My most recent facebook status read as follows: "A 15 lb. turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, fresh cranberries, rolls and a pumpkin pie. Two people. Overkill?" Well, now you can be the judge. Here are pics of the feast Matt and I prepared for ourselves. And it was D. Licious. We've been cooking turkeys for the past 5 years, but this year, with the help of America's Test kitchen, we finally mastered a juicy and flavorful bird without the help of a deep fryer. Check out the recipe for yourself. We promise it works!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Cruise!
Matt and I went on our first Disney cruise last week and it won't be our last. When we have more time, we'll elaborate with some stories. Until then, here are some pics to satisfy the relentless nagging by Jennifer and Katie :)
Sunday, November 1, 2009
It's been a while
Wow, has it really been 3 months since our last post? Well, we have been busy. How 'bout a top five recap...
1.) The house is shaping up. Painting is complete. Furniture is moved in. And when my parents came to visit in September, they helped us paint the patio floor and set up our indoor-outdoor Florida living space! Check out the slide show on the previous post for the latest pics. We do still have a few projects underway... we ordered a new front door that's supposed to be installed in the next few weeks. In our zest as DIY-ers, we thought we could re-grout our master shower. I won't bore you with the details, but we're now getting quotes from a couple of contractors and handy-men. :)
2.) Met our first niece, Taylor Kate! She's adorable and, sorry Seth, but she looks exactly like Lindsey. Linds just called yesterday so we could hear Taylor talking... no actual words yet, but she definitely a noise-maker.
3.) Went to our 10 year reunion. I did have to twist Matt's arm to get him to go with me, but we had an amazingly good time. And like all classy Kentucky gatherings, this one ended with a field party and a little moonshine.
4.) Trip to Clearwater. My long-lost BFF from high school lives just down the road in Clearwater, so we spent a long weekend with her in October. The beach was a little chilly, but a good cup of Starbucks helped us last for a good 1.5 hours. We went to the Tampa Improv in the old Cuban district of Tampa, Ybor City. We sat right next to the stage and Jennifer even made it into the act. An awesome $16 evening. To top it all off, we spent Sunday in Tarpon Springs, sponge capital USA. We bought loofahs, ate seafood, tasted Greek wine, and topped it all off with some pastries from a Greek bakery and a little HGTV back at the apartment.
5.) Our first trick-or-treaters! As apartment dwellers, we never had any trick-or-treaters. Now we know that spooky little kids begging for sweets are a luxury saved for suburbanites. We're now qualified candy pushers! Last night we had 30+ kids stop in. We were out of candy by 8:10 PM. Awesome.
1.) The house is shaping up. Painting is complete. Furniture is moved in. And when my parents came to visit in September, they helped us paint the patio floor and set up our indoor-outdoor Florida living space! Check out the slide show on the previous post for the latest pics. We do still have a few projects underway... we ordered a new front door that's supposed to be installed in the next few weeks. In our zest as DIY-ers, we thought we could re-grout our master shower. I won't bore you with the details, but we're now getting quotes from a couple of contractors and handy-men. :)
2.) Met our first niece, Taylor Kate! She's adorable and, sorry Seth, but she looks exactly like Lindsey. Linds just called yesterday so we could hear Taylor talking... no actual words yet, but she definitely a noise-maker.
3.) Went to our 10 year reunion. I did have to twist Matt's arm to get him to go with me, but we had an amazingly good time. And like all classy Kentucky gatherings, this one ended with a field party and a little moonshine.
4.) Trip to Clearwater. My long-lost BFF from high school lives just down the road in Clearwater, so we spent a long weekend with her in October. The beach was a little chilly, but a good cup of Starbucks helped us last for a good 1.5 hours. We went to the Tampa Improv in the old Cuban district of Tampa, Ybor City. We sat right next to the stage and Jennifer even made it into the act. An awesome $16 evening. To top it all off, we spent Sunday in Tarpon Springs, sponge capital USA. We bought loofahs, ate seafood, tasted Greek wine, and topped it all off with some pastries from a Greek bakery and a little HGTV back at the apartment.
5.) Our first trick-or-treaters! As apartment dwellers, we never had any trick-or-treaters. Now we know that spooky little kids begging for sweets are a luxury saved for suburbanites. We're now qualified candy pushers! Last night we had 30+ kids stop in. We were out of candy by 8:10 PM. Awesome.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
We're homeowners!
It's official! Matt and I closed on our first house on Friday, exactly one year to the day after we moved to Florida! Great deal, great interest rate, and a tax credit = great timing for us.
We're pretty tired after our first day of painting, but we thought we'd post a few pics as a preview. Enjoy!
We're pretty tired after our first day of painting, but we thought we'd post a few pics as a preview. Enjoy!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Kentucky in the Spring
Last weekend, Matt & I took a fabulously exhausting trip home to Kentucky. The excursion was jam packed with early birthday shopping, the infamous Derby Day party, and Lindsey's baby shower! It took us several days to recuperate, but it was great to see all of our favorite people & celebrate for 3 days in a row. Here's the slideshow recap:
Saturday, April 11, 2009
New Car... her name is Flip
When you're driving and you apply the brakes, your car should never complain, "I don't feel like stopping." But for the last week, that's exactly what our '99 Ford Explorer had been doing. We took it to the repair shop and the mechanic, who we really like by the way, said something along these lines when he called:
"Uh, this car looks like it's been driven up North... like New York. You're looking at about $1000 in brake work. I don't want to worry you, but this will be a lot easier to explain when you come in to the shop. I can show you exactly what I'm talking about."
Up on the lift, with the tires removed, the brakes looked as though we had driven through wet cement and parked for about, I don't know, a thousand and one years. The mechanic couldn't rotate the front driver's side rotor without a pry bar for leverage. We laughed nervously and asked, "Is it safe enough to drive home?"
"How far is home?" he asked.
Well, we drove it home. And then, we drove it 119 miles more to trade it in at a Toyota dealership, with Whitney clutching my arm anytime the distance between us and the car in front of us shrank beneath the length of a football field. Her anxiety wasn't entirely unfounded. You could literally hear the rusted rotors grinding as the break pads made contact. People were staring.
Now for the happy part. We arrived safely, obviously, and purchased our newest family member. (Wow, that sounds awful!) Meet Flip. She is a 2009 Toyota Yaris 3-door hatchback. The pictures say everything...with help from the captions.
"Uh, this car looks like it's been driven up North... like New York. You're looking at about $1000 in brake work. I don't want to worry you, but this will be a lot easier to explain when you come in to the shop. I can show you exactly what I'm talking about."
Up on the lift, with the tires removed, the brakes looked as though we had driven through wet cement and parked for about, I don't know, a thousand and one years. The mechanic couldn't rotate the front driver's side rotor without a pry bar for leverage. We laughed nervously and asked, "Is it safe enough to drive home?"
"How far is home?" he asked.
Well, we drove it home. And then, we drove it 119 miles more to trade it in at a Toyota dealership, with Whitney clutching my arm anytime the distance between us and the car in front of us shrank beneath the length of a football field. Her anxiety wasn't entirely unfounded. You could literally hear the rusted rotors grinding as the break pads made contact. People were staring.
Now for the happy part. We arrived safely, obviously, and purchased our newest family member. (Wow, that sounds awful!) Meet Flip. She is a 2009 Toyota Yaris 3-door hatchback. The pictures say everything...with help from the captions.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Random updates
As you can tell, we're not religiously posting to our blog. But for those of you wondering about the random happenings chez nous, here's a brief update.
Today, Matt got the usual 12-18 month itch to shave his head. It's ridiculous, but it's pretty much a night of free entertainment for us. I use the clippers to cut off most of the length and we laugh hysterically at the thought of me as a barber. Next, Matt finishes the job with a razor, head fully lathered in shaving cream. The rest of the night is filled with horrible Go Army! jokes and references to his baldness in years to come. We are sooo easily entertained. Feel sad for us.
Still, we are not completely hopeless. Two weeks ago, our good friends, Matt & Molly, came to visit. We had an awesome three-day weekend riding Soarin' at Epcot, sunbathing and picnicking on Clearwater beach, and catching up on inappropriate stories over beer and board games. It was legitimate fun. Yay! There are some amusing stories about kamikaze seagulls on the beach, but I think I'll leave that for the real story-teller to write about. -Whitney
Clearwater beach is beautiful. White sand, blue skies, the serenity of the surf...and those mother f#@%ing seagulls! One minute, you are munching on a sandwich and, the next, you feel wings beating over your shoulder and the pinch of beak on your finger. Your sandwich falls to the sand and is immediately fell upon by 10, 15, the entire flock. You curse at them, run at them, throw shells, frisbees, some passing kid at them, but they don't surrender. They laugh at you, gain altitude, measure the wind direction and speed, and take aim for a second dive. This time, they attack the unsuspecting guy who just wondered onto the beach with a hotdog in his hands. Here is his reaction, verbatim:
What the!?! AHHH! Get the hell away from me! It's my hotdog!
He then collapsed, curled into a ball, and tried to stuff the entire hotdog into his mouth. But, when the gulls started diving and striking his body, he threw a piece of the hotdog and ran in the opposite direction, shouting obscenities over his shoulder. Sharks eat with greater reserve than these birds.
Clearwater is great! We'll have to take you when you visit. -Matt
Today, Matt got the usual 12-18 month itch to shave his head. It's ridiculous, but it's pretty much a night of free entertainment for us. I use the clippers to cut off most of the length and we laugh hysterically at the thought of me as a barber. Next, Matt finishes the job with a razor, head fully lathered in shaving cream. The rest of the night is filled with horrible Go Army! jokes and references to his baldness in years to come. We are sooo easily entertained. Feel sad for us.
Still, we are not completely hopeless. Two weeks ago, our good friends, Matt & Molly, came to visit. We had an awesome three-day weekend riding Soarin' at Epcot, sunbathing and picnicking on Clearwater beach, and catching up on inappropriate stories over beer and board games. It was legitimate fun. Yay! There are some amusing stories about kamikaze seagulls on the beach, but I think I'll leave that for the real story-teller to write about. -Whitney
Clearwater beach is beautiful. White sand, blue skies, the serenity of the surf...and those mother f#@%ing seagulls! One minute, you are munching on a sandwich and, the next, you feel wings beating over your shoulder and the pinch of beak on your finger. Your sandwich falls to the sand and is immediately fell upon by 10, 15, the entire flock. You curse at them, run at them, throw shells, frisbees, some passing kid at them, but they don't surrender. They laugh at you, gain altitude, measure the wind direction and speed, and take aim for a second dive. This time, they attack the unsuspecting guy who just wondered onto the beach with a hotdog in his hands. Here is his reaction, verbatim:
What the!?! AHHH! Get the hell away from me! It's my hotdog!
He then collapsed, curled into a ball, and tried to stuff the entire hotdog into his mouth. But, when the gulls started diving and striking his body, he threw a piece of the hotdog and ran in the opposite direction, shouting obscenities over his shoulder. Sharks eat with greater reserve than these birds.
Clearwater is great! We'll have to take you when you visit. -Matt
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Must see!
If you're looking for a new movie to watch, Slumdog Millionaire is it. A dramatic, action-packed, critically acclaimed love story with stellar performances and beautiful settings. You couldn't ask for more. Go now.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Christmas & New Year in Florida
Happy New Year! The Conner-Taylor apartment was super busy over the holidays as my parents, Matt's mom, and my sister and brother-in-law came to visit for a week. I thought I'd do a quick Q&A post about their visit.
Question: What is the perfect Christmas gift for three sisters in their late twenties?
Question: What is the perfect Christmas gift for three sisters in their late twenties?
Answer: Coloring books and crayons, of course!
Thanks Aunt Sue! You should be receiving refrigerator art in the mail :) Katie and I cropped our picture because there should be no evidence of "bed head" floating around the web. But Lindsey was looking cute enough for an un-edited pic. PS. We also loved the cards filled with money! Thanks everyone!
Question: What locale conjures that warm Merry Christmas feeling better than any other?
Question: What locale conjures that warm Merry Christmas feeling better than any other?
Answer: Sun and sand at Cocoa Beach!
While the fam was visiting, we took a day trip to the beach to walk along the pier and eat delicious seafood. I vote for lobster and shrimp over turkey every year!
Other fun moments included: watching ultra-sound videos of Lindsey's baby (yay!), "girls day" pedicures, tanning by the pool, shopping, trash-talking games of euchre, and eating a ton of food! And after all of that, I think it's time for a nap.
Question: How do you entertain 8 people for 4 hours in a 1,000 sq ft apartment?
Answer: Jenga on a glass-top table.
The glass table top is key as it makes for a spectacularly loud crash when the tower finally topples!
Other fun moments included: watching ultra-sound videos of Lindsey's baby (yay!), "girls day" pedicures, tanning by the pool, shopping, trash-talking games of euchre, and eating a ton of food! And after all of that, I think it's time for a nap.
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