Food for Thought

I was thinking about my yogurt fixation again and thought of a few more things I've become somewhat addicted to since we moved here.

1. Starbucks Coffee: I was never really a fan before, but somehow I can't seem to function without my grande caramel latte every morning.
2. Ovaltine: Again, I've become addicted to a mug of hot Ovaltine before bed (at least I'm getting a good calcium fix everyday).
3. Quesadillas: Mmmmmm... My favourite mexican food!

It's hard to believe it's been almost a year since we moved to New Mexico (it will be 12 months this weekend). On the weekend Brad and I were talking about some of the cool things we've done since we've been here and realised how lucky we are and what a fantastic experience this is. Some of the things that top my list are:

• Seeing Jerry Seinfeld live in Albuquerque - Absolutely hilarious!
• Our trip to Vegas with Ben and Agnes - there is no other place like it!
• The Grand Canyon - WOW!!!! There are no other words to describe it.
• My knitting girls - I don't know what I would have done without you!

I could go on and on...but I won't - I don't want you to quit reading my blog.

Speaking of my knitting girls, Jenny tagged me for a meme, so without further ado:

Instructions: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot.

• KimberliNY
• Unraveling
• Knitorious
• Woman Obsessed
• Aussie in ABQ

What were you doing 10 years ago?
Starting my final year of high school. Although it was a lot of hard work, it was also a lot of fun!

What were you doing 1 year ago?
Getting ready to move to New Mexico! Getting nervous and excited about finding a new place to live, a new car, a new job.....

What were you doing 1 hour ago?
Having lunch with the guys from work. Trying to be healthy with salad but finishing off with frozen yogurt, caramel syrup, sprinkles and cookie crumbles!

List five creative things you want to achieve this year:
1. Knit something that really challenges me like the Charlotte's Web Shawl
2. Get back into sewing and make a case for my needles.
3. Get creative with my blog - I know it's pretty dull at the moment
4. Try and stick to my plan to cook one new meal a week.
5. Get our photos (including wedding) into albums.

List five snacks you enjoy:
1. Oreos
2. Freddo Frogs
3. Rice Crackers
4. Starburst
5. English muffins with honey

List five things you would do if money were no object:
1. Travel the world
2. Open my own business (shop or restaurant or both)
3. Take a bunch of courses to learn anything I want - languages, yoga, aromatherapy, massage...
4. Buy a house by the beach
5. Make a BIG donation to medical research

List five bad habits:
1. I avoid exercise
2. I can be a little obsesive when it comes to cleaning
3. I'm stubborn
4. I'm grumpy in the mornings
5. I get sucked in to reality tv

List five things you like doing:
1. Knitting
2. Eating good food with good friends
3. Seeing a good movie
4. Shopping
5. Travelling

List five favorite gadgets:
1. Our blender - I made a great Morrocan sweet potato, carrot and chickpea soup last week
2. Cell phone - Although we don't have one they do come in very handy at times
3. Computers - Keeps me in touch with the rest of the world
4. Digital camera - To record our adventures (although I accidentally deleted our photos from the museum - oops)!
5. Video camera - Ditto

Name one thing you like about yourself:
I think I'm a pretty happy person to be around (except in the mornings of course)!

So there you go...

Cheers!

Happy Australia Day!

Although it's not technically Australia Day in Oz anymore I think I can still celebrate it seeing as though we are 18 hours behind! For those of you who don't know, Australia Day is the anniversary of the day that settlers first arrived in Oz back in 1788. It's also means a day off work - yay!

The weather in Melbourne has been stinking hot of late and was supposed to reach 38 degrees yesterday. Ahhhh.... the perfect day for a bbq or a day at the beach. It's funny because it reached about 38 degrees here yesterday too - farenheit!!!! And yes - we had some snow. Snow that melted as soon as it hit the ground but snow all the same!

I've starting putting a list together of stuff I want to buy during our visit back to Oz with my Christmas spending money. This is what I have so far:

• Leather Jacket (maybe) from the Queen Victoria Market
• Jeans (I can't find a pair to fit and I have a pair similar to this which are the best)
• Shoes similar to this
• Some cute spring/summer gear like this

We'll see. It all looks nice on screen but whether or not it actually fits is a completely separate issue!

Onto knitting news.... I will be finishing my second sock tonight - yipee!!!! So I promise some photos over the weekend. I absolutely love them and can't wait to wear them. Finishing them means I only have one unfinished project - my blackberry cardigan which I hope to finish on the weekend. So, I hear you ask.... what's next? Don't worry I'm one step ahead. I bought some yarn last week for some wrist warmers and I'm planning to knit a hat for little Charlotte. I think a trip to Village Wools is in order this weekend.

Cheers - Bec!

P.S. I've discovered something weird. Why didn't I like yogurt when I lived in Oz and now can't get enough of it? My new favourite breakfast - fruit and yogurt. I know... It sounds far too healthy for me. What ever happended to my cocoa pops?

Mr. Darcy Alert!!!!

Not that I want to appear obsessed but did anyone catch Colin Firth on "The Tonight Show" last night? Very funny guy! His new movie "Nanny McPhee" looks kind of cute. I don't think I'll be able to persuade Brad to go to that one though.

It's been a fairly busy week which is great! I managed to finish some financial reports that I had been a little worried about but the numbers balanced - YAY! I always have that dreadful feeling in my stomach while I'm doing the calculations and then it's a big sense of relief when I see the final results. I am also getting some training on website design and it looks as though I might get to do some drafting in the next week or so which should be fun.

Plans for this weekend include a trip to the museum. We're not sure if we are going to go to the National Atomic Museum, New Mexico Museum of Natural History or the Lodestar Astronomy Center. They all look like they have something good to offer.

Next week is Australia Day (26th January) and I'm thinking that maybe we should do something to celebrate it here in Albuquerque. I do have a great recipe idea that would combine that tastes of Oz with some southwest traditions - Green Chilli Pies! At first we couldn't understand the obsession people in New Mexico had with green chilli - that was until we tasted it! I don't know how I'll eat a burger without it now. That's why I think green chilli meat pies would be a taste sensation! Not sure if my cooking skills are quite up to that standard though. Something to think about.....

It's Not Fair

I know I probably sound like a little kid but IT'S NOT FAIR. I had to come to work today while Brad got to sleep in! It is Martin Luther King Jr day today and for some unexplicable reason just about everybody I know got the day off work except me! I think I've only had one phone call in the past two and a half hours indicating that nobody else is working either!

Ahhhhh.... My morning coffee has arrived. Ok, I think I can move on now.

We had a pretty quiet weekend. I spent Friday afternoon at the dentist and got the all clear - no cavities! I can tell you, they sure weren't shy when it came to cleaning but then again if you don't get your teeth cleaned for 5+ years I guess you have to expect a little pain. I really like the concept of dental insurance (paid by our employers) which includes 1 free set of x-rays and 2 free cleans a year. We'll be coming back to Oz with fabulous teeth!

Saturday I went to the Knitters Not Quitters group at Napoli Cafe. They are a great bunch of girls and it's great to catch up with them if Brad is working on a Saturday. I'm flying along with my second sock (started the heel last night) and finished the bramble stitch scarf that I have been working on. I'm also onto my second hat (present).

Saturday night we rented "Wedding Crashers" on dvd. It wasn't bad for a bit of a laugh (7/10). From the comments I've received, I've noticed that women who have an interest for knitting also seem to have an interest in Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. Maybe an afternoon of knitting/Pride and Prejudice/Colin Firth is in order....

Memoirs vs Mr. Darcy

Just thought I'd let you know that we're still alive. It's not that we've been doing anything really exciting that I haven't had a chance to post, it's mainly that I've just been too lazy. But I'm back on track now, I promise... Maybe I should have made it a New Years resolution to blog at least twice a week but considering I've only ever stuck to one resolution (to read at least one book a month) maybe it's better that I didn't.

Enough rambling and onto more interesting news. Brad submitted his grant yesterday - YAY! It has been a very stressfull month for him so I think he was very relieved to submit it. He went to celebrate by downing 21 chicken wings (not a bad effort) - very convienient since it was his turn to cook last night! I shouldn't complain though, he let me choose a chick flick on Saturday night seeing as though we haven't been out much during the last month. I ended up choosing "Memoirs of a Geisha" which was really good (8/10), even Brad enjoyed it. I was tempted to pick "Pride and Prejudice" but I have to admit that Colin Firth is my one and only Mr. Darcy.

We had a great New Years weekend since I ended up with 4 days off work. We went horse riding on the Friday which I'm happy to say was incident free (unlike several attempts in the past). On Saturday we went to Santa Fe and then went to some friends to celebrate the new year.

On the knitting front I'm making a lot of progress. I have started my second sock (didn't want to wait too long and end up never getting around to it), almost finished another scarf (present) and am seaming my cardigan (still have to do ribbed edging once it's together). I promise to post some photos in the next couple of days.

Ciao for Now!