You May Call Me "High Powered Executive"

Doesn't this say powerful/sassy/and classy

Yep, I'm a no nonsense girl, now get out of my way

For some reason, I'm really looking forward to having a job again. Don't get confused, I'm not looking forward to that action of finding a job, I just want it. The action of finding a job is what I like to call "Soul Sucking". Lets be real, I call it what it is. But I am looking forward to having a job a making some money.
I think this false sense of wanting a job comes from the book I'm currently reading, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. In all of her books (well the two that I've read/reading) one of the main characters is that of a strong, powerful, intelligent, and sexy women, and I want to be that woman. Okay, take out the sexy to everyone else, but feel free to substitute beautiful and well dressed. Yep, I want to be a powerful executive with a wardrobe from Ann Taylor, running a rail road (so I like Ann Taylor, who doesn't?). I want to be that strong woman who brings in an incredible amount of revenue due to my genius ideas and my no bull crap attitude.
But then reality sets in every time I begin that soul sucking process of finding a job. I have a degree, but that doesn't get you anywhere anymore, it's all about who you know. But as long as I keep reading this book, my view will remain optimistic. I can and will be a powerful executive someday, of whatever I chose.
So, to those of you out there who are in Chicago and you know of anyone that is hiring, feel free to drop me a line.

To see the prize from my D.C. trip visit Paige's blog.

Good Food Friday

I've got a summer recipe for you all that you will love. May I introduce you to the perfect summer salad..............

Grilled Red Onion and Asparagus Salad

Ingredients
3 Tblsp extra virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
2 large red onions, cut into 1/2" thick disks
1 bunch thin asparagus, trimmed of thick woody ends
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Tblsp Dijon mustard
2 Tblsp white wine vinegar
20 fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped or torn
5 c chopped romaine lettuce
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half
grilled red pepper (optional)

Preheat an outdoor grill or grill pan until very hot

Drizzle evoo (extra virgin olive oil) over onion disks and the asparagus and season with salt and pepper. Place the onion and asparagus on the grill. Grill the onions for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until charred and slightly tender. Grill the asparagus, turning frequently, for 2-3 minutes or until tender. (you can do all of this under the broiler.) Coarsely chop the grilled onions and asparagus and reserve in a salad bowl.

In a small bowl, combine Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper. In a slow steady stream, whisk in 3 Tblsp evoo to the salad bowl with the chopped grilled onions and asparagus, add the basil, chopped romaine lettuce, and grape tomatoes. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to coat and combine.

Try it, you'll like it!

Viva Las Vegas

I thought I would post these pictures for your enjoyment. Bill took these down on Fremont Street while I was out of town. (Nice pictures Bill!) Was guilt in the air? Maybe, check out this guy, in the street preachers face. Face to face for a good long and heated talk, and his fists are flying (see arrows for emphasis)! What do you think they were talking about? This is my best guess from the street preacher, and the phrase comes from the movie Cold Comfort Farm.

Our First President

This here is our First President, General George Washington. And this is a very famous picture of him, (wouldn't you agree?). But this picture says more that you think. It probably says something like this: "Oh, ahhhh, oooooh, eeeeeeh, ahhh, oh my teeth hurt so much!"
I'm telling you that is what he is thinking in this picture. How do I know this? Because on my girls 2008 road trip, we stopped at Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. They had just built a fabulous museum, (which I would highly recommend going to if you are in the area). In this museum they have lots of our first president's possessions. One of those possessions are his teeth, and a timeline of his teeth. You know, they talk about how he had great teeth as a kid, but the older he got, the more problems he had. He had them all pulled out over his life time, (and he was very self conscious of his teeth). And so when he became president, he had had his last tooth pulled and needed a full new set of teeth (he had had dentures before, but not a full set). So in the museum, with a spotlight shining from above, you will see the original teeth of George Washington, hiding behind thick glass, but glowing nonetheless. I guess one reason they are behind thick glass could be because the metal rim is made of lead. Lovely hu? And here is the explanation behind the stoic look in the above picture............he had just gotten his new teeth and was still adjusting to them. And no, his teeth were not made of wood, but of human teeth as well as animal teeth. Voila, now you know!

Time is Up

Well folks, time is up and I have chosen a winner via Random.org to ensure fairness. And believe me, the odds were in your favor, because I pulled my sisters out to the running since they were there with me. But the odds were not in your favor if you did not enter the drawing (did you forget that this drawing was for everyone, not just lurkers). But for all of you who delurked:

WELCOME!!!
I'm so very glad you revealed yourself!!!
I love to meet new people, almost as much as I love writing with yellow highlighters and using exclamation points!!!!!!!!!!!

So, shall I reveal the winner of this fantastic prize??? Okay, I will.
Drum roll please.........................................................................................................................................


The winner is...........Paige, the Harvardian.


I promise, this was random. So for all of you that are jealous, or who just couldn't move their lazy summer butt, there will be more drawings in the future.
So Paige, please contact me via email or comment what your address is.
For the rest of you who are so curious as to what this prize is, stay tuned, my lovely husband (see picture below, the one on the far right) has the camera today.

Oh, what’s that you asked, when am I going to post pictures of my trip? Very, very soon. I just have to get the pictures from my sisters. And yes, this post is whacked, stupid formatting isn't working despite the fact I've been trying to fix it for the last half an hour. UNCLE!

Girls Trip 2008

I just thought I would share with all of you a picture from the last time I went to D.C.
From left to right: Lunch Lady, Chris, Liz, me, and my mom. My dad is taking the picture of course. (You can see the Capital in the very back). Also for your entertainment, head on over to the lunch lady's blog, she is scheduling her posts, because she is that good.

Good Food Friday

Forgive me for my lack of Good Food Fridays, because #1, it is too dang hot in Vegas to cook anything besides popcorn, and #2, I'm refusing to cook (I'm not going to re-buy spices etc, this place is just temporary), and #3, I have no appetite when it is this hot. But now that I'm in Utah, I'm eating again, it is so nice here. So today, I give you two recipes, a recipe for hot weather, and a recipe of normal weather.
Hot weather recipe: Blueberry Morning (cereal) + Milk = delicious
Normal weather recipe: Summer Sandwich
Please click on the link for fabulous pictures and witty writing. I'm stealing this from my sister because I've made it and it is delightful. So try it out.

Ingredients for Summer Sandwich
Portobello Mushrooms
Onion (red, yellow, sweet - they're all good)

Roasted Red Pepper (it is fun and easy to do it yourself, but you can easily buy them bottled)

Basil
Mayonnaise (again, you must use mayonnaise, don't use substitutes)
Provolone
Sour Dough Bread

***And so that you all don't forget, the delurking post is still good until I get back from D.C. on the 14th. So keep the comments coming, I promise, it WILL be worth your while!

I'm Out

Well I'm going on a little vacation. I'm heading to Utah where I will be loading up with my two sisters and Mom, see pictures below. We are driving to D.C. where my sister on the right will be residing. It is going to be a rock and roll time.
But I will miss this guy...a lot. But he has to work hard for the....experience.

Now to an item of business. This is a call to all you lurkers out there. I know you're there, I have my ways of finding out. So please, please come out and introduce yourself, or if I know you, tell me that you've found my blog.
So to delurk, and even if you aren't a lurker, please leave a comment! In it, please tell me your name, or blog name, where you would like to visit on a vacation in the USA , and why(minus Hawaii, because everyone wants to go to Hawaii), and what your favorite type of dessert is. And if you're really lucky (your comment will be drawn at random), you could win a surprise from..........Washington D.C!!!!!! So please participate, it will be sooooo fun. Don't worry, I'll start, there is nothing to be afraid of.