Weekend Update: Gravity and Eureka!

As usual, there were just not enough hours in the day.  Friday night, we ate leftovers/microwaveable mac-n-cheese and then went to see Gravity.

Source here

If you haven't seen this yet, do yourself a favor AND go see it.  LIKE RIGHT NOW.  And even better, see it in 3-D (with IMAX, if you can--we couldn't).  We agreed we've never seen anything like it.  It was very strange to see Sandra Bullock in such a role as this, but she was outstanding.  This movie will make you feel minute and larger-than-life, like you are experiencing space with the characters.  It was a moving story of finding faith when you have to carry on in the face of immeasurable odds, and my goodness!  You will be on the emotional rollercoaster of your life.

Saturday, I made orange rolls, Zach sold our old iPhone, and we headed to Eureka Springs to hang out with our friend Erin and her boyfriend Mark.  They are our Eureka buddies.  We started off with lunch at Mud Street Cafe, popped in for some fudge and sweets, had wonderful champagne cocktails at Voulez Vous, went on the underground tour (Eureka has built up upon itself and has a fascinating history), and grabbed pizza at Geraldi's.  It rained until it was time for us to leave, so I apologize for the phone photos.

 amazing sweets at Mud Street Cafe (not pictured:  Sin-Amen rolls :) )

Mud Street = Main Street after an epic mudslide that forced the town to rebuild upward

 one of the underground tunnels that was used to navigate the town, used by gangsters to escape (including Bonnie of Bonnie and Clyde!), used by rum runners to get booze into the resort town's many hotels, used by ladies of the night...

 a Humpty Dumpty made of solid wood and HUGE

The artist who made this was asked by the town officials to remove it (due to the housing association).  The artist said if they wanted to move it, they could come and get it.

classic Eureka

We headed back before Old Navy closed, so we could score some items half off as well as as some SA-WEET clearance items.  I'm pumped to wear some of my new fall clothes this week!  We've kissed the 80s goodbye.  In fact, this weekend, it was only in the lower 60s, and the mornings saw the 40s.  I'm loving it!

Today, I worked on our Christmas ornament for last year (only 10ish months late!), did laundry and clipped coupons, put out our Halloween and fall decorations, went grocery shopping, and made a yummy new dish.  Here's a clue:

What fun things did you do this weekend?

A Year Ago Tomorrow

A year ago tonight, I was sitting in a hospital bed, eating more-than-tolerable hospital food and visiting with my husband, my mama, my mother-in-law, and a friend from work.  I was surrounded by flowers and little presents.  I likely had TLC or the Food Network on and was getting two units of blood to begin the treatment for which I had been admitted a week and a half earlier to start.  Earlier that year, we never expected I would need to start such a medication so soon because my intestines had mild inflammation that could be easily treated with the usual round of meds.  But in the fall, the illness spiraled out of control, and this was our next option.  We were nervous; this was a biologic drug that could have serious side effects and outcomes.  But the possibility outweighed the risk.  So I was admitted, missed Thanksgiving, and had test after test and antibiotic after antibiotic to clear me, to make sure I didn't have TB or any infections that would put me in danger when I started the Remicade.  Of course, when the final TB test came back, it was inconclusive, so we weren't sure when I would begin.  My GI doc called in nfectious disease physicians to examine me, and they finally cleared me for take off...

Little did I know that I would wake the next morning, Thursday, December 1, 2011, in the worst pain I had ever experienced.  I knew something was wrong.  I insisted something was wrong, and as a good patient, that was hard to do--to push my doctors to do something.  After enduring a round of x-rays, they didn't pick up on anything and wanted to push forward with the plan.  But I was so afraid everything would go wrong.  I insisted they check again,  After a CAT scan (the second since my hospitalization), they discovered perforations had formed in my colon while I was in the hospital.  This meant emergency surgery to remove the perforated colon.

A year ago tomorrow, I didn't know what danger I was in.  I didn't know what it meant to have part of your colon removed.  I didn't know that I could die from what happened in my body, by my body, to my body.

This is something I wrote in response to that day in my daily Facebook photo album:

So many people prayed for me, people I do not know, some people I will probably never meet. It brings tears to my eyes when I go on Facebook and see where people said they were praying for me and sending love and support and encouragement. Prayer saved my life. I do believe that. If we had not all joined together, I do not know if I would be doing as well as I am. I have had some setbacks, yes, but, overall, my recovery has gone very well. I have tried to trust God completely and let Him carry me through this ordeal. I still have my moments when I lose faith and worry, but I know it is a result of the prayers we lifted up to Jesus together that have gotten me here. I had been praying the entire morning before my surgery, asking God to heal me from the inside and to bind Satan and to curse this horrible disease. I have been very careful not to say "my" Crohn's Disease anymore; I will not take ownership of it. It is not a part of me; it is part of this fallen world and is not part of God's promise to us. He wants us to be healthy and well and whole in His image. The thing about Crohn's Disease is that your body attacks itself and treats food, especially things that are often considered healthier such as raw fruits and vegetables, as something to be attacked as well. But God has promised otherwise in some of the first words of the Bible: "Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. '" (Genesis 1:29) I know we often skip through the Old Testament, especially those first passages, but I don't think it can be any plainer than that. I am going to be healed; I am going to be well; I am going to be stronger than before. Food will nourish not destroy my body. This experience has changed my life in so many ways, ways I could have never imagined. I am getting my life back physically and spiritually so I can go out and love and serve and do what I am supposed to do. I believed in prayer before this, but now I have experienced the true power of it, what it does, what it can do. It breaks my heart if you don't believe in God or prayer because I know that He saved my life on December 1 because we prayed to Him. I still have a long way to go and I still need lots of prayers, but I know it will be okay because I trust God has kept me here for a reason.

Tomorrow, we are going to Eureka Springs for a walking tour of Victorian homes decorated for Christmas.  It will be a time of great rejoicing and happiness and fun.  I know Zach and I will reflect on where we were a year ago and how far we have come, but I will not let what is passed be a burden on a glorious day and weekend.  I thank God for giving me back my life, for all those that were instruments in His Hands to do so--my family, my friends, my physicians.  He is my Father, my Friend, my Great Physician.  I thank Him for letting me remember, for helping me not forget, for allowing me to process these memories with both praise and mourning, acceptance and disbelief, happiness and hurt and even a little humor as I remember how my colon crapped out (bathroom humor) and became a semicolon (English teacher humor).  What a life I have!  What a future I have!  And, as the future is now, I will go enjoy the present that the Lord has given me.  :)

Be Grateful #2

Wow.  I (we) survived week one of classes.  Phew.
I already feel behind.  I'm already exhausted.
Ready for week two...  ?  ;)

Zach got some free Naturals tickets for being such a hard worker, so we took his dad Friday night.  It was the first game we made all year, and I am thankful we did!

1)  I am so very thankful Zach wasn't too hurt in his scooter wreck Thursday night when a guy, turning left, pulled out in front of him when he was only four feet away.  Zach was able to stop before hitting the guy, so according to the policeman who came out, no one is fault and no ticket could be issued.  However, our insurance says it sounds like it was a clear case of failing to yield, which--hopefully--means that guy's insurance will have to pay to fix Zach's scooter and buy a new helmet, jacket, and eyeglasses.
2)  I am grateful we have such great relatives and friends who are willing to help us in any way they can.
3)  I am glad that my Buick is fixed, so maybe now it will sell...and we can pay off the scooter!
4)  I am grateful to have the energy to face a thirteen-ish hour day tomorrow.  Oh my.
5)  I am thankful for the rain this weekend and that the weather didn't interfere too much with our Eureka Springs trip to the Turpentine Creek Exotic Wildlife Refuge center.
6)  I am happy I finished The Hobbit at last!

Summer Pail List

During dinner one night last week, Zach and I came up with a Summer Pail List of things to do this season.  (We decided that the word "bucket" was too negative and morbid.  ;)  Here is what we came up with:

1)  Go to a Naturals game (We are going to try to go to one this week if there's a home game.)

2)  Watch a movie at Eureka Springs' Movie in the Park

3)  Watch a movie on First Friday at the Splash Pad
4)  Watch a movie at the drive-in theatre
5)  View the Hudson River exhibit at Crystal Bridges
6)  Take a picture with the new LOVE sign on the lawn at Crystal Bridges

7)  Have a fondue party (We have one planned for the 14th!)
8)  Explore the new Bentonville trails or ones we haven't
9)  Eat A LOT of snow cones and share a banana split

10)  Use our grill (We only used it once last year.  *lol*)
11)  Take a two-person scooter ride (once I get a helmet and jacket).
12)  Ride the trail from Springdale to Van Buren (This is planned for sometime next month--we bought a package deal!)
13)  Make basil gimlets (We are planning to serve these at the Fondue Is Fundoings party.  :)
14)  Ride around town with Zach wearing his horse mask

15)  Watch Moulin Rouge
16)  Have crepes from the Farmers Market

I think it's going to be a fun summer!

What do you have planned or are doing?

Our Love Story

I saw this on someone else's blog today and thought it looked like fun. (Sorry for the long answers!)

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?

Zach and I have been together a little over three years (dating, engagement, and marriage)--married for most of that. When you meet the one, you know!

2. How did you meet? {What’s your “love” story?}

WE MET AT A BAR!!! I know, I know, those types of situations usually do NOT work out! We met at The Flying Saucer on September 19, 2008. He was there with a friend he had made in grad school who had been in the same program as me as an undergrad, Brian (who had told Zach on the way that he would get along with me). Brian and his girlfriend Whitney, who was also an English major and grad, had no plans to play matchmakers...yet. ;) What is also funny about this situation is that one of my best friends (who was also an English major in undergrad and also in Brian and Zach's program), Katie, had told me she had met my personality soul mate during the first week of grad school after they had completed the Meyers-Briggs personality test. She said that every time my soul mate would raise his hand and say something in class, she couldn't help but think of me! (Zach is an INTJ, and I am an INFJ, which is why we are personality soul mates.) At the Saucer, we were sitting one person apart at the table, and when this guy left, we started talking one-on-one about grad school and the music, movies, and books we liked including Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Whitney said she had never seen me talk for so long to one person, especially a guy. (If you know me, this is sooo true.) We talked the whole night! When I was getting ready to leave, I went around the table to hug everyone. However, when I got to Zach, I didn't know what to do: say goodbye, shake his hand, or awkwardly hug him? I settled on awkwardly hugging him--I didn't want to leave him out!--and we ended up doing this weird, half-side hug. He had whispered to me earlier, and I quote, "It is very sexy the way you carry yourself." So bold, this guy was! I thought this was just something a guy in a bar would say to a girl, but if you know Zach, this is not something he would EVER do. *lol* (Usually, when he says the word "sexy," he half-sings it in this silly voice. But, of course, he wasn't just complimenting the way I looked, but my personality, intelligence, etc. so he said it in a serious tone then.) After I hugged him, he said that he was serious about what he said (See!) and hoped to see me again. So I told him I would look him up on Facebook. Well, the thing is things aren't always spelled the way they are pronounced. I got home and looked up "Zach Farr," who did not exist. I thought Zach was just another jerk in the bar after that! Only when he added me did I realize he is a "Pharr." We had some more funnies that happened leading up to our first date date, too...

3. If married, how long have you been married?

We were married on September 19, 2009, exactly one year after we met! So we have been married over two years.

4. If you are married, where did you get married? Big or small wedding?

We had a small Alice-in-Wonderland-themed wedding at Faulkner County Library (60-ish people). We had a reception at a former magic theater on December 20th for an even smaller group. (We would have had in on December 19th, but Zach was in a wedding that day!)

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share!

Wooky and Pooks--they have evolved from rather common nicknames that we were initially using ironically. I guess the joke is on us! We have more than those, but we use them for a time and then discard them before picking them back up; Zach is constantly singing new nicknames at me like Ladyface. I have also tried on and off since I met Zach to give him the nickname Zaxby (like the chicken restaurant) because he is slightly allergic to chicken. These are probably the most interesting...

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.

a) He can always make me laugh.

b) He is thoughtful of everyone in his life, which means everyone in my life, too.

c) He is so hardworking for our family.

BONUS: HE'S A CLEAN FREAK AND DOES ALL THE VACUUMING, THANK YOU LORD!

7. Tell us how he proposed?

I just wrote out this story for a contest, but I will keep it short and sweet. Zach proposed to me in Kansas City on July 19, 2009. We were supposed to be having a cheap trip since school was out and we weren't working, but after dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, he told me he had a surprise: we were going on a carriage ride! Around The Country Club Plaza! At sunset! Of course, the first thing I ask is how is he affording this. *lol* After the ride was over, I thought we were heading back to our friends', where we were staying, but he said he had another surprise around the corner. He pulled into the parking lot of Southmoreland on the Plaza, a B&B! He told me we were staying there for two nights, and I immediately asked about our luggage. (Our friends were in on the surprise and had brought it for us.) So we went inside and were led to our room. The key was given to me to open the door, and when I did, I was met with champagne and a "Drink Me" sign and chocolate-covered strawberries with an "Eat Me" sign. I thought the B&B had supplied them! After all, they had sherry in the rooms and appetizers every afternoon! Well, it took me a moment to realize there was an "Open Me" sign on a tiny door to the left. When I did open it, I found a shadowbox filled with photos and souvenirs and topped with a "Love Me" sign. I noticed there was another sign behind it--"Marry Me!" (I still thought the food came from the innkeepers at this point and hadn't made the Wonderland connection!) I was waiting for Zach to speak, but finally he blurted out, "Please say YES!" That boy was sweating bullets even though he knew I would say yes! So we hugged and kissed, and he told me there was a surprise under that sign: a diamond solitaire ring that shines like a snowflake! We spent the night sipping champagne on the balcony, planning our wedding and our future (I asked such practical questions as, "Where will we live?" "What will we do?" "How many kids should we have?" "What about our money?" Poor Zach!), and calling family and friends to let them know.

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?

Zach tends to give very personal, thoughtful gifts for Valentine's Day, so I guess I would say he's a rose petal guy.

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?

Well, I'm not a beachy gal, but I do like the idea of a sunset dinner! However, we started dating with "movie and waffle" nights at his apartment because we were poor grad students, and he worked for res life as a hall director and was always on duty. So I have some fond movie-and-snuggling memories...

10. Tell us one thing you’d like to do with your significant other one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?

We ARE going to England next summer! We've both been, but we haven't been together. We are thinking a week to a week and a half in a holiday cottage in the Lake District, and then a week to week and a half in Edinburgh, Scotland!

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine’s Day?

Well, we haven't made definite plans. We found out we owe taxes this year, which has forced us to change our budget after struggling to pay off my medical bills and buy a new car because Zach's transmission went out; we were planning to go to Eureka Springs and stay, but it's probably not in the budget now. :( I told Zach, though, I was happy just staying at home since I missed it for a month! And since I didn't get to bake for Christmas, I've had lots of plans for this holiday. I've already made heart-shaped gingerbread cookies with pink cream cheese icing, and I plan to make a strawberry lemonade cake and heart-shaped cinnamon rolls for Valentine's Day. I may make some Neapolitan cupcakes (chocolate and strawberry layers with vanilla icing) for this weekend!

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine’s day?

No, we never ask each other for anything. It's always a surprise!

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.

Respect each other.

14. Show us a picture of what love means to you.

And just for kicks: the most recent photo of us from Le Chocolate Feast on January 28! It was an event raising money for breast cancer awareness, and participants got to sample chocolatey treats for over a dozen vendors from NWA. It was SA-WEET!!!

(Sorry my face is still puffy--thanks, prednisone!)

Menu Monday...er, Wednesday: EASY CORN CHOWDER

Howdy, folks! How's the day treating ya? I'm so thankful for today's rain because it meant I did not sweat bullets on my way home this afternoon! HALLEJUAH! Sorry that my posts have been few and far between, but Zach and I have both feeling rather poorly since early last week when we came down with some kind of stomach bug. It put me in a right terrible state because I had been sick a week or so before, so my Crohn's had already been stirred up. :(

Thankfully today it is much better than it's been. :)

However, having been sick for so long meant that we ate a lot of oatmeal and take-away, and I did not cook very much. Sunday we did venture out to Eureka to see Casablanca in BasinSpring Park, and we gorged ourselves on Italian at Ermilio's and treats in the park. Sadly it made me sooo verrry siiiiiiiiiick. It didn't help that we had lasagna Monday night when Tommy was over. We've had Italian a bit too much lately.

Last night we were supposed to have tuna-cucumber sandwiches and CORN CHOWDER, but I was feeling sooo badly and CORN CHOWDER just did not sound good. When I am ill, I usually want one of three things: 1) something sour; 2) ice cream; and 3) Cheez-Its.

Well, since I continually eat my weight in Cheez-Its every single day, I didn't have many left and was saving them for snacks at work. We also didn't have any ice cream, except for some Magnum bars, but those are actually Zach's because I had two out of the box of three before. So that left something sour. What did I have? Sweetarts claro que si! Then Zach made me some biscuits and gravy, which is both plain and rich and much better on my tummy.

Side note: since I got sick the first time, my tummy has swollen up like water balloon attached to a faucet nearly every time I eat. This means I have looked pregnant for much of this month. If pregnancy feels anything like this, no thank you. ;)

Onto the recipe, hungry babies! Zach loves Mimi's Cafe's CORN CHOWDER and have found it is hard to beat by anything else. We bought a pack of CORN CHOWDER mix at World Market one time with hiiigh hopes, but it let us down so very far. I had all but given up hope for finding something we could easily make at home that would compare with Mimi's...until tonight.

EASY CORN CHOWDER

-Chop 1 medium onion, chopped--or enough chopped onion that equals what you would call a medium onion and saute the onion in 3 Tbsp. butter until slightly golden. We LOVE onion, so we say the more the merrier. :)

-Add 1 can creamed corn and 1 can of cream of potato soup.

-Add 3/4 cup milk.

-Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat, but do boil. We served us in our cute little soup cups Zach's parents got us in Florida. :)

I asked Zach to rate my EASY CORN CHOWDER on a scale of 1 to 5 with Mimi's being a 5. He didn't give me a number, but he said it was "up there" with Mimi's. ;)

Sorry for forcing you to look at pictures with even poorer quality than usual, but this soup was so quick, all I had time to grab was my iPhone!

Menu Monday: CANDIED ORANGE

Zach and I went on a day trip--well, afternoon trip--to Eureka Springs this weekend. We had planned to go on the Saturday before Valentine's Day, but the area's two feet of snow kept us, well, snowed in. Just like Arkansas weather, a week later it was in the 70s or so. It was a beautiful day, not overly sunny, which I don't like. (I like slightly sunny, overcast, cloudy, and/or downright gloomy days. *lol*)

We parked uphill and walked to the downtown area, snapping pictures (see above) and stopping into interesting shops. I was starving, so we got a soft pretzel because our favorite funnel cake place is closed for the season. :( We also went into Two Dumb Dames, one of the fudge and taffy shops.

Last time we came to Eureka, we learned that we should stick to more traditional flavors of fudge in smaller amounts because, the last time we came to Eureka, we got a pound of fudge with such flavors as pumpkin and mint chocolate--the last of which sounds good in theory, but the mint flavor was overpowering and somewhat artificial tasting. We threw most of it out. Of course, we had been to Eureka already three weeks prior to that trip and had just polished off the half-pound of fudge we bought then. You win some, you lose some.

So we got some tiger butter fudge for Zach and some dark chocolate and raspberry cream fudge for me. Then we saw CANDIED ORANGE slices dipped in dark chocolate.

Two of my favorite candies in the world are these:

This is one of my favorite candy bars, which I first discovered at Whole Foods. Then I found them at the Target in Conway. Now I can't find them at any Target. :( I love to take a small bite and let it melt in my mouth down to the orange peel. I love orange peel, especially in some biscotti.

[photo from here]

This Christmas we got three of these on clearance. That was amazing to us because sometimes you can't find them anywhere before Christmas. I got one of these several years ago, and l-o-v-e-d it. Then, as I mentioned, I couldn't find them again for awhile. What's not to love? You get to whack your candy to break it! This year I used one to make some decadent homemade ice cream.

[photo from here]

Zach loves these:

This is a British KitKat that we have been unable to find stateside. Zach brought back a ton when he went on his English trip, and I restocked on mine. Thankfully we have a family friend who keeps us supplied when she travels home to Scotland. (Thanks, Fiona!) I don't like KitKats, but I love these....though not as much as the husby. ;)

[photo from here]

So we knew we had to try a slice. For over a $1.

It. was. wonderful. We both went on and on about how sweet and fruity and chocolatey it was. Definitely worth the $1 unless...we could make our own.

CANDIED ORANGE

1 orange

1 1/2 c. water

1/2 sugar

chocolate for dipping (optional)

-Slice in the orange lengthwise (through the ends), then lay the cut sides down. Slice the orange into 1/4-inch wide slices, discarding the end pieces. Be careful to not cut them too thick or too thin.

-In a flat-bottomed skillet, mix water and sugar together and bring to a boil. Add the orange slices.

-Boil for 6-8 minutes, turning once or twice. Reduce to medium heat and continue simmering for 30 minutes, turning the slices occasionally.

-As the liquid thickens and becomes syrupy, reduce to low heat and continue cooking and turning until the oranges are translucent and the liquid is thick.

-Cool oranges in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to wax paper to cool completely.

-If desired, melt your choice of chocolate in which to dip the orange slices once cool. Lay on a clean sheet of wax paper to harden.

[1 orange]

I think these would be beautiful on a cake! Mine did not photograph so well above, not to mention the poor baby that got scorched. But they do look nice and pretty in person...and once you get them dolled up in chocolate!

What do you think? Have you ever had candied fruits before?