Friday, May 27, 2011
Passports
In case you didn't know: You can fill out passport applications online print them and bring them with you to the post office. If you fill them out by hand use BLACK ink. It takes 4-6 weeks to get a passport in the mail so plan ahead. If you have kids under 16 BOTH parents have to be present, 16 and over only ONE parent needs to be present. TRUST me, we learned these items the hard way!
Dino's Eastside Grille Lincoln, NE
Ever heard of this place? Today, we tried to find it so we could try it out. It began as an uphill battle to try something new. Ever have a difficult time attempting to introduce some thing, place, or idea new to your family? It can be an all out war can't it?
So it started with "Let's try something new for lunch today." Every Sunday we go out to lunch after church as a family including my niece and nephew as well at most. Sometimes just the niece or just the nephew joins us. Like today, we had only our nephew along and I am glad he was with us by the end of our adventure. He was game for anything being a starving college student so it being my pick (we take turns who gets to pick which restaurant), I decided on something new. A place I had only driven past and vaguely remembered the vicinity in which it might be located. I did not know the name either. Imagine how this went with a car full of right brained Type B personality men?
We ended up finding the place thanks to my great sense of visual direction. As we pulled into the strip mall there was a chorus of groans "I was looking forward to an actual restaurant not a place to eat in a strip mall." "Yeah, me either." "Great, this is going to be good." (Me: I'm picking up on your sarcasm. Jon: Good, cuz I'm laying it on pretty thick.) "Let's give it a try" I cojoled. They agreed to at least check out the menu before calling it quits. Much to everyone's surprise (and my sheer joy) it looked like a nice restaurant inside, not a strip mall eatery at all! I thought this would for sure get me acquiensence if not praise to my brilliant restaurant idea. Nope. They complained about the brunch menu. "Can't we get lunch?" as we walked to the table, "I was looking forward to lunch." "Aren't there any real menus in this place?" Well, by the time we sat down I was beginning to lose my cool. I kept a front going that fooled them all. Until, my oldest ordered a Mountain Dew and they actually had Pepsi products. I jumped all over that "Oh, look, the horrible new restaurant with a brunch menu has your favorite pop. Weren't you just saying there were no restaurants anymore serving Pepsi products. Low and behold when you try something new you just might find you like it and may even love it!" My nephew came to my rescue and the salvation of our family's lunch by warning me "That might just be a little much. You might want to tone it down." Knowing my intention really was to shout "I told you all so!" Fun, light conversation ensued and we have oru nephew to thank for that!
So...the menus. Lunch menus were available so we ordered our staple beef nacho as an appetizer, then your general bar food: burgers, reuben, pizza. You could also order entrees so I had a cedar plank salmon with mango salsa salad. All were quite happy with their food selection. Evidently the BBQ Bacon Burger was the best my nephew's ever had. I enjoyed the salad dressing and salmon/mango salsa combination on my salad and Jon enjoyed the reuben. "It wasn't the best he'd ever had but it was quite good." At any rate, although it looked like the beginning of World War three, I did get a high five and good job from the group set on "trying something new for lunch this time."
So it started with "Let's try something new for lunch today." Every Sunday we go out to lunch after church as a family including my niece and nephew as well at most. Sometimes just the niece or just the nephew joins us. Like today, we had only our nephew along and I am glad he was with us by the end of our adventure. He was game for anything being a starving college student so it being my pick (we take turns who gets to pick which restaurant), I decided on something new. A place I had only driven past and vaguely remembered the vicinity in which it might be located. I did not know the name either. Imagine how this went with a car full of right brained Type B personality men?
We ended up finding the place thanks to my great sense of visual direction. As we pulled into the strip mall there was a chorus of groans "I was looking forward to an actual restaurant not a place to eat in a strip mall." "Yeah, me either." "Great, this is going to be good." (Me: I'm picking up on your sarcasm. Jon: Good, cuz I'm laying it on pretty thick.) "Let's give it a try" I cojoled. They agreed to at least check out the menu before calling it quits. Much to everyone's surprise (and my sheer joy) it looked like a nice restaurant inside, not a strip mall eatery at all! I thought this would for sure get me acquiensence if not praise to my brilliant restaurant idea. Nope. They complained about the brunch menu. "Can't we get lunch?" as we walked to the table, "I was looking forward to lunch." "Aren't there any real menus in this place?" Well, by the time we sat down I was beginning to lose my cool. I kept a front going that fooled them all. Until, my oldest ordered a Mountain Dew and they actually had Pepsi products. I jumped all over that "Oh, look, the horrible new restaurant with a brunch menu has your favorite pop. Weren't you just saying there were no restaurants anymore serving Pepsi products. Low and behold when you try something new you just might find you like it and may even love it!" My nephew came to my rescue and the salvation of our family's lunch by warning me "That might just be a little much. You might want to tone it down." Knowing my intention really was to shout "I told you all so!" Fun, light conversation ensued and we have oru nephew to thank for that!
So...the menus. Lunch menus were available so we ordered our staple beef nacho as an appetizer, then your general bar food: burgers, reuben, pizza. You could also order entrees so I had a cedar plank salmon with mango salsa salad. All were quite happy with their food selection. Evidently the BBQ Bacon Burger was the best my nephew's ever had. I enjoyed the salad dressing and salmon/mango salsa combination on my salad and Jon enjoyed the reuben. "It wasn't the best he'd ever had but it was quite good." At any rate, although it looked like the beginning of World War three, I did get a high five and good job from the group set on "trying something new for lunch this time."
Saturday, May 21, 2011
People aren't strange when you refuse to be a stranger.
I met a young man while shopping in Estes Park, CO that I want to introduce you to (at least in writing).
Bard is a clerk at a clothing retail shop. It's not a glamourous job by any means. He is more than meets the eye. Expressive in his features, he wears eyeliner and a bit of mascara. I overheard him telling some customers that he began wearing eye makeup before it was more accepted as it is now. He relayed a story of a night out where he got teased by some guys. He educated them by reminding them that if they like AC/DC or Kiss then they've accepted men wearing eye makeup. Well done Bard! His finger nails are long, his hair is inverted from top to bottom as well as side to side and he wears leather bomber jackets and skinny jeans.
Past the exterior he is an intelligent, kind, outgoing and generous young man and it became obvious in a hurry that he expects and respects that same qualities in others. He told me he was a touring bicyclist and had visited Lincoln, Nebraska after I told him where I was from. He shared that he liked Lincoln better than Omaha, Nebraska. He rode from Estes Park to Omaha and planned on taking a train back home. However, after getting shot at and seeing not one friendly face he couldn't stand one more minute in Omaha and rode back to Lincoln to take the train out of Lincoln. He won't stand for arrogance or unfriendliness let alone down right danger, but who would?
He then proceeded to educate me on the process one goes through when they need to travel with a bike on a train. He dismantled his bike to fit it into a long box that he then began lugging to the train station. A family in a van pulled over near him and said they saw him struggling and asked if he'd like a lift. They couldn't fit he and his "bike in a box" in the van so they drove to the train station with his "bike in a box" and waited for him to walk to the train station. After he arrived they bought him lunch and talked with him while he waited for his train. He said they were not only nice they went out of there way to be nice and helpful and that is why he liked Lincoln so much. Well done Lincoln!
He asked me to share that story with Lincolnnites as well as the joy of bicycle touring from his standpoint; "You can go at your own pace. Even if you go 10 mph you can make 60 miles in a day!" His passion is contagious. "After all, you don't see what you see at 60 mph along a highway that you see at 10 mph!" I admire his pioneering vision and courage. It reminds me of myself 13 years ago. "For instance! Did you know that in western Nebraska there are tons of grasshoppers hopping alongside the highway!?" No, I said, but I don't really want to either.
I hate to say it but age has caught up with me. My interests, passions, pioneering visions have changed. The 20-something girl who took solo 500 mile trips, lived in another country, began two non-profit organizations, rode her bike everywhere, wore outlandish compilations of clothing either self-made or from a thrift store, refused to take medicine for anything (even headaches), protested: eating meat, using products tested on animals, tolerating usng animals in medical research; well, you get the idea, is now a 30-something girl who appreciates her home town and creature comforts, including medicine and cars, and enjoys buying well-made, designer clothing that flatters her slightly less slim figure because she doesn't ride her bike everywhere.
I will drop my fists and refuse to beat myself up as I see my life's journey. I chose to take certain characteristics too instrinsic in me to leave behind. Currently, I am riding my bike to work. I own a business. I am eating less meat and more vegetarian options when I think about it or feel like it. I still do not donate to research or use products tested on animals. I do continue to travel. I am teaching my children these values and I do admire and respect innovative, passionate, visionary young people, like Bard...and when I meet them I tell other people about them.
Bard is a clerk at a clothing retail shop. It's not a glamourous job by any means. He is more than meets the eye. Expressive in his features, he wears eyeliner and a bit of mascara. I overheard him telling some customers that he began wearing eye makeup before it was more accepted as it is now. He relayed a story of a night out where he got teased by some guys. He educated them by reminding them that if they like AC/DC or Kiss then they've accepted men wearing eye makeup. Well done Bard! His finger nails are long, his hair is inverted from top to bottom as well as side to side and he wears leather bomber jackets and skinny jeans.
Past the exterior he is an intelligent, kind, outgoing and generous young man and it became obvious in a hurry that he expects and respects that same qualities in others. He told me he was a touring bicyclist and had visited Lincoln, Nebraska after I told him where I was from. He shared that he liked Lincoln better than Omaha, Nebraska. He rode from Estes Park to Omaha and planned on taking a train back home. However, after getting shot at and seeing not one friendly face he couldn't stand one more minute in Omaha and rode back to Lincoln to take the train out of Lincoln. He won't stand for arrogance or unfriendliness let alone down right danger, but who would?
He then proceeded to educate me on the process one goes through when they need to travel with a bike on a train. He dismantled his bike to fit it into a long box that he then began lugging to the train station. A family in a van pulled over near him and said they saw him struggling and asked if he'd like a lift. They couldn't fit he and his "bike in a box" in the van so they drove to the train station with his "bike in a box" and waited for him to walk to the train station. After he arrived they bought him lunch and talked with him while he waited for his train. He said they were not only nice they went out of there way to be nice and helpful and that is why he liked Lincoln so much. Well done Lincoln!
He asked me to share that story with Lincolnnites as well as the joy of bicycle touring from his standpoint; "You can go at your own pace. Even if you go 10 mph you can make 60 miles in a day!" His passion is contagious. "After all, you don't see what you see at 60 mph along a highway that you see at 10 mph!" I admire his pioneering vision and courage. It reminds me of myself 13 years ago. "For instance! Did you know that in western Nebraska there are tons of grasshoppers hopping alongside the highway!?" No, I said, but I don't really want to either.
I hate to say it but age has caught up with me. My interests, passions, pioneering visions have changed. The 20-something girl who took solo 500 mile trips, lived in another country, began two non-profit organizations, rode her bike everywhere, wore outlandish compilations of clothing either self-made or from a thrift store, refused to take medicine for anything (even headaches), protested: eating meat, using products tested on animals, tolerating usng animals in medical research; well, you get the idea, is now a 30-something girl who appreciates her home town and creature comforts, including medicine and cars, and enjoys buying well-made, designer clothing that flatters her slightly less slim figure because she doesn't ride her bike everywhere.
I will drop my fists and refuse to beat myself up as I see my life's journey. I chose to take certain characteristics too instrinsic in me to leave behind. Currently, I am riding my bike to work. I own a business. I am eating less meat and more vegetarian options when I think about it or feel like it. I still do not donate to research or use products tested on animals. I do continue to travel. I am teaching my children these values and I do admire and respect innovative, passionate, visionary young people, like Bard...and when I meet them I tell other people about them.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Flagstaff House Restaurant
Upon arrival, we saw a wonderous night view of the entire city of Boulder. The restaurant was cut into the side of a mountain. We were pretty much near the top. It was raining when we arrived and low and behold, there was ONLY valet parking much to our surprise and happiness. Included was an escort with an umbrella out of the rain safely into the restaurant. The hostess greeted us with such warmth we felt like we'd arrived at a familiar place. She also gave us a great table with a view of the city lights as requested by Jon earlier. Customer service there was a model for any restaurant wanting guests to come back again and again. At one point, I watched a large table of about 8 get surrounded by about 5 bus-girls who literally, no kidding, simultaneously pick up two dishes and two bowls and their accompanying silverware and whisk them away without disturbing the banter at the table. The service was well coordinated, rehearsed and executed as though they were a basketball team taking the ball from the sidelines straight to the other side's basket.
The menu. First off, our names were on the menu! Jon had told them we were celebrating an anniversary, so dutifully and well executed was "Happy Anniversary Mr. and Mrs. Paolini" scrawled at the top of each of our menus. After the shock and awe wore off, we began looking at our selections. The variety of meat, vegetarian and seafood was perfect. All of the details of each dish were presented well. You knew exactly what you were getting into yet had no idea what your tastebuds were in for. Before we even ordered however, we were brought a fried banana wrapped in bacon and tuna confeit on toasted bread points "compliments of the chef." Then we ordered our appetizer and entree. After sitting and chatting about Russian Land Treaties for awhile (don't ask, we didn't get very far) we were brought "compliments of the pastry chef" a small buffalo pot pie. The meat was crumbled and spicy, the flaky top was a perfect compliment to it. Soon after followed the First Course. Jon's was a crispy soft duck egg over a bed of shitake mushrooms and white truffle infused Italian Heirloom Polenta. I stuck with a familiar item and had the Diver Caught Scallops with hand-made mushroom risotto. Main Course was vegetarian for me (I needed light), "Beggar's Purse" (Shitake and Morel mushrooms and Goat's cheese) and white bean arugula with greens over grilled eggplant while Jon was continuing the adventerous spirit for the both of us having caviar scallops and Red Trout. I was happy with my lighter fare as "compliments of the pastry chef" we received a pannacotta, tray of candies, sugars and unsweetened cream for coffee or munching "which ever you prefer" and a "Happy Anniversary" assortment of small desserts let alone our "actual" dessert of Raspberry Truffle and Nutmeg Caramel Truffle. We were happily discussing light topics by this time (like "Which was the smartest: Daffy Duck or Elmer Fudd? and the philosophy of Bugs Bunny) so our evening coasted into a happy and content drive home with few conversation save the tip we left and the unwelcome May snow in Colorado.
Restaurant's site: http://www.flagstaffhouse.com/
Photos from Flaggstaff: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150177634230755.299743.657525754
The menu. First off, our names were on the menu! Jon had told them we were celebrating an anniversary, so dutifully and well executed was "Happy Anniversary Mr. and Mrs. Paolini" scrawled at the top of each of our menus. After the shock and awe wore off, we began looking at our selections. The variety of meat, vegetarian and seafood was perfect. All of the details of each dish were presented well. You knew exactly what you were getting into yet had no idea what your tastebuds were in for. Before we even ordered however, we were brought a fried banana wrapped in bacon and tuna confeit on toasted bread points "compliments of the chef." Then we ordered our appetizer and entree. After sitting and chatting about Russian Land Treaties for awhile (don't ask, we didn't get very far) we were brought "compliments of the pastry chef" a small buffalo pot pie. The meat was crumbled and spicy, the flaky top was a perfect compliment to it. Soon after followed the First Course. Jon's was a crispy soft duck egg over a bed of shitake mushrooms and white truffle infused Italian Heirloom Polenta. I stuck with a familiar item and had the Diver Caught Scallops with hand-made mushroom risotto. Main Course was vegetarian for me (I needed light), "Beggar's Purse" (Shitake and Morel mushrooms and Goat's cheese) and white bean arugula with greens over grilled eggplant while Jon was continuing the adventerous spirit for the both of us having caviar scallops and Red Trout. I was happy with my lighter fare as "compliments of the pastry chef" we received a pannacotta, tray of candies, sugars and unsweetened cream for coffee or munching "which ever you prefer" and a "Happy Anniversary" assortment of small desserts let alone our "actual" dessert of Raspberry Truffle and Nutmeg Caramel Truffle. We were happily discussing light topics by this time (like "Which was the smartest: Daffy Duck or Elmer Fudd? and the philosophy of Bugs Bunny) so our evening coasted into a happy and content drive home with few conversation save the tip we left and the unwelcome May snow in Colorado.
Restaurant's site: http://www.flagstaffhouse.com/
Photos from Flaggstaff: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150177634230755.299743.657525754
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