Is the earth tilting? I was in the kitchen tontie!

Have you ever had one of those middle of the night epiphany's where you come up with a dish that you hope and think might be good?

Well I had one this last weekend. So, while at the store I grabbed some stuff - half dozen zucchini, a thing of baby spinach, a bag of Roma tomatoes, some ricotta, some Italian mixed cheese shredded and some jar sauce.

Tonight I sliced the zucchini lengthwise and browned them in a little EVOO and some Italian flavored bread crumbs, then I layered the zucchini, spinach, chopped olives, all the ricotta, some sauce [most of one jar] and most of a package of cheese. The next layer was zucchini, spinach, more sauce and some sliced Roma tomatoes and topped it all with cheese, lots of cheese.

Now, it's in the oven baking at 350 for 35 minutes more or less......did you feel the earth tilt just a bit? YES, I was cooking!!! Now, I hope it's edible LOL

Vacation not Stay-cation!

Vacation as defined by Merriam Webster is "a respite or a time of respite from something" .....MY definition of vacation is testing the limits and learning to "let go"....so, I went to Costa Rica to visit family in a little Pacific Coast town called Jaco. Jaco is about 2 hours west and south of San Jose. Jaco is more civilized [according to the natives] than the coastal towns on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica.

Jaco is a sleepy little surfing town that attracts the rich and famous and the not so rich and famous, namely, me :-) The condo village I stayed in was about a 5-10 minute walk to the local grocery store, coffee shop, ice cream shop and other establishments. As I walked into town with my sister each morning for coffee and pastries, I caught myself asking one question.......could I live and thrive in this area? Believe it or not, the answer was yes more than it was no!! I could let go of the things that complicate and learn to simplify, if motivated strongly enough to do so.

The other thing I found myself doing was hiking into the rain forest about a mile to a beautiful waterfall and then hiking out again....drenched in sweat but reveling in the wonder of that waterfall and the cool water that was the reward for the long arduous hike in.....then there was the beautiful vistas up and down the mountain roads. Did you know that Papaya grows in huge bunches on trees not much taller than me? [no short jokes please!] AND did you know that bananas in their groves are wrapped with plastic bags on the trees? No clue why but you can bet I'm going to figure that one out.

We saw iguanas and macaws in their natural habitat; crocodiles by the dozens under a highway bridge. I learned a few basic Spanish phrases and felt humbled by not knowing the language. I watched towering waves on a black sand beach and just "got away from my reality".

Now, I am on my way home....to work, family, friends.....reality. Vacation, for me, was a way to rest my mind and give peace and quiet to my soul and learn to appreciate a simpler way of life. Enjoy the zip line video attached to the blog today!! The zip line experience thru the canopy was, for me, the Ultimate Act of Letting Go and trusting the guides and their equipment!!!

Family, Home and other stuff

Like I said in my first post, I have lots to say. Now confession time, no real plan of what to say or how to say it. One thing I learned from my Mom and Dad was to have a plan and a backup plan and sometimes a backup to the backup!! So, I thought I would start with what is precious to me my family and my 'home'.

BTW, is there an etiquette to these blog posts? I hope that I don't offend anyone; that is not my intention. My initial plan is to just write what is on my mind, sort of a stream of consciousness and to tell my story, share my travels and share my family. With that said, let's get this thing started!

Let me start with home....Home is where the heart is and those that know me well know my heart is in Texas and more specifically, Houston where I was born and Galveston where I live right now. I am a city girl, no doubt about it, first and foremost. I have to have the large malls to shop in and choices of restaurants and lots of entertainment. BUT, I am also a die-hard beach bum!! I never thought I would have loved living on Galveston Island as much as I do but I cannot imagine living out the rest of my life anyplace else and of that I am 100% sure. I've tried living in other places in Texas and enjoyed some more than others. San Antonio and Fort Worth were special because my babies were born in those places. College Station/Bryan because I love being an Aggie and I do bleed maroon. Beaumont [sorry Wiz] was the worst place in Texas I've lived. And then there was my ill-advised move out of state. Suffice it to say that I came home and left some good friends behind but I can always go visit or stay in touch online. I can say unequivocally, I will live out the rest of my remaining years in Texas!!!

Then there is family. I am so very blessed to have a large extended family - my own precious children, a wonderful son-in-law, brothers, sisters, niece and nephew, cousins, aunts, uncles and that's just the biological family. Then, there is my chosen family, of which there are many members, scattered far and wide across the U.S.A. My parents and grandparents molded a very strong sense of family from a very young age. When you are part Italian, part Irish and part Cajun French you can't help but have an enormously strong sense of family. I was the oldest of 4 and was lucky enough to know so many of the aunts, uncles and cousins that my younger siblings never knew and for that I am ever so grateful. My only regret is that I didn't record some of 'those conversations', you know the ones where Aunt So-and-So tells you those old family stories. If Only...If Only....I had recorded or had written something down.......so, one of the things I will focus on in my blog posts is to re-tell family history, as I know it. IF you get bored with my family ramblings, just skim on down and I will respect that this isn't very interesting to some....or most.

There you have it, my first official blog post. That first one last night was only a test. I hope this is the first of many to come!.

Inaugural Blog post

My first ever blog post. I have no idea what to say or how to say it but I have something to say!

Check back later and I may.....or may not....have something profound to take away.

For now, a saying I found online today:

Don't make a lateral move from one "average" friend to
another.
Start collecting friends w/better character and drive!
Those who challenge you to do more and be more!
Hang w/people who enjoy helping other people and do so
without expectation of repayment.