I come from the water

I am still waiting on pictures that my mom took while we were in Miami. Cough. While I continue to wait, I will post some more of the pictures that I took on my phone.

One of the things that I really wanted to do while we were in Miami was go to the Everglades. I have no idea why I wanted to go, but I did. I did some research and found a place called Billie Swamp Safari that offers swamp tours and air boat rides. Ok, so maybe I saw it on an episode of Real Housewives of the OC, but this only adds evidence to my theory that I am actually learning valuable information while watching countless hours of Bravo's programming. And I do mean countless.

Anyway, we drove the two hours to the Everglades and headed for Seminole country. I would like to point out that not a single casino was anywhere to be seen. I guess Florida's Native Americans don't roll quite like New Mexico's Native Americans.

We got to see a real live alligator hanging out in a canal on our way there. I am still worried for the large number of cows that the Seminoles kept so close to the alligator infested water.

We got to the Swamp just as some airboats were getting ready to leave, so we didn't have to wait too long. The airboat was loud, but such a fun experience. I'm not saying that I'm going to go looking for more airboats to ride anytime soon, but I can officially cross it off my bucket list.

Here are a couple pictures from the airboat and around the grounds of the Swamp.


I was worried that our boat might turn out to be a lemon like this broke-down piece.

Cows and stuff.

Doesn't he know there are alligators in these waters?

If you look in the top leftish corner, you can see an alligator.

He's just a little guy.

We actually did see a lot of alligators, which I guess means we were lucky. I didn't appreciate the boat driver banging the side of the boat to try and get the alligators to come closer. The only alligator I want within touching distance is the carcass of the one used to make my new Balenciaga bag.

That evening we went to see the Houston Astros get stomped by the Florida Marlins. It was embarrassing for Astros fans. These are not the Astros of old and I think I may start a campaign to bring back Bagwell and Biggio. I think it would be an improvement.


Dinner at the ball field

Obviously it was a sell-out

I would also like to point out that it was beyond hot and humid at the game. I grew up going to Astros game all summer long and I can't remember ever being at a game that hot.

Change is coming

I feel like recently I have had a lot to pray for. I've prayed for friends who have lost loved ones. I've prayed for friends that welcoming new babies into their families. I've prayed for rain to come to the the dry Texas Panhandle. I've prayed for the safety of my family members.

I've also been praying for my family of two. I've had a few things on my heart and I've been praying that the Lord would help me make the right decisions. I want to do what is best for the both of us, not just what makes me temporarily happy. If you know me, you might know that I have a tendency to act spontaneously and maybe let my emotions take charge a little too much.

What all this comes down to is today I feel like the Lord showed me which path I need to take. I have made a pretty big decision about my future and I am completely at peace with it. I'm not scared. I'm not worried about any sacrifices I may have to make. I am 100% at peace and I feel like this means that I am making the right choice. There comes a time in your life when you have to do what is right for you and your family. I want to make everyone happy, so this is sometimes easier said than done.

I can't tell you what my decision is just yet, but I will keep you updated. My mind is made up and I am so excited to see what is next. Oh, and I promise the next blog will be a little bit lighter.

Living room update

I haven't posted any new pictures of our living room in a long time. We have gotten almost all of our big pieces of furniture and now we're waiting on the rug, sconces and some other accessories. Slowly but surely we are getting close to being done. Hopefully we'll have everything in by the middle of September and we can move on to the next project.

The entry console table and chairs

The fireplace

The new bookshelf

The couch and the mirror that is going over the fireplace

The view from the family room

The next time I post pictures of this room it should be the finished product!

Getting crafty

If you have talked to me in last month, chances are I have told you about my new obsession. Pinterest. I love love love it! It's hard to explain, but you have different boards and you "pin" pictures and links to your different boards. I have gotten so many great ideas for things to do around our house and new recipes to try. If you haven't heard of it, you need to check it out. You will thank me; your husband/significant other might not.

That being said, we bought a porch swing from Amazon.com at the beginning of the summer. We have done so much work on the inside of our house that the outside doesn't really reflect the cuteness. Our next big projects will be painting and adding shutters. Since we aren't ready for that yet, I decided a porch swing would be a nice addition.

I really wanted a black swing to match the shutters that we will be putting up, but I couldn't find one that I liked. So in the spirit of Pinterest and being crafty, I decided that the husband and I could stain it and that this would be an excellent project for us to do together (or for the husband to do and for me to supervise).

The porch swing sat in the garage all summer until I decided that this weekend was the weekend. I was feeling very motivated and maybe a little embarrassed by the exterior of our house. Whatever it takes to get things done.

What we started with

After the first coat of paint

Coming together


Ta da! The finished product

I am very proud of our little porch swing. We saved money and got to spend time together. Now on to the next project!

Welcome to Miami

Last month we went to Miami for my birthday. Neither of us had ever been and my dad works there during the week, so we thought we should go before he decided that Florida was for the snow birds and it was time come back to Texas. My entire family ended up coming down for the weekend and we had so much fun.

I woke up to the best birthday suprise ever, Taylor Pork Roll! My mom was supposed to bring some from Houston, but she forgot. On a side note, said forgotten pork roll should have been shipped to my house a month ago and yet it still isn't here, but I digress. Luckily, my dad found some at the grocery store. It is shocking to me that half of New Jersey has relocated to Florida and finding pork roll is akin to locating the Fountain of Youth.


Taylor Pork Roll


My breakfast sandwich from heaven

My birthday events started with my favorite thing ever, shopping. We went to the Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens and let me tell you, it was one of the best malls I have ever been to. It had a H&M, Zara, Chanel, Burberry and just about every other high-end designed you can think of. Heaven.


Me and all my goods

As you can see, I did pretty well for myself. We ate lunch at Brio and then headed back to my dad's condo so we could get ready for dinner.

I used my trusty iPhone app Yelp to locate my birthday dinner restaurant, okay and maybe I saw the restaurant on the Kardashian's. We ate at Joe's Stone Crab on Miami Beach and it was delicious. I'm lazy so I love anywhere that cracks your crab for you. Also, their lobster mac and cheese was the bomb-dot-com. Seriously, amazing.


Pretty excited about dinner


Barb and her booze


Shannon and her water


His vacation in a nutshell


My first mojito ever


The spread at dinner


Look at all that crab

After dinner, we drove down South Beach. I'm not gonna lie, I expected more and was a little disappointed. It is basically four blocks of hotels and everything is very crowded. I had hoped for more.

Overall, I had a fabulous 27th birthday and it was so nice to get it to spend it with my family.

For the love of pizza

While we were in Miami I had some of the best pizza I have ever had. It was from a place called Joe's Pizza and Pasta near my dad's condo. The people are from the Tri-State area and the pizza was a-mazing. The crust was cooked on the outside and chewy on the inside. It was cheesy and greasy and perfect.

Ever since then I have been on a mission to find a crust recipe that come close to what I experienced. Daniel, who makes really good pizza, was not on board with this plan. I think he was a little offended, but I decided to persevere. The following is the recipe that I found. I give it a 9 out of 10. It was really, really good and even Daniel said it was better than the recipe he had been using.

New York Style Pizza Dough



Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups warm water (105F)
4 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tablespoons of olive oil
2 1/2 teaspoon of granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of yeast
1/2 cup cornmeal

Directions:

In a large bowl, dissolve sugar and salt in water.

Add oil and flour and stir with heavy spoon for 1 minute.

Turn out to a lightly floured surface and press into a circle.

Sprinkle yeast evenly over dough and knead for 12 minutes.

Divide dough into portions: 6 oz. for Calzones, 18 oz. for 12 inch, 25 oz. for 15 inch

Roll each portion into a ball. You want a dough ball without visible seams except the bottom.

Place dough balls in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to proof for 1−2 hours at room temperature to use the same day, or store in refrigerator to use the next day.

Place dough ball on lightly floured surface, and lightly flour the top. Use fingertips to evenly flatten out the dough ball. Work from the edges to the center press dough into a 12" circle. Place both hands within the shell edge and stretch with fingertips and palms maintaining an even pressure. Or, use a lightly floured rolling pin to stretch to desired shape.

Sprinkle cornmeal or semolina on pizza peel (a wooden paddle with a handle to slide the pizza in the oven) or a cutting board. The cornmeal allows the pizza to slide onto the stone easily.

After topping the pizza, when you are ready to cook it. Shake the peel or cutting board to make sure none of the dough is sticking.

Carefully slide the pizza into the oven.

Bake in a 500 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, until crust is golden.


The finished product


Recipe from Recipe Pizza

I am still in search of the perfect crust. I'll keep you updated if I find a better one. Until then, enjoy!