Not the most recent haircut...

I will be posting some pictures of the newest haircut in the next few days (I think), but here is my last big haircut...

I first donated to Locks of Love in high school. One weekend I decided I was tired of my long hair and wanted a big chop. I went in and was able to cut 10 inches off my hair that day. The second time I was at A & M and was again tired of the hair and ready for a change. I cut off 12 inches and sent it in that time...

When you cut your hair to donate there are a few requirements. They have it tied into different rubber bands, but previously I have only needed one big rubber band of hair. It is weird to see it all tied up together and chopped off...

Pictures and a report of the new hair cut...coming soon to this blog near you!

One of the stops on the quest...

I am going to start off by saying this: this is not the best pizza I have found so far. This is not even near the top. There are many reasons for this not being the best pizza, but this place (and thus this post) does serve many purposes...

BJ's Brewhouse was actually introduced to us by some friends who were visiting from Philadelphia, they had visited a BJ's in Dallas and because they were down to visit suggested we give it a whirl. BJ's is great for a number reasons:

First, they brew their own beers and they brew many different kinds of beer. I like a wide variety of beer to go with my many different moods so having a wide selection is nice. The waitstaff is usually somewhat knowledgeable about the different varieties (Imperial style stout to Pilsners and Wheat beers) and will gladly bring you samples to try before you commit to just one. They also will mix beers (half and half/ black and tan style) which makes for an even better variety and they also periodically have hard ciders which is nice in the fall and winter. Below is a picture of one of their beer flights which is reasonably priced and gives you ample tastes of four of their most popular beers.

Second, their bruschetta is a delicious part of their menu and we have often purchased it, a salad, and a beer or two for dinner alone. The tomatoes are diced and tossed with olive oil, basil, salt, and a nice touch of fresh garlic (which gives it a wonderful bite). The tomatoes are served with a foccaccia style bread which is toasted making a perfect platform to soak in extra olive oil and tomato juice from the topping. I also like that they serve the bruschetta in a bowl with the bread fanned around it so that you can choose how much topping you want on your bread. (The picture below is from my I-phone which doesn't make the best quality display of such a wonderful treat)
Third, they have a wide variety of pizzas from thin crust to Chicago style deep dish with a large array of toppings. You can make your own or choose from some of their suggested mixes. Their toppings are generous in portion and of decent quality.

You would think with the praises already sung about BJ's that it would be higher ranked in my eyes, but despite all of the wonderful aspects of the place...something is missing. The pizza is simply fine for lack of a better word. The deep dish is greasy (which might be a defining characteristic of deep dish pizzas, which I don't normally choose to enjoy) and the thin crust is thin and chewy, not crispy. There is nothing special about their pizzas, I feel like I could get the same sort of pizza in a number of different places around the city. The things that make BJ's great is the beer and the atmosphere...not the pizza. Granted they do not advertise themselves as being an exclusive pizza place (they also have sandwiches and American style food), most go for the pizza. I would think of BJ's as being a football watching, beer drinking, and oh-yeah we can order a few pizzas kind of place. The pizza is a good addition, but not an immediate factor into choosing to go there. I really enjoy BJ's, but I don't think pizza and BJ's in the same breath...not like you do for Lombardi's...

Thus...the search continues...

The beginning of a quest

We were on the search for the original New York pizza. We were well aware of the arguments that other places were better (often more tense than the arguments of which Philly cheesesteak is better), but we wanted the first, the original, the pizza that every other pizza would be modeled after. We found Lombardi’s with relative ease after all, we had heard about the place on the Food Network and in our trusty guide book for our first trip to New York. We walked in and immediately smelled the huge vats of bubbling tomato sauce exuding their aroma from the kitchen. Arriving before their remodel, we were seated in the older section of the restaurant which means we were guided past the coal burning oven that makes their pizza so unique. We were sat at a table ordered a few drinks and picked out a few pizzas to try. You do have to wait for your pizza, but we didn’t mind as we looked around the walls taking in pictures of celebrities and wannabes that graced their restaurant over the years. We continued taking in the aroma of the previously mentioned sauce and used that as our appetizer for what was to come. When our pizzas arrived we knew it had been well worth the wait. The crust was a cross between thin and hand tossed and while their were a few charred spots on the edge, we took that as a sign of authenticity. My choice of pizza was sausage, red onion, and mushroom. The sausage was thinly sliced into ovals and had good flavor with a mild bit of heat. The red onion had a nice sharp bite and the mushrooms added texture and a woody flavor to the pizza. The cheese was not overpowering, but rather balanced out the rest of the flavors on the pizza as well as helping to keep the toppings in place. The sauce was wonderfully simple in that you could taste tomatoes and a bit of seasoning and nothing else. The crust was something all together difficult to describe. It had a wonderfully salty flavor combined with a warm, yeasty, bread-like texture. Because of the char of coal burning oven, the crust was slightly crisp and wonderfully chewy. There were spots that tasted more charred than others, but not in a bad way. I can only describe it as being perfectly burnt (in the way that sometimes a few pieces of extra done popcorn is a nice balance to the rest of the batch). Combine all of these wonderful ingredients: the toppings, the cheese, the sauce, and the crust (oh man...the crust) and you have, quite simply, the best pizza I have ever tasted. Add in a Peroni or two and you are set for one of the best meals of your life.

The second time we went to eat at Lombardi’s was two days later...it was just as delicious.

The third time we went to eat at Lombardi’s was a few years later...we got off our plane from Houston, got our baggage, found a taxi, rode to Lombardi’s (straight there), and asked for a table. I thought this time that there would be no way our memories of the pizza could be as wonderful as the pizza actually was...I was wrong...if anything it was better! We polished off a few pizzas between the two of us and were glad for the long walk (with our luggage in tow) to the hotel where we would be staying.

The fourth time I went I was without Matt. This past summer I was in New York at the JFR Lerner Fellowship. I stood up on Sunday at dinner and said "I am going to Lombardi's to get pizza tomorrow night...if anyone wants to eat at the original (and in my opinion best) pizza place then you are welcome to come with me. I am going regardless." Out of the 30 of us, 9 brave souls followed me to Little Italy and were not disappointed with the results.

We have recommended Lombardi’s to others and they are always polite about thanking us for our recommendation and smile saying “We will see if we can try it...there are so many places to eat”. Once they have tried it though, they see what we mean and thank us with enthusiasm for mentioning the place.

The one drawback is the location...obviously being in New York we cannot go every day which means...we have to find something equal...

Thank you

I wanted to take a quick chance to say a belated thank you to all of our service men and women who sacrifice so much for others. As I skimmed through The Pioneer Woman's website I saw this picture which literally brought tears to my eyes. It is one of the most moving pictures I have seen for some time and it brings to mind all of those wonderful members of our armed forces who hopefully get to come back to open arms (no matter how tiny) at the end of their service.

Thank you troops (past and present).

Picture post

In her big girl stroller!

See her reflection?

Some pictures from Galveston:

MacKenzie touches sand.

Dig your toes in!

It was very windy

Are we bad parents for letting her chew on paper?

7 months

MacKenzie,

Today you are seven months old. I realize I have gone from every 4 weeks to counting months, but it is easier this way and I know one day you will understand. You have grown up before our eyes this past month so there is a lot to write about. Because mommy is almost done with school she has been a little busy so you will have to wait on a few pictures from this month.

You are within days of crawling, you have all of the right movements, just not all together and in the right order. You will move your legs, but not all the way underneath you! You will move your arms, but end up rotating from side to side more than going forward. You will grunt in frustration and mommy tries to distract you as long as possible to keep you trying. You are doing a great job sitting up, it is nice to be able to sit you down to play with some of your toys (like the bongos we got you). You love to pound on to noisy toys, the table, or whatever you can reach. You also like to feel things by "scratching" them. You have been doing that to mommy and other people when they hold you, but now you scratch everything to feel it. You did take a bit of a sitting down tumble and we had our first boo-boo, but you were a little trooper and mommy stayed calm through it all. Did I already mention that you have upgraded to a big girl car seat? You are still rear facing, but you get to sit up and move around a lot more to look at things and play while we drive. You love to look in mirrors and just this afternoon cracked up when you and daddy were looking at that "other" baby in the mirror.

You have finally started stretching out time between meals a bit, but if you are bored and mommy is holding you, you figure why not and try to nurse. Most of the time mommy obliges because she enjoys that special time between us! You had peaches for the first time the other day and you seemed to like them (mommy and daddy enjoyed the leftover bites). We are having some issues with you and oatmeal though, we are not sure if it is too thick, you don't like it, or if you are allergic. The past two times we have tried giving you oatmeal you have puked all over yourself at night. You don't wake up so you are covered in it in the morning...not fun! It is a testament to what a great sleeper you are!

We went to Galveston with our church small group and had a good time. You did not like how cold the ocean water was on your feet, but you looked great in your A & M swimsuit. If nothing else, you enjoyed the breeze on your face and being outside with mommy and daddy. You are still so good natured and it is really easy for mommy and daddy to find someone to watch you if we need to go do something or if one of your regular sitters needs a day off.

You are getting more expressive and more entertaining. Grammy Kiki says that you dance for her, but we haven't seen it. We have noticed you shaking your head so we ask you questions that we want a "no" answer to...we need to get it on video. I think you have discovered that if you drop things we will pick them up for you so we need to halt that before you get any ideas! You love laughing and talking with us and we reciprocate as much as we can.

I am looking forward to this summer with you! I love you and love you being in our lives. Just yesterday daddy and I were talking that it is weird to reflect on our lives and think there were times you weren't with us...it is so true!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Six years ago

Six years ago today we officially became husband and wife. It was a day as beautiful as this one. I never imagined how much we would experience together in the past six years, but I could imagine no one better to be there leading me, being beside me, and supporting me from behind in all of our endeavours. I love you Matt! Thanks for everything so far!

P.S. I know I am way behind on everything...give me time!