Friday, May 28, 2010

Family

I'm kind of overwhelmed with love and appreciation for my family. Those hiccups in life that make you pause and reflect on you and yours...

A father that champions for you despite the fact that your actions warrant an old-fashioned lecture rather than him fighting like Mike Tyson for you (save the ear biting).

A mother that was always, is and remains the most beautiful person in my life- inside and out. The paradigm of all that is balanced and good.

The moments spent with my created family- my buddy and our four-footeds- that are still and quiet and cozy where everyone has a bit of them touching someone else and the moments where the rabies epidemic manifests and a manic joy and frivolity fill our space.

A family to which I don't actually belong to, but have the opportunity to accompany and commune that is so different than mine, yet so fantastic and full and fun.

In the words of one of the greatest singer songwriters ever (after John and Gordon- Denver and Lightfoot; obviously), Dave Matthews, "Yes Indeed!"

Yes indeed- best life ever.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Hurricane Thyself!



This weekend we co-hosted a wedding shower for some of our dear friends with the rest of our dear friends. It was a crawfish boil replete with authentic Pat O'Brien's Hurricanes!

One of our co-hostesses offered, with their blessing, her parent's house as the location for our festivities. Never was there a better party spot than that house! Pool, hot tub, covered seating, fantastic kitchen, game room upstairs, and more. It was perfect.

The weather cooperated in a most un-Oklahoma like fashion as we began the party outside. The groom, who hosts a crawfish boil each year at his house, was in charge of the cooking. I stayed very far away from that process. I'm not into purging crawfish, or dropping their living bodies into the boiling vat of water and spices. That said. they were yum!

If you've never been to a crawfish boil, which I hadn't, you are really missing out. It is so much fun! Everyone gathers around the table and dives in to the too hot to be touching and too spicy to be eating food. It is a free for all of head sucking, corn eating and sweat dripping. Fabulous in every way.

For 10 hours we drank, ate, laughed, slept (okay, I was the only one to take a nap on the diving board-or at all) and had an amazing time prepping for the Lambley wedding.

This group of people that were gathered together to celebrate the upcoming nuptials are friends of my buddy. Over the past year and some months though, through countless games days, trips to the lake and Louie's Too I have fully fallen for this group of people. Some of the funniest, fun and most faithful friends I have ever witnessed.



Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day came a little late for my mother this year, at least from her curly headed child. My buddy and I were in the car driving back from Ft. Worth during my family's big MD feast which was apparently amazing; steak au poivre with a cherry brandy reduction or some such thing! Boom!
Well, we blew it and missed it, and more importantly I didn't get to have that meal o' mother- no not eating my mom, that is both illegal and gross. Rather, a meal in honor of my mom and all of the wonder and glory that she represents.
So we had K&A over for a little late spring grilled chicken dinner. I got a bit nervous for two reasons. 1) undercooked chicken kills people however, overcooked chicken makes you wish you were dead. 2) tornados of America were literally ripping through the area (at large)

The storms passed though, and I was able to grill in the hot, muggy, wet blanket that was post- storm Oklahoma. However, my initial fears were valid and realized...the chicken (bbq, sezchuan, ponzo, or jalapeno jelly) was, in parts on some pieces, pink. Like a steak cooked medium. This wasn't steak, this was CHICKEN. eek. Blessedly my paranoia prompted me to warn everyone of our plate o' salmonella so everyone did a quick spot check and anything that was steak-ish (in cook temp) got a quick trip through the old mickey-mike.

My buddy and I had a great night with the fam, and dinner was good-really it was. Chicken, roasted potatoes with garlic and onion, smothered green beans and grilled corn on the cob! More importantly, we all had a nice time together, conversation was great and good times were had by all!

Happy late Mother's Day, belatedly, Mother. I love you so much. You are my favorite.