That's it. They have to leave.

My ever expanding butt has served the eviction notice to my sister and her bff. Oh, and the little dog, too. Since those two have moved in my somewhat healthy diet has gone down the tubes.

Let's see...I told them to fix dinner one night and they came home with a California Pizza Kitchen BBQ Chicken pizza. Nice.

Now my kitchen is full of the following:

• one box of Fruity Pebbles
• Kool-aid
• regular Tostito Chips
• a jar of queso
• a jar of this Spinach dip (that is really stinking good!)
• full fat Wheat Thin crackers
• a box of Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
• a box of Cocoa Puffs
• 2% milk

The only thing those girls don't buy is booze!!! I think because they are too poor.

What happened to my low-fat lifestyle? Oh...it left and sent five pounds in it's place.

The culprits leave next week. I'm hoping they take their five pounds with them.

Something I forgot to mention...

While I was in LA - I experience my first earthquake. Hello, how could I forget that??? I actually managed not to panic and not to get up and run outside. I was at the LA Convention Center and if you've never been there...the front of the building is glass. Running outside of my meeting room just didn't seem like a great idea. It was, in the end, somewhat uneventful.

This past weekend Jason and I went to Corpus Christi for a wedding. We decided to fly down (saving 8 hours on the road) and stayed at the Omni Bayfront, where the reception was to be held. I have a rather funny story that involves the hotel and a $70 room rate, but I don't think sharing it online is the best idea. You'll have to ask me in person.

For Corpus to be a city on the ocean, their seafood selection downtown was rather lacking. Since we decided not to rent a car, we tried to keep most food choices within walking distance. This was pretty easy except on Friday, when we were in need of a place to watch the Cowboys beat the Texans. The option, take a cab to Buffalo Wild Wing. I felt quite guilty flying all the way to Corpus to take a cab to BW3's...but I like the food and wanted to watch the game!

Saturday we walked to the Water Street Restaurant for lunch. Jason had some raw oysters and a Mesquite Grilled Shrimp Po Boy and I had...a hamburger. For the record, I've been craving a good burger since my trip to LA, so I felt finally justified. Even if I didn't eat seafood. BUT we all know I'm not a big fan of much seafood.

The wedding Saturday night was really nice. Jason attended his first full mass Catholic wedding. I had to make a potty break once. We saw the guy we sat next to on the airplane at the wedding (small world) and were entertained by a mariachi band during the reception! It was really nice to spend the weekend with some college friends that we don't see often. Of course, we all talked about how we need to get together more often. Seriously, we live 2-3 hours away and it's been over a year since we've seen these people? Well, longer for me because I didn't make their wedding! I think I need to make visiting with friends a bigger priority in my life...

Today we slept in (thank goodness) and went to lunch at the Executive Surf Club, part of the Water Street Restaurants. Jason had a Hollister Wrap and I had the quesadillas. Sounds boring, but they were made with a creamy Pepper Jack cheese...yum. For the record, if you're in Corpus this is a good live music venue.

Tonight I cooked! I threw potatoes in the microwave and browned some ground beef with a mushroom gravy. Clearly, a delicacy. Ha! I'm going to finish it off with a cup of triple chocolate ice cream. I promise, one day I'll cook real food again. Maybe when I'm cooking for two and not four...

Travel, travel, travel

I typically don't travel for work. Ok, well not that often and it usually consists of drives to Austin. But for the last three weeks I've been a "jet setter!" I don't think I like it. I gain too much weight, don't sleep well, and by day 3 my feet want to fall off and run away.

My first trip was to Los Angeles for the NBTA convention. I was dreading this like nothing else. Mostly because I found out 5 days before I needed to leave that I was going. Overall, I did have a good time. I ate some good food and met some great people within my company that I think can teach me quite a bit. I did stay at a hotel that looked like a flashback from a 1984 beach condo, complete with the sea foam green and peach bedspread and seashell lamp...but considering I booked 5 days out for a 4,000 person conference...I did good!

Now for the details. When I arrived Saturday night I walked across the street from the hotel for dinner at Adoro Mexican Grille. I tried the Chicken & Beef Quesadillas and a glass of Clos du Bois Chardonnay. I will say that their salsa is great, the food was ok (needed a little more spice, in my opinion) and I loved the wine. Clos du Bois is one of my favorite chardonnays. Our opening reception was held at LA Live - a venue downtown that is home of the Nokia theater, where the finale of American Idol was held. All of the food was catered by Wolfgang Puck, but I was just not blown over by it.

Lunches were mostly held at the Convention Center and those usually include dry chicken in a cream sauce, rice and veggies. Nothing exciting here folks, keep reading. The closing reception was on the pool deck at the Westin Bonaventure, and again I was not blown away by the food. They served hot dogs. I'm serious. They did have other food, but hot dogs? Ok...a few of my friends bailed and went to dinner at a restaurant.

I managed my third trip to LA without seeing anything touristy...how do I keep doing that? The only "LA" thing I managed to see was the Beverly Hilton. Our company held a party there one night in the ballroom where the Golden Globes are held! As I went to the bathroom I kept thinking about two things. First, years ago an actress who played on Chicago Hope won best actress...and was in the bathroom when they announced it! Second, I kept wondering what celeb used the toiled I was using. Weird, I know, but you have to wonder - did Angelia potty here or is she too good for that? Our entertainment was a few couples from Dancing with the Stars (I'm not a fan, so I can't tell you who) and the food was selected off of previous Golden Globe menus. Lots of tofu and organic stuff. Though, the carved Organic Turkey was the best thing of the night!

I did manage to go out to eat a few times. I went with some colleagues to Morton's Steakhouse - fantastic!! I ordered the Fillet Oscar and we also ordered a sample of sides, so I had a little bit of everything. Lunch one day was California Pizza Kitchen. We have one here in Houston, but it's a little far from my house and I've managed to go one time. I must not have been overly excited. I think the best part of my lunch that day was the two cold beers I enjoyed. After standing on your feet for 3 days, sitting on the patio in the cool LA weather (in July!!) with a cold beer is excellent!

After the closing reception, I went to dinner with a few colleagues at Roy's, a Hawaiian Fusion restaurant. There is a Roy's in Austin, but I've never been. And I go to Austin quite often. A friend of mine, Selina, has suggested dinner there several times and I know why! This was fantastic. I had the Napa Cellars Chardonnay, the Boston Bibb Salad with Buttermilk Blue Cheese (oh, was this good!), and a Hibachi style Grilled Atlantic Salmon - to die for! This was by far my favorite meal.

I flew back on a Thursday and Jason left the following Tuesday for Philadelphia. He came home Friday and I left Saturday for the MPI convention in Las Vegas.

The entire MPI convention was held at the Mandalay Bay. As a meeting planner, you would have to threaten my life for me to have a conference in Vegas. Why? Well, I'd want a successful conference...not one where my attendees were either gambling or at the beach. I'm not saying much, but I will say that the Mandalay Bay has a fantastic beach. ((wink, wink))

Our opening reception was a Caesar's in their ballroom. It was crowded, but the food was good. What little bit I ate! They opened PURE nightclub for MPI guests early, so a group of colleagues decided to check it out. This is where things get fuzzy...not from drinking, but from the fact that it was 11:30pm (1:30 my time) and I'd been up since 7am...I was dead on my feet. Somehow we ended up in a VIP lounge area...with bottle service. I heard a rumor that the tab was $5000. No, I do not have type-o. That is the correct number. When you are served a large bottle of Moet Chandon, a gallon bottle of Belvedere, two bottles of wine and the setup for that...in Vegas...it gets expensive.

The next few days were filled with meals served on plates the size of my hand. I think this is how they make money - the food you are served during the convention consists of salads in a cup, panini's that are about 1" wide, greasy mini burgers on a pretzel roll and bite size desserts. When you leave you are starving, so the only option is to get a real meal in the hotel that you pay $20-30 for. Cha-ching.

Honestly, I ate two meals that were not part of the "convention meal service." One was an appetizer from House of Blues - I'm glad I did that because the line to get food at the closing reception was unreal, so I never ate. Oh, I ordered room service (Nachos) one night when I got back from an event...I was starving.

The second meal was Aureole. Those of you who watch the Next Food Network Star might be familiar with their wine bar. I think that's the only good thing there. The service was ok, but not great and the food...well, I paid twice as much for it as I did at Morton's the week before and it could not hold a candle to my Fillet Oscar. The option was a three course prix fixe menu. I started with a tomato and buffalo mozzarella salad, a duo entree of Fillet and Flatiron Steak served with potatoes and asparagus and finished with a Peanut Butter Cake and Coconut Ice Cream. It just wasn't stellar, and to be honest the crappy service was a turn off.

I can say that the best meal I had was served at our closing luncheon. The food was all fresh products local to the Salt Lake City area (the hosts) and included a Summer Greens Salad with Goat Cheese, a Lavender and Pepper Encrusted Fillet of Beef with Beehive Cheese Potato Gratin and a trio of desserts (Chocolate Mousse, Berry Macaroon and Cheesecake). I left there happy to have used my fork and my knife and not having to carry my plate while eating at the same time!

By the time I arrived back in Texas I was ready for dinner with my mom Thursday night at one of my favorite places, Chuy's. I may have travelled quite a bit, eaten at places I probably would not normally go, but nothing beats a bowl of creamy jalapeno sauce and a Chika Chika Boom Boom for dinner.

Vacation...there we were...

Finally. Seriously, finally, we went on a vacation. Ok, don't pity me...it's not that bad. But after a few semesters of grad school (Jason) and a crazy job (me) I wanted a vacation. Bad.

Off we went. I think the few days before we left were useless at work. Well, I accomplished a few things - where do I want to eat in New Orleans? Hmm...let me see, will everywhere work? I think so.

Bear (his name is really Nicholas) and Bridget came in to Houston Tuesday night and Fun Bear arrived! However, Fun Delia was worn out. And clean. Let me clarify - Bear has two sides. Old Man Bear and Fun Bear. Fun Bear has to be coerced out. He has to be bribed. He doesn't come out often. It's usually just Bridget and Old Man Bear. He likes to go to bed at 9pm. Well, since Fun Bear was officially finished with college he wanted to party it up on the first night. Hello - we're still in Houston! Boring old Delia (who had just taken a shower and put on her pjs) let the boys and Bridget go hit up the smoky pool hall for a few beers. I was perfectly happy.

Wednesday we set off for NOLA. What a drive. I knew it, but man. I forget sometimes. We did make a pit stop in Baton Rouge for lunch at The Chimes. It's a good think we don't have one of these anywhere close. I mean, the idea of The Ginger man being about 20 minutes from my house is enough for me. This place is like a beer heaven. If you like beer, I mean. And we all do! So, after a pit stop for lunch and a few beers we got back on the road. Let me clarify - we tried to get back on the road, but got a little lost. Not because of the beer - Bridget did not have any and she was the driver! It's just confusing down there.

We finally arrived in NOLA, we got checked into the hotel and headed to the bars. I'm sure that I'll either (a) forget some places we went or (b) forget the order of events for each day...so I'll just be a little sporadic.

We perused Bourbon Street and did a little bar hopping. Dinner that night was at Cafe Maspero. Really good, really cheap NOLA food. Jason and I split the seafood platter (it was all fried, but what the heck) and enjoyed some $1 daiquiris before heading to Bourbon Street for another walk around. Since it had been a long day of driving, we ended up heading back a little early. Probably a good thing, since we had two full days ahead of us...

Thursday we stayed in the French Quarter most of the morning. We started with breakfast at Cafe Du Monde. Well, it was more like lunch since we got there about 11:30, but is there ever a bad time for beignets and cafe au lait? I think not. Bridget and I wanted to cool down with Ice Cream Daiquiri's from The Gazebo Cafe and the guys decided that a bar tour of New Orleans was needed, so we started with the oldest bar in the USA. At least that's the rumor - Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop. If you look at the link, it mentions that the women's restroom seems pretty authentic...they're right! The door did look like it was going to fall off the hinges. Though, I can say, that I did not test that theory.

From there we headed to Chartres House Cafe. They are supposed to have some of the best Bloody Mary's. I would have to agree...but I would also go back for their Crawfish Cakes - a Cajun spin on a Crab Cake. Fantastic!

Jason and Bear humored the ladies with a walking tour of the Garden District. We hopped on the trolley car for the ride over there and took off. I'd printed a walking tour off of the Internet and it was actually pretty informative. AND free! However, I feel like we paid for it in the heat. Good grief!

After working up quite a sweat, we headed back to the Quarter to shower and change for dinner. That actually proved to be a little difficult, since the hotel shut the water down after 2 showers...poor Jason had to take a "Wal-Mart bath" and Bear lucked out when the water came back on.

Dinner that night was at Crescent City Brewhouse. It's a well known fact that I am not a huge fan of three things (probably more, but I'll talk about those another time).

The first and least favorite being snakes. I'll add here that some IDIOT had a HUGE one on Jackson Square - Jason was very quick to drag me across the street before I spotted it. Good thing because I would have screamed like the Devil himself was after me. The other two things...some seafood and some beers. I really do like some seafood and most light beers, but I'm picky. Shrimp is one of those things that I don't like. I knew I was in a seafood place, but I managed to get the Shrimp Pappardelle (wide noodles with sauteed bacon, peas and mushrooms in a cream sauce) with chicken instead. Well worth asking for! The salt of the bacon went perfect with the cream sauce. I also passed on the beer (I know, it's a Brewhouse!) to go for a glass of red wine.

When we left there, we stumbled upon the funniest place! The Chart Room Bar. This place was a hole in the wall that I could have gone back to. Hilarious music, a crazy clientele and...Miller High Life on draft for a whopping $1.50!! Bear actually asked if the taps worked. Apparently the locals like some High Life. Go figure.

We moved on to The Old Absinthe House to mark off on our drinking tour. Kind of a waste if you ask me, considering the beer was $5 and the place was empty.

Next stop was the Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone. That's neat! I enjoyed another glass of wine and we snuck up to the pool on the roof to see the city from a birds eye view. Worth it, if you ask me. We headed back down and to Bourbon Street for Bridget's request - having a drink on a balcony on Bourbon Street. All I can say is that we should have headed away from the men's clubs. Boy...that could get interesting. We wrapped things up with a 1am breakfast at...Daisy Dukes. Seriously. I won't lie, it was pretty good...of course, that could have been the fact that it was 1am and we were a little (ha!) drunk. It's a funny story, ok?!?

Friday we planned to spent the day in the Quarter. We hit up Jason's request for an early lunch - Court of Two Sisters. Not the restaurant, but the hole in the wall place on Bourbon Street. It's less expensive and quick. We shopped on Royal Street for a while. Ok, not shopping...more like looking. Not surprisingly, Bear was still hungry so we moved toward the Market Place.

After a little shopping we stopped at The Gazebo for some gumbo and a muffaletta. I passed and hit up the Blue Bell Ice Cream - I managed to eat two scoops of Rocky Road in a white polo without getting any on me!

This is where things get hazy. We hit up some place across from Margaritaville for cheap oysters. They were not too friendly to "tourists" and the wait service was rude, so we skipped out of there pretty quick and headed to the hotel to freshen up. Bear's request for the trip was to eat oysters. And eat them he did! I think he and Jason were sweating out horseradish and cocktail sauce by Saturday.

After stopping at Harrah's for a (free) drink in the Masquerade Bar, we hit up my request - House of Blues for some sweet potato fries. I love sweet potatoes, but dip them in grease...hello my love. They had Happy Hour specials which made everyone happy! (oh, and ours here in Houston open mid October...yay!)

Next stop was Red Fish Grille for some more oysters on the half shell and wine. If you do go there, sit at the bar. We sat right in front of the oyster shucker and that made for some good entertainment.

My mom suggested going to Cafe Pontalba for dinner, but they had just closed when we go there. We stumbled upon Pierre Maspero's for dinner and decided to stay put.

It was really good! I think... Bridget and I ordered margaritas and we had a poor little waitress who must have been new. The 'ritas were mostly mix...big mistake, and she asked how they were. I was honest - and I got what I asked for!! Wow...were they stronger when she brought them back. So we tipped well. I had crab cakes, my favorite thing, and we headed down to Cafe Du Monde for more cafe au lait and beignets.

Saturday was a quick run over to Harrah's to gamble. Jason and I discovered last summer that if you gamble for 30 minutes they'll validate your parking. It's amazing how un-fun a casino is at 9am. And boy does the clientele change. I think we were the only ones there without an oxygen tank! We grabbed breakfast at Mother's and headed back to Houston.

Saturday night my sister and her boyfriend came into town. They intended to go to a couples bachelor/bachelorette party...but instead joined us for dinner at London Sizzler. It was Rachel's cousin Sid's birthday and her dad's birthday, so we met the family for dinner. As usual, Jason and I were going to just do dinner and head home...but for some reason when we're around Rachel and Sid things never go as planned. We moved the party to Champp's for drinks and made it home sometime close to 1am. After 6-7 hours on the road back, what were we thinking??

Getting back to normal...I think.

Well, things are finally getting back to normal. HA! Right. Let's see...I guess I'll go back to June and update things.

First, my mom got married! YAY! We had a blast! I spent quite a bit of time making mini cheesecakes for the wedding. As posted before, they turned out great! I still haven't seen photos (uh...I'd like to know how I looked in that dress!!), but I do have a few to add. Here are my mom and Jason at the rehearsal. She asked him to walk her down the aisle - I think he was a little nervous! I've also gained a step-father and 7 year old step-brother. This should be interesting.

Ok, ok. Jett wasn't a part of the wedding...but he's cute! Sorry, I had to add him.

So, the week of the wedding my sister's best friend, Casi, moved in with us. She took a job here in Houston but Lin wasn't ready to move. So...it's been the three amigos for a while. Casi's been fun to hang out with and we have done some cooking...I've just been too lazy to take pics! Here are Casi and Lin last year on our Cruise Trip.

The week after the 4th of July, Jason and I went with Bear and Bridget to New Orleans for a vacation! Thank goodness. I'll keep that for another post.

Last week I went for another trip to Los Angeles. Man, I've been there quite a few times! Again, another post to come. While I was gone, Jess moved to Ft. Worth.

So, this week my sister also moved in with us. Yes, we have 4 people in a small house. It's only for 5 weeks, so that's not too bad...right? Talk about a full house! Hey, at least Piper (her dog) stayed at "summer camp." I think I'd owe Jason quite a few baked goods if I asked him to live with 4 females for 5 weeks. Now I just have to cross my fingers that Piper doesn't get kicked out of camp.