Tag Archives: friends

Mi mejor amigo La boda de

Posted by on June 4, 2010 No comments

The day of the wedding arrived and by now, SJ and I were totally ready for the journey. We had made contact with the outside world, got a general idea of where to meet up with Neal, go the times, and were out the door in record time. The wedding was at 11am, so we knew we should be out the door by 8. This would give us time to get to the hotel where Neal was, change, then head over to the location of the wedding. What we didn’t account for were road closings and the inability for Google Maps to give an accurate location of the hotel.

DSC_6205

Where we're going, we NEED roads.

Jess was the driver and I was the navigator. I had my maps, my phone, and my eyes on the road. She was driving and not missing a beat. We soon realized that to get around this place you had to drive like the locals. The locals drive like they just don’t give a damn. So I had her going left and right and here and there and all over the place. We finally turned down what we Google thought was the road where the hotel was. As it turns out, it was simply a dead end on a cliff. We sat there for a few moments, took a few deep breaths, and started driving again. I can’t say how amazed I am at Jess’ calmness during all this. We were driving around people and busses and bikes and all manner of things that were jockeying for spot on the road. She zipped around here and there it was amazing.

DSC_6260

Where the streets are paved with people and busses and cars

I finally got in touch with Neal and he informed us that the hotel was in the south west part of town. We were currently driving through the north west. So we hauled ass down that way, and finally in a bold move on Jess’ part, asked a local for directions. This lady didn’t understand a bit of English, and we sure as hell didn’t understand her. What we were able to communicate was “Holiday Inn Santa Anna”. She understood, gave us some very detailed directions in Spanish using land marks like “banco” and “St. Nicholas” and making some sort of hand gesture like we’d be driving around a circle. We jetted away and sure enough we passed a bank, a big sign that was for some St. Nicholas thing and went  through a round-a-bout! Next thing we knew we were at the hotel. I’ve never been more excited in my life. Jess shared in this joy. We felt so accomplished and proud of ourselves. We had overcome a LOT on this 3 hour journey and made it. There was no obstacle we couldn’t overcome at this point.

So we met up with Neal, quickly changed clothes then hopped back in Pedro for our trip to the location for the wedding. Luckily, we were following someone. After a mile or so, we soon realized this was going to be an interesting ride. The roads kept getting steeper and steeper. We were climbing further and further into the clouds. Once we finally got to our destination we had a beautiful view of the city. We had to be like 3 miles in the air (probably not that high, but it felt like it). The location was beautiful and the wedding got started as soon as we got there.

Contrary to most weddings I’ve been to, or been part of, this one was almost a “figure it out as you go” kinda thing. There wasn’t a ton of organization, but that was part of the fun. I was told to walk in with Neal, then wait, but now go, but you were supposed to stand over there, ok, now you all go sit down and BOOM, I now pronounce you husband and wife! It was a short and sweet ceremony, where unbeknownst to Neal and Jude they had to say their own vows. They totally winged it and it was perfect.

DSC_6279

True happiness!

After the ceremony, we did the usual every possible picture combination possible thing. The food was traditional El Salvadorian and fantastic. We danced, talked, laughed, and just enjoyed ourselves. The Bishops had a beautiful wedding. Everything turned out as it should. There was no “backstage drama”, all the guests were happy, and it was a wonderful time. I love seeing my friends happy, and to be there on this day of ultimate happiness for both of them was an honor. To share it with the woman I love most in this world, made it unforgettable. This was quite possibly the best wedding I’ve ever been to….so far. ;)

As the day went on, the clouds rolled in. At first, we thought something was on fire, but as it turns out, it was just the clouds rolling UP the mountain we were on. Knowing our luck with driving and visibility down to about 10ft, SJ and I decided to roll out before the weather got any worse. We hopped in the car and took off down the mountain. Jess was now a pro El Salvadorian driver and handled the roads like a champ. We were soon below the clouds and well on our way back to the resort. We made it in record time and quickly got into our bathing suits so we could enjoy the evening by the pool. After all it was our final night in this place and we wanted to make the best of if.

DSC_6315

Oh fog!

Our final day in El Salvador had come to a close. We had witnessed our friends getting married and survived another journey in a foreign land. The next day was our final adventure and what an adventure it was going to be.

Tags: , , , ,

Related posts

That’s right…s’mores cupcakes!

Posted by on April 5, 2010 No comments
S'mores cupcakes

S'mores cupcakes

A few weeks ago, Jess and I were tasked with preparing some food for our friend Kit’s birthday. She’s getting pretty old and was probably thinking something like ovaltine, tapioca, and melba toast, but we had something a bit cooler in mind. I mean, after all, us whipper snappers like our food with a bit more flair!

Since we pretty much rock the block when it comes to cupcakes we thought that we’d do it up right this time. What better way to kick start spring than with s’mores. I mean, nothing says spring and fun and awesome and money like graham crackers, dark chocolate, marshmallows, and fire. We scoured around for just the right recipes and set off to make the perfect cupcake.

At the base was a traditional graham cracker crust (crushed crackers, sugar, butter baked to a golden brown). We topped that off with a light yet rich dark chocolate cupcake. Then to really sell these as s’mores, we made our own marshmallow fluff. Now it is possible to buy this stuff, but why do that when you can make it, I mean… home made is always better any way. So we made our own fluff, then piped it on top of the cupcakes. One thing was missing…fire. The thing that makes a s’more a s’more is the melty chocolate and burned marshmallow dripping all over your hands and pants as you try to cram the whole thing in your mouth. So we got us a dandy kitchen torch and toasted them suckers right up.

The result was a perfect chocolaty, creamy, crunchy cupcake that captured the essence of all things s’mores. They looked as good as they tasted and they were a hit. In conjunction with the cupcakes we made some pinwheels (3 varieties: Greek, American, Italian), some candied sweet and spicy mixed nuts, ultimate guacamole, cheesy sausage dip, and a buffalo chicken dip. Everything turned out exactly as we anticipated.

The icing on the cake, if you will, was that during the process of all the cooking, Jess and I (mainly Jess), got the hankering to start up our very own catering business. We’ve not ironed out the details yet, but we have the idea and drive to really get it started. For now it’s just a notion that’s floating around in our heads. We’ve got a ton of prep to do and will need to get some research done before we really get started. In the mean time, we’ll do small events, parties for friends, etc.

So that’s that. A great weekend filled with s’mores cupcakes, friends, and amazing ideas of a catering business that I know will be a success.

S’mores cupcakes on Flickr

Recipe will be posted once we get a better handle on the catering thing.

Tags: , ,

Related posts

  • No related posts.

Thanksgiving break – 2009: Sniper Style pt. 2 (Thanksgiving Day)

Posted by on December 7, 2009 No comments
Rosevelt the turkey

Roosevelt, meet Turner

In true Turner style the morning got started with a big plate of food and a lot of scrambling around. After breakfast Jess and I started in on the turkey, gravy base, and more chopping of vegetables. You’d think that after like three days of preparing food, we’d have all this mess done. That wasn’t really the case. There always seemed to be more carrots, onions, celery, taters… oh wait. No potatoes to cut up those had already been taken care of and were in the fridge setting up. Oh, the taters! Let me describe the ways I love thee. Ok, I’m done.

Here’s a side note on the Potatoes Gratin. In planning for this meal, we decided that it would be nice to branch out and try and new dish. Something that would take this whole feast up at least one notch. Well, I found a recipe for some potatoes gratin. So we got everything ready, including roasting our own garlic, making this cheesy cream stuff and boy did it smell good. It was assembled with great care and loaded up in the car in such a way that if a little were to spill out it wouldn’t be that bad (we sat it in a cookie sheet then placed it in the back seat floor board). Well that would’ve been great had the whole pan not erupted all over the place. About three miles form apartment, we both noticed an abundance of garlic smell. Upon further investigation it was discovered that the most epic potatoes on the planet were all over my car. So I pulled over and in a feat of great restraint decided to not throw the entire pan into on coming traffic. Instead I put them in a box I had in the back seat. This proved to be even less successful than I imagined in my head. Once we got to my parents house I discovered that I now had garlic cheesy cream sauce in the back of my car AND in the floor board of the back seat. No worries, we’d simply clean up the mess and put them in the fridge and they would be PERFECT for our lunch the next day.

Roosevelt

Roosevelt!

Back to Thanksgiving day! We got everything cooked and boxed up and the house was smelling unbelievable and damn…we forgot to cook the potatoes! Deep breath… Ok, box’em up and we’ll cook them while we eat and have them at dinner. So we get to my aunt’s house (a short walk from my parents) and after chatting for a bit, and getting stuff set up, we start in on what turned out to be one of the best Thanksgiving lunches I’ve ever had. Eventually I smelled something that didn’t smell that fantastic…oh, that must be the potatoes that are now charcoal in the oven. Yeah…after all that we burned the taters. Fail. Oh well, everything else was perfect. From the apple cake that people couldn’t get enough of to the deviled eggs that went faster than you could spell deviled eggs. Everything was just perfect.

DSC_0169

Decorating the fence

For years, the Turner tradition has been to decorate my grandmother’s fence after we eat lunch. This year was no exception. The temperature was a bit cold, but we’ve been through much worst. It actually turned out to be pretty amazing out. The kids got to run around and play, the “adults” decorated the fence and we got it all up in no time. I was really glad Jess got experience it this year. She and Chase seemed to just fit right in. Watching her interact with the family and seeing Chase run around and laugh and play just brought a warmth to my heart that I’ve not had before. The day was perfect.

After the fence was done we hung out and chatted for a bit before heading back to the apartment. The plan was to get home, unpack everything, rest up for a bit and then go see a movie. We left it up to Chase since we figured he wouldn’t want to see 2012. Eventually he decided on Planet 51, which turned out to be pretty funny. We had a good time out and about and it was a great end to an outstanding day.

This Thanksgiving day will not be one soon forgotten. Everything fell into place. All the things that were most important to me where with me and I couldn’t have asked for things to go any better. I know it’s been over a week since Thanksgiving and we’re now a few weeks from Christmas, but it’s all good. Sometimes a sniper doesn’t always take the first shot and waits for the right time.

Up next… the Birney Thanksgiving festivities, our first tree, and the end to a nearly perfect week.

Tags: , , ,

Related posts

Thanksgiving break – 2009: Sniper Style pt. 1

Posted by on December 1, 2009 No comments
New Moon Queen

Maybe YOU should relax

It all started with a trip to Burger King for some New Moon paraphernalia. I got Jess’ place and we got ready and headed off for some sushi, time with friends, and a gaggle of tweens and/or begrudgingly happy boyfriends and husbands. The movie was ish at best. It was better than Twilight, but then again, Twilight was a pretty terrible movie. There were some decent fight scenes, a fast car or two, some sparkly “vampires”, enough emo looks to make a rainbow cry, and and then some credits. That pretty much sums up the movie, or at least what I recall of it. The night wasn’t a total wash however. On the way to Milner, Jess got word that one of her friends was looking to unload some UGA tix. We jumped at the chance, I stopped by the ATM, got some cash and in exchange, we got tickets to what would be our very first GA game!

uga tickets

UGA vs. KU tickets

Saturday was spent kinda laying around since we were up late on Friday. With this being our first game, we decided that we needed some GA gear so we’d fit in with all the other Athenites. In addition to the new shirts, we went ahead and picked up a new camera. No sense in lugging around the big camera the whole night. The ride out there was pretty quick and after finding a good parking spot, we made our way to Sanford Stadium. The game went as expected, with GA bending over for Kansas and the echo of “Cox’s pass is incomplete” on loop throughout the night. After witnessing a girl getting vomited by a drunk guy hanging over the ledge of the upper level and our asses being frozen off, we decided it was time to head out. The game didn’t get any better after we left, but that’s all good. Jess’ put on a show with some cartwheels on the way to the car.

Sunday was more of the laziness factor of vacation setting in, only this time we went ahead and got all the stuff we would need for the week (dinners, breakfasts, lunches, Thanksgiving, lots of snacking, drinking, etc). Jess had to go pick up Chase that afternoon, so while she was gone, I made up a batch of my soon to be world famous OTP chili. It’s the kind of chili that people ITP can only dream about. The rest of the night was spent enjoying dinner, couch time, iCarly, Sponge Bob, iCarly, Sponge Bob, Suite Life of Zack and Cody, iCarly, and then some non-Nik TV. The first weekend on what was already becoming an epic Thanksgiving break had come to a close.

Chicken Florentine Lasagna

Chicken Florentine Lasagna

Monday was spent making lists, laying around, playing video games, watching cartoons, napping, cleaning, just being together. For dinner the plan was to make some awesome lasagna. Dinner did not disappoint. Jess whipped up a stellar Chicken Florentine Lasagna that pretty much blew all our minds. Well, it would’ve blown our mind some more had it not been for the inedible “garlic” bread that I made. I my overly zealous ambition to make something that could equal her dinner, I threw enough garlic to kill all the Cullen’s PLUS give Jacob a heart attack. Needless to say, we just at the lasagna and salad (and drank the wine). After dinner, we started in on the makings of the Thanksgiving desserts. Jess started in on her Apple Cake and I got to crackin’ on my Everything Fall Cookies. The cookies and cake took their toll on us and we were worn out. I mean, there’s only so much cooking one can do at like 8pm at night before you just need to sit down and watch iCarly or Sponge Bob.

"Big City" haircut

Tuesday morning was all set for some breakfast then off to get fancy haircuts in the “big city”. I had an appointment for 12:30 and since Chase needed to get a haircut, we got him squeezed in for noon. This was the first time he or Jess had been to one of them fancy hair cuttin’ places. So rather than an old man in a white coat bustin’ out some clippers and a comb from some blue liquid jar and giving you two pieces of double bubble gum after you hair cut, we got Cortex. After getting our hair did, we headed out. We popped in to El Azteka for some Mexican foodstuffs then decided it would be a great idea for Jess and Chase to be introduced to Ikea! As it turns out, it WAS a great idea. We got some really good ideas of some things we want in our apartment when they move in. We found a dining room table, some desks, a spring form pan, some paintings, a few pillows, and all and 6 insanely huge cinnamon rolls. Well, since the cinnamon rolls would’ve gone bad by the time Jan. 15 rolls around, so we decided to go ahead and nom on those. The rest of the day was spent enjoying each other’s company and prepping more food for Thanksgiving. Actually… now that I recall, the apple cake was made on Tuesday night. Either way it was a grand evening and just what we both needed.

Girl's got a cannon for an arm!

Check out that cannon!

Wednesday was spent getting MORE things ready for what was turning out to be the Thanksgiving meal to end all meals. We did some prep work in the morning, then headed to the park. We took Chase’s bike so he could ride around and not be so cramped up. The day turned out to be perfect. The weather was just right, there was no one there, we found some balls and tossed’em around a bit, and generally had a great time. It was exceptionally nice to just spend some time with Jess and Chase outside, not in front of a TV getting frustrated at Boom Blox or watching iCarly. After the park, we loaded up the car with all our fixin’s and headed over to my parents house. The plan was to stay there Wednesday night so we could get up early Thursday and get to rockin’ on the lunch. This turned out to be a great idea. We got there that afternoon, and started in on the prep.

DSC_0043

All that for 1 turkey?!

As I got started on gutting the turkey, Jess went to town on chopping up the veggies. She sliced like a ninja and cut like a razor blade through onions, celery, carrots, butter, herbs, and all manner of things. We got everything we could done and all set for our first official Thanksgiving together. All the pots were put away, the lists were double checked, the cookies had been nommed, and it was time for bed.

Next up is the adventures of our Turner Thanksgiving day, including decorating the fence, the most epic plate of food ever, and so much food that it would have been a pleasure to fall into a coma.

Our first weekend cabin trip

Posted by on October 19, 2009 No comments

So I have to say that this past weekend was exactly as it should be. Well, there are a few things I would have changed, but for the most part it was every thing that I could have imagined that a 30th birthday weekend cabin trip could’ve been.

The weekend started off on Friday night, when Jess and I headed north to my parent’s cabin. We met up with Neal, Jude, Pam, and Jason for a bite of dinner, then got on the road. Since it’s pretty much a guarantee that none of my friends can hang with me when it comes to driving, I headed on out. Chase quickly fell asleep in the back seat and Jess and I jammed to some jams. Once we got about 5 miles from the cabin things got a bit crazy.

So, I’ve been getting Jess warmed up to all things horror movies. She’s been watching the Halloween series with me, and I have to say that I am in love with the fact that she is loving the movies. They aren’t great movies by any stretch of the imagination, but they are pretty good. You really do get a good sense of who Michael Myers is… until H20 when they disregard the previous 3 movies. Where was I? Oh, so on the way up it was dark and a bit on the creepy side since it was crazy dark out and the glow of the city was long since gone. We were doing just fine, then out of nowhere we both just kind froze up and nearly shat our pants. Why you ask? Well on the right shoulder, wearing a white night gown with a blue floral print, long dark brown stringy hair, no shoes, and running for her life, was a young girl. That’s right, it was around 10 PM in the mountains, and there was a chick running about 6ft from the road. Her arms were flailing and she was just running. Had she not seen it I would’ve sworn that it wasn’t real. Trust me… it was real. So yeah, there was this chick running down the road. Kinda freaked us out for the rest of the trip (and our lives). Needless to say we (me) kept on driving and arrived at the cabin about 15 mins later.

We got there, jumped on the horn and guided every one else to the cabin and then proceeded to plow through some liquor. It was only 6 people, but damn we demolished the hell out of some Vodka and Jack Daniel’s. It was a good night and we all had a ton of fun. The next day we got up and I whipped up some eggs, bacon, grits, and toast. Everyone got up and we then headed out to Cleveland. What’s in Cleveland you ask? Well Babyland General (”general” as in “general hospital”). This was the first time I had been there in many, many, years. The building looked like it should’ve been condemned many years ago, but it’s still there rocking it’s creepiness. Inside it was pretty hard to witness. There were several “babies” waiting to be adopted for a price ($300+) and a tree that gave birth to a doll. What?! Yeah, there was a tree that gave birth to a doll. There really is no other way to describe it. Check out the pics on www.sniperbear.net. It’ll give you a good idea of what all went on there.

After the Hospital of Doom we headed back to the cabin. Well, we stopped on the way and got some fresh made beef jerky, boiled peanuts, and apple cider. Back at the cabin, everyone took a nap. Jess, Neal, and Jude were out for hours. Jess wasn’t feeling too well, so she was O.U.T. That’s ok, she’s pretty much the love of my life, so she can sleep as long as she wants. Chase and I watched the UGA game, cooked up some food and just hung out. After everyone (except for Jess) woke up, we decided we were going to head to Dahlonega and experience Oktoberfest. Jess was still not feeling well and thus, decided to stay behind. I wish she could’ve gone with us, but it would be better to rest up and be well in the future than to push through the night and end up being worse off the next day. So, we got there and farted around for a bit, and eventually decided we’d had enough and headed back home.

Back at the cabin we sat around for a bit, had some dinner, caught up on the day, and then jumped right into Dawn of the Dead (the new one…where the zombies run instead of meander about). Jess was a bit freaked out since she’s not really keen on the whole horror movie thing, but she made it. We plowed through the movie and then Jess and I headed to bed. The rest of the group stayed up and watched Blades of Glory. I say that Jess and I got the better end of the deal…

Sunday morning, it was pancakes and sausage, milling about, some fun times at my grandmother’s doll house of morbidity, then a quick drive home. The weather on Sunday could not have been any better. We stopped by Danny’s Restaurant for some soul food, then took our sweet time enjoying the mountain roads and beautiful weather. The rest of the day we spent laying around, taking naps (mostly me), watching the Falcon’s game, and generally just being together.

All-in-all, this was a fantabulous weekend. I won’t soon forget the crazy lady, taking Chase to Dahlonega, witnessing a tree give birth to a doll, or Jess schooling everyone on how to play cards. Thank you to everyone that came out and I hope we can do it again soon!

Running in the snow

Posted by on March 2, 2009 No comments
After my run in the snow.

After my run in the snow.

Yeah, sounds kinda like a bad idea, but it was actually a great experience. I’ve done it before, but it wasn’t the same as yesterday. Yesterday was different, for one, I went further than I did the previous time, and for two it was actually snowing and not just a day after it snowed or something.

So typically when you go running you see other people, it’s bright and cheery and there’s this sense that despite the fact that you are running by yourself, you aren’t really alone. Yesterday’s run was the opposite. There was no one else around. On the back trail, it was just me, the trail, and the snow. That was it. I really did feel at peace. It sucked in a sense that my shoes and gloves quickly became water logged, but at the same time I didn’t care. Eventually, one of my less up-beat songs came on and I got to thinking about a few things and people that I’ve had in my life over the past few months.

Two people on a journey heading to an unknown destination. There were talks of where it would end up, there were many nights spent pondering what it would be like “if”. But never would I have imagined that our journey would’ve taken us to where we are today. As I ran alone, in the snow, I looked back over the past few months and thought about how I don’t regret anything that I’ve done or said. She and I certainly aren’t in a place where we said we would be, but I feel that we are in a better place for each other.

Jess is an amazing person. She has quickly become a fantastic friend and someone who I draw inspiration from. I look at the journey she’s taken and see that she is strong, independent and really deep down a great person. In my opnion, she’s not had the greatest support group, but she’s done great. I really do admire her and am greatful to have a friend like her.

So how did running in the snow get to a story about Jess and I on a journey? Well when I first went running it was just me and my footsteps, but eventually when things got really nasty and I couldn’t feel my toes, I noticed that there was at least 1 other set of foot steps. Someone else had this idea to get out in this mess and go on a journey as well. How long ago had they been there? Were they experiencing the same anguish that I was with the wet feet and frozen hands? Who knows, but I soon realized that on this journey of pleasure and pain, I wasn’t alone.

So as it turns out Jess and I are both on a journey. She is starting a new life with new experiences and a whole new perspective on things. Me, I’ve got to a point where I am really happy. I have a firm grasp on where I am and where I am going. She’s helped me through somethings, and I like to believe that I have helped her through some things. I will always value her as a friend, no matter what. People may hate on me and despise me for the things that have transpired of the past few months, but that’s on them, that’s not a burden for me to carry.

So despite the numbness and the fact that I didn’t get in my full run, it was a great run. A journey that helped me see again, more clearly where I’m at, but most importantly, where I’m going. I’m not alone. She’s not alone. And when it comes down to it, none of us really are.

Share