Haven't Forgotten

Hi friends! We haven't forgotten about you. We simply have been on VACATION!

After a 5-week Christmas vacation in Iowa, we're back in NYC and back to work. Melon started teaching at Hofstra last Monday and Brian starts back at Brooklyn College tomorrow!

We have lots of details of our break to share with you, but unfortunately we've lost our camera chord . . . so, no pictures for the time being. Here is an abbreviated list of our Christmas vacation highlights:

• Canceled Christmas Eve church services due to ICE/SNOW/COLD :(
• Impromptu Christmas Eve service in parents' living room!
• Christmas morning dog fight over presents!
• The Blind Side in theaters! B+
• Spaghetti and Wii party with Shirley and David Stapleton!
• New Year's Eve with Millie and Josh in Jefferson!
• -22°F New Year's Day! Perfect weather for a country drive . . . don't get stuck!
• -19°F on January 2, and Millie and Josh's car won't start!
• Best breaded-pork tenderloin in the world kills the time as the car heats up.
• Sherlock Holmes in theaters! A+
• Beer and buffalo wings in Des Moines with Mike and Jason!
• STUDY, STUDY, STUDY for upcoming doctoral exams.
• Off to Omaha to see family and welcome the new baby, Macy Schneider!
• STUDY, STUDY, STUDY for upcoming doctoral exams.
• Avatar in 3-D! (Melon misses it, opting to study instead, but Brian gives it an A+!)
• STUDY, STUDY, STUDY for upcoming doctoral exams.
• Dinner at Peony Chinese for the fifth time in three weeks! (It never gets old!)
• STUDY, STUDY, STUDY for upcoming doctoral exams.
• Farewell dinner in Iowa: prime rib!
• STUDY, STUDY, STUDY for upcoming doctoral exams.
• Drive to Cincinnati.
• Eat Skyline Chili! Yum!
• STUDY, STUDY, STUDY for upcoming doctoral exams.
• Take Day 1 doctoral exams.
• Eat Skyline Chili! Yum!
• Take Day 2 doctoral exams.
• Eat Skyline Chili! Yum!
• Go bowling and drink beer in excess!
• Drive to Brooklyn, arrive safely, and SLEEP in!
• Assemble new kitchen cart! Woo hoo!
• Back to work on Monday.
• And on Wednesday . . . receive word that Melon passed Round 1 of the doctoral exams!

Melon would especially like to thank her family for believing in her, and for inspiring nothing short of a village of people to pray for her. And, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, Mom, for letting me take over your dining-room table for nearly 3 weeks . . . I owe you a very thorough house cleaning :)

We Made It!

It took 2 days, but we made the 1200-mile journey to Iowa and have arrived to SNOW galore! We were happy to find that we just missed the storm system that dropped more than 10" of snow on NYC. The mountains of Pennsylvania were a bit snowy at times, but the wide-open, flat roads of Ohio were a welcome relief on Saturday afternoon.

We spent the night at Breighan's house in South Bend, Indiana, on Saturday night. It was so good to see her and her new apartment is fabulous! Together, we enjoyed a delicious Italian meal at a restaurant around the corner and shared a couple beers before bedtime.

On Sunday morning we hit the road for Jefferson! Blowing snow kept us below 50 mph in eastern Iowa, but we still managed to make it to Jess's parents by 3:00pm.

And now here we sit . . . by the fireplace, drinking coffee, reading the paper that is delivered to the front door(!) . . . and most importantly, basking in the warmth and love of Jimbo and Lindy. Merry Christmas to all!

50° is Freezing!

In the words of Papa Mo . . . Brian's dad . . . "Brrrr! I am Southern to the bone!"

And in the words of Mama Nellie . . . Brian's mom . . . "Will, pass me another blanket!"

Post-Holiday Sleep

Well, another Thanksgiving has passed. We had a terrific time with Brian's parents in town visiting, but naturally the boys now feel exhausted. Brian, Oliver, and Gus settled down for a nice, long holiday nap. (We're only sharing these pictures because Oliver, as usual, is terribly cute.)

Nighty, night.

Puppy Parka

The weather has turned cold across the northeast. But I hope my midwestern family is enjoying their 70+ temps in November! Grrrr.

Little Ollie needed a coat for the season! It matches the color of his eyes, don't you think?

And it's reversible! Perfect for his construction job on the weekends.

Doesn't he look adorable, albeit a little bit scary with his glow-in-the-dark-I-know-you're-making-fun-of-me-in-this-outfit LASER EYES... (click to enlarge picture)

A Southern Husband

When you marry a southern boy, you take a vow to love him in good times and in bad, to cherish and honor him . . . and to cook him lots and lots of fatty, cheesy, buttery, salty food!

So, I take my cue from Brian's favorite restaurant, and once a month, we indulge in "Cracker Barrel Dinner." (And then we go shopping for bigger pants!)

The swiss steak with onions and mushrooms slow cooks in the crockpot, and the smell wafts through the apartment for hours. The green beans with lemon pepper are cooked until all nutritional value is lost, making the perfect side dish. But the real Cracker Barrel showcase is the cheesy hashbrown casserole. Drool . . .

Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole à la Cracker Barrel

2 lbs frozen hashbrowns, thawed

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine melted butter, cream of chicken soup, onion, salt and pepper.

2. Add thawed hashbrowns and cheese, stir until combined.

3. Spread the mixture in a 9x13 dish and bake for 40–60 minutes, or until done to your crispy or gooey likeness!

Enjoy, y'all . . .

When in Canada . . .

As the saying goes: "When in Canada, EAT like you're Canadian!"

Seriously! How are Canadians not dropping dead at every corner restaurant?! A dietary staple? Smoked meat with a side a poutine (which is the suspicious looking dish below with a fork in it). Yum, yum! Be sure to wash it down with a refreshing, room-temperature Coke!

For those of you unfamiliar with poutine, you should read all about it here.

It's basically French fries, topped with cheese curds and brown gravy. Canadians actually eat this s*%t for breakfast! Gross, right?! Lord help healthcare reform if poutine catches on in the States.

This is picture of our Florida State/Furman/Texas/Memphis (but not in that order) friend, Sean Atkinson. (Some of you may recognize him from the wedding groomsmen lineup.) Despite the risk of cholesterol overdose and cardiac arrest, Sean decided a meal-sized portion of poutine was a good idea.

Think again, Sean! Have fun at the three-hour afternoon session of scholarly discourse on "Schemata and Topoi." (We won't be sitting next to you . . . yikes!)