Food, friends and music

This new house is keeping me busy!  I'm having my big housewarming shindig this weekend and I'll do a post on that soon including a little house tour for my friends and family far away.  Until then, I'll focus on what I've been up to.. which is mostly just food, friends and music.

Eli's BBQ

Oh my gosh you guys.  This BBQ is so good!  A few weeks ago it was my friend, Zach's, 30th Birthday!  I had folks over and got their BBQ pork and mac & cheese.  Good grief it's so good.  I also made some jalapeno cheddar cornbread and coleslaw.  We had such a good time and it was so fun to host a delicious, casual dinner party.  The first in my new house! 

Kyle! Myself and Zach, the birthday boy man!

It was so good I did the same thing the next weekend for my mom's birthday!  I had my mom, dad, molly&ryan and eli over on Saturday, March 9.  I picked up the BBQ and mac & cheese, made a more traditional coleslaw and that same cornbread.  But the big deal were the snickerdoodle blondies and salted caramel brownies. It was my mom's birthday after all :)
I have made about 4 or 5 batches of those blondies since then for co-workers and friends because they are seriously the best thing I've baked all year and I get mad compliments on them.


Music

As always, seeing lots of live music.  Man Man, Murder By Death and Tillers all at the Southgate House.  Super Massive and Sligthly Stoopid at The Madison. 
Also excited to be planning my summer which is filling up fast with the Forecastle Music Festival and of course some Phish.

Red River Gorge

Went camping at the Red River Gorge this weekend.  Hopefully the first of many trips this year.

The drive down is about 2 hours and it was very discouraging because the skies were grey, grey, grey!  We went on a hike out to Auxiar Ridge and Courthouse Rock when the sun finally decided to show her face.  We were all very excited.

Pointing to the sun.

Peter, James Lauren and Jenny

This sign gave us all the giggles.

Camp dinner was a treat.  Lauren boiled turkey sausages in beer then we toasted them up over the fire.  We also had baked potatoes and homemade mac&cheese.  Marshmallows for dessert.  So good on a cold night.

Because the sun stayed out after our hike we were treated to a beautiful sunset.

The gang after hiking out the next morning.

Moving on up, to the east side.

It's happened... I've moved out of the apartment I enjoyed for 4 and a half years and into my very first house!  Here are some highlights:

1.  I hired movers I found off Craigslist.  Two dudes had all my stuff moved into my house in less than two hours.  I had plenty of friends offer but I felt like hiring movers was 150 dollars well spent!

2.  I bought a house, but I'm homeless.  Due to some hold-ups with the appraisal and bank folks I haven't closed on my house yet.  The seller is super cool and let me move in but I am technically not suppose to reside here.  Although, I've gone ahead and switched all the utilities to my name so I don't feel bad about it.  Shhh... don't tell my realtor.  Hope to close tomorrow! 

3.  I've been dealing with a lot of folks from utility companies, appliance stores, handymen.  I've been told many times that my "husband" can take care of that.  Or to just "ask my landlord."  Or whether or not I'd like to add anyone else to my accounts.  Nope. (A la KRay's grumpy cat mug.)

4.  I hope to become a DIYer.  Mostly, I have been finding projects and my daddy-o takes care of it.  Like this bitchin' table that he built for me.  Though, I picked the wood and finish for my version. (I'm also shamelessly stealing their idea to thrift 8 mix-matched chairs and paint them all the same color. Maybe peach!)  I hope to tackle some other projects myself thanks to good ol' Pinterest.

5.  I won the insight cable lottery!  Cable, extra chanels (including Bravo), Showtime, HBO, wireless internet, a DVR box and an extra box for the tv in the guest bedroom.  All for under 100 bucks a month.  That's hella cheap, yo.  Still a bit of a luxury but it's winter and too cold to be spending time outside anyway.

6.  Speaking of outside.  Julie came over for a bit to check out my place.  It's still a bit of a hot mess but when I showed her my backyard she said:
"Oh, it's big! You could play volleyball back here... or badminton!!" 
So I totally want to set up badminton now.  No corn-hole for this gal.

Hope to post some pictures of my new home soon for my friend, Carly to see!

Eating salads

Have you been to the gym yet this new year?  It is bonkers.  I have decided to lay off the gym for the month of January and focus on eating well, drinking less alcohol and more water and trying some new healthy recipes.  Until the loads of new folks give up on their resolutions.

I made this avocado salad with carrot-ginger dressing and it was flipping delicious. 

One of my 2013 resolutions is to be less wasteful when I cook which means trying to eat more leftovers (which I'm really not a fan of).  However, this quinoa salad with black beans, avocado and cumin-lime dressing is so good.  So easy to pack for my lunch with a side of tortilla chips.

Finally, I'm slightly addicted to Chipotle so I make my own spin on my favorite salad there.  A bed of romaine lettuce with sauteed peppers and onions, this awesome salsa, this addicting corn salsa with a little sour cream.  I wish I could find a good recipe for Chipotle's hot salsa and then my life would be complete.

Let's wrap it up

An end of year questionnaire I took from one of my favorite blogs. 

1. What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?
Quit smoking cigarettes! 

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions and will you make any for next year?
I think my New Year's resolution was to work out more and drink lots of water.  I did okay.
For 2013 I'd like to be less wasteful.  Eat more leftovers, recycle, etc.


3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Hmm, I don't think so.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
My friend, Wayne Warning.

5. What countries did you visit?
I didn't leave the States this year but I did go to California and Charleston, South Carolina.

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
A new job.  A boy to have fun with.  More self awareness.

7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory and why?
April 2, 2012 - UK won the National Championship.
June 28 & 29 - Seeing Phish at Deer Creek for two nights.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Quitting smoking.  Reaching my five-year anniversary at work.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not speaking my mind professionally and personally.
 
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Anything from Leyla at Nordstrom.

12. Where did most of your money go?
The Village Pub and Nordstrom.

13. What did you get really excited about?
The Southgate House Revival.

14. What song will always remind you of 2012?
I don't know.  Either an Adele or Avett album.  For different reasons.

15. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder? Thinner or fatter? Richer or poorer?
Much happier, a little thinner and a bit richer.

16. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Travel.

17. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Drinking.

18. How did you spend Christmas?
Best Christmas Eve ever with my parents and brother.  Christmas Day with the whole immediate family.  It was lovely.

19. What was your favorite TV program?
Downton Abbey, Walking Dead.

20. What were your favorite books of the year? 
Wild: From lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail
Most Talkative: Stories from the front line of pop culture

21. What was your favorite music from this year?
Whatever I saw live.  Lots of Phish, Tillers, Turkeys, Bluegrass, Avett Brothers.  Shows at the Southgate Revival and the Madison.

22. What were your favorite films of the year?I saw The Beginners recently and loved it even though it came out a few years ago.

23. What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?
I turned 27 on the 26th of January and went to Los Angeles to visit my uncles.

24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I'm not sure that anything could.

25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?A little help from Leyla.
 

26. What kept you sane?
My free time.

27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.
Whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the Universe is unfolding as it should.

Life Changes

Whatch out, folks!  Lot's of life changes going on around here.  Well, namely just two.

1.  I quit smoking!  I've smoked cigarettes on and off for about 10 years or so.  There were periods where I would smoke a ton (college) and others where I would just smoke when I drank.  Anyway, I went to a show at Eli's BBQ on Nov. 19 and a jug of moonshine was being passed around.  I took a big slug and was never the same.  I woke up the next morning and decided then and there to quit.  And I did.

2.  I bought a house!  Crazy.  I am deciding to down play the whole situation by saying that I'm moving just 4 blocks from where I live now.  I am tripling the amount of space I have and my rent is going up a bit.  But I'll own it!  I keep having moments of excitement and others of terror. 

- I am most looking forward to HAVING PARTIES!  I can't have many folks over my current 700 sq. ft. apartment so I've been anxious to have a place where I can entertain. 
- I'm probably the most nervous trying to think about how in the hell I'll fill all the space!
- I am mostly lamenting the loss of my current apartment.  I love it and it will be strange to leave.  But it's time to move on.

720 Washington.  My new abode.

Wanderlusty

Oh the anguish with thinking up a clever blog title!  I've changed mine a few times but I think I am sticking with this.

Wanderlusty Rose.

Rose was my Mom's Mom's name(who I never got to meet) and my middle namesake.  And for some reason I just stumbled upon the word wonderlusty today and it seems fitting.

Grandpa Edward and Grandma Rose circa 1953