What a busy week this has been and I feel like I haven't gotten anything accomplished... anyone else ever feel that way. I've been working my upcoming website and having a horribly hard time describing myself. It is quite possibly the most difficult thing yet that I've done for ADIM. Wish me luck and hopefully the next post will be the announcement of a live website!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Sunday, April 27, 2008
I love comfort food!
According to my last post we were supposed to get a bunch of yard work done yesterday. That didn't happen one bit! After the golf lesson I had with the adorable Amanda who is seven at 9:00 in the morning in 40 degree weather at the Grand Traverse Resort, I refused to be outside any longer than needed. 40 degrees doesn't feel like 40 degrees when you have wind gusting up to 30 miles an hour! So instead we got some errands rounded up and made a great dinner for the family.
Here is a great recipe for scalloped potatoes that I doctored up to fit the chilly weather. We served these potatoes with roasted pork loin, fresh asparagus and apple dumplings! YummY!
Alicia's "Stick-on-your-rib" Scalloped Potatoes
3 lbs Russet Potatoes
3 cups freshly grated Gouda
2/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan
6 slices Provolone
3 tbs flour
4 gloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup reduced fat milk
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp fresh Thyme
Salt
Pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. (Sorry Mel, I don't have the altitude conversion... just wing it!) Clean, peel and thinly slice potatoes (1/4 inch or less- if you have a mandoline even better), place on paper towels to reduce moisture. Combine sour cream and milk, mix well. Grease a 13"x9" baking dish with butter or cooking spray. Arrange potato layer in bottom of the dish slightly overlapping ends. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste, 1 tbs flour, 1/3 of the minced garlic, 1/3 cup onion, 1 cup Gouda and pour 1/3 of the sour cream/milk mixture over slices. Repeat this two more times till all onion, garlic, Gouda and sour cream/milk are gone. After final potato layer salt and pepper, then Thyme and place sliced Provolone on top. Cover with aluminum foil- make sure to grease foil, you don't want that great cheese stuck to it do you? Cook for 45 minutes covered then uncover, top with Parmesan and continue baking for another 45 minutes to hour. (Cooking times may very depending on thickness of potato slices.) Once done... ENJOY!
I've recalled the recipe from memory, I hope it's right! Here's a picture of Cayman that I took while he was waiting patiently for his taste of the potatoes.
(To get him to sit there I held his sample on a fork above my head... he's a little food crazy like me! I love it!!)
Here is a great recipe for scalloped potatoes that I doctored up to fit the chilly weather. We served these potatoes with roasted pork loin, fresh asparagus and apple dumplings! YummY!
Alicia's "Stick-on-your-rib" Scalloped Potatoes
3 lbs Russet Potatoes
3 cups freshly grated Gouda
2/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan
6 slices Provolone
3 tbs flour
4 gloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup reduced fat milk
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp fresh Thyme
Salt
Pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. (Sorry Mel, I don't have the altitude conversion... just wing it!) Clean, peel and thinly slice potatoes (1/4 inch or less- if you have a mandoline even better), place on paper towels to reduce moisture. Combine sour cream and milk, mix well. Grease a 13"x9" baking dish with butter or cooking spray. Arrange potato layer in bottom of the dish slightly overlapping ends. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste, 1 tbs flour, 1/3 of the minced garlic, 1/3 cup onion, 1 cup Gouda and pour 1/3 of the sour cream/milk mixture over slices. Repeat this two more times till all onion, garlic, Gouda and sour cream/milk are gone. After final potato layer salt and pepper, then Thyme and place sliced Provolone on top. Cover with aluminum foil- make sure to grease foil, you don't want that great cheese stuck to it do you? Cook for 45 minutes covered then uncover, top with Parmesan and continue baking for another 45 minutes to hour. (Cooking times may very depending on thickness of potato slices.) Once done... ENJOY!
I've recalled the recipe from memory, I hope it's right! Here's a picture of Cayman that I took while he was waiting patiently for his taste of the potatoes.
(To get him to sit there I held his sample on a fork above my head... he's a little food crazy like me! I love it!!)
Friday, April 25, 2008
Spring = Yard Work
Since we're in the mind set of spring and renewal I wanted to share with you the exciting arrival of our 18 yards of mulch yesterday Kyle brought home from the nursery. Check out the large dumptruck and Kyle in action... yes folks he does do lots of manual labor AND is a computer whiz! I married the offspring of Bob Villa and Bill Gates!
Tomorrow we finish the weeding in the yard, raking the giant rocks out of the garden beds, spread the top soil, go play golf, fix the downspouts off the porch and make dinner for everyone! I wouldn't have it any other way!
Tomorrow we finish the weeding in the yard, raking the giant rocks out of the garden beds, spread the top soil, go play golf, fix the downspouts off the porch and make dinner for everyone! I wouldn't have it any other way!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Spring or Summer
I'm not sure what the weather has been like for you all but up here we've gone straight from winter to summer! Yesterday I put on my swim suit top and a pair of shorts, grabbed a great book and read outside for a half and hour in the 73 degree sunshine. It was heavenly!
Unlike many Northern Michigan residents Kyle and I enjoy the snow and winter activities or lack of activities. But sometime in February or March when the snow just keeps coming and you haven't seen the sun in, well, I don't know, seven days... you get a little itch for that "big ball of burning gas billions of miles away."
So here's to some warmer weather, blue skies and green grass! And whether we have a Spring or go straight to Summer, this Traverse City-ian is thrilled about it!
Unlike many Northern Michigan residents Kyle and I enjoy the snow and winter activities or lack of activities. But sometime in February or March when the snow just keeps coming and you haven't seen the sun in, well, I don't know, seven days... you get a little itch for that "big ball of burning gas billions of miles away."
So here's to some warmer weather, blue skies and green grass! And whether we have a Spring or go straight to Summer, this Traverse City-ian is thrilled about it!
Friday, April 18, 2008
A Quick Trip
There are two great things about being self employed.
1) I am my own boss.
2) I set my own hours.
On Wednesday I exercised my boss like powers and took off to Ann Arbor to catch up with some girlfriends just like old times and at our old stomping ground, except now three of us are married and the other engaged!
I've known Christina since eighth grade and we've been best friends since ninth grade... that means we've been sharing clothes, oogling over boys and feeding our faces together for over eleven years. Aside from junior high and high school we lived together all four years at Michigan and are closer than ever. Our freshman year at Michigan (we also lived with Melissa and I've known her since seventh grade!) we met some girls from Saline, Lindsey Wurtzel and Allison (Kraeger) Fox.
Tina and I on spring break in 2003 in the Bahamas.
I wish I could say we all met through class or the dorms but no... that credit must be given to the Michigan Hockey team, more particularly those members in our freshman class. (This is another post for another day!) As they say, boys come and go but friends stay, and stay we have. For seven years the four of us have had some crazy adventures together!
Ali and I met on Woodlawn Avenue and thank God for second chances because the first meeting didn't go so well! Since then we've ate numerous boxes of cookies, watched hours of Oprah and shared our hopes and dreams. Ali and her hubby Jake, who plays baseball for the Iowa Cubs, spend most of their year in Arizona and since she drove home last week it was a great reason to take a trip back to A-squared. (For those of you not familiar with Michigan terminology, this means Ann Arbor!)
Ali and I working together for the Michigan football team in 2004, eat your hearts out Michigan fans!
Lindsey and I were introduced a couple times before we became friends but as contagious as her smile, so was her warm heart and unfailing friendship. After graduating in 2005 before Linds and Tina headed to UM Dental School, the three of us headed to Europe for three weeks. There are too many stories to tell about that trip but let's just say we could have accidentally stolen breakfast from a French hotel while we were there! It was a miracle we didn't end up on Interpol's website!
Lindsey and I at the top of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
So on Wednesday this week we all got together for dinner, drinks and conversation- chatting away and laughing our butts off! Unfortunately I had to head back to reality on Thursday, but not before a great breakfast with Al and lots more chit chatting. As I was driving out of town Thursday morning it hit me. What you ask? How incredibly blessed and fortunate I am to have such amazing friends. Now it's not like this was an "ah-ha" moment or it just "dawned on me out of thin air." I know how amazing these women are and when Kyle and I got married, they were all standing beside me, just as we are were, and will be, for one another.
But that wave of emotion was something that was just too cool to not ignore. As the passing lines on the highway blurred I thanked God for all the amazing women and friends in my life. I cannot count the hours, days or years they have pulled me through tough times, made me pee my pants from laughing so hard or shared countless tears of sorrow and joy. Collectively we've experienced more emotional roller coasters than Tiger Woods has fist pumps!
So Al, Linds and Tina... thanks for a great visit and some amazing memories. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for us and the adventures he'll take us on! Where are we all meeting up next time?!?!
... and if you ever forget why I love you all so much, re-read our wedding program! Hehe, that's my heart and soul on paper! Love you, xoxox. Lish
The four of us celebrating Christina's birthday in 2004.
I wouldn't have had this moment any other way.
1) I am my own boss.
2) I set my own hours.
On Wednesday I exercised my boss like powers and took off to Ann Arbor to catch up with some girlfriends just like old times and at our old stomping ground, except now three of us are married and the other engaged!
I've known Christina since eighth grade and we've been best friends since ninth grade... that means we've been sharing clothes, oogling over boys and feeding our faces together for over eleven years. Aside from junior high and high school we lived together all four years at Michigan and are closer than ever. Our freshman year at Michigan (we also lived with Melissa and I've known her since seventh grade!) we met some girls from Saline, Lindsey Wurtzel and Allison (Kraeger) Fox.
Tina and I on spring break in 2003 in the Bahamas.
I wish I could say we all met through class or the dorms but no... that credit must be given to the Michigan Hockey team, more particularly those members in our freshman class. (This is another post for another day!) As they say, boys come and go but friends stay, and stay we have. For seven years the four of us have had some crazy adventures together!
Ali and I met on Woodlawn Avenue and thank God for second chances because the first meeting didn't go so well! Since then we've ate numerous boxes of cookies, watched hours of Oprah and shared our hopes and dreams. Ali and her hubby Jake, who plays baseball for the Iowa Cubs, spend most of their year in Arizona and since she drove home last week it was a great reason to take a trip back to A-squared. (For those of you not familiar with Michigan terminology, this means Ann Arbor!)
Ali and I working together for the Michigan football team in 2004, eat your hearts out Michigan fans!
Lindsey and I were introduced a couple times before we became friends but as contagious as her smile, so was her warm heart and unfailing friendship. After graduating in 2005 before Linds and Tina headed to UM Dental School, the three of us headed to Europe for three weeks. There are too many stories to tell about that trip but let's just say we could have accidentally stolen breakfast from a French hotel while we were there! It was a miracle we didn't end up on Interpol's website!
Lindsey and I at the top of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
So on Wednesday this week we all got together for dinner, drinks and conversation- chatting away and laughing our butts off! Unfortunately I had to head back to reality on Thursday, but not before a great breakfast with Al and lots more chit chatting. As I was driving out of town Thursday morning it hit me. What you ask? How incredibly blessed and fortunate I am to have such amazing friends. Now it's not like this was an "ah-ha" moment or it just "dawned on me out of thin air." I know how amazing these women are and when Kyle and I got married, they were all standing beside me, just as we are were, and will be, for one another.
But that wave of emotion was something that was just too cool to not ignore. As the passing lines on the highway blurred I thanked God for all the amazing women and friends in my life. I cannot count the hours, days or years they have pulled me through tough times, made me pee my pants from laughing so hard or shared countless tears of sorrow and joy. Collectively we've experienced more emotional roller coasters than Tiger Woods has fist pumps!
So Al, Linds and Tina... thanks for a great visit and some amazing memories. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for us and the adventures he'll take us on! Where are we all meeting up next time?!?!
... and if you ever forget why I love you all so much, re-read our wedding program! Hehe, that's my heart and soul on paper! Love you, xoxox. Lish
The four of us celebrating Christina's birthday in 2004.
I wouldn't have had this moment any other way.
Friday, April 11, 2008
A Personal Shout Out
I know I've been absent from the blogsphere and since I was called out on my absence I've dedicated this post to the caller-outer... my dear friend Andy Kay.
It's been almost a decade that Andy and I have been friends. His family moved from Troy to Traverse City when we were in high school. He was the new kid on the block yet he blended well with the TCCHS culture. Even though we were friends in high school it wasn't until I headed to Ann Arbor and Andy to East Lansing that we became closer.
I remember countless conversations our first years of college on how lucky we each were to go to the "better" school and I relished the phone calls every fall after a victory was had! One of my favorite memories was our senior year of college. It was the infamous 2004 Michigan State vs. Michigan triple-overtime football game. Andy, Kyle and my brother were in our living room in Ann Arbor watching the game, cheering on their team from the land of maize and blue. Then the bomb dropped, Braylon Edwards had an amazing catch in the North end-zone of the Big House and the Wolverines defeated the Spartans! Three Spartans, in a Wolverine Den, were licking their wounds... Go Blue!
As time went on and I headed back to TC and Andy has moved from southern Michigan to Denver. When Kyle and I were planning our wedding last year and deciding who we wanted to be included in our special day I knew that Andy had to be a part. So as Kyle and I said our "I do's" Andy was one of our ushers. It was great having him there!
So Andy, since you called me out and I made a promise... thanks for being such a great friend and listening to all my problems, cheering me up and surpassing my injury record! Here's to more memories and laughs, next time wear a wrist guard!
Our Sophomore year of college I went on Andy's date party with him to Windsor... ask him about our bus breaking down on the way there!
Robbie Detwiler, Brent Kratchovil, me and Andy
It's been almost a decade that Andy and I have been friends. His family moved from Troy to Traverse City when we were in high school. He was the new kid on the block yet he blended well with the TCCHS culture. Even though we were friends in high school it wasn't until I headed to Ann Arbor and Andy to East Lansing that we became closer.
I remember countless conversations our first years of college on how lucky we each were to go to the "better" school and I relished the phone calls every fall after a victory was had! One of my favorite memories was our senior year of college. It was the infamous 2004 Michigan State vs. Michigan triple-overtime football game. Andy, Kyle and my brother were in our living room in Ann Arbor watching the game, cheering on their team from the land of maize and blue. Then the bomb dropped, Braylon Edwards had an amazing catch in the North end-zone of the Big House and the Wolverines defeated the Spartans! Three Spartans, in a Wolverine Den, were licking their wounds... Go Blue!
As time went on and I headed back to TC and Andy has moved from southern Michigan to Denver. When Kyle and I were planning our wedding last year and deciding who we wanted to be included in our special day I knew that Andy had to be a part. So as Kyle and I said our "I do's" Andy was one of our ushers. It was great having him there!
So Andy, since you called me out and I made a promise... thanks for being such a great friend and listening to all my problems, cheering me up and surpassing my injury record! Here's to more memories and laughs, next time wear a wrist guard!
Our Sophomore year of college I went on Andy's date party with him to Windsor... ask him about our bus breaking down on the way there!
Robbie Detwiler, Brent Kratchovil, me and Andy
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Where has Alicia been?
Hi everyone! Don't worry, I am alive! I have been MIA from the blogsphere, I completely apologize for my absence. You are all probably wondering where I've been and what in the world I've been up to. In a brief, yet descriptive, narrative I will fill you in...
During and after my last post on Easter I was just overcoming the flu but then developed a horrible case of strep throat and proceeded to live in pain for three more days till I dragged my non-health insurance butt to the doctors. Thankfully my doctor is amazing and gave me some antibiotics and within a couple days I was feeling better. I never thought that your throat could feel that bad!
After the second sickness I was, and still have been, building my empire! Haha, well my business of A Day in May. I was guided to a great website template company called Blu Domain that have awesome templates at great prices= two of my favorite concepts. So for two weeks I've been looking around and scoping out other planners to get ideas and hopefully this coming week I will purchase my site and ADIM will be online! Yippee! To help get recognized I've continued my work with Melissa's Aunt Pam who owns Wine Country Weddings and Events and The Vineyard Inn as their "exclusive event planner." She's been great with helping me tap into the local market.
Alongside ADIM, I've been working again with the Traverse City Junior Golf Association and it's director Bob Lober. I was once a Junior golfer back in the days and Mr. Lober is a huge supporter of golf in the area and making it accessible and affordable for any junior that wants to play the game. This year happens to be the 25th anniversary of the non-profit organization and I am honored to be helping. Carrie Calcutt can attest to all the fun we used to have in junior golf... twizzlers and boys were a great excuse to get up a 5:45am in the summer!
Lastly I have joined Lee Houtteman in teaching golf at the Jim McLean Golf School at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa for the summer. (Make sure to check out my bio!) So not only am I seeking new wedding/event clients but I'm building my student base for teaching! I will be the women's and children's instructor for his company and I will be offering group and private lessons. I wanted to pursue a career in the golf industry after spending two summers at Boyne with Jim Flick- a master professional who's taught the likes of Jack "the Bear" Nicklaus and Tom Lehman and roomed with Arnold Palmer at Wake Forest. I am really excited and looking forward to spending more time on the teaching tee this summer!
So yah... I've been busy! Plus I've been helping Malasia plan her wedding, shopping for printers, designing my business cards, sending proposals,taking care of my hubby and getting back in a well needed gym routine. Please accept my apology for being absent and it's nice to be back! Buena sera xoxo
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