Chef Ricky!

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!

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.

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

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!

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!

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

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:)