Menu Makers, Part Two

Back in September, I wrote about trying MenuMakers for the first time and promised to give everyone our opinion on the meals after we'd eaten a few. Well, for those of you who have been anxiously awaiting our thoughts on the subject, we recently finished all of the meals I prepared back in September. The reviews are mixed. First of all, we actually saved a lot of money on food during the month, since we didn't eat out nearly as much. Normally, on those nights that we open the fridge and go "there's nothing to fix for dinner," we end up out eating at a restaurant, and generally it's not the fast food kind. You just don't realize how much that adds up over the course of a month! Anyway, the results were mixed because while there were a few recipes that we really liked, out of the 12 entrees that we tried, most were just so-so. I kept having to remind Chad that we had paid for the convenience of easy preparation, because he kept saying "I could make something better than this," which is true because he is a very good cook. Since I'm not, and I really don't like to cook, I would lean towards doing MM again because I liked the convenience and am not a picky eater. However, Chad decided that since the recipes aren't that great, he wanted to do his OWN MenuMakers evening with his own recipes. Last night, while I was out shopping for clothes, he went to the grocery store and bought ingredients for about 7 of our favorite meals, mixed up about 4 of them, and put them in the freezer. Now, for the next few weeks, whenever we don't know what to fix the next night, all we have to do is grab something from the freezer and thaw it out. Hopefully we'll see the same benefits of saving money, but we'll be eating some of our favorite meals and not trying something new that we don't really like. He's a husband extraordinaire!

A Shout Out To Jake Too

Since I sang Amber's praises a couple of days ago, this weekend I have to give a shout out to her husband Jake as well. Jake is also working towards his PhD and finished his comps earlier this year, but he's an athlete as well as an intellectual! Jake is an avid runner, and a few weeks ago he ran a marathon in about 3 hours and 18 minutes. That means he basically ran a 7 1/2 minute mile 26.2 times, which is faster than I can run a mile ONE time!

On Saturday, he and Amber came over to watch the Nebraska game (they are Huskers by birth) in HD TV (although it turned out not to be broadcast in high def), and Jake asked us to Tivo the game because they were going to be a little late. Jake decided, on a whim, to run in a half marathon that morning in KC. I'm astounded and impressed that he can go out and run 13.1 miles after just deciding to do so the day before! Even though he decided to race on the spur of the moment, he still won his age division! Way to go, Jake! You're making the rest of us look bad! :)

Birthday Wishes

Today happens to be a very important birthday. My father Merl, who lives in Athens, Ohio, is turning __ today. I don't want to tell you how old he is, because I think he looks pretty darn good for his age, and I wouldn't want to give his secret away. If anyone not related to me can guess his age, I just might recognize them in my blog tomorrow. Now if that's not motivation, what is? :)

My dad is a very busy, active guy, and I can only hope that when I get to be his age I will be just as busy and active. He spent much of September/October traveling through the West and Midwest with his wife Mim, and last weekend he called me with stories of kayaking near his home. When he comes to visit, he always has the energy to come help me walk dogs and take pictures at the shelter, and on just about every visit he falls in love with a particular dog that he dreams of taking home. He is great about keeping in touch with his family and is also a lover of attending concerts and musical performances in his little college town. Dad has MacGuyver-like talents and can construct and repair things in ingenious ways. A couple of years ago at Thanksgiving, I watched him rig up a rope and pulley system to chop down some trees in his yard without actually making them fall over--it was quite impressive. He is a recovering workaholic who still tends to work too hard even though he's now retired, as evidenced by the fact that he started volunteering for Habitat for Humanity and ended up putting in like 60 hours a week. He was always super into the details of his work and sometimes reminded us of Phil Hartman's "Anal-Retentive Carpenter" on SNL, though not quite as over the top. The good thing is, I inherited Dad's detail-oriented nature, which is what makes me a good computer programmer. :) Thanks, Dad. I love you. Have a very happy birthday.

Hooray for Amber!

Today I just have to give a shout out to my good friend Amber. Tonight, I'll get to hang out with her for the first time in several weeks because on Tuesday, she finished the written comprehensive exams required for the completion of her PhD. She's been so busy studying, we haven't seen her much lately, but tonight we're looking forward to a small celebration! Amber, it's your night to say "Hooray for ME! Hooray for ME, Billy!" (I'll explain that reference later for those of you who don't catch it.) Her husband Jake also recently finished his comps, but Amber deserves special recognition (sorry, Flapping Eagle) because even though she was feverishly studying every day, she always took the time to read my blog and leave thoughtful comments. :) What a friend! It's so nice to know that although my family often forgets to read my blog, Amber is always there! Congratulations, future Drs. Metthersmissers!

Creepiness

I have to say I am generally disturbed by a couple of things on Halloween. First, it freaks me out when kids who are too old for trick-or-treating come trick-or-treating at our house. I realize that I'm not especially tall, but when there's an adolescent at my door asking me for candy who's taller than I am, it makes me uneasy. To avoid this uncomfortable situation, we decided that last night we'd enjoy the cute tiny kids for an hour or so and then turn the porch light off a little early. So at 6:10 the doorbell rings for the first time and I grab my cauldron of candy, and there, I kid you not, is a person standing on our porch who is a good two inches taller than I am. Not only that, but he is obese. Not only that, but his dad is standing just off the porch waiting for him. Not only that, but his dad is obese as well. Seriously people, is it me or is there something wrong with this picture?

Here's the other thing that freaks me out on Halloween: people who go way overboard with the decorations. I'm not talking about a few pumpkins or some cobwebs or even a paper skeleton hanging in the tree in the front yard. I'm talking about people like the ones who live in the rural area next to our development, who have turned their yard into this:


Many years ago, we were walking our dogs past their house one evening when Chad said, "I don't remember there being a cemetery there." We realized immediately that it wasn't a cemetery, but it was quite funny, because they had very subtly placed about 5 tombstones in the empty field next to their house, so it was almost plausible that there could actually be a forgotten burial plot there in the much older neighborhood. It was creepy, yet understatedly so. Each year, they added a few more items to the display--tombstones, headless zombies coming out of the ground, a witch or skeleton hanging from a tree, a dilapidated fence--until they arrived at the monstrosity you see here.


I wish you could see this place in person. The pictures just don't do it justice because I was trying to snap them as we drove by through the plethora of cars that had gathered last night. The scary scene is actually at least the depth of their house, so there's so much I couldn't capture with a flash at night. I'll admit, the sight is pretty amazing, and yet, I have to be slightly worried about the people who have put so much time into this endeavor. Pretty creepy.