2010 Recap

I’m still undecided on whether to keep this blog, or switch over to Racing to Thirty.  I’d like to focus on half marathon training, but I’m still interested in posting random recipes and updates, and pictures of my dog   What are your thoughts on having two blogs?  Should I combine them?

This seemed like the proper place to do a 2010 recap, for now.  It was a big year for us, and it’s fun to look back!

January

The year started on a sad note, when we decided to adopt a puppy at a local animal shelter.  We adopted a chocolate lab, but the policy at the shelter is that all dogs must be spayed or neutered before they leave.  Our puppy did not make it through the spaying surgery, and we were heartbroken.

But the shelter told us they had another chocolate lab mix, and they would hold her if we wanted to come visit.  We went and met Bailey (she was named Nestle at the time), and although we were sad about our loss, we instantly fell in love with Bailey.  She was a two month old chocolate lab/boxer mix.

She was a handful, but it was so much fun to have a puppy around!  We also began to house hunt in January.  It was a little stressful managing the house hunting process with house training Bailey, but we made it work!

February

In February, we closed on a home that we fell in love with.  It was only our second weekend looking at homes when we found this one, but it was unique, and in a great location. 

Bailey enjoyed her new home after living in the apartment, since she now had more space to play, and her own (small) yard!

I also took a trip to New Orleans to celebrate a good friend’s bachelorette party – during Mardi Gras!  It was such a fun experience, I hope to make it back for another Mardi Gras.

March

After moving into the new home, we began to make a few improvements.  We started by painting the walls.  The dining room & master bedroom were both orange, and our office (which was previously a nursery) was pink & green with a tree painted in it.

We began by testing paint colors in each room.  We picked out a white/cream for the master bedroom, cocoa rose (brownish red) for the dining room, and taupe for the office.

We thought we would try to paint ourselves.  It took close to three weeks, but with the help of a friend, we completed the dining room on our own.  At that point, we decided to hire someone to do the other two rooms

My parents came to visit shortly after we moved into the house.  Our house was still a mess, but it was nice to have company!

We also took a trip to San Francisco in March, to visit some friends from grad school.  It was so much fun to explore the city and catch up with our friends.

April

April brought more home improvements (we installed blinds in the bedrooms) and more visitors – Pat’s mom and aunt.  With their green thumbs, they helped us to plant flowers and even food in the flower pots in our yard.  Unfortunately, thanks to my black thumb, most did not survive the hot Houston summer.  But I learned which plants do well in the heat, and learned that I cannot even go one day in the summer without watering them, and I have hopes for better luck next year.

May

In May, I ate my last burger, and became a vegetarian.  I considered vegetarianism more seriously after reading Skinny Bitch, but I wasn’t able to eat a bite of meat since finishing the chapter on factory farming.  I thought I would try it for a few weeks to see how I did, and it stuck!  It’s been fun to try new foods, and I really have not missed having meat in my diet.

May also included a trip to Austin.  Unfortunately, I spent most of our weekend sick in the hotel room, but we loved what we saw of Austin, and can’t wait to go back!

June

My parents visited again in June, and this time my youngest sister came with them.  We took a tour of Minute Maid Ballpark, went to an Astros game, and went to see the Waugh Bridge bats.

On June 27, Pat and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary!

July

My highlight for July was definitely the Lady Gaga concert!  It was an amazing show – I hope we get to see her again when she returns in 2011

August

August busy months at work, and the most “exciting” thing that happened was someone hacking into my personal email account   Luckily, I don’t think they were able to steal any credit card info, but the did send out an email to every single person I had ever emailed before, stating that I was stuck in London and needed money to get home.

September

Pat’s birthday month!  We went to see the Pixies, which was just an unreal experience.  When we first started dating back in 2004, Pat got me hooked on the Pixies, and I think it was always his dream to see them in concert.  This was my anniversary gift to him (well, to us).

October

We dressed Bailey up as a pumpkin for Halloween   But sadly, we had no trick or treaters.

November

A trip home to Ohio for Thanksgiving!  We drove 18.5 hours each way, with Bailey in the hatchback.  It was so much fun to relax with family and friends for a week.  Pat got to go to a Bengals game with my dad, and we went to see Trans Siberian Orchestra.  They were amazing!  At one point, they were walking on beams that lowered to right over our heads:

I also started running outdoors in November.  It was a big deal for me to be able to run 5 miles straight with my dad while  I was home for the holidays, and I set a few personal records for myself, including 6 and 7 mile runs.

December

After running for about a month outdoors, I ran my first 5k!  It was a benefit for Run Over Cancer, and had a holiday theme.  I ran with my friend Maggie.

We also got to go home to Illinois to spend Christmas with Pat’s family.  Although it was so cold, it was nice to have a second long break to relax, and I was happy to have a white Christmas!

2010 Favorites

My recap wouldn’t be complete without highlighting some favorites of 2010!

Top 10 recipes of 2010:

1. Tofu Pot Pie from Hungry Girl (probably my most frequently made meal in 2010)
2. Strawberry/Avocado Salad
3. Orange Bell Pepper Pasta
4. Blueberry-Lemon Coffee Cake from Cooking Light
5. Soy Burritos from Hungry Girl
6. BBQ Tofu
7. Meatless Sloppy Joes
8. Italian Couscous and Beans from Oh She Glows
9. Mexican Stir-Fry
10. Egg Souffle from Joy of Cooking

Top 5 Favorite Houston Restaurants (reviewed)

1. The Original Marini’s Empanada House
2. Blue Nile
3. Shiva Indian
4. El Tiempo Cantina
5. Catalan

See y’all in 2011!