Shed Complete (I think?)

Today I (finally) finished painting the shed. Turns out, it was a much bigger under taking than I imagined.

Kelsey helped me get started a few weeks ago, I did some work on my own and then Jess helped me with the finishing touches today. Needless to say, this would have taken twice as long without their help and I'm not sure I could have survived that. Between the heat and hand cramps, I feel like such a wimp but painting is hard work!

I'm proud of how it turned out although I had hoped the green would be a little darker. It's a little mintier than I wanted but there is no way I'm doing a second coat.

So what's next? Well, we'll continue to eat the fruits (er, veggies) of our garden and begin to work on building out a patio area near the shed.

We (er, Carl) also bought a condo that we'll lease out. At least for now. It's really close to my work (literally I can walk to work) but our current plan is to stay in my house and eventually move into this condo and then build a house out in Dripping Springs on the land he has out there.

Owning multiple homes wasn't necessarily part of where I thought my life would head. But that's probably because there's no way I could afford to do that alone.

It's fun to have a cool, modern condo and think about what it will be like (one day) for us to live in there.

In the meantime, we'll enjoy our mint green shed:

Livin' Off The Land

Ok, we're not really living off our garden now BUT we are getting creative with what we do.

We have so much basil and mint (anybody need any?) that we had to do something with it.

So we made pesto and mint syrup (thanks to Ken's idea) this past weekend. I plan to freeze some of the mint syrup in ice cube trays so you have ready to drink mojitos (just add rum and club soda) and the pesto we're going to eat this Friday with some gnocchi, fresh mozzarella and some of our tomatoes.

I'm guessing our eggplants will be ready to eat next week so I'm sure we'll grill them and/or make some eggplant parm. And our green peppers are coming along nicely.

Road Trip

Carl and I took our first vacation together this past week. While we were in Marfa a couple of months ago we decided to take a week long road trip to New Mexico. Both because I'd never been and he's been a lot and wanted to show me some of his favorite spots.

Neither of us had been to Taos, though, so we decided to start the trip there and then head south to some of Carl's favorite camping and climbing spots.

I took notes during the trip so I wouldn't forget the details but there is no way this blog will live up to the actual experience. So many of the details won't be as amusing to others but Carl and I crack ourselves up so we had a great time.

Brace yourself. This post is a doozie.

Day 1 started with a 13 hour drive to Taos. I (of course) brought along many hours of car ride entertainment - audio books, crosswords, book of questions and snacks aplenty. Miraculously the long drive went by quickly. We got to Taos around dinner time and got food from a local restaurant that Kelsey and her parents recommended.

Day 2 was spent being lazy in the morning - sleeping in, making breakfast and planning our day. We decided to hike up Taos ski valley and picked a short 7.5 mile round trip hike. This may be the most intense hike I've ever done. Not only because we started at 9000 feet elevation (and climbed over 2500 more) and my breath was harder to catch but it was steep and windy.

It was a beautiful hike and Carl was very patient with my need to take many breaks. I almost stopped about 50 feet short of the top because I was just so tired but I pushed through (mostly because Carl was going to go with or without me) and I'm so glad I did. The hike took us over 4 hours and we were pretty worn out that night. We went out for a nice dinner and were asleep by 10ish (a theme throughout most of the trip).

Day 3 led us out of Taos after stopping in town for some coffee. We drove through Santa Fe and made a quick stop in Albuquerque at REI and Whole Foods to stock up on camping, climbing and food supplies.

We got to The Enchanted Tower around 6pm and set up camp. Now I've been camping before. In fact I lived in a tent for almost 2 months in Americorps but we had bathrooms and showers accessible. This was a bit more primitive. We had to pump and filter our own water from a cow trough, shower outdoors by letting the water heat up in a sun shower and there were no bathrooms to speak of. I was prepared for this so it didn't bother me. What I wasn't prepared for was the mass amounts of flies and wannabees (our names for the flies who look like bees but are really just more annoying flies).

Day 4 started after a great night of sleeping in the tent with a cool breeze. We slept in and got up to make coffee, bacon and eggs. This is when the flies and wannabees swarmed in. There were so many it got to be comical - watching Carl and I use our flip flops to swat them away. During this time I managed to spill hot coffee on myself (twice) and get stung by a bee. I was pretty close to tears of frustration but was really trying to stay positive.

We packed up our stuff and began our hike up to the climbing spots. I'm still trying to stay positive and focus on making the most of the day. The fact that there were less flies at the higher altitude of climbing helped my mood but it still took me awhile to bounce back.

I've only climbed a few other times and still have a lot to learn. There's so much about climbing that's mental. Clearly you need physical strength too but you need to understand how it works and get past your own fears. Carl was (as usual) very patient with me - even when I wouldn't even look him in the eyes because I was trying to (not very successfully) fight back tears.

I managed to bounce back from my sour mood (which I think Carl was most appreciative of) and got a good last climb in, improved my skills in belaying him so he could have a few good climbs and had another early night to bed after hot dogs, apple sauce and cookies for dinner (yep, we ate like 5 year olds).

Day 5 started much better - less flies due to our much earlier wake up. We both love leisurely mornings with many cups of coffee and good breakfasts. So mornings have always been a great time for us to spend together.

We decided, since we were having an early start to our day, that we'd leave this camp spot a day early after an afternoon of more climbing. This day of climbing was so much better! I did two climbs right away without the hesitation, fear and insecurities I had from the day before. I was so proud of myself and loved how proud Carl was of me. He then, once again, had an amazing climb. He is so confident and skilled in climbing that I love watching him do it - everything from the process of how he'll do it to watching him actually succeed. His dedication is pretty inspirational.

So we hit the road in the early afternoon with the plan of driving about 5 hours to the next camp site in Sitting Bull Falls in Lincoln National Park.

Unfortunately we didn't make it. We knew there had been a terrible fire in the park in late April and was temporarily closed. It remains closed 6 weeks later so we tried to come up with an alternate plan. Then the lightning and heavy rain set in. At this point, we're near Carlsbad, NM and it's 10pm. We can either stay in a hotel or persevere and drive through the night. After a quick meal at Sonic (and a jump start from a local) we decided to drive straight home - an approximately 8 hour drive.

Carl did most of the driving but thanks to an audio book, some delirium and good music, we got home safely at 7:30am. We crashed out for a few hours and now get an entire weekend in Austin before going back to work on Monday.

While the day by day recap gives you all the details of what we did, where we went and how far we drove (almost 1900 miles), it wouldn't be me if I didn't summarize the most memorable parts of the trip with a list:

1.our first food stop in Lampasas and being served by a woman wearing blue glitter eye shadow (at 8am)

2. playing the longest game of trival pursuit (90s edition) EVER

3. drinking the smallest espresso ever at a restaurant in Taos

4. going to bed before sunset

5. hearing a bear (and later having nightmares that I heard many other animals)

6. stopping at Camel Rock outside of Taos (trust me - it's not worth the stop)

7. the names of the towns we passed (I can't write them without offending someone)

8. the morning that I spilled coffee, was stung by a bee and surrounded by flies - all within 5 minutes of waking up

9. car games that included 'listography: your life in lists', which was a gift from Jess. My love of lists actualized. Carl may have rolled his eyes but he willingly participated.

10. eating sea salt and vinegar chips - a staple in mine and Carl's diet, especially on road trips

After spending almost an entire week together with some days where we had no contact with any other people, I think it's safe to say we not only got along, but we didn't get sick of each other. But I think we're both happy to be home, out of the car for a bit and using plumbing again.
Our next vacation is only 4 weeks away, though, so I can't complain too much about going back to work. Maybe just a little.....

Grillin' and Growin'

Carl and I just got back from our New Mexico road trip and I'm working on a blog (in my head) that will cover that adventure, including lots of pictures.

But, before we get side tracked on that excitement, I've been meaning to share an update on our garden. It's a good thing I waited to update after our trip because we came home to (not only a carefully watered garden by my dad) but 46 total tomatoes in various sizes, 3 budding eggplants, 2 more peppers and growing chard and basil!

We've also started composting in the backyard and are doing our best to manage that.

And, one final bit of exciting news is that we got a gas grill! It was actually an early (yes, very early) birthday gift to me from Carl.

I've wanted one for years and with the addition of the shed (which is done and only needs to be painted....I'll still take volunteers to help...). We had Jim, Kelsey, Devon and Nicole over last week to celebrate Jim's college completion and christened the grill with stuffed-to-order burgers inspired by Your Mom's (the site of mine and Carl's first date).

So food is plentiful in the Sileo/Stewart household. Clearly we're very proud of ourselves!

Family Time

Last weekend my Mom and Jack were in town to help Chris take care of Lucie and Audrey while Missy was away on a girls weekend (in Vegas! hard to believe that it was a year ago that I was there for Haley's bachelorette party!)

As always it was great to see them and I'm glad she got to spend some more time with Carl and get to know him better.

We had everyone over to our house for brunch on Saturday. With two little girls, who aren't on the same nap schedule, there's about a 2 hour window (during normal hours) where they can leave the house together.

Carl did most of the cooking and the meal turned out great - eggs benedict, hasbrowns, fruit, cinnamon rolls and mimosas.

Lucie and Audrey made themselves at home - Lucie climbing into chairs and drawing pictures and Audrey crawling all over the place, including getting herself stuck in the coffee table.

I'm reminded how lucky I am to live near them and get to see them so often. They are wonderful, adorable little girls and I can't imagine not enjoying the kisses and snuggles they (luckily) are so willing to give.

The rest of the weekend was great, too, with a clothing swap, trip to the park and more food!

Irish Roots (literally)

This past week was the annual community service day for LIVESTRONG. For the past few years, we've spent half of a day doing volunteer work in the Austin community the rest of the day at our annual picnic. Both are nice events, and a good break from work and our normal routines.

This year we decided to only volunteer at East Austin based organizations as a way to show our support of our local community and neighbors. As the head of our Sustainability Committee at work (note: Sustainability in the green/eco/environmental sense) I was asked to organize one of the activities and contacted our local farmers at Johnson's Backyard Garden (JBG).

They deliver our CSA (community supported agriculture) to work each week and it felt like a great place to give back to. After organizing 20 of my colleagues, we hit the road to JBG on Thursday morning for some potato harvesting. Yep, potatoes.

In true Texas style, we had some crazy weather for a few hours that managed to impact our work; but not our spirit (yes, that's cheesy - but true!)

After about an hour of potato harvesting, which includes shoving your hand (nope, I didn't bring gloves) into some dirt, scooping out a potato plant, pulling off the viable potatoes and tossing the greens, the weather started to change.

The sky was getting very dark, the temperature dropped at least 20 degrees and lightning could be seen in the distance.

The rain began - light and refreshing at first. Within an hour it turned into torrential downpours and hail. We quickly took to shelter and realized our farming was going to be cut short.

Despite my extremely muddy shoes, soaked clothes and dirty hands and nails, I had a great time. I learned something new and felt proud to work side by side with my colleagues who never complained about the hard (and dirty) work.

Updates

I'm sorry that I've been remiss lately in providing updates. I've spent more of my time lately out of town then in town. New York, Boston and St. Louis for work. One more work trip this month and then Carl and I are going on vacation for a week - a road trip to Taos, with stops on the way back across New Mexico and West Texas.

Taos has been on my short list of places to visit for years and since I'm not much of a skiier I'm psyched to go in the summer. Thanks to Kelsey and her parents (who are providing us a place to stay) for all of the great recommendations. I'll definitely blog about our trip when we get back.

I've actually got quite a few vacations lined up this year - more than I've had in many years past, cumulatively.

After New Mexico, we head to Puerto Rico for a wedding and we're spending almost a week there. In September I'm going to the Outer Banks of North Carolina with my family for a week at the beach and then Jess and I are taking our much awaited birthday trip together. In our 7 years of friendship we've never traveled together, which is crazy to me because traveling is so much a part of my life.

So we're heading to Sonoma for a few days to relax, drink wine and explore. Another place that's been on my short list to visit for awhile.

In the meantime, the housing projects are coming along. The shed is so close to being done - only doors are left. I helped Carl some this past weekend to put up the siding. I'm also in charge of painting it. Any takers to help me? Thoughts on color?

The garden is coming along - slowly but surely. After two tomatoes were sadly attacked by some unknown animals we've learned our lesson to pick them a little sooner. We have our first jalapeno as well as tons of herbs and swiss chard sprouting.

So while we can't quite live off our land yet, I'm still pretty excited!