My end of the bargain

Well, I guess it can be said that thus far I haven't lived up to my end of the bargain with this blog.  I wanted to started blogging because I read and enjoy lots of other blogs and it seemed like a good outlet for self-expression and keeping in touch with my friends and family.  I don't know how the other bloggers out there do it though, they make the things in their lives interesting and funny and give helpful tips and advice...I have a hard time knowing how to make my daily life interesting enough so that you will want to read about it.


But I'm going to start trying.  I've decided that I am going to try to post at least once a week and I think the best way to do that is to have a weekly segment that I would like to call, "Things That Made Me Smile."  It will basically be a re-cap of the highlights of my week.  Let's give it a go,

1)  That "new car" smell!

I bought a  2011 Nissan Rogue and it's brand spankin' new!  I've never had a brand new car before and I love it! Neil and I have liked the Rogue's for a few years and we just went to the dealership to see what they said and they gave us more than what we owed on my previous car so we decided to go for it!

2)  Warm bread pudding with amaretto sauce

Note:  Photo is not of my actual bread pudding...I ate it all

For those of you who don't know, this Tuesday was Mardi Gras or "Fat Tuesday" and we decided to take that literally!  One of the things that Neil and I have enjoyed most about relocation from Cape Cod down to New Orleans is the food - it's incredible!  Since this was our first New Orleans Mardi Gras experience, we decided to grab some of the local fare.  Our Fat Tuesday dinner consisted of char-broiled oysters, fried softshell crab, pasta with crabmeat and crawfish tails and of course, the piece de resistance, that bread pudding with amaretto sauce...so. good. so good.  'nuff said.

3)  Pinch the tail and suck the head!

What?  I like food all right?! 



Neil, Dooley and I headed over to Pensacola this weekend for the McGuire's Irish Pub St. Patrick's Day 5K run.  We decided to bring some crawfish back with us so we bought a sack (36 lbs) of live mud bugs and stuck 'em in the cooler and headed on our way.  We were expecting more people to join us but it ended up being 5 of us including my parents and my brother taking on the task.  While we put up a valiant effort, we couldn't finish them all that night so we peeled the rest and used them for crawfish scampi on Sunday.  What I like most about eating crawfish is that it's not just a meal, it's an event and we had a lot of fun hanging out, drinking beers, eating crawfish and telling stories with the fam.

 

4)  "I just felt like running"

 

 

Like I said, Neil and I participated in the annual McGuire's 5K this weekend.  Each year it brings a huge crowd - this year there were over 11,000 people registered - and it's not just for the race, it's mostly for the big party afterward- it is about St. Patrick's day after all.  After we crossed the finish line we enjoyed free beer, Irish Wake's (McGuire's signature drink),  bean soup, irish music and of course the company of 11,000 of our closest friends!  This year I decided I wanted to run the whole 3.1 miles so I trained for about 6 weeks and I did it!  Neil and I crossed the finish line together in about 35 minutes.  Now that we  live close enough, we're hoping to make it an annual event! 

 

5)  Sugar White Sands

 

 

 

After the run and the party, Neil and I drove out to Pensacola beach with my brothers.  It was a gorgeous day!   I can't wait until the water gets a bit warmer!  We feel so blessed and happy that we are able to enjoy the beach and such beautiful weather the majority of the year now!  I spoke with one of my co-workers today and she said it was snowing up in Massachusetts!  No thank you! 

 

Okay, so that was my week.  How was your's? 

 

Halloweenies

We just moved onto a Navy base with approximately 15,382 children living on it.  And if I'm exaggerating, it's not by much!  Since we moved in I thought about what I was going to do for Halloween because I was sure we would have LOTS of trick-or-treaters!  I was excited because when we lived in Cape Cod, we were lucky to get 1 group of trick-or-treaters.  But I wasn't sure how much candy I was going to need to get and I definitely didn't want to break the bank!  

I remember seeing this idea in a magazine but I'm not sure which one. If I had to guess, it would probably be Southern Living.

I took Tootsie Roll Pops and covered them with tissues.  Then I secured it with a ribbon and drew on a face to make little ghost lollipops.  This way I only gave each child that came to the door 1 treat and was able to regulate how much candy I was giving out.  I can even use my left-over lollipops next year.  It was great to hear the little kids go, "look Mommy, I got a ghost!"  But can somebody please explain to me the kids without costumes?!  Being new to the area and not knowing many people, I didn't want to want to say anything but that kinda takes the fun out of it, don't ya think!

Neil and I didn't do the costume thing this year, instead we went trick-or-treating for fishes with our friends on their boat.  We left from the Coast Guard station out of Venice and it is beautiful out there!  Besides catching lots of fish, we got to see lots of cool wildlife and scenery!  I was so excited to see a pink flamingo flying across the sky!  I've never seen flamingos other than in a zoo and I'll admit that I never even really considered that they lived in the wild!  Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures on my camera but hopefully I'll have a picture of soon of me and my 2 foot red fish!

Hey Y'all

Hi!  I'm Sara.

I work from home as a Marketing Coordinator just outside of New Orleans. I've lived on the Gulf Coast for most of my life and I wouldn't have it any other way! 

I like margaritas, the beach and dance parties.

I live with my husband of 2.5 years who is stationed in Venice, LA with the U.S. Coast Guard.  We just got back from a three-year duty station in Cape Cod, MA...the wintahs there were hahd for me and I didn't like driving my cah amongst the Massholes.  I mean, the lobstah and chowdah were all right but I prefer crawfish and gumbo any day!

This is my husband, Neil.

He's all right.

(Notice I called him my husband not, hubby or hubs.  I refuse.  He and I made a pact that I won't call him hubby and he won't call me wifey.  It's working out beautifully!  I do call him kissyface from time to time though.  Don't judge me.)

Neil likes fishing, golf and being a bad ass in general.

This is the love our lives, Dooley.

He likes playing frisbee, giving high fives and being a bed hog.

We are those people who talk about our dog at parties when other people are talking about their kids.  You'll be seeing a lot of Dooley on here.  So, I hope you like it!

You should be his fan on Facebook!

Well, I guess that's all you need to know about me and my little family.  On this blog you can expect general observations about our life in the swamp, some recipes and decorating ideas, and if you're lucky, I might share some shopping bargains with you!  If you like Target and TJ Maxx, you might be impressed.  But then again, you might already know about the bargains.

So, I hope you like it!

Sara