Last night in the current house

It is the last night in the current house.

Realizing we were only one day away I started packing the kitchen this morning and a little over lunch. Progress, no?

Ok, it's not much, but we do have one real thing accomplished: We went to my boss's house tonight to get her husband's flatbed trailer for tomorrow.

We came home prepared to get some real work done, but after an old friend called who needed to talk we decided to just be done.

No biggie...I'll tackle it tomorrow.

No choice now!

2 days

Packing?

Nope.

Skinning and gutting an antelope in your back yard that was shot by your boyfriend's coworker?

Well, that wasn't me, but it happened.

I took some photos, but have decided not to post them. I figured I'd spare all you readers the vision of where meat comes from. I wanted to take some pictures of it when it was still, um, clothed. But I was making dinner and by the time I got outside the antelope was a little...exposed. Kind of like that Bodies exhibit that's been making it's way around the country for a while now.

So, Todd spent his night up to his elbows in antelope carcass while I spent mine up to my ears in zucchini and bread crumbs and before you know it, another night went by without any real moving prep.

One night to go!

3 days

There are only three more nights in the current house.

Are we packing? Sorting? Organizing things to make the move on Friday easier?

Of course not!

I made one of my favorite recipes for our dinner tonight, sat on the couch and watched The Patriot, went to bed early, and read for a bit.

I am just not that concerned. Except for the kitchen. I'm concerned about the hot mess that's going to be the kitchen.

Beyond that we have very little to actually "pack." It's more a question of transporting at this point.

We have two more nights to worry anyway...

One of my favorite dinner recipes: Fig and Blue Cheese-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

1.5 lb. - 2 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed
1/2 c. dried figs, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. crumbled blue cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp. apricot jelly
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Slice the pork in half lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, the other side. Open the still-attached halves, laying pork flat.

Cover pork with heavy-duty wax paper or plastic wrap, pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet, or in my case - a hammer.

Sprinkle figs and blue cheese over pork, leaving a 1/2-inch margin around outside edges. Roll up pork, jelly roll style, starting with the long side. Secure at 2-inch intervals with twine (I use regular ol' string).

Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place in a casserole dish that has been lined with foil and lightly sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake for 25 minutes until thermometer reads 160 degrees or the meet is slightly pink.

Remove from oven and spread apricot jelly over the meat. Let stand for 5-10 minutes, cut the twine off and cut into 1 1/2-inch slices.

Enjoy!

4 days

In just four days Todd and I will be moving in to the new house!

It's funny being around us: Every now and then one of us will blurt out something about how many more days it is until we move in. This is immediately followed by an excited, "I can't believe it!" or something to that effect.

But even though we're well aware of how many days we have left, neither of us have done much to pack. Ok...anything...to pack.

I guess it's a little because I packed most of the non-essential stuff when I moved in to the current house and am (wrongly?) assuming it won't take long to throw the rest of the stuff very non-professionally into boxes for the quick haul over.

This mindset might bite me big time come Thursday night/Friday morning.

On second thought, I might throw a few things in boxes after the gym tonight...

One week

Next Friday is a big, big day!

Todd signs on the house and we start moving in!

We just can not WAIT until we no longer have to set up an appointment to go over, but can just turn the key and walk in.

And I can't help but show it off. We've been over several times in the last week - either by invitation or doing ride-bys on our bikes - and have brought friends and family with us several times.

We went over on Friday with my parents to take one last look at all the stuff the current owners are getting rid of. They are selling just about everything they have and are taking their little vintage Scotty camper to Portland to spend their days with their kids and grandkids.

The very night they accepted Todd's offer they told us we could have first pick of anything they were going to sell. Which is incredibly nice of them and for us. They have/had? such great stuff! We got a lot of really cool rugs and lamps, a dining set, chest, a cute leather chair, lots of tools for Todd, and much more.

This weekend they're having a living estate sale and I brought friends over to check out what was left (and yes...that includes the house!).

The general consensus? That it's super nice and cute - which, of course, Todd and I already know!

Now, to get through one more week of another move and then it can be OURS!

Meet the parents part 2

It's Todd's turn. Again.

He was the first one to meet a parent - my dad - a few months ago. This week he's met my mom.

My parents are in town for a few days following a conference in Denver. I think it's all going great!

We had dinner and drinks out last night, which ended with karaoke. Todd's been really wanting to get at least one set of parents to karaoke. My parents didn't sing...oh, no. But Todd and I did and we all had a lot of fun!

This meeting the parents stuff is for the movies!

Got milk?

I went to the Zonta antiques show this morning to see what else the couple we're buying the house from would have out, and to just look around because it's a pretty good show.

There wasn't much there I couldn't live without, except some SUPER cool glass and metal bridle conchos with Western pictures painted on them that I want to get a few sets of for drawer pulls.

Then there was this: It just cracked me up! If I didn't already have an old wooden milk box (that I use to keep onions in) I would totally get this.

Stacey - it says Owen's Dairy on the side.

Peace

Todd's parents left this morning.

I really enjoyed meeting them and had a really nice time, but...nine days is a long time...for anyone to visit.

It's just really nice to be sitting on my couch, not talking to anyone, not making sure guests are comfortable, not. doing. anything.

Ahhh.

I don't think I'm in Cheyenne anymore...

A new restaurant has opened in town...so cool that when you walk in you kind of feel like, "you're not in Kansas anymore."

Suite 1901, a new martini and tapas bar (can you believe tapas...here??), had a soft opening over the weekend. Invitations for a night on them were emailed out with your meal and first drink to be taken care of. All they asked is you honestly fill out the comment card on the whole experience so they could learn what they needed to do to be better.

Well. How in the world can you pass that up?

I made a reservation and Brandon, myself, and Todd's parents all went down to check it out. (Todd couldn't be there because of work.)

Um...it's actually cool. Really cool. Inside it's all swank and decked out in a very 1930s Art Deco decor. It truly is done very nicely and it far surpassed my expectations.

I had heard horror stories about the martinis from a friend who had attended the event the night before, but mine - the Charles Berry - was done very well. Our service was also a lot better than what I had heard from my friend. There were a few little kinks - like the drinks take WAY too long to come out - but I think that will change once they get the hang of things.

And the food was awesome! Seriously, done just right. Between the four of us we were able to try one of everything on the night's menu. Everything was great, but the chocolate marinated steak was amazing. Holy crap!

The meal also included a starter and dessert. I really enjoyed the starter: a piece of crostini with a nice tomato chop on top and some grilled pita with black bean and traditional hummus (though the traditional hummus wasn't my fave).

The dessert was my least favorite part and typically is, since I'm not a dessert fan. However, I do know a good dessert and this was a disappointment after the rest of the dinner. It was panna cotta with chocolate sauce, but the panna cotta was kind of rubbery and the sauce tasted like nothing more that Hershey's drizzled on top. It hardly ruined the night though!

Their wine list is actually pretty nice too. Brandon and I ordered a Malbec that was just perfect then we toured the rest of the place.

The restaurant is in the refurbished historic Frontier Hotel. They kept a lot of the old, original fixtures, which was really cool. Projected on the wall behind the bar was a black and white movie, which I thought was a nice touch.

Downstairs is a room called the Casablanca Room which can be reserved for parties or meetings. There's also a wine tasting room where they will set up private tastings from, apparently, their own winery that they plan to start. Not sure about the details of this or how that will work.

Overall, I'd give the place high marks. There is absolutely nothing else like Suite 1901 in Cheyenne and it's about high darn time something like this made a go. I'm hoping they will be around for a while - and I will certainly do my part to make that happen!

My photography isn't the best here, but a little peak inside...


By the bar. You can see the movie playing in the background...


The menu...


Some of the old light fixtures...


The Casablanca Room...


The wine tasting area...

Recycled cycle

For the longest time I've been wanting a cruiser bike. The kind with fenders, and a chain guard...what you envision yourself riding to farmers' markets on with a basket for flowers and produce.

Well. This afternoon it happened.

I bought a cute red cruiser bike in Ft. Collins, Colo.

It doesn't have a basket, but I am SO excited all the same!

I've been watching craigslist like a hawk for one and today I decided to make the trek down to check out some bike sales I'd seen.

This is the one that came home with me!

Meet the parents

Todd's parents came into town on Sunday. It's the first time I've met them and they're staying with us the whole time - about eight days!

Because of this, I have spent the last two weeks cleaning and packing like a crazy person. Then I spent Saturday and Sunday doing the same only with lots of grocery shopping, baking, and cooking thrown in.

Having the place spotless and food prepared was extremely important. I keep homes clean as it is, but with VIP company such as this I made sure to go the extra mile. And I wanted to have food ready to a) not be stuck in the kitchen the whole time they're here, and b) to assure them I can cook and their son isn't starving.

I didn't do all of this because I was nervous to meet his parents...though I admit I was a tad. But that's just because I very much wanted them to like me; and I felt that aside from my shining personality, proving my domestic capabilities would help that along.

So far it's been going great. Nance and Mel (that's what I'm secretly calling them instead of a much more proper Nancy and Melvin) are fun and we've had a good time. We've gone to Craig and April's so they could see the ranch and go fishing, had pizza at the Bear Tree in Centennial, looked at the new house, and had some nice meals polished off by homemade chocolate chip cookies and/or rhubarb pie.

Tomorrow night we're tossing around the idea of karaoke, which was something Todd and I did on our first date.

That idea could go either way!

Meet the Parents Cookies

1 1/2 cups softened butter or margarine (This is my sister Stacey's recipe which she has down to an art. She swears by using margarine, but I'd like to test the results with butter myself.)
1 1/4 cup of sugar
1 1/4 cup brown sugar (every, single time I say the words "brown sugar" I want to sing it like Mick Jagger does in the Rolling Stones' song of the same name)
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs

Cream together the above ingredients in a large bowl.

In another bowl sift together:
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Stir that into the creamed mixture.

Add a 24 oz. package of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Drop by a small spoon-full onto two ungreased cookie sheets. Place one sheet each on the top and bottom oven shelves. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12-14 minutes switching the cookie sheets about half-way through. (Stacey also has a system here where she takes the cookies out and lets them sit on the tray for five minutes. I tried this, but my oven doesn't bake as hot as hers so I left them in the oven longer and took them right off the tray. You can figure out your own system!)

Serve to boyfriend's/girlfriend's parents.