The Actors Wife

How do you like my shirt?

2010-02-18T20:39:00.000-08:00

Monkey PJ's

2010-02-10T11:39:00.000-08:00

Snow Day

2010-02-10T11:25:00.000-08:00

Usually here in Michigan we get pounded with snow during the winter. This year...not so much. Seems the East Coast is getting the majority of it! I like snow...I don't have a problem with it...if it is going to be cold out I would rather there be snow on the ground.

Last night we got about 10 inches of snow. Riley had not been out in the white stuff yet so we decided to see how she would like it. We spent about 10 minutes getting her dressed....and about 2 minuted out in the snow. Oh well...at least we got some pictures!

Happy Birthday Riley!

2010-02-10T11:18:00.000-08:00

On Sunday January 31st Riley had her very own first birthday party. We did a Winter ONE-derland Theme and if I do say so myself it turned out super cute! A few of Riley's baby friends showed up and of course there was a TON of family!

Being the dainty baby that she is....Rileys "smash" cake wasn't exactly smashed. More like dug into one finger at a time. It was very cute.

And since pictures say more then words...here you go!

Birthday Girl

Hot Chocolate Bar!

Cheeseball Igloo and Olive Penguins :)

Riley...a year in the life

Baby Goodie Bags

Baby appetizers

Feeding Daddy Birthday Cake

Eric also made Riley a first birthday slideshow. If you have about 9 minutes to spare check it out. Its super cute!

Happy Birthday to the Babies!

2010-01-09T18:07:00.000-08:00

Today was the big 1 year group birthday party for our hospital group. It was so fun to see all the babies and how much they have grown! They had so much fun playing AND eating cupcakes. Yes...Riley got her first bite of sugar today. I know it was not her "offical" first birthday but hey...all the kids were doing it :)

yummm....Cookies!!

2010-01-08T18:51:00.000-08:00

When Riley was born we were offered the opportunity to be placed in a new parents group. We had heard amazing things from friends about it so we quickly signed up. When the babies were around 3 months old a group of about 12 parents and babies began to meet every other week. It was a fabulous hospital sponsored program and I felt so lucky that it was available to us. Not only did we meet a great group of people but we also learned a ton of information.

Tomorrow we are having a 1 year group birthday party for all of the babies. 1 YEAR!!!! I cannot believe Riley is almost a year old. Wow.

Anyways....tonight I am making cookies for this par-tay. yummmmm....

These are my "Go-To" cookies. They are amazing...and its really hard to just eat one. If you are interested in making some of your own go here: http://www.recipezaar.com/Peanut-Butter-Chocolate-Chunk-Cookies-48532 You can thank me later :)

I want my living room back!!!!

2010-01-07T17:01:00.000-08:00

When I was right out of college I decided to make a "smart" decision and buy a condo (instead of renting an apartment). What seemed like a smart decision at that time has been a thorn in my side since then. The place was great for a single girl out of college. But now...many, many, many years later it is NOT good for a husband, wife, baby and crazy puggle. With the Michigan economy how it is right now its next to impossible to get rid of this thing. So here we are .... In a tiny condo .... making good use of every single square foot.

We do have things in the works and hopefully sometime in the very near future we will be in a real house, with a real play room and plenty of room for this crazy family.

Until then....the *tiny* living room is currently the "playroom"...... ugh.

Oh the shame

2010-01-06T17:05:00.000-08:00

What is it...day 5?? and I have already failed. I know I know...I missed a day yesterday. Oh the shame.

The fact is ... I was sick. I have not felt good the past couple days and yesterday I had to run a ton of errands. By the time I got home all I wanted to do was crawl into bed. I don't really feel much better today, but thankfully I had no errands to run.

Riley is currently obsessed with books. We have A TON so this is a great thing. She will bring books from her room into the living room (aka play room) constantly throughout the day. Oh my little reader!

Another Day in the Living Room

2010-01-04T19:22:00.000-08:00

New Years Resolution #1 was to take a picture a day and post it here. Well its January 4th...so far so good :) I have to admit though...its COLD here and its hard to get outside and DO things (i.e....hard to find new places to take picture that are not in my teeny tiny living room). Well...about 3 more months of Winter here in Michigan...hope you don't get bored of my living room!

New Years Resolution #2 was to get in better shape (isn't that everyones resolution?). Anyways....that started today and I got off my butt (and out of my living room) and made it to the gym. It was nice getting back on the treadmill and it helps that I workout at an "off" time so the gym is basically dead. Lets hope I can keep up with this resolution as well!

And now...back to the living room...

I know this one is a little blurry....but thought it was too cute not to include.

Someday I will learn to knit.....

2010-01-03T16:53:00.000-08:00

Well...I have been saying that for years. HOPEFULLY someday I will learn how to knit. So many people have made such fabulous things for Riley. Hats, pants, soakers, blankets...etc. I love each and every wool piece that we have.

When we were still in Chicago a woman at Jersey Boys made the CUTEST outfit for Riley. Today we decided to take some pics in it!

Working very hard on her "Busy Zoo"

So Serious...

"I have all these toys but a hair band is way more fun"

Lazy Saturday

2010-01-02T16:07:00.000-08:00

It was cold in Michigan today. I think the high was 11....so that meant with the wind it was below zero. Yuck. Not good for a babies skin! So we spent most of the day inside in our PJ's.

Turns out Toby was annoyed with our lazy day and decided to get our attention. Ugh. Bad Dog.

New Years Resolution

2010-01-01T08:13:00.000-08:00

I am a crappy blogger. I will FULLY admit to that.

I also love taking pictures but usually get lazy and forget to break out the camera.

That is why ONE of my New Years Resolution is to take at least a picture a day and blog about it. I can't guarantee that I will keep with this past 1 day...but I will seriously try!

SO....day number one begins with a little New Years baby photoshoot...

A day in the flowers....

2009-09-03T18:59:00.000-07:00

Eric gets ONE day off from the show a week. So when Monday comes around we try to savor it and do something special. Most days we get lazy and even though we have good intentions we never seem to do anything "exciting". This past Monday we decided to seize the day and actually DO something.

I had heard nothing but wonderful things about the Chicago Botanic Gardens so off we went! Luckily we had a pretty traffic free drive on the way there (you never can tell with this crazy Chicago traffic).

After paying $20 for parking (ugh) we set off to explore.

The botanic gardens consist of approx. 25+ separate gardens all with an individual theme. Japanese, fruit, sensory, waterfall...the list goes on and on. The place was huge and every garden was BEAUTIFUL and perfect. I can't even imagine how much WORK goes into the upkeep of this place. I would have loved to have this place when I was pregnant! Instead of going walking in the mall and spending money....I could have walked around the beautiful flowers. MUCH less expensive!

Riley had a great day. She loved feeling the various flowers and seeing all the pretty colors. She NEVER sleeps in her stroller and by the end of the day she was passed out.

I think I have a problem

2009-08-30T13:47:00.001-07:00

I think I need to submit myself to that show "Intervention" because ... seriously...I have issues.

So what is my "drug" of choice?

Booze...no

Drugs...um...negative

Food...well sometimes but thats not what this is about.

My addiction? OWLS. Yes...you read that right owls.

I am addicted to all things owl. If I see something with owls on it I NEED to buy it. It is no coincidence that Rileys room has a "woodland creature" theme. In fact...Riley just so happens to be wearing an outfit today with owls all over it. Ugh. I really have issues. Here is your proof:

Currently...Riley's collection of owl related things is growing at a fast pace.

She has:

*owl diaper
*owl wet bag (for her diapers)
*owl lamp
*owl wall decor
*owl dress (as illustrated above)

My addiction is not secret. When people are out and about or internet shopping they fuel my problem by sending me the owl link or telling me where to purchase my drug. They are like my shopping dealers!

I know...there could be worse things to be addicted to. I mean...owls are SO CUTE! And luckily (or unluckily) for me the trend this fall seems to be "woodland creatures". I have already spotted several owl related outfits at various stores around town.

Now if only I could find a cute girly owl Halloween costume...then my life would truly feel complete :)

Nom, Nom, Nom

2009-08-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

I don't know why but the concept of starting Riley on solid food really freaked me out. There are so many different opinions out there...when to start...what to start with...rice cereal or no rice ceral...baby led feeding...etc etc etc. There really is no clear cut "you should do this" train of thought with solids...and that really scared me.

Riley has been eating solid food for a month now and I still overthink EVERYTHING related to it (gee...what else is new). I remember a lot of people telling me "solid food is fun!" "have fun with it!!". Sorry folks...I don't really know if I would call this fun. It just causes me so much stress!! I guess the whole fact that you are making all these decisions for someone else is kind of a daunting task.

So anyways...about a month ago we decided to skip the rice cereal and start Riley on sweet potatoes. And now...for your viewing pleasure (please excuse my weird baby noises)...Riley's first bite of real food:

I have been making all of the food so far (except for the oatmeal of course). I have really been enjoying making her food and knowing exactly whats going in her mouth. I pretty much go to these websites for guidance: http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/ and http://www.nurturebaby.com/. Surprisingly she is a HUGE veggie fan. Butternut squash is actually her favorite thing so far. Other favorites include carrots, peas, banana and yogurt. Toby is also a very big fan of Riley...especially when she is trying to feed herself. He just sits right next to her high chair patiently waiting for a morsel of food to fall to the floor. Needless to say...he is packing on the pounds.

So, normally I am not a fan of pictures with food all over a babies face...BUT...since the subject of this blog post is about food I guess I will go against everything I believe in (well...maybe thats a little overboard...) and show you some.

banana and sweet potato

Peas

Butternut squash

6 months...a photo journey

2009-08-14T20:31:00.000-07:00

In about 10 days Riley will be 7 months.

7 months??? Seriously I feel like she was born yesterday. It sounds cliche but time really does go by SO fast.

So on this Friday night I present to you a photo journey .... 6 months of Riley

Still cooking....

A few seconds old

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months (and working on her fathers day gift)

6 months!!!

Hello Hello.....

2009-08-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

Wow. It sure has been a while. I have decided I want to *try* and start blogging again. I can't promise anything but I am going to make an honest effort!

Lets see...where to even start???

Since my last update that seems like YEARS ago so much has happened.

Riley is now 6 months old. It is crazy how fast she is growing and how 6 months have gone by so quickly.

Just Born!

6 months!

6 months is so fun. I feel like something new is happening everyday. Lets bullet point some exciting things that Riley is doing/can do:

Riley can easily sit up and play with her toys by herself.
The little girl that used to HATE being on her tummy now prefers to sleep there and enjoys scooting around in circles on her belly.
Riley has now eaten sweet potatoes (yum), carrots (delish), green beans (not really sure what she thought), bananas (fabulous), pears (still deciding how she feels) and avocado (GROSSEST thing she has ever tasted).
Is *kind of* sleeping through the night...when she wants to. On GOOD days she goes to sleep around 8pm and wakes up at 5:30ish...on bad days...who knows. We don't discuss those days.

There are a ton of other things that are fun and exciting but those were just a few bullet points to get you started :)

I guess another *exciting* Gutman family update is that we have moved AGAIN. Since I have not written in a while I guess I will go back a while to get you up to date. I got pregnant in New York. We did not want to have the baby in the city (hello city hospitals and studio apartment...no thank you). So at 31 weeks we moved back to Michigan and had the baby at home. Due to the fabulous Michigan economy I still had my condo that I bought right out of college waiting for us at home....so there we moved. The place was great for a girl right out of college...BUT was not the most ideal for a new family and a crazy puggle. We made things work ... but hopefully someday soon the thing will sell (we could use all of your good thoughts).

Anyways....when we were nearing Riley's 6 month birthday Jersey Boys came calling again and requested Eric come to Chicago. We did not have very much time to make this decision and basically decided last minute...ok we will do it for the short term. We had like 2 weeks to pack up EVERYTHING, find a mover, find a place to live...etc etc. It was a bit stressful with a baby in the mix. So here we are in Chicago for the next 6 months. We found a place in Lincoln Square in a nice family building and we are slowly beginning to feel comfortable here.

We trying to make the best of the situation. It was a little sad to leave Michigan again as all of our family is there and we were leaving all of our friends AGAIN. It was especially sad as several of my friends are having babies while we are gone.

So what do we do to occupy our time here? Lets see.....Every Thursday we go to Bubbles Academy and Riley LOVES it. We are slowly joining playgroups and meeting babies Rileys age which is also very fun. Soon we are going to enroll in swim lessons (this will probably be a baby/daddy activity as mommy still does not really want to get in a bathing suit!) and we love strolling around our new neighborhood (Hummm...everything seems to have a baby-centric theme...)

I think thats it for now. I promise I will try and keep updating but I can't promise anything!!

Before I go I would like to just leave you with this. It is World Breastfeeding Week. Riley has been exclusively breastfed since she was born and I have to say I am pretty proud of making it to 6 months. A few weeks ago Riley and I did a "photoshoot" for Mommy Necklaces (a great Michigan based product for nursing moms. They are BEAUTIFUL necklaces make by an amazing woman. I already have 3 necklaces and want more!). Anyways...here are a few pics from the shoot!

Shes growing!

2008-09-16T15:21:00.000-07:00

Today I am 22 weeks and 1 day pregnant. Pretty crazy!!! I feel like it is going super fast. Here are some 20 week pictures for you:

I am actually still feeling kind of crappy. I definitely have my good days and my bad days. I will say the bad days are pretty bad. I am ready to just feel "ok" again. While the nausea is slowly starting to fade, other fabulous side effects of pregnancy are starting to rear their ugly head. Back pain...round ligament pain (for people that don't know what that is...it's what is most commonly referred to as "lightening crotch")...acne...etc etc etc.

I have to say, I am very envious of the people that say they LOVE being pregnant. Do not get me wrong...I am so so SO excited to be having a baby and I feel very lucky that we got pregnant so easily...but this is not what I would refer to as "fun". I know once she gets here all the ugly side effects of pregnany will dissaper from my memory...but right now this is not easy and certainly not fun.

One thing that is fun....the baby is kicking up a storm! She is totally going to be a little swimmer (with the way she is kicking I am predicting her stroke will be butterfly)... or a Rockette (although I doubt with her parents height she will get past the first auditions). Eric has felt her kick a few times as well which is of course very exciting.

I think we have also decided on our furniture. We just have to put in the order!

Today we made our first big baby purchase! Not only did we make a purchase but we got one hell of a deal. I had a craving after the Martha show. For some reason I wanted a hot dog. Eric and I leashed up Toby and heading to a hot dog place about 15 blocks away. On the way up we stopped at a new baby store that had recently opened. They happened to have a floor model upholstered glider that was in PERFECT condition for 50% off. This is like a top of the line 700+ chair and we got it on super sale. It is actually EXACTLY what I was looking for in the exact fabric and color that we wanted. It was totally fate! Now we have a big ol' chair in our small apartment just covered by a sheet until we can get somewhere that has a room for the babies nursey.

As far as bedding goes. I found a fabulous vendor on etsy.com that is going to custom make our bedding with some super sassy fabric AND Michaels girlfriend Eliza is going to make us some custom artwork for the nursey as well ( I am SO excited about this, her work is AMAZING). This babies room is totally going to be a million times better than my bedroom!

So there is your update! A couple other exciting things going on that I will have to update you on when everything is set in stone. Stay tuned :)

Chillin' with my girl Martha

2008-09-16T14:27:00.000-07:00

I know ... I know. It has been a while. I will spare you the apology and just say that I will TRY and post more often.

Anyways..onto the excitement of the day.

Today my friend Jenna and I were in the studio audience for the first (in studio) episode of the Martha Stewart Show.
We showed up around 8am and there was already a line down the block. It was crazy to see the weird mixture of random Martha Stewart fans. You had the crazy Martha psycho fansd, the angry husbands that you could tell were just dragged there by their wives, even the local scrapbooking club.

Once inside you had to go through a through security check. I am talking FULL purse check and a metal detector! This was serious business I guess. We were all herded into the "waiting area" where you were made to fill out random waivors and watch past Martha shows on TV.

About 30 minutes before the show started we were allowed into the studio. Jenna and I had prime seats. Totally in the center a few rows up. We had a full view of everything going on.

Check out the in studio kitchen cooking before the show

They were totally playing...lets "warm you up" music in the studio. Definitely NOT things that I imagined being played at Martha Stewart...Usher..Rihanna...etc. It was also funny people watching and checking out the older woman in front of me trying to clap (off beat may I add) to the beats of Usher.

After about a 10 minute warm of up the crowd (an explantion on how to clap...turn your cell phones off...get excited...bla bla) the live show started!

It was a very uneventful show to be honest (tomorrow is Perez Hilton...dang! missed him by one day!!)...especially for her first show of the season. There was a chef on who made some ice cream (not that we got to taste it or anything), Martha's snarky daughter (they totally ripped on each other the whole time), a crafting segment, a cake decorating segment (once again...not something we got to taste) and thats about it!

After the show Martha answer some questions from the audiance...

and then we were hurried out the door. We did get a bag full of Martha swag but nothing huge. A crafting tool, kitchen gadget, some scrapbooking crap and a gift certificate to Michaels.

OF COURSE I tivo'd the episode and you totally see me and my orange shirt clapping and smiling several times. If you missed it I have it on the tivo...you always have an open invitation to come over any day and check out my famous-ness!

You want what?

2008-07-13T12:17:00.000-07:00

Cravings are weird.

Right now there are things that I would not touch with a 10 foot pole. Chicken for one totally grosses me out. I was watching my favorite channel the other day (the food network of course) and someone was doing something with chicken and I almost got sick right there. It is so weird. Someone was telling me the other day that its your bodies natural way of protecting itself. Which makes sense I guess....I don't want salmonella...so stay away from chicken.

I used to think that pregnancy cravings were just an old wives tale. I mean please...how could you crave something so badly that you wake up in the middle of the night thinking about it?

Well...now my life is consumed with cravings. Seriously...its ridiculous. The second I think of something I need to have it. What is strange is that a lot of my cravings are for things I have not had in years or never even liked.

Lets see...what is currently on my list...

1. Vanilla Ice Cream. I used to hate vanilla ice cream. If someone bought a neapolitan carton I was totally the girl that would eat all of the strawberry and chocolate and leave the vanilla for some other sucker. Now its all I want. The other day Eric ate the last of my vanilla ice cream and I had to remind him of the rules. You know? The rule that you DO NOT eat the last of a pregnant womans ice cream?

2. Taco Bell. We talked about this before. But it still shocks me how much I enjoy it every time I eat it.

3. Spaghetti-o's. What? This started today. I did not see a commercial..no one was talking about...just all of the sudden I wanted...no CRAVED spaghetti o's

4. Pretzals and Queso Dip. I am sorry...that is just good stuff. The problem is when I start to eat it I can't stop. So...its not an every day thing

5. Necterines. I am sure you are happy to see at least 1 healthy thing on my list. I am in love with necterines right now. Good thing the random dude on the corner sells them every day.

I think thats it for now. I am sure I will have a million more cravings over the next 6 mths...what will be next?!?! Your guess is as good as mine!

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-04T11:13:00.000-07:00

I miss BBQ-ing! It is the 4th of July and all I want to do is have a relaxing day off and end it with a nice BBQ.

Sadly, that is not really possible in our small New York City apartment. No backyard ... No balcony ... No BBQ.

I have however heard about those "rule breaker" new yorkers who do a little fire escape bbq-ing. Totally against the law...but I think I may have to take the risk and buy a small hibachi grill.

No "small scale" fireworks here either. All you have is the crazy televised Macy's fireworks along the river. Apparently people start claiming their space pretty early in the morning. I think I will pass on that one. However, you can see the river out of our kitchen window. So its possible we will get some fireworks after all. We will see....

Eric and I are going to still try and "stove" bbq tonight. I have to admit I have a fabulous burger recipe that is always a hit. So we will make some burgers, do some homemade fries and even cook up some baked beans. Then...its early to sleep for me as I have to work tomorrow...fun fun.

If you are still looking for a burger recipe I totally reccomend this one! They are delicous and super juicy.

Best Burgers EVER

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds ground beef
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
3 tablespoons evaporated milk
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced

DIRECTIONS

Preheat grill for high heat.
In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, evaporated milk, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, and garlic using your hands. Form the mixture into 8 hamburger patties.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill patties 5 minutes per side, or until well done.

Today was a good day!

2008-07-03T19:20:00.000-07:00

I know .... I know. I have been super lazy lately and have not updated this blog. To be honest...I have not been lazy...I have just been really busy! So...over the next couple days I will try to get caught up but right now I just have to write a quick blog on why today was a good day.

So, I hate taco bell. I think it is gross. Even when I am drunk and its 2am I really do not want taco bell. I have just always thought it was pretty nasty.

This week...ALL I have wanted was Taco Bell. I could taste the Nacho Bell Grande in my mouth. I was craving it...BIG TIME! Sadly I knew of no Taco Bells in the area. It almost brought me to tears. I even tried to get nasty nachos from a different "fast food" taco place and it paled in comparison. I went to the Taco Bell website and plugged in my zip code. There was nothing in my area. It was possibly the saddest I have ever been.

Then today I go to order lunch. I usually order from www.seemlessweb.com. It is this fabulous website with all the restaurants that deliver to your area. It stores your credit card...so when you are hungry just pop on seemlessweb.com order your food and its there in no time! I love it. Super easy and you do not have to talk to anyone on the phone. Bonus!

Anyways..back to the story. So I go online looking for food and I am scanning the newly added restaurants and something miraculous happens. One of the restaurants is a Taco Bell!!!! I was filled with happiness and immediately ordered up my Nachos. 20 minutes later I was the happiest girl ever. They tasted just as I imagined they would...No...they tasted better. Am I crazy for going on and on about Taco Bell...maybe. But I do not care! It totally made my day and now I want more!!

So why else was today a good day?

I love the show Gossip Girl. Yes...I am aware that I am not 15. But I cannot help it...it is totally my guilty pleasure TV show.

ANYWAYS....I was walking home from work today and realized that they were filming an episode a block away from me! Um...fun. Nothing was going on when I walked by. I think they were filming at the sassy hotel down the block. About an hour later Toby needed to go on a walk so I decided to stroll on by the trailers. They were basically shutting down and packing everything up. Oh well. No "sightings" tonight.

Then...as Toby and I were strolling by Mr. Chuck Bass himself walks right next to me!
Don't worry I totally played it cool and waited until I was around the corner until I called my friends to share the star sighting news.

Who knew my block was so cool!

Well thats it for now. I am tired. I promise...I will try and write more later!

Honk Honk

2008-03-29T17:10:00.000-07:00

I admit it. I miss my car. I come from a state whose whole economy is focused on the automobile industry. So driving has been a big part of my life since I was young.

Getting a new car was a big deal. I remember posing by my dads new convertibles and thinking how cool it would be to have one of my own when I grew up.

When I graduated college I followed the path of many Michigan residents and went to work for a car company. Cars became my life...I talked to people on the phone about them...shmoozed with dealers...learned everything anyone could know about a Jeep Grand Cherokee...drove way too many miles....and launched a car brand in an international market. Cars were my life.

Even when I left Michigan and Eric and I went on tour...a car was still a major player in tour life. Every few weeks we would pack up ol' Bruiser (our nickname for the Jeep) and travel to the next town. We spent a lot of time in that car.

When we found out we were moving to New York we obviously did not need a car anymore. First of all...having a car in the city is an expense in itself. Apartments do not come with places to park a car...and parking on the streets is basically impossible. If you do find some kind of lot to park it in....it is like having a 2nd rent to pay each month. So we sent ol' Bruiser to a friend and came to New York car-less.

I was very nervous coming here. I have had a car all my life and I honesty like to drive. I have never really had to take public transportation and the thought of learning the subway and bus system was a bit scary. I guess I was just nervous that I would get on the wrong subway and end up someplace I did not want to be.

But...after being here a few months now I actually think I am starting to "get" it.

First of all....every morning I walk out my front door and head to the bus stop on the corner. I get on the bus with all the other working people and head up to 5th avenue. The buses here are much better that than the buses in San Francisco. In San Fran you always seemed to run into a very scary toothless cracked out person. In New York...its basically people just heading to work. I take the same bus to and from work every day. Pretty easy! (oh...as a side note..I also stop in the Trump Tower for a Starbucks every morning as it is across the street from work. I have not seen ol' Donald yet..but I will let you know if I do!)

As far as the subways...they really do not scare me anymore. Transfers? No problem. I have to admit I was very proud of myself...a few weekends ago I was meeting some people in the Village and one of the subway stops was completely messed up. I was able to re-route myself and actually did not even get lost...and I gotta tell you...it was a crazy re-route! I had to get on a weird bus and everything!

So I guess I am finally getting into the swing of things here. I do not feel like a tourist at all. So thats a good thing. I think once it starts to warm up I will really start to enjoy my time in New York.

Bottom line...yes I miss my car...but I am learning how to survive without it.

One more thing....

2008-02-21T18:55:00.000-08:00

I know it is just a marketing thing...but I think its funny.

Our family likes to dance!

Don't send a lame eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Where is the power button on this phone?

2008-02-21T18:17:00.000-08:00

I loathe talking on the phone.

I remember where I was in high school and all I wanted for my birthday was my own private line. I begged and pleaded for my very own line. When I finally got it .... I thought I was super cool. I mean come on...I had my own personal phone number. I got a totally awesome phone + answering machine and it was all mine. I would record a new answering machine message like every other day. I swear from the time I got home to the time I went to bed I was talking on that frickin phone.

Then everything changed.

The job I had out of college was working customer service for a car company. In theory it was great. The company titled it as a "training" period and the best way to be trained (in their eyes) was to be completely immersed in the product. The paid you a lot of money and since this was basically training, the customer service center was full of recently graduated college kids eager to advance in their careers. You did not take your work home with you. It was just a 8 hour shift of answering phones, email and letters. After work it was just a bunch of kids waiting to blow off the frustration of getting yelled at on the phone 8 hours a date. After work was a lot of fun.

During work...was hell on earth.

For 8 hours a day I was constantly screamed at. I have never been called so many fowl names in my entire life. Sweet old men would resort to nice phrases like: "Your a dumb son of a bitch and a whore too" (And that was the nice guy!). Awww....doesn't it just warm your heart? The first few months I was shocked that America had such a dirty vocabulary. My virgin ears would be tarnished for life. When someone called with a positive thing to say I honestly would not even know how to answer the call. I was so used to being yelled at....

After finally getting out of the dreaded call center I went out into the field and became a District Manager. This meant that instead of having customers call me all day on a hardline phone, I now had car dealers calling me all day on my cell phone. And if they were not calling me....I was calling them begging for something.

As time went on my love affair with the telephone began to drift away. The second I got home from work the last thing I wanted to do was be anywhere close to that phone. Still to this day I hate talking on the phone. After several years of bad phone experience all I relate to having that thing next to my ear is negative.

I used to be a great phone person..talking for hours just chit chatting with friends. Now...I cant really remember the last time I had a conversation on the phone that lasted more than 10 minutes. I will be the first to admit I am very short and to the point on the phone. I know some people think I am being rude...but I honestly do not even realize I am doing it. Bottomline...I hate the phone. Good thing Eric and I see each other in person every day!

Here is the Good News:

I am an IM addict!

And text messages? I am a whiz at T9.

So...moral of the story...If you IM me....or text me...I promise you will have a much better conversation!

Happy Valentines Day!!!

2008-02-14T17:06:00.000-08:00

I am not a huge fan of Valentines Day. I just feel like it is a holiday created just so Hallmark can make money. But on the flip side ... who doesn't like to get a nice card or flowers? I will take those any day of the week!

Today was my second day as a working woman. I am still trying to get adjusted to waking up early. Since Eric works until about 11pm, most nights we are up until 2am and then sleep until 10ish. Ah the life of an actors wife! Now that I am a working girl I have to get back on the "normal people" schedule. I have to be at work around 8:30 so I am definitely getting up much earlier than normal. I woke up to a nice card waiting for me on the table this morning. It was a nice way to start the day.

So I hopped on the bus and headed off to work....

Today I felt like I gained 20 pounds. I walk in to work and there are some random truffles on my desk, then someone brought me a cappuccino (with whole milk I assume), then the salon had set out fancy chocolates for the guests and of course I had to try one, then someone dropped off a slice of the famous NYC Juniors Cheesecake. I mean it is famous...and I had never had any...I needed to at least try it...right???

THEN I get a special delivary. A nice box from my sweet husband. Some delicous chocolate covered strawberries
So...obviously today was a very chocolate....pound packing on...day! Ah well...tomorrow I am working out so maybe I will burn off a strawberry or two.

If you did not know...one of my favorite things is goat cheese. I love it. I could eat it in everything! So, I got home from work today and I walk in to see candles lit in our apartment and Eric in the kitchen cooking.

It was very very cute. He had made an amazing goat cheese linguine with roasted chicken and asparagus. He had slaved over the stove for several hours and it all turned out AMAZING!. I must admit....it is very nice to come home to dinner on the table! I could definitely get used to this kind of treatment!
So now I am just relaxing on the couch with the dog and an extremely full stomach.

All in all...even though I hate valentines day...this one turned out great. A ton of chocolate....a nice card....dinner on the table when I get home? Who could ask for anything more!

Matchmaking....New Career Choice???

2008-02-13T17:18:00.001-08:00

Who knew little ol' me could be such a good matchmaker.

Sometimes you just KNOW things will work out. You just get a feeling that you need to make something happen. I got this feeling over 2 years ago with my friend Lorelei. Lorelei and I met when we both worked for Chrysler. Over the years we have grown closer and I feel very lucky to have met her. We share many of the same interests and although I HATED my job at Chrysler I do feel like it added many great things to my life...one of those being the friendship with Lorelei. We traveled to Spain one year for New Years, she opened her home to me while I was being transfered for work, spent many nights boozing it up and getting taco bell and she was there when I married Eric on the Beach.

At a wedding in the single days

New Years in Spain

Martinis in Traverse City

Tailgating at Michigan State

In Florida

Lets back up for a second. My friend Liz has a brother named Seth. I have know their family since I was elementary school. They are one of the best families around and every time I am over at their home or going out to dinner with them they just make you feel like a member of the (already huge) family. Seth is an amazing person.....

Over 2 years ago when Seth & Lorelei were both single I just KNEW that they would be perfect together. I don't know why...I just had this "feeling". I bugged my friend Liz everyday to have her brother call Lorelei. I think this went on for over a month. Finally Liz relayed the message and Seth gave her a call.

I guess after that the rest is history. They just clicked!

Last week, Seth got down on one knee and asked Lorelei to marry him.

I was so ecstatic to hear the great news. They make an amazing couple and it is all due to me...just kidding :) But in all seriousness I have known Seth's family for so long...It almost seems like Lorelei is marrying into my family! I am so excited for them. When she called to tell me the amazing news I started crying...just because I knew they were perfect for one another and their relationship was just ment to be.

Lorelei...I am so happy for you guys. I guess the amazing memories of drunk nights at the fever and century club at your pad are behind us. But, I know there are many more great memories to come!

Congrats you guys. I am so excited for you both and I know you will live a long happy life together!

Stop Biting!!!

2008-02-07T09:59:00.000-08:00

For as long as I can remember I have been biting my nails. It is a gross habit I will be the first person to admit that. I have tried EVERYTHING to stop biting.

That gross nail polish with the aftertaste....bit through it

Tobasco on the nails...not a deterrent

Fake Nails...bit them too

For my 18th birthday I even asked for an appointment to get hypnosis to stop...we were never able to find someone.

To make matters worse. I have very short, stumpy fingers. In college my roommates used to refer to them as "cocktail weiners". So..I need the long nails to make my fingers look a bit more presentable.

In college I got into the fake acyrilc nails to help my hands look not so gross. Basically I paid the big bucks every 2 weeks and then quickly after getting them done I would bite them until they looked HORRIBLE. Since I bit them...I also had to deal with going into the nail place every 2 weeks and being ridiculed by the nail ladies. Yes...I know my nails look bad...please do not gather in a circle around me and laugh and point. I even had one lady tell me she was going to bring me in some cheerios so I could chew on them instead of chewing on my nails.

So from college up until now I have been spending between $25 - $60 every 2 weeks to get my nails done. Thats a lot of dough. I could have bought a ton of things with all that extra cash. Biting your nails is a gross habit I know that. It makes your hands look gross and it is not very lady like to walk around with your hands in your mouth.

Now we are in New York. Surprisingly there are not many places to get fake nails. There are about a million nail places on every block...but most of them only do natural nails (aka manicure /pedicure). So...I have decided that my resolution this year is to drop spending all that money on fake nails that I bite off and let my real nails breathe.

So far it has been about a month. I am getting better about not biting my nails but it is hard! I mean I have had this nasty habit my whole life!!! I am trying to get weekly manicures to help them look good and to maybe help me not bite them. Slowly but surely they are growing. Sadly I did some damage to my nails with all the years of acrylics....but they are getting better by the day.

Check it out...I actually have semi-proper looking nails...

If you ever see me biting my nails I give you full permission to slap me!

Is there a Dr on the Subway?

2008-01-30T20:39:00.000-08:00

I had my first celeb encounter on the subway today. It was VERY exciting.

We were on the way to the East Village on the B train. I sit town and immediately across from me is the one and only Neil Patrick Harris aka Doogie Howser MD.

My friend had actually met him and hung out with him on the past and we were talking quietly about how she should approach him. Sadly...he got off at the next stop.

It is super fun to know that EVERYONE takes the subway in New York.

Who will I see next...stay tuned!

You installed WHAT in your studio apartment?

2008-01-30T12:30:00.001-08:00

This past December I turned 30. I was not very happy about it. It probably did not help that Eric had to work 2 shows and it was like my 3rd day in New York (therefore...did not have anyone to hang out with). Needless to say my 30th birthday was not very eventful. Toby and I chilled with a bottle of wine and watched some reruns on TV. Definitely not the big blow out that most 30ths are. Eric and I did have a very yummy brunch though...so at least we had that!

Bottom line...not a very exciting birthDAY.

But a few days later my gift arrived.

So what do most people wish for on their 30th birthday. Jewelary? Clothes? A new Marc Jacobs purse? Yes ... those would all be nice. But this year...I got a very fun ... different.... fabulous gift!

You see, ever since I have started to take my S-Factor classes I have been telling Eric how I wanted a pole for home. That was obviously very hard to have on the road...its not easy to move a big bulky stripper pole from place to place.

Once we got to NYC I continued to bother Eric for one. Please keep in mind...we live in a small studio apartment. Probably not the ideal place for a large pole in the middle of the room.

Let me just interject this story by taking you back to the beginning of my blog days when I first starting talking about these stripper aerobics classes. My favorite comment was from my grandma in reference to the post. Here is what she had to say:

"Hi Sarah - I just finished reading your latest blog - Don't worry you can't shock me - what you do behind closed doors is your business - as long as you aren't stripping in public or pole dancing on stage it will be fun - who knows
you might get a pole for home & entertain Eric - See I'm modern!!!
Love you both,
Bubi"

Well Bubi...I guess you predicted the future because now Eric and I are the proud owners of a shiny black pole right smack dab in the middle of our pad. The day after my birthday a huge box that was about 10 feet tall was delivered to my door. Eric told me I was not allowed to open it until he got home...but the packaging spoiled it. I mean...what else could be in that box?!?! It took us a few tries to actually figure out how to put it up in our apartment (considering the stud finder we had was a piece of crap)...but now it is up...extremely sturdy (go eric!) and there for all my practicing needs!

Being that it is black it actually blends right in with the furniture...well not really...but it does fit in with our design theme I guess......

We are almost done decorating our place...so hopefully I will have some pics of the entire apartment soon!

Better late than never!

2008-01-30T08:58:00.001-08:00

Eric and I never took a honeymoon. Basically he only got a week off for vacation while on tour and that was reserved for our wedding. Don't get me wrong...our wedding in Punta Cana was AMAZING...but every newly married couple deserves a honeymoon right???

Well...we finally booked one! So it will be our *late* honeymoon/one year anniversary vacation all in one!

Usually when I go on vacation I know exactly where I want to go. I have researched EVERYTHING on tripadvisor. Torn apart various websites and know everything about where I want to go. This time I had no idea. Good thing I had the best travel agent in the world.

If you are planning on taking a vacation I definitely suggest you contact Marcie at Beach Bum Vacations. I came to her like a lost little puppy not knowing where I wanted to go. She sent me a plethora of itineraries outlining everything about the resort. It was great to have all this info at my fingertips. Once you contact her you will never want to book your own vacation again! Thanks again Marcie :)

SO! Where are we going?!?!?

On April 28th Eric and I will be hopping a plane and setting our sights on the fabulous Sandals Whitehouse in Jamaica. I have never been to Jamaica and am super excited to just chill on the beach and relax.

Check out the beach....

We are very excited to finally take our much deserved honeymoon. Now we are just counting down the days!

Puggle Meetup!

2008-01-30T08:07:00.000-08:00

So let me preface this blog by saying that I KNOW that I have not blogged in a while. If you did not know my computer met it's demise my falling off the kitchen counter and breaking on the floor. So...I have been computerless for about a month. My shiny new black macbook arrived yesterday so hopefully I will get all caught up.

**end sad computer breaking story**

One of the nice things about New York is that they have random groups for everything. There is a national site called meetup.com which is basically a site that lists gatherings for EVERYTHING. You like clowns...lets all meetup and discuss it. Enjoy brussel sprouts? There are a group of people that enjoy them as much as you do! Well last sunday Eric, Toby and I went to possible the best kind of meetup around. A Puggle meetup!

We did not know what to expect. We took a cab ride down to Soho and entered this cute looking store. They advised us to go upstairs to the playroom and when we looked through the door we could not believe what we saw. There were probably about 40 - 50 puggles in the room. It was insanity. If you have never met a puggle let me explain. Most of them are super crazy and LOVE to play. They also have part beagle in them...so a lot of the dogs have a pretty loud bark.

It was a hilarious 2 hours. A mass amount of puggles just running around this room. Toby was so happy. He had a permanent smile on his dog face the entire time. Needless to say...when he got home he immediately went to sleep for several hours. Puggle meetup is the best thing to happen to NY Puggle owners and it is definetly going to become a monthly event for us!

Happy New Year!!

2008-01-01T13:11:00.000-08:00

Happy 2008!

So ... I have not written in a while...maybe that should be my New Years Resolution? To blog more? Eh...we will see.

So as you probably figured out we are all moved and getting settled in New York City. I will have to write later and give you a tour of our tiny apartment...but I will wait until it actually looks cute. Right now it is just in a state of disarray.

So the week of my move to New York was totally a blur. Lets see:

*I flew in on a redeye and took my first New York taxi by myself in morning rush hour

* Toby flew on a different flight than me (he flew Continental since they are supposed to be the best airline to fly dogs on). I was pretty much freaking out flying him. He does not like his crate so flying him under the plane was causing me much distress. Our friends dropped him off at the airport and reported that he was a very good dog. His flight got in at midnight the same day I flew in. Eric and I rented a car and left in plenty of time to get to him on time...or so we thought.

The moment we got into New Jersey (keep in mind it is midnight) there was some of the worst construction traffic we had ever seen. We were literally stuck in a parking lot on the freeway for over 2 hours. Tobys flight time came and went....and I began to have a nervous breakdown (please keep in mind I am going on no sleep). I was literally balling my eyes out in the car worrying that Toby was not ok and that the people at the airlines would think we were the worst pet parents ever.

We finally got to the airport around 1:30am (Tobys flight got in at 12:15). Eric runs to the pickup area fully thinking that Toby would be there freaking out and barking. He looks...and there Toby is ... chilling in his crate just taking a nap. The ladies at the counter were like...he has just been sleeping the whole time. Who knew we had such a good dog??

*The next day we found out that Eric's grandmother had sadly passed away. We quickly booked a flight home for the funeral and were lucky enough to find someplace to board Toby (On Christmas Eve!). Our trip to Michigan was very short (I believe it was a total of 36 hours) .. it was very nice to see both of our families .. we just wished it would have been under better circumstances.

So you can see...my arrival into NYC was quite a whirlwind. But now the whole family is here and we are just trying to get our apartment to look like a home vs. a college dorm room.

Our New Years was very "Sarah & Eric". You see ... we are self-proclaimed big dorks. Here we are in New York ... the New Years capital of the world and what do we do? Stay in.

We got some carry out, rented some movies and cuddled on the couch with Toby. Its sort of our idea of a perfect evening.

I also made some Yummy Pomegranate Sangria (see recipe at the bottom). In one of my food network watching marathons Bobby Flay made this delicious Sangria. I knew I had to whip some up.
I was totally ghetto. I had no pitcher...so I had to make a makeshift pitcher out of an old water gallon jug. Classy huh???

But I gotta say it turned out great and it was the perfect way to ring in the New Years.

So as Fireworks were going off in the distance and the millions of people were celebrating in time square just a few blocks away...we were happily sipping Sangria all snuggled up on the couch.

Pomegrante Sangria
from Bobby Flay

1 bottle fruity red wine
2 cups pomegranate juice
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup Triple Sec
1/4 cup simple syrup (equal amounts sugar and water, heated until sugar dissolves, cooled)
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1 large orange, halved and thinly sliced
1 green apple, cored, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup red grapes, sliced in 1/2
Combine all ingredients in a pitcher, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 48 hours before serving. Serve over ice.

Moving on up....

2007-12-09T15:13:00.000-08:00

So,…if you have not already heard…big things are happening in the Gutman family.

As of today we have been traveling nomads for just over a year. We have been part time residents of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Tempe, San Diego, Orange County and currently Seattle. We have been living out of suitcases and racked up tons of miles on the ol’ Grand Cherokee.

As of this month that crazy lifestyle will be coming to a close.

This month Eric was transferred to the Broadway cast of Jersey Boys. It was all very sudden for us. One day we were looking for housing in Houston and trying to plan a nice vacation. Then the next day we were suddenly looking for long term housing in New York.

It was obviously a very stressful month for us.

You see…we never wanted to go to New York. It was never in “the plan”. The plan was always to stay on the road for 1 – 2 years. After that maybe move back to Michigan…or maybe Chicago. Eric had lived in New York before and did not really want to go back…me? I have never wanted to go to New York.

I don’t look at myself as a sheltered person. I love to travel and visit new places. I like visiting New York…but never imagined I would live there. I admit it. I enjoy suburbia, I like having a car and being able to drive to the store. I like camping and looking at the mountains. I like a slower way of life I guess. I just look at New York as the complete opposite of what I am comfortable in. The subways? They scare me. I am totally going to get lost. Not having a car?? I am going to go insane. Living out of a shoebox and paying up the nose for it? I like having a house. Laundromats…no dishwashers or garbage disposals….oy.

So I guess I will have a lot to get use to. I am sure everyone thinks I am insane…and yes, I guess I am being negative. But…I am nervous about this whole move.

Don’t get me wrong…there are many thing I am excited about.

Lets first talk about how excited I am for Eric. This is every actors dream. To have a credit on Broadway…to be in the “big show”. Eric has so much talent and I am extremely proud that he is getting the recognition that he deserves. So, not only does he get to be on Broadway….but he is on Broadway in the hottest ticket in town. It will be sad to leave the tour family that we have had for the past year…but I know we will see all of them again soon.

It will also be nice to have a “home” for at least a year. Living in new cities is fun. I got to live in places that I had never visited and actually have time to explore like a resident vs, just being a tourist. However, it is kind of crazy living out of a suitcase. Just as you are starting to feel comfortable in a certain place you have to pack up and leave. So, now we will have a place where we can just put the suitcases in storage and actually unpack…for at least a year.

I am also pumped that I will not have to sell merchandise anymore. It was nice to have the same work hours as Eric. I really felt apart of the tour working at the theatre every day. HOWEVER….as you know….I am so over all the dumb questions.

What are the differences between the CDs…. (um…read the titles people they are clearly written on the dang CDs!!!!)

Do they sell these anywhere else for cheaper…. (do you ask this at every store you shop in?!?!)

Where are the Jersey Girls t-shirts…this is a sexist show! (hello?? The name of the show is Jersey BOYS!)

Etc etc etc etc etc etc etc…..

So once I am in New York I can finally quit the merch thing and do something a little more up my alley.

What else….

Ah yes…I am going to be able to do my S-factor classes again. That will definitely keep me sane. I am so excited to actually start back with my classes. Actually, when we found out about New York I immediately called the studio and signed up for the next session. Now I just have to figure out how to fit a pole in a shoebox apartment once we get to the city. Somehow I do not think Eric will object…

When we decided that we were going to go to New York I told Eric I was writing up a New York contact. In that contact there were a few things that had to happen in order for us to go there…

1. I get to do S Factor….Check…already signed up.

2. I get to have Pinkberry at least 3 times a week. Yup! That’s right…there is a plethora of Pinkberrys in New York. So, even though there is not one right next to our house (that could be dangerous to the wallet!) they are randomly placed around the city. I am really looking forward to working the yogurt back into my weekly routine.

3. I get a driver instead of taking the subway…so obviously I did not this approved in my contract negotiations. Oh well…I guess I will have to learn to ride the subway like everyone else.

So that’s the big news. I am going to become a New Yorker. Apparently the place that we are going to be renting over the next year has plenty of room for at least 2 air mattresses at a time. Therefore, I am already taking reservations. Please book your flights now to come and visit. I will take you on a tour of the city and we will stop at various pinkberrys along the way.

Seriously though…everyone likes to visit New York and usually flights are pretty cheap into the city…so I expect to see many friends over the next year!

Mother Nature Doesn’t Like Me….

2007-12-05T23:32:00.000-08:00

We were very sad to leave Orange County. We truly felt like we were on vacation there. But….as we must do at the end of every city…we reluctantly bid goodbye to our beach house and golf carts and packed up the car.

We decided to caravan with our friends in the show Chris & Jenna. Eric was extremely excited when I told him we should buy walkie talkies just in case we were in bad cell phone areas. So we all met early in the morning and headed out….walkie talkies in hand.

The intention was to drive for 10 – 12 hours the first day and get a good deal of the 18 hour drive out of the way. The beginning of our drive started off fine. It was a Sunday so we hit absolutely no traffic. It really was smooth sailing up the I-5. We even got to play some driving games with our fellow caravan-ers through the walkie talkies. Early in the drive we saw a beautiful rainbow…I thought for sure this was a great sign that our drive would be easy as pie…boy was I wrong.

About 100 miles south of Oregon the weather started to get not so good. It started with some rain…then soon after that turned to snow…then soon after that turned into somewhat of a blizzard. I felt like I was back in Michigan. You could hardly see what was in front of you and only one lane on the freeway was really available for driving since the other one was completely snow covered. Who knew it snowed in California? Isnt’ just supposed to be blue skies and ocean?

*****

At this point I would like to interrupt this story of our drive with another story. I used to be a great snow driver…I mean I am from Michigan…we get a good deal of snow there. I drove a crappy ass Dodge Shadow with no power steering in high school and college and I had no problem navigating that thing through Michigan Winters. Spin outs? Fishtailing? No problem…its fun! Well my master snow driving all came to an end when I started working at Chrysler. During my first week as a District Manager in my first field car I had a little bit of an accident. You see…they gave me a Dodge Durango R/T. This was basically a big sports car SUV with street tires. Street tires = no traction. No traction in Michigan =’s problems.

I was driving home from my district on the freeway and all the sudden the car hit a patch of black ice and flipped over into a ditch. We were not hurt…but the car was totaled. Even though we were not injured I was permanently scared. Now…whenever we are driving in snow I kind of freak out. Its no good. I get super tense and maybe even shed a tear or two. I feel ashamed that I am a Michigan girl at heart and cannot even sanely drive when a snow flurry falls from the sky.

*****

Ok…Back to the story….

So here we are in the middle of no where driving in a blizzard in California. We are lucky…we have an SUV….but our friends Chris and Jenna were driving a 92 Honda stick shift. Even the SUV is having some problems driving down the road…I can hardly imagine what it was like to be in the Honda. Finally … we breathe a sigh of relief when we get to a town where we can shack up for the night.

We arrive in lovely Weed, Califonia. It is your basic small town America with NOTHING to do. There are some gross fast food joints and a random Mexican food place. We sit down with our crappy Mexican food carryout and turn on the news to see what we have in store for the next day. All the weather has to “brag” about is the “hurricane force winds” that will be hitting Oregon and Seattle. Woo Hoo…something to look forward to.

So we got to sleep….we wake up to crazy wind sounds outside. Good thing is…most of the snow is already melted…bad thing…its crazy ass windy. In fact…it is so windy that as we are fueling up for our drive the McDonalds sign next to the gas station actually gets blown out…little pieces of McDonalds sign go flying…we know its time to get the heck out of Weed!

Surprisingly, once we leave weed the winds calm down and the drive is not that bad. It rains on and off but nothing major. We see 2 more rainbows and I think again this must be a sign for a good day.

Um…not so much….

So we drive…and it starts to rain a little more…

Jenna’s mom calls and says she heard about this crazy bad flooding and mud slides in Oregon and Washington.

We think….maybe that’s just on the coast…this rain is not that bad.

About 90 miles from our destination we pull up on I-5 to a detour…that’s weird? This freeway is closed? We get off and try to find a way around the blockage…not really knowing how bad it was. We drive for about 30 minutes…in and around this very small town. Everywhere we turn roads are closed due to flooding. Finally we stop and ask a fireman what the deal was.

He explained to us that I-5 was basically flooded out for 20 miles and there was NO WAY around it. Everything is the county was flooded out. He said…I can tell you about 11 ways to get to Seattle from here not taking the I-5…but all of them are under water.

GREAT!

He advises us to turn back around and go back 30 miles to a random town and get a room there for the night. Coincidentally…there were about 5 other cars of people in the cast also making the drive. So there we are…1/4 of the Jersey Boys cast all holed up in Longview, Washington. We were so close to our destination…but yet so far.

We read online that I-5 will be closed for at least 36 hours if not longer….they advise online that the only detour will take 8 hours in good weather. Here is the problem….all theses people have to be in Seattle for the show…we had to get there…we could not wait 36 (or more) hours to wait for I-5 to dry up. Were we going to have to make this 8 hour detour drive????

So…,maybe rainbows are not good signs for driving…but maybe they are a good sign for strange coincidences. One of the guys with us…his family is actually from Longview, Washington…and his uncle actually works for the road commission. He advises him of an alternate route that is only 2-3 hours (compared to the 8 hr one). Yes! We did not have to make that horrible 8 extra hour drive.

In the morning we all pack up our stuff and cross our fingers that this alternate route is not under water as well. So there we are ….. 4 cars of Jersey Boys driving through Washington hoping that the worst rain in history does not catch up with us.

The detour drive was beautiful. We drove through crazy winding roads and mountains. We hit a bit of rain but nothing too crazy. Its good to know someone that has the inside info on roads!!! Maybe rainbows are good for something….

FINALLY….after way too many days of driving and way too many detours we pull into our destination.

So here we are. We are staying at an amazing house that overlooks Pugent Sound You thought we had some good views in San Diego and Laguna Beach?? The views we have here are out of control. The owner of the house says sometimes you can see bald eagles and whales from the huge picture windows in the living room.

It’s a nice place to FINALLY be in….however long that may be…..

Ahhhhhhhh.....

2007-11-24T19:43:00.000-08:00

I seriously feel like I am on vacation.

So...after San Diego we headed a bit north and settled in the O.C. (thats Orange County for you non MTV or Fox TV watchers). I have a very kind family member that was nice enough to let Eric and I stay at their swanky beach house for the time the show is in Costa Mesa.

We did not even know what we were in store for. The house is amazing with a fabulous kitchen and a housekeeper that comes once a week! And the view...I mean...I am never going to want to leave. Our front porch overlooks the ocean and on clear days you can see Catalina in the distance.

Not too shabby eh? We can take a golf cart down to our private beach everyday. We are really being spoiled...to be honest it is a bit ridiculous. But...we are savoring every second of it and will be really sad to pack up and leave in less than 10 days.

So what have we been up to? The first weekend we were here some of my friends from Michigan came out to visit. It was so nice to see my friends since I had not seen them since our wedding. It was a pretty relaxed weekend. Just some hot chicks playing lots euchre and catch phrase (I know...pretty crazy!!!).

Friday we headed out to this fabulous fondue restaurant in San Juan Capistrano called La Fondue. It was amazing. I know, fondue is fondue right? Wrong! First of all the place was decorated it a super cool hip way. Every area of the restaurant was different. Leopard print wall here, praying guy there, velvet booth over there...we loved it. The food was amazing. They had so many crazy choices of meets with your main course we did not know where to start...and the chocolate...oh the chocolate. I have been to many fondue places before...but this place had peanut butter and cream cheese balls to dip in the chocolate ... it was out of control. So now you are probably wondering: Hey Sarah, so this place sounds really cool...where are all the fun pictures of you and your friends eating fondue? I bet those would be some great pics!

Well...yes...they would be great pictures I am sure of it...sadly...out of the 4 of us...we all forgot our cameras. Sad but true...so I guess you will just have to imagine 4 hot ladies dressed to the nines....out on the town.

Saturday they came and saw the show and of course loved it....

Sunday we met up with some of my friends in Newport Beach for football Sunday. I felt like we were back in college. We spent at least 5 hours in the bar (while Eric was off at work) watching various football games and eating crappy food.

Of course the day had to end on a high note when I got a parking ticket....now I really felt like I was back in college (remind me later to tell you the story of how I had so many parking tickets in college that there was a warrant out for my arrest...fun story...please note the sarcasm).

Sadly on Monday my friends had to leave the beautiful state of California and head back to the snowy state of Michigan. Thanks for coming out ladies....I miss you already!!!

So I guess that takes us up to this week. Thanksgiving and my hubbies birthday.

So...Thanksgiving. It was a special thanksgiving this year. We had a freaking show. The company was nice enough to give us a thanksgiving dinner before the show. It was a nice thought but it was a sad example of a thanksgiving dinner. It was at a hotel...so it was hotel food. In the back of my head all I could think about was the humongous feast that my dad was serving back home. Eric and I both love thanksgiving and were both kind of sad that we were not spending it at home with our families.

BUT! Everything was redeemed the following day.

Friday (the day after thanksgiving) was Eric's big 30th birthday. My friend Kim and her husband Vipe (they live in the area) were kind enough to prepare us a REAL thanksgiving dinner for lunch. Eric and I thought we were just getting leftovers. Instead...Kim prepared us a full meal. She cooked a turkey, made yams, mashed potatoes, green beans, stuffing..the whole sha-bang. It was out of control and exactly what we needed. We stuffed our faces until we could eat no more! We were so thankful for Kim and it totally made Erics birthday.

After the HUGE meal we all walked down to the beach with our respective dogs and let them frollic in the ocean before treking back home.

Once home we brought out the birthday cake. Since Eric was getting costco cake (his favorite) at the theatre I decided to make him something different. A few days ago my friend Emily posted a fabulous pumpkin cheesecake recipe. It looked declious and I thought now was a perfect time for me to make my first cheesecake. I was super nervous about it...but I gotta tell you it turned out great!
So...I guess that catches you up on us! I have many a new merchandise stories for you...so hopefully I will get back on the blog bandwagon.

Finally...I just want to once again wish my handsome husband a very happy 30th birthday!

Happy Birthday Eric!!

You mean the world to me and I feel so lucky to have you in my life! I look forward to celebrating many more birthdays in the future with you! I Love you!!

I have been a bad blogger...lets catch you up!

2007-11-21T19:36:00.000-08:00

I have been a bad little blogger. No updates in over a month?? I have no excuses. Lets catch you up and finish up San Diego.

SO....our last few weeks in San Diego were pretty uneventful. The smoke and ash in the air from the fire really hit me hard and I was sick for about 10 days strait. In the mist of all the yucky coughing we were still able to do some fun things.

We had a show on Halloween. But after the show the company threw a Halloween party. I love halloween. It is one of my favorite holidays. I just love the smell of all the pumpkins burning on peoples porches, making sweets that have pumpkin things in them, all the great candy and of course dressing my dog up in a costume. Yes...I am one of those people. We dress Toby up as a chicken ... he stayed in his costume just long enough for me to take a picture of him. He was not happy with us.

Toby's Best Friend Fendor as a Monkey!

The cast Halloween Party was a lot of fun. I was (slutty) Harry Potter and Eric was actually another guy in the cast. Funny story...Eric planned on dressing up as one of the other cast members...when he heard about this (someone ratted Eric out) he ended up dressing up like Eric. It was all very confusing and funny.

The minority Harry Potters

I am confused...which one is my husband?

Before we left San Diego we had to go to the Zoo. Ever since I have been a little kid I am heard what an amazing place the San Diego zoo was. We were lucky enough to get free tix to the zoo (that place is much more expensive then my good ol' hometown Detroit Zoo). Eric and I woke up early and headed over to the Zoo as we heard the best time to go was in the morning. Almost every animal was out an walking around. That zoo is a workout in itself! Every route is filled with hills! We had a lot of fun and it was nice to just hold hands and walk around the zoo together.

Yes...Eric found it absolutely necessary to take a picture of a monkey scratching it's butt

We were very sad to pack up and leave San Diego. I think its the first real city that we will actually miss. It was really amazing to see the city come together during the fires. The city actually seemed like one big family.

We had a great time in San Diego and Toby was so happy with his best friend Fender....they were very sad when we were packing up....

So now we are in Orange County. I promise I will post again very soon and update you all on our new digs!

6 Month Anniversary!

2007-10-30T15:16:00.000-07:00

6 months already?!?!?!

I feel like it was just yesterday that Eric & I packed our bags and flew to the Dominican Republic for our wedding. It was such an amazing time and I think back to it almost every day.

I just feel so thankful to have Eric in my life. I know that he is my soul mate. Without him I would not be the person I am today. I know that he loves me so much and each day is like a new adventure for us.

So with that...another excuse to post some wedding pictures!!

Things you MUST try.....

2007-10-24T19:14:00.000-07:00

Toby and Fender Cuddling....

has nothing to do with this blog....just thought it was too cute not to share

******

So....I really try to keep cooking blogs to a minimum. I only want to share recipes/cooking things when I feel like I am doing a total disservice by not sharing.

Yesterday the show was canceled and everyone was urged to stay inside since the air quality was not that great outside. So...what do I do when I am chillin' inside? Cook!!

I had read a few recipes that I really wanted to try and this was the perfect opportunity.

First off...I love Indian Food. I really got turned onto in a few years ago when my boss at Chrysler was Indian. He told me and my friends about this place near my house and my life was never the same. When me and my friend Lorelei were first introduced to this place I think we literally went there a few times a week. It was a bit ridiculous.

In a friends blog entry the other day she posted a recipe for my favorite Indian dish...Chicken Tikka Masala. It looked delish and I knew I had to try and make it. I was a little intimidated...I mean how could anything come close to my favorite Inidan spot. I have to admit...I was very impressed with myself. It tasted just like it came from the restaurant. It is definietly going on the "cook again" list (see recipe below).

Next up ... dessert. As I have previously mentioned I love the food network. One of the people I always watch is Ina Garten aka the Barefoot Contessa. On one of the message boards I visit some of the ladies had all been discussing how amazing one of her brownie recipes were. Several people noted that they were the best brownies they had ever had. I knew I had to give it a try.

Um...I cannot even describe these brownies in words to you. They are truely some of the best brownies I have ever had. They are super chocolately and a pure taste of chocolate heaven. If you like chocolate you must make these and make them soon! You will never be the same again.

Here are some pics and recipes for you....

Chicken Tikka Masala
from Good Eats n' Sweet Treats
Marinade:
1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 teaspon garam masala
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
4 long skewers

Sauce:
2 tablespoon butter
4 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (I used about 1/4)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 (16 ounce) can tomato sauce
1.5 cups heavy cream (For a lighter option Jaime used: 12oz can fat free evaporated milk + 1/4 cup cream; or 2 cups fat free evaporated milk)
1 tomato, chopped, or 1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
In a large bowl, combine marinade ingredients: yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, salt and garam masala. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour (or longer...).

Preheat a grill for high heat. Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.

Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with cumin, paprika, garam masala and salt. Stir in tomato sauce, diced/chopped tomatoes and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro.

****
Outragous Brownies
from The Barefoot Contessa

1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee powder
2 tablespoons real vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups flour, divided- 1 cup for batter and 1/4 cup in the chips and nuts
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups diced walnut pieces (I deleted the walnuts)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.
Melt together the butter, 1 pound chocolate chips, and bitter chocolate on top of a double boiler. Cool slightly. Stir together the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature.

Stir together 1 cup of the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and chocolate chips with 1/4 cup flour to coat. Then add to the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester just comes out clean. Halfway through the baking, rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Do not overbake! Cool thoroughly, refrigerate well and cut into squares.

Stay Safe San Diego....

2007-10-23T10:31:00.001-07:00

It is so weird being in this city right now. I guess the only "natural disasters" that I have ever dealt with were some small tornado's in Michigan.

As of last night in San Diego county 500 homes had been destroyed and 250 damaged; 100 commercial buildings destroyed and 75 damaged; at least 145,000 acres have burned; and over 250,000 people have been evacuated. They continue to say that it is just going to get worse before it gets better. The last I heard some areas are only 5% contained...some areas 0% contained. The more I listen to the news...the more evacuations they have.

We are in the city and the majority of the fire is happening North of us. Most of the news is urging people to stay off the roads, conserve energy, do not make calls on your cell phone, etc. It kind of makes you feel helpless. Everyone in San Diego is trying to help out in any way they can. Welcoming people into their homes...donating time...most of the evacuation centers have even announced on the news that they have way too many volunteers and to just stay home for now. It is very odd to just watch everything on the tv and not being able to do anything.

smoky views from our house

I have a few friends that have been evacuated and one that even saw her house burn down on the news. It is just so devastating and it really just seemed to come with no warning. I cannot imagine seeing photos of your home going down in flames. She mentioned that when they were told to evacuate she had no time to grab anything. There were literally flames on her street that she had to drive through to leave. I cannot even imagine.

The air quality is pretty bad. As you can see from the pictures above, the city is covered in a cloud of smoke and everything smells like a campfire. Even here in the city our balcony has a small layer of ash covering the ground.

Well, we just got a call from stage management. The show for tonight is canceled. Apparently, the air quality is so bad in the theatre that they do not want people sitting there for 2 hours and 40 minutes. Obviously, I think this is the smart thing to do considering all the requests not to drive and not to overuse electricity. I just never thought they would cancel considering they really like to make dinero. Glad to know they are looking out for people.

My thoughts go out to everyone affected in and around the San Diego area. I just hope that they get this under control soon.

We Are Here! (a week in review)

2007-10-21T13:49:00.000-07:00

Well....we have been in San Diego for about a week now and we are loving it!

Lets backtrack just a little...I know I have been a bad blogger lately. The week before we left Arizonia Eric was on as a lead for about a week. My dad had never seen the show, so when he heard Eric was going on he dropped everything bought a ticket for him and his fiance and hoped a plane to Arizonia.
My dad never really takes vacations (well except for my wedding) so this was a nice little break for them. My dad is not the hugest theatre person. When he came out to the lobby after intermission him and his fiance Cheri could not stop talking about how much they were enjoying it. It was very cute to see how proud they were of Eric. So...they loved the show (of course)...we got to spend some time with them...and then they were able to enjoy a beautiful day in Sedona. Thanks for coming out Dad & Cheri we really enjoyed having you here!!

So after 2 shows on saturday and 2 shows on sunday we packed up the car and headed out to our next city early Monday morning. It was a pretty uneventful drive...even Toby was bored:
We drove through a lot of random towns and ate some really bad Wendy's...and about 6 hours later we were at our new AMAZING home.

I do not know how we got so lucky with this place. I mean our jaws dropped when we walked in the door. We are on the 27th floor of a 30 floor building. We have 2 balconies that overlook the water. We have huge floor to ceiling windows. I could go on and on. Toby is loving the new digs. He sits on the couch in our bedroom and just looks outside all day. We are also living with Toby's new best friend. The guy that plays Frankie Valli in the show and his new wife our the new roommates. They also have an adorable boston terrier (Fender). Toby and Fender play constantly...it is fabulous...when they rest...they rest together and it is possible the cutest thing on the planet:

So lets talk views. We have the best views. We see the cruise ships pull in..there is a crazy aircraft carrier in the water...on nice days the bay is filled with sailboats...it is amazing. These were from this morning...

The week ended with the opening night party of the show. It was nothing to write home about. By the time we got there all the food was gone and it was a cash bar (well, minus the 1 drink ticket we each got). But at least we got a good self portrait! I mean...it would not be a party without one...
So we headed home and had a nice glass of wine overlooking the city.....ahhhh....not too shabby.

No more Red Lobster for me!

2007-10-21T13:32:00.000-07:00

I really do not like eating at chain restaurants. You know…like the Applebee’s, Chili’s, TGI Fridays of the world? There are just way too many good restaurants in the world to waste my superior palette at the chains (please note the sarcasm here….). I could never understand why in places like New York or Los Angeles …. where there are some of the best restaurants in the world… there are lines out the door to a Red Lobster.

BUT…do you ever eat something at one of these places that you just fall in love with?

That is my relationship with Red Lobster. I hate their food. It is gross. Someone told me once that they use to work next to a Red Lobster and the staff (after closing) would actually race the lobsters across the dirty floors. EW!

If you have never been to a Red Lobster…you are not missing much. But one of the things you are missing is their amazing cheddar biscuits that they serve for their bread. These things are so good. I used to have an old roommate who worked at the ol’ Red Lobster and we would beg her to bring us cheddar biscuits. These delectable bread wonders are the only reason why I would step through the doors of a red lobster. Sad…that the “free” thing at the restaurant is the thing that I want the most.

The other day my friend gave me the recipe for the biscuits. I will never have to go to a red lobster again!!! They are so easy to make and I feel like they taste pretty darn similar.

Eric took one bite of the biscuit…some drool dropped out of the side of his mouth…and he proclaimed: This is the best biscuit I have ever had in my life. Its possible there were even swear words mixed in there.

So…I share this simple recipe with you in hopes that you too will never have to visit a Red Lobster again!!
Red Lobster Biscuits
from Good Eats & Sweet Treats

2 cups Bisquick mix
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon parsley
1/4 cup butter - melted

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Combine first 3 ingredients until moist. Drop onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes, or until golden.

While the biscuits are baking, mix melted butter, parsley and garlic.

Pour over hot biscuits and serve.

Super Secret Vacation!

2007-10-09T19:48:00.000-07:00

I hate surprises. Well...let me rephrase that. I hate mystery.

I always read tv show spoilers so I know what is going to happen. I always snoop around and ask for hints on birthday presents. I always like to know what is going on! So when I walked into our bedroom Sunday night and there was a suitcase on the bed with Eric standing next to it I was very confused. Eric told me what I had to pack but would give me no hints as to what we were going. All he told me was that he had planned a short little overnight "somewhere" surprise vacation and that I would get no more hints.

This all made me very anxious. I could not get to sleep that night. Had he properly researched the hotel on tripadvisor? Had he gone on yelp or citysearch and found one of the top rated restaurants to have dinner?? What kind of research had been done?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

A normal person would have just been excited......

So at 10am the next day we said goodbye to Toby the dog (it is nice to have a room mate that likes crazy puggles) and hopped in the car. I was still poking and prodding and begging for hints but none were given.

About an hour and 45 minutes outside of Phoenix is one of the most beautiful places in America...Sedona. Sedona's main attraction is its amazing array of red sandstone formations (or red rocks). The Red Rocks form a breathtaking backdrop for everything from spiritual pursuits to the hundreds of hiking and mountain biking trails.

As soon as I started to see the Red Rocks in the distance I knew where we were going. I really wanted to go to Sedona while in Arizona but we just did not seem to have enough time (being as we only have 1 day off a week). Eric was sweet enough to plan this secret trip and make time in our schedule so we could just ignore the errands that we had to run and just relax.

We drove up to a very cute boutique hotel that had the beautiful red rocks in the backround (The Sedona Rouge Hotel & Spa)

Our room was not ready yet...so we decided to get out and enjoy the beautiful landscape. There are literally hundreds of hiking trails in and around Sedona. After studying the hiking map we decided on a trail and headed out.

Neither Eric or I had hiking shoes with us. So...we tried to choose a trail that was not too easy but not one of the crazy strenuous ones. We pulled up to the red rocks trail and it was amazing. It was so quiet and peaceful and I fully understood why Sedona was such a spiritual place.

We started our hike up the trail and were lucky enough to see 2 perfect hiking sticks sitting there right in front of us...it was fate!

The views from the trail we were on were amazing. We never passed another person on our hike. It was great just to be out in this amazing place with my new hubby. I just wish we would have had some hiking shoes as regular running shoes on red rock do not have the best traction!

And of course it would not be a Gutman vacation without a cheese ball picture......

After our hike we were starving and went to seek out someplace to grab something to eat. We had dinner reservations so we just wanted something small. We found the cutest little restaurant with an intimate little outside dining area (The Heartline Cafe).
I won't bore you with the details. All I have to mention is that they had the most amazing soup I have ever had. Roasted pear & butternut squash with toasted pecans on top. If you are ever in Sedona you must get this soup....and then order like 10 extra bowls...package them up...and overnight them to me. Don't worry I will pay you back!

After our small lunch we headed to the downtown. It was pretty touristy...cheesey shops with knick knacks. However there was one thing that caught my eye....this fudge place. You see..I am from Michigan and we have this place called Mackinaw Island. Mackinaw Island makes the best fudge ever. I cannot eat fudge from anywhere else because the fudge on Mackinaw Island is so good. I am walking past this store and they have a sign in the window saying "Our Fudge Recipe is from Mackinaw Island". Well....of course I had to go in and get some....and I have to admit..it was pretty damn good.

Moving on....Eric and I were pretty tired so we decided to go back to the hotel and check in. The room was very cute. The bed had a fabulous mattress and a great down comforter. I am such a sucker for hotels that have down comforters...it totally makes the room!
The bed was extremely comfortable...so comfy that I actually fell into a very deep sleep. Eric woke me up just in enough time to get all primped up for our romantic dinner.

Oh...yes....the obligatory self portrait....
We had a very nice dinner .... well minus the cheese ball waiter that seemed like he should be working at a T.G.I. Friday's. For instance ... he introduced himself by saying..."hey, I am nate...short for nathan". Um...ok...

When we returned to the room Eric had arranged for some chocolate covered strawberries and champagne to be waiting for us.

All in all it was an amazing (too short) vacation. I wish we could have stayed longer and gotten a spa treatment overlooking the landscape....but...I guess that gives me something to look forward to for next time.

I feel very lucky that I have a husband that loves me so much....one that will plans me surprise vacations (even though I can be hard to handle when the word surprise is mentioned).

If you ever get the opportunity I strongly suggest you visit Sedona. It certainly is one of the most beautiful places in America.

On the road again (almost)....

2007-10-07T19:18:00.000-07:00

Well....one more week in Arizona and then we are off to San Diego. These tour stops just go so quick. The minute we find a good dog park or a place to get good frozen yogurt it is time to pack up and leave.

It's a very weird way of life. I think I will always appreciate and value the time we got to go on this crazy tour. I mean...it certainly is a once in a lifetime opportunity...but I cannot imagine doing this for your whole life. There are a couple people on the tour that have been "on the road" in different productions for like 10 years. That is crazy!! No real place to call home? Well, at least they have a lot of hotel and airline miles!

We are pretty excited about our next tour stop. We found a FABULOUS penthouse in San Diego about 5 blocks from the theatre. Yes...I said penthouse. Apparently, we are on the 28th floor of a 30 floor building...with 180 degree views (3 balcony's)..full huge kitchen...etc etc etc. It is pretty much...well the only way to describe it would be "pimpy". These pictures were taken on a cloudy day....but I think you get the drift...

Not too shabby eh?

*****

On a totally different subject...I promise not to make this a cooking blog but my friend gave me a fabulous recipe the other day and I would be a very rude person if I did not share it with you.

So, when I get bored I want to cook/bake things. My boss gave me the day off and Eric had 2 shows that day so I decided that I wanted to make some kind of sweet thing for the cast since they have all been pretty tired lately.

My friend Stacy sent me this amazing no-bake recipe. I kid you not I had at least 5 people in the cast ask me for the recipe. They are super yummy and so easy to make.

Like last time...the messiest cook alive returned in full force..

But this time Eric was at the show so I had to do my own dishes...well almost all of them..I left some soaking in the sink as a gift to my dear husband.

So anyways...these bars. You must make them. You will be the hit of any party...gathering...office event...anything!

Yummy No-Bake Bars
(or as Eric likes to call them Super Fantastic Multi-Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars)

Ingredients:

1c sugar

1c light-color corn syrup

2c peanut butter

3c cornflakes

3c rice crispies

3/4c butter

4c powdered sugar

2 4-serving-size packages of white chocolate instant pudding and pie filling mix

1/4c milk

1 12 oz. package of semisweet chocolate pieces

1/2c butter

1. Line a 15x10x1 baking pan with foil

2. In a large saucepan, combine granulated sugar and corn syrup; heat and stir just until mixture boils around edges. Heat and stir for 1 minute more. remove from heat. stir in peanut butter until melted. stir in rice cereal and cornflakes until coated. Press mixture into the bottom of the pan

3. for pudding layer, in a medium saucepan, melt the 3/4 cup butter. stir in powdered sugar, pudding mixes and milk. Sread pudding mixture over cereal layer and set aside.

4. for frosting, in a small saucepan, combine choc. pieces and the 1/2 cup butter; heat and stir over low heat until melted. spread frosting over pudding layer. cover and chill about 1 hour or until set. to serve, remove set mixture from pan by lifting foil. remove foil. place mixture on cutting board; cut into bars. Makes 64 bars.

Fall in the desert...

2007-10-02T12:28:00.000-07:00

Fall in Arizona is funny. Right now in Michigan I am sure the leaves are changing and happy families are making weekend trips to the cider mills for fresh pressed apple cider and doughnuts. The weather is changing and people are getting their nice warm fuzzy sweaters out of storage.

Here in the dessert....well....it is how you would expect it to be. Hot.

The other day we visited a pumpkin patch (we read in this magazine that this was the "best pumpkin patch in Arizona"). When we got there...well we were a little disappointed. So, being that arizona is hot...what do you think happens to pumpkins when they are left out in the sun? Yeah...they kinda cook. So, all the pumpkins were pretty smushy or brown and dieing. Poor pumpkins!

To celebrate fall...I deceided to make some pumpkin cheesecake brownies that I read about on Caras Cravings. Now I really like to bake and cook but being a messy cooker runs in my family!

I really need to work on my cleaning WHILE cooking. Good thing I have a husband that likes to do dishes. For real...I am not kidding. He likes to do dishes...its kinda like a zen thing for him...which is a HUGE bonus for me!!

These are great for fall. They have just the right mix of pumpkin and chocolate. The colors are very rich and fall-y and of course they taste great!

Pumpkin-Spice Cheesecake Brownies
from Cara's Cravings

Brownie Batter
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon

Cheesecake Batter
6 oz cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp each ground ginger and ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8x8" square metal baking pan.

Beat together melted butter, sugar, and vanilla, then beat in eggs one at a time. Combine dry ingredients and then gradually stir into butter mixture with a wooden spoon. In separate bowl, beat together cheesecake batter ingredients.

Spread about 2/3 of chocolate batter into prepared pan, and spoon cheesecake batter over. Dollop remaining brownie batter over cheesecake batter. Swirl the batters together by running a butter knife back and forth through the pan.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until center is set. Cool completely on wire rack and chill before cutting and serving.

"Bloody" Tuesday

2007-09-26T10:52:00.000-07:00

Now that we have a kitchen I have really been trying to be a good little wife. You know...cooking good healthy meals? So yesterday I decided that I was going to make my first soup! I love tomato basil soups (which is funny because I HATE tomatoes...I never eat them on anything). I saw on my friends blog the other day a recipe for Tomato Basil that looked so yummy and I knew I had to try it. I also planned to round out the meal with some crunchy balsamic chicken and roasted green beans.

I was doing sooooo good. I had the initial ingredients of the soup simmering...I prepared the chicken and green beans and they were both in the oven. Everything was timed exactly right!

Eric had taken Toby to the dog park that is right across the street so it was going to be a nice little dinner all laid out when they got home.

Then....well then the "event" happened.

I obviously do not have an immersion blender on the road with me...and the blender that is in this rental condo is like 100 years old. BUT! I do have my trusty magic bullet. After the starter ingredients of the soup simmer for about 30 min you need to blend it all up with basil to make it not so chunky. So, I planned to use the magic bullet for this. Everything was going fine...until the third batch of blending. I am not sure if I didn't screw on the top tight enough or there was just some kind of air bubble stuck in the magic blender...I truly do not know..it just happened too fast...all of the sudden while blending the bottom of the bullet like popped open and kind of exploded and hot RED soup contents splattered everywhere.

I was just standing there in awe. Soup...all over me...all over the counter...all over the cupboards ...all over the CEILING! It literally looked like there was some kind of mass murder in my kitchen.

And of course....Eric walks in right at that moment. There I am in the kitchen with red tomato soup all over. All we could do was laugh. Since I was still in shock of how I got soup everywhere Eric was nice enough to clean it up for me (what a nice husband I have!). He could not believe how much soup was all over the kitchen.

Toby was happy....he got to lick some up that splashed on the floor.

So I guess you are thinking...excuse me Sarah...where are the pictures? I promise. It went through my head right when it happened. But...I had too much soup on me to walk around the house looking for my camera. I guess the picture in your head is probably better than anything I could have captured on film.

Needless to say there was no soup for dinner last night. The rest of the meal turned out good...actually the green beans were super delicious.

The beans were "roasted green beans" and they are a great easy different way to eat your greens...I thought you might enjoy it too (stay tuned...I will be making that soup again...hopefully next time I won't ruin my shirt in the process)

Roasted Green Beans
from Recipe Zaar

2 lbs green beans
1 - 2 tablespoon olive oil (just enought to lightly coat beans)
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste, may substitute with Mrs. Dash if desired)
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper (or to taste, omit if using Mrs. Dash)
3 cloves garlic (cooked whole with beans)

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Wash, dry well, and trim green beans.
Put green beans on a jelly roll pan.
Drizzle with olive oil. (I suggest tossing beans in bowl with oil...you use less oil and it is easier to coat the beans)
Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste (I like them salty so I use about 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and about 8-10 grinds of the pepper mill). *Mrs. Dash may be substituted for salt and pepper as desired.
Use your hands to be sure all the beans are evenly coated and spread them out into 1 layer.
Roast for 20-25 minutes, turning after 15 minutes, until beans are fairly brown in spots and somewhat shriveled.
Serve hot or at room temperature.

Road tripping....

2007-09-24T20:43:00.000-07:00

Early sunday morning (after 2 shows on saturday) we packed up the car and started our drive to Scottsdale, AZ.

We have so much crap!!! Since we have our car I think we overpacked just a bit. Every time we pack up the car we say to each other ... we must thin out our stuff...and we never do. To give you a visual of what our life stuffed into a car looks like:

That colored pillow is Toby's bed...or his "home" while we are road tripping. So as you can see...our life fits pretty tightly into a Jeep grand Cherokee.

Not much scenery to tell you about. It took us about 12 hours to get from Sacramento to Scottsdale. It probably would have been a bit shorter but I was on my last day of my isagenix cleanse and was drinking a lot of water (therefore...having to make a ton of pee breaks). So I guess I could tell you all about the nasty bathrooms that I had to make pit stops in...but who wants to hear about those. Blah.

Instead I will entertain you with pictures of how Toby enjoyed his trip.

Toby loves the car. Toby loves the car so much that he usual jumps all around and gets super crazy. Eric & I were pleasantly surprised this car ride when Toby chilled in the back seat on his bed or calmly sat on our laps in the front.

This is a picture journey of how Toby spent the car ride:

Toby with his head out the window

One of Toby's favorite thing to do the car is to lay down and smell the air conditioning. He is a beagle for sure! Loves to smell everything!!

Toby laying on his bed in the back seat.

Just sitting...watching the sites go by....

Now we are in Scottsdale. It is great here. The condo we are renting is perfect...everything is just around the corner...and there is a dog park right across the street. We spent today unpacking and filling the refrigerator with groceries. Eric does not have a show until Thursday so the next couple days will just be nice and relaxing.

Garlic Filled Dinner!

2007-09-24T20:01:00.000-07:00

So...we arrived in Scottsdale yesterday (full blog on the drive down later). Our condo is super cute and best of all has a nice big kitchen. I have missed cooking and was just dreaming about what our first meal in our new home would be. I decided in addition to this being a blog about my life and I would also make it a cooking blog and detail what we eat and the recipes!

SO....here we go....I was reading on my friends blog (Good Eats & Sweet Treats) about this delish lemon garlic tilapia and baked garlic rice. I knew I had to make it!

The garlic inspired meal actually started a little earlier in the day with some homemade hummus and fresh baked seasoned pita chips. The hummus was OF COURSE made in the ol' magic bullet.

Hallelujah Hummus

1/4 cup chicken (or vegetable) stock
14 oz. can chickpeas (garbanzo beans),drained
3 cloves garlic
3 Tbs. lemon juice
3 Tbs. tahini (sesame paste)
sprinkle with paprika

First ... Add all ingredients, except for paprika and olive oil, into the Tall Cup.
Next ... Twist on the Cross Blade and blend until smooth.
Then ... Salt and pepper to taste.

******

Next up came the main course. I just want to preface these recipes by saying that my husband never ate fish before knowing me. I slowly broke him in by cooking a little salmon and recently have brought him into the world of tilapia.

Both of these recipes were from my friend Jaime's blog that I link above. My pictures are not as pretty as hers but boy was this meal good. Eric ate 2 pieces of fish and the rice was to die for. This is definitely going in the "make again" pile!

Lemon Garlic Tilapia
from allrecipes.com

4 tilapia fillets
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp butter
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped (I used 4 - I do not think one would be enough)
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
pepper to taste (I seasoned with salt as well)
red pepper flakes to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

In a pan, melt the butter and sauté the garlic and parsley on low heat. While the garlic is cooking, rinse tilapia fillets under cool water, and pat dry with paper towels. Place fillets in baking dish and season with pepper (and salt and red pepper). Pour lemon juice over fillets.

Drizzle garlic butter over the fish.

Bake in preheated oven until the fish is white and flakes when pulled apart with a fork, about 15 minutes. (I baked mine for about 25 minutes.)

Baked Garlic Rice Pilaf

from Good Eats & Sweet Treats

2 tablespoons butter
3 garlic cloves, crushed (I used 4 cloves)
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 1/2 cups chicken broth, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Heat butter in a skillet; add garlic and rice and cook until both are golden brown. Add 1 cup of broth and the salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and pour into a covered casserole; bake for 25 minutes.

Stir in remaining 1-1/2 cups broth; cook for another 45 minutes. This recipe can be doubled without increasing the cooking time.

In 10 seconds or less...salsa!

2007-09-19T20:32:00.000-07:00

I guess I have been a bad blogger lately. BUT! There is a reason for it. I decided that I was feeling totally toxic and gross and decided to do the Isagenix Cleanse. So basically I cannot blog to you about things I am eating because I am not really eating anything right now. Well, except for chocolate nutrition shakes and random 400 - 600 calorie meals.

I did this cleanse right before my wedding and seriously lost all bad cravings and lost about 10 lbs. It really helped jump start me into a good workout and eatting routine. I started the cleanse again a few days ago and I feel great. Plus, all my clothes are fitting better and a few people have told me I look skinny (hey....who doesn't like to hear that!).

So, one of the things on the cleanse is drinking these shakes. I feel they taste much better when blended. We bought a cheap-o blender a while ago from CVS and I opened it the other day to find out that it did not work. I needed a blender.

This was a perfect excuse to buy one of my favorite infomercial tools to mix up my shakes in! The Magic Bullet!!!

Don't lie. You know you have watched this infomercial. Every time this freaking thing comes on Eric & I watch it. If you have never seen it you are missing out! It is that typical infomercial format and then they have this loony lady with a cigarette and curlers come out randomly and question everything. Here is a short clip to show you what you are missing:

The magic bullet does everything...chops, juices...etc...etc. You can make everything in a magic bullet! In fact, we registered for one when we got married (and got one!! but it is in a box at home so I guess we will now have 2...thats cool...you can never have too many!!).

We have some good friends that are equally obsessed with the magic bullet and one night we actually had a magic bullet party. Everything was made in the bullet....hummus, salsa, drinks and more!

I love the bullet...it is one of those infomercial things that are actually worth buying and now I am so excited that I have it with me on tour!

I love to Yelp!

2007-09-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

Whenever I am in a new city the first thing I do is research what is around me. My "go to" site is called Yelp.com.

Yelp was started in 2004 by a few guys looking to create a site where local businesses could be reviewed in a fun, entertaining manner. They started in San Francisco but it has quickly started to spread across the United States. Where as citysearch sometimes seems "fake"...yelp is true reviews from real people and they are usually extremely funny to read.

I have been frequenting yelp since I discovered it in San Fran and now I cannot go anywhere (dinner, coffee, nail place....) without looking to see what the yelpers think about it.

I don't know why I did not start before...but the other day I finally created a username and started submitting my own reviews. I mean these yelpers have helped me out so much....the least I could do was return the favor!! Now...I am addicting. I am writing reviews for everything that I have been to in the last few weeks. What also makes it addicting is that it is kind of like an online community. You have "friends", people can give you compliments on your reviews and they can rate your review on if it was funny, useful or cool.

So my challenge to you: Go to yelp.com and start making it popular in your area!!! Start writing reviews...spread the word! I know once you start reviewing things you will be hooked just like me!

My heart hurts...

2007-09-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

I am a food network addict.

I swear the food network is always on the tv. When we leave the house/apartment/hotel room and Toby has to be home alone...we always leave the food network on for him so he has something to listen to.

One of the shows that Eric & I really enjoy is the show "Diners, Drive-In's and Dives" (or DDD's as it is also called). Basically this dude goes around the country and checks out all these local dives that have the yummiest (and greasiest) food.

When I found out one of these places was in Sacramento I knew that we had to make a visit. My friend Liz was in town for a quick visit and I new this was the perfect opportunity for a little burger lunch!

The Squeeze Inn is a tiny hole in the wall shack like building. They only have 10 bar stools at a counter and I think a picnic table or 2 out back.

They are known for their burgers. All of their stuff says "The Best Burgers in Town". Usually when you hear restaurants or stores make that claim you just brush it off. How many times have you seen something like: "Best Coffee in America". Well...I think this place was not just making a claim...these really were the best burgers in town!

I think we got very lucky when we made out way down to the Squeeze Inn. Every review I read spoke of people having to wait in an hour in a line out the door just to sit down at one of the stools. When we walked in there was no wait...just 3 stools sitting there beckoning us to sit down.

Oh the benefits of being married to an actor...you can always eat lunch at "off times"

ANYWAYS...back to the burger. We all ordered a "squeeze burger" with cheese. The cheese is the whole reason for getting a burger from the Squeeze Inn, not that bland American cheese, but cheddar...real good delicious greasy heart clogging cheddar. They put the cheese on the burger on the grill and then cover it up so that it melts nicely and gives you a cheese "skirt". umm.. YUM.

All the veggies on the burger are super fresh and crunchy. The french fries are delish too. Just the right consistency and huge portions (we all split a large).

As an added bonus...I have a thing for ice...I love good ice. You know..the old style ice that taco bell use to have...like ice pellets?? or the kind of ice you get in the hospital when you are nauseous? If a place has good ice I am so excited.

This place had delicious ice. See...the small things in life really do make me happy!

So if you are ever in Sacramento and need a good greasy burger fix you MUST make your way over to the squeeze inn. Trust me ... you will not regret the extra calories.

I'll Be Back...for some more coffee....

2007-09-06T10:47:00.000-07:00

Short little entry this morning....

So, Eric and I went on our morning Starbucks run this morning. There is a starbucks just a few blocks away so I have already become a regular.

This morning was different though..because we had a special guest arrive for our morning coffee.

As I am waiting for my grande ice coffee with soy milk 2 huge black excursions pull up outside and men in black suits emerge. I am sitting there wondering what the F is going on...and then out walks the Governator. Yes, thats right. I had my morning coffee with Mr. Schwarzengger himself.

He is much smaller in person. Definitely not the body builder that we are all use to seeing in the movies. He was also surprisingly friendly. Chit chatting with everyone in the store..asking them how their day was going...and when they made his coffee wrong he did not whip out his AK-47 he just shyly asked for a new one.

Well, that is my excitement for the day. I guess fun things DO happen in Sacramento!

Bored Bored Bored

2007-09-05T19:29:00.000-07:00

I have been a bad blogger!! But...it is hard to blog when you don't have much to write about!!

As you know we are in Sacramento...

I really do not mean to be down on this city but so far it is no fun. I am pretty bored already and we have only been here for like 6 days!!

I must give a special Thank You to Jaime who was so nice to send me a long list of places to eat in the city. That was amazing and I really appreciate it!

Eric is in rehearsals every day until 11:30pm at night. Toby and I try to make the most of the day but to be honest I am running out of things to do!

Today I went to the mall with a few friends...I mean...I can always find something to buy at the mall right? WRONG! It was a craptastic (yes I used the word craptastic) mall...and we went to the "good" mall in town!

We joined the gym again yesterday so that may help my boredom out a little. Plus I need to get back into shape. After the wedding I just kinda started eatting crappy and not working out. I must get back on some kind of program. Oh how I miss you S-Factor!

SO....food. Yes, I have actually found some delish stuff in this town.

Today my friend Michelle and I went to a pie place that we have been hearing so much about. The Real Pie Company is just around the block from the hotel (very dangerous!). They use all local ingrediants from local farmers and everything is made from scratch.

Michelle got the Nectarine-Blackberry pie and I got the Jumbleberry pie (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and cherries). Let me just tell you these were some of the most amazing pies I have ever had in my life! They were out of control and you could taste how fresh the ingredients were.

I had also read online how fabulous their chicken pot pies were...but apparently they are pretty impossible to get as they sell out so quick. We got there at 10am (when they open) and they did not have any. I asked if I could put in an order for tomorrow and I was quickly told that they are sold out for a week! Thats how many orders they had!!! SO...of course I now have an order for 2 chicken pot pies for next week Wednesday...I am counting the days.

What else did I find? Well we all know I am addicted to frozen yogurt. Much to my surprise a "Natural Frozen Yogurt" shop had recently opened in Sacramento.

Mochii yogurt is pretty delicious. It has that yummy natural yogurt taste that I became addicted to in Los Angeles. Pinkberry is still my ultimate favorite...but this place will feed my cravings while I am here.

I am hoping once Eric is done with rehearsals things will get better. Maybe we can explore the city a little more and I can begin to appreciate it. Who knows...right now all I am doing is counting the days until we make the drive to Tempe.

Home sweet home?

2007-09-01T21:55:00.001-07:00

Well...we are here.

Our new home at the Best Western in Sacramento.

We got a late start on Friday as our usual trusty alarm failed to go off. I guess even the alarm did not want to go to Sacramento. We packed up the car (in the already 90 degree weather) and started our drive north.

The drive went pretty fast. We hit no traffic and only made a stop to eat lunch (In-N-Out of course) and to let Toby pee a few times.

Before we knew it we were pulling into the California state capital.

So our new digs...the Best Western. It's a Best Western. We do have a lovely "pool view" room that allows us to be woken up pretty early in the morning by little kids yelling and smacking those noodle toys in the water...so thats fun. It is certainly going to be a tight fit over the next 3 weeks. I am trying to make it as "homey" as possible...but there is just so much you can do with a small hotel room

Surprisingly...the bed is very comfortable. It has a nice down comforter and is a nice bed! Who knew the best western had nice beds!

I am not sure about the area yet. Sacramento has a ton of one way streets that are pretty annoying. I am not sure what kind of area we are in...if you walk in one direction there are cute little houses and nice tree covered streets...the other direction...not the best area. We are still trying to figure out what is around us and what there is to eat!!

Today Toby and I walked to meet Eric for dinner ... I guess I took the route through crack town (although it seemed like Beverly Hills compared to the area around the theatre in San Francisco). Toby met a new friend during our walk ...a nice homeless man that was wearing huge stuffed Tiger slippers (by the way it was 103...so his feet must have been pretty hot!). Toby thought the slippers were a toy and tried to play with the tigers. Oh the adventures of walking a dog in downtown Sac.

This week should be pretty exciting for me. Eric has rehearsal every day (except Labor Day) from 1 - 11:30pm. I can only go to the mall so many times...

I hope I can find a yoga studio or something. I have already scouted out a yogurt place that is supposed to be comparable to Pinkberry...so that is on the agenda. Other than that...hanging out with Toby and trying not to get overheated in the 100+ degree weather.

If anyone has any Sacramento recommendations please let me know (I am looking at you Rhonda...)

GROSS!!!

2007-08-30T14:14:00.000-07:00

Today is our last day in Los Angeles. Tonight we pack up and in the morning we head to Sacramento.

In honor of us leaving I thought I would tell you about some of the lovely customers I have encountered at the merchandise counter during our stint in LA.

Lets start with the woman who came in yesterday. We were setting up the counter and a woman comes in and asks if we can make change for $100. Lets backtrack for a second and let me politely describe her. She was a "larger" woman. She was wearing black spandex shorts (that were too small) and an extremely tight tank top and left nothing to the imagination. Also...it was VERY hot out. So...she was sweating...um...A LOT.

We tell her...yes we can change the $100. Then the fun part.

She reaches into the shorts. Not right at the belly band area...but INTO her shorts. Like into her crotch region and pulls out a crinkled sweat covered $100 bill. It was pretty disgusting.

We seriously thought we were on a hidden camera show. It was that shocking. We could not believe what had just happened. One word...EWWWW. Thank god for hand sanitizer.

The next lady...this was the 2nd time we had the pleasure of meeting. The first time she came to the theatre she was absolutely WASTED. Not a little drunk...but BLASTED. She kept talking to me and touching me and I could not understand a word she was saying because she was so drunk. I think she got kicked out that night.

2 weeks later this wonderful woman returns. Once again...she is WASTED!! This time she decided to buy a CD. She got out some of her money...and one of the dollar bills was pretty crinkled up. So...being the thoughtful woman that she was she LICKED the bill to help in straightening it out. Then she hands it to me with a straight face. Once again...thank god for hand sanitizer.

We all know that money is dirty....but I would prefer that I don't see the bills getting soiled in front of my face!

Go Green! Go White!

2007-08-26T14:07:00.000-07:00

As summer comes to a close I am starting to get homesick.

Missing friends and family is a given...but one of the things that I will miss most about Michigan is the Fall. I love experiencing the four seasons. Sure...being in summer like weather all year around is fine...but to be honest...it gets boring! I don't think I could ever permanently live in California. I would really just miss fall too much!!

Fall is my favorite season If you have never spent a fall in Michigan you do not know what you are missing. First of all the changing of the leaves is absolutely beautiful. It's like the whole state is putting on a beautiful show for you.

I lived in Northern Michigan for a year when I worked for Chrysler....and it is so amazing just to drive around while the leaves are changing.

The weather is absolutly perfect. The kind of weather where you can wear jeans and a nice comfy sweater. The cider mills open up and you can go get some fresh cider and yummy donuts. I hate donuts ... but nothing beats a fresh cider mill donut!

The most depressing part of not being in Michigan??? Missing tailgating season. I love my alma mater Michigan State. I bleed Green & White! Every year we make sure to at least go to a few tailgates. Tailgates at Michigan State are legendary!

In the good ol' days you had to get in line at like 2am to get a "good spot". Now, some rules have changed and you are not actually allowed to line up. However...we still get there early!

We do it up big time. Chocolate chip pancakes, sausages, bloody marys, hot apple cider with rum...and thats just breakfast!

I hope I will be able to find some kind of Michigan State Alumni bar out here. I just dread the thought of watching a State game without having some of my Sparty's around me!

People do not mess around with tailgates in these parts. I cherish my saturday mornings that I spent with all of my friends on the campus of Michigan State. I will miss you guys this year! Make sure to think of me while you are playing flip cups!

A Day In The Life of a Merchandise Jocky

2007-08-23T21:01:00.000-07:00

So I thought I would show you the exciting thing that I do while Eric performs.

The happy merchandise employees hard at work

Working merchandise is obviously a huge jump from where I use to be before Jersey Boys. I hated my job at Chrysler. I was extremely unhappy and I knew it was not the place for me. I was very excited to leave when Eric booked Jersey Boys. However, it was a pretty big shift to go from working a 50 - 60 hour week to working the merch counter a few hours a night.

When I first started at Chrysler I was working in the Customer Relations department. Every day from 8 - 5 I took phone calls or e-mails from people complaining about their cars. Every phone call was someone yelling at me. I was called every fowl name you could ever imagine. So...I think we can all assume that I know how to deal with people.

Never in my life have I dealt with more annoying people then when working the merchandise counter for Jersey Boys. I have lost just a little respect for the human race after working this job.

Today I would like to just list some of my favorite (please note the sarcasm) questions/comments that are asked.....

What is the difference between these CD's - Ok, please reference the pictures below. We have 2 cd's. Thats it just 2. Please note how they clearly say "Jersey Boys" and "The Best of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons". Apparently people do not know how to read now a days because at least 75% of the people that come to the counter look at me in bewilderment and ask what the difference is. How I yearn every day to look and them and say "Read the titles"!!!!
I will take a Jersey Boys shirt - We have about 10 shirts. All of them say "Jersey Boys". I love it when people walk up and just say...I will have a Jersey Boys shirt. Well, all of our shirts say Jersey Boys...which one were you referring to????? Then they look at me weird when I ask which one they desire. Sorry Sir...I am not a mind reader.
Do you have a "Jersey Girls" Shirt? - well...considering that the show is called JERSEY BOYS. No. Yeah, I think I said that to someone once. Well Ma'am, the show is not called Jersey Girls so we don't produce shirts like that.
(while walking around the theatre with a bag selling programs/cd's)Do you take Credit Cards? Yeah....let me just get the credit card machine out of my pocket. Have you ever seen a vendor walking around with a credit card machine??? I have not. I mean we have one at the counter but I don't lug one around while I am cruising around the theatre...sorry!
Can you get this CD anywhere else?? Yes, our CD's are expensive. They are $25 a piece and I admit they are overpriced. But everything you buy at the theatre is overpriced. A coke is $3...candy bar $3....etc. Do you walk into Best Buy and ask them if the product is cheaper at Circuit City? No....

And now...I would like to reenact a lovely patron that came and visited me today. I was lucky to have her as my first customer of the evening...so she put me in a super mood!!

Lady: Where are your sweatshirts? I want the sweatshirt that says "Big Girls Don't Cry"

Me: I am sorry we do not have that kind of sweatshirt

Lady: Well the bartender outside said she has one

Me: Sorry we do not sell that...maybe she got it somewhere else?

Lady: No ... she got it here. She told me.

Me: Sorry we do not make that shirt...maybe she made it herself!?!

Lady: NO! She works here! She would know!!!!

Me: Well, I apologize ma'am but I work for the tour and we do not sell that shirt in a sweatshirt

Lady (to friend): wow, this girl is a bitch

Me: **Smile**

Lady: Ok, I will take the "Big Girls Don't Cry" t-shirt

**Ok, lets pause. Our womens shirts run VERY small. I wear a large and if I were to wash it in warm water it would be way too small. The shirts are also 100% cotton so they shirk very easily. I tell everyone to get 1 - 2 sizes higher than you normally would. Currently...we are out of Large's and X-tra larges**

Me: (I was not trying to be mean...I promise....I was in no way saying anything about this womans weight) I am sorry we only have Small and Medium we are all out of Large and X-tra Large

Lady: I would NEVER wear those sizes ... How Rude!!! I will take a medium.

**I show her the medium and you can tell in her eyes that she realizes it is too small. Even her friend said..wow that is really small...I think she bought the shirt just to spite me. Thats fine...hope it fits!**

So...thats a day in the life of merchandise girl.

Moral of the story: if you come to see Jersey Boys...I beg you. Read the CD titles :)

I am a Celebra-whore!

2007-08-23T08:14:00.000-07:00

I have a problem.

I admit it....I am somewhat of a "Celebrity Whore". I read all those junk magazines...you know the ones...US Weekly, People, etc....

I also religously check out Perez Hilton everyday to get my up to the minute celebrity gossip.

Whenever we go to Las Vegas I am alway walking around with my eyes peeled hoping to "see" someone.

Now don't get me wrong. I am not a crazy person. I really just want to "see" people.....I rarely go up to anyone to take a picture or ask for an autograph.

Since being in Los Angeles, I have to admit, I have been a little disappointed. I expected it to be the mecca of all celebrity sightings....especially, since Jersey Boys is such a huge show. I sit at a merchandise booth that overlooks the main entrance. So I basically just stare at the doors the whole time waiting for someone fun to come in.

Sure....there have been some random people here and there. Dustin Hoffman was at the show about a week ago. But where are the Brad Pitts? The John Mayers? The David Beckhams? Don't they like musicals too?!?!?

Here is my other thing. I get really excited about totally random celebrities. Angelina Jolie could walk by me and I would just shrug my shoulders. But if Nicole Richie came in...whew...I would probably pee my pants.

I LOVE the show Felicity. If Felicity is on TV I will watch the repeat no matter how many times I have seen it. Last night was one of my random celebrity moments. Greg Grunberg (who is currently on the show heroes and was also on Felicity) was at the show last night. Eric is obsessed with Heroes....so I knew that I had to tell Greg to come backstage. At intermission I was walking around selling programs and I saw him. I knew I had to say something.

Greg was possibily the nicest person I had ever met. He was so kind and so excited about the show. I asked him if he would mind going backstage after as the cast would love to meet him. He was so exited! His answer: "I would be HONORED to go backstage".

I had to include this one for Heroes fans. On the show Greg reads minds. During the second act Eric was saying "If he comes backstage I am totally going to make a comment about him reading my mind". I told him he was a dork and we moved on. When we were taking the picture, Greg actually turned to Eric and said..."Ok, lets take a picture of me reading your mind". I think Eric's heart may have skipped a beat just a little..

Here are just a few other random pics....

Eric and some of the cast of Jersey Boys with Paul Stanley from KISS

With Camryn Mainheim

With Julie Haggerty from Airplane! "I am serious, and don't call me Shirley"

Eric with Garry Marshall

So...if anyone knows Nicole Richie....give her my number. I would love to give her a baby shower present!

I never thought I would say this....

2007-08-22T12:39:00.000-07:00

But I am going to miss Los Angeles.

I was loathing coming to LA. I thought that I was going to HATE it.

But to be honest...I am going to really miss this crazy town.

First of all....Toby the dog loves it here. He has a nice backyard to hang out in and a dog park just down the street. He is so happy when he can just hang out in the sun all day.

The next city we are going to is Sacramento. We did not have time to find alternate housing so this will be our first experience with company housing. Basically, 90% of the cast will be staying in the Best Western. Yea, you heard me right. For 3 weeks we will be staying at a Best Western....where we may or may not have a small fridge and microwave. It will definitely be an experience. The only good thing is a lot of the people in the cast have dogs...so Toby will have lots of playmates while we are there.

Back to me missing LA.

LA is crazy. It has everything. Great food...crazy people....delicious frozen yogurt (see earlier post...)....and so many crazy ways to stay in shape.

I have never seen so many crazy workout programs. We already know that I did my stripper aerobics class...but every day I hear about a new program out there to keep you in shape. Here are just a few of them:

Spy School - At Spy School they teach you what would happen if you became a spy. Classes include how to take out an assailant, climb a building, rappel off a thirty foot cliff, belly dance (because I guess all spys belly dance) and much more. They say at the end of your 8 week class you will emerge with a "Bond-like" body. All of this can be yours for a small pricetag of amout $1500.
Trapeze School - Have you ever wanted to go on the flying trapeze? Well here in LA you can! There are actually several schools in the Los Angeles area that you can learn how to soar through the air.

Hoopnatica - Hoopnatica claims that you can get the best abs of your life by doing a workout based on a childhood toy. The hula hoop!

I mean...I think you get the pictures. Basically...if you ever get bored of the treadmill and free weights come to Los Angeles and you will never have a problem again being bored while working out.

This week we get to start packing up our stuff. It is pretty hard living out of a suitcase and we are not looking forward to putting all of our crap back in the car. We tried to consolidate and throw out as many things as we could....but we still have way too much stuff. As hard as we try...we keep accumulating more and more things. The next 9 days should be interesting...esp since we really have no more days off.

Since we are leaving on Friday they are squeezing every last performance out of the cast. We usually have at least Monday off...but they even have a show then! Not to mention 2 shows on Wednesday and 2 on Thursday. Oh...did I mention that the cast is in rehearsals all day this week from 12 - 5. I feel pretty bad for them. They are in rehearsals all day and then have a show at night. They are all extremely exhausted...and I am pretty sure the next official day off is not until Labor Day.

Well...I guess I should go work on that packing thing that I keep putting off.

Until next time....

(Toby pouting because he has to leave LA)

(Jersey) Boyz in the Hood

2007-08-18T20:19:00.000-07:00

I feel like in every movie you watch....if something "bad" is going on in the Los Angeles area...it is happening on Crenshaw St.

I was reading online that some of the best bbq in LA was at this place called "Phillip's" on Crenshaw. I knew the second I read about the place I needed to go.

I will go anywhere for good food.

When I told Eric about the place...and where it was...he was not that pumped about going. THEN he read the reviews and agreed that we had to go.

Lets backtrack for just one second. I have to tell you how proud I am of my husband. When I met him he was just a pb&j/mac& cheese type of guy. Now...I really think I have turned him into a foodie. He is always willing to try stuff at least once....and he is more than happy to join me on all of my food quests. I think I was the most proud when he turned to me one day and said..."Can we get sushi tonight". Ahhh...the things that make me happy :)

ANYWAYS....back to the hood. We decided that we would try the bbq in between shows today.

So we get off the freeway and I immediately say...."I think it's right there". How did I know? Well there was a huge cloud of bbq smoke billowing out of the restaurant. We knew this was going to be good.

I had read online that the counter staff at this place could be compared to the Soup Nazi on Seinfield. In other words...you better know what you want or they will yell at you. There is even a sign when you walk in on HOW to order....

I told Eric he was in charge of ordering...he was a bit nervous. We step up to the counter and give our order: "Rib tips & 1/2 chicken both with mixed sauce (combo of the mild and hot), baked beans & potato salad, some red velvet cake and a diet coke"...and breathe...

The lady turns to him and goes: Good Job

Eric: Thanks, this is our first time here...we wanted to order right

BBQ Lady: Child, that was perfect. There are people that have been coming here for the last 20 years that don't order as well as you do.

Success!

Then we wait....the smell is overpowering. It smells sooooo good! It seems like it took forever to get our eats.

While we waiting we did get to read nice signs like this (hope it is readable - sorry all the pics are kind of fuzzy we forgot my camera and had to take pics with erics phone):

Finally our number was called. The meal was soooo good. The sauce was out of this world. The ribs were so juicy and the chicken was cooked to perfection. I swear to you right now...my mouth is watering just thinking about it. I am just sad that we did not also get the brisket...oh well..maybe we will just have to go back!

Oh...I didn't even mention my red velvet cake. I read somewhere that the red velvet cake is made by the owners grandma in her home kitchen. It was the best red velvet cake I have ever had. The cake was so moist and the frosting was amazing....only thing it was missing was a cup of milk.

Now...I am super excited for Texas. If the bbq in LA is this good....I can hardly imagine what I can find in Houston!

The War in Los Angeles

2007-08-16T21:56:00.000-07:00

There is a war going on in Los Angeles.

Not a war that involves guns or knives....but one that involves yogurt.

Yup...frozen yogurt.

Of course I have had frozen yogurt before. Who doesn't have a TCBY in their neighborhood. But this my friends not the frozen yogurt you may be use to.

It all started with a place called Pinkberry.....or as many people call it "Crackberry"

So what is pinkberry? It is a frozen yogurt that tastes like yogurt (simple enough). The yogurt itself is tangy and stiff, without an strong artifical sweetner taste that many frozen yogurts have. Oh..did I mention it is non-fat? Pinkberry only has 2 flavors...original and green tea. You can pick from several different toppings...my favorites are the fresh fruit ones (strawberry, mango and blueberry to be exact) but there are also dry toppings (cereals, yogurt chips, nuts).

Since Pinkberry opened there have been TONS of imitators in the Los Angeles area. I am not kidding when I say there is a war. Google "Yogurt Wars and Los Angeles" and you will get a ton of articles about the frozen yogurt frenzy that is happing in these parts. There is seriously a new fro-yo place popping up on every corner. Pinkberry opened in 2005...today there are over 20 Pinkberry's in the Los Angeles area...and that does not include the hundreds of other "natural yogurt" stores that have cropped up since.

When I first got to LA I knew I had to try pinkberry. The first time Eric & I went we were like...eh...its ok. I enjoyed it...but I didn't think it was anything THAT special. Eric...did not like it at all.

Then...I kept wanting to go back!! I recently read an article that included a quote that totally sums up how we felt: "The first time you try it, you're like -- 'Eh,' and then you're like, 'Did I eat that whole thing?' And then the next day you are like, 'I could really go for a Pinkberry right now.' "

At first Eric would not even order one. Then...he kept eatting more and more bites of mine. Finally one day he turns to me and says...."ok...I like Pinkberry now".

Now he gets his own!

I am ashamed to tell you how often we eat frozen yogurt (or how much money we spend on it...pinkberry is not cheap!). Lets just say we found a pinkberry on the way to work....and this week...I have had a frozen yogurt every day on the way into the theatre.

We leave Los Angeles at the end of this month. It will be a sad sad day when I have to say goodbye to my dear Pinkberry.

I read an article that they are thinking about opening a store in San Diego...I just hope it opens by the time we get there!!!

My Aerobics Obsession....sorry dad!

2007-08-14T14:49:00.000-07:00

I feel weird blogging about one of my favorite workouts that I have ever participated in.

Why? Well....I know that my dad .... and my grandma read my blog. But...being that I am getting close to 30 (shhhhh.....) I guess I can talk about whatever I want!

Anyways....a while ago I was watching Oprah and they had a segment on things to make a woman feel good about herself. One of the interviews was with a woman by the name of Sheila Kelly. She started a workout program called "S-Factor". I was so amazed by the segment and thought in the back of my head...I want to try this!!

When we got into Los Angeles I had totally forgot about that Oprah show. One day I was talking to my friends and she mentioned that she had to go to her class. I immediately remembered that segment and logged onto the website to see when the next session started.

I was in luck! A class was starting the next week!!!

So what is S-Factor? Basically...the workout is inspired by yoga, ballet, striptease and pole dancing. Yes Dad and Bubi...I said striptease and pole dancing. The class really stresses that women don't have to be afraid of their bodies or the way their bodies naturally want to move. No matter if you have a big butt or a stomach that is not so flat...every woman is sexy.

Their mission is:

· discover a new, fun way to get into shape

· empower ourselves with boosted confidence, self-esteem and positive body image

· create a global network of women who take healthy ownership of their sexuality, requiring their bodies to be respected and honored, rather than abused or exploited.

I never thought an aerobics class could be so empowering. It really has changed how I feel about myself as well as my overall body image. You leave class each week have a huge boost of confidence. Anyone that is around an S-Factor studio I really suggest you try it out. Yes...it is a tad on the expensive side....but every week I could not wait to go to my 2 hour class....and every week when I walked out the door I was counting down the hours until I could walk into the studio again.

The classroom is unlike any aerobics studio...no mirrors....dark red lights...candles...and oh yea...stripper poles.

The first hour is a pilates/yoga inspired workout....but in a sassy way! The second hour is pole tricks (so fun!) and a dance that use in class each week.

Oh yeah...you have to get a pair or stripper shoes. 6 inch heels baby.

Yes....those are my feet.

The workouts were hard! I woke up every week after class with my abs killing and my thighs sore. It wasn't all just fun...remember...this is an "aerobics" class.

Today was my last class. There are 6 levels in s-factor so if I was staying in Los Angeles I would be quickly signing up for level 2. Sadly...we leave L.A. at the end of this month and s-factor studios are only in certain cities.

I was really upset when driving home today. You really bond with everyone in your class and your instructor. It has been such a fabulous experience and I will truly miss it.

I am hoping when I am in Orange County I get there just at the right time to fit in an 8 week class.....crossing my fingers!!!!

NFR (aka...not food related)

2007-08-13T10:14:00.000-07:00

Okay...I need to talk about one of my other addictions.

Dogs.

I (of course) am obsessed with my fabulous dog Toby:

Eric and I got Toby when we were still living in Michigan. I was searching on petfinder.com one day and came across his adorable face. My friend Nicole was looking for a dog at the time and I sent her the link. She also thought he was adorable...but didn't think it was really the right time for a dog.

I could not get his face out of my head. I sent the link to Eric and we went back and forth discussing if it was the right time to bring a dog into our lives. Finally he said...just email the
people and see if he is still available.

Little did he know...I had already sent them an email.

Petfinder adoption people are very picky (and they should be...many of these dogs have gone through some very rough times). I never imagined that they would contact us. Before we knew it we had a CRAZY little guy in our house.

We are obsessed with Toby. He is very spoiled...he gets way too many toys...we talk about him all the time...we whip out our phones at moments notice to brag about his cute face...he gets pricey dog food....he basically rules our household.

I found some of the cutest pet boutiques in San Fran. Toby even got a nice new collar when we were there (http://www.bellabeancouture.com/). The place is adorable and has some of the cutest dog collars I have ever seen!

I am currently in the market for some bling for Toby. He needs a new dog tag as his name is almost completely scratched off his current tag.

what do you think?? (these are all from another super cute pet boutique in San Fran Osso & Co)

I think I am leaning twords the devil.

Anyways...back to my addiction. I really am addicted to all dogs. Every dog that I see on the street I have to point out. I randomly go on petfinder.com to find a playmate for Toby. AND....every day I check out http://dailypuppy.com/

Toby makes us so happy. We feel lucky every day that he is on the road with us. Sure...it makes traveling a little more difficult. But...coming home every day to his smiling face makes it all worthwhile.

I love good food

2007-08-12T12:25:00.000-07:00

I love good food.

Good food is my vice. Some people buy a lot of shoes...or spend a ton of money on cars.

I have a spending problem when it comes to good eats.

Whenever we are in a new town I am scouring the papers, citysearch and my new favorite website Yelp for the best restaurants in town. Unique places that really have a personality are my favorite. I have already convinced Eric to take me to a certain restaurant when we are in Sacramento (yes...I research restaurants before we get into new towns).

This weekend I was in Huntington Beach visiting my friends. On Friday...a few of my girl friends went out to a FABULOUS breakfast/lunch.

My friend Kim (who loves food just about as much as I do) took us to this amazing place in San Juan Capistrano called: Ramos House.

I LOVE the idea behind the place. The owner of the restaurant (a hottie 30-something punk rocker type of guy) lives and works on the premisis. All of the herbs are grown in the garden overlooking the restaunt and the ice cream is turned out back.

The delicious menu changes daily and everything is made from scratch.

We all got something different so we could eat off each others plates. You have to love 4 chicks that don't care about how many carbs or how much cheese is on the plate. Everything was amazing...I cannot explain how delicious the food was.

*****

My friend Lorelei and I love some good bloody mary's. Nothing beats drinking a spicy drink during a saturday morning football tailgate. We truely thought we had perfected our drink...and we are not scared to say we pride ourselves on making them for people (hey...it took a while to figure out our perfect recipe).

Lorelei and I were put to SHAME at this restaurant. Can you say homemade picked green beans and a crab claw in the drink?? The picture does not do it justice!

Eric is on as a lead for the 2 shows today...so I am off to sell some t-shirts and then watch the show.

Have a good sunday!

I caved....

2007-08-11T22:10:00.001-07:00

I love reading blogs.

I have about 20+ blogs on my google reader.

I always have people telling my I should start my own. I have to be honest...I am a bit nervous about it. I don't think I am the best writer...I use to be....but somewhere between college and corporate america I lost my flare for creative writing.

ANYWAYS...I was at lunch this weekend with my friends Kim, Lorelei & Nicole and we were talking about how I have an addiction to researching things. Every new town I am in I try to find the best food, attractions, hotels, frozen yogurt, dog parks...you get the drift...and they made me realize that I have to share my problem with other people.

Thus...the new blog was started!!

I think mostly everyone that would read this knows my back round...but let me just give you the short story to catch you up.

I was working as a marketing manager in the International department at DaimlerChrysler. I HATED my job. HATED IT. I was very extremely unhappy there. It just was not the place for me. Unfortunately...I had a mortgage, a car payment and I just could not quit. One day my very talented husband (at that time fiancee) was cast in a little show called "Jersey Boys".

And from there the craziness began....

I quit my job and we went on the road. We were in New York for a month...from there we packed up the car and I drove cross country with my friend Liz to our new home in San Francisco (where we stayed for 6 mths) and now Eric and I (and our adorable dog Toby) are currently in Los Angeles.

...oh yea....and somewhere along the way we were also planning a wedding then getting married.

Next month the "real tour" starts. By real tour I mean we spend 3 - 5 weeks in each city...living out of a suitcase...cooking dinners on our hotplate...and finding stuff to write about along the way!

Well...I am in the green room at the theatre and the show is about to end. So...I guess that is it for now.

Until next time......