Prul is a Baywatch lifeguard ...

I bet you didn't know that Prul has a part-time gig as a Baywatch lifeguard. Check her out in action:

Norfolk Beach Trip w/ Mayhan and Prul

Mayhan invited Prul and me for a long weekend at her Dad's beach house in Norfolk, Virginia. The area was called "Ocean View" and is a very laid back area. We spent a lot of time relaxing on the beach, hanging out and catching up with one another. We also enjoyed a lot of good meals --- the best was the steamed blue crab & corn that Mayhan's Dad and step mom fixed for us on Saturday night. Here are some pictures from the trip:

Prul, Mayhan and me @ Captain Groovy's restaurant

Mayhan is going fishin'!!!
Prul and me @ the beach

Our tasty dinner on Saturday night - thanks again Billy & Debbie!

Mayhan, Prul & me @ Greenie's

We had a great time and agreed that we need to try and make it an annual event. After a long weekend of hanging out with friends, it's now time to get back to the real world.....

I've been tagged by Kim!

Kim has tagged me …. I have been instructed to tell 6 quirky characteristics about myself. Since in my “old age” I have become a bit obsessive-compulsive, most of this list will focus on that:

1. I have a ritual that I go through prior to starting a new MBA class- First, I print out EVERY document, assignment, lecture, etc. I then organize them by week (I am taking 6 week classes) and add tabs to each new week’s documents. I then put them in a 3-ring binder and label the outside with the name of the course, such as BUS668 Distribution Management. I honestly cannot get any work done until I have organized myself, it’s kind of sad….
2. I eat Kit-Kats in a weird way – I first eat the chocolate around the outside, and then I break the bars apart by each wafer. Very strange indeed….
3. I don’t know if this is quirky, but I love anything to do with dance …. I still take dance classes and plan to do so until I can no longer walk. I also love any movie/TV show that focuses on dance – of course So You Think You Can Dance and America’s Best Dance Crew are two of my favorites.
4. I am going to have to copy Kim on the list thing …. I LOVE LISTS! I am always making lists of things to do at work and home, shopping lists, etc.
5. And carrying on with the list theme – I am a planning/organizing freak! My family and friends make fun of me because I often make an agenda for things. For example, I made an agenda for our trip home a few weeks ago that listed who we were meeting, what time, where. Also, if you were around for the Luau last summer, you better believe every minute and dollar spent was planned. I have come to realize that things might not go exactly as planned, but having some structure definitely gives me peace of mind. My Mom says I need to get over this prior to having children…. :-)
6. I LOVE Excel spreadsheets – I use them for my agendas, for keeping track of friend/family contact info and keeping up with our household budget. I even made a “call time spreadsheet” when Jason lived in Japan that highlighted the good times to call when each of us were not working or sleeping. I love using color in them too to highlight what’s been paid, what is over budget, what’s important, etc.

So I think I have confirmed my undiagnosed OCD in this post – I’d love to hear about everyone else’s quirks too!

My Mama's Tasty Meatloaf!

While we were home for a visit, I asked my Mom to show me how to make her meatloaf. I have tried before, but it never came out quite right ... so it was time for a lesson from the expert herself! Thought I would share the steps, enjoy!

Play the video to hear the ingredients (you can hear Bits barking in the background!):

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350, place all of the meatloaf ingredients in a large bowl

Step 2: Mix all of the ingredients well

Step 3: Place mixture in a baking pan, shape into a loaf. Place in oven for at least an hour (cooking times may vary)

Step 4: While meatloaf is cooking, mix topping ingredients

The combination of brown sugar and vinegar makes the topping great!

Place the topping on the meatloaf, cook for an additional 15 minutes or so. Enjoy! (I forgot to take a picture of the final product - we were starving!) :-)

Our trip home ...

Jason and I took a trip home July 19th through July 27th .... here's a recap of our trip:

Saturday we were scheduled to fly out of DTW around 2pm, but we missed our first flight because we were buying a new car (see blog post below) :-) We ended up arriving in Raleigh a little later than planned, but still had time to have dinner and drinks with Denny, her sister Lisa, and my sister-in-law Ashley.

Ashley, Me, Denny & Lisa @ Peak City Grill

On Sunday, Denny cooked us a great breakfast, then we headed over to visit Jacob, Ashley & our "nieces & nephews," Bo, Marley & Ava. My parents came to drive us to Danville and we all had a late lunch at TGIFridays.

Jake & his big baby, Bo

Monday was Martha's birthday, so we had dinner at Lonestar and ice cream at Bubba's. We then went back to Martha, Roger & Anne Rylee's house to play some Rock Band and Bowling on their new Wii.

On Tuesday, my Mom and I enjoyed the hamburger special at Ham's and visited my Grandma. Jason and I had dinner at Mayflower and then Bryce, Mama, Jason and I went to see "Dark Knight" at the movie theater.

Wednesday my Mom & I made her delicious meatloaf ... I actually took pictures of it so I can post it in a separate blog. (I thought others may want to try it) :-) Martha and I went to meet Steph's new baby, Brayden on Wednesday afternoon. On Wednesday night, Jason and I visited Stacy where we watched So You Think You Can Dance and had a Golden Girl marathon. As you may know, Estelle Getty AKA Sophia Petrillo passed away and Stacy and I are both big Golden Girls fans ... well, Stacy is more than me because she actually owns all 7 seasons on DVD!

Mama's tasty meatloaf

Thursday Jason and I met Sarah and Mike for lunch at Lonestar. We then drove to Huddleston, VA and visited Dean and Jami. Dean and Jami recently bought a new house on a large lot out in the country - it was very peaceful and relaxing.

Sarah & me at Lonestar

Friday we had lunch at my Grandma's house and most of my family was there - we saw Popey, aunt Cindy, my cousin Kristin, aunt Lois, aunt Bettie, uncle Carl, Jeanette, JoAnn and of course my Mom and Dad were there. After lunch I went with Martha to Southpoint Mall and Babies-r-us in Durham. Friday night we watched a good baseball movie called Final Season with my Dad, Mom & brother Bryce.

My Dad with Martha's baby, Anne Rylee

Saturday I had lunch with my aunt Bettie, cousin Valerie, Grandma and Mom at Southern Gourmet. On Saturday evening, we met up with friends at San Marcos restaurant. After dinner, we had some drinks at Buffalo Wild Wings ... we tried to go to the Warehouse to hear a band, but apparently everything closes down early in Danville :-)

1st pic: Amy Stanley-Dan, me & the "little nugget" in her belly!

2nd pic: All the girls at San Marcos

3rd pic: L-R Lesley, Me, Prul, Steph & Stacy @ BWW

On Sunday we had to head back to the airport ... Prul was heading to NC too, so she offered to take us. Before we left town, Bryce grilled some delicious chicken and my Mom made us some tasty veggies and potatoes - nothing like a home-cooked meal to send us off! We had a great time visiting everyone and can't wait until the next trip (probably around the holidays). Love & miss you already!!!