It's All Good

This Christmas, my mother got me a copy of a cookbook I've had my eye on since I saw it at a bookstore in London: It's All Good by Gwyneth Paltrow.

Now, I know some people are skeptical about any cookbook by an actress. What do they know about eating healthy, right? Well, this one is a good one. It's chalk full of healthy recipes and gorgeous pictures of her *gasp* without make-up on. There's one thing I know: if you don't eat well, you cannot look that good. If you fill your body with crap, you skin and hair will look accordingly. 

I've been scrambling to try as many of the recipes as possible since I go back to work on Monday and won't have as much free time. Last night, we had a belated Christmas with my brother-in-law and his girlfriend ~ they were unable to make the Christmas in Phoenix ~ and I made the Grilled Salmon with Grilled Lemon Vinaigrette and the Grilled Asparagus + Portobellos with Shallot + Soy Dressing (I substituted an extra pinch of salt instead of the soy sauce). Holy cow, you guys, those were both ridiculously good. For lunch today, I made the Lentil Salad with Mustard + Tomatoes, which was very tasty,  and I currently have a big pot of the Chicken Soup with Kale + Carrots bubbling on my stove.

This cookbook has been a great way to get back to eating lighter after being with family because, let's be honest, stereotypical families eat nothing but rich food during the holidays. My in-laws are no exception: lots of heavy meals and snacks in between. Her recipes are light but comforting at the same time, and it's helping our stomachs lighten up a little and not feel so sluggish.  

New Years

My husband and I had a ca-ra-zy New Year's Eve, let me tell you. We went and saw Catching Fire. Yup. That's it. However, I did not mind in the least. I wasn't really in the mood to put up with the crazy crowds, and I wanted something more mellow and low-key. Plus, I heard great things about the movie, and I had read the book, so I was more than happy to check it out with my husband instead of freezing outside waiting for fireworks or feeling claustrophobic in a bar. Best. Idea. Ever.

Plus, we had to wake up nice and early to check out UNT take on UNLV New Year's Day at the Heart of Texas Bowl! Our friend was able to get a group of us tickets at student price, and we jumped on it. It was the first time my alma mater had been to a bowl game in almost 10 years, and they did not disappoint. Not only did we get to enjoy being with our friends and watching a great game, but we won!

Go Mean Green!

The crowd surged onto the field after they won. 

I have so many great memories from being in the Green Brigade. They did an amazing job!

After the game, we went out to eat with some of our friends before heading home for an early night. It wasn't until we got to the restaurant that I noticed how burned my husband got at the game.

His sunburn progressively got worse as the night went on. I'm diggin' the sunglasses tan line. 

There's Texas in the winter for you. One minute we're freezing, the next we're warm and sunny. Now we're back to freezing but still sunny...whatever.

Icepocolypse

Unlike the wrongly predicted winter weather in November, December's winter storm lived up to the hype. The ice started to come down Thursday, and I didn't return to work until Tuesday (my poor husband had to go back Monday, driving on the ice). The ice didn't melt until later the next week. It was pretty crazy. I had an interesting drive home Thursday night. 

I awoke Wednesday morning to a winter wonderland outside my window. 

View out our front door.

Looking down our street.

Our poor, confused tree. Fall or winter?

See all that white stuff? Looks like snow, right? Nope! All ice. At the peak of accumulation ~ it was still icing when I took the above pictures ~ we had roughly 3 - 4 inches of solid ice on the ground. Needless to say, we stayed home for a few days. Our animals were completely okay with that. 

Mulligan may not realize he is a 60 pound dog. Big baby. 

So, what do you do when you're iced in for 4 days? We caught up with housework, spent some quality time with our animals, caught up on all of our recorded shows, watched Christmas movies, and I cooked. A lot. 

Welsh cakes, banana bread, and beef stew. My husband was living large. 

By Sunday, we decided to be brave and venture out. We went sightseeing around town to check out our cute square and gorgeous Victorian houses in the ice. We then went home and took a walk/slide around the neighborhood with our stir-crazy dogs. We then cleared our driveway and walkway. I assumed I was going back to work the next day, but only my husband and his school district had to do that. I got to stay home one more time to finish catching up on sleep and finish deep cleaning the house. 

Even though the next couple of weeks of school were a little crazy while we tried to play catch-up, it was totally worth it. It was like we got a mini fall break 2 weeks before our winter break. Even though we have to make up those days in the spring, I'm still so glad it happened. We needed those days off to recoup. Thank you Texas and your crazy weather. 

In a Drizzly Dream of a Dublin Walk...

Upon arriving in Ireland, we took a train up to Dublin to crash after a long day of travel. Our first full day there, we could not help ourselves. We had to experience one of Dublin's biggest exports in the biggest way possible: we went to the Guinness Storehouse. 

Free pint of Guinness after the Storehouse tour. 

How's this for iconic?

After the Storehouse, we set out to explore the city. I had no idea that Guinness and Jameson (yes, as in the whiskey) helped restore St. Patrick's Cathedral and other iconic sites in Dublin. 

Sir Guinness in all of his glory. 

I also did not know that Dublin has two catherals: St. Patrick's Cathedral and Christchurch Cathedral. 

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Apparently, St. Patrick's Cathedral was outside of the old city walls, so Christchurch Cathedral was the official cathedral of Dublin for a while. 

After touring some of the city, we ended up in a pub on an older side of town, enjoying some jazz. No matter where we go, we always seem to find the jazz. 

On our way home, I saw this little gem out of the corner of my eye, down a side-street: 

It's anyone's guess if they're actually related to my husband's family or not, but it was really cool to see. Especially because, unknown to us, it was our last day out and about in Dublin. 

Our last day in Dublin, my husband was not feeling well. We ended up staying in the hotel room. I ordered room service, watched bad tv, and read. Although I was disappointed we couldn't go out on our last day, it was nice to recuperate from our whirlwind trip and reflect. 

I always adore going back to my non-stateside home and seeing family that I do not see nearly as often as I would like. It can sometimes be a hard pill to swallow, being so far from family. However, the situation has made it so I will always value my family and treasure every second I get to be with them. I always try to tell my friends not to take their family for granted for this very reason. 

Treasure your family. Collect experiences, not possessions. 

Hwyl Fawr am Nawr

Well, that was a prolonged break, I apologize. And towards the end of my trip re-cap, too. I should be ashamed. Let's continue, shall we?

West Wales was filled with the comfort of family and walks along the rugged coastal paths.

The unexpected beauty despite the harsh conditions. 

Inexhaustible views. 

With crystal clear water. 

I've never seen such raw beauty as I have there.

Even the plant life bows to the power of the elements. 

We took numerous walks during our multiple days there, just soaking it all in. 

During one of our longer walks, we caught a glimpse of my all-time favorite cathedral: St. David's Cathedral. Absolutely breathtaking, tucked away below the city of St. David's. 

On our last day there, we took a walk to the top of a cliff where we could see all of Fishguard (where we were staying during this portion of our trip). 

We caught one last glimpse of my family until we can return again...

...and then we set sail for Ireland. 

The Road Less Traveled

My grandparents wanted to drive us to my cousin's in West Wales, so, instead of driving straight from Cardiff to Fishguard, we decided to take a more scenic route and make a stop along the way. We went back up to the area around the Brecon Beacons and, per the suggestion of my aunt, stopped at Carreg Cennen Castle.

We drove through small towns and up winding country roads to get to the site of the castle, and it was absolutely marvelous. There were painters all around one of the nearby fields, trying to capture its splendor.

The castle itself was very impressive, but the views were the best part.

You felt like you could see for miles.

The castle itself was also very impressive. 

I may or may not be about to fall over on those steep steps...

My favorite picture: my Grampy taking it all in. 

Only regret? Not renting a flashlight so I could check out the cave that was connected to the castle. 

As far as we were able to go; it was pitch black. 

The stairs leading back up to the castle. 

After the castle, we continued on to Fishguard to see my cousin and her family. They own a fantastic B&B, so they put us up in one of their rooms. Talk about living in the lap of luxury! Every morning we would wake up, go down to the dining room for a cooked breakfast, go upstairs to get ready, and then walk over to their connecting cottage to hash out the day. Our room even had a tea station (yes, again with the tea. Sorry.)! But I'm getting ahead of myself...

The night we got there, we relaxed with a delicious meal, made by my cousin's husband who's an amazing cook. Then, we were able to just relax with a cuppa and catch up. It had been, after all, three and a half years since we'd last seen them.