A Too-Short, Long Weekend

This Thanksgiving was wonderful. Not only did I get to see family that I rarely see, but I spent time with friends that may as well be family.

I've alluded to Friendsgiving in the past few posts, and this one did not disappoint. It was my second year to be invited, and the food and company is always top notch.We gorged, played a fun candle game, and talked until the cows came home.

Love these girls!

On Wednesday, my grandparents arrived in Abilene, followed quickly by my older brother and then my mom's brother and his family. The house was full, and not just because my cousins all stand above 6'2''. Then my mom's sister and her husband came bearing delicious BBQ from Smitty's Market in Lockhart, TX, which is conveniently on the way from their house in Victoria. We ate heartily, and I knew it was going to be a weekend of full tummies. (Spoiler: I wasn't wrong.)

Thanksgiving Thursday, we woke to a beautiful, warm day... and a sick grandfather :(. While he recovered in bed (and recover he did), we went off to the country club for our Thanksgiving dinner, sorry he wasn't with us. My mom decided that she wasn't going to cook this year because, let's be real, there were 16 of us and the women always end up in the kitchen all day. That dog won't hunt anymore. The country club did an okay job, though their desserts were a bit disappointing.

We spent the rest of the day in front of football or outside enjoying the nice weather. Friday, I had to work at the store, but got to spend the morning with everyone before my uncle and cousins left for their lease to hunt. Then we were joined by my mom's other brother, his wife and daughter.

On Saturday, my uncle wanted to go buy a gun, obvs, so we went out to Dyess because the PX (is that the correct term? I get so confused.) was having a special on them. #thisistexas. I'm always amazed when I go out to that base. It's a world so unfamiliar and fascinating to me: a community of its own dedicated to the people that serve our country. Old jets and planes line the main entry road, and my dad could literally name all of them, about 20 or so, and tell you what they were used for. It was impressive. His and my brother's knowledge of airplanes surpasses everything I could probably ever know about anything else in the world, and I have no idea where all the information came from. So I just kind of sit back in awe.

After the gun-buying, and another afternoon of football, we went downtown to Fat Boss's to watch, yup, more football. A few glasses of wine and some fried goods always goes down smooth when family is around, and I loved spending time with them.

My Sunday was spent recovering from the long weekend of food and wine. I felt like a fat cat after a big meal, perfectly content to just lie on the couch and doze, and happy to think about the previous few days where nothing but family and fellowship was forefront on my mind. When is the next get-together?

Nothing better.

I'm serious, you guys. And you always gotta check out the binocs while you're there.

Can you imagine cooking for this many people? Naw.
Also, my babiest little cousin Jake--who is currently a foot taller than I am--got cut off :(

No Country(side) for Old Men

After three weeks in Paris, a couple friends and I were ready for some fresh air. A few days in the French countryside was exactly what we needed. We spent the weekend in Beaugency, a small town southwest of Orleans in the Loire Valley. It is an adorable little town, quaint and quiet, but with plenty of bustle in weekend morning markets and boulangeries.

View from our b&b

We arrived Friday night, after the sweatiest and stickiest train ride of my life, and checked in to our B&B. Our hosts were a family of three, and thank goodness Janelle speaks pretty great French, because they hardly spoke English. I tried, but my responses were mostly blank stares, and then glances toward Janelle to translate. They were sweet and so accommodating. The daughter walked us to the only restaurant that was open that late (9:30pm), and we closed the place down talking about families, writing and hometowns.

Sante!

Tricia and Janelle at breakfast the next morning. Check out that spread! And the french press. Mmmmmm.

Our plan was to ride bikes the next day to visit some chateaus that are in that area, and our final destination was Chambord, an enormous chateau and estate a little south of the Loire River. Our hosts said that a bike ride to Chambord would be too far in one day, but I guess they had never met American tourists. When we set our minds on something, we go for it baby.

Let me back up for a second. I haven't ridden a bike in more than two years that wasn't stationary and in a room with lights and an instructor. I learned late how to ride a bike, and they've never been my favorite things. So the idea of riding one 15 miles one way in unfamiliar territory gave me cause for concern. However, I decided this was a good weekend to conquer my fear/dislike of the things. The first few minutes I was wobbly, trying to navigate the narrow cobblestone streets of Beaugency and the cars that passed us. 

Still feeling unsure...

Then we got out of town, and it was more of a breeze. There are amazing bike paths that run up and down the Loire River, and they were not crowded at all. We passed a few families of bikers and a few runners, but that was about it. The river was to our left for most of the trip, and we ventured through a few towns, got lost a couple times, and finally made it to Chambord around 12:45, two hours after leaving Beaugency.

I mean, come on.

Paddle boatin. Go Tricia go!

We had lunch near the castle, then toured the incredible inside. It was beautiful, and we loved thinking and talking about what it would be like to live there. After a tumultuous paddle boat ride, we got some gelato and decided it was time to head back. A few hours later, we rode into Beaugency feeling exhausted, but proud of our sojourn.

We had dinner at the same place as the night before; it was too good not to go back! During an after dinner walk, we heard music coming from the direction of the river, and found a concert going on right on the banks of the Loire. The musician, Natalia Doco, was great, and just what we needed at the end of the day. A rainbow appeared in the sky, and I sipped my rose and felt tired and perfectly content.

Looking out at the Loire River before we headed back Sunday.

It was a wonderful weekend, and I am looking at Paris this week with a new set of eyes. It's amazing what fresh air can do for you.

Moral of the Story: The Grocery Store

I love the grocery store. LOVE it. You push your little cart along, you don't have to carry your massive purse, and you peruse all the food and think about things that you could cook. It's like an extended quiet time, a little vacation where you are alone with your thoughts and food. And what could be better?

Most people prepare for their trip to the grocery. They've done their meal planning for the week and know all the ingredients they need to get. I applaud them, but I am not one of those people. Besides the few things that I put on a list that I absolutely need, I mostly just wander around and grab things off shelves. Here are a few things I've learned in my years of grocery shopping:

1. Always get the smaller cart, if you have the option -- especially if you shop for one. I used to get the big one thinking that my shopping list was so huge that I would probably need another one before I headed for the check out line. But that is never the case. And I hate the handheld baskets because they get heavy after the fourth jar of pasta sauce.

2. Get produce first -- Most grocery stores seem to be set up so that you hit this section first anyway, but I find it easier to maintain the facade that you're going to be healthy and good if you see your cart fill up with fruits and veggies first. But then I hit the chip aisle and it's usually downhill from there... so I've really learned nothing here, have I? Well, good intentions and all that, I guess.

3. Networking -- I see literally the world at United on a random Tuesday night. And it'll be the one time in the week that I have no makeup on and probably just worked out and am sweaty and panting like a bulldog. It's okay, though, I always say hi and try to chit chat a bit. You never know what being nice to someone will do for them, or you!

4. Try to avoid the bakery section, but never skip the gourmet cheese section -- I get trapped amongst the thumbprint cookies and oversized chocolate cupcakes. So I avert my gaze to the little thing that holds the brie, gouda, swiss, blue and asiago cheeses and choose to believe that it is healthier for me than the cookies.

5. Always take a sample -- I mean, obviously. #samsclub

6. Don't be too good for grocery store wine -- the grocery store that I go to sells a Meiomi pinot noir that I love, and the liquor stores around here don't. Shocking, but it's true.


I'd love to know, do you have any routines or rules for the grocery store?

Monday Meals: Tuesday Edition

I'm a wee late this week, but I make up for it today with a really good recipe!

I love Pasta. I capitalize it because it's Pasta, and no explanation is needed..

Basically

So today, we're talking about a spicy chicken rigatoni pasta. It's simple, it's spicy, it's Pasta, it's delicious!

Ingredients

crushed red pepper

minced or fresh garlic

olive oil

chicken breast cut into small pieces

green peas

rigatoni pasta

oregano or your favorite Italian seasoning

marinara sauce

alfredo sauce

Photo cred

Bring water to a boil and cook the pasta. Heat olive oil in a pan and add garlic. Add crushed red pepper when the garlic starts to sizzle. Add chicken and cook thoroughly. Then add peas and mixed sauce. I put in a little more marinara than alfredo, but it's usually pretty even. Season with oregano. Drain the pasta and add the chicken and sauce mix. Salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy!

What are some of your favorite pasta dishes?

A Thrill of Hope

My favorite view. And Santa came!

I always love Christmas. If you couldn't tell that from my recent (first!) published article, I'm happy to reiterate. The music, the movies, the fire, the tree, the food, the family...all come together to make my favorite holiday. This year, we traveled to South Lake to be with my mom's family last weekend, and were back in time for a Taliaferro Christmas on Wednesday morning.

My favorite gift was definitely my Anthropologie house shoes, which I pretty much haven't taken off since yesterday morning. My other favorite gift was being able to sit around the fireplace with my parents and my brothers and talk and laugh and drink white cranberry mimosas (white cranberry juice, Prosecco and frozen cranberries!)

Christmas Eve shenans.

While presents and christmas carols flow throughout the season, I try my best to remember the reason for the season, and give thanks for Jesus' birth and his coming to Earth. My faith has been tested this year in many ways, but I continuously hold on to it, gathering strength from it when I'm at my weakest. For that I'm grateful.

Now I'm off to run three miles with my brother as I pick up my training for Kilimanjaro. Stay tuned the next couple of weeks for my updates on buying gear, training, planning my 2-day layover in London, training, and more training.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, and have a Happy New Year!!