Friday, September 28, 2007
GO CUBS GO, GO CUBS GO!
HEY CHICAGO WHAT DO YOU SAY, THE CUBS ARE GONNA WIN TODAY! Woo hoo! Yes, as you have probably figured out by now, this is Abe composing this blog post, and I must say, BOY AM I EXCITED! I don't even care if I have run-on sentences or other grammatical errors in this blog (sorry Donna! :))! Seriously though--the Cubs clinched tonight, and boy am I psyched! Having lived in Chicago practically my entire life and having to live through the 1984, 1989, 1998, and, more recently, the 2003 Cubs fiasco, well, maybe this is our year!
This year, however, has been a little different, because this is the first division title that I have been able to celebrate with my lovely bride Allie. :) Ah, yes, it's been fun celebrating this division title with her. It's been cool because I had a chance to celebrate the Cardinals' World Series title with her and her family last year when we were just dating....now, she gets a chance to celebrate this division title with me!
Ok, I am going to stop now. I just had to blog tonight because I'm just so excited! Jano, Allie, Chuck, Donna, and grandma, it was your year last year....maybe this year it will be ours!
GO CUBS!
Monday, September 24, 2007
Oh Blessed Frigidaire!
In an act of divine intervention, Abe and I got a new stove today! Our old stove had many issues and our apartment janitor decided there was no way to fix it. I'm so happy--it's actually quite crazy how happy I am for this new stove. You can definitely tell I'm a wife now who cooks regularly compared to a single gal. I can't wait to use it tonight for dinner!
Allison
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Moochie and Moon Cakes
Yesterday was a very interesting day. We were headed to a community-wide service project for our church when we got rear-ended (at a good speed) by a large pick-up truck. My first reaction was to get out and scream, "My car, my car!" I knew Abe and I were fine, but we have emotional attachements to our cars and to see my car smashed in majorly was very traumatic. Thankfully, Goochie (named after Cardinals player So Taguchi) will survive, he's just in serious condition. So, after arguing with the insurance company, we got a rental, a Nissan Versa that we've named Moochie since he's Goochie's temporary replacement and he's a way for us to mooch miles off another car. The one good thing is that my car will be in the shop for several weeks so it won't have any miles put on it for a while.
After that traumatizing incident, Abe and I went back home to rest. (I cried a lot.) Abe had told me there was a festival in Chinatown that day called the Moon Festival, a harvest festival. So we went to Chinatown with his parents, their friend A Wing, and his family. We didn't have to wait for very long for a table at his parents' favorite restaurant thanks to his dad's connections! His parents arranged the seating so the people who spoke only Chinese sat on one side while the people who spoke only English sat on the other side. It was awesome.
The Moon Festival was interesting. I always love learning about Chinese culture. We missed the lion dance, but we did manage to catch the end of the Chinese American Idol competition. When the singers were introduced, they played a song over the loud speaker that sounded very familiar..."she bang, she bang...she move, she move..." Oh, yeah. William Hung was on the loudspeaker! I don't know if it was a joke or not--I'm guessing he's Chinese!
In traditional Moon Festival fashion, you are supposed to eat dinner with family and then eat a Moon Cake--a Chinese pastry filled with something--ours was filled with lotus seed paste. Abe's mom got us some, so we came home after the festival and Abe and I shared our family's first moon cakes together.
Thankfully, by the end of the day, we had quite a laugh about the day's events. I think it's fitting the accident happened on Moon Festival day since it's supposed to be a day of thanksgiving. Getting in an accident less than two months after being married makes me very thankful for our health and safety and for the experience of sharing each day with Abe. Praise God.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Learning Chinese...
Abe and I use some Chinese words and phrases to communicate now. I don't know why we do--somehow, it's more cool to say "cheapskate" or "full stomach" or "good food" in Chinese instead of English. However, most of the words he's taught me aren't very appropriate. Let's just say I know how to say anything you would need to say regarding the bathroom and I can tell him off in Chinese as well. He taught me one phrase in the pool on our Honeymoon, which prompted another guest to say, "Who's going to cut whose head off?" I explained that we just got married and my husband was teaching me Chinese. He must have thought we were a part of the Chinese mafia!
I've also discovered that my favorite Chinese food item is a pot sticker. I went into the city yesterday to have lunch with Abe and we went to this awesome place that sold pot stickers. Yummy!!!
Allison
I've also discovered that my favorite Chinese food item is a pot sticker. I went into the city yesterday to have lunch with Abe and we went to this awesome place that sold pot stickers. Yummy!!!
Allison
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Whoops...
So Mrs. Domestic made a cooking faux pas last night. I was making brown rice in our rice cooker in the middle of a conversation with Abe. Well, apparently I was more involved in the conversation than cooking since I put in half the amount of water needed to make rice. So it was the driest rice ever. Poor Abe--he still ate it. I threw mine out.
I can normally follow recipes pretty accurately, but every so often I screw up. I remember the time I made M&M cookies with twice the amount of butter. I realized that when I wondered why the cookies were so greasy. Thankfully, all of these screw ups just result in bad (or incredibly buttery) food, which in the big picture, could be worse.
So I'd like to hear from you--what cooking mistakes have you made?
Allison
I can normally follow recipes pretty accurately, but every so often I screw up. I remember the time I made M&M cookies with twice the amount of butter. I realized that when I wondered why the cookies were so greasy. Thankfully, all of these screw ups just result in bad (or incredibly buttery) food, which in the big picture, could be worse.
So I'd like to hear from you--what cooking mistakes have you made?
Allison
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Mrs. Domestic
I have to say I really like being Mrs. Domestic. It's not like I have to be just because I'm married now. I actually enjoy doing (most) domestic tasks. (Abe helps out, too.) I'm guessing the newness will wear off soon, but for now I'm enjoying it. My favorite household tasks are grocery shopping and cooking. I love discovering how much I can save at the grocery store. I went to the store yesterday with beef bouillon cubes on my list since I was making BBQ Beef. The first box was $2.99 or something like that, but I scanned the shelf and found one brand on clearance for only 79 cents! That totally made my day!
I also find cooking really satisfying. Yes, I get to eat the end result, but I really like trying a new recipe, discovering that I've probably screwed it up only to find in the end that it's perfect and yummy! Thankfully, Abe will eat basically anything I put in front of him. I feel really satsified when he compliments me on my cooking.
Anyway, I'm sure domestic life will be a total chore once life starts becoming busier, but for now I'm enjoying the simple life.
On another note, I've discovered a TV program that I love. It's on BBC America, a channel we get because Abe has digital cable to watch ESPN News. It's called "How Clean Is Your House." Two women (who are hilarious, by the way) take one horrifically dirty British house and deep clean it in a day. They have great tips, too.
Allison
I also find cooking really satisfying. Yes, I get to eat the end result, but I really like trying a new recipe, discovering that I've probably screwed it up only to find in the end that it's perfect and yummy! Thankfully, Abe will eat basically anything I put in front of him. I feel really satsified when he compliments me on my cooking.
Anyway, I'm sure domestic life will be a total chore once life starts becoming busier, but for now I'm enjoying the simple life.
On another note, I've discovered a TV program that I love. It's on BBC America, a channel we get because Abe has digital cable to watch ESPN News. It's called "How Clean Is Your House." Two women (who are hilarious, by the way) take one horrifically dirty British house and deep clean it in a day. They have great tips, too.
Allison
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Allison's Version...
So Abe got me thinking this morning about what I'm thankful for. It's easy for me to think of what I don't have (like a full-time job, but I am freelancing though!). So this is a good exercise...maybe Abe has secret reasons that coming up with this list will help me not be in an unemployment funk!
So...drum roll please...
10. Our financial situation--even though I don't have a full-time job we still have a roof over our heads and food on the table. (Last night we had Chicago-style pizza...)
9. My favorite sports teams: St. Louis Cardinals/Mizzou Tigers. Take that, Abe!
8. The joy of reading--I've been reading some novels lately and really enjoying it.
7. Free nationwide long distance--My life would be radically different if I couldn't use my cell phone to call people whenever I want.
6. Beauty of nature--I've been walking along Lake Michigan lately and LOVE it!
5. My health/being able to work out--Definitely not to be taken for granted even though we're young.
4. My friends--It was really awesome to see how much my friends supported me and served me during the wedding. Some of them made very large sacrifices on my behalf.
3. Our families--I'm glad I'm within driving distance of nearly everyone.
2. My handsome, God-loving, smart, yet goofy husband!
And now...
1. God's unending love (and patience!) for me!
Top Ten List-Top Ten Things that I am thankful For--Woo Hoo! Abe's Version
Greetings everyone! Allison and I were talking about posting separate top ten lists this morning of things that we are thankful for (ala David Letterman). Yes, married life is treating us well, it's nice not having to drive 150 miles on the weekends to see each other!
In any case, here is my top ten list (drum roll please):
10.My health
9. My job at ADP
8. Beef and Broccoli :)
7. Summertime in Chicago!
6. My beloved Cubbies! (I won't say anymore on this :))
5. My new brother-in-law and his girlfriend Bart and Liv
4. My sister and brother-in-law Barbara and Frank
3. My parents and Allison's parents
2. My dear wife Allison
And the Number One thing that I am thankful for (big drum roll please):
1.God's grace and mercy! Woo Hoo!
Allison will publishing her list shortly! Have a good day everyone!
In any case, here is my top ten list (drum roll please):
10.My health
9. My job at ADP
8. Beef and Broccoli :)
7. Summertime in Chicago!
6. My beloved Cubbies! (I won't say anymore on this :))
5. My new brother-in-law and his girlfriend Bart and Liv
4. My sister and brother-in-law Barbara and Frank
3. My parents and Allison's parents
2. My dear wife Allison
And the Number One thing that I am thankful for (big drum roll please):
1.God's grace and mercy! Woo Hoo!
Allison will publishing her list shortly! Have a good day everyone!
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