Elementary Cooking: May 2012

We are 2 weeks shy of nearly 2 months without a post. It's like we're doing the opposite of what we set out to do at the beginning of the year. The truth is we've both been a little busy this spring (at least Chelsea has for sure). As a recap, we offer you, our dear readers whom we love for your patience, the events that have transpired over the last (almost) 2 months.

After our trip to Costa Rica we enjoyed a solid 3 weeks of semi-leisure. I had a 10K in late March which I felt went well. Chelsea worked on Saturdays but only for a couple of hours. The month of April was pretty hectic. Chelsea was coming down the homestretch of her first year in grad school. She worked so hard in the month of April and I was not surprised when she received all A's this semester! As for me, my immediate supervisor left for Singapore to find a permanent HR person in the Asia Business Unit. That meant I got a chance to take over some of her responsibilities which I found really exciting. I celebrated my 25th birthday in April with a nice steak dinner and lots of love and gifts from family and friends (the best a person could ever ask for). With my birthday money I bought running shorts, running socks, and running shirts and also received iTunes gift cards (which I've used to buy music that I run to) and Pizza Hut Giftcards. Unfortunately, on my birthday, my grandmother passed away. Candelaria Saravia Marquez passed away at the age of 78. She was a beautiful, strong, single mother of 4 who taught me how to cook and listen attentively. She is greatly missed by all and I take comfort in knowing that she is in a better place.

As soon as May 1st rolled around, Chel and I were really looking forward to the Eau Claire wedding reception for the family and friends who were unable to attend our ceremony and reception in Austin. Chelsea finished her classes and has been able to relax for a few weeks before her first summer school class, which is tomorrow. She passed her time by watching Glee, The Bachelorette, cooking, napping, and watching Revenge (which is a great show by the way...so I've read...) All well deserved I should say, considering her days started at 6:30 AM and ended at 8:30 PM on most days during the semester. Before our trip to Eau Claire, we went to Houston to visit my family and celebrate my mom's birthday/Mother's day. We went out to the Schlitterbahn Water Park in Galveston and got to spend time with my dad, my sister, the babies, and my mom. For dinner we went to the Olive Garden where we decided it was best to never ever look at the nutritional information of their food.

ON TO THE RECEPTION. What an amazing weekend it was. Mary and Greg picked us up on Thursday morning after our 6:30 AM flight (we woke up at 3:40 AM and couldn't really sleep because we were both really excited). We went to Hot Plate in Minneapolis where we enjoyed an amazing breakfast. Afterwards, we drove through the University of Minnesota campus which was beautiful. Once in Eau Claire we relaxed for a few hours before Adam, Andrea, Brady and Kate arrived. Kate is so beautiful! Her eyes are precious and her noises are endearing. Meanwhile, Brady and Tia began their 5-day long adventure in which Tia would join Brady on his van rides across the country and on the swing, among other activities.

Tim, Grandma Goessling, and Uncle Hugh joined us Thursday and we ate Brats with fruit salad. I also discovered Jalapeno mustard. Bless the person who invented this! We played Settlers of Catan and Adam won by a landslide. My strategy failed miserably but I was happy to be spending time with everyone. I especially enjoy the laughter that is guaranteed to happen at the Barnes household. Friday we prepared for the reception and even took the boat out on the lake. Adam and Chel water skied and I swam. Friday night we had No Name steaks (which Chelsea has told me is her favorite meal of all time) and relaxed. Saturday was our big day!

We had all kinds of dessert, potato salad, baked beans, and chicken. Folks began to arrive at 4 PM and so did the storms! Luckily, the storms were not a deterrent for people. We are extremely grateful for everyone who came by considering the weather. It was an excellent time where I got a chance to meet a lot of people from Chelsea's life before we met. I ever introduced myself twice to a couple people I'm sure. But everyone was so nice and cheerful. We definitely felt the love! The chicken was grilled by Dan and Nancy who did an excellent job. And to the party planning committee (Greg and Mary/Mom and Dad) thank you very much for putting this together!

By now, you've invested a lot of time in this post, so a couple more paragraphs won't be too much! Sunday we went over to Fanny Hill where Grandma Goessling invited us, Auntie June, Cousin Debbie, Cousin Sandy, the A Team and Mary and Greg to a nice brunch. The omelettes were everything they should be: full of ingredients, cooked on the spot, and with lots of cheese! The beef was incredible as well. Best of all, we had an excellent view and got another chance to spend time with family. The rest of the day was very relaxing. We ended our day with a trip to the lake where Chel, Adam, and Greg skied and I tubed! My arms do not hurt, but my shoulder does feel a bit weird. I can't wait to tube again! Sunday night we played Catan again and Chelsea won this time. Watch out world, she's coming for you... just not on Monday's from 7 PM to 9 PM when the Bachelorette is on. We both learned some new strategy tips to use against Ted and Leigh- they won't know what hit em.

We are so blessed to have such a wonderful, loving, humorous, generous, and caring family. We really couldn't ask for anything more. We do want to say thanks again to those who came to the party and overjoyed us with not only your presence but also your presents. Below are some pictures from the weekend. Until next time friends!