Not to brag or anything :)

....but my fiancee is a rockstar. Maybe not a traditional rockstar, like Steven Tyler or Alice Cooper (ick), but a creative/technical/culinary ass-kicker.

Seriously.

Not only did he build (and is constantly updating to make it better) our wedding website (yeah, it has forums!), he also helped come up with the idea of where we should tie the knot. Ok, he suggested it. I thought about it, then tucked it away...then he mentioned it and it all of the sudden made absolute sense. It should be the perfect spot for a rockin' good time. You might be asking... "where is this mystical place of joy, Becky?". Well, nestled in the trees and boundless beauty of the Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas, there is a fabulous place called Camp Clearfork. It is a group use camp with cabins and a lake and a dining hall. It will be the location for Wedding Camp 2010 (we haven't officially made that the title, but it sounds festive, no?). We will most likely have a pretty small group, but man...what a weekend we will have!

Ok, so he can build websites. And think of awesome wedding locations. What else can he do to qualify as a "rockstar"?

He cooks. Not just Hamburger Helper (which he won't make, actually...cause it is in a box), but full-on culinary feasts. Whether it is steak (yum!), brussel sprouts (yum yum!), pork loins (hehehe hehehe) or last night's amazing rotisserie chicken, we are ALWAYS eating well. And he has friends who can make good foods too (Who knew kale + avocado + blueberries + lemon juice = greatness?).

Anyhoo...I just had to take a moment and share some of the greatness that is Mike. There are tons of other reasons he is a rockstar, but these are just a handful I wanted to highlight today.

Salmon to die for…

Ok, that is a terrible title…but it makes me nervously chuckle a little in reflection.

I went to yoga last night and upon arriving home, Mike worked on making an incredible dinner. I am sorry, I didn't take pictures…I should have.

On the menu:

- Baked salmon (in a cast iron pan with lots of yummy seasonings) with a buttery sauce that had little shrimps in it (butter, bacon, shallots, chives and heavy cream)

- Brussel Sprouts with salted, sweet cream butter and salt/pepper…since I now love them.

He worked very hard to make a delectable meal…and it was delectable! I swear, I am so lucky to have such a talented chef in my life. We watched 24 while we savored each bite. Then I started to fade…I got tired, curled up and fell asleep next to Mike as he watched reruns of Conan. We shuffled off to bed around 11:30 or so. I went to the bathroom and thought I smelled natural gas…but couldn't find the source, so I shrugged it off and went to bed.

I woke up around 4am to the overwhelming smell of natural gas. I bolted out of bed and ran immediately to the kitchen. Sure enough, the front right burner was turned on low…but there was no flame. How we left that on, I have no idea. We are usually very careful with that stuff. We were, however, inadvertently filling our home with gas all night. I opened the doors (our windows are painted shut) and bundled up. The ensuing breeze was very cold. I tried to go back to bed, but the smell was still pretty strong. Mike was a little loopy (dunno if it was from the gas or just grogginess…he was pretty fast asleep when this all started happening) but didn't seem to think it smelled that strong. I got the dog and took her for a walk. I needed the fresh air. Did I mention it was very cold? BTW, cotton Miller Lite pajama bottoms are not good for cold weather doggie walks.

When I got back to house, the odor had dissipated considerably. I gave the dog a treat and curled up in bed. We turned on a fan. We left the wooden doors open to make sure it all wafted out. (We have wrought iron screen doors that were closed and locked, tho) After a few minutes, I felt satisfied that the gas was gone and Mike got up to shut the doors. We both fell back asleep. I had weird dreams before finding this and again after going to back to bed. Weird. At least we caught it when we did.

Long story short, we are both ok. We both feel kinda stupid…but we aren't freaked out or anything. Adding a new "To Do" to our evening checklist before going to bed! I am also tempted to look into Carbon Monoxide alarms. Yikes, though. I really don't want to be added to a Darwin Award list. Sigh. Made me think of # 8 AND #9 in Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint - Avoid Trauma and Avoid Poisonous Things. Grok would be shaking his head.

feelings..nothing more than feelings...

This morning I attempted to obtain information from my boyfriend regarding fashion do's and don'ts. Laugh, if you will, but he is quite a helpful resource. I was in a quandry over whether I could wear my white sandals or if I needed to wear the brown ones until Memorial Day. My instincts said you could wear white after Easter, so I checked with my fashion guru. He agreed. I got to work and I am not the only one wearing white sandals!! Yay team!
So, thank you dear Mike...for being my rock in times of fashion crisis. :)

Also, I have a whole bunch of emotions going on right now. Yesterday I accepted a new position with a medical staffing firm (with a great friend I have known since high school) and gave my two weeks notice at my current job. I am excited by the new opportunity and energized in a way I haven't been in many years of working, but at the same time...I am sad to leave my "new" office. It is mortgage, but this is one of the few offices I have worked at where I really felt like they "got it". I may have indulged in the kool-aid, but I leave this job with a sense of pride knowing that I worked for a branch that really wanted to do right by their clients - even while being an incredible example of production. The people I have met, I hope, I will remain in contact with...as they are all incredible folks.

~ Becky


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"Good judgment comes from experience, and often experience comes from bad judgment." - Rita Mae Brown