January Desktop Image

Happy New Year!!! Every month I change my desktop image to a photograph I've recently taken and I thought it would be fun to share these images in my blog so that you can download them for your desktop as well! Every month I'll try to post a new image that is suitable for displaying at desktop size and resolution. Click on an image to download a copy for your desktop.



Alex's mom has two Great Pyrranees, and the one pictured above is Sadie, the smaller of the two. Sadie is such a sweetie, and so hard to resist, especially when she gives you puppy-dog eyes like these! (Can you tell I love dogs?!)



I don't know what it is about sunsets that feel so magical, but I never seem to get tired of them. It must be the beautiful range and intensity of colors. This image comes from the Fairbanks Park in Terre Haute, overlooking the Wabash River. The water levels are so high right now, that there may be some serious flooding once spring hits. If you live in a low water table area, or an area that is prone to flooding, this may be a good time to start thinking about ways to water-proof your home in case of flood.

... and if you're watching the Rose Bowl, like I am right now... GO BLUE!! ;-)

Our Christmas Vacation

In 10 days we...
Visited 4 families
Drove through 5 states (twice)
Spent 35 hours on the road
Celebrated Christmas 8 times
Exchanged gifts with 22 people

And somehow in the middle of all of that, I managed to get more sleep in the last 10 days than I'd had in the last month! While it may not have been a true do-nothing kind of vacation, it was a welcome change from our normal work-intensive routine. Plus, we got to spend much needed time with our families... though it never feels like enough.

We started off celebrating with my mom, brother, and their significant others (Jim and Amber, respectively) at our old house in Rochester Hills, MI.

(Pictured below from top left.. Mom, Jim, Me, Alex)


While we were there, I did a mini-photoshoot with Misty in her new outfit. Even though she didn't win the cutest dog contest, she still got a new outfit, and she's still a little diva...

Isn't she such a poser?! Look at her sticking her leg out and tilting her head! ... of course, when she's done, this is how she lets me know...


Next, we celebrated with my dad, stepmom, and siblings in Hartland, MI shortly before heading out to Lansing, MI to celebrate with the rest of my dad's family.


Then, it was back on the road from Michigan to Missouri, but this time Alex and I were able to stop at home in Terre Haute, IN to rest before finishing the 14 hour trip. In the past, we had to drive straight through, which usually meant a full day of sleep to recover once we arrived. We arrived in Missouri on Christmas Eve and headed out to Nevada, MO to attend a Christmas Eve service and celebrate with Alex's stepdad's extended family.


We spent Christmas Day in Butler, MO, and celebrated 3 times, at 3 different homes. First his grandparents, then his mom's, and then his dad's. The day after Christmas we had our final gift exchange and Christmas celebration with Alex's Aunt and Uncle. I don't really have many pictures from those days because I was using my brother-in-law's camera, so maybe he'll post some pics that I can share (hint!) Here's a self-pic I managed to take with my camera... looking elfish in my santa hat. ;-)

(note to self: get anti-reflective coating on my next lenses)

It's rare that we make a visit to Missouri without spending a day in Kansas City, where Alex went to high school and has many fond memories and favorite places to visit. We usually end up visiting the same places: Gates BBQ and Leo's Pizza (after all, they are his FAVORITES), so this time I asked him if we could visit some different places. We drove around and saw some cool monuments, and spent quite a bit of time in the City Market/River Market area which had a lot of cool little specialty shops, even in December.



Now, Alex loves St. Louis style pizza which uses provel cheese, but it's not really to my tastes. However, when we tried Waldo pizza, I fell in love! The combination of cheeses is delicious and the sauce was a perfect compliment!

For dessert, we had to visit McCormick & Schmick in the Plaza, which is the only location we've been to that serves the famous and delicious chocolate bag dessert. The stained glass ceiling and hanging lights are pretty awesome too!

And, of course, what trip to Kansas City during the holidays would be complete without taking a trip through the plaza to see the lights at night? Here's a small taste, pictured from the canal, even this size doesn't do it justice...


We made it back to Terre Haute early Saturday morning, with just enough time to rest before meeting my mom and, now fiancé, Jim for their first trip to Terre Haute. We took them to Clabber Girl for breakfast and the free Saturday morning cooking demonstration, which Alex and I love attending whenever we can.

This demo featured cocktail/party foods and presentation. We learned that you can turn a granite slab into a hot plate!


Then, we did a little tour of downtown, including the beautiful Indiana Theatre..



And then a tour of the local parks, including the fairbanks park along the Wabash River...


Today was spent unloading the gifts we accumulated over our Christmas visits, and planning our schedules and travel plans for the next few months. After tons of visiting and going out, we decided to spend a quiet New Year's Eve at home together. It's been a year full of changes and challenges, but it's also been very rewarding. I'm so grateful for everything that has happened in our lives, and I can't wait for even more excitement next year!!! Happy New Year Everyone!!

LOVE IT: Framboise

I just got home and have a TON of pictures and stories to post from my holiday vacation with family, but before I can get to any of that I want to make sure I told you about MY FAVORITE CELEBRATION DRINK EVER!!! If you live in Indiana, you cannot purchase a bottle of this delectable drink on Sunday (unless you live close to the border of another state which does sell alcohol on Sundays)- so you must PLAN AHEAD and find it TODAY in order to enjoy it on NEW YEARS EVE (unless you'll be celebrating New Year's Eve at a bar with an extensive imported beer selection.) If you missed the boat for New Year's, this would also make a fabulous VALENTINE'S DAY drink to enjoy with your sweetie!! (HINT!!)

Framboise (pronounced fram-bwa) is bottled like a wine, has the fizz of a champagne, but is technically a beer. A Belgian lambic to be exact. This sweet concoction of fermeted rasperries is one of the few alcoholic drinks that has enough complexity in flavors to make all of the tastebuds on my tongue jump for joy. The sweetness of the raspberries wet the front of your tongue and provide a satisfying finish, while the acidity created in fermentation rolls over the sides of your tongue, creating a truly craveable experience.

Framboise should be served chilled in a skinny champagne-like glass so that it can be savored by sipping and so that its fizz doesn't escape too quickly (if you want to be really picky, try finding a true "Lambic Glass".) It pairs very well with a nice dark chocolate, or with fresh berries and sweet whipped cream (this chocolate bag dessert would be the perfect compliment!) It would also be tasty with a simple scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

I think Framboise is the perfect celebration drink because it's a bit pricey to enjoy on a regular basis and you usually have to go to a specialty store to find it. I've seen 750 ml bottles range between $8-$15 with an average price of around $11. If you don't feel like sharing, you may also be able to find smaller 12 oz. bottles for around $5-$9. As mentioned before, it may look like a bottle of wine, but it will be found in the imported beer section. If you're lucky enough to live in or near a city that has a Cost Plus World Market, than you're likely to find a wide selection of lambic flavors at a very fair price. Otherwise, check with your local specialty wine/beer shop. The Raspberry lambic is the only true Framboise (since Framboise means raspberry) - however, a more traditional fruit beer drink would be the Kriek lambic which is made from sour cherries, and thus not as sweet as Framboise.

I was first introduced to Framboise when I lived in Rochester Hills, MI, where my friends and I would visit the Rochester Mills Brewery to hang out after concerts or finals, and occasionally to catch some of our friends performing in bands on the weekends. I asked the waitress if she had a sweet beer, and she introduced me to Framboise- which they actually keep on tap (FYI- Royal Oak Brewery and Detroit Beer Co. carry it as well). Ever since my first sip, I've been in love. I thought I'd never find it again after we moved until I noticed one of my husband's students enjoying a lovely bottle of Framboise at Sonka's here in Terre Haute. I must have felt deprived because as soon as we got back to Michigan for the holidays, I went out and bought several bottles as gifts for my family and one for myself to enjoy with friends we had over while we were in town (though I can't recall if I actually shared any. ;-)).

An interesting combination of drinks that would create a taste similar to that of a Framboise (which I was introduced to by our friend Danielle, who said that she learned of this from some Canadians...), would be to mix either a wheat beer like Bell's Oberon for texture, or a cider beer like Woodchuck Amber for flavor, with black currant juice (which is high in anti-oxidants!) This could be considered the poor man's version, since you can probably make double the amount for about the same price.