Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Wow...we've been busy. Here's a little recap:

Sunday morning evening all the family left. :( It was sad to say goodbye, but we know we will see them soon. Sunday afternoon we headed out to a WONDERFUL book fair. I could not believe to volume of books. AND CHEAP!! Most books I got for 20 rupees...which is less than 50 cents. We then headed to Lumbini park, a gorgeous park on Hussain Sagar Lake. In the middle of the lake there is a beautiful, huge Buddha statue. We were able to take a boat out to it and see it. Truly breathtaking. We then returned to the park and waited around to see a laser show of the history of Hyderabad. It was very well done, and interesting. I attempted to have my future read by a parrot...but he came up with n0thing. The joke is, I guess I have no future. :) While at the park, I had the cutest little boy come up to me and say, "Excuse me Ma'am but if you don't mind me asking where are you from?" I replied "USA." To which he replied, "Me too!! I live in Kentucky!" Small world...:)

Monday was spent shopping the whole day. Which is one of my favorite things to do...esp. here in India. The US dollar is worth 45 rupees...so it's a GREAT exchange. And everything is very, very cheap here (according to US standards). Abhay and I ordered new glasses...2 pairs forAbhay, and 3 pairs for me. It came out to be 200 dollars. Yes 200 bucks for 5 pairs of glasses. And super funky ones at that....ones we'd never find here. Unbelievable, huh? We visited some very beautiful and modern malls. More modern than any malls I've ever visited in the US. We made some very fun purchases. Monday evening we were invited over to some friends ofAbhay's parents for dinner. A little cultural tidbit--most people don't eat dinner here until around 9-10pm. :)

Tuesday I went to see my very first Bollywood movie in a theater--3 Idiots was the movie. Interesting experience, but fun. Lots of yelling, whistling, screaming, whooping, during the movie. It's also acceptable to have your cell phone on ring and answer it. The movie was GREAT though. Very good story and awesome acting. Tuesday evening we were invited to another friend's house. This time is was BBQ--which was amazing. The couples 21 year old son made it for us. I've never had such tasty BBQ Chicken.

Today, Wednesday will be spent relaxing at home. The city is shutdown due to some political things. But don't worry--it's safe. :)

Buddah

Abhay and his Mom

Me with Abhay's Parents

--MMR

Sunday, December 27, 2009

The start of the trip...

We arrived in India on Dec 24th safe and sound. :) Our flights were great...but very long. I've never been quite so happy to get off of an airplane. Abhay is so happy to be "home"! I am happy to be here as well. Thankfully we are over our jet lag....

Christmas eve and Christmas day were spent with family. Abhay's mom, dad, sister Gunjan, her husband Vineet, Vineet's mom and dad, Abhay's Chacha and Chachi (aunt and uncle), and Abhay's Buaji (Aunt) and other various family friends. Christmas was wonderful. Everyone made me feel so special. I am truly blessed to marry into such a wonderful family.

We, of course, have been eating, eating, and eating. I can't even begin to write about all the wonderful food we've had. Abhay and I brought almond bark and no-bake cheesecake mix to make for Christmas dessert. Everyone LOVED the almond bark covered oreos, potato chips, and orange sandwich cookies. The cheesecake was also a hit...something much different from the cheesecake that is served here.

Yesterday I experienced the true India by walking in the middle of the road to the store with Abhay and his dad. It's an experience...let me tell you. I promise to take pictures so it can truly be seen.

Stay tuned for more...

--MMR

Sunday, December 20, 2009

We're set!



We are set, packed and ready to take off and fly to the other side of the world on Tuesday. We had some stressful times this week, as far as flights go, but thankfully enough everything worked out. We're VERY excited.

We will fly out Tuesday afternoon bound for the city of Hyderabad. On the way we will stop in Chicago and London. We should arrive in India early Thursday morning (which is Wednesday afternoon eastern time). I'm stocked up on good books and music. :)

Be watching the blog for written and photo updates of our trip. I will try to update this often.

--MMR

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Wordless Wednesday

(Our first photo together: March 06)

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Disney on Ice


Last night I was able to fullfill one of my childhood wishes...I got to see Disney on Ice. My husband was so sweet to take me to Indianapolis to see it. Disney on Ice is NOT a manly thing. (In return, i've let him watch football ALL day today and not complain) He muddled through it though. I enjoyed it. The skaters could actually skate and it was fun to see all the characters: Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Donald, Daisy, etc... It was also a joy to see how excited kids in the audience were. :)

This morning we were able to meet up with our friends Suresh, Swetha, Ajit, and Sangram for brunch at the new Ihop in town. It's always so fun to see them and chat. The rest of our Sunday was spent getting ready for the week.

Have a good week. Face it with a smile...:)

--MMR


Friday, December 4, 2009

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Our Friday evening was spent decorating our Christmas tree....which is one of my very favorite things to do. We decorated, listened to Christmas music, and after wards we watched The Polar Express. Crazy to admit that I had never seen it before tonight...and I loved it! What a great way to spend a December Friday evening!



Outside of our house decorated for Christmas



Our tree :) :)

--MMR

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Thanksgiving

I know a Thanksgiving report is long overdue....so here goes....

We had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving with my mom, dad, brother Brad, "auntie" Laurel, and "uncle" Lyndon. They drove 900 miles from Minnesota to Indiana to spend thanksgiving with us. They were here 6 days...and I loved every second of it. We chatted (a lot), drank coffee (a lot of it), ate LOTS of yummy food, watched movies, shopped, played games, and we showed them around Columbus, Indianapolis, and Taylorsville (where I work). I am postive a good time was had by all. But like always, I was so sad to see them go. I never know when I will see my family again and that breaks my heart. But I'm glad to know they are always a plane ride away.

Abhay and I cooked the whole Thanksgiving meal by ourselves. We had turkey, ham, potato sausage (a scandniavian sausage that my mom and dad brought to Indiana from Minnesota), mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, lots of veggies, sweet potatoes, 2 different salads, and tasty bread. I also made 2 pumpkin pies, 1 coconut cream pie, 1 apple pie, and a peacan pie. I am pleased to report that everything turned out perfectly!!! :) :) Oh and I almost forgot Abhay, my mom, Lyndon and Laurel made Lefse (click on it for more info). We eat ours with sugar and butter. MMMMMM



Abhay making Lefse

The Thanksgiving Bunch

Mmmmm, pies!

--MMR

Friday, November 20, 2009

Rich

I've been talking a lot about thanksgiving and being thankful with my students at school this past week. Yesterday, one of my third grade girls said to me, "If we have a house, food, and people that love us we're rich."

I thought that was a very profound thing for an 8 year old to say. It took everything I had to choke back the tears. She's so right. Often we, I included in this, forget what things in life REALLY make us rich. I am thankful a child was able to remind me of this.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Let's go Pacers!

Last night we went to our second Indiana Pacers (NBA) game of the season. The Pacers played the Boston Celtics. It was a very fun game to watch. We had good seats...and the crowd was wild!!! The Pacers won 113-104...so that made the evening even better! :)


(view from our seats before the game)

--MMR

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Pitch-in



I was reminded this week of my first "pitch-in" experience...

We had just moved to Indiana. It was my second week at work and people were talking about a pitch-in. There were papers posted for people to sign up for what you wanted to bring to the pitch-in. I was so confused, I had NO IDEA what people were talking about. I wondered what on earth this could be. I came home and asked Abhay, and he had no idea either. So the next day I went to work and said to my co-worker, "Ok, so this maybe sounds stupid but what's a Pitch-In?" She laughed hysterically and said, "That's right...you'd have no reason to know what a pitch-in is. Here is Indiana we call POTLUCKS pitch-ins!" Huh...

I was reminded of this when I was in a meeting and people were talking about our December meeting and what everyone wanted to bring. I told my current co-workers this story and everyone laughed uproariously.

They are POTLUCKS Hoosier, not pitch-ins...

--MMR

Friday, November 13, 2009

3 Enjoys

I am going to list 3 things we enjoy in life right now. I know it's a little different than a "normal" blog, but I think it's a good thing to focus on the things we enjoy in life.

1. Enjoy: We have been so lucky to be enjoying such a lovely fall season. The weather here in Southern Indiana is unbelievable. This week has been gorgeous! Sure it gets chilly during the night 30-32 degrees F (-1 to 0 Celsius) but during the day it's REALLY sunny and the temp usually reaches somewhere between 60-68 degrees F (15-20 C). It's awesome! My body and mind is still on "Minnesota weather" where is really chilly and it's already snowed multiple times. I hate living away from family but Indiana weather trumps Minnesota weather any day!

2. Enjoy: Abhay has given up tennis for the season and has now moved onto to Racquetball. He's loving it. It's a good outlet for him after work. He, and our friend Suresh, play every Tuesday and Thursday night. He used to play often during his master's days at Michigan Tech but hadn't played it for years. I'm happy he enjoys sports and is able to do them. Me, on the other hand, I WISH I was athletic! :)

3. Enjoy: Having Fridays off of work. I work LONG and busy hours Mon-Thur but I love having my Fridays mostly off (from time to time I have to do a few hours of paperwork, emails on Fridays...or have a meeting). I enjoy sleeping in (which sleeping in for these days means 8am), relaxing, and running around town doing errands that Abhay and I never have time for. I always, always, always get a nap in on Fridays as well. I think EVERYONE should get three day weekends. When Monday comes around I'm usually fully rested and in the "right mind" to go back to work. feels the same way.

--MMR

Sunday, November 8, 2009

We had a very low key weekend! It was much needed. I had a VERY hectic week at work, and was absolutely exhausted. Abhay had a stressful week at work as well. So we were both in the "same state."

Friday night we went to see Michael Jackson's This Is It! It was an amazing movie. It was fun, and sad, to see all the preps and rehearsals for his big tour that never actually happened. It was just another reminder of how talented Michael Jackson truly was...an artist in every sense of the word. We also enjoyed a dinner of Indian (buffet) food at the local Indian restaurant. The food is usually fantastic, but Friday evening it was a little off. We still enjoyed it though.

Saturday evening total spur of the moment (after other plans fell through) we drove to Indianapolis to eat at Olive Garden. It was yummy and exactly what we needed. We came home and relaxed...and have been doing that all day today as well. It's been so nice. From now until January, are weekends are packed with plans.

We're both really looking forward to seeing our families in the upcoming weeks!!!! We have been doing lots of shopping for both thanksgiving here with my family, and for our trip to India. :)

--MMR


Sunday, November 1, 2009

Halloween fun!


Our friends Shiva and Sheetal had a Halloween party last night. We had a BLAST!! Here are some pics from it:

Abhay and I: Email attachment :) :)

The Michgian Tech Boys
(Param, Sangram, Abhay, Ajit, Shiva, and Suresh)

The group!
(Suresh, Swetha, Abhay
Sangram, Sheetal, Pretti, Me
Shiva, Param, Ajit)

The whole crew...

--MMR

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Oreo Truffles

I made Oreo truffles for a Halloween party we are going to tonight. I thought it would be fun to share the recipe. :)



Oreo Truffles
1 pk of Oreo cookies
1 pk of room temperature cream cheese
Wilton candy melts or almond bark
decoration as desired

1. Crush cookies and mix with soft cream cheese
2. Refrigerate mixture and form into desired size balls
3. Dip into melted candy melts or almond bark--cool on wax paper
4. Decorate as desired

I usually make these with chocolate almond bark and then drizzle with white chocolate. But it was fun to make them Halloween orange with black drizzle. :) Super easy and SUPER yummy!



Finished project!

--MMR

Halloween Pasts

My brother Brad and I as smurfs 1983 (Not sure who the older girl is)

Abhay and I Halloween 2006

--MMR

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Another year has passed...

Today is the start of my 30th year of life. Yes, 30! It's hard for me to believe it. It seems like just yesterday I was 20 years old. But i'm excited to be entering into this new decade of my life. :) I'm happier than i've ever been. Life is good!

I had a wonderful day, and Abhay spoiled me thoroughly. I'm so lucky to have a husband like him. The started off by him giving me 6 place settings of Fiestaware. I've wanted Fiestaware for as long as I can remember. It's just something I've never bought. I was quite excited. A little later in the morning he left, and came back with a huge bunch of flowers for me and a birthday cake. Now, this is not just any cake. It's an ice cream cake made by our favorite little ice cream place here in town. He had it special made for me: coffee/brownie ice cream. :) This evening we went to downtown Indianapolis to do some shopping and have dinner at my favorite restaurant, PF Chang's. YUMMY!!

All in all, a great kick off to my 30's! :)



( My new dishes)

(Birthday Blooms)

Me and my cake
--MMR



Sunday, October 18, 2009

Diwali

Saturday, October 17 was Diwali: The Festival of Lights. Diwali is a HUGE festival in India. It's a celebration of good over evil. We celebrated by lighting Diyas, having lights outside our house, wearing new clothes, eating sweets, and celebrating with friends.


Indian Mithai (sweets). Barfi and Laddu

Abhay holding the Diya

Diyas lit

--MMR

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

My Namesake...


This is my namesake, Mandie Johnson. He was my mom's maternal Grandfather. Hi name was actually Carl Emmanuel Johnson. The neighborhood Swedes in Swedish called him "Manne" -the common nickname for anyone called Emmanuel. Most Swedish men went by their middle name. The non-Swedish, English-speaking people, thought they heard a "d" when people called him "Manne,"--hence Mandie was born so. He Americanize it and started spelling it with a "d."

I think it's so very cool that my parents named me after him. My mom regrets not spelling my name MANDIE. She thought Mandy would be easier for me, and others. He was gone, long before I was born, but I'm proud to have his name live on through me. This may explain why my Swedish heritage is so important to me.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Flip Flop Sofa


After much "looking around" we finally purchased a futon for our office. (Technically it's a Ashley Flip Flop sofa.) We have lots of company coming in November for Thanksgiving so it was a big push for us to finally get one. We're happy we waited, and looked around at nearly every furniture store. This one fits in the room perfectly and is comfy both to sit on and lay on.

--MMR

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Helicopters and such...

This weekend marked 1 year living in our house. Man, it's hard to believe. In one aspect it feels like we've lived here forever--we cannot remember anything else. On the other hand it just feels like yesterday that we were going through the bidding process to buy the house. We love our house. We are so lucky to find a place that we love living in so much. It's not just a house, it's a home.

Yesterday we enjoyed a fun afternoon/evening with our friends Swetha and Suresh at the Ethnic Expo in downtown Columbus. There was tons and tons and ton of food to choose to eat from 61 different countries. We ended up having Indian (of course), Pakistani (which is a whole lot like Indian) and Vietnamese. YUM!!

Today, Sunday, we went an met our friend's new baby. Little Soham was born Monday, Sept 28. He's a handsome little guy...perfect in every way. Congrats again to Shailesh and Sarika!

I'm looking forward to a short week of work. I have Wednesday afternoon, all day Thursday and all day Friday off for fall break. :) Too bad Abhay can't have the same days off. While it's nice to have time off, it's always a bummer when he has to work when I'm off. Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Abhay's new toy: a remote control helicopter


Our house decorated for Halloween/Diwali

--MMR


Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Wordless Wednesday

Our traditional Indian wedding reception
India, July 2005

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Sept 28-Oct 4

Another busy week has come and gone...

Things with my job are going quite well. I've fallen into a good routine and really like it. It's super busy,
i'm running all day long. By the time I get home, I'm exhausted. I'm thankful for a husband that cooks: when I get home from work at around 6 dinner is ready and waiting for me. :) Abhay is very busy with work as well. Projects keep coming his way. He loves being able to run tests on new and cool cars. It's seriously right up his alley!

We enjoyed a weekend in town, for once. Friday night I had a Fall Fun Fair at school.
Abhay and I both volunteered to help. We supervised and took tickets for a blow-up obstacle course. This sounds nuts, but we were exhausted when the two hours of the fun fair were up. We had HUNDREDS of kids go through our line to run/climb the course. It was SO great to see so many families and kids come out for the positive, fun event!

Saturday we spent the day shopping, sleeping, pottery painting, chowing down on good food (
mmmm, Chinese), and watching movies. We went to the theather and saw Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. We both really enjoyed it. It was a fun twist on the beloved children's book. At home we watched a hindi movie called Khosla Ka Ghosla. It was an ok movie, Abhay enjoyed it more than I. We finally re-activated our Netflix account so we can watch Hindi movies once again. :)

We are both wishing we were in India right now with our family.
Abhay's cousin Ashish is getting married tomorrow. It's hard to be so far away from family when celebrations occur. But we are looking forward to being in India in Dec/Jan!!

Here are wishes for a GREAT week!

--
MMR

Best Pictures Of Nat Geo

Being both a lover of nature, and photography, I thought this was appropriate to share...

--MMR

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Sunday Funday!

We enjoyed a wonderful Sunday!

We went to Cincinnanti with our friends Suresh, Ajit, Sangram, and Swetha. Our first stop was IKEA, my favorite store in the world. Abhay and I were the only ones that have ever been to IKEA so we showed them the ropes. As always, Abhay and I found some great items and stalked up on Swedish coffee and cookies. Sadly, they didn't have our favorite chocolates today. :(

After IKEA we headed to an Indian restaurant called Brijmohan's. It was a "whole-in-the-wall" place--very unassuming. But they had SUPER yummy chaat, Indian Veg items, and tempting sweets. It was fun to go with a big group of people...we all ordered different things and tried each others.

We're so thankful to have such a great group of friends here in Columbus!


Yummy!!!

Abhay and his Bhel


Suresh and Swetha on the left, Ajit and Sangram on the right
--MMR

Friday, September 25, 2009

Fall is in the air...

I love fall! Fall, by far, is my favorite season of the year. I love the trees, the sounds, the sites, the smells. There's really nothing like it. Last weekend Abhay and I went to Farmer's Market and bought 2 HUGE Mums for outside and a couple of little pumpkins. This evening we went an bought a Farmer's Market Yankee candle. Those things help me get into the "fall" spirit.

--MMR

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Wordless Wednesday

Itasca State Park (Bemidji, MN)--Sept 05

Sunday, September 20, 2009

S'More Brownies

We had a nice, and relaxing weekend. Saturday night we had our friends Suresh, Suresh's sister Swetha, Sangram, and Ajit over for dinner. We made Veggie and Turkey Burgers, Corn on the Grill (Indian style), other munchies, Cold Stone Ice Cream, and I made S'more Brownies. It was a new recipe for me, but turned out yummy.

Here's the recipe:

S'More Brownies

* 10 whole Honey Grahams, broken crosswise in half, divided
* 3/4 cup butter or margarine
* 4 squares Unsweetened Baking Chocolate
* 2 cups sugar
* 3 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1 cup flour
* 2 1/2 cups Miniature Marshmallows
* 1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks


DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 13x9-inch baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending beyond sides of pan; grease foil. Place 15 of the graham squares in bottom of pan, overlapping slightly. Break remaining 5 graham squares into large pieces; set aside.
2. Place butter and chocolate in large microwavable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 2 minutes or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Stir in flour until well blended. Spread over graham squares in pan.
3. Bake 30 to 32 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do not overbake.)
4. Sprinkle evenly with marshmallows and chocolate chunks. Bake an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until marshmallows begin to puff. Press reserved graham pieces gently into marshmallows. Cool in pan on wire rack.


Saturday, September 12, 2009

Days Gone By

It's on weekends (and holidays), that we miss our families the most. Here are a couple of family pics from days gone by:


Mandy's Family: Mom, Dad, Bryan, Brad and Mandy :)

Abhay's Family: Mom, Dad, Gunjan, and Abhay! :)


--MMR

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Arizona Labor Day Weekend Trip

We enjoyed a fun trip to Phoenix, Arizona over the long Labor day weekend. We flew out of Indy early Friday afternoon, and came back Monday evening. We went because Abhay's sister, Gunjan is in Phoenix on business....

Here's a short synapses of our trip--

Friday evening we arrived in AZ on Friday at 6:30. We were dead tired due to the 3 hour time difference. We met up with Gunjan, had dinner at PF Changs and collapsed into bed.

Saturday we got up early and drove 4.5 hours north to see the Grand Canyon. It was breathtaking, awe-inspiring, and the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Really, words can not describe it. Never in a million years did I even think I get to see the Grand Canyon. The weather was perfect for it as well. Being a holiday weekend it was pretty crowded so we only stayed for a couple of hours. We got back to Phoenix, had dinner, swam in the hotel pool, and again, collapsed into bed.

Sunday I was able to meet up with my dear friend Dave. I met Dave during my first year of college in Colorado. It was so nice to catch up with him, and have him meet Abhay. (sorry Dave, the picture turned out totally blurry) Later in the afternoon Gunjan, Abhay, and I took in the Desert Botanical Garden. It contains SO MANY neat Cacti. (And this was my first time seeing one). Unfortunately, it was crazy hot so we didn't spend a whole lot of time there. And then another yummy dinner, this time Thai food.

All in all, the perfect weekend. It was so wonderful to spend time with Gunjan and experience Arizona.

Grand Canyon


Grand Canyon again...

Brother and Sister :)


HUGE Cacti

Some more cacti

--MMR

Friday, August 28, 2009

Bye, Bye Reading Rainbow.

I read this story about the show Reading Rainbow today. READING RAINBOW It made me ever-so-sad. I truly believe this show is one of the main reasons I feel in love with books as a child...and still love them to this day. I remember, so clearly, watching episodes of reading rainbow in Elementary school and then racing home to tell my Mom about the book on the episode. Without fail, she would take me to the story and buy me the book and I would tear right into it. As a educator I believe children to need know HOW to read (obviously) but also children need to be encouraged to love to read. I believe this program was one of those things that did it.

Alright. I'm off my education soap box...for a while at least!

--Mandy

Season for Change

Just thought I'd share a bit of news...

This week I was offered not one, but two jobs! :)

I will be working for the school corporation here in Columbus. My first job, which I will be working 15 hours a week, is coordinating a volunteer reading program called book buddies. My second one, which will be 25 hours a week, will be coordinating an after-school program. Both jobs will be at the same school. I'm so happy for the opportunities!! I know it's going to be challenging and a lot of work...but a lot of fun as well. I'm thrilled to be getting back to a "normal" work schedule and working with both adults and kids.

--MMR

Monday, August 24, 2009

What Do Teachers Make

This is one of my favorite "forwards". Take a read. It describes EXACTLY why I became a teacher...

WHAT DO TEACHERS MAKE

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.

One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, 'What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?' He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: 'Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.'

To stress his point he said to another guest; 'You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?'

Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, 'You want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, and then began...) 'Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honour.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 minutes without an iPod, Game Cube or movie rental. (She paused and looked at each and every person at the table.)

'I make kids wonder.

I make them question.

I make them apologize and mean it.

I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.

I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn't everything.

I make them read, read, read.

I make them show all their work in math. They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator.

I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity.

I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.

I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, One Nation Under God, because we live in the United States of America.

Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.'

(Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.)

'Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant.... . You want to know what do I make?

I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make Mr. CEO?'


--MMR

Monday, August 17, 2009

Indiana State Fair

We attended the Indiana State Fair Sunday afternoon/evening. We had a great time. We were both surprised at how nice and clean it was. It was packed with people...and very hot out (90+ degrees and HUMID). We walked around and saw lots of interesting things/people. We even saw a street performer perform that we had seen in Key West, FL when we were there. We also ate lots of good, junk, fair food. In the evening we attended the Heart and Journey concert (both classic rock bands). It was awesome...and very fun. Journey is my favorite band so it was neat to see them preform.

Us at the fair!

Pigs in the Mud: Chocolate covered bacon. MMM

Deep fried Brownie. Absolutely DELICIOUS!

--MMR

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Saturday Night Dinner through pictures.

This evening we made a Minnesota delicacy, Walleye (A freshwater fish native to Canada and Northern US). It was a huge score to find it here in Indiana and we paid a large amount of money for it. Oh well, it was worth every penny...

New Potatoes with Green Peppers, Onions, and spices ready to put on the grill



After Grilling



Abhay taking the skin off the fish. YUCKY job!


Walleye, egg/milk mixture, and flour dredge


Finished fish!! MMM.

--MMR