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Showing posts from February, 2008

I'm "Rockin'" The Blackberry.

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After two years of "Rockin" my lil' Nokia phone and 8 years of being a faithful Nokia user... I upgraded last night. I took the leap (happy leap day) and succumbed to the pressures of being uber-cool and owning the latest cool trendy smart phone, so I got me a Blackberry. Or as the guys at the Verizon store said, "You need to Rock the Blackberry!" I have 30 days to try it... I miss my Nokia, but change is good. I hope.

On running and marathons...

A little unknown (maybe known) fact about myself that many moons ago, I trained for a marathon. It was one of those things i had always wanted to do, but just never got around to doing it. The Winter of 2001, I just woke up one day and said, 'I think I am going to run a marathon.' Now I am not a runner... prior to that point, I did things like gymnastics and cheerleading and softball, but running long distances... moi? I was in ok shape too back then but i really could only run about 1 mile and then totally pass out! And let me also say, that i am so not an ambitious person, I don't set goals for myself. So deciding to dedicate my life for 8 months to training for a marathon was huge! I still am amazed at myself. Basically i started by running around Lake Como. Until i realized i needed a plan of action. So I subscribed to Runner's World and downloaded a beginners training schedule. The schedule was pretty easy, run when it said to run and rest on the days it said to re

You've got to THAI this!

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I got home from another exciting day at work, stood in front of my pantry and said, 'Sabrina make it a Thai night!' So I made pad thai with shrimp. I had pretty much everything needed to make pad thai, I even ground some peanuts. It was great! No Sawatdee or Krua, but who is keeping track? AND it was super fast and easy to make.

Back.

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I went back to work today. But I'm still a little under the weather. But its tolerable now. I made some delicious pasta after work. Linguine with Lemon, Garlic and Thyme Mushrooms. I saw it being made on Nigella Express the other day. Simple and delicious. I love the combination of the lemon and garlic and thyme. mmmm. I watched the Academy Awards last night. Nothing special, but hands down the best dressed, most beautiful was French actress Marion Cotillard. She also won Best Actress for her portrayal of Edith Piaf in La Vie En Rose. I saw that film and it was amazing!

Small town girl, trapped in the big city.

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Time for an update, *sigh, I am still sick. :( Although, I am not as sick as I was earlier this week, I am still pretty run-down. Which is a big fat bummer (BFB!) because I was supposed to go to a concert tonight! Shannon and I got tickets to see Miranda Lamberts at Mystic Lake Casino. We even got a hotel room, so we could have fun and not have to worry about driving late at night. But alas, I am still not well enough to go. Shoot, I even got a cowgirl hat when I was in Texas that i was going to wear. I still admit to not liking country music, but there are a few country artists like Miranda Lamberts who are really fun to sing a long to. Shannon was very understanding about me not being able to go. But that still makes me sad! For the rest of the evening i will be doing what I have been doing best, resting. I am border-line stir crazy...its strange not being around anyone for this long. So many of my friends have offered to drop by or bring me what i need... but I really don't want

I'm Alive!

Well actually, I am alive, but a little (no, a lot) sick. I can't remember the last time i was this sick. Actually i think it was about 10 years ago when i was living in New Hampshire. I caught some sort of flu bug and was banished to bed for over a week! My BFF Rachel was also there, cause we worked at the same Residential Crisis-Care Facility, His Mansion Ministries. Anyway, we were both sick in bed, but it was nice to have a good friend close by. Ok, so yeah I went to Urgent Care last night, and if you know me at all, that is not something I ever do. The last time i went was about 2 years ago when I had this lingering cough\lung thing. My boyfriend at the time was convinced it was pneumonia... and I was convinced he needed to stop worrying about me so much! Finally, i begrudgingly headed to the UC and they did some x-rays and sure enough... pneumonia. Eat Crow Sabrina! :) Well I don't have pneumonia, and they ruled out strep, even though my throat is raw and painfully tender

My Buddy

***I was sitting here thinking about posting something, not having much to say. So I found this draft I was working on awhile back. Somehow it never got posted. I just thought I would share it today. Happy Friday.***** I was at my parent's house last night. Both my parent's were busy with other projects, so my brother and I sat down and had dinner together. Now if you don't know this about my brother, he has Down's Syndrome. He is 28, lives with my parents and is the happiest person I've ever met. I love his simplistic easy going spirit. His eyes that see only beauty in people. His sweet way of making me laugh or patting my back when he senses I am sad. I don't know if words can ever express how much I love him. So, as we are devouring our spaghetti and turkey meatballs, talking about what he has been up to... my brother stops and yells, ANGEL YOU STAY ON THAT TREE! I was a bit confused because my mom's dog is named Angel. Why would she be on the Christmas t

Here comes the bride...

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What a whirlwind weekend! That pretty much sums it up. A big twirly whirly whirlwind. I arrived in San Antonio just before midnight on Thursday night. Liz's fiancé Stephen picked me up from the airport, and we hit it off immediately. You never know with meeting someone for the first time, but he is a great guy. I arrived at Liz' place as everyone was just leaving from her personal shower. Her two bridesmaids Amanda & Melanie were the only ones left and immediately the 4 of us went to work putting together the final touches of the wedding. I finished making Liz's veil as the other girls put together the table arrangements and place cards. Liz and I also did a dry run on the flower arrangements. We all ended up staying up until 5:30 am! We slept for about two hours and then got up for our nail appointment. I think we spent most of the day in a fog. Going from nails to the hotel to the rehearsal and then the rehearsal dinner. And then my camera battery pack died! To not b

Liz is getting married!

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My sweet friend Liz is getting married this weekend in San Antonio! Which means I will be leaving for SA Thursday night! Yay!! I met Liz about 6 years ago when we were teaching in China for the summer. We immediately hit it off and spent many hours (when we weren't with the students) shopping, EATING! and playing our favorite card game, Peanuts! The next summer Liz and I traveled throughout Europe and had an amazing time! This is a picture of us after we climbed a bazillion stairs to the top of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain. Since then we have hung out in Minnesota, Michigan, California, Vegas and now San Antonio! I am so thrilled to see Liz and finally! meet her husband to be, Stephen! Hopefully Stephen will let me steal Liz away for a few more adventures in the future! I'm anticipating a wonderful and SNOW FREE weekend! I will report back when I arrive home on Monday.

Word of the day:

cathartic adjective 1. emotionally purging I've been having these dreams almost every night that are very cathartic. Dreams are good because they let you work out the things you need to work out, and say the things you need to say but aren't able to in person. However, cathartic can also mean: noun 1. a purging medicine; stimulates evacuation of the bowels. I never knew that meaning of the word. That is funny! Maybe i should start saying to people when they have an upset stomach. "Man you just need to have some cathartic!"

Permanent Bad Hair Day

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When I was 22 I cut all my hair off! Every other day a few more inches would come off. My BFF and roommate Rachel, would just shake her head and say, "You cut more off! I thought you were growing it out?!" Man I hated my hair then! I felt like a boy! I LOOKED LIKE A BOY! I was just so afraid it would never be long again... so very afraid! This picture is actually on the longer side of the shortest version. I think at one point it was probably only 2 inches long! It was just so bad.

Hey Mr. DJ

Someday when I am sitting around embroidering dish towels and decorating cupcakes, my kids will say to me, "Mom, you are such a nerd!" and to that i will reply, "True, but beleive it or not your old mom used to see shows like DJ Shadow at First Avenue! Who's the nerd now!" Who you say is DJ Shadow? Glad you asked. He is simply a DJ who knows how to transform a few sampled tracks into a something of beauty. I was introduced to him about 12 years ago by a boyfriend who had great taste in music. And about 6 years ago I saw DJ Shadow live at First Avenue. AMAZING. Hands down this is still my favorite track: Building Steam with a Grain of Salt.

Nori in the Hizz-ouse

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I was fortunate enought to go to a baby shower today for the Amazing Nori! (sounds like a circus name for the person they shoot out of the canon ball!) Megan and Norelle are the cutest mother daughter duo evah! And a big thanks to Melissa for not making us play any silly baby shower games!! Bravo! P.S. The writer's strike is over? Can life now be complete with all NEW shows of The Office?

Dishtowels~

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I have this thing for embroidered dish towels. I had a grandma Betty who I have never met, but rumor has it she was the original Martha Stewart! Wish I could've met her, everyone said she was sweet and wonderful. She died a month before i was born. :( Anyway, she would make these really shnazzy dish towels with cute embroidered pictures on them. I have one she did of a girl sitting on a blanket in her bikini! So now, I have been thinking about making my own. Ones that i can give away too... I found a blog Posie Gets Cozy who just made some dishtowels and posted the directions on her blog! I am so excited to get started on these!

Help IS around the corner...

What you may not know about me is that i am a huge Coldplay fan. I have been ever since "look at the stars, look how they shine for you" floated into my ears. I have seen them in concert a few times. The first time was at First Avenue ... where i practically\literally almost ran into Chris Martin when he was just walking around amongst the crowd (this was before they were big and pre-Gwyneth) any way... I was just saying to a friend today that you never know what is right around the corner. And every time I think or say that... I think of this little Coldplay song, Help is Around the Corner.

I know what I am doing tonight!

The great thing about the internet is that at my fingertips are recipes galore! Some of my favorite places to get recipes are other people's blogs, and also some great food related websites. I have a whole list of links under 'food' that i recommend you just take a look at. And not only are there great recipes, but articles about food and everything culinary. I think right now if I had the money, I would go back to Paris and take a cooking class by some mastor chef! Then he would yell at me in French and make me do trivial tasks like whisking egg whites to a glossy peeked perfection... Almost like Mr. Miyagi did with Daniel Son, wax on-- wax off! And right when i would want to give up and say, "What's the point Chef?"... I will have then created the most light and airy souffle ever made! Sweep the leg Johnny! Tonight i am making soup from a recipe I found on Culinate. Pasta and Bean Soup. Sounds hearty and heart warming. Then I will watch LOST. Perfect Night.

HotPockets!!!!

This is why I call crazy people Hotpockets! Courtesy of comedian Jim Gaffigan:

Nori Fix!

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Tonight I went over to Megan and Jake's to bring some food over and to see sweet baby Norelle. She just keeps getting sweeter and sweeter! She is so content and happy, i just love her a ton! It was great to hold her and feed her... Kelly, who also brought food, said that if i got started tonight i could have my own baby by October?!?! Hmmmm....I will have to think about that one! It was fun to see the "S" clan... They are the perfect little family. For dinner, Kelly brought Balsamic Thyme Chicken and fresh bread from the Breadsmith. yum. And I made a Torte di Riso (picture is provided for a visual, not my pic) and Angel Food Cake with Chocolate and Raspberries. I think summer needs to hurry up so we can have more fresh berries and angel food cake! someday! Torta Di Riso From Special Occasions by Martha Stewart. Serves 10-15 6 tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for pan 1/2 cup bread crumbs 10 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade 1 onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, f

I wanna be a supermodel!

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For my birthday, I received a gift card to one of my favorite places: Sephora !!! The creme de la creme of beauty products store. When i go there I am like a kid in a candy store. I really have a thing for makeup and beauty products. HOWEVER, the prices can be very high for some items... so when I go, I just am there to browse, try on the latest colors, smell the Philosophy body washes and spray my favorite perfumes. And then *maybe* I will buy something out of the $5 and under bins. But now with my gift card with a very sizable amount on the balance, what to buy?!? I wanted to be the most savy and get the most out of my gc. There were at least 3 things I was really wanting, Dior Diorshow Mascara, Stila Lip Glaze and Smashbox O-GLOW... but all those together were way over the amount I had to spend. Until.... I found the best deal ever! It is called the Supermodel Kit. What it is: A glamourous gift set filled with products used by Sephora makeup artists for Fashion Week Live. Set inclu

I am a GIRL

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As to now defend my feminine womanly awesomeness... I will no longer talk about sports. I rarely talk sports anyway. It's not at all how i used to be back in the day when i was ADDICTED to sports talk radio! KFAN morning, noon and night!!! And on top of that, I could tell you everything that was ever going on in the sports world, even sports i didn't like. It reached a point where it got so bad that I was having scores texted to me!! GIVE ME A BREAK! Guess what solved my problem: I bought a car that didnt have AM radio... NO AM=NO KFAN! That was years ago anyway. So my ticket is booked for my friend Liz's wedding next week in San Antonio. I leave Valentine's night and therefore i get to share my love with strangers on a plane. I am so excited to see Liz and visit San Antonio, which i hear is a beautiful city. Alamo here I come! Which reminds me of a scene from Pee-Wee's Big adventure. The one where Pee-Wee goes to the Alamo to look for his bike. He says, "Excus

Eli is the MANning!

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I never said that I thought the Pats would win, I had a good hunch that it was going to be a either a close one or an upset by the Giants. I waged no bets, cause I knew something was brewing. I give credit to Eli though, if you can pull yourself out of almost being sacked by a bunch of Big Fat Beefy Linemen, then dude, you are the right Man(ning) for the job! (This is almost too easy.) All I have to say about yesterday's game is, both teams went out playing the slow and steady card. Had the Patriots went out and EXPLODED, they indeed would've been the winners. Slow and Steady does not always win the race... unless you are a Giant.

Reality Check Time Minnesota!

Everyone's talking about Boston\New England... No, not for the Fall colors and the chowder. But for the sports. Oh the Trifecta of perfection that is taking place in Bean Town. The Sox with their World Series sweep, the Pats with their perfect record and the Celtics with their big wins. One must think that this is just a moment of pure coincidence. Wake up America, do you not see what is happening here? Do these names ring a bell: David Ortiz, Randy Moss, Kevin Garnett? Were they not once some of, if not Thee best players on our MN teams? And now? David Ortiz has not only 1 but 2 World Series wins under his belt. Randy Moss will most likely win the Super Bowl, and KG, can we say Playoffs! And I don't mean in the way Jim Mora said it! Let me tell you something else, its not just Boston. Watch and see what happens with Torii Hunter and the Angels, and Johan Santana and the Mets! I wouldn't be surprised if they both actually *go* to the World Series, let alone WIN! But don'

One Big Happy Family!

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Tom, Katie and... SURI!!!

They're Back!

The greatest show on television is back from its 8 month hiatus. It made me so giddy to see that opening LOST flying through space! I will spare the details for those of you who could care less, or who are not mega-fans. But this is my theory: 6 people got off the island, Jack, Kate and Hurley for sure... Hurley is back in the loo-loo bin and Jack comes to visit him, along with a phantom Charlie. Charlie tells Hurley that he has to go back, and when Jack comes for a visit, Hurley says, "we have to go back!!!" Jack says something about growing a beard. Ok rewind to last season, Jack is now a beard wearing alcoholic. (the beard is hot by the way, but I am sucker for facial hair) anyway, there is a funeral, possibly Hurley's? And then Jack realizes that they have to go back! Who are the other 3 who get off the island? Locke? Sawyer? Said???? Your guess is as good as mine! Another theory is that there are more than 6 who got off the island, but the Oceanic 6 were the ones rec