A Very Merry and White Christmas

The weekend before Christmas, my husband and I stocked up on goodies at the Sunset Valley Farmer's Market for our Christmas feast. We bought cauliflower, apples, sweet potatoes, butternut squash and buttercup squash. I find myself getting more and more excited about preparing new and traditional dishes with whatever is fresh at the market. So as drove up to Dallas on Christmas Eve, I googled recipes and used the Whole Foods app on my iPhone for inspiration. Much to my surprise, it began snowing around Lorena and didn't stop until we arrived at my parents white lawn. White Christmas!



On Christmas morning, we began conjuring up our dishes and had an amazingly delicious and comforting meal. Smoked turkey, giblet gravy, my mom's cornbread dressing, cranberry sauce, roasted butternut & buttercup squash (me), mashed cauliflower (me), sweet potato casserole with candied pecans (me), pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and my husband's apple pie.

After visiting with family, watching a town of movies, playing Wii, eating more than our weight, we headed back home yesterday. The traffic began backing up in Waco so we headed over to Cameron Park to enjoy the sunshine and crisp air and to treat our dog Izzy for being so good. She was in for a real treat!



There are over 20 miles of multi-use trails. We hiked on one of the running trails that wound its way through a Bamboo forest and along the river.



It reminded me so much of Percy Warner Park in Nashville. Twisty winding roads that you can run or ride on, mountain bike/running/horse trails, frisbee golf, picnic areas. It's a wonderful park. Next time, we're bringing the bikes!

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday with friends and family!

For those pecan lovers in your life

Need something for that Texan that has a real hankering for pecans, hot sauce, and all things Texas? Head out to Navidad Farms out on 290 West between Oak Hill and Dripping Springs. I pass this store on the way to my office every day and picked up a few gifts for the pecan-lovers in my life. Whole shelled pecans, chewie pecan pralines, chocolate covered pecans, longhorns, pepper jelly, hot sauce, southern pecan flavored coffee, candies, gift boxes (like the one pictured) and well just about anything else "Texas" that you can think of. My personal favorite is the chewie pecan pralines and whole shelled pecans for Christmas pies. Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

No longer an office with a view

Last Wednesday, I posted about this tree outside my office here. I surmised that the leaves would be gone in about a week's time. Unfortunately I was right. Sigh.

How to avoid collisions with cars from RunnersWorld.com

I was contacted by Runner's World a couple of weeks to comment on legal and safety issues for runners who run on the road. What began as a small story turned into a major feature article in this month's issue - "Collision Course". You can click on the link below to go directly to the story. Lots of great tips and discussion on road running, safety, and the dangers of running in traffic. Watch for my "quote" on the Safe Passing bill here in Texas where I discuss the lack of advocacy on behalf of runners.

As I noted in the article, most running organizations are solely focused on training and lack representation on capital hill which is troubling because pedestrians account for the largest number of fatalities in collisions other than auto/auto. Pedestrian fatalities in pedestrian/car accidents far outnumber cyclist fatalities in auto/bicycle collisions yet there are many cycling organizations that advocate for legislation that protects cyclists and/or "vulnerable road users" on the road. I'm very happy that Runner's World picked up the need for runner advocacy and highlighted it in the story. I only hope that running groups and/or runners will begin demanding rights on the road or at the very least joining the efforts of other organizations who are working toward making the road safer for all users. If you're a runner, get involved - lead the effort - join forces - go to www.biketexas.org and find out how this organization is trying to get a Safe Passing ordinance passed in cities across Texas.

How to avoid collisions with cars from RunnersWorld.com

Amazing Barton Creek Falls

What a morning. The hubby and I got up, had our coffee, and hiked down the trail to Barton Creek Falls with Izzy. Much to our surprise, Izzy decided to jump in when she saw three golden labs on the other side playing in the water. We were surprised because we have tried many times to get her to swim but to no avail. Today, she was so excited to see the dogs that she just HAD to jump in to get to them. Unfortunately, she couldn't and they ran further down the river out of sight. She followed suit scampering along the banks, climbing over rocks and finally stopping short when she saw these fast moving rapids. She didn't dare jump in - much to our relief! We had a dickens of a time keeping up with her but it was such great fun watching her. It's such a wonderful thing seeing her running at top speed and bounding through the brush. And the falls were absolutely beautiful. To think, that just a few months ago, there were no falls and the creek was dry as a bone. If only we had a kayak!

A stroll around downtown

Yesterday the weather was amazing (high 50s and sunny) so we grabbed our hats and scarves and took Ms. Izzy for a stroll and shopping downtown. I don't know why we haven't done this more often. Free parking, breakfast tacos, bloody marys and lots of little boutiques. Plus, most of the stores and restaurants with patios are dog friendly so your dog can shop right along with you. And there were so many bicycles parked everywhere. Our favorite stop was Estilo, a fashion boutique for men and women, on 2nd. I couldn't resist picking up a few items for me and for my husband. Something for each of us under the tree.