Mudd Volleyball

Yes, mud is spelled with two D's...

This is what I will be doing all day...knee deep in mud, my extremely un-athletic self will be playing volleyball. However, I have been assured by many, many, many people that athleticism is just not necessary when you are literally stuck in one place while playing volleyball.

I'm playing with the gals from Babes and Bullies, so it will be a great way to get our name out, and it really does seem like a lot of fun, albeit messy fun!

Best of all, it benefits The Carrie Tingley Hospital here in town! CTH is a part of the hospital I work for that works with all kinds of kids needing rehab services (speech, ortho, etc.). They do great things over at CTH, and this event brings in gobs and gobs of $$$ for them!

Wish me luck!

Burque Babes & Bullies

The Mr. and I have two pit bulls: CoCo and LuLu. Before we got our older one (CoCo) I knew nothing about pit bulls other than they were always in the headlines, attacking people and generally creating havoc. I also thought they were dogs that tough gang members had for "pets".

Little did I know that our future household member would be a sweet, lazy lap dog that loves everyone she meets and is gentle with our small niece and nephew.

I know that there has been a lot of bad press surrounding pit bulls and I would like to address some of that at a later post, but right now I want to tell everyone about the Burque Babes and Bullies.

This is a group of ladies that promotes the positive and rewarding aspects of the breed and works to dispel some of their myths. All the money they raise goes to a group here in town called Responsibly Adopting Albuquerque's Pit bulls (RAAP).

How do they raise money? By selling T-shirts with the BBB logo, having fundraisers, and promoting their pin-up style calendar! The calendar is really tasteful and cute, and helps to promote the idea that these dogs aren't just for guys that want to seem tough.

BTW, my girls and I will be featured in the 2010 calendar~I'll keep you posted! :)

Welcome to the Nuthouse

I have never won anything on these blogs, though not for lack of trying. I entered to win a Kitchen Aid mixer from our good friend Pioneer Woman last week (I know I didn't really need to provide a link, but I did anyways.). Guess which entry number I was? Number 13,949 out of more than 16,000. Seriously. That is pretty disheartening.

A Blog Swap is something right up my alley because everyone wins!
I heard about this swap from the girls over at The Secret is in the Sauce.
Shannon from Welcome to the Nuthouse had a really fun idea about swapping things from your hometown with somebody who had never been to your region and would love to go someday!

As anyone who knows me can imagine, my mind is buzzing with all the fun things I can give somebody from my wonderful state, but I'm not going to provide any spoilers......yet.

Check out her site and join in on the fun! The deadline is May 6th and you have an entire month to get your package to your new blogging friend!

Ode to a coffee house (and a city)

I am fully aware that my blog has an identity disorder. One day, I want to post a recipe, the next day a craft project, then I want to talk about wedding stuff-or movies, or celebrities.

I think it's pretty obvious that I can't just stick to one thing, but if I was absolutely FORCED to, I would post about nothing but Albuquerque. I grew up here in the 505, and have moved away from time to time seeking "greener pastures", but have always returned-something several of my friends and family have fallen victim to as well!

There's just something about Albuquerque. (I will always spell out that massive word and NOT refer to it as "The Q", because I think that is lame!) I was trying to explain the charm that this southwestern city holds to a friend a couple weeks ago. Is it the weather? The people? The culture? The FOOD? I think what it all boils down to is that Albuquerque just has a sweet simplicity about itself-a slower pace, a more relaxed atmosphere.

So I mentioned above that I would likely post about nothing but Albuquerque, if I had to stick to one genre. Scratch that, I would write about nothing but Albuquerque's food. I would have material for MONTHS if I solely posted about fab restaurants in the 505.

Red or Green? That is a question we native New Mexicans learn to answer at an early age-a lot depends on personal preference, but we also quickly learn which dishes are served best with red chile or green chile. And sometimes, "Christmas" is a perfectly reasonable answer as well!

There is this coffee house in Barelas that has quite a reputation. (Barelas is a neighborhood that is part of Albuquerque's downtown area.) I had been wanting to go there for ages, but since they are closed on Sundays, it had always been difficult. Finally, the Mr. and I were able to make our way over there for breakfast last week. While it was definitely WORTH the wait, I can't believe I had been missing out on this place all of my life!

I had Huevos Rancheros, (Christmas, of course!) and I was seriously in heaven! The place is just that good. The Mr. had his favorite go-to, the breakfast burrito, which was equally as wonderful as my order. Word on the street (from many friends) is that their menudo and chicarrones are amazing as well. (However, these are not menu items for the faint of heart!)

If anyone is reading this and happens to be in the 505, please give The Barelas Coffee house a shot, you'll be oh so happy you did! (I wanted to post a link to their website, but the place is so old school, they don't have one. Now that's keepin' it real, people!)

Restaurant Review #1

Yes, I am dedicating my second EVER blog post to food.

I love to eat. I REALLY love to eat food that is good. And I ESPECIALLY love New Mexican food. That is why I am a huge fan of Golden Pride. I like it's affiliate (Frontier Restaurant), but I love Golden Pride. I LOVE Golden Pride! Can I get a shout-out for the Golden Pride?

I had to type the title one-handed as I was eating a #7 Breakfast Burrito at the time! They have, in my opinion, the tastiest Carne Adovada and Green Chile Stew in the state (available for purchase and not homemade of course!) As I have only used their drive-thru, I cannot account for the cleanliness or comfort of their interior, but their food is AWESOME!

I humbly endorse Golden Pride for food consumption.