Veggie Soup

Tonight Steph treated me to a bowl of some really great vegetarian soup. The recipe was given to us from my sister Kathie, and it really brings back memories of the vegetable beef soup Grandpa used to make. Except, of course, the beef. Frankly, I really didn't miss it. The only thing I recommend is to cut the recipe in half, since what she made was enough to feed a small army.

Kale Soup

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 1/2 Cups Kidney Beans
1 Cup Onions
1 lb Fresh Kale
1/2 Cup Carrots (diced)
28 oz Can Chopped Tomatoes
4 Cloves Garlic
1 tsp Thyme
2 Quarts Vegetable Stock
1 lb Red Potatoes



Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot. When hot, add carrots and onions. Cook 5 minutes.
Add garlic. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium.
Add stock, potatoes, and thyme. Simmer 15 minutes.
Add tomatoes and beans. Simmer 10 minutes.
Add kale. Cook 5-8 minutes.

Note: Cut Kale crosswise into 1-inch ribbons.

Showing

18 weeks along, and Steph is staring to show. She's actually been showing for a few weeks now, but this is the first picture we've taken of her "belly." I think we've decided to take a shot from here on out every other week, but we'll see how it goes. We may go monthly. Next week Steph has an ordinary check-up next week, then the following week is the big one- the 20 week ultrasound. This is the one where we may find out the sex of the baby! Yes, we are going to find out. Steph and I both like to be prepared.

Favortie Shots #20: Happy Anniversary!

Today was our 3rd anniversary. Happy anniversary Steph!

3 years ago today, Steph and I stood in line for about an hour in the hot Las Vegas sun to get our wedding certificate. With me in my suit and Steph in her dress, we were by far the most dressed up in the entire crowd. It was a little surreal to be standing amongst all those people dressed like that. I really don't dress up very often, and had I known it would have been that long to stand in the sun, I likely would have waited to put on that suit.

We were married in the "World Famous" Chapel of the Bells, and the surreal atmosphere carried on into our ceremony. The woman that married us reminded me forcibly of the old woman from Poltergeist, not only for her overt creepiness, but she actually looked like the woman. It was bizarre. The photography session consisted of about 6 shot in the chapel, and that's the only thing I regret about our wedding. We have virtually no shots, and the ones we do have that were shot by them are pretty bad.

After the ceremony, we were treated to dinner by Steph's aunt Suzy's father-in-law, Dick. He lived in Vegas at the time, and we won't soon forget the hospitality he showed us. He's really a great guy, and took us on a tour of Vegas that was really great.

Marrying Stephanie was the best thing I ever did. I'm really lucky to have someone so wonderful to me, and so understanding and patient of all my flaws. I couldn't ask for a better person to spend the rest of my life with.

Happy Birthday Nathan!

Today was my nephew Nathan's 2nd birthday. Jennee and Jason had a nice get-together at the local Grange hall, and even though I didn't get there until around 4, it was still nice to see everyone for a while. I was only there long enough to snap off a few shots, but I think I got some pretty good ones. The last one would have been my favorite, had I not gotten a little fuzzy around the edges. The shutter speed was a little slow. I know that's just one of my nit-picky issues, so sue me. It's my shot. Anyway, I still like it.

Here's a couple more:

Shooting You, Shooting Me

Deja vu! I have seen this somewhere before.... Apparently, this is something Cory and I do often enough that I now have a few shots like this. Oh, and for the record, I got off 5 shots to his 1.... Figure that thing out, dude!

Tonight I had a nice dinner over at Cory and Harmony's house. There were a few of us there, including Rich, Brandy, Mia and Addison, Tim James, and our hosts, Cory, Harmony, Emily, and Brook. Steph wasn't able to join us, but it was probably for the better. She's been sick for about a week now, and the last thing I would want to see is those little girls getting ill. It was really nice to see everyone again, especially Rich and Brandy, who I rarely get to see anymore. We talked a little about Belvedere Company, and I told Tim to pass it on that I'd come back to build the Mirage. I was only half kidding.... :)

Beowulf

Tonight I went to see the movie Beowulf with my Dad and sister Amanda. It never ceases to amaze me how every time I go to the movies, the price seems to have risen by a dollar or more. It was $9 for the show, and of course the concessions are what the concessions usually are- crazy expensive. Regardless, I do enjoy going occasionally, and going with my Dad and sister was pretty cool too.

The movie was stunning. A visual masterpiece, it was often that I forgot completely that it was animated. The writing and acting were quite good, but it was a long movie, and I didn't really feel like it needed to be. This story has been around for 1,600 years, they managed to turn it into a pretty great action flick without lessening the historic aspect of the story. Unless you're on a larger HDTV with killer sound, I'd recommend seeing this one in the theater. It's one of the few movies that would be worth the price of admission.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone, and just like every year, I stuffed myself beyond breaking point. We didn't do the traditional meal this year. Instead, it was much more casual, much more like a simple family gathering instead of an elaborate dinner. It was great. Steph's sweet potatoes were a hit, and the deep-fried turkey was awesome.

Tomorrow Steph, her sister Melanie, and her Mom will be braving the hoards of bargain shoppers in Rockford. I used to go out in the morning to snag a couple specific deals, but since many of them are now available online, I'm not going this year. Frankly, I really didn't see much that interested me this year. Maybe next year will be better.

Here's a couple more shots:

Top 10 George W Bush Moments

Brilliant.

Chopping

I spent about an hour tonight cutting veggies. Celery, radishes, green peppers, broccoli.... Loads of fun. Don't get me wrong- I don't mind, but it sure was boring.

Traditionally, the Alexander side of my family all gathers on Thanksgiving day at Grandma & Grandpa's house. Grandma usually goes crazy, cooking a ton of awesome food. We all stuff ourselves senseless, then just hang out for a few hours. This year will be different. Grandma's health has not been so good recently. She had a brief stay at the local hospital due to some breathing problems, and she's now on Oxygen most of the time. Seeing how Oxygen is fairly flammable, she can't spend a lot of time around the stove. This year, we're all chipping in and bringing the food to them. Bob and Sandy are bringing a ham, Mom's bringing a turkey (which will be deep fried- freaking awesome, in case you're wondering), and we're bringing the veggie tray and a sweet potato dish. We're trying to be vegetarian friendly for Steph, but it's sometimes easy for people to forget that she just can't eat the same food as everyone else.

I should have some shots from tomorrow to share, especially for my readers in Morro Bay....

Pot Luck

Tonight at work, our team and the team up the line are having a pot luck dinner for the holidays. I've volunteered to bring in the beverages, so that at least saves me from trying to cook something. Tonight is the last night before a 4 day weekend, and I'm really looking forward to the time off.

I've spent the last few days checking all the online sites for a job, and I have sent out my resume to a couple of places. At this point, I'm being pretty picky as to which jobs I'm applying for. I can afford to do that now, but as time goes on, I'm going to have to gradually lower my standards to ensure I have something before the lay me off. The last thing I want is to be looking for work at the same time as about 2,000 other people. It's really too bad that the job I interviewed for doesn't look like it's going to pan out. It really seemed like an ideal situation for me.

A Manly Meal

This concoction is something I make occasionally, that Steph would call "man food." It's really simple, and really good. I'm sure it's been done before, but I like to think of it as something I created.

Peel and slice 3 red potatoes and a medium sized onion. I like to use olive oil to cook them, and I season it with Lawry's Season Salt. I could happily eat this alone. The potatoes cooked this way are delicious. When the potatoes are nearly cooked, you can throw in some sliced sausage. I usually get smoked, but you can use pretty much anything. I think next time I'm going to try it with sliced steak. Just brown the sausage and you're good to go! Quick, easy, and delicious.

Favorite Shots#19: Infrared Punkin in the Grass

Back in May, I talked about shooting infrared film for a class project. It was a really great experience shooting the film, processing it, then making my own prints. I shot 2 rolls, 72 shots, and only got four great shots. The film is so sensitive and finicky, you really have to shoot a lot to get something great. This shot is one of the great ones. The original scan wasn't the greatest, but through the magic of Photoshop, I was able to clean it up and make it look much better.

Back to work tonight. Another 10 hours of fun. Fortunately, this is only a three day week. The job search continues, and I sent off my resume over the weekend to two more places. One in Sycamore, one in Rockford. Hopefully I'll have an interview again soon.

(Early) Turkey Day

Tonight we took a trip to Pecatonica for the Johnson family Thanksgiving dinner. I brought the Wii along, and of course, it was a hit. It never ceases to amaze me the reaction it continuously gets from people I would never consider "gamers." But of course, the Wii isn't for gamers. This is exactly the target audience. I guess I'm okay with that. To see the reaction someone has when they bowl that first strike is just priceless.

Not to mention watching my four year old niece Juliana play it. It's freaking hilarious.
After dinner, when things began to slow down, I started playing around with our nephew Joey. He's such a camera hog, and he loves to pose. After every shot, he made me turn the camera around so he could see the display. He'd say, "There's Joey!"

At The Car Wash

The last time Steph and I went through the car wash, I was amazed at the simple beauty of these three different colored soaps running down the windshield. It was as if some masterpiece of abstract art was randomly created right in front of our eyes. I promised myself that next time I'd bring my camera, so this time I did. It's funny how the oddest things can surprise you with something beautiful.

Tomorrow we go to Steph's Mom & Dad's place for Thanksgiving dinner. It is a bit early, but everyone's always busy on Thanksgiving weekend, so it makes sense. I'll be bringing my camera of course, and I will also be bringing the Wii. It should be interesting to see how everyone reacts.

Nursury Colors: After

Well, I finally finished the painting. I actually finished a couple nights ago, when I stayed home "sick" from work. We decided to go with a more neutral color, since we are hoping to move in a couple years, and we don't want to repaint. I even re-painted the ceiling, which as many of you are aware, is a major (literal) pain in the neck. I used this really cool paint that goes on purple, but when it dries, it's completely white. This lets you see where you've missed. Very helpful!

I have some news today regarding yesterday's post. My buddy Rich, whose father works at Leading Edge, called his dad to try and find out if they filled the position yet. As it turns out, they have not. They had two other interviewees, but have yet to hire anyone. The reason they are waiting is because they are considering a reorganization instead, that will take those people I would have been leading, and putting them under another lead. The bottom line is, there is still an off chance they may be calling me with an offer, but I'm not holding my breath.

Waiting For the Call....

It's been nearly two weeks since I interviewed at Leading Edge Hydraulics, and I have yet to hear back from them. I really don't know how long these things usually take, but I really wanted the job. Frankly I'm feeling a little frustrated. At this point I'm just going to assume I didn't get the job. Hopefully I'm wrong and I hear from them in the next couple days, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

Scaredy Cat!

The funniest thing happened this morning. My sister Kathie sent me a video of this pug dog that is supposedly saying "I Love You." Being the cat person that I am, I had to counter with this gem. As those of you who share my love for YouTube are well aware, looking at one video on YouTube can quickly suck away a lot of time . While I was meandering through the site, I came across the video below. When I played it, Punkin went crazy. His ears went haywire, rotating this way and that. He began circling my chair, looking for the cat he just knew was there. When I put the laptop on the floor, he took one look at the cat, started backpedaling, then botled away.

What a chicken.

Needless to say, I did it again about 10 times, then started looking for other "talking cats" to see how he'd react. Torture? Nah. Funny? Absolutely.



By the way, I had to bait him with catnip in order to get this shot. As soon as I hit play, I snapped two shots, and he bolted. :)

Helpful Reading

When we found out we were having a baby, on Steph's first trip to the doctor they gave her some really great reading material. This magazine, As Your Baby Grows, has some of the most remarkable photography I have ever seen. It shows the growth and development of a baby from conception to birth. It's really fascinating to see what it looks like from the inside as opposed to ultrasounds. Speaking of which, on December 12th will be our 20 week ultrasound. This should be when we will find out (and yes, we will find out....) the sex of the baby!

Done? Not yet....

Didn't finish the painting today, but I should get it done within the next few days. I was surprised to find I did have enough tape to mask off the trim, but after waking around 2:30, then watching the Bears game, I haven't had the time today to do any actual painting. I've got to go into work early tonight, but I should have time this week to finish it up.

Painting

I started painting the baby's room today! No, I no longer think of that room as "my office," it is without a doubt the baby's room. I got the color on the walls, but I decided to wait to do the trim until the color was completely dry. This way, I can tape off the edges without pulling off paint when I remove it. The original colors were quite dark, but a coat of primer and two coats of color covered it up nicely. The white trim may be another story. That was really dark.