Gretel with Ted

Dad with the wine rack I gave him

Gretel and me

Ted, Blueberry, and me

Dad's somewhat anatomically correct gingerbread man

Shamus, Pazza, and me

Rusty and me

I don't look too excited, but I am. Rusty gave me a trip to Amsterdam with him sometime this year.

Ted opening his stocking

Mom with her stocking

My birthday gift from Rusty. I love warm pajamas.

Rusty with Gretel

Christmas, etc.

Christmas has come and gone and it's almost time to really start training for the season. I received the first part of my training program this week and I'll be ready to jump in on the 1st. My body will be a little shocked at first, but in a good way. I'm excited to start getting fit after taking it pretty easy for a while. I'll be racing with Ti Cycles in 2007 and I think we'll have a lot of fun.

Ted and I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas in Pullman before heading to Mom and Dad's to do a belated Christmas there with them and Rusty. We also celebrated the birthdays of Dad, Rusty, and me, as our birthdays all happened within the past month.

No big New Years plans this year, though I'm sure we'll end up doing something around here. Now for some new photos.

Pazza has grown a bit.

A year ago

Following the sun

Christmas gift for Ted's mom.

Chicago hot dogs

I'm no lady!

Work has kept me pretty busy since I got back from Albuquerque. Getting up at 5 am again, along with having a cold, and actually riding my bike, have made me a bit tired lately. Needless to say, I haven't gotten much done with starting a personal chef business, though I have been brainstorming for names. Any ideas? Send them my way.

I'm done with all my Christmas shopping and almost everything is wrapped and under the tree. I'm usually the one who is wrapping on Christmas Eve, but I'm doing much better this year. Rusty will be coming home on the 26th and will stay here for a few days before going back to Memphis.

Ted's parents sent us some Vienna Beef hot dogs in the mail this week. For those of you who don't know, Vienna Beef dogs are THE Chicago hot dog. I love them. We got all of the fixings and did them up right: mustard, sweet relish, dill pickle, onion, tomato, celery salt, hot peppers, and cucumber (optional). Yum. Thanks to Phil and Ellie for sending them - they were very much enjoyed; yes, that means they are all gone! Oink, oink.

Time to do a little Christmas baking this weekend. I won't overdo it this year. The dessert I made last year kept everyone awake all night because it was so sugar-loaded. I made meringue snowmen with marzipan scarves and hats, filled with homemade pistachio gelato. They were cute, but I don't think I'll make them again. I'll tone it down a bit this time around.

I was talking with my friend Ben on our group ride last weekend. He and I are about the same age and were talking about how we feel so much older now, especially compared to the incoming freshmen who join the WSU cycling team each year. Ben said, "You know, you're known as a lady now." I said, "What?" Apparently, at the recent WSU team meeting, one of the young guys asked who the "lady" is who comes on all the group rides. Ben couldn't figure out who he was referring to until he described me in detail. When did I become a "lady?" I'm a girl! I'm no lady.

Day 5

I am officially a graduate of the Culinary Business Academy, which is a nice credential to have. Today was spent talking about marketing, followed by our final exam. I won't be looking at any of the material from this week for a few days; I just need to step back from it all for a little while.

After class, I attempted to go into Old Town Albuquerque, which is the oldest part of Albuquerque and has lots of shops. Lots of traffic, coupled with a couple wrong turns, found me back at the hotel. By the time I would have gotten there, most of the stores would have been closing, so my plan is to give it another go tomorrow morning. Hopefully there will be less traffic and I won't get lost. Here's also hoping that I don't push the snooze button too many times - maybe I should put the alarm across the room, just in case!

Ted will be picking me up in Seattle tomorrow evening. Our original plan was to do the cross race there on Sunday, but neither of us feels fit enough to race right now. We haven't exactly been riding much lately. I am definitely looking forward to having the weather and the time to start riding again. I'll be back in the northwest tomorrow.

Day 4

The first part of today was spent in the kitchen, fixing sweet and sour pork and a southwestern vegetarian shepherd's pie. Our lunch break found us all outside, as it was an absolutely beautiful day! It had to be in the 60s here today, and was sunny and calm. I was definitely wishing I could take off for an afternoon bike ride, or at least a run, but I'll have to wait until I'm back in the cold, gray NW for that.

Our afternoon session answered a lot of questions I had... and also created a whole bunch of new ones. We talked about the legality of starting/having a business. Licensing, tax issues, insurance, financial planning, business planning, and accounting were all talked about. There are so many things to look into. Everyone in the class seemed a bit daunted with it all, but many of us also found this portion particularly educational since we know nothing about starting a business. Thankfully I did at least take some accounting, marketing, finance, and business classes in college.

I woke up with a sore throat this morning and it has gotten worse as the day has gone on. Hopefully it doesn't become a full-blown cold. Thank goodness tomorrow is the last day of class. While I've enjoyed the course and it has been very worthwhile, it will also be really good to get home. Rumor has it that Pazza has been a tad destructive while I've been gone. Pieces of a Santa Claus ornament have been found all over the apartment in recent days; a pedal from Santa's tricycle was found upstairs. A three inch hole has also been chewed in a box of Christmas presents I ordered. As long as the Christmas tree is still standing when I get home, it's all okay with me.

Day 3

My head is officially spinning with all of the new information and ideas floating around in it. There is just so much that goes into starting a new business, much of which could not have been learned by looking at websites or reading books; our instructors are current personal chefs themselves, and thankfully are very willing to share all of the things they have done right, and wrong, along the way.

I've realized that many people don't fully understand what a personal chef does. Many people seem to confuse a personal chef with a private chef, the difference being that a private chef cooks exclusively (often daily) for one client. A personal chef, on the other hand, can cook for numerous clients, usually on a monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly basis. The clients often do not have the time to cook, or simply do not enjoy cooking. The personal chef adapts recipes to be freezeable, allowing the client to use them when they choose. Many people cringe at the thought of frozen food, but these are not Healthy Choice and Lean Cuisine; these are high-quality, healthy, gourmet meals built around the client's preferences and needs.

So, today included more cooking, more demos, a test, much more business info, and lots of questions. Tomorrow will be our last day in the kitchen, with Friday spent in the classroom. I may join some of my classmates tomorrow evening for a local holiday celebration in Albuquerque that's supposed to be a lot of fun.

That's all for now.

Day 2

Another long, informative day in New Mexico. The day began in the kitchen, where we had a few demos and then cooked our lunch to be eaten a few hours later; we will be cooking our lunches for the rest of the week. Today we made pan-fried chicken breasts in a basil, lemon, white wine, cream sauce. A sauteed vegetable medley, green salad with numerous dressing choices (made by us, of course), and polenta cups with roasted red peppers, pesto, and mozzarella were the accompaniments. All in all, everything was pretty good.

We had a meat demo after lunch, which was particularly useful to me since I am not the biggest meat fan. Flank steak, round steak, and sirloin steak were all prepared and tasted, not only to show how they should be cooked, but also how they should not be cooked. Let me tell you, some of the meat was like leather.

Pressure cookers have been talked about a lot here and a large chuck roast was cooked in one today - 35 minutes and it was done. I've just heard the horror stories about old-day pressure cookers exploding, but they are apparently much safer today than the original versions. The thought of being able to make homemade stock in 20 minutes is very appealing!

The business portion of the course has been very helpful, bringing up many things I would not have considered on my own. I will definitely need to make my notes a bit more concise when I get home.

The days have been beautiful here - perfectly clear skies and temps in the 50s, but the mornings sure are cold. We're at about 5000 feet here, so I guess it's not surprising that it's been around 20 when I have headed to class in the morning. The worst thing is how dry my skin is here! Ugh.

Okay... off to unwind some more.

Day 1

I'm sitting in my hotel room in Rio Rancho, NM with the first day of the personal chef course behind me. It was a long day and I feel a bit "brain dead" right now, as a lot of information is being crammed into this week. I can tell the class is going to be very beneficial.

There are only six of us in this class (a full class is 12), so we get to interact a lot with the instructors and each other. It's definitely an odd mix of people. I am the youngest and the only one from the northwest. The other two women are from California and Maryland, having previous careers in the corporate world and as a preschool teacher. The three men are from Arizona and Illinois. Half the class already have degrees from culinary schools and are seeking the personal chef lifestyle after working on the restaurant scene.

I spent the whole day in the classroom today, but should get some time in the kitchen tomorrow. I'm sure it'll be another long, informative day!

I stopped to take a photo of this little tree this morning on my way to work.

Full view of the Christmas tree. It didn't look nearly this big when we picked it out. Pazza thinks ornaments are toys and pulls several off each day. She was carrying an angel by the head a couple days ago.

Ted made this for me for my birthday. I came home to find it in the refrigerator. Nice surprise!

Under our new Christmas tree.

Yuck.

Pazza eats breakfast with me every morning

Ted, surrounded by cats

Challah I made for the first Thanksgiving dinner

Me at Steilacoom

Ted racing at Steilacoom

November

Well, my first big cyclocross race went fairly well. I would have accomplished my goals if I hadn't flatted with one lap to go; my goals were to not get lapped and not finish last.

Ted and I were lucky enough to have two fantastic Thanksgiving dinners this year. We spent Thanksgiving Day with his aunt and uncle near Spokane, and had a second dinner on Saturday with my parents. Needless to say, we have a lot of leftovers in the refrigerator.

I'm heading to New Mexico on Sunday to take my personal chef course, so I've been studying all of the materials they sent me. I can tell it's going to be very intensive, with class running all day long. I'm most excited about the business part of it, as that is what I know the least about. I'll be flying in and out of Seattle, so hopefully the drive over/back won't be too treacherous.

I may be leaving at a great time, as it is cold here. The high for tomorrow is going to be 21! Yuck. And, it'll be even colder on Wednesday.

I turn 26 tomorrow. I feel old when I think that I'll be 26.

The cutest kitties ever

What was left of my poor pumpkin

Someone just woke up

Just relaxing

Ted and Pazza

At the start of the state cyclocross championship

Weak Westsiders

State championship titles in bike racing used to seem like a bigger deal. The turnout last weekend in Spokane for the WA state cyclocross championships was piddly. Only eleven men did the men's 1/2 race, and only four women did the women's 1/2 race. Even the (often largest) men's 3 field had only 10 racers. For a state championship? Now, I know some of the more elite cyclocross racers were racing at the UCI race in Boulder, but surely everyone cannot use that excuse. So, where was everyone else?

Westsiders are lame when it comes to making the effort to travel to races. They whine when they have to drive more than two hours to a race, often simply refusing to make the effort. Horrible weather surely cannot be to blame, nor can westside races, as there really were none. Over 500 people showed up for the September 24th race at Steilacoom, so where were they for the state championship? Do state championships not matter anymore?

I now have the honor of being 2nd at the state championship for 1/2 women. I should not be 2nd! There are many women who would easily have beaten me down last weekend, yet none of them showed. Weak.

I've been kind of lazy lately, taking it easy for sure. Soon I'm going to have to give myself a little kick and get going again. I'm actually going to have some coaching help for next season (first time since 1998), so I think that will help my motivation a lot. Until then... I'm off to take a little nap with my kitty.

Walla Walla

The racing in Walla Walla this past weekend was fun, largely in part to our beautiful October weather. I raced in shorts and short sleeves both days, and actually got some color on my arms and face. Unfortunately, the fields were a bit smaller both days since many of the regulars from the Spokane area opted not to make the drive, but it was still good racing.

Both courses were pretty bumpy and my back seems to be complaining because of it. Standing at work for seven hours today sure didn't help at all, but a heating pad and some Aspirin has helped.

We tasted wine at five wineries Saturday afternoon, buying a bottle from each. We both really liked Russell Creek a lot. The nice thing about tasting in Walla Walla is you rarely find the pretentiousness you sometimes encounter in Napa or Sonoma. With over 80 wineries now, Walla Walla is definitely becoming a wine destination. Many of the locals we talked to are happy with the growth, so long as it is done in the "right way." Many cars have bumber stickers saying, "Don't Bend Walla Walla," though a major developer from Bend is apparently already doing some planning. Hopefully it does not lose its charm.

There is a great patisserie in downtown Walla Walla now that is well worth visiting - the Colville Street Patisserie. The desserts are almost too beautiful to eat and taste just as good. Check it out the next time you are there.

One more that I just had to throw in.

An old photo that I love of the cats.

I carved a pumpkin tonight for the first time in years.

Beautiful sunset from a few weeks ago.

Getting caught by a bunch of men at Starcrossed.

Ted's actually smiling while doing 'cross?

Racing at Crosstoberfest.

Fall

Fall seems to officially be here now and I'm having a hard time adjusting to the colder, shorter days. I am so much less motivated to ride my bike in weather like this, yet it always seems more rewarding than being active on a beautiful day. Something about being the only one brave enough (or stupid enough) to go out in miserable weather makes me feel good about doing it.

I'm going to New Mexico in December to take a week-long course on the personal chef industry. I think it will be a really useful and interesting class, which should help me in any facet of the culinary field.

Heading to Walla Walla this weekend for some more 'cross fun. Perhaps we'll get to taste a little wine also.

Stupid Human

I am currently dog and cat sitting for my parents who are enjoying themselves on the Italian Riviera. I sprung Gretel, the miniature Schnauzer, from the vet's yesterday and will be taking her back later today; hopefully it broke up the monotony of cage life a little bit. Blueberry, the 19 year old cat, is also quite glad to have company, though she would surely be happier to have Gretel still in the kennel. Blue was frankly thrilled when all of the other Beall pets died, leaving the house and humans all to her, so she really is not happy when she has to share with the young, wild pup.

I was looking forward to a lazy evening here last night, so I threw on some PJs and headed out in the garage to scope out the wine and food. I selected a couple things and headed back in, only to find that the door was locked. Normally, the door connecting the garage and house is never locked since people are frequently going between the two, so I had not even thought about it when I closed it behind me. And, of course, I had locked the front door and had no shoes on. My car keys and phone were also inside. Great. I tried to open the front door by inserting cardboard between the door and frame, but no luck with that.

I decided that the cat door on the locked door would be my only hope, so I proceeded to lie on my back with my arm through the cat door (and Gretel whining on the other side) and use numerous objects to try to turn the nob on the other side: a hammer, a mallet, a running shoe, a sock, pliers, bungee cords. After numerous failed attempts, I was pretty frustrated, but still found it amusing when I looked up to see a deer just outside the garage, watching me flail about on my back in my apple print pajamas and stocking feet. He was literally fifteen feet from me, just watching me, and probably thinking... "stupid human."

As a last attempt, I removed the cat door (thank goodness I was in a garage with a bunch of tools, not that I know how to use 98% of them), hoping it would give my short arm just enough leverage to turn the nob. My fingertips barely brushed it, but after a few minutes of trying, I was able to get it to turn. Thank God. It would have been so embarassing to have to call someone.

Ted and I are going to Seattle again this weekend for another cyclocross race. Someone told me last weekend that I didn't look like I was having fun while racing; after watching a few other races, I realized that no one looks like they are having fun while doing cyclocross.

And, Mr. Shamus, curled up in his cat tower.

Miss Pazza, curled up in a warm shirt straight from the dryer.

It was a pretty evening drive

Over Snoqualmie Pass

From the drive to Seattle

Cyclocross

My first cyclocross race of 2006 is officially under my belt. I was definitely a little rough around the edges and had my first experience racing with the A women, finishing at the tail end. I had a good time and absolutely got a fantastic workout. Ted's experience was pretty much on par with mine. The amazing thing was how many people showed up - last I heard was around 500! I suppose the sunny skies and mid-70 temperature contributed to that; we'll see how many people show up once it's raining, snowing, muddy, and 40.

We got to visit with Ted's family over the weekend too, so that was fun. We had some good food, watched Ted's niece play soccer, and just relaxed. Heading over that way again this coming weekend. The kitties sure hate it when we leave - Shamus likes to leave presents for Ted - about a foot from his litter box.

Hillside

Gina, Suz, and me. Final night in Bermuda

Pretty white church

Posted on the men's room door at a restaurant

Lighthouse