whoops

On Tuesday night i got a text message from the fiancé saying not to use the garbage disposal - it is broken. i was out to dinner with a friend...so i did not really think i'd be using it anyways...but good to know. turns out the fiancé dropped a super strong magnet into the drain and it had stuck to the garbage disposal. i mean this magnet is like super strength. we did not touch the sink that night because it was too late to deal with it. so on Wednesday night we tried everything to get that darn magnet out of the disposal. it was seriously stuck. not moving. so we decided we should try to take it off the sink, open it up and remove the magnet. we got out our trusty home depot DIY book and looked up how to install the disposal. We followed the instructions backwards hence trying to take off the disposal. We were successful in getting it off the sink considering it is seriously secure. we pried open the garbage disposal hoping that we could remove the magnet and put it back together. We realized that when we opened up the disposal we tore the seal/rubber gasket that keeps it together so that it doesn't leak. well crap...that sucks. we for sure then had to buy a new disposal. In the meantime I had called my dad to get some advice in getting the disposal off the sink. The man knows everything and has pretty much jerry-rigged or completely fixed tons of stuff at my parent’s house. by the time the fiancé left to purchase the new disposal -9:30 PM…my mom and dad showed up to support the fix.  Dad was able to remove the rest of the bracket and drain which was connected to the sink. He cleaned the sink drain and prepared it for the new one. The fiancé arrived with a new disposal. Seriously it took maybe 20 minutes for the fiancé and dad to hook it up. It was super simple I probably could have done it. But I am glad I didn't have to!

Some lessons learned

•          Don’t drop magnets (or any foreign object) into the the sink / drain
•          Buy Home Depots DIY book – it is orange and 19.99. 
•          Marry a man that is great at fixing things!
•          Thank Dad for his willingness to help! I know plumbing issues are his absolute favorite.

Maifest 2011

This past Saturday friends and family gathered for the 2nd Annual Maifest!!! The Fiancé, along with 2 buddies  home brewed 29 different beers to share with their guests. It was a BEAUTIFUL day in May, high of 88 and full sun! With every donation a token pint glass representing the day was handed out and T-shirts were sold to commemorate the day. A local KC coffee roaster was also on site to share his craft. There were burgers and sausages for lunch - along with all of the necessary bbq side dishes.

Here are some pictures from the day. I went picture crazy and took about 500-600. Here are just a few.

holy smokes

60 Days till the Wedding!

Beer Kitchen - Boulevard Beer Dinner

On Sunday evening the fiancé and I met up with our friends Tom and Libby for a beer dinner hosted at the Beer Kitchen in Westport. Boulevard Brewer Jeremy Danner explained the intricacies of the beers and how they are paired with the food courses on the menu. This beer dinner was unlike any other as Boulevard featured 2 ‘experimental’ brews. We were there for about 2-1/2 hours enjoying a small glass of nicely crafted beer paired with amazing dishes. The fiancé told me that this was not a typical ‘beer’ dinner as small plates are usually served with the beer selection. This was not the case on Sunday....(read: course 4, full turkey leg). 

Here is a rundown of the menu:
1st Course- fried homemade fresh mozzarella, w/ smoky tomato confit, balsamic reduction glaze, micro greens
         Beer: Boss Tom's Golden Bock, Golden Bock, 6.1% abv

2nd Course- herbed chevre potato pancake w/ a baby arugula & roasted beet salad w/ hops beer vinaigrette
         Beer: Hoppy Wheat, Hoppy Wheat Ale, 5.2% abv, A new test brew for
         Boulevard, sessionable wheat beer

3rd Course-  meat & cheese plate of peppered salami w/ chipotle white cheddar & pickled sweet pepper, brasola w/ tillamook cheddar & hops beer mustard, prosciutto w/ cambrasola brie & thyme honey w/ honey wheat baguette
          Beer: Single-Wide IPA, India Pale Ale, 5.7% abv

4th Course- oven roasted turkey leg w/ caramelized fennel & roasted garlic mashed potatoes w/ pan au jus
         Beer: Love Child #2, Belgian Style Sour Ale, 10% abv. Big sour red ale, aged in a single
         barrel for four years. Aromas of sour cherries and oak with a pleasant sour flavor and
         medium funk.

-5th Course-  sixth glass ice cream float w/ pink hawaiian salted ice cream
        Beer: The Sixth Glass, Belgian-Style Quadruple, 10.5% abv

Anne's Food Favorites: Course 1, 2 & 3.

Beer Favorites, Course 1, 3 & 4.



side note: please check out my improved picasa skills! i learned to incorporate text!

Manhattan

This weekend the fiancé and I traveled to our old stomping ground – Manhattan to celebrate the marriage of our friends, Ashley and Rob. We left early on Saturday morning to make it there for lunch and to walk around K-State’s campus. We stopped at our favorite spot in Aggieville – So Long Saloon for some raspberry black bean dip and some amazing chicken sandwiches. After lunch we decided to walk to campus to work off our lunch and reminisce the good old days of college. It was fun to say ‘remember when we’ ….. ate lunch here together, or meet after class here, studied on the 3^rd floor of the library. It brought back a lot of really good memories just walking on campus and enjoying the sunny day. It happened to be K-State’s open house weekend, so campus was pretty busy. We went over to the engineering building which is where the fiancé spent most of his time. We went to the third floor to see many of his old classrooms, etc.  We found old composite style photos of his Mechanical Engineering Class of 2006. I had to take a picture. He gleefully agreed for me to snap a picture. We found a few of his buddies on the composite as well (read: Mr. Grey House, and a few of his work buddies).

After walking on campus we headed over to the hotel to make a quick change and head out to the wedding. Rob and Ashley got married at All Faiths Chapel on campus. I had never been in the chapel and it was quite beautiful. The fiancé had no idea there was a chapel on campus! LOL. After the wedding a group of us headed over to Mel’s….in downtown Manhattan, across from the mall. I had never been to Mel’s but the guys sure had been ….they mentioned they would go before the homecoming parade. We happened to be sitting there facing the windows and we noticed several guys walking by….JACOB PULLEN and CURTIS KELLY. They are wearing head to toe sweats with their hood from their sweatshirt over their head. I thought it was funny because it was about 70 or so degrees….which is way too hot for sweats! They were walking from the side entrance of the mall, which happens to have a DILLARDS entrance. Let’s just hope they weren’t getting free clothes again! After a quick beer at Mel’s we headed to the reception. I failed to take any pictures. They had hung clusters of purple, light purple and lime green Chinese lanterns. It was a super cute idea.

Following the reception we met up with several of our friends to head down to Aggieville. The night started off great at Porters…and then 30 minutes into being there it turned into FRATCITY. OMG it was hilarious. It is like they came out of nowhere. One of the FRATCITY guys approached one of my guy friends (read: who was dressed in a suit) and asked “What Fraternity are you in”? My friend turned to him and said I am not in one – I am 29. The kid looked at him like – you’re old. Which happened to be the theme of the night… the fiancé was approached by 2 girls at O’Malleys. I guess one of their girlfriends had been checking him out all night. They approached him and asked his age. He asked well how old do you think I am? They said 24. He laughed. He said I am 29. They were in disbelief and asked to see his ID. They said – wow you really are 29. LOL.

Let me begin with saying I am not judging these college kids at all – I was one only 6 years ago. And I usually had a really good time when I ventured to Aggieville with a group of my friends. But let me tell you, I was shocked with how they were acting at the bars, walking the streets (read: one was caught driving up Moro St. the wrong way and was pulled over and given a DUI check at 1 AM). I mean really? I know when I was their age it was hard to imagine what life would be like after college. I lived that lifestyle and it was fun at the time. But now that I am here – I just can’t go back. The thought of binge drinking to get wasted and feeling like crap the next day gives me anxiety. I have too much to think and worry about now as an adult that it isn’t worth it. So needless to say – after a few beers in Aggievile we walked back to the hotel and went to sleep.

I sure miss old Manhattan – oh how it has grown. No longer a small town with local shops. I think the kids there now are sort of missing out.

yOgUrToPiA

last night the fiancé and i visited a new frozen yogurt shop in our neighborhood. let’s just say - it was amazing. i think there were roughly 15 - 20 flavors of non-fat frozen yogurt and an assortment of toppings. i tried vanilla, chocolate milk and peanut butter. the fiancé tried espresso, vanilla and yellow cake batter. we were very impressed with our choices and are excited to try it again. we were both intrigued by lemon chiffon....we have a thing for lemon flavoring. I am sure that will be in our cup next time! if you live out by us or don't mind a nice evening drive - head out our way and try yogurtopia!! we would definitely join you!

It's February?

I returned to work today to see my K-State calendar hanging in my office. It is from Dec. 2010. I realized that I had yet to bring in my new calendar and post it on my wall. Good thing I didn't because January has come and gone - honestly I would rather not revisit the month.

My fiancé spent the last 2 weeks of January in Boston making the most of his time with his sister Carrie. She was diagnosed with kidney disease and cancer that had spread like wildfire early in January. There was nothing the doctors could do for her. She passed away on Jan 30th; we were there by her side.

There are no words to explain what that felt like - to be there with her. The Fiancé’s parents - they losing their first born child. The fiancé and his younger brother - 2 men came together in a way that I never thought would happen. Carrie's aunt Tammy was there - I have to say she knocked me off my feet. At times my adrenaline was rushing in ways that I had never felt- my emotions getting the best of me- I thought I was going to lose it. Tammy took it to a new level- her soothing tone, gentle touch and love seemed to calm the room and Carrie.

I quite honestly hope that I never have to experience this again. I know that is not reality but I hope that I can make it through with the courage and love that I witnessed last week.

You can read about Carrie here

180 Days!

it seems like forever - but it will be here before we know it! 

i can't wait to be sitting on the beach with my hubby!



Magic of the Season

The magic of the Christmas season is starting to make its presence at our home. The tree is decorated, the stockings are hung. The smell of cinnamon and fir trees surrounds us. Winter is finally here with roaring winds and cold temperatures. I love this time of year and I just can't get enough. 

Here are a few pics of the tree and new stockings. And yes, I purchased monogrammed stockings for the pups.



The Things We Do...

For Love. This weekend the fiance was a bit under the weather. He is super congested and I think is in the beginning stages of a really nice cold. On top of that he has been working 11 hour days...and had to work again this past Saturday. So...to do something nice and to warm his heart...I made him homemade chicken pot pie for dinner and carrot cake for dessert. It worked like a charm. I can't say that it made him feel any better but at least he had a nice warm dinner!

Gulpy

Our dogs are pretty spoiled. They get all the new treats and toys that they could ask for! Well really we are just reading their minds…they don’t actually ask for things. They’re not allowed in Petsmart because they would go nuts….

Well, The Fiancé got the bright idea to purchase this cool little accessory since we are avid dog walkers. It is so bad that Hurley knows the word WALK…and we have to spell it in normal conversation. Harper just runs upstairs...trying to avoid it at all costs. We walk almost every day and typically do longer walks on the weekend. We have found that during the hot summer months we HAVE to bring water for them. Duh-you think!! Typically we bring a Nalgene and pour it into our hands, but now we have this handy little gadget that you can find Here.

Be Our Guest

Hello!!! Yes, I am still alive. I have just been too lazy to blog. With all of this wedding stuff and summer wrapping up...I have failed as a blogger. You'd think that I would have things to share since I am planning a wedding...well that will come.

Recently, I have found myself justifying making purchases because they are "for the wedding". I am usually pretty frugal but recently that has not been the case. I figured since we may have out of town guests for different wedding activities, I felt the need to update the bedding in the guest room. I have been stalking PB again...for this one duvet to go on sale. Alas - it went on sale last week and it arrived this week. Little did I remember that not only did I need to update the duvet, but I also need a new bed skirt and sheets. That will happen this weekend. When we moved into our house 3 years ago...I purchased a $24.99 bed in a bag from Target. It was a great find that got me through. But honestly, it was the worst looking thing ever. I am ready for the change.  I hope it is put to use...come on over - i'll even make you breakfast!

I suggested to The Fiancé that it is now time to paint the 2 guest rooms and bath. He said - yeah that would be a great project for our holiday break. Well, I was thinking more along the lines of in the next month - maybe a random weekend when we have nothing going on. He agreed! Yipppee. I cannot wait to get painting and transform the guest rooms into something FANTASTIC. Below is a picture of the bedding – and I sort of want to copy the aesthetic of the room. We shall see…

Who wants to be our first guest!!?!?!