Introduction to Rouxbe

Hey all!

Some of you may remember me from my previous blog (of the same name) that I kept pretty well up until last year. Over the last 8-9 months I have done some real soul searching and after thinking of different layouts, designs and themes I settled on providing some more focus on the blog subject matter. I have realized over the last few years that I respond well to schedules and lists. So I have decided ::bum bum bum!:: to start up again. 

I have decided to use this site to chronicle my experiences through the Rouxbe cooking school, which I joined last month. 

 

 I have become quite savvy in the kitchen since I got married and sometime last fall I finally figured out that I had kind of hit a plateau; there was nothing that really sparked my creativity anymore. I reached the place where most recipes I could master without really challenging myself, I can follow directions as well as the next gal after all. I wanted to learn to cook without using a recipe. So when, throughout my online travels, I discovered the Rouxbe online cooking school and I was immediately drawn in. I saved up my pennies for a few months and finally had enough for the year long membership a few weeks ago.

Check out their intro video

Rouxbe Online Cooking School & Video Recipes

So I am going to try and post at least once a week to update you on the progress of my journey through cooking school and **eventually** ::fingers crossed:: graduating from recipes and unleashing true magic in the kitchen

See you in the Kitchen,

Little Rhody Girl

Twlight - Breaking Dawn

10 Days left. Can't wait!!!!!!!! Unfortunately I won't be able to see it until that Sunday but maybe that's all for the best. I distinctly remember watching New Moon the day after it came out with a theater full of screaming 16 year old girls and thinking "God I'm too old for this" 

Either way I'm super excited! Hey Summit Entertainment. I'm sure millions of people agree with me when I say that we've been waiting a long time for this...there better be some EPIC Edward/Bella sex in this movie!

Road to the Half Marathon Episode II - Kick off!

Today was my first run for my training program for the Tinkerbell Half Marathon which is only a few months away now! It's going to be a even better experience this time around because since this is my second race I kind of have a good idea of how my body responds to training. Even better still I know I can freaking do it! haha.

My last 13.1 I ran in 2:26:41 and it is currently my personal (and only) record lol. My goal this time around is to run it in 2:20:00. Which would require running a sub 10 minute mile for most of the race (eek!) So what I CAN DO IT!!!!

My first run was today, 3 miles. I have been trying to keep up with running at least a few times a week for the last few months to keep my legs limber so 3 miles wasn't going to be that big of a deal. Even so I really wanted to have a little challenge for my first run, to make it a little more special. I have been working on improving my pace using PodRunner (such an important asset to my running, post to follow) and utilizing their interval training mixes to improve my speed so I was wondering if I could run my entire three miles at 170 BPM which was my latest speed drill from the week before. Of course last week I only ran at 170 BPM for 8 minute intervals twice.

Guess what! I DID IT!

3 miles @ 170 BPM = 28:30 run! which (you guessed it) is a SUB 10 MINUTE MILE FOR THREE MILES!!! WOOOOOOOO

I have my nutrition plan in place, my training plan in Google calendar, and a fresh set of sneakers.

BRING     IT     ON!!!!!!!!!!!!

Back Again

Just when you were about to write me off (who I am kidding you probably already had haha) I'M BAAAACCCCKKKK! Sorry for such a long break. I think all bloggers at some point just run out of things to say. Around August that happened to me I guess; I had a major case of writers block and I then I guess I just got busy doing other things. Anyway last week I thought about the blog and I wanted to start writing again. I certainly have a lot of things going on that I want to talk about:

-My husband is FINALLY home from his deployment. It's certainly been a transition but I am really enjoying having him in the house again. 

- I have started playing Clarinet again. I played clarinet all though High School and most of College but after I moved to San Diego I stopped playing for two years. In late August I picked it up again and I have really enjoyed playing again. I joined a local community band and I just got a referral for a private clarinet teacher.

- I signed up for the Run Disney Tinkerbell 1/2 Marathon which is at the end of January. My first training run is next week!

- I have still been taking pictures but I haven't been working with the Wedding Photographer anymore. That kinda fell by the wayside. I'm ok with it though.

- I am currently saving up for a cooking class I plan to take as a present to myself after finishing the 1/2 marathon in January!!

Well. It feels good to be back. If you guys are still out there, thanks for sticking it out, and maybe some of you who gave out on me will come back. Either way I hope to be around for the long haul now. 


Until next time America,

Winnie the Pooh

Anybody ever read Winne the Pooh as a child?

Ok I know that most of you did, and if you're anything like me you LOVED IT!

When I saw Cars 2 in theaters last week (very cute BTW) they had a preview for the new Winnie the Pooh Movie coming later this year; and I can tell you I almost lost it. I am so emotionally connected to this story, I remember my Dad reading me the books at bedtime when I was little. I have already decided that our kids nursery will be "Classic Pooh" themed. I used to imagine playing in the hundred acre wood with Pooh, Piglet, Rabbit and T-I-double Ge-Er.

I love Winnie the Pooh.

If you loved him as I did as a child, I dare you not to get misty eyed during this preview.....








Tut Tut, looks like rain...

Weekend ahead/updates

I have a full weekend of work ahead, but tonight I'm home, relaxing on the couch with my laptop and Gilmore Girls on DVD. A glass of wine by my side and a cat on my lap...quite the relaxing night.

I know that taking the month of June off of blogging left you with a lot of questions......(well probably not but I still need to keep up pretenses for my own selfish reasons)

Things that happened in June

• I RAN (AND FINISHED) THE 1/2 MARATHON!!! 2:26:35 BABY!!!!!!!!!

My little brother and I just after I crossed the finish line!!!

•  My brother came for a week (for the race) and we had a really fun time together, I can't wait to see him again when I go home next week!!

• I got TNCC certified for work (Trauma Nursing Core Course), just another thing to add to the 'ol resume

• I decided **another for work** that I'm going to stay in the ER until we leave San Diego next year then I'll apply for Labor and Delivery positions wherever we move to. 

• I have become a "Krazy Coupon Lady" (more to follow)

• I have been kinda "baby crazy" lately. I think it mostly due to loneliness with Kyle being gone but lately I have been finding myself surfing the internet for jogging strollers to help me lose the baby fat that I don't even have yet (I'm not insane....right?) 

• We have decided on Italy, France and Germany for our Europe trip next year!!!!!!!!!!

Please remember me while I work in the ER all weekend, hopefully I can get flexed on the 4th so I have some time to get some BBQing in that day!!

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

I just finished reading the most incredible book. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba. It's a true story of  young boy living in a small farming town in Africa who completely transforms his village by building a windmill in his yard from scraps from the junkyard. I was so inspired by this story, bringing renewable electricity to a town barely surviving.

Which led me to realize that even now in 2011 there are people in other parts of the world who are still living like this. This man who wrote this story is about my age and when he was 14 and first built that windmill his village was just recovering from a devastating famine, there was no running water and Will had to drop out of school because his parents couldn't afford the tuition (for middle school). I guess I don't really ever think about how poverty striken so many of the world's population is. After his windmill was discovered by the media, Will was asked to speak at a African inventor's conference in a different city. It was there that he went on Google for the first time, (when asked if he'd ever been on Google, he replied "what animal is Google?").  It really makes you think about how privileged we are to live in America, and have so much available to us. Even people with no money whatsoever have access to libraries stuffed with books and computers that have access to the internet, that are air-conditioned and brightly lit.

My husband is thinking about a career in environmental engineering after the Navy and I am behind him 100%. When he told me that he would like to help facilitate bringing renewable energy to third world countries, it made me even more in love with him. I would love to be a part of that someday. I think it would be so incredible to volunteer, maybe even on a medical mission...

maybe someday.....


anyway check out his interview on The Daily Show...awesome, and read the book, you'll be glad you did.

The Daily Show
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Absence makes the heart grow fonder.....

I missed you blog!

 and i'm back

that's all.