The Williams Family Western Adventure

Pecan Cobbler

2012-01-04T18:29:00.000-08:00

After I was gifted a large bag of fresh pecans I decided it was time for me to attempt to re-create the amazing pecan cobbler served at Texas Pride BBQ. I came pretty close and was pleased with the warm, gooey result. I made our dessert on a small scale to prevent Ricky from over eating but I guess you can expand my recipe to serve more than two if you'd like.

You need:

1 cup of chopped pecans
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1 cup of sugar, divided
3 tablespoons of melted butter and an additional 1/2 stick melted butter
2 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon butter flavor
1 cup flour
1 cup of milk
3 eggs
non stick spray
6 x 8 Pyrex dish (or similar size)

In one bowl, combine corn syrup, 3 tablespoons of melted butter, 1 tbsp vanilla, two eggs and 1/2 cup sugar. Blend well. Add chopped pecans and set aside.

In a second bowl, mix 1/2 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk, one egg, 1 tbsp vanilla and 1 tbsp butter flavor. Spray Pyrex dish with non-stick spray. Pour contents of the second bowl into the Pyrex dish. Pour the pecan mixture (from the first bowl) on top of the batter.

Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes or until edges look crispy. Allow the cobbler to cool for 20-25 minutes before serving.

Let me know what you think!

...and we're back!

2012-01-01T12:35:00.000-08:00

I know our blog has been on hiatus but I'm back and ready to blog for the new year! I hope everyone had a safe and restful holiday season. Ricky and I took a wonderful vacation to Costa Rica in December. It was, by far, the most beautiful place we've ever been; we are already brainstorming a second trip. We stayed at the RIU Guancaste (all inclusive resort) which I highly recommend. There are so many outdoor activities to enjoy in Guancaste that we only scratched the surface with: zip lining in the cloud forest, horse back riding, visiting a volcano and bathing in hot springs. We enjoyed lounging around the resort and eating amazing meals too.

For pictures, click here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.614976041425.2085190.50401332&type=1&l=37287949a0

As usual, we set goals for the new year. Last year we gave up fast food so we are having a little splurge today before going back to no fast food. I enjoyed Sonic mozzarella sticks and onion rings and Ricky just polished off some Taco Cabana! Tomorrow, though, it's back to the gym, juicing and eating things that grow out of the ground.

As far as vacations go for 2012, I'm going to Florida in February to visit Erin, we are tentatively planning a trip to San Francisco/Napa Valley in October and a beach trip to South Padre. I'll try to do better this year keeping everyone updated!

And the Heat Goes On....

2011-08-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

Man, it is HOT here in San Antonio! I love summer, I really do but we have had triple digit heat for almost two months. I never thought that clear blue skies with lots of sunshine could get annoying but I would LOVE to see some rain clouds right about now!

We have had a busy summer, as usual. We took a wonderful trip to Boston with my parents and Erin (pictures to come), did some tubing/"toobing" on the Comal River, and took a great beach vacation with our pals Nathan and Emily. We also visited the San Antonio wildlife park for some up close and personal time with zebras, ostriches, gazelles and tons of other animals. (for pictures: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.584097377515.2078472.50401332&l=5d5c27adc4&type=1). I've been working on decorating more of our house but it's hard to get motivated after fighting the heat all day.

I've been looking for ways to spice up my exercise routine. There's nothing more annoying to me than when someone says, "Oh, you're so skinny! Why do you work out?" First of all, I wouldn't look the way I do if I didn't make fitness and healthy eating a priority. Secondly, why would you discourage someone from doing something that is so beneficial mentally and physically? Thirdly, doesn't skinny imply lack of womanly curves? I think my husband would agree I'm not some pre-adolescent string bean either. Anyway, if you're looking to tone it up and feel great, take a look at these websites. They've got some great suggestions!

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a-complete-body-toning-workout
http://www.shape.com/
http://topexercisevideos.com/

Has anyone tried the Jillian Michaels workout DVDs? I'm thinking of trying that next.

Summer Zucchini Recipes

2011-08-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

**from allrecipes.com**

Oh gosh, our garden is producing zucchini out of control! I love them but I had to find new ways of preparing them so that Ricky and I didn't get totally sick of them. I highly recommend the zucchini cake recipe. It was light, delicious and a great way to have veggies in dessert!

3. Zucchini Cake

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease one 13x9 inch baking pan.
Combine eggs, oil, sugar, grated zucchini, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Stir in the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon and mix until just combined. Stir in the chopped nuts. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F(175 degrees C) for 45 minutes.

**Compliments of Allrecipes.com

4. Zucchini Scramble (a twist on my grandmother's recipe)

Ingredients:

1 cup sliced zucchini
1/2 cup sliced onions
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
coarse ground black pepper and kosher salt to taste
2 eggs
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup feta cheese

Boil zucchini in a large pot until tender. Drain water and season with garlic and onion powders. Add onions. Sautee onions and zucchini together for about three minutes. Crack eggs and scramble in a separate bowl. Add eggs to vegetable mixture and scramble together until eggs are almost done. Add 1/4 of feta cheese and season with salt and pepper. Great for brunch!:)

Summer Recipes Series, Continued

2011-06-18T14:20:00.000-07:00

2. Lemon Cake Bon Bons with White Chocolate and Candied Grapefruit Zest

Ingredients:
**NOTE: THIS RECIPE TAKES 24 HOURS**
one box white cake mix (or you can bake a cake from scratch)
16 ounces lemon icing (again you can make it yourself or buy it pre-made)
one large grapefruit
one cup white granulated sugar, divided
wax paper
2 packages of white chocolate candy coating

DAY ONE:
Prepare your cake as directed. Let it cool for about 2 hours. Break up the cake with your hands or a food processor until only soft crumbs remain. Mix lemon icing with cake crumbs until smooth. Refrigerate mixture of cake and icing from one hour. Scoop out cake mixture and roll into one inch balls. Place wax paper on a cookie sheet and place each formed ball on the wax paper. Freeze cake balls overnight.

Zest your grapefruit and collect zest in a small pot. Fill pot with cool water and let it set overnight at room temperature.

DAY TWO:

Boil water with lemon zest for 5-7 minutes. Pour off water, add new water and repeat boiling two more times. After the final boiling, add fresh cool water and 3 tbsp of sugar. Boil for 5-7 minutes until sugar dissolves. Drain water from zest and place zest on wax paper. Sprinkle 1-2 additional tbsp of sugar over the zest and let dry for an hour.

Remove the cake balls from the freezer. Melt the white chocolate coating as directed on the package. Using a toothpick or small dowel rod, dip each cake ball in the chocolate and place it back on the wax paper. Top each bon bon with the candied grapefruit before the chocolate cools. Place completed bon bons back in the freezer for one hour prior to serving.

Summer Recipe Series

2011-06-18T14:01:00.000-07:00

Despite the intense San Antonio heat (it's 104 degrees today) I have taken to the kitchen and worked on some great recipes for summer. Some are new takes on old classics and some are personal creations. If you like cooking as much as I do, you're sure to enjoy these tasty treats from your own kitchen.

My goal is to post one new recipe per week. I actually made two new things this week so here we go...

1. Strawberry Spinach Salad with Balsamic Honey Chicken:

I've had this a few times but I finally perfected it to my taste!

You need:
2 large chicken breasts
2 tbsp garlic powder
fresh ground pepper and salt to taste
2 tbsp onion powder
1 cup balsamic vinegar
4 tbsps of honey
fresh spinach (I used spinach and arugula)
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 cup diced cucumber
1/2 cup (candied or plain) walnuts
1/4 cup olive oil (or less depending on your preference)
6 sliced strawberries
1/2 cup feta cheese

Season the chicken with the aforementioned spices. Soak for five minutes in balsamic vinegar. Place the chicken breasts in a skillet with 1 tbsp olive oil. Baste the non-cooking side with honey. Cook chicken and baste the opposite side when you turn it over. Let chicken cool and then dice into bite sized pieces.

Combine spinach/arugula, strawberries, onion, cucumber, feta cheese and walnuts. Top with chicken.

To make the dressing: combine 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp of honey and oilve oil. Whisk and pour on salad immediately.

*Image borrowed from: http://i2.yummly.com/Spring-Strawberry-Spinach-Salad-Allrecipes.l.png

Spring Updates

2011-04-27T20:18:00.001-07:00

The Williams Family has been busy, as usual. April has been a crazy month and it looks like the next few months will be just as busy! Ricky and I both signed up to auxiliary pioneer this month, meaning that we would each devote 30 hours this month to the volunteer ministry. 30 hours doesn't sound like a lot but I can definitely feel them in my level of exhaustion at the end of the month! For the first weekend in April, Ricky and I splurged and went to see UK play UConn at the final four in Houston. Despite the Cats loss, it was a great time! Also during that trip, we met up with my cousin Malcolm (whom I hadn't seen in about 10 years!) and his wife and son. The next weekend April 7-11th, I went home to Evansville to visit the family. My aunts and cousins from Cincinnati even came down to visit. Erin and I got all of our favorite foods--Los Bravos, Donut Bank, Turoni's, Skyline Chili. Mmm...it was almost too much to handle.

For pictures click here:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.573345409545.2074881.50401332&l=e4fd492a72

I returned home from Indiana to find our house semi flooded from our washer. Ricky diligently took it apart only to find out a hose was clogged within the machine from muddy pants he washed after gardening. Speaking of gardening, I have been working on our front flower bed for almost a month. The previous owners planted only perennial "monkey grass", some un-identified bushes and a Texas Mountain Laurel tree (the only good part of the flower bed). All the monkey grass is gone and I've planted: a gardenia bush, canna lillies, calla lilies, begonias, marigolds, knockout roses, mini-roses, and colocasia (red). I also got a talavera pottery bird bath. The flower bed looks MUCH better and I'll post pictures as soon as I get it fully mulched. Now if only we could get some rain so that I could stop watering. This weekend I'm starting a veggie garden in the back yard so hopefully it goes well!

Ricky and I also experienced a San Antonio tradition last weekend--tubing or "toobing" on the Comal River thanks to our friend Jason. We picked up inflatable tubes from a local sporting goods store and heading up to New Braunfels for a day of (free) tubing. We loved it! If you can't find us this summer, we'll be floating down the river.

We are preparing the circuit assembly next weekend, my Texas Dental Association meetings next week and of course, Nathan and Emily's visit in June. We'll keep you posted.

San Antonio Colloquialisms

2011-03-08T07:21:00.000-08:00

Every part of the US has their own little sayings that make them unique. For the most part, Texans and midwesterners don't sound too different. I have noticed, however, a few key phrases that I never heard used before I moved to Texas.

1. "Crashed Out": To fall asleep immediately. I think it's common for someone to describe going to sleep as "crashing" but the addition of "out" was something new to me. I remember coming into work one day and my assistant asking why I was so tired; "Dr. Williams, did you crash out late?" Hahaha.

2. "I was all..." This is used as a replacement for the midwestern phrase "I was like...". For example: "I didn't understand why he was here so I was all 'Hey, what are you doing in Texas?'"
You have to listen carefully for this one but just about everyone I know in San Antonio uses it without even realizing it!

3. "Barely" Obviously I've used this word before but Texans (specifically people in Floresville) take it to a completely different level. "Barely" has to be one of the most (over) used words in local vocabulary. It's common in the following situations:

"I'm on my way but I'm just barely leaving."
"I just started working but I am barely starting the insurance."
"She said she was coming and then she barely showed up."

In some instances, I'm not even sure what it means. Does it mean the event happened or didn't happen? Did they show up or not show up? It's very confusing.

4. "Coming out" vs. "Coming in"-This is probably my favorite phrase related to dentistry. For my entire life I have referred to a newly erupting tooth as "coming in." Not here in Texas. Everything is "coming out."

"I'm 18 and I think my wisdom teeth are coming out."
"My baby is two and not all her teeth are coming out."

The first few times I heard it I thought they meant the teeth were literally falling out, not erupting normally. It doesn't even make sense; the teeth are coming IN to the mouth. Part of them always remains in the gum tissue so to say they are "coming out" is just illogical. Every time I hear a patient say it I respond with "COMING IN!" hoping they can pick up on the change.

Hahaha, love Texas!

Shellac: My New Obsession

2011-02-18T10:42:00.000-08:00

As a dentist I probably wash my hands 50 times a day. I am constantly fighting dry hands and dehydrated nails. I absolutely love getting manicures and pedicures but was constantly frustrated that my manicures never lasted more than a couple of days. Last month we visited Houston to visit the Atkinson Family and babysit their kiddos so they could attend West Side Story. The next day, Mary Jacqueline and I treated ourselves to manicures at a local salon. We were given the option to try Shellac, a new hybrid manicure instead of the traditional polish. Shellac is a new techniques that uses nail polish infused with chemicals that are activated by UV light. The shellac is applied like nail polish only in several stages. After each stage, you place your hand in a UV light box and the polish is set. It takes about an hour and your nails are fully dry when you leave since the light solidifies the polish. It's guaranteed to last for two weeks. I LOVE it! I've already had it applied twice and I have an appointment tomorrow for another Shellac manicure. The best thing about it is that unlike (horrible) acrylic, Shellac doesn't damage your nails. There are no drills used to file down your natural nails or damage your cuticles. Plus, it removes easily. I usually just peel mine off after two weeks or you can have "Shellac removal" which consists of a cotton ball and mild acetone. My nails have never looked better! You can get Shellac pedicures as well, which I plan on doing this summer.
At Isabelle's European Day Spa in San Antonio, Shellac Manicures are 35.00 for solid colors and 40.00 for french manicure.

For more information on Shellac, see this website:

http://www.cnd.com/Products/Color/shellac-hello.aspx
Pictures compliments of aforementioned website.

Welcome to 2011!

2011-01-06T09:11:00.001-08:00

Wow. Another year down. I feel like as I get older time keeps going faster and faster. Today I realized that on my birthday this year, I'll be the same age my mom was when she gave birth to me. *Gasp*

2010 was a busy year for us as I'm sure it was for most people. We are finally starting to feel settled in our new house and improvement projects fill almost every weekend. Along with every other person on the planet, I set new goals for myself that will hopefully make 2011 the best year yet! I know Ricky has his own personal list of planned accomplishments but he's not sharing them with me:)

Lauren's Goals 2011

1. READ MORE. I love reading but I only read two or three novels last year. I am truly going to work hard to revive reading this year with more personal study and more secular reading. I recently completed "The Help" which was an amazing book. I'm currently working on "Eat, Pray Love" and will definitely be posting my review of that book when I complete it. It's....interesting.

2. Be more spiritually aware which involves daily Bible reading and prayer. Last year I felt like I only prayed before I ate and that's just not enough!

3. Be less stressed. I know, easier said than done. I'm just a person who needs to know what's going on at all times and that can leave you feeling a little flustered. I'm trying to be less concerned about housework not getting done, less bothered by patients who ignore my dental advice and more concerned about ME and my contentment.

4. Wardrobe update. Probably the most exciting goal. As a creep toward 30, it's time to toss some clothes that I've been hanging on to since I was in high school and add more sophisticated pieces that reflect my current style. I'm also thinking "outside of the box" and trying to buy things I wouldn't normally pick out. Everyone tells me, "Oh, you're soooo skinny! You can wear anything!" But you know what? I DON'T! I wear the same things all the time. That's about to change. (Note these cute booties I just bought!)

5. New fitness hobbies. I love working out but I need some variation in my workout routine. I have tried running and I just hate it. I love my cycling classes at the gym so I am planning on taking up cycling! I've been shopping for a bike so hopefully I'll be a full on cyclist by spring.

6. Travelling. We are getting this year filled with new trips. My goal is to visit at least three places I've never been before. We're already planning on going to Boston and Las Vegas. I am also working on a trip to a resort in Costa Rica. I'm taking suggestions for any other vacation ideas!

Kinzers Come to Texas

2010-12-25T14:36:00.001-08:00

Ricky and I LOVE visitors so we were very excited with our pals, Richard and Alicia decided to visit us in San Antonio. Neither Richard nor Alicia had ever been to Texas so I was looking forward to showing them what San Antonio has to offer. We visited the usual hot spots: The Alamo and the Riverwalk. We also took at trip to Winery on the Gruene in Gruene, Texas. (WineryOnTheGruene) A German settlement, Gruene is known for its wine and German cuisine. They also have great tubing on the Guadalupe River in the summer. The winery features a great variety of white and red wines. I never drink sweet wine but I LOVED their Orange Chocolate Port Wine. It's the perfect taste of sweetness after a good meal; although I could never drink an entire glass. We hoped to have lunch at the Gruene Door restaurant but it closed early on Sunday:( Instead, we went to the Gristmill which sits on a picturesque hillside on the Guadalupe River. Our food was excellent and we were not disappointed. If you ever visit, I recommend their onion rings--big and tasty! Alicia and I took in an afternoon at the JW Marriott Resort Lantana Spa. The beautiful grounds and serene environment made for a lovely afternoon. We were able to take in a Spurs game on Wednesday night (Spurs vs. the Milwalkee Bucks where the Spurs won!) and a trip to the Flying Saucer. We ended their trip with an amazing breakfast at Magnolia Pancake Haus! We loved hosting the Kinzers and can't wait for them to return.

For more pictures, click here:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31730254&l=f742990a0a&id=50401332

Cowboys Game!

2010-12-06T09:27:00.000-08:00

I really wanted to post about our trip to the Austin City Limits Music festival but I realized I didn't take any pictures. We are definitely returning next year. The highlight of the festival for me was an excellent performance by the Eagles. They put on a great show.

So on to another exciting event: Dallas Cowboys vs. The New Orleans Saints. Thanksgiving Day. We took off for Dallas on Wednesday afternoon. Our 4 hour road trip morphed into a 6 hour trip as the highway was bombarded with holiday travelers. We arrived late Wednesday night and checked into our hotel to get a good night's rest for our big day. I highly recommend the Marriott Suites in Dallas, Market Center. The rooms were huge and the breakfast was well worth the extra 10 dollars! Thursday we started our day with a tasty room service lunch and waited anxiously for our limo transport to arrive. The stadium in Arlington is about 30 minutes from downtown. I had heard from numerous Texans that the new Cowboys stadium was amazing but I had no idea how impressive it would be in person! 90,000 fans packed the stadium for the game. Kenny Chesney did a phenomenal half time show. The Cowboys fell behind early and you could definitely feel the disappointment in the air. In the second half of the game the Cowboys surged back and took the lead. Unfortunately they couldn't pull out a win but it was still a great time.

For more pictures from our trip, click here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2070141&id=50401332&l=e6c0125cb1

House Updates

2010-11-01T15:07:00.000-07:00

The Williams Family has been hard at work on our new home. When my parents came over the summer, they helped greatly with the major painting. We have slowly been buying furniture, decorating and doing mini construction projects. Next summer I am going to make a keep sake photo album with "before" pictures and all of our renovation pictures. Until then, here are a few "after" shots....

Guest Room:

Master Bathroom:

Master Bedroom:

Living Room:

Back Patio:

Sorry, I couldn't rotate this one for some reason:

Kitchen:

Summer Vacation 2010

2010-10-11T19:26:00.000-07:00

The Williams Family had a BUSY summer! We did the family vacation in May, purchased our home in June, moved into the house in July, had our summer convention in August and took a ten day vacation to the Midwest in September. Not to mention working on the house, dinner parties, my sister's recent visit....no wonder I am so exhausted! Here are some highlights from our September vacation. We began our voyage flying out of San Antonio for Chicago on September 4. Our good friends from UK Dental/Medical schools, Chrissy and Dave had a fabulous wedding in Chicago Labor Day weekend. They fully represented Dave's Scottish heritage with kilts and bagpipers. Chrissy celebrated being Egyptian with an amazing belly dancer performance. The wedding was a great representation of Chrissy's generally glamorous appearance. We loved the dental school reunion and can't wait to see everyone again!

Our dear friends, Matt and Laurie, graciously drove us from Chicago to Lexington to continue our vacation. We split our time between Georgetown, Lexington and Richmond. We spent several nights with our friends, catching up and sharing in good food. Emily and Nathan had a wonderful party for us during which she showcased her awesome hosting and cooking skills. We also took at trip to the Buffalo Trace Bourbon Distillery (Note: Buy their cream bourbon due to hit shelves April 2011. It is AMAZING.) and to the Berea Artisan Center where we bought authentic Kentucky BBQ sauces. We finished up our trip with Morgan and Seth's wedding in Lexington at Fasig Tipton--the same location of our wedding! It was great being back there and Morgan was a beautiful bride.

More blog updates to come: House Updates and Austin City Limits!

Key Lime Cake

2010-09-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

I love cake. It's my favorite dessert, besides ice cream, so I'm always looking for new tasty cake recipes. My mom and grandmother are FAR better than I am and can create amazing cakes without recipes. I'm trying to get up to their level:) If you're looking for a moist, light cake with yummy tangy flavors, this is it! I made a Key Lime Cake this weekend for a barbecue and it was a huge hit. Despite some crazy mishap that resulted in my layers sticking to the pan, it was a great success. If you want to try it yourself, the recipe is below.

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 ounce) package lemon cake mix--(If you have a recipe for a homemade lemon cake, you can use it instead. Just prepare it as normal and add the orange juice and lime jello mix)
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 (3 ounce) package lime flavored gelatin mix
3/4 cup orange juice

1/2 cup butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
3 tablespoons fresh KEY lime juice
1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs.

Combine cake mix, gelatin mix, oil, eggs and orange juice. Pour into three 8 inch cake pans--be sure to grease and flour the cake pans well. Bake according to instructions on box. Allow to cool. To make the frosting: In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat the heavy whipping cream until peaks form. Add fresh squeezed key lime juice and 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Place the whipped cream mixture between the layers. Take the remaining whipped cream and fold it into the butter and cream cheese. Frost the outside of the cake with the mixture. Top with crushed graham cracker crumbs and sliced key limes.

Houston Date Weekend and the Arrival of Mitchell Perry

2010-08-10T06:35:00.000-07:00

After weeks of moving and home improvements, the Williams Family needed a break. Ricky and I decided to take a quick weekend trip to Houston for some relaxation time and to meet our newest pseudo-nephew, Mitchell.

We decided to stay at the Intercontinental Houston near the Galleria and the Museum District. Other than the horrific traffic in Houston, it was a great weekend. Little Mitchell slept through our visit but I know he was glad to see us:) We had a great dinner at the Red Lion (I highly recommend the Punjabi Eggrolls) and an even better breakfast at Cocos Crepes and Coffee. Before heading home on Sunday we visited the Houston Museum of Natural History. I was VERY excited to see real-life dinosaur skeletons! There is also an excellent children's chemistry/energy display at the museum that Ricky and I enjoyed more than the kids!

Such a cool periodic table. It had examples of all the elements in those little boxes!

I was in dinosaur heaven. The second picture is me next to a raptor skeleton.

Such a beautiful baby. Mitchell Perry Atkinson. July 31, 2010. 9 lbs 1 ounce.

Cricket Invasion

2010-07-14T11:05:00.000-07:00

When they said "Everything's Bigger in Texas" they weren't kidding! Earlier this year, Floresville (where I work) was infested with these large ,black, stink beetles. The beetles are finally gone and now we're overrun with crickets. San Antonio has an annual cricket season from June to August. Last year there weren't very many at all because the extremely hot and dry weather killed all the cricket larva. On average, hundreds of thousands of cricket eggs are laid every year with only 25% actually surviving and becoming new crickets. We have been blessed with lots of rain and much cooler temperatures this summer (we haven't hit 100 degrees at all!). Unfortunately that means that instead of a fourth of the eggs hatching, we had somewhere between 70% and 80% of the eggs hatch this year. There are crickets EVERYWHERE. It's so disgusting here at work. In the pictures below you can see crickets piled up outside our building and in the parking lot. We've sprayed numerous times and even though they die, more hatch everyday so we can't stop them. It's horrible. I hope the season ends soon!

First of Many Home Projects

2010-07-05T16:36:00.000-07:00

We are still working on slowly moving in to our new home. We decided to do some minor construction/renovation projects prior to moving in. The first thing I noticed about our kitchen is that the cabinets, although nice and fairly new, did not have handles. It looked unfinished and, well, not to Williams standards. I purchased some very nice brushed nickel handles on Amazon.com for approximately 1.00 each and Ricky completed their installation this week. I completed the cleaning and painting of most of the baseboards (thanks Christina and Norma for your help). We have also packed up and moved our guest bathroom over to the new house. I am working on packing up the guest bedroom and unused kitchen products this week. Our new fridge was purchased today and we are in the process of getting our new, grown up king sized bed! So many new, wonderful changes.

**Ricky has since installed handles on the drawers too!**

Closing Time!

2010-06-16T09:11:00.001-07:00

After weeks of waiting, it was finally time to close on our first house. Unlike many of our friends, we had a very smooth and uneventful experience. Most of this was due to our amazing realtor, Jo Lewis and our fantastic loan officer, Cleo Garza. After signing a stack of papers the little house is FINALLY ours! Jo (see picture) gave us a great little gift--a bowl to match our new kitchen, great chef's knives and other kitchen accessories. We could not have had a better realtor! We have to do some routine things before moving in...calling the locksmith, getting it exterminated, etc... but we can start moving in any day. We're going to pick up a new TV and finalize paint colors this weekend! It's all very exciting and I can't wait to get started. We will definitely keep you updated on our redecorating process.

First Anniversary Weekend

2010-06-12T12:32:00.000-07:00

One year of marriage: done! With all the changes--graduation, moving to Texas, new job and now a new house, we almost didn't have time to do anything special for our big day! We decided to take a weekend trip to Fredericksburg, Texas for a quaint celebration. Second only to Napa Valley, CA the Texas Wine Country is one of the largest wine producing regions in the US. There are numerous vineyards and winery starting in the verdant Hill Country about one hour northwest of San Antonio. We stayed an adorable Bed and Breakfast, 'The Magnolia House" right in the heart of Fredericksburg. There are B&Bs on every corner in the wine country, each with their own twist on Texas charm. The Magnolia House was voted "Best Breakfast in the Wine Country" and we could easily see why. Homemade peach muffins, great fresh squeezed juices, and local sausages made the breakfast to die for! Ricky and I also enjoyed a wonderful anniversary dinner at The Nest, followed by our one year old butter vanilla wedding cake. It was delicious!

To see pictures from our trip, click here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2059331&id=50401332&l=ebc827af73

Massey-Williams Family Vacation

2010-06-01T10:31:00.001-07:00

I love vacations. There's just nothing better than getting away for a few days, indulging in great food and relaxing. In May, Ricky and I went on our first post-marriage vacation with my parents and Erin to Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. After meeting up with Erin in Jacksonville, we travelled to St. Augustine to do some sightseeing. The Castillo de San Marcos is a key stop in St. Augustine as it is the oldest military fortress in the United States. We had a great time walking around Old Town and enjoyed a great wine tasting of Florida citrus wines. While in Florida we enjoyed time at the beach and a great seafood meal at Clark's Fish Camp (my personal favorite). We decided to be adventurous and try some exotic food while at Clark's. If we had known that the snake of the day, python, would be totally repulsive we definitely would have picked kangaroo or turtle. I LOVE trying new foods but I cannot recommend python. Imagine removing the sole of an old, sweaty gym shoe, covering it in batter and frying it. That's exactly what fried python tastes like! I've never chewed and chewed something only for it to remain in the same shape it was when I put it in my mouth. NEVER again!

We road tripped from Jacksonville to Charlotte, NC. On our way, we stopped and spent a day in Savannah, GA. If Savannah is known for anything other than coastal waters and historic homes, it has to be food. Of course we had great meals while were there and tried to burn them off by walking the Savannah River Walk. If you ever visit Savannah, we recommend the Pirate's House southern brunch buffet. It's delish! Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, okra, green beans, macaroni and cheese (the best I've ever had) squash casserole...mmm mmm! All kinds of southern goodness. If you are in the mood for spirits, the Key Lime Cooler is amazing as well.

Ending our trip in Charlotte was great because we got to spend time with many family members I don't get to see often. My aunt Michelle hosted a barbecue at her new home so that we could see as many people as possible while we were in town. We were also privileged to meet Isaac Taylor, Annalee and Chris Taylor's new baby! Isaac was lovable and cuddly, just as we expected. To see pictures from our vacation, use this link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2058848&id=50401332&l=07a3aa940a

Our First Home...the Williams Edition

2010-04-27T11:39:00.000-07:00

Ricky and I have casually been looking at real estate in San Antonio for the past few months. With the first time homebuyers tax credit on the brink of expiring we hustled our search into high gear and finally narrowed down our house search to a few picks. After much deliberation, we decided on a small one story house in the quaint subdivision of Emerald Point on the northeast side of town. It's cozy with just the amount of space we need--an ideal find for first time homeowners! I'm already making plans for painting, new furniture and backyard parties. Ricky is shopping for BBQ grills and lawnmowers. Needless to say, the three days of offers and counteroffers, along with all the stress, was totally worth it. We cannot wait to move in! (Closing date is tentatively June 14th). As long as our inspection goes well this week, we'll be calling this our home!

Lauren's Mac and Cheese

2010-04-20T07:25:00.000-07:00

Since I detest and refuse to eat Easy Mac, I've been working on perfecting my own homemade macaroni and cheese recipe for a while. I wanted the baked cheesy goodness my Mom and Grandma can consistently produce but I didn't want to ask for their help, hahaha. If you're interested, my fantastic concoction is below. It was amazing; Ricky and I devoured half of an 11 x 13 baking dish of it by ourselves!

*Note: The picture is not of my macaroni but of the closest replica I could find online (www.countryliving.com). We ate half the pan before I thought about taking a picture. I also want to try these individual baking dishes when I serve it for a dinner party!*

You'll need:

2 cups of rotini pasta

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1 egg, scrambled

1 teaspoon diced garlic

3 turns of fresh ground pepper

1 can of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup (low sodium)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup shredded (not grated) Parmesan cheese

1 cup half and half

Cook the pasta for about 3 minutes so that it's not quite al dente. I use the Barilla pasta with extra protein so it takes a little longer to cook. In a large bowl mix the following with a spatula: cream of mushroom soup, 1 cup cheddar cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, half and half, butter, garlic, pepper and egg. Add the cooked pasta (drained) to this mixture. Mix thoroughly and place in a greased baking dish. Top the mixture with the remaining cheeses including the Parmesan. Bake for 25 minutes at 325 degrees until the cheese on top is fully melted with small regions of brown crispy cheese on the edges.

Enjoy!

Texas Wildflowers

2010-03-31T08:34:00.000-07:00

I knew the state flower of Texas was the Blue Bonnet but I had to Google one to see what it looked like. According to my research, Blue Bonnets pop up in the early spring and hang around until the dry heat of summer comes. We have had a considerable amount of rain this year, enough to bring Texas out of its two year drought, so we have lots of green grass and Blue Bonnets EVERYWHERE! I didn't realize that this part of Texas is known for their wildflowers and there are many different varieties other than the Blue Bonnet. My 40 minute commute to work each day has been made a little brighter as every field lining the highway is now FILLED with flowers.

Now for a little lesson in Texas flora:

1. The Blue Bonnet: (see above) Named for its color and, it is said, the resemblance of its petal to a woman's sunbonnet, the bluebonnet is the state flower of Texas. It blooms in the early spring and can be readily found in fields and along the roadsides throughout central and south Texas.
Scientifically named Lupinus texensis, the bluebonnet is also called buffalo clover, wolf flower, and (by the Mexicans) el conejo. It was adopted as the official state flower by the Texas Legislature in 1901. Note: it is apparently illegal to pick Blue Bonnets off the side of the road!

2. Firewheel Indian Blankets: A hardy, drought tolerant annual native to the central United States. Easily established from seed, it forms dense colonies of brilliant red flowers with yellow rims. The flower diameter is slightly smaller than its perennial cousin Gaillardia aristata. An excellent variety of coastal beach-front property or sand dune reclamation sites. Thrives in heat and full sun in well drained soils. (Don't you like the cactus in the background? It just SCREAMS Texas!)

3. Indian Paintbrush: The flowers of Indian paintbrush are edible and sweet, and were consumed in moderation by various American Indian tribes as a condiment with other fresh greens. These plants have a tendency to absorb and concentrate selenium in their tissues from the soils in which they grow, and can be potentially very toxic if the roots or green parts of the plant are consumed. The Chippewa Indians used a hair wash made from Indian Paintbrush to make their hair glossy and full bodied and as a treatment for rheumatism. The high selenium content of this plant has been cited as the reason for its effectiveness for these purposes. Nevada Indian Tribes used the plant to treat venereal diseases and to enhance the immune system. Various other tribes used the plant as its name suggests -- as a paintbrush .

4. Slender Stemmed Bitterweed: found in any open, sunny space anywhere in San Antonio, commonly on the sides of roads. It can grow up to a foot and a half tall, and blooms from March to October. (They are the yellow ones in my picture.)

I took the pictures along Highway 181 between Wilson and Bexar counties here in Texas. If you're local, I suggest you visit them in person. It's beautiful!
Credits: www.wikipedia.com

Recent Tasty Recipes

2010-03-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, nothing very exciting has been going on for the last month so I haven't posted anything. However, I have tried a few new recipes that were very yummy so I thought I'd share:

Almond Crusted Tilapia

(This is for two people but you can expand it as needed to fit your family.)

2 large tilapia fillets

lemon pepper seasoning

kosher salt

garlic powder

onion power

1/2 cup whole almonds

1 cup whole wheat flour

one egg

1 TBSP olive oil

Season the fillets to taste with the seasonings listed above. Using a food processor or blender, chop the almonds. Mix the almonds and flour together on a plate. Scramble the egg in a bowl. Coat the seasoned fillets in the egg. Bread the fillets with flower and almond mixture In a large skillet heat the olive oil on medium heat. Pan fry the filets for about 5-7 on each side (keep the heat on medium). It has a great crunch texture because of the almonds! I served it wilt green beans almondine and garlic mashed potatoes.

Bacon and Gouda Stuffed Pork Chops

I tried this recipe but my pork chops were too thin to stuff. Instead I topped them with bacon and cheese and finished cooking them in a white wine cream sauce. I will try it again with them actually stuffed but they were still great! (I took this picture from the recipe website. It's what they are SUPPOSED to look like.)

Ingredients
2 ounces smoked Gouda cheese, shredded
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 (2 1/4 inch thick) center-cut, bone-in pork chops
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat.
In a small bowl, combine the cheese, bacon, parsley, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
Lay the chop flat on cutting board, and with a sharp knife held parallel to the board, cut a pocket into the pork, going all the way to the bone, but leaving the sides intact. Stuff cheese mixture into pocket, and close with a wooden toothpick. Brush meat with oil, and season with salt and more black pepper.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes on each side, or until pork is done. Careful not to overcook!

Come on San Antonio...Let's Rodeo!

2010-02-25T07:23:00.000-08:00

What could be more authentically Texas than a Rodeo?! Ricky and I were very excited when the rodeo rolled into town earlier this month bringing cattle and cowboys for our enjoyment. We were even more excited when Ricky won two tickets via a Kens 5 (local news channel) Twitter promotion! Every year the rodeo tours, much like the circus, visiting the major cities in Texas. To kick off the big event, all the cowboys participating in the rodeo ride their horses from Austin to San Antonio. They are then greeted at the Cowboy Dance Hall at 7AM on the Friday before the rodeo begins. The Cowboy Dance Hall hosts the "Cowboy Breakfast" where everyone in San Antonio is invited to have breakfast with the cowboys...FOR FREE! Unfortunately I had to work the morning of the big breakfast but next year I will be taking the morning off to get my free breakfast tacos! Mmm...

The rodeo takes place at the At&T Center, also where the Spurs play their home games. Over 10 tons of dirt are brought into the center and spread out over the floor to make it rodeo appropriate. In an effort to be "green", the dirt is cleaned and recycled for use every year. I'm not sure where they store tons of dirt or how they remove all the animal droppings from it but whatever, at least they try.

Rodeos consist of a series of events that occur daily. At the end of the 3 weeks, winners are chosen from each category based on their performances. The only group to get awarded daily trophies are the little tykes that participate in mutton bustin': 4-6 year old boys and girls who hang on to a sheep's back trying desperately not to fall off. It was, by far, the best event. Other events include: barrel racing, bull riding, calf roping, goat tying, saddle bronc and bareback riding, steer wrestling and whip cracking.

There is also your traditional carnival that takes place on the grounds outside. Rides, funnel cakes, petting zoos and games are in abundance. Ricky and I stuck to the actual rodeo as it was 2hours long and I've had my fair share of carnivals. There was also a musical performer after the rodeo but we decided to leave before that too. In all, the rodeo was a fun experience that I wouldn't mind doing again.
The little girl who won MVP for mutton bustin' on display on the big screen.

The kind of creepy rodeo clown...I liked to call him Fisbo.

Cattle waiting to be released...only to be tied and put back in their cages.

Everything's Bigger in Texas!

2010-02-11T08:31:00.000-08:00

Texas has been such a fun state to live in. I have never met people who are so proud of where they live. Although the abundance of Texas decorations can be a bit annoying, Texans definitely take pride in making their state the best one in the US. One fun aspect of Texas is its oversized food. While watching Man Vs. Food (http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Man_V_Food) I saw an episode about Texas featuring San Antonio and Austin. San Antonio is home of the biggest pizza in the US...the 42 inch monster at Big Lou's pizza. Big Lou's is a small, family owned restaurant that specializes in Italian food. They made the monster pizza as part of a promotion a few years ago and it was so popular that it was placed on their regular menu. One slice is approximately 16 inches long and can be topped with whatever your heart desires. Their specialty is the BBQ brisket pizza (typical Texas cuisine) but we had a half cheese and half pepperoni sausage and vegetable pizza. We attempted to tackle the pizza with our friends Nandini, Ted and Kila. We quickly found out that we needed about 3 more friends. We all finished two slices (I am still not sure how) and had six remaining. I am glad I can say I tried the monster 42 inch Big Lou's pizza because I never want to try again!

Williams Family Cruise 2010

2010-01-30T14:13:00.000-08:00

What's better than lounging on a luxury boat in the middle of the ocean with some of your best friends? I can't think of anything as the first Williams Family vacation was a big success! We set off from Fort Lauderdale on January 2 on the Ms Eurodam courtesy of Holland America. The ship was very nice and equipped with several gourmet dining rooms, two swimming pools, a gym, six bars/lounges...it's too much to enumerate! For seven days we experienced amazing tropical ports of call, fancy 5 course meals and the warm Carribbean sunshine. Ricky and Nathan became Karaoke stars and the numerous senior citizen women on the ship were their groupies.! There were only a few negative points to our trip: On the first night, the ship cruised through VERY rocky waters, so much so that Emily, Nathan and I experienced some serious sea sickness. Ricky was immune, I guess because this was his fifth cruise. On Monday, when we arrived at Grand Turk (part of the Turks and Caicos Islands) it was cool (70 degrees) and cloudy. There was steady drizzle the entire time we were there, but that didn't inhibit our snorkeling trip and sting ray adventure--which was really fun! Our other ports were: San Juan, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, and Half Moon Cay, Bahamas. Half Moon Cay is owned by the cruise line and has the cleanest, clearest beach I've ever seen. Honestly, it was like swimming in a salt water fish tank! Below you'll find a few pictures. It really was a great trip and Ricky and I are already planning our next vacation.

This is a photo of what our room was like. Ours was always too messy for me to take a picture of it but it was great! The balcony was worth the extra bucks.

Ricky and I on the first formal night. There were two on the ship. Some people refused to dress up which was annoying.

Ricky and I posing in San Juan on our way to Fort San Cristobal.

Beautiful San Juan!

My favorite meal on board: Surf n Turf night! I need to make more lobster at home. Yummy!

Ricky's performance in the Karaoke Challenge: Sitting on the Dock of the Bay--Otis Redding

The Williams Fam posing with the ship DJ/Line Dance Teacher/Bingo Caller/whatever they made him do: DJ Jazzy John!

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas!

2009 Year End Review

2010-01-01T10:55:00.000-08:00

Welcome to 2010 everyone! Ricky and I had a good laugh this morning thinking about how the Y2K drama ten years ago. Amazingly, we've made it well into the 2000's and I can hardly believe how fast time has gone by. 2009 was a big year for me...graduation from dental school, getting married, landing my first job and moving to Texas. I have been through many changes and I continue to develop into a combination of Lauren Nicole, Dr. Massey-Williams and Mrs. Williams. In short, things are going well and I can't wait to see what the future has to offer. To officially end 2009, here is my top ten list of my "bests" of 2009....

1. Best event: Our wedding. May 23, 2009 at Fasig Tipton. Planning our wedding really showed me how you can both love and hate something all at the same time! It was an amazing experience and I have thoroughly enjoyed growing closer to my best friend.

2. Best accomplishment: Passing STRA or "dental boards." Without a doubt, the MOST stressful test I have ever taken. Having eight years of work come down to two days out of your life is a terrible feeling. I can honestly say that I will never take clinical boards again.

3. Best vacation: This was a tough call as it came down to our pilgrimage from Kentucky to Texas and our honeymoon but in the end, Jamaica wins! The beautiful sights and sounds of Jamaica are unforgettable. The great food, wonderful people and relaxing environment made for a fantastic honeymoon...even if I did fear for my life at Mayfield Falls...

4. Best Entertainment Event: Disney's the Lion King--the Musical. Amazing. That's all that needs to be said.

5. Best wine: A great value if you like red wine: Manage e Trois. A blended wine that goes with almost every meal. It sells for about $10.00.

6. Best Purchase: New bedroom furniture! After spending months living out of Rubbermaid bins, our new mahogany dresser and chest were a welcomed change. The mirrored night stands were the icing on the cake.

7. Best family moment: Reuniting with my cousin Tim at our wedding. We hadn't seen him in at least 10 years! It was great and we are doing our best never to fall out of touch again.

8. Best Recipe: "Men Love This Steak." If you came to our wedding, this meal was even featured in our wedding talk. A grilled or pan seared New York Strip steak topped with Dijon mushrooms, red peppers, bacon and bleu cheese. Men and women alike love it!

9. Best births: I was happy to meet Samara Nell a mere two weeks after she was born at our wedding. She has grown into an even more adorable baby that I have loved spending time with. Also born a few days before our wedding: Jersey Elle. Miles and Nicole keep me updated with new pictures of Jersey every month and she's definitely one of the happiest babies I've ever seen! Even though her impending birth kept her parents, Brook and Anthony, from making it to our wedding but I still LOVE Esme Grey. She's so pretty and has her parents' outstanding personalities.

(Esme Grey)

(Ricky and Samara Nell)
(Jersey Elle)

10. Best TV Show: Thank goodness for MTV, otherwise I never would have been introduced to...JERSEY SHORE! My Thursdays have been so much brighter since this show started. I just can't get enough of Snooki, Paulie D, Ronnie, Sammie, and of course--The Situation.

The Masseys Take Texas

2009-12-24T16:12:00.000-08:00

I was the first one in my family to visit to Texas so the prospect of visiting me here has been a hot topic of conversation since we moved. My parents and Erin came for a visit last week and stayed for eight days. Well, Erin had to leave early because she had tickets to a Colts/Jags game but she enjoyed the time she was able to spend here. Unfortunately, San Antonio experienced a three day cold front while they visited and temperatures hovered around 50 with high winds. That is definitely warmer than the weather in Indiana but still not ideal. After the weather broke we were back in the 70's with sun and my parents could fully understand why I evacuated the Midwest.

Some trip highlights: We visited our favorite Mexican restaurant Paloma Blanca for lunch. Dad was able to sample a Mexican traditional breakfast dish: Migas. It's a mixture of scrambled eggs, tomatoes, onions, peppers and crunchy tortilla strips. It's one of my personal favorites and I knew that dad would enjoy it since he loves eggs. My Mom and Dad were both able to taste guacamole for the first time and....they really liked it! I am sure some of you are thinking "Um...Lauren, there's guacamole in the Midwest too." but from personal experience I can tell you that: 1--It's not nearly as good and 2--It's not really that popular. We also took them grocery shopping (it doesn't take much to make my parents happy) at Central Market, our favorite all natural/organic grocery store. My Mom fell in love with it and quickly realized that to truly appreciate the entire store she would have to come back for another visit! Sunday night we went to see Disney's the Lion King which was more spectacular that I ever anticipated. Seriously, if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend that musical. The costumes are outstanding. I wish I could have taken pictures but unfortunately they weren't allowed.

Erin wanted to see the Alamo, some cactus and tumbleweeds. Despite popular believe, there aren't any tumbleweeds in San Antonio. Sorry Erin:)

Below are some pictures from the Massey's big trip out West. Enjoy!
Erin's first taste of Mexican food in San Antonio. She was pleased.
Below: Dad enjoying his migas at Paloma Blanca.
Above: Mom, Erin and I posing in front of the Alamo. Yes, it was one of the cold days:(
Mom and Dad posted up in front of a huge cactus at the Alamo.Erin posing in an awesome cowboy hat that she ended up not buying:(

Thanksgiving in the Midwest

2009-12-05T08:20:00.000-08:00

(Tyrone and Pat's House)

Ricky and I headed back to Kentuckiana for the Thanksgiving holiday. We had been planning this trip for a while and were anxiously awaiting the delicious meals my Mom would provide for us. My sister, Erin, flew in from Florida and our friends, Nathan and Emily, made the drive to Evansville from Richmond! Prior to making the 1.5 hour drive from the Louisville Airport to Evansville we were able to have dinner with Ricky's parents, brother and sister-in-law. It was great to see everyone, although I wasn't quite prepared for the cold dreary weather. I never noticed how early it gets dark in Evansville--4:00PM this time of year!

Of course when you go to your hometown there are some local foods you have to get. Mom and Dad greeted us in Louisville with some of my favorite confections: Donut Bank donut holes. They are delicious vanilla and chocolate cake donut balls coated in a yummy sugary glaze. They also make simple glazed donut holes but the cake ones are my favorite. We also took Emily and Nathan to Ritzy's, a 50's style ice cream and hamburger shop. Their chocolate ice cream has won "Best Chocolate Ice Cream in the Country" several times but my favorite is their "Ooh-ooh Oreo". Everyone had a variety of flavors which were all delicious.

Back at home my Mom prepared a great dinner for us all. Turkey, dressing (stuffing if that's your word of choice), green beans, mashed potatoes, pumpkin casserole (amazing!) and rolls. There was also the staple canned cranberry sauce, which I have never really learned how to eat. It was all wonderful and a big thanks to my Mom for all her hard work. For dessert we had red velvet cake and pound cake from my Mom, haystacks and surprise cookies from Emily. YUM! We also had the Moffats as additional dinner guests. The last time I saw Brook, she was pregnant with Baby Esme. Now the Moffats live here in the US with 5 month old Esme. She's so cute!

(Erin, Esme, Lauren)
Erin takes a pretend ride in Mom and Dad's new SUV.
Emily modeling a HOT Christmas sweater at Gordman's on Black Friday.

Ricky and Nathan in an intense game of NERTS.
Me rockin' my Mom's Snuggie.
Ricky looks like he's trying to throw Esme on the ground.
Group photo after dinner!

Totally Tejas

2009-11-29T17:46:00.000-08:00

Sorry, this entry is several weeks behind! We have been so busy lately that I haven't had time to keep the blog up to date. We actually just got back to Texas after a trip home to the Midwest for Thanksgiving. I will blog a separate entry for that.

One of the best things about living in Texas is all of the exciting food festivals that San Antonio hosts. We actually missed a pretty large one, Wurstfest, two weeks ago but made up for it by visiting one of the biggest events in the state. On Sunday November 15th the Atkinsons and the Williams visited the final event in the San Antonio Food and Wine festival series: The Totally Tejas Festival at Rio Cibolo Ranch. Rio Cibolo Ranch in Marion, Texas (http://www.riociboloranch.com/) is about 20 minutes from our apartment and is a popular site for cooking lessons, wine tasting, horseback riding, weddings etc...

The Totally Tejas event was WAY larger than any of us ever expected! There was over 100 different wines to taste, food to sample from San Antonio's best restaurants, gourmet meats and cheeses, live entertainment, a barbeque cook-off...gosh! It was all so overwhelming. We managed to make it to each booth and fill our bellies with all kinds of yummy samples. Samara was a trooper and didn't cry the entire day. Clearly, she's a very cultured baby. Mary Jacqueline and I answered a trivia question correctly and won Glee (the fabulous sitcom on Fox) t-shirts! The non-food highlights of the day included MJ and I taking an imaginary ride in a Porsche Cayenne and being lassoed by a real live cowboy! We will definitely be visiting this event annually as it was more than entertaining.

Samara, who didn't get to eat any cool food or drink any wine, was pretty darn happy at the end of the day:)

An Abused System

2009-11-11T11:13:00.000-08:00

A conversation I read on Facebook today reminded me that I have always wanted to give my 2 cents about my hatred of the the abuse of the homeschooling system. I feel like homeschooling, from its inception, was created for certain (often extreme) circumstances in which your child cannot attend public or private school. For example, you live in a crime ridden city and all the public schools are, in your opinion, too dangerous for your child to attend. In this case, homeschooling might be a great option for you. Some children develop childhood illnesses that keep them from attending school for long periods of time so they must be educated at home. In this case, homeschooling works and can be very effective. I do believe that it takes a special child to be successful at homeschooling not to mention dedicated, educated parents. Parents must pick programs in which they are involved in the education of their child as the primary teacher in conjunction with a workbook or online program. When my aunt decided to homeschool my cousin, she chose a program that had mandatory log-in times for their online system, keeping children from sleeping all day and eventually doing 1-2 hours of school work. Some kids are disciplined and can follow a fairly regimented schedule totally of their own volition and it is these children that excel at homeschooling.

There is a "crew" of homeschoolers from Ricky's hometown. Today I read a conversation between them on Facebook talking about the ease and simplicity of the Penn Foster high school homeschooling program. I commented that I successfully survived 12+ years in a classroom, in front of a real, live teacher and this was one response:

"Man that's not cool I don't think I could ever sit in a classroom I would get in to much trouble"

This is from a high school aged boy. For all of my friends who have worked in the school system, how many of your teenage boys had some behavior problems? I'm going to guess over 50%? That's no reason to be sitting at home all day, Facebooking, texting and MySpacing your friends instead of being in school!

Here's a comment from a teenage girl, also in the Penn Foster program:

"Dude im in p.f too an most of the stuff is sooo simple.. im like uhhmm im not really lerning nething but ok! lol but yet i hardly ever get my school done.. shame on me... lol"

Wow. Check out the awesome spelling and grammar skills in both posts! "Nething?" That's a totally new spelling for me! It's so sad that these kids realize they're not being challenged and they think it's funny. The same kid who made the initial post, later posted that his brother, who is at least 20, STILL hasn't graduated from Penn Foster's online program. I used to see this kid all the time when I lived in Lexington and he's not sick, has a girlfriend and a driver's license. There's no reason why he can't complete his high school education. What does the future look like for these kids? Bleak, filled with little to no options. Many of them work for family owned businesses and think that since they have Blackberrys/iPhones/Palm Pres for non-stop texting, a little pocket money for going to Applebees with their friends and a few overpriced shirts from Hollister that they have it made! I think someone needs to crack down on these parents who have placed the responsibility of gaining a basic education on their children's shoulders. Who's with me?

A Potpourri of the End of October

2009-10-26T07:53:00.001-07:00

I can hardly believe that October will be over at the end of this week. Ricky and I have been San Antonio for 3 full months and are now experiencing the Texas version of fall. (The picture to the left is stolen from a website that features "Fall in the Hill Country of Texas"!) While my parents report temperatures in the 40's in Indiana, we have been steadily reaching highs in the upper 70's with sunshine. Ricky was in D.C. for his solar competition for ten days and the cold dreary weather of the upper east coast made him realize how privileged we are to have our fabulous weather. Granted, we are making up for the drought of the summer months with scattered days of torrential rainfall. This morning I made my commute to work at 45MPH as heavy rain, thunder and lightning followed me all the way to Floresville.

Two weekends ago we visited the Atkinsons in Houston who are preparing for the move to their first (purchased) home. I remember how horrible it was to sort and pack before our last move so I eagerly volunteered to help. Granted, Garrett maintains that he packed more boxes than MJ and I combined but I was on hand to make lunch and give pep talks when they got discouraged:) Plus, I packed a lot of beautiful china that took a lot of time. Little Samara is no longer an 8lb newborn but instead a big healthy five month old! Here's a video of her exploring her developing sense of touch with her most sensitive appendage...her tongue.

Also while visiting Houston we visited a furniture store called, "The Dump." They sell all kinds of high priced furniture at a discounted rate. As most of you know, I have been obsessed with mirrored furniture ever since I saw the large mirrored armoir in Tori's bedroom on "Tori and Dean, Home Sweet Hollywood." We have a fairly traditional bedroom suit but I thought some mirrored bedside tables would bring a modern twist to the decor. I have been searching forever for some in a reasonable price range. I fell in love with some sold at Neiman Marcus but I was NOT in love with the price tag of about $1,000 each, including shipping. I found the EXACT same ones at The Dump and purchased TWO of them for less than the cost of one from Nieman Marcus. Gosh, it was so exciting. There are pictures below; the second one is obviously from our own bedroom. Sorry, it's hard to get mirrors to photograph well.

Aside from incredibly boring trip to Defensive Driving School for a bogus speeding ticket I received last month, our weekend was pretty fun. Ricky and I visited Coco Chocolate Lounge, a French restaurant/lounge with a menu centered around chocolate. I couldn't imagine chocolate integrated into an entire meal being that tasty but it WAS! We each enjoyed a tasty salad that featured mixed field greens, balsamic vinaigrette dressing, dried cranberries and shaved white chocolate. I will definitely be adding chocolate our our salads at home now because it's SO GOOD! The sweet chocolate is a great complement to the bitter vinaigrette dressing. Our entrees were excellent and the dessert, of course, was amazing. They also sell a wide variety of chocolate martinis that you drink from a chocolate straw. Delicious! We were also surprised to find out they had a live band playing that night, Breezin' featuring Beverly Houston, and a DJ on their outside patio. The live band was fantastic and after stalking their website, I plan on making their next performance at Coco on December 12th. To check them out, visit: http://www.sa-coco.com/

What Dr. Lauren Does at Work

2009-10-14T06:07:00.000-07:00

For the most part, I can say that I love my job. There are days that are harder than others but overall, being a dentist is pretty cool. I think I'll love it even more when I get to run my very own practice but only after I develop my burgeoning dental skills. Yesterday I saw one of my favorite patients who hasn't smiled in years because of some pretty bad cavities in in lateral incisors (the small teeth next to your two front teeth). He and his wife just started their own business and don't have any dental insurance and were worried that he wouldn't be able to get the care that he really needs. Many community health centers claim to do, "No cosmetic dentistry" which I don't really understand considering ALL dentistry is cosmetic. I don't remember learning two standards in dental school, one for cosmetic and one for...umm...non-cosmetic? Anyway, I just ignore what the other general dentists say in our group and do work that I'm proud of. Here are some pictures of the case I did yesterday. Needless to say, the patient was very happy, so much so that he was caught giving his wife "inappropriate" PDA in the lobby afterwards. This was done with composite, or tooth colored filling material, not crowns or veneers. The slight darkness you see in his teeth in the final picture is from the lighting in the operatory, not from any cavities I left behind! Oh, and sorry for the weird pinkish skin in the first shot but I needed more contrast to show how crummy his teeth were before.

Before....

After!!

Solar Power!

2009-10-09T05:57:00.000-07:00

Ricky left yesterday for Washington, D.C. to compete in the annual Solar Decathlon competition. In his final semester at UK, he worked with a team of engineers to design a solar powered house from the ground up. Over the summer, I would occasionally come by as he worked on the house and when we left, the design was complete but only a sturdy steel frame with some dry wall was complete on the construction end. Ricky sent these pictures last night of the house and as you can see, it's considerably more complete! There will be more pictures to come but I wanted to get these up first....

So I'm at home hanging out by myself until he returns. I have plans to do some deep cleaning, reorganize our heavily stocked pantry and hang out with my friend, Dr. Norma.

Everyone always asks me what good recipes I have tried lately. A few weeks ago I made this one from Allrecipes.com and it was delicious! I recommend making your own pesto sauce because that's what we did and I think it makes a BIG difference. I used scallops instead of shrimp because that's what I had on hand. You can also use half and half instead of all heavy cream as well as whole wheat linguine.

Creamy Pesto Shrimp

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 pound linguine pasta
1/2 cup butter
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup pesto
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add linguine pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in cream, and season with pepper. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly.
Stir Parmesan cheese into cream sauce, stirring until thoroughly mixed. Blend in the pesto, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until thickened.
Stir in the shrimp, and cook until they turn pink, about 5 minutes. Serve over the hot linguine.

Finally, I'd like to officially congratulate Chris and Annalee Taylor as they recently discovered they are having a baby boy! I'm so excited that I get to spoil a little boy in addition to Mary Jacqueline and Samara's little girl, Samara:)

Countdown to Cruise 2010!

2009-09-29T11:03:00.001-07:00

I just looked at my Facebook counter and it's now less than a hundred days until the cruise! Just a mere 94 days separate me, Ricky and the other Williams Family from the warm sunny Caribbean. We leave on January 2, 2010 and head to several stops on our 7 day cruise. I'm most looking forward to Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos Islands because I've heard it's amazingly beautiful with crystal blue waters and wonderful snorkeling. Other ports include: San Juan, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands and Half Moon Cay, Bahamas. Initially I was totally against any cruise that goes to the Bahamas because I've heard it's crowded and very tourist laden. However, this island is privately owned by Holland America and is supposedly mostly untouched. I'm anxious to see it in person but it looks beautiful online.

In preparation for this, Ricky and I have been working on our fitness. For the last 5 or 6 years, I've tried my best to get into working out. Honestly, it was never something I had to worry about before as my weight has never been an issue for me. With age come changes and even though I've been blessed not to have too many adverse changes I do know that eventually, it's coming. Instead of waiting until it IS a problem, I've decided to attack it head on. Ricky has been helping me train my arms to be more shapely and toned. In return, I have been helping him train his abs with some moves I learned when taking pilates. Everyone says this but working out even when you are exhausted gives you so much energy! You can work of stress you never realized you had. I've been trying to go at least 3 days a week but I was so sore from my first arm workout with Ricky that I had to take a few days off. Note to all women: We are not built like men. I'm convinced that pull ups are not something we are designed to do. Needless to say, I did seven at my first attempt, with assistance, and my goal is to be able to do 10 without help. Ow.

Cooking at home with Ricky is probably one of the biggest joys we have shared together since being married. We both love cooking and at times we have a small battle to see who can make the best dish. I am a firm believer in cooking with fresh natural ingredients--this includes butter and heavy cream (in moderation!), but also fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and seafood, natural herbs and whole wheat pastas. I'd much rather have a small amount of butter than a whole stick of margarine. I will use Splenda only because it's made from sugar but since Ricky hates it we still use regular sugar for baking and sweetening tea. Overall, things are going well. I'm feeling myself getting stronger and Ricky has noticed a significant (positive) change in how his clothes fit him. We keep telling ourselves that these changes are not just for the cruise but for our lifetime! With a history of both high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and cancer in both of our families being proactive with good exercise and diet is not an option, it's a necessity.

If you're looking for a nice, healthy way to prepare tilapia, I stumbled across this in the Whole Foods Application on my iPhone:

Broiled Tilapia with Parmesan and Herbs

290 calories per serving

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

2 tbsps of low fat mayonnaise

2 tbsps of fat free plain yogurt or sour cream

2 tbsp of olive oil

Juice and zest of one small lemon

1/2 tsp basil

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tbsp sea salt

1/4 black pepper

4 tilapia fillets

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl except for the fish. Place the fish in a baking dish and coat with mixture. Place dish in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Preheat broiler and cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Place each fillet on the aluminum foil and make sure to cover each piece in the marinade mixture. Broil in the oven for about 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Top with remaining Parmesan cheese.

The "Spirits" of Texas

2009-09-21T14:12:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we took a leisurely trip to the Hill Country in New Braunfels, Texas. Located about 30 minutes from San Antonio, New Braunfels is a beautiful nature-based town where you can go hiking, take a ride down the Guadalupe River on a raft, explore the historic town of Gruene and visit several vineyards. We went for a wine tasting at Dry Comal Creek Vineyards. I had heard that Texas wines are good but I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the wines we were able to sample from Dry Comal Creek. I enjoy dry white wines and their Sauvignon Blanc was pretty tasty. They also make a FABULOUS sangria from their house wine that is served frozen, like a slushy. It's delicious and will be made in the Williams Family Home. If you are interested in making it yourself, here is the recipe:

Thanks to drycomalcreek.com....

6 oz. can frozen orange juice concentrate plus
1 can of water
6 oz. can frozen limeade concentrate plus
1 can of water
1 liter Hill Country Fair grapefruit soda (chilled) (found at HEB) 1 bottle Dry Comal Creek Foot Pressed Table Wine
DIRECTIONS:
Blend frozen limeade and orange juice with water. Add Foot Pressed Table Wine. Add chilled Hill Country Fair grapefruit soda and freeze until slushy, then serve. Garnish with orange
(You can substitute the HEB grapefruit soda with Sam's Club Sparkling Water in one of the citrus flavors.)

We loved the vineyard and will definitely be back. They also have a grape stomping festival every year where the patrons stomp the grapes used for their foot pressed wine! All the participants get their name on the back of the bottles for that year. We will be participating in 2010 for SURE!

The grapes for the year have already been harvested but I'm determined to see them on the vines next year.

Award Winning Wines!

I wish I had gotten the name of our wine server. He was really nice and is moving to China today so he won't be there when we return:(

Ricky has mentioned for a while that he wanted to visit the Flying Saucer--a bar and restaurant known for it's fabulous selection of imported beers.

We ventured out to the San Antonio location with some new friends including my pals Dr. Norma, the pediatric dentist and Dr. Nandini the fabulous pediatrician from our sister clinic in Pleasanton. You can join the UFO club (Ricky did, of course) and receive a personalized swipe card to keep track of all the beers you drink. Once you reach 200, your name is put on a golden saucer (a plate, not a cute small UFO like I was envisioning at first) and you get a party hosted at the Flying Saucer where you complete your grand task. On our first trip Ricky had two beers so he's still got 198 to go! Thanks to Garrett for suggesting the Allagash White! I really like it and I'm not the world's biggest beer drinker.

Ricky worked intently filling out his UFO application.

This is blurry, sorry, but it's the wall of "Flying Saucers", patrons who have completed their entire beer menu!

I am currently working on plans for when my parents visit us in December. If they are interested, we'll be going to see the Lion King--On Broadway at the Majestic Theater in San Antonio. If they aren't interested, Ricky and I will be going together for sure! I've heard great reviews about it for years and have ALWAYS wanted to go. If any other Texas have suggestions, I'll gladly take them.

Times, they are a-changing

2009-09-14T07:08:00.000-07:00

With the ever growing debate about health care, everyone keeps asking me what I think about it. I work in a community health center which, in theory, caters to the needs to the underserved and non-insured. In the past, it has generally been the case that people without dental insurance are relegated to low quality or no care. I'm proud to say that my office has state of the art equipment (including digital x-ray) and does not look like your typical community health center. I am 100% committed to providing the same care for the patients I encounter here as I will my patients in private practice. It is sad, though, that many patients have already told me that I'm "too good" to be working in this office. That tells me that years of experience have shown them that the care they receive cannot be as good as what their insured counterparts experience. I think there is a terrible misconception floating around in the general public about the type of people I see in my clinic. First of all, I would guess that less than half of my patients are on Medicaid, as Medicaid only covers dental treatment for people less than 18 (or less than 21 depending on which state you live in) or pregnant women. I only work on pregnant women in emergency situations (with the exception of a cleaning) so I rarely see that portion of the population. Instead, with the shift in our economy, I am seeing a different segment of society. Well dressed, highly educated formerly employed people who have beautiful veneers and crowns from the days when they were employed (or better employed) with dental insurance are flooding my appointment book. Our offices takes several dental insurance policies but if you don't have insurance, they bill you based on your income. I have one patient who is an engineer and designed the first electric car in the state of Texas. He was working overseas with a global intiative for solar energy when he was downsized. Recently, his home was sold in Houston and moved to Floresville where he lives in a modest home with his wife. What does he do now? He works for the state work force coalition helping other unemployed people find jobs for dollars on the hour. I asked if he planned on getting back in the engineering field and he laughed and said, "Dr. Williams, at my age I was about to be out of working. Period. Now I have no retirement and no insurance. I'm too old to compete with current workforce so I'm stuck." A patient from last week is three years older than I am and came in with a cavity. A dentist from another community center told him to just get the tooth taken out even though it's well within the realm of being saved. He recently moved to Texas to escape the cost of living in Southern California which he could no longer afford. Previously, he worked as part of the ever growing biotech industry until he was injured on the job. Without disability insurance he was forced to sell his large beachfront home and move here. He cannot work and is trying to get his prior employer to pay for the back surgery he desperately needs. I hope I can make his life a little easier by fixing one tooth but the sad reality is, a cavity is the least of his problems.

Healthcare reform is a complicated issue. So many people are screaming and fighting in the streets about while they have little insight into what life without viable insurance is like. Our current system isn't working for the majority and it's time for a change. Is the proposed plan perfect? No, but there has to be SOMETHING that's better than our current system. I just hope people can stop fighting long enough to find it.

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-07T19:26:00.000-07:00

Well, the day has finally come that I can celebrate my first Labor Day as a real wage earning Laborer! How exciting. Ricky and I spent most of the weekend relaxing and running errands but it was definitely nice to have a break from work. I had hoped to take a trip to New Braunfels, TX to go tubing on the Guadalupe River but Ricky showed little to no interest in the idea so we ended up staying home. I was able to spend some time at our pool which was a fairly decent alternative. Plus, I bought myself an iPhone which has been keeping me pretty entertained. I've bought a lot of cool things but "the I" as I call it, is by far the coolest. It will probably get it's own blog entry after I learn how to use it. I already have my fair share of apps thanks to Mary Jacqueline who shared an...um...extensive list of her iPhone applications.

After about 6 weeks in Texas, we have found there are things in Texas that are a little different than the average state....

1. People are OBSESSED with the "Lone Star" symbol. (see above) It's usually a boring, ugly copper colored star inside a circle. They put it on their front doors, on fences, on lamps, on EVERYTHING. It's so ugly. I refuse to conform.

2. Ricky and I live in Bexar County. In case you missed it, that's B-E-X-A-R. I assumed that was pronounced "Bex-ar"....wrong. Apparently the accepted pronunciation is: "Bear or Bayer." I really have no idea why or how that works but when I said "Bexar" to the woman at the DMV, she laughed hysterically.

3. Speaking of the DMV, I was shocked to find out that local DMV offices in Texas cannot print your drivers license on site. Instead, all of your information has to be sent to Austin to the Department of Public Safety where the license is processed. It takes 5 to 8 weeks to get your license mailed to you and in the meantime, you get a lame paper receipt to use as a license (it doesn't have a picture on it either!). Oh, and in the event you ever want to get a Texas Driver's License, here's what you need to take: current driver's license, birth certificate (original only) or passport, social security card, receipt from your car registration (not the sticker that's on your car), proof of insurance and if you're female and have been married less than a year, an original marriage license. I fully expected them to ask for a vial of my blood or a stool sample in addition to all that stuff. Ugh.

4. Bakeries in San Antonio all advertise the best Kolaches. I have been seeing this all over town but had no idea what a "Kolache" was. I envisioned something like a donut or an eclair but was disappointed when I saw this picture at a local gas station:

So, in San Antonio, Kolache = Pig in a Blanket

As most of you already know, I'm obsessed with coupons. It just annoys me to spend money that could be saved by a free piece of paper. Ricky and I have made it our goal to save as much as possible during our grocery shopping with manufacturer and store coupons. On a recent trip to Wal-Mart we saved almost 12.00 in coupons! If you're looking for good deals, check out coupons.com. You can print coupons specific to your shopping needs for free. This week, for example, there is a 75 cent coupon for General Mills cereals. We printed it since Ricky eats cereal by the box and were prepared to use it at Wal Mart. Thumbing through the Sunday paper we saw that Walgreens is having a sale this week and all GM cereal is 1.99/box (as opposed to 3.00/box at Wal Mart). With the coupon you can get Cheerios for 1.22/box! Okay, so maybe it's not that exciting but it pretty much made my day.

Finally, I hope everyone was able to participate in the faaaaabulous Chick Fil A promotion today. By wearing your favorite team's logo, you could get a free chicken sandwich. Ricky and I joined several other San Antonians for a nearly free lunch and got to see all the teams represented by patrons. (We were the only ones representing Kentucky, of course!) The funniest "team gear" is shown by the guy below. I guess he couldn't find a jersey or t-shirt in time for lunch. Hahahahaha....

Planes, Trains and, oh wait, just Automobiles

2009-08-26T09:38:00.000-07:00

When we made the move to Texas, Ricky sold his beloved Audi A4 as it had major engine malfunction and we didn't want to move a broken car. Since we arrived in San Antonio, I have been searching desperately for a car for him. We inititally thought we would get a silver A4 but after dealing with a very shady seller, we ended up not buying the car. I found a nice red Audi for sale on Craigslist during my first week of work. When I called the sellers, they were going on vacation for ten days but promised to call when they returned. Weeks passed and I thought they had forgotten about us but then they called last week! Their son bought the car while he was in the military and then was deployed for service. The car didn't get much use and for the past few years, it's just been sitting in his parents' driveway. After waiting patiently for the power of attorney to be transferred to his parents, we were able to pick up the car on Sunday. Ricky was, of course, excited to have his own wheels (FINALLY!) and I was glad that we found such a good deal. (You know how I love a bargain.) Oh, and the picture above is of an identical twin to the one we bought. I took a picture this morning but in my sleepy haze, I accidentally deleted it. I'll post more later on.

The Audi, sporty and fun as it may be, is also a "stick." Ricky has always owned manual vehicles and I have been asking to learn how to drive them but my words fell on deaf ears. Now that we're married and JOINTLY own the Audi, I'm demanding my first driving lesson this week. I have a feeling it's not going to be pretty and I've asked Ricky to post his own blog about his experience teaching me to drive. Look for updates soon.

Life is good. We officially hit our one month Texas citizen mark and our 3 month wedding anniversary. Ricky is still searching for a job while I am getting into a good routine with mine. I am considering changing our schedule from a 4.5 day work week to a 4 day week starting in January. My third dental assistant returns from maternity leave in September and I'm eager to get to know her. Many patients have already asked why some of the things I do are so much better than the previous dentist. I guess I should call UK and thank them for their awesome education.

Williams Family DIY

2009-08-18T11:27:00.000-07:00

Although we don't own our current residence, we've been able to put to work some HGTV skills in re-purposing some household items that I originally was going to sell or give away. I bought some paint and re-did a lamp just before we moved by painting the shade a nice bold color and brightening up the base with some white paint. Our guest bathroom is decorated in blue and green and when we have a bathroom we can paint, I want to paint it a nice yellow. For the time being it's a neutral shade of beige:( I painted one shelf (that I forgot to take a picture of) sage green and Ricky took on the task of painting the face of the drawer on a small (cheap) bathroom cabinet. By deciding just to accent a small part of the cabinet it was totally revitalized! I was very impressed when I came home to Ricky's handi-work. I can't wait to see how dangerous we'll be with walls to paint and home construction at our fingertips.

Last Saturday we were planning to attend the New Wine Food Festival rose wine tasting at Becker Vineyards. We got the address from the website where it was advertised and I confirmed it when calling to order tickets. Well, to our surprise our San Antonio address was actually for the ticket office only and the wine tasting was over an hour away in Fredricksburg! Unfortunately, we didn't have the time or the energy for that drive so we decided to make the best of our Saturday. iPhone came to the rescue (I'm getting one next month. YAY.) and suggested a restaurant called "Paloma Blanca" in Alamo Heights (note: You will here more about Alamo Heights later on as we would LOVE to purchase a home there!). It is a very quaint family owned Mexican restaurant. Nestled in a quiet corner there is beautiful outdoor seating on their patio as well as a very well decorated inner dining room equipped with lounge couches and chairs. We both had chicken enchiladas that were excellent along with their homeade chips and salsa. We highly recommend it and will probably take visitors there this winter as we generally avoid chain restaurants!

Dr. Lauren and the Health Fair

2009-08-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

Monday I started my third week as Dr. Lauren at Wilson Community Dental. We had our first annual health fair today which was a big success! Our entire center participated (medical, mental health and dental) and we saw about 100 members of the community. Everyone was excited to get some dental freeness (toothbrushes, of course!) and fill out new patient applications. Medical offered blood pressure screenings and blood sugar testing. There was also a fun raffle equipped with items donated from local businesses. I won a fragrance diffuser which is now gracing our guest bathroom. My other dental assistant, Halie, also stopped by to say hello as she is out on maternity leave with her new baby boy, Lawson. You can see my other two assistants, Angie and Pedro below. I forgot to get a picture of Justine, our practice manager, who is expecting a baby in April. We will also be adding a dental hygienist to our little practice in December after the two additional operatories are completed. Right now, I get to do my own hygiene work which I secretly enjoy:)

My office renovations are still in process. I have to order some sort of table/entertainment center to hold my microwave, stereo and small fridge. It's set up in a hilariously ghetto arrangement right now with my stereo and refrigerator on the floor and my microwave on a chair. I was too embarrassed to take a picture of that.

My desk and comfy office chair. In person it looks a lot less cluttered.

Angie and Pedro. Awesome Assistants!

Pedro's 2 year old brother, Noah, visited us at the health fair. Isn't he so cute?!

Halie came to visit, minus adorable baby Lawson.

Our Trip to IKEA

2009-08-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

There are few things I love more than home decor. I was so excited about our trip to IKEA in Austin. If you have never been before, it's basically a giant warehouse full of home furnishings. In one section of the warehouse there are full sized rooms set up with the various products they offer. If you want, IKEA can install the exact room in your home. I didn't realize how vast their inventory is--you can even order granite in bulk for counter tops. We really needed items to help "flesh out" our living room and add accents to our walls. In the end, we decided against two much needed bookshelves and TV cabinet as Ricky thought they would clash with our contemporary theme (I disagree, but oh well). We did, however, bring home a very cool large ottoman for the living room, shelves for the cookbooks in our kitchen, a bathroom wall storage unit and picture frames.

IKEA's version of how they would decorate the White House.

I still love IKEA but if you're looking for long lasting, high quality furniture, you won't find it there. Most, if not all of their furniture is made of fiberboard and painted, dyed and glossed to look like hardwood. I really want cherry or mahogany bedroom furniture and they don't offer anything along those lines. IKEA sells a wide variety of home accessories that can be used to decorate any home--modern or traditional. I hope to make other trips to IKEA to continue the makeover of our apartment.

At home, we now have a functional guest room. It took a few hours on Sunday but I was able to get the bed in order and remove more boxes. The next step is to transfer all the books now packed in boxes in that room to new bookshelves that I hope to find this weekend. I also need a cute chair for the desk turned vanity that's in that room. If you want to help, I'm looking for something in a pastel color scheme (pinks, yellow, green, blue). The whole apartment still needs curtains so that's on the list as well.

Back to our weekend, we also saw Paul Mooney's stand up performance in Austin. He was hilarious and we really loved it. If you have never seen or heard him, Paul Mooney used to be the head writer for the Richard Pryor show and he was 'Negrodamus" (the Black Nostradamus) on the Dave Chapelle show. As a result, most of his jokes are race related. One woman who was hastily offended by a comment he made about Cubans (note: She was not Cuban and Cubans in the audience thought the joke was funny!) and was escorted out. I think Paul was even caught off guard by that one. But, if you like to laugh and aren't easily offended, I highly recommend!

Chef Ricky!

2009-07-30T08:45:00.000-07:00

In true Ricky and Lauren style, we have switched into our temporary roles of me going off to work and Ricky staying at home. Ricky is currently looking for a new awesome engineering job and serving as the "househusband." Everyday I come home to a clean house, laundry being done and a tasty dinner. I've been helping with dinner since I love cooking and am usually home by 6 but last night, Ricky cooked all on his own. I've often said that my husband should go to culinary school because he really is a great cook. Last night proved my point again as we had Italian grilled chicken breasts, grilled red peppers and homemade pesto and fettuccine. (See the picture above.) It was great and although I want Ricky to find a job he loves, I will definitely miss my househusband when he's gone.

In other news, Ricky and I are going to Austin on Saturday to visit IKEA to do some furniture shopping. I get my first big girl paycheck on August 7th and we definitely have room in the budget for decor! I am excited about making our new house a home and finally having furniture that doesn't look like it should be in a college apartment! When the new furniture arrives, I'll certainly send pictures.

Work is going well. I'm actually there right now so obviously we aren't very busy. I've been doing mostly evaluations, consults and new patient exams but will do some restorative (AKA: fillings) this afternoon. The patients, for the most part, have all been very excited to have a new dentist. Apparently the former dentist wasn't very popular with the staff or the patients. I am in the process of redecorating my office and improving the smell. I'm not really sure what my predecessor did in here but it smells funny to me. There's also a random toaster that he left behind that I need to get to Goodwill ASAP. I have some pictures up right now but I have more to hang. I also need to find cute desk accessories because this industrial black plastic just isn't working for me. One of my assistants, Pedro (yes, I have a straight, male dental assistant! It's so nice to have someone break up the estrogen:)) is working with me to find posters that we can hang in the office. When I'm satisfied with my office, I'll post some before and after pictures:)

Lauren and Ricky Taste Texas!

2009-07-28T08:05:00.000-07:00

First off, those boots are located outside Northstar Mall. Aren't they so cool!?

As you all know, Ricky and Lauren love eating. Mmm...tasty meals are so great! On our first Saturday "date night" here in San Antonio we ventured to the Quarry, one of our favorite parts of town, to go to Piatti Ristorante and Bar. I have always loved Italian food and this place got rave reviews! The restaurant is in limited locations throughout the country and the one we visited is the only one in Texas. They feature an outdoor patio decorated with white Christmas lights. Sitting inside was the only option that night because of intense winds that constantly blew over table umbrellas. We started our meal with a complimentary appetizer (thanks chef!): breaded artichokes with white caper sauce. Next came a very interesting looking Caesar salad, topped with an anchovy. Note: if you've never had them, anchovies are VERY salty! Ricky and I, after a long week of moving in, decided that we definitely needed an "adult beverage"! I thoroughly enjoyed my Bellini and Ricky and the signature Dark and Stormy. For entrees Ricky decided to go with a seasonal dish: stuffed chicken, mashed potatoes and carrot (note, not carrotS when you look at the picture). The crab and lobster linguini I had was amazing. We will definitely add this list of restaurants to places we will visit again!

The Quarry is a great shopping area of town featuring: Whole Foods Market, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, Banana Republic and a large movie theater, just to name a few. It's very close to the prestigious "Alamo Heights" area of town where Ricky and I hope to buy a home!

The Move to Texas...Done.

2009-07-22T20:03:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally made it! As of Monday July 20th, Ricky and I are official residents of Texas. According to the mileage listed in the Passat, we drove a mere 1,400 miles to get here! Starting in Lexington, we drove south to Nashville where we planned to have some delicious pancakes from the infamous Pancake Pantry. Despite my neatly typed, well planned itinerary, we arrived in Nashville 2 hours behind schedule. On the highway, we experienced the only traffic jam of the trip which had us tied up for 30 minutes.
Traffic Jam...UGH.

Unfortunately we arrived too late in Nashville to enjoy Pancake Pantry. It was pretty depressing, especially for Ricky who has never had the yummy confections before. Mmm...pecan pancakes. Instead, at the recommendation of Mary Jacqueline and Garrett (former Nashville natives) we went to Jackson's which was on the opposite side of the street. I had Caesar salad and some amazing crab cakes. Ricky had the ahi tuna wasabi Caesar salad and French Onion soup. For dessert, we had the Jackson's special: Cookie Dough Egg Rolls with homemade vanilla ice cream.

Cookie Dough Egg Rolls...odd combination, great taste!

Our first overnight stay of the trip was in Memphis, Tennessee, about three hours away from Nashville. We got a great deal on a very nice Marriott hotel room via Priceline and eagerly checked into our room around 10PM Saturday night. We heard great things from several friends about Rendezvous--a restaurant in Memphis known for their ribs. They have been featured several times on the travel channel and have visitors from all over the world. Ricky and I both enjoyed their ribs (I got the half rack, Ricky got the full rack), baked beans, spicy coleslaw and sweet tea. We now understand why so many of our friends recommended rendezvous! It was great and we got to experience a little of the downtown Memphis night life.

Before, mmm....
The aftermath. YUM.

Sunday morning we set off on the road again. From Memphis we drove three hours to Jackson, Mississippi. I must say, despite the delicious Raising Canes we had in Jackson, Mississippi was pretty boring. The landscape is very similar to Kentucky and Tennessee, the radio stations were pretty dull and there were no cool sights to see along the way. *Yawn* The most exciting part of our trip was driving into New Orleans. Louisiana is a pretty cool state to look at through the window of your car. There are swamps in just about every city approaching New Orleans meaning there are a wide variety of bugs that can smash against your windshield. I was hoping to see an alligator peek though the bogs but it didn't happen:(.

The streets of New Orleans are narrow and packed with people---even on a random Sunday afternoon. Parking is a nightmare anywhere near Bourbon Street which is where we happened to be having dinner. We had dinner at Coop's Place, listed as one of the ten best places to have a meal in New Orleans due to it's casual down home cuisine. We both enjoyed the taste plate that contained: a bowl of seafood gumbo, seafood jambalaya, red beans and rice and rabbit and chicken etoufee. As expected, it was delicious and we washed it all down with some Louisiana only beer: Abita. Ricky had the Restoration Ale whereas I enjoyed the Amber which was amazing. For dessert we headed to Cafe du Monde for their world famous beignets! If you've never had one, it's the French version of a donut. It's very tasty and covered in powdered sugar. They suggest you have it with their Cafe au Lait but I had mine with some 2% Lait instead. Ricky had the cafe and it was great too! There was a great street band outside Cafe du Monde that played covers of many popular songs. I hope Ricky will post their version of Viva la Vida because it's really, really good. Before we left we took a quick walk down Bourbon Street. Ricky remembered the name of a great Cajun restaurant in Lexington called Bourbon and Toulousse and it occurred to him that that was probably an intersection in New Orleans. Sure enough, it was and he got a picture with the street signs that we'll be mailing to the restaurant in Lexington.

Ironically there was a Massey Road in Memphis, I just forgot to get a picture.
Cool houses in New Orleans.

Five hours and ten minutes after leaving New Orleans, we arrived at the Atkinson's home to spend the night in Houston. Mary Jacqueline and Garrett, having moved from Tennessee to Houston, understood why we arrived at 1AM. Their house is on the outskirts of the beautiful Houston Heights area of town. Baby Samara gladly gave up her room so that Ricky and I could enjoy the comfy guest bed. On Monday morning we had brunch at Backstreet Cafe in Houston before taking off for San Antonio. Mary Jacqueline and I enjoyed the shrimp and grits while Ricky had the lobster sandwich. I had a wild berry mimosa which was highly recommended. MJ and Ricky had the white sangria which was some of the best I've ever had. For dessert we shared the shortcake with berries and ice cream. MMMmmm....All of it was great and we thank MJ and Garrett for their hospitality!

Backstreet Cafe. Very quaint and tasty!

Samara peeking out of her baby seat and the cute Atkinson house.

When we rolled into San Antonio after a three hour drive from Houston, it was still hard to believe that this is now our home. Despite the recent drought in the area, the warm sun and palm trees made our apartment complex look more like a vacation hotel than a permanent residence. (www.whiterockapts.com) We are slowly digging our way though the massive amount of boxes delivered by our moving company Tuesday morning. The apartment is slowly coming together and when it's up to my standards, I'll certainly post pictures:)

Boxes, Boxes and More Boxes

2009-07-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

Thankfully my new job provided relocation as part of the many perks. The wonderful people at Arpin Van Lines arrived on Thursday to box up our goods. They moved pretty quickly and in a few hours, had everything in boxes, tagged and ready to be loaded. A very nice mover man named Joe arrived today with his crew to load all of our items onto his truck. They too, worked very quickly and we are now officially ready to go! I must say that being moved has been a pretty easy experience. It's much easier than trying to box up all your own stuff again. Granted, if we weren't going this far we probably would have done it ourselves but Texas is a long way to go towing a huge tractor trailer!

Well folks, tonight is our LAST night in Lexington and we hit the road tomorrow. I will try to blog along the way since we're doing a 2.5 day road trip to San Antonio. Look for blog updates over the weekend!

Goodbye Lexington!

2009-07-15T20:46:00.001-07:00

Some very loving friends gathered with us last Saturday at b.d.'s Mongolian Grill here in Lexington. My parents even came from Evansville to say their final goodbyes, even though we just saw them last weekend:) My aunts Deb and Angie and my cousin Tamara also made a trip down from Cincinnati! If you have never been to b.d.'s, it's pretty fun! You can choose from a wide selection of meats (including seafood), vegetables, spices and sauces to create your own personalized stir fry. I'm a big fan of mixing their kung pao sauce with the b.d.'s terryaki. It's sooo good! Ricky and I were even privileged to receive handmade longhorn hats to celebrate our moving to Texas! A big thank you goes to Emily and Nathan for getting an EXCELLENT cake from Kroger that everyone thoroughly enjoyed. Needless to say, we will miss all of our fabulous Lexington friends and hope they will all visit us in San Antonio. We love you guys!

Miles and Nicole--we loved you before you brought us the fabulous Jersey!

We'll definitely miss you, John and Abby!
See you soon Williams Family!
I don't know where Rick was but we hope Nicole and Jonah will find him and come visit!
My Mom stole Miles and Nicole's beautiful baby, Jersey.
Group shot!

Hobrahaus--A German Experience in Northern Kentucky!

2009-07-12T21:07:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted to travel to Germany but this is the closest I can get for now. Last Thursday the Williams Clan (Emily, Nathan, Ricky and I) all traveled up to Hofbrahaus in Newport, Kentucky. It takes a little over an hour to get there from Lexington but I have often heard that it's well worth it. Ricky and Nathan had been there before and after their experience two years ago, decided it was finally time to take their wives there!

The original Hofbrahaus is located in Munich, Germany and there are only a few US locations. Their speciality is beer, German beers, which they brew on site. Over 500 years ago the first Hofbräuhaus beer was crafted. Newport has a Brew Master from Germany supervising the production of four varieties plus Seasonal Specialties of the authentic Hofbräuhaus beer. Fun and friendly is the atmosphere in the Bier Hall, with live music and about 350 soon to be close friends. There is also a quiet dining room for those who want to simply come and enjoy the delicious Bavarian fare. Many dishes are prepared with ingredients specially made locally for the Hofbräuhaus or imported from abroad. We chose to sit in the Bier Garden, with freshly planted trees and shade awnings, will seat an impressive 400 guests. It was a mild summer evening which made for an excellent dining experience!

The guys started with a 1 Liter mug of their famous Dunkel brew (5.5 % Alc. by Volume). It's supposed to have mild caramel overtones but it really tasted like it had hints of coffee in it to me. Emily and I tried smaller glasses (we couldn't handle 1 L of beer!) of Hofbräu Munich Weizen (5.4 % Alc. by Volume). It was delicious and light with slightly fruity flavors. For dinner the guys went with a trio of Wursts (sausages) served with mashed potatoes and their famous sauerkraut. Emily had a pork chop dish which also looked amazing. I LOVED my Schnitzel Cordon Bleu which consisted of a deep fried piece of pork loin topped with ham and melted beer cheese. It was served with assorted vegetables and a German potato pancake. I highly recommend that dish.

We enjoyed the festive atmosphere for a while and then took a walk around downtown Newport. Emily and I stumbled across an arcade that was open late so we decided to have a few throwback games of ski ball! It was great and when Ricky and I finally have a game room, it will have ski ball:)

Nathan and Ricky outside Hofbrahaus

Oops, this one is sideways but that's two liters of Dunkel!
Our new goal: Hit up Hofbrahaus in Germany!

Case-Punke Wedding

2009-07-08T13:07:00.001-07:00

It's a weird feeling to know that 95 percent of your childhood friends are married. Granted, I am glad this took place at age 26 instead of 18 but it still feels funny. One of my best friends from elementary, middle and high school got married last Sunday. As I predicted, Erica was a beautiful bride! She chose to have her wedding at the Bauerhaus in Darmstadt, IN. Just like on our wedding day, it was raining that morning and the wedding was scheduled to be outside. I said a few prayers for Erica because no woman deserves to have her wedding day rained out! The sun never emerged but it did stop raining long enough for her to take pictures and have her wedding ceremony on the lawn of the Bauerhaus. Erica has always loved red roses and the aisle was lined with red rose petals and long stem red roses wrapped around shepherd's hooks. Her altar was also decorated with lots of bright red roses which perfectly matched her bridesmaids' dresses. Erica and Merrill were married by Merrill's mother and father--Revered Marilyn Punke and Chaplain Punke. A string quartet played a variety of classical tunes as well as Seasons of Love from Erica's favorite musical, Rent.

Erica made fan favors that were covered with red roses on one side that were excellent for keeping cool and swatting a few pesky insects during the ceremony. Inside there were cookie favors from Donut Bank, a local bakery, that were amazing! YUM. I just enjoyed an extra one today:) The wedding food was great too---turkey or beef, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad...YAY! It was all great.

Erica has long studied dance so when the music cued up for her first dance with Merrill I knew we were in for a treat. Their song was "I Promise" by When in Rome. If you've ever seen Napoleon Dynamite, it's featured in that movie. It was completely choreographed and went off without a hitch. I hope the photographer got all of their spins, turns and dips because it really was incredible.

We are so happy for the new Punke family. Since they reside in New Mexico, they will be a mere 10 hours from us in San Antonio. I know that still seems like very far away but when you are used to driving from New Mexico to Evansville, like they are, then ten hours is no sweat!

Congratulations Erica and Merrill:)