Bobcats vs. Wizards

Michael Jordan use to play for the Wizards and Michael Jordan now owns the Bobcats. Unfortunately we didn't see Michael Jordan at the game. We did, however, enjoy a night at Time Warner Arena watching some NBA basketball. Believe it or not, this was my first NBA experience. You'll soon find out why it will not be my last.

Everyone at the game received a replica #6 jersey. Once we sat down we took a look at the roster to find out who's jersey this was. Turns out no one wears number 6! I guess it represents the 6th man or something like that. Anyways, we both wore the jerseys for the game and felt like true fans.

We did get to see Kemba Walker play against John Wall. And it was a really close game. It came down to the very end. Unfortunately Charlotte lost by 3.

This part is amazing and the reason why we'll be back to Time Warner again soon. They announced before the 4th quarter that if any of the Bobcat players made a 3 pointer in the 4th everyone in the arena would win free tickets to a game! Can you believe it! Well, of course someone (I couldn't tell you who) made a 3 pointer and the crowd went wild. After the game we stood in line to turn in our game ticket for a ticket to a game in 2 weeks.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

I found this recipe a while ago on Tasty Kitchen. It was a great way to shake up the everyday chocolate chip cookies. It's quick and easy to throw together and was part of my Sunday cooking marathon. Joe and I love putting a scoop of ice cream on top (and maybe some chocolate sauce if we worked out that day). Our cookie sheets didn't make the move (or I just haven't found that box yet, not sure which one) so this dessert was great to make since I had unpacked the pie pan. Yum!!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
altered from Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat overn to 350 degrees. Mix flour, powder and salt in medium bowl, set aside. Cream butter in mixer until fluffy. Add brown sugar, vanilla and egg. Add dry ingredients slowly and mix well. Add chocolate chips. Spread into 9" pie pan. Bake 18-22 minutes.

Photo Friday #16

Ego check! Do you recognize anything familiar in this picture? Yesterday's post about organizing my hair dryer and straightener is officially on Pinterest. Ok, well I did that... I pinned my first item yesterday morning. That aside, it's become pretty popular. I'm glad so many other people liked the idea and repinned it. It's great to get ideas from other people and to share a few of my own too!

Organize: Hair Tools

This is another trick I found on Pinterest. It isn't hard to do and isn't permanent which is important for us since we live in an apartment. I just bought two Command hooks (they come in two-packs so even better) and attached them to the inside of our bathroom cubpoard. This helps me maximize space (storage space is something we don't have much of). The hooks even inspired us to organize other home items. We bought 2 more hooks for our keys and secured those just inside the front door near the light switches.

Now That's What I'm Talking About

I've showed you my folder chair and ironing board and I've also showed off my new rolling office chair. Now, let me show you a real office. Equipped with not one, but two desks. My desktop computer. Printer/faxer/scanner. Phone hooked into the Marriott network (that means I still have my San Francisco 415 area code). Router and modem. Oh, and a place to safely rest my coffee cup.

Now this is living... well I mean working.

Cooking Fool

I was in the kitchen a lot this weekend. The weather was crappy so what better way to spend my time? I was basically a cooking fool. It's so nice to have all of our kitchen items back from storage. We have so many great cooking and baking items from our wedding and Christmas and such. Not to mention the Kitchen Aid Mixer. Oh how I've missed you!
Here's a look at what I made on Sunday.

• Chex Mix (request from Joe)
• Cinnamon Sugar Breakfast Muffins
• Chicken and Rice Soup (Sunday dinner)
• Lasagna (make ahead for Monday dinner)
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

I'll get some recipes up soon, but until then, here's a sneak peek.

Cajun Queen

We decided to take a trip to New Orleans just to try some authentic Cajun cuisine. Just kidding, but we did dine at Cajun Queen here in Charlotte though. They serve authentic 'Nawlins food including shrimp and grits, etouffee and crawfish.

We actually heard about this place from a friend back home. Danny visits Charlotte for work often and every time he makes sure to eat here at least once. When we told him we were moving to Charlotte he recommended this restaurant (and certain entrees) right away. He told us to look for the building with the big green crocodile out front. Sure enough, there it was.

One of the highlights from the restaurant is the building. It looks like a big house on the outside (and probably was one at sometime). The entry way looks like a house, but with a host stand. The living rooms has a fire place, but it also has lots of tables for eating. We sat in the back which seemed to be a sun porch. Recently I've noticed the whole "house converted to retail" is common in Charlotte. We went to a Starbucks this past weekend that was the same thing. I thought it was so cool!

For dinner I tried the Diane with crawfish. We had a 7th grade science project with crawfish, but I've never ate them before. These are part of the Southern "need to try" food.They were very similar to shrimp and taste delicious in this dish with garlic butter, mushrooms and Cajun Queen's spices. Joe ordered the etouffee which was similar to mine, just made with a dark roux. I was intrigued by etoufee when I read about it the other day. I had to look it up and find out exactly what it consisted of. I was glad Joe ordered it so I could try some. He got crawfish with his dish just like I did.

There's another Cajun restaurant in the area we want to try. Next time I want to give the shrimp and grits a taste. Has anyone tried that before and would recommend it? How about any other Cajun dishes?

Photo Friday #15

As I poured my coffee the other morning I had a nostalgic moment. I got this mug from running a 5k in Des Moines. But no, it wasn't just any 5k.... it was the Jingle Jam and it was in December! If you're familiar with the weather in Iowa now, it's cold! My co-worker, Megan, and I ran this race two years in a row. The first year we had amazing sunny weather. The second year was a different story. Not only was it cold, it was windy. Two weather elements that make running a bit more difficult. Running this race together was becoming a tradition until she moved to Chicago and Joe and I moved away as well. Oh well, we have our memories!

Just for fun, here we are on race day! We didn't win any prizes for our outfits. Believe it or not, we were dressed down compared to many racers!

Move In Day

Did anyone watch the show Alcatraz on Fox? Joe and I DVR'ed the 2 hour season premiere and I'm hooked! If you missed it I recommend you watch the first episode on hulu or something and then start watching the rest of the season. It is fictional (and far-fetched at sometimes) but I love how they are in San Francisco and show parts of the city Joe and are familiar with.

Well our furniture, clothes, dishes, etc. arrived last Sunday. It has been a long time since we've had all of this stuff. When we moved to San Francisco last July we left it all in Iowa since our apartment in California was furnished. Plus it was easier to leave in Iowa and not move all the way to California.

Remember when our new apartment looked like this? Clean, open and bright. Just begging to be moved into.

Well this past weekend it looked like this. Cluttered, mess and dark.Ok, maybe it's still bright in here (we do have 6 windows!) Now the apartment is begging to be organized.

Don't worry though, we're well on our way to settling into the apartment. The dishes have been cleans and put in their place. Funny how I tend to put them all in the same cupboards they lived in while in our West Des Moines apartment.

We did actually pop some bubbly Sunday night to celebrate. It was kind of a big deal! In reality, we bought that champagne for New Years Eve. We ended up so tired that night we didn't even open it. I will make sure to point out that at least we stayed up until midnight!

Just wait until you see my new office. It's muuuuuuuuuuuch better! Hip Hip Hooray!!

Fried Pickles

Moving to North Carolina Joe and I both have wanted to try many southern dishes. The list includes, but it not limited to: southern BBQ, grits, collard greens, fried pickles and okra. Many items people don't normally eat in Iowa. There's not many restaurants that serve this food either.

Although we didn't try the fried pickles in an authentic southern restaurant, we nonetheless tried them. Salty goodness dipped in more goodness. Those are technical foodie terms, ya know.

And yes, we tried them at Hooters. Do I need to explain?

We almost bought grits at the grocery store the other day. Then we decided it would be a better idea to try some at a restaurant first and then see if they're worth making at home. Now to find a local spot to order some good ol' southern grits!

Scarf Hanger

Pinterest has officially sucked me in. I have the app on my phone and find myself "pinning" new recipes, ideas for a future home, DIY ideas, etc. It's a great place to gather great information from the internet. If you're unfamiliar, check out this blog post explaining how it works. The problem I am finding is how easy it is to "pin" ideas, but how hard it is to actually make those ideas come to life. Recipes? I haven't made one yet. DIY ideas? This post will introduce my first. Although it required no paint, nails or tape, I like to think of it as my first success.

I saw this idea on Pinterest a while back. It's a great way to organize scarves. Just use shower curtain rings and a clothes hanger. Use this to individually hang and organize scarves. It worked perfectly for our new apartment because we had to buy more shower curtain rings to hang up before our boxes arrived. Plus, what do those cost, a couple dollars? A cheap way to get organized.

On a side note my mom and I recently bought some new scarves in San Francisco. Fisherman's Wharf to be exact, you know, where the tourists go and where the souvenir shops are located. The lady at the shop said these scarves were real silk. Seeing that they were priced at $20 for 4, we knew she wasn't for real. But we love them! It also made us fit in with the very trendy crowd in the city.

Photo Friday #14

It would have been perfect if this week was Photo Friday #13. What with it being Friday the 13th and all. Do you believe in bad things happening today? To me it's just another day.

You can now call me an official resident of the state of North Carolina. In other words I am not a Tar Heel. Does anyone ever actually like the picture on their drivers license? I don't think I've ever heard someone say "look at this picture on my ID, isn't it great?!" After sitting in the DMV for a couple hours, waiting in line then taking a test (are you kidding me?!) I wasn't looking my finest. Oh well, that's what drivers licenses are for, right?

One Year Ago: Las Vegas

One year ago today we were celebrating some special birthdays. Joe's brothers turned 21 so what do we do? We got a group together and celebrated in Las Vegas.

Happy Birthday Nick and Travis!

Pimp My Ride

No, I don't mean my car and no I don't mean rapper Xzibit.( I realize not everyone will understand that reference so I apologize for those who didn't watch MTV in the early 2000's. Don't feel let out though, MTV kills brain cells.) Anyways, we bought an office chair. It's a true upgrade from the previous folding chair. I still use the ironing board as a desk, but that will go soon too. So excited for our furniture to get here tomorrow!!!

Iowa vs Oklahoma State Wrestling

How could I forget a very important part of our Saturday?! Iowa hosted Oklahoma State in a very important wrestling dual in Iowa City. It was broadcasted on IPTV (Iowa Public Television for those who happen to read this blog and aren't from Iowa). Luckily it was also shown on the Big Ten Network website. We were able to hook my computer up to our TV and watch it on the big screen. And yes, we did have to move the TV so that the hookups would reach. We don't have our router yet so our internet is limited to my "office." And yes again, we have some empty boxes to get rid of. Oh and duct tape in the background that has come in handy lately with our air mattress.

Anyways, nevermind how the meet ended up (Iowa lost by new rules deciding the winner even though the score was tired at the end of 10 weights. Iowa would have broken the record of most consecutive dual meets without a loss... a record held by Oklahoma State. Are you getting the idea of how big this meet was?) I really just wanted to share this picture with you. Tony Ramos from Iowa upset the number one seed and the crowd went nuts. Take a minute and really examine every face in this picture. I love how the Iowa coaches get so into the meets. I just love Iowa wrestling.

Source

Our Weekend

We had a pretty low key weekend. Not nearly as much excitement (or pictures) compared to many weekends in San Francisco.

Saturday was a day of errands. We checked a lot of things off our list and got some new views of the surrounding city. Joe has a city walking tour app on his phone and since it was in the high 60's we thought it would be a perfect day for some city walking. We checked out both the landmarks and historical houses tour. It was fun to see new sculptures in the city we might have missed in the past and to see the different Queen Anne or Victoria style houses. Some of the houses were pretty amazing with bright colors and lots of tiny details

For dinner we found a sushi place in SouthPark. Joe and I were both excited to eat lots of fresh seafood and sushi when we moved to California. Surprisingly we didn't ear nearly as much fish as we planned. Plus we never had sushi there once! The place we ate at in Charlotte was delicious. I think it will be somewhere that we will return to in the future.

On Sunday we got some more chores done (before our furniture arrives.... and yes, it hasn't arrived yet). We tried out a new grocery store that turned out to be a good experience, and a large bill. We stocked up on some good food for the week.

We were calling around to some location attractions (Discovery Place, Mint Museum, Museum of Modern Art, etc) to see if they offered a Wells Fargo discount for admission. Turns out the Mint museum was free that day! Since it was a place we had wanted to check out eventually we thought it would be a perfect day to go. Of course it was busy and not what we were expecting. Call me crazy, but doesn't the Mint Museum title lead you to believe it's a museum about money?! Well, it wasn't. it was just an art and activity museum. Oh well, we checked out the exhibits and even stayed for a panel discussion on food in the south (once again, didn't turn out to be what we were expecting).

Sunday night we relaxed and watched some NFL football. We also watched a few shows on our DVR to clear that up a bit. I have always said I would not give in and get a DVR. Now we have one (solely because it was free for a year with the special our cable company was running). I didn't want to end up watching more TV than I already do and I figured if I record shows that would lead to too much TV watching. Well so far I really do like it. I wouldn't say I watch a ton more TV, but I definitely have to put a limit on it!

I hope you all had a great weekend as well!

Photo Friday #13

Before our furniture arrives, this is where I have been working. Let's just say it makes for a long day

Puppy Fever

Some people get baby fever... I've got puppy fever.

Growing up my family always had a dog. It started with Herky that my parents owned before I was born. He was a West Highland White Terrier (or Westie for short). I don't actually have any pictures of him on my computer to share, what a shame.

When I was in elementary school we welcomed two new Westies into our family. Brody and Jamie were so much fun to watch interact and play. They played like best friends and fought like siblings.

We somewhat designated Brody as my dog and Jamie belonged to my brother. It amazed me how different their personalities were.

A short time after Brody and Jamie passed my parents rescued another Westie from the shelter. His name is Burley. It was amazing how many tricks he already knew and the fact that he was potty trained. He wore Brody's Halloween costume this last year and appears to enjoy it just as much as Brody did...

Burley loves his toys a little too much. He ripped this one apart hours after he got it. I laughed really hard when my dad sent me this picture a couple weeks ago. True Westie fashion. We bought him a toy for Christmas thinking it would take him a while to rip it open. It maybe took it a couple hours, mainly because he was preoccupied with ripping open a different toy first.

My brother and his fiance recently added a dog to their family. His name is Kirby and is such a cute little guy. Joe and I get to see him run in circles and play fetch when we Skype. He's such a puppy with so much energy.

Now to decide if a dog will be in our future. There's so much to consider. Size, shedding, exercise, etc. I guess the first step would be to check if our apartment complex allows pets!!

Camden Cotton Mills

I really like our apartment in charlotte. The location is great (lots of restaurants around and Joe can walk to work), plenty of parking, security is tight and the interior is very modern. It will look very different once we get all of our furniture and items arranged.

Here are the pictures I snapped quick when we got here.

The entrance and bricked driveway to our parking garage.

Kitchen with bar (we got some black bar stools from Joe's parents that will look great). The door on the right is the entrance and farther to the right leads to the second bedroom.

Closer up of the kitchen.

Living room from the kitchen area. The cutout window and walkway lead to the bedroom. There are not doors from the bedrooms to the common areas.

Another look from the living room to the bedroom. The floors in the living area are painted concrete I believe. They're a bit cold, but that will probably coming in handy during the warm summers.

Living room and kitchen area. I plan on putting my desk against that wall where the internet is now hooked up.

Our bedroom. At least there is carpet in the bedrooms.

Our huge closet... love it! Plus we need the storage. You don't realize how much stuff (and junk) you have until you move.

Bathroom with laundry behind the doors. The bathroom is between the two bedrooms with pocket doors on each side.

Full size laundry. I love not only having laundry in our apartment, but having so much room!

Shower and toilet also have a pocket door. Nothing special here. We did buy a shower curtain though before actually showering.

The ceilings are a little unique so I wanted to share. They're open with exposed pipes and ducts, but very modern looking.

This is our hallway. Our complex has a lot of this painted concrete floors.

The view from our windows (which we have 6 of). I find having so many windows may be great for the view, but it just means you have to close lots of shades too.

I'll have to get some more pictures posted once we get everything settled and in its place. Hope you enjoyed our virtual apartment tour:)

Six States, Two Days

It might not sound like a lot of states to see in two days, but we're proud of it. I guess it makes a difference when you're on a road trip and moving to a new state... 17 hours (or so) from home.

We planned on taking a picture of each state boarder. I did a pretty good job from the car, until we got to North Carolina. Go figure the one state that matters I messed up. Don't mind the blurry ones, iPhones don't take the best pictures in the dark.

We got to our apartment with the little items we brought with. Like I mentioned on Friday, we've enjoyed walking around downtown and trying to get to know the area better. Our apartment is great too, I'll post picture of that this week.