conference, but in the mean time, here's my weekly update:

Lobster and Crab gratin.
Was much better than it looks.
Bad lighting.

• Pages of fiction read: 33% of a 432 page book (World War Z) So, that's technically 143 pages. 
• Fiction read: World War Z by Max Brooks. Pretty good so far.
• Fiction listened to via audiobook: Six hours into The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larrson. Maybe I can do via audio what I couldn't do reading--finish it!
• Five pages written: Yup. Had 6 on the plane trip alone last week.
• Calorie tracking: Check.Crappy road, world series eating.
• Exercise: 225 minutes of exercise in the last week. 
• Friends and family: Yup. Called a friend to chat and tell her that I was missing her lots!
• Weight Loss:0 lb
• One revised section of novel per week:  Check! Have bridged the beginning to what I've previously written, so now it's just revise, revise, revise.I will get a rough draft done by my Birthday. I keep chanting that.

GOOOOAAAALLLLL!!!

I wish when I hit a goal that I had a sound bite of a soccer announcer that said "GOOOOAAALLLLL!!!" with enthusiasm. Because that's how I feel when I hit goals, but it seems silly for me to shout like that on my own. So, if anyone has a sound clip of the most ridiculous "GOOOOOOAALLLLL!!!!" call, send it my way.

Until then here's my weekly goal update. Probably more for me and my accountability than anyone else.

• Pages of fiction read: 143
• Fiction read: Right in the middle of Big Girl Small.
• Fiction listened to via audiobook: Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman (only about one more day left!)
• Creative writing every day: yes
• Calorie tracking: Done and averaged 324 calories per day UNDER my goal for weight loss.
• Exercise: Firmly into two-a-days. 30 minutes of cardio in the morning with 25 minutes of toning every night.
• Friends and family: Called a friend and got an email from a contact who connected me with potential writing help in LA.
• Weight Loss: Down 0.6 lbs from last week. Just 2.8 lbs from my mani/ pedi. I'm hoping that my efforts are rewarded soon with a chunk of weight coming off because my feet need some pampering.

Over the hump day and coasting to the weekend!

Whatcha Doin'? Oh Me? Just Hittin' Some Goals

I've decided for the sanity of myself and anyone else who might read this that I'm going to combine and condense my updates on the status of my goals. But I have to say that I'm pretty stoked so far.

• Pages of fiction read: 104
• Fiction read:- Finished up Everything Is Going to Be Great: An Underfunded and Overexposed European Grand Tour and began Big Girl Small.
• Fiction listened to via audiobook: Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman (and finished an abbreviated version of The Paris Wife)
• Creative writing every day: yes
• Five pages written:You betcha. And some more stories started.
• Calorie tracking: Not only tracked, but UNDER my allotment.
• Exercise:Every day and have started going back to two-a-days.
• Friends and family: Made several calls, sent a card and an email.
• Weight Loss: Down 1.4 lbs. Only 3.6 before my pedicure.

So SUCK IT any doubters out there.

Visiting Both My Homes

Last week I got to go home. . . to both of them, well, all three of them if you include my current home. I took a flight to Nashville and spent some time with my friends there. On my first night east of the Mississippi River in a while, I had dinner with some of my co-workers. It was so great to be among friends again. Not only that, but they were so sweet and threw me an impromptu bridal shower. Mostly it was just the opportunity to hang out with people who knew and liked me and whose lives I feel like I'll always be a part of or at the very least interested in.

The next day I got to hang out with my friend Greg and hit two of the places that I miss most in Nashville: Signature Nails and The Patterson House. I got a fantastic pedicure with a complimentary drink, a great foot massage and wonderful service. There are tons of nail places in LA, but I have yet to find the one that has all of those qualities. And the Patterson House. I think I've waxed poetic about the place and its drinks enough. It was the one place I visited last week that made Chef jealous. And the big bonus was that I got to have great conversations with Greg, which made me miss him even more.

The next day I went further north and saw my Uncle Ric and Aunt Deb, Grandma and my Aunt Mio. We had some damn good barbecue, which, along with quality pizza, is something I've yet to discover in LA. People don't just use smokers like they do down south. The history of barbecue isn't there. Then I visited my dad at his work, which was nice because it's always kind of cool to see friends and family members in their career element. Then I visited my Uncle Jeff and my other grandma, who didn't recognize me with the new hair and then when she did, she repeatedly told me how much she didn't like it. I also got to visit my mom's cousin and a family friend before heading off to New Harmony for the night.

Once in New Harmony, Robin and I went to dinner and then rolled around the city via golf cart. We picked out a location for the wedding reception next year (yay!) and then she showed me the coolest thing ever. We went down a dark path into the woods near the river and were surrounded by thousands of lightning bugs. It was like being in the middle of a twinkly light Christmas tree and looking out.

The next morning I had breakfast with Dad and Robin, took a tour of New Harmony and dad's office there, then headed to Evansville to hang out with Jack. We did lunch, then chatted and made muffins. Actually that's not a typo and I didn't make the muffins at all unless you count cheering him on from the sidelines. Did drinks and dinner with the Dicuses and Aunt Mio. Made tons more memories and was in bed at a decent hour to get up and in a car by 5:30 to catch my flight to New Orleans.

All in all, it was a packed but very much worth it trip to my previous two home states. I saw just about as many people as I could in the time allotted. Now I can't wait for them to come out West to enjoy some sunshine and the ability to be warm without being surrounded by air you can feel moisture in immediately.

And I'm back. . .

So I've been gone for almost a week and sporadic internet connection plus not wanting to waste valuable time away from my friends and family to blog. I know that I'll go into more detail tomorrow and the following days to explain what an awesome trip it was and why I have the best friends and family members ever, but today I thought I'd start with a wrap up from last week's goals.

• Chats with Chef this week: every day. Mostly via text or sporadically while I was gone but I did manage to call every day. Which was more a feat that it sounds like.

• Pages of fiction read: 111-- I was about 7 pages from hitting my goal on Saturday morning, and I sat down and made a conscious effort to finish. And did so!

• Fiction read:The Art of Racing in the Rain (it's getting good--and sad)

• Fiction listened to via audiobook: Freedom by Jonathan Franzen (just had a few hours last week and started back today)

• Creative writing every day: not so great--travelling is my not so good excuse on this

• Five pages written:Nope. Not even close. About 3 paragraphs written and I feel horrible.

• Calorie tracking: Nope. I sucked. I lapsed. I am starting again diligently tomorrow.

• Exercise:Took a break. Not a deserved break, but I didn't have a gym and running now kills my hips. Plus I am busting out all my excuses this week.

• Friends and family: This is one that I met!! Finally! I had the best visits with my father, stepfather, uncles, stepmother, grandmas, aunts, cousins, co-workers, friends and nearly every person that means a lot to me. It was worth every minute, every dollar, and every tear I cried afterwards from missing them all so much.

The theme for this week is: Excuses you make while travelling. Clearly I have not established enough of a routine and drive for a goal that it could survive the complete disruption in my normal schedule. And I had to reconcile that with myself. In fact, I gave myself permission to have a bad schedule today too in an effort to spend some quality time with Chef and steel myself for the reckoning that will be tomorrow's back in the swing of things routine. Wish me luck!

What Tsunami?

It was 6:30 this morning and I was in my car on my way to work for a 7:30 conference call. I get a text and look down to realize that my phone has three new texts from three different people, a missed call and a voicemail. It turns out we all thought that a tsunami was heading towards me.

But it wasn't until I got a text from Chef that I realized there was a tsunami heading my way. That's what I get for watching ESPN's Mike and Mike in the morning instead of the news. As you all know by now, we got lucky. Only a three foot impact hit the beaches of Ventura County. I actually work in Ventura County, but the people at work weren't really shaken up about the tsunami either. Interested for sure but not overly worried. There was an undeniable odor of salt in the air this afternoon after the waves hit.

Chef and the apartment were 100 percent untouched. The only good side effect of the event was that traffic was lighter going home. I guess people stayed home today because of the warning. There were two things about today's warning that got to me:

• It took family and friends from landlocked Indiana and Tennessee to let me know what was going on in my county. In my defense, the two hour time difference was to their advantage.
• There doesn't seem to be a good warning system for major events here. I can only imagine how it's going to be when the big one hits. Whoosh.

Thoughts are with those who actually got hit by the tsunami and affected by the earthquake.

End of Round One

Today was the last day of our first Wrye Family Weight Loss Challenge. Two months ago my aunts, cousins and I started off on our journey to lose weight. We track it through a weekly weigh-in and chat about it on a secret Facebook group.

We started out by setting a goal (it ended up being 10 pounds each) and then we choose a reward. If ALL of us hit our goal, then we get to partake in our reward. My reward was a nice haircut and color from a professional--not just Supercuts and a box of Nice 'N Easy like I normally do.

Good news is that we had our last weigh-in for round one this morning and we all hit our goal. The six of us lost more than 77 pounds in two months. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. I lost a little over 11 pounds this time and that brings the total of weight I've lost since moving to LA at more than 14 pounds. Not too shabby. Especially when you consider that Chef and I still go out at least once a week for a nice dinner. I'm actually pretty happy with it so far. And at least for the moment I'm motivated for about 30 more pounds.

Now the question becomes, how am I going to get my hair cut and what color should it be? Chef is determined for me to be a redhead, but I'm not quite convinced yet. Maybe some auburn highlights, but I'm not ready to commit to full blown red. I'm also thinking it's time to get some bangs and an actual hairstyle. Hopefully by next weekend, I'll have some pictures to post.

In the mean time, if you have any hair suggestions, send them my way.

IKEA, you almost got the best of me

I went to IKEA today. I have to block out the day to do it. IKEA is about 30 minutes away, not that far in the scheme of things, but still in Burbank. Plus it's IKEA. I always get sucked in for longer than I think I'll be.

Today was no exception. I was wavering on what to buy because Chef wasn't with me and I knew if I bought something he didn't like, I'd be heading back. So, I ended up getting some things we wanted to help make the place look like a home. Some shelves, some plants, some rugs, some glassware. All the little things that add the "someone really lives here" look to a place. I mean, I'm sure the clutter on our bar does that just fine, but it's nice to have a plant do some of the talking too.

But what I gained in finishing touches, I lost in precious time on earth. I mean, it's nice to get out of the house, but the IKEA experience is not designed for easy in and out trips. Damn you, Swedes, for your clever weaving designs so that I HAVE to walk down every square inch of your store before I leave. Damn you, for having not one but TWO places for me to get something to eat. One for lunch and one for dinner, apparently, because that's how long it takes to get through the store. Going to IKEA today was the only time in recent memory that I knew to pack snacks in advance. I knew that a baggie full of salt and vinegar almonds would curb the hunger and help me avoid the meatballs and ice cream.

So without Chef, I did not have enough manpower to load my car in one trip. I had to go across the street to the parking garage, drive around the block in two different directions to get into the already packed loading zone. Thankfully,because they think of everything, IKEA has a cart bitch. No, not someone to wrangle the empty carts, but someone whose sole job is to stand by your already paid for items while you go get your car. There's no excuse not to buy a shitload of Swedish designed, Chinese made stuff.

Other than IKEA, today has been noticing all the diet-related things that are going on. Oh, New Year's Resolution, you have become a multi-million dollar boost to the diet and fitness industry. Jennifer Hudson Weight Watcher ads everywhere (she does look fabulous though). A new Hungry Girl TV show premiering in January. A new Biggest Loser. Heavy on A & E. I Used to Be Fat on MTV. Stories in US about Mila Kunis being 95 lbs for Black Swan (which to me seems NUTS).

Even MTV has drank the Kool-Aid. They're replaying a "True Life: I Can't Stay Thin" on these two people that yo-yo diet. Like crazy diet--400 calories a day for months on end and then 4 burgers and 3 orders of fries in a binge. How can they even eat that much food without feeling full after a few bites or even two burgers?

Next up a new "True Life"-- "I'm addicted to food." Every time I start to think I'm addicted to food, I see something like this that makes me realize that while I've had a problem, it's nothing like it used to be. Now, it's about getting back on it.

I've lost about 4 lbs in the last two weeks. A good start, but I'm finding that if I haven't eaten close to my calories by the end of the day, I'm popping in some pumpkin pie. It's not putting me over the calorie count for the day, but I'm struggling with needing something sweet to end each day. If it starts getting me off track, I'm going to have to cut it out.

The family weight loss challenge starts on Saturday!!

All I want for Christmas. . .

Is for my shopping to already be done, my Christmas cards already sent and my baking to be complete. I looked up today and realized we're three weeks out from the big day. I also realized that I don't know which relatives we really going to see yet (at least not all of them), so I don't know if I have to ship a little or a LOT of gifts.

Oh and there's the actual going out to get the gifts part. I hate crowds. Like to a degree that I'm beginning to feel the Social Anxiety Disorder that I once legitimately had (I was grieving. It was justifiable.) coming back over me. I see people in line to check out or lines to park and mentally I'm done before I've even begun. I mean, I go to the grocery store on FRIDAY NIGHTS to avoid that crowd. That should say something.

But aside from all of that, I'm heading to Dallas next week for a business trip, which means that my shopping and prep time has been cut by virtually a week. Not only am I gone for four days, but I will undoubtedly have work that has piled up that will knock me off my normal schedule for another three.

Before I sound too much like Scrooge, I will defend myself in saying that I still have some of my mother's holiday spirit in me. This woman would wake us up--even as teens--early on Christmas morning with the smell of baking cinnamon rolls. Once we had the milk down, but with the moustaches still on our faces, she would shove me and my brother to the tree for the orgy of unwrapping and exclamations to begin. And it's that moment. The one where we're all together destroying what took weeks of planning and pain to create and moments to execute. That's my favorite part of the holidays.