Army Challenge

When I heard about the Squaw Creek Army Challenge through a friend my first reaction was "YESSSSSS!!" A 3.5 mile run/obstacle course through mud and water? And it was created by active duty Army soldiers? Honestly, I couldn't get signed up fast enough. I know what I am capable of and a 5k is not a huge challenge for me anymore. Adding the obstacles and the adventure of the Army Challenge was exactly what I was looking for this Summer! The icing on the cake: good friends of mine had already committed to the challenge and created the team: Team Camo Toe. For some reason, recruiting more friends to do the challenge became well, a bit of a challenge. No one knew what to expect, the entire race was kept top secret. The fear of the unknown was spreading through Cedar Rapids. The Facebook page was inundated with posts asking what the obstacles were and what to expect. As luck would have it, my sister-in-law was up for the challenge! We definitely did some bonding over this... our ride to the race we were ridiculously nervous but we got fired up by listening to Eye of the Tiger radio on Pandora. We stuck together through the race and helped motivated each other through obstacles (as well as other participants). All in all, it was an awesome experience and I couldn't have asked for a better team. TEAM CAMO TOE HOORAH!

 

The obstacles included: An ice-bath, climbing bales of hay (too many to count), carrying sandbags over balance beams, muddy creeks, lots of barbed wire, climbing logs, swimming through mud, running through culverts, climbing huge mud hills, army crawling... I know I'm forgetting some but you get the picture!

 

 

TEAM CAMO TOE



 

 

The race started with a monster hill. Bix7 Brady street doesn't even compare to this hill. It was horrible.

 

GoLEGo!

 

 

The 'Ice-Bath' ~ Adam's face is priceless.

 

 



 

Susan was thinking of skipping the bath but she powered through it!



Have you ever been covered in mud and tried to run? It was heavy!



 

We are still having a blast!

 

 

At one point, we finished an obstacle... I can't remember which one... but Lauren goes "I think I sh*t my pants!!" We had so many laughs.

 

 

Let me assure you... we were going through some farms and this was definitely not just mud.

 

 

 

Who laughs while trudging through mud and manure? This girl.

 

 

Almost finished.

 

 

This was a good day.

One last, muddy picture!

Taco Time

I love the way my home smells when I'm cooking a meal. There's something so comforting about the smell of baked chicken, lasagna, homemade bread, or sauteed onions. Taco night is a favorite night in our house. I love the flavors in mexican food and there's always plenty of ways to switch things up so we don't get too bored with the same flavors. Corn salsa and cowboy caviar are great ways to top your taco or burrito with something fun. I found this great recipe for corn salsa (except I must admit that I didn't use the poblano!) and thought you might enjoy....

Almost-famous Corn Salsa (Food Network)
1/2 small poblano chile pepper, seeded
3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
1 cup fresh corn kernels (2 ears), or 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Directions:
Preheat a grill to medium high. Brush the poblano with 1 teaspoon olive oil and grill, skin-side down, until charred but still firm, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly; peel and finely chop. If using fresh corn, bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Add the corn and cook until tender, 2 to 3 minutes or so; drain. Mix the corn (if using frozen, add it here), poblano, jalapeno, cilantro and red onion in a bowl. Stir in the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, the lime juice, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Fresh avocado and garden grown tomatoes.

Lettuce, salsa, sour cream, jalapenos and corn salsa.

We definitely have an issue with portion control.

If You Don't Have Something Nice To Say....

Ahhh... Social media and election time are a bad, bad mixture of rants, emotions, and differences of opinion. It seems like everyday I'm hearing something horrible about each party. "The democrats voted in favor of destroying all baby kittens" or "Republicans worship the devil in their spare time." Jeeez, seriously. You turn on the television, you look at the news, or Facebook newsfeeds and it's incredibly negative. I do have political opinions and I do know the direction in which I lean. I won't share my opinions and strong beliefs about certain issues on my blog. I want to keep my 'space' here open, honest, and safe. And while I know and stand behind what I believe... I don't feel that this is the place to express my POLITICAL thoughts. But who knows, maybe I'll start up another blog.... maybe www.voteromney2012.blogspot.com is available? *Wink* I'll keep you guys posted on that.... But seriously, I don't think any less of someone who has a difference of opinion and I would never, ever belittle someone who didn't agree with me. I think it's important to remind each other that we are so blessed and lucky to live in a country that allows us to express ourselves fully and honestly. And who are we kidding?! Posting these hateful partisan thoughts will not win you any fans! Or make people change their minds! Let this be a gentle reminder that talking something or someone in a positive manner is the way to create interest, not the other way around. Tell me WHY you are voting, why you love your candidate, and what YOU believe in. Quit telling me why left/right wing candidates are such douchers and that they're going to hell for believing in something. If you don't have something nice to say, just don't say it for goodness sakes! You are free to choose but you are not free from the consequence of your choice so make a strong, educated decision. Whatever you do or believe, just vote. God Bless America!

Dog-Gone-It

Our friend, Amy, has created an extremely successful dog collar, harness, and lead business. Check out all of her designs here: Dog Gone It or find her on Facebook. Her products and designs are really great and durable. On top of the design, you can even have your dog's name stitched into the collar and lead! I sent her some pictures of Dutch when we got her new line of fabric for his new collar and leash last year. She just sent this picture of an article about her business in the latest Corridor business journal and look who's picture is featured! Dutch looks so handsome in his Dog Gone It collar and he loves the color that Amy helped pick out! Thanks Amy! 

 

 

 

 

Yoga Flow

Music plays such a big part of my life and I love really chill music. I do have a habit of listening to 'Spa' on my XM Radio or plugging in 'Enya' on Pandora. It is incredibly relaxing, calming, and puts me in a Zen state of mind. The weird thing is that Dutch loves it when I play relaxing music. He usually lays in front of the speakers and passes out. This morning, I got my yoga mat out, put my yoga flow mix on, closed my eyes and just felt my body stretch and form poses. Here are 3 of my favorite songs for yoga ~

ABOVE & BEYOND ~ GOOD FOR ME

This has always been one of my favorite songs. I could listen to this song over and over... I played this in my room when I worked in the spa.

OCEANLAB ~ BREAKING TIES (ABOVE & BEYOND FLOW MIX)

A perfect song for Vinyasa flow yoga. Deep breaths and deep poses.  

MOTORCYCLE ~ AS THE RUSH COMES (GABRIEL & DRESDEN CHILLOUT)

This song has been out for a loooong time but it was a club mix. Last Fall, I discovered this chillout mix and couldn't stop listening to it.



Bruschetta

I have never made bruschetta at home and after my first experience I'm wondering why it took me so long! I love that tanginess of the balsamic vinegar and tomatoes mixed. Top that with fresh basil and I'm definitely going to take the last piece without asking! This bruschetta was the BEST bruschetta I've ever had. Yes, friends, the best. And it was incredibly simple and inexpensive. The tomato and basil came straight from the garden! Here is what you will need ~

1 loaf of french bread or a baguette loaf
Fresh mozzarella (I bought the pre-sliced mozzarella for Caprese salad and it worked great!)

3 tomatoes, chopped (preferably right from the garden, like ours! I used 2 romas and 1 regular)

20 basil leaves, chopped (right from the garden!)

4 T. Extra virgin olive oil

2 T. balsamic vinegar

Sea Salt, to taste

Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl and let soak for about 10 minutes.

For the bread, you'll need a nice skinny artisan loaf. I used a Archer Farms 'Take and Bake' Baguette from the Target bakery. I cut the bread in small slices and baked them at 350 degrees for 10 minutes to get a little pre-toast. I don't think you would necessarily have to do with this a regular baguette or french loaf. After the bread was pre-toasted, I set the oven on high broil and I loaded it up with my tomato mixture and took a small spoonful of the vinegar/oil mixture and spooned it over the bread. Topped the bread with Bel Gioiso fresh mozzarella cheese and it's ready to go!  Because my toasts were smaller I did cut the slice in half. When your oven is ready, put the bruschetta in for 5 minutes.

Bill is already asking when we are going to make bruschetta again! The great thing is that the variations are endless. This was really simple bruschetta (which I preferred) but I browsed bruschetta recipes online and found some other great recipes: Feta Bruschetta, Avocado Bruschetta and Artichoke Bruschetta. It's looking like the tomatoes are going to be pretty endless in our garden so I have a feeling we are going to be making this a regular menu item in our house!

Ragbrai XL

I've never done Ragbrai before. If you haven't heard of Ragbrai you can read more about it here: RAGBRAI XL. This year Ragbrai was going to be going through Cedar Rapids and I thought I might as well jump on the bandwagon with Becky, my running and biking buddy/Aunt-in-law. Best decision ever.... that might be a bit of an exaggeration but it was such a good time! It was really amazing to see all of the people outside cheering on all of the bicyclists. People were offering waters, baked goods, and chairs at their houses, it was so cool to know that these neighbors were welcoming us into their communities. Our first stop was in Mount Vernon and it was just a big party. There were people everywhere, music blasting, and and breakfast was cooking! We took our time walking across the Cornell campus and did a lot of people-watching. We cruised through farmlands, up and down hills to Springville, Viola, Fairview and then ended up in Anamosa. It was a beautiful ride with great people.

 

Go Rams!

Baa-aaa-aaa

 

 

For any of you that know Becky and I... we have a slight obsession with farm animals.

 

Party at Cornell College!

 

 

Biking into Springville

 

 

Springville madness.

 

 

Our last stop. Becky and I were actually pretty bummed that were were here already.

 

We biked the majority of the day with CEC's I.T. Director, Brian. He's awesome.

 

 

Taylor & Leah aka Le-Or. They were total animals and biked full Ragbrai tandem.

Easy Like Sunday Mornin'!

I purchased Immaculate Baking Co. Cinnamon Rolls on my last trip to Target. Bill is a sucker for cinnamon rolls on the weekend and I'm not willing or able to whip up a batch of homemade rolls on a Saturday morning. As you've probably noticed we do make a lot of homemade waffles, pancakes, and casseroles. However, I've never made a homemade cinnamon roll, I think I'm under the misconception that it takes too much time. But either way... why go through all of that work when I can pop open a package like this or go to Kava House up the street?! It's been a long time since I've purchased the typical Pillsbury package for the simple reason that they aren't healthy and there is too much sugar. I always feel horrible after eating something like that for breakfast. When I saw these at the store I noticed that these were different...

It's not very often that you see a label like this for refrigerated dough. I will admit, these are 300 calories for ONE cinnamon roll. Not exactly ideal especially since I will normally eat two. BUT if you are looking for a healthy alternative to other cinnamon rolls, I would highly recommend these!

They don't look so great coming out of the package..... but the final result is DELICIOUS! The dough had a nice texture to it, almost crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside and the frosting wasn't too sweet. We both really enjoyed how quick and easy they were. Two thumbs up from us!

The Piano

I've been playing the piano since I was 8 years old and it is such a joy to sit down and play music... to express emotion through musicality. It's beautiful. If I'm having a good night, I can literally play and bring tears to my eyes. That's not to say I don't play without a mistake... because there's tons. Unfortunately, I haven't taken lessons now for 7 years so my playing can definitely get rusty. I've heard so many people say that they wished they had taken piano lessons or stuck with the lessons but they quit. I'm incredibly thankful that my Mom pushed me to stick with it even when the times got tough. When I play the piano now.... I play for me and my Grandma Baumhauer. The piano brings me closer to her and I know in my heart that she is watching and she's so proud. I played piano for her and I will never, ever forget her smile when I was finished. When she moved to assisted living there was a piano in a main area and I would play song after song for her and she invited people to sit down and listen to me. I would even bow for her afterwards! I had no idea at the time how comforting these memories would be for me. When my Grandmother passed away in 2008, I had a long talk with my Aunt Dene. The first thing Dene told me was how Grandma loved to just listen to me play. That meant so much to hear that.

Piano lessons were never planned for me. It just so happened that my parents were at an auction in a barn/outbuilding and I was 7-8 years old and bored out of my freakin' mind. There was an old, crusty player piano sitting in the middle of all of the items. Being a kid and not having anything else to do I started to "play" on it. My parents knew they were going to stick around at the auction and I was growing increasingly antsy so my Dad made an executive decision. He bought the player piano for $25. I was one happy kid. Just thinking back on that... Gosh, that was so cool of him to do for me. I can't exactly remember how we even got the piano home. We ended up storing the piano in the garage, it was dirty, dusty, and a lot of the keys didn't work. It was the coolest present ever. I played it all the time and when the weather got cold I went out to the garage in the winter coat. At that point my parents decided that they would give piano lessons a shot.

My first teacher was Lisa Rose and she taught the Suzuki method. She moved on after a year and my mother found another Suzuki teacher, Shirley Hanneman, and I took lessons from her until my senior recital. My lessons were strict and memorization was a key component in my learning. At my senior recital I played Schubert ~ Impromptus Opus 90 Number 40. (I must admit that this YouTube rendition is MUCH, MUCH better than I could have played.WOW.) I wanted to play Brahms ~ Rhapsody in G Minor but I couldn't get this song polished in time. I still love this song. I highly recommend the Suzuki method to anyone thinking about lessons. My next teacher was Laurel Moser at Kirkwood Community College. She taught a very new-age approach to the piano. She introduced me to music like David Lanz and Jim Brickman. She definitely opened my playing up to a different level and taught me to not be so hard on myself about missed notes. She also taught me it was okay to really close my eyes and "feel" the music. I was always very nervous about looking foolish.

I love looking at all of my old books. There are lots of notes from Shirley... like "hands down" for waterfalling your hands from the piano after a performance and "hear every note" to focus my forte and piano. Of course, there is lots of pink tape to remind me of the problem areas in a piece that I need to work on.

I have been a huge, huge Ludovico Einaudi fan for years. There is something magical that happens to me when I hear passionate piano music and this is truly passionate. I'm learning I Giorni right now and every time I practice this piece I feel this amazing connection between my Grandma and I.