Spring Breakin'

Last week was spring break and unfortunately for the Pacleb household, we don’t get a vacation. Or rather, we choose to spend our vacation days during other times of the year. Either way, we celebrated. My biggest celebration was during my usual 20 minute commute to the south of downtown. With all of those parents staying home with their kids, we childless people were left to enjoy the space on the highway and shorter commutes. Woohoo for extra sleep in the morning!

We had the pleasure of attending the Cliburn Concert Series featuring Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott last Tuesday. Amazing. Simply amazing. We were given box seats and they were fabulous. As Robert said, “I feel a little bit like Abe Lincoln right now!” We also met with our accountant to have our taxes prepared. Not quite as exciting.

On Saturday we awoke to wicked winter weather. I’m talking rain like you wouldn’t believe. Well, I guess everyone around here could believe it because it has been the story of our lives for the past few months. I heard Dallas got a few inches of snow but we just had a dusting. And I’m totally fine with that. I’m looking forward to the spring temps this week. If Saturday starts looking good, we may have our first garage sale. It is much needed – we have an entire bedroom filled with garage sale items! I'd like to reclaim that space as my own.

And yesterday, we finally broke down and saw Avatar in 3D. And yes, I enjoyed it even though I thought it was going to be lame. James Cameron created a beautiful world that made me wonder, "what happened to my imagination?" And I loved the subtle “save the Earth” undertones in the movie. Caitlin absolutely loved it, too. But we all know she is a tree hugger and a sci-fi nerd ;)

Last night I attempted a Tomato Tart from this month’s food and wine magazine. Like most things with tomato, it’s always best on day two. And I wish I would’ve left it in the oven for about 15 additional minutes because my yellow cherry tomatoes were a little big and they all didn’t roast. I give the recipe two thumbs up for being delicious and fresh. And the pie crust was fun to play with too! I may attempt something else from the magazine next week.

And speaking of food, we’re about to start week two of our chef delivered meals. We LOVED it last week. Everything is portioned correctly and it saved us a good hour in the kitchen every night. Perfect for busy people like us :)

Life in fast forward...

We've been keeping busy lately...here are a few highlights:

I threw a bridal shower for a friend two weeks ago. It was a lot of fun because we got engaged around the same time. She's getting married this weekend!

I went to the Dallas Flea, which was cool but smaller than I expected. The only things I bought were food items but Ashleigh found a few great "vintage" items for her house.

I had my first meal at Nordstroms Bistro and my mouth is still watering for another goat cheese tart. I love great food. Why does America like junk so much?!

Robert bought a new driver and played golf on Saturday with Justin. They got sunburned...welcome spring!

We all went out to dinner Saturday night at Taverna and had a soup incident. I always have to order their soup because it's delish. Saturday night it was butternut squash and our waiter ran into another waiter and splat! Soup was all over the floor. The next day I realized that there was soup splatter all over my black heels and my black purse. Don't judge...the lighting was really dim everywhere we went. :)

We also went to Scat Jazz Lounge to see an organ trio. An organ + jazz = amazing. Who would've thought?

On Sunday we celebrated my brother's birthday. I was excited to try Hoffbrau for the first time. Too bad it turned out to be that junk that America likes to eat. Nothing special.

Last night Robert and I went to see Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott at the Bass as part of the Cliburn series. The Cliburn series is arguably one of the best in the country, if not the world, and it was a special treat. We were given box seats by one of the board chairs. I hate to say it, but Stott almost outshined Ma if that were possible. She was a total rockstar.

This week Robert and I are trying something new. We've been looking for ways to save time and maximize it to our benefit. We hired a chef we met who owns a catering company to make all of our meals for the week and deliver them on Mondays. So far, so good. We're eating really great, fresh food and we get at the very least an extra hour to spend doing something meaningful every night...whether going to bed early or taking a walk, it's made a big difference! Now if only I could outsource all of my cleaning, laundry and yard work...

And tonight is tax night. We're meeting with our accountant after work. We're hoping for a very small refund and to owe nothing. That is the point, right? We're also going to get advice for filing as a married couple for this tax year.

And that's our little update of what has been happening. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Too busy being fabulous...

Here is a gross way to find out that you're a really, really busy person. Interested?

So for the past few months I have been out and about running around and living out of the office that is my 4runner. I'm not in my stationary office very long and when I am, I'm only checking my mail or drafting a quick contract on the computer.

Today I was rummaging around my "utensil" drawer to grab a pack of crystal light and noticed a horrible odor. That odor turned out to be a rotten lunch that I left in there. It was concealed in a Target bag, which blended in with the other Target bags I recycle.

Have you ever wanted to vomit from a thought? I wanted to vomit at the thought that I haven't noticed that smell for what could be months. So disgusting.

And for all of you clean freaks out there, that drawer has been heavily disinfected and everything in it has been disposed of.

New rule: no more hiding my lunch in drawers.

So long, farewell...

It's safe to say I made it through an entire week without any sugar and it wasn't too bad. I kept my blood sugar at a consistent level by drinking tons of water laced with a tiny bit of orange juice throughout the day. Yes, I know OJ has sugar but a tiny bit of OJ is encouraged on this wellness program. It also helped that the Olympics were on every night and acted as a great distraction from even thinking about what I was doing.

I was definitely tempted many times. I put together wedding shower favors that included chocolate (too easy!), bread pudding at my favorite antique mall tea room (my mom ate it) and pecan pie right in front of my face at the state of the city luncheon (pass!). But I used my newfound willpower and moved on with out any of my favorite treats. So far success! We'll see how this next week goes.

In other news, the Olympics are ending at the perfect time. Next weekend is going to be the perfect weekend to start my annual gardening ritual. I went to the garden show in Arlington and found some great contractors to possibly do some hardscaping later this year. I'm sad to see my favorite sports go away for four years (come on, they don't play that stuff on TV in the US). Let the countdown to Sochi begin!

Sugar, sugar, sugar...ohhh honey, honey....

Thanks to all of my great friends, I had a wonderful birthday this year. We're getting really bad about not taking pictures and we didn't capture any this year. We will make sure we get a few good ones on Robert's birthday :)

On Monday, Robert and I start the wellness program at my work. There is a 10 week education component that we are completing with 900 fellow employees and 200 spouses. They call it education but it's really something like a sugar detox. We don't know all of the details yet but we've heard it's living a healthy lifestyle and concentrating on keeping your blood sugar at a consistent level all day. Hence, we will be dropping most sugar from our diets for a few weeks to reset.

One of the divisions in my company piloted this educational component (or lifestyle change) and on average every participant dropped 20 lbs in 10 weeks. We decided to do this based on those results and based on the feedback that division provided us. They said it is a sustainable lifestyle change and that they feel so much more better.

If you know me well, you know that sugar is my thing. Dessert always comes first and is rarely forgotten. Even fake sugar is welcome in my life (cough, diet coke). This is going to be a HUGE challenge for me and hopefully I make it through feeling a lot better and having more energy (as opposed to being moody and unhappy). Since the wedding I have been slowly changing my eating habits as a move toward this change and I've mentally prepared myself.

So stay tuned to see if I survive the next week! (and if Robert survives a sugar-free Kelly)

The birthday week...

Nope. Not my birthday (although that is coming up).

Our friend Justin likes to celebrate his birthday. And by celebrate, I mean celebrate every day for a week. It was a lot of fun to participate in some of the festivities. On Wednesday, we all went to Japanese Palace and had a fabulous dinner. I love that place. It's a West Fort Worth classic. Highlight: Ashleigh's first time at a Japanese Hibachi. Enough said. (should've brought my video camera)

On Friday we had our Olympic Opening Games party...or our dinner party for the wedding party. Stace and Russ brought Jase (woohoo! The mini half Canadian). We had a birthday cake for Justin. Birthday ice cream cake in celebration of our 14 inches of snow.

Oh, by the way, we got more snow than I've ever seen in my life. I got to shovel snow out of my driveway and shovel my car out of the snow/slush mixture in the street after it got stuck. Yep, I'm sticking to life in Texas. I won't do that much snow again unless I have to. It was the most snow we've ever had in North Texas. Ever.

Back to the birthday festivities...

On Saturday, Ashleigh and I had brunch and pedicures. This was the first weekend in a while that I actually had time to relax! Then we went to Dave and Busters in Arlington for Justin's birthday round three. It was a lot of fun (I love ticket games!!). We skipped out on the boys part afterward and watched our favorite speed skater compete. I get so nervous every time.

On Sunday we had a laundromat experience. Our dryer recently quit and we ordered a new one. The only catch...it doesn't come until Feb. 20. There must have been a run on dryers recently. Robert and I took two weeks worth of laundry to a local laundromat thinking we'd be there all day. Wrong again. It took exactly one hour to wash and dry four loads of laundry. Amazing. I wish all laundry was that easy. I will admit though, I'd rather not have to go to a laundromat every week.

And last night we made dinner together to "celebrate" Valentine's day and caught up on the Olympics. I am obsessed this time of year and slightly annoyed that the news is reporting all of the medals before the events are actually aired. Come on now.

And for Justin...now it's time for MY birthday week!

Our Honeymoon, Part II

We've been a little busy settling in and catching up with work since we returned. We apologize for the delay in posting this - it's our one month anniversary today!

Day Three
This was by far our favorite day. We had booked a tour with Big Blue Unlimited, an eco-friendly tour company, for a full day. We started off at Nikki Beach and met the other couple on the tour. We were really pleased that the small tour size was true! The other couple was from French Canada and didn't speak a lot of English.

We took our powerboat through the south flats to North Caicos because of the rough weather. The south flats are amazingly shallow and beautiful. We stopped at a shell sanctuary on one of the Cays and searched for shells. It wasn't difficult. Our new friends found a giant sea biscuit - bigger than our hands. Robert found colorful coral and a conch shell. After that we jumped back in our boat and headed out to sea. We found a reef to snorkel at on the barrier reef. The water was extremely rough for snorkeling but we decided to give it a try. I think because it was so cold, most of the wildlife was more in shore but we did see some amazing fish and coral.

After that we took the boat to North Caicos and jumped in a cab with our tour guide Cardi and our cab driver Arthur Robinson. Both are locals so they had a million great stories and tons of knowledge on the islands. First we went to Wade's Green Plantation and did a walking tour. Cardi told us about every tree and plant and their medicinal properties. No need for doctors in these islands. He also told us about how a UCLA professor came in one year and mislabeled every building on the property. Case in point: he said what was a church was really slave quarters. I don't see how this professor would've missed this church...the architecture is obvious and there is no way it could have fit 400 slaves. That's what the hundreds of small huts further out on the property were for. I digress...

After the great tour we drove to Kew, a tiny town where Cardi is from. We stopped and had lunch at a locals house. It was delicious. Robert was given a can of watermelon soda with a very offensive picture on it. You'll have to check out our pictures on Facebook to see that one.

After lunch we were all tired...battling waves + walking + a huge lunch = exhaustion. We stopped at the flamingo ponds and checked out flamingos in their native habitats. Amazingly beautiful. After that it was time for a "long" drive to Middle Caicos to check out the caves and Mujudin Harbor. Everyone fell asleep except for me. I asked so many questions about the islands. We crossed a bridge between the islands that was only 2 years old. It was nearly destroyed in Hurricane Ike and has not been repaired. It was definitely an interesting little ride. Not to worry though, the water around us was so shallow, you could walk from island to island. That's what the used to do before the bridge.

The limestone caves were amazing. They stretch 3 miles across the island and cave divers are just now starting to explore them. The Arawak Indians used them as shelter long ago. Our cab driver was once the caretaker of the caves and actually named some of the cave rooms. I very hesitantly asked what the "Butcher Room" was and if we were going there. We weren't and it's where the bats feast. Yikes. Robert found the caves to be the most boring thing we did all day. I think he was just tired.

After that we drove to Arthur's home town and stopped at his house. He had to pick up some cracked conch and sopadilla fruit. The great thing about these islands is that you can find fruit growing everywhere...bananas, pineapple, etc. He shared the sopadillas with us and they were delicious. They look like a kiwi...you eat the skin...but taste like a carmalized pear. Amazingly sweet.

After that we went to Mudjin Harbor, a very secluded beach that is one of the most beautiful in the world. I totally agree with that statement. You can look at our pictures but they do not capture the true beauty of this beach.

That night we were totally exhausted but we decided to go to dinner at Parallel 23, the restaurant at our hotel. This restaurant is fancy (think $300/couple) and outside. We picked the perfect night because they had live entertainment by an awesome couple who played our first dance song. We also got a table right up front. I think we both agree that hands down this was the best meal and atmosphere the entire trip.

Day Four
Robert's wedding gift from me was photos. Not just any photos...I hired a photographer from TCI who has shot footage for Shark Week and is known all over the world for his work. He picked us up with a videographer, Preston, and we went all over the island having a blast and shooting photos. One hilarious moment was when we had to change clothes and had to find a bush. We were definitely seen by some unsuspecting beach goers. Ooops. We should be getting all of the photos in the next week or so and we're excited to post them for everyone.

We spent the afternoon checking out the shopping scene, which was lame. This island is so untouristy that there aren't any tourist shops around. Our hotel had two shops...one moderately priced with polos and kids wear. The other had the cutest men and women's beach wear. Until I looked at a price tag. $500 for a cover up. No thanks. Needless to say, we didn't come back with many souvenirs.

That night we went to restaurant (the name escapes me) that looked really casual. The food, however, was not. We were given complimentary champagne and had yet another amazing meal. I ordered chicken pad thai...the french version...and it was probably the best pad thai I've ever had. I also ordered the creme brulee. My favorite dessert. Not just any creme brulee though - chocolate creme brulee. Heavenly.

Day Five
Our final day in TCI. The weather finally turned around and we had some sun. We went straight for the beach and took over a pod. We ordered lunch from our waiter and it was served in bento boxes. Robert almost had a heart attack when he got the bill but it was so worth it. What beach lunch comes with an entree, salad, fruit and dessert?! The sun felt so good and I'm glad we got to enjoy it...who knew we'd have rain almost every day when we returned?

We ordered room service that night so we could pack and watch movies. We had a 7 a.m. flight so it was going to be an early morning.

Day Six
This was the day from hell. We woke up at 4 a.m....were the first at the airport. Yes, we beat the employees. Watched random people walk into the secure area when no one was watching. Disturbing. Got called to a back room with two-way glass and had my things searched. Was sent back through the luggage handling area unescorted and unscreened. Again, disturbing.

Took a near empty flight to Miami and spent the rest of the morning trying to haggle for an earlier, direct flight back to DFW. Our agent finally found us something at 5 p.m. Hallelujah! Spent the rest of the day sitting in the stench of the Miami airport wishing we were home. Finally, at 8 p.m., we arrived back at DFW, only to find that our bags had been sent to a whole other terminal and were in storage. Nice.

The honeymoon was over but it was so great to be back and to see our puppies and families.