Ahhh, Fathers' Day

Well, Ben and I were simply ON THE BALL this year, to the point where we're spending our Fathers' Day in front of the TV together! Yesterday just worked out to be a better day for everyone involved, so we celebrated a day early :) We met Amberly and Ben's dad at Bob Evans in Westminster yesterday for a Fathers' Day breakfast, and also took him to the store. Then we headed down to Eldersburg for a Fathers' Day/50th Birthday party for Ben's best man Mike's dad, where we hung out with Mike and Sarah and Mike's family for the afternoon. We drank many beers and played horseshoes (well, I just sorta hurled horseshoes wherever - I think I made it into the box once...) and discussed Mike and Sarah's future at length ;) LOL!

Then we headed over to my Dad's house to make him dinner and watch a movie together. By this time I was a little tipsy, I won't lie! However, my dinner still turned out pretty well. I made parmesan risotto (from a box) and added some sauteed onions and garlic, Renette (my dad's girlfriend) helped out by steaming the asparagus for me, which I cut up, squeezed some fresh lemon over, and put on top of the risotto. Then I grilled two pounds of fresh large shrimp, basting them with a lime basil vinaigrette dressing. DEEEEE-lish. I got the idea from a Pampered Chef grilling cookbook - I basically saw the title "citrus grilled shrimp pilaf", shut the book, and went to town with the idea. I'm trying to challenge myself here lately by looking for recipe ideas and then trying to put them together on my own. It's helping me to get better at putting tastes together in my mind. So far, so good - I've been doing a lot of experimental cooking lately, and Ben has been a big fan :) It makes me SO so happy when I make something on my own that he likes - it makes me feel like I'm a "catch" of a wife, ya know?

Speaking of cooking, my hands REEK of onions this afternoon. I woke up this morning and started a crock pot meal with stewing beef, potatoes, onions, carrots, garlic, rosemary, tomato paste and beef broth. I think that was everything. This one was definitely a recipe that I can't take credit for - it was from Better Homes and Gardens So-Easy Slow Cooker (courtesy of my good friend Mrs. Laura Cooke!). Hope it turns out! It does smell good. Although it's difficult to parse out the different smells brewing in my apartment today, because I also have a pot of homemade chicken noodle soup going (it was an ambitious morning. I made belgian waffles too). Ben hasn't been feeling well - the old sore-throat-coughing-stuffy-nose thing. Still no fever, but I'm watching for that - we did just return from Mexico. So anyway, it was my first opportunity to be the chicken-soup-making wife of a sick husband, and I pounced ;) Now he REALLY doesn't want me to go to medical school - he's afraid all this will be over once I start! And in some ways he's right - I may not be able to whip up chicken noodle soup, a crock pot dinner and belgian waffles all at the same time on a regular basis - but I told him I took a vow to take care of him and medical school won't stop me. And we won't be able to afford to order out all the time - I'll have no choice but to cook!

The weather today is just amazing, by the way. There's such a lovely breeze, our windows are all flung open and the air is off (WAHOO!) - even though we're sitting inside it almost feels like we're outside. The US Open is on (golf) so Ben is pretty much glued to the couch in front of our HD TV. He's been trying to watch it here and there for the past few days and this was his first opportunity to really just sit and watch, so I guess I have to humor him ;) Plus he doesn't feel well... WAIT - unless he's been setting this up for days just so I'd feel sorry for him and let him sit around and watch golf all day... HAHA! I don't think we've been married long enough for that kind of behavior ;) It's alright - really, what else is on on a Sunday afternoon? And I'm blogging anyway. I should be working on that damn loft! Maybe later. I could really use an afternoon to chill.

My ring is at Jared today being re-sized AGAIN. I don't know if my weight is fluctuating or it's just the heat or what. Well, I THINK I can mostly attribute it to the fusing of the rings. When they were three separate rings I could take them off one or two at a time and though it was tight, they'd come off. Once all three were fused, I could barely get them ON, much less OFF. I finally decided that I couldn't wait to lose 5 pounds to have them fit better - it was driving me nuts. And since it was SO tight, it wasn't really moving around AT ALL (once it found a spot to sit on my finger, it was locked in), which meant that every time I washed my hands or got them wet, water and soap would just sit under there. And since it's three rings together and it's so wide, I was starting to get a little rash and the underside of my finger was turning white - I don't think that's good. When I'd try to move it, the skin just pulled and stretched - the ring didn't actually move and uncover the skin beneath it. That kind of movement required lotion. I know wedding rings should be tight - you don't want to lose them - but it was just uncomfortable and I was worried that it would get to the point where I'd have to take it off for a few days at a time periodically to let my finger irritation heal. No good.

So anyway, that's what I've been up to today. My ring will be ready in about 15 minutes, so I think I'll stop chatting your ear off and go get some shoes on!