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Show us your good luck charm.

 

 My husband:

As promised, I'm posting pictures from a one night's stay at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel.  (http://www.arizonabiltmore.com) This beautiful landmark hotel was built in the late 1930s and was designed by famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.  The picture to the left is a stained glass mosaic surrounded by the textured cement blocks that are very unique to this resort.

My friend and I arrived yesterday afternoon.  We were given our room keys and were quite amazed at all the amenities.  Our room opened up to a private verandah with a little table and comfy chairs.  The linens on the bed were the softest I have ever come into contact with.  My friend just turned 50 this year and she told me she really had to fight the urge to jump on the bed.  I told her to go for it!  I myself took a swan dive onto my bed and pretended to 'swim' across it.  All that was missing were the $100 bills.  I think I saw a scene like that in a movie, or on The Simpsons or something.

 

The neat thing about this resort is it's history.  Everywhere you go there are sepia pictures adorning the walls showing the resort through it's early years.  This was the place where movie stars went to get away from it all in the 1940s.  There is a very art deco feel to this place.

We ran into lots of folks from the American Holistic Medical Association.  They were there for a week long conference.  We had some great conversations with different attendees about the benefits of a holistic lifestyle.

 

 

These statues to left are all over the resort grounds.  They still maintain an art deco feel while being clearly Asian in design.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This one to the right was actually taken in the ladies room (believe it or not).  It seem like everywhere we went, there was some artistic touch to be seen and experienced.  You can see the sun shining through the glass ceiling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This picture to the left was taken in the actual spot where the actress Angela Bassett was sitting during the movie "Waiting to Exhale," which came out about a decade ago.  Whitney Houston also played a major role in it.  I had forgotten it was filmed here but my friend made sure to ask the bartenders where it was (they informed us that they had already been asked that 3 times that day).  We promptly got up and moved to that spot.

There was another picture of a very old mural I was hoping to get but the room that housed it was closed for renovations.  It depicts a Native American scene and whenever I find myself at the Biltmore (usually for a work-related meeting) I go to this room and just stare at it's beauty for awhile. 

I won this stay at a silent auction last year.  It felt very special to stay at such an amazing place that is such a big part of Phoenix's history.  I highly recommend this to anyone.  You can even come for lunch and walk around to marvel at it's architecture.  It is truly an amazing testament to the history of my adopted state.

While it's not quite as stunning as Karlos' pics of the moon, it caught my eye tonight after returning from yoga.

I thought it was quite beautiful.

May this be your best year yet.  I hope you have some fun things planned today and that people are treating you like a queen!

Two months to the date that we returned from Alaska and my bag is back. Hooray! I guess it stayed in Alaska for awhile.

This will place an end to the many questions I had:

 

This is truly a blessing to have my suitcase back.  I just knew it had to be somewhere.  I got a call from Alaskan Air (who we didn't even take) and they said they had it up in their Alaska warehouse.  Some people leave their hearts in San Francicso and then there are those who leave their bags in Alaska.  What's interesting is that we flew home from Seattle.  So how did my bag end up back in Alaska?  This one will have me scratching my head.  But regardless, it's back with everything in it.  It was a lesson in patience and not taking no for an answer.

Have I mentioned that I love where I live?  There is so much here within the city that would make good blogging material.  Over the weekend I took a few pictures while I was out and about.  A few weeks ago my husband and I were driving by this area with all these run down little houses.  He explained to me that these were used to house Japanese Americans during World War 2.  This is a very sad part of Phoenix's past.  I guess these buildings had been located elsewhere throughout the city and then they were just stuck on this plot of land.

 

One very neat thing about Phoenix is that there are murals everywhere.  They are painted on the sides of buildings and on the sides of bridges underneath the freeway.  The photo below was taken outside of a menudo shop.  Menudo is a tripe soup (and was also the name of that boy band featuring Ricky Martin way back when).  The Virgin of Guadalupe is featured everywhere in this area.  She is the patroness of Mexico.  Her image adorns t-shirts, bumper stickers, and even car air fresheners.  In Spanish above her head it reads 'God Bless This Business.'  There's usually an angel underneath her but the angel here has been replaced by a man in a mariachi outfit. 

 

The next shot was taken from downtown Phoenix.  It's looking south to the aptly named South Mountains.  This was taken from where I work back in May.  I think that is the last time it really rained here.

 

Finally, my own backyard.  It's not much but it's a great place to sip wine and watch the stars.

 

I've just returned to my desk.  Our receptionist called me to let me know that there was an emergency outside.  I ran up front to catch a glimpse of police cars, news crews, and an ambulance milling around on the street below the high-rise I work in.

On the one story building below, covered under a bloody blue sheet, was a body.  Someone jumped or fell to their death from the high-rise next door. This just happened within the past 10 minutes.  I feel completely numb. 

 

http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2008/07/30/20080730phxfall0731-ON.html

I have two things to say: first, I never thought I'd be blogging about breakfast cereal, and second, my husband rocks!

On his Sunday morning trip to the grocery store I asked him to pick me up this cereal.  Our local market just started carrying it and I used to only be able to get it at a health food store.

Apparently there was a sale today (hence the two boxes) and I will be in peanut butter loving bliss for the next week and a half! 

This was my favorite dish as a single woman.  It tastes like Capt'n Crunch Peanut Butter cereal (the healthy adult version) and provokes memories of Saturday morning cartoons like 'Scooby-Doo.'  Another swell thing about this cereal is that it doesn't turn your mouth to shreds when you are done.  Gotta love that! 

A few weeks ago I had posted that I would be changing hair color real soon.  Well, last night was the night.  It didn't turn out as dramatic as I thought it would, which in the end turned out to be a good thing as I was starting to panic midway through.

This goofy picture to the left I will consider the 'Before' picture (couldn't find anything else).

Thursday night I hemmed and hawed whether I should still do this.  I'm not used to spending any more than $6 on hair care.  Ruben and I sat in the livingroom (where we only sit if we are having a serious conversation or we have company) and discussed this.  He told me to go for it.  I actually had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.  I was actually scared!

                                 Before (above)

 

I forgot to bring the picture of the girl whose hair I loved and posted to my blog a few weeks ago.  Rats!  As it turned out though, where my hair is so dark, the stylist, Chris, decided that she would start by lightening the roots and weaving in some darker colors to make it all blend in.  She will be lightening and blending in the roots for quite some time.  Apparently this whole process will take about a year.  I will probably document these changes here. 

She did warn me that within the next couple of months I may need to wear my hair up until enough has grown out.  We'll see.

The picture to the right is the 'After.'  My hair is still a little wet but there are actually blond hair extensions in place to give it some highlights.

 

                               After

<-----Here is the back.  Picture compliments of Ruben.  Taken on location in the Man-Cave.

The whole experience was really fun.  It has been absolute ages since a professional has touched my hair.  There's something to be said for having your scalp massaged by someone who knows what they're doing and also for having a product used on your hair that you most likely can't buy in a grocery store for under $5 like I'm used to. 

Chris was wonderful.  She is really passionate about hair and it shows in everything she does. 

I think I will like this although the change has been scary.  After being a brunette for all of my adult life, it feels like an end of an era.  It's not a huge change yet but little by little my whole head will be the color of those blonde extensions.  Wow.  Turning 40 has been interesting to say the least.  Stay tuned.... 

Last night we hosted our annual Summer Taco and Sangria night at our home.  I love to watch Ruben in action.  He absolutely loves to cook.  Once infront of the oven, he enters into the 'zone.'  I came in to ask him something mid-afternoon.  It was probably something mundane along the lines of 'does this make me look fat?'  I can't quite remember what it was but I know he didn't even hear me.  20 minutes later he asked, "did you just ask me something?"  I'm sure I was only a low hum in the background of his mind.

I watched him prepare and marinate meats in pineapple and lime juice.  He sauteed onions and garlic.  I helped chop veggies and do dishes.  Every once in awhile he would emerge from the kitchen with a spoonful of marinated meat and ask me what I thought it needed.  He already knows what it needs.  My opinion is only for him to get a layman's idea of what the receiver of such a fine meal would expect in a tasty taco.  My thoughts are only affirmations of what he already suspects. 

 

The first step is boiling a fine cut of meat.  Ruben chose beef and chicken for his tacos.  The whole house smelled just wonderful!

In addition to the tacos, Ruben made a crock pot of refried beans and Spanish rice.  I watched him pick through the beans before adding the water.  He explained that when growing up, it was his job to pick the grains of sand out of the beans before they were boiled.  I watched him take a handful of beans at a time  and examine them.  I didn't realize what he was doing at first and actually thought he was counting them!  It could have been an old Mexican tradition for all I knew. 

A few months ago I had picked up a book on the history of Spain in the New World.  I learned that the Spaniards brought rice back to Spain and Mexico from Asia.  That's where Spanish rice orginated from.  I had no idea. 

Although it's hard to make out from this picture, this is actually a crock pot full of beans and onions. 

This is the beginning stages of refried beans.  What this turned into was a sumptuous side dish of fresh hot yummy beans filled with melted cheese.  After these had simmered for awhile, Ruben actually poured the whole concoction into a blender to smooth them out a bit.  Then he added chicharrone, which is a type of pork fat. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is our little terra cotta sangria jug.  I got this for Ruben as a birthday present a few years ago.  When not in use it makes a great decoration over the kitchen cabinets.  We love this thing. 

Ruben's sangria is the best I ever tasted.  He took a very basic recipe and turned it into something uniquely his own.  Our friends love this.  I crave it.  He only makes it once or twice a year which makes the anticipation of it even more exciting.  His secret ingredient?  Cinnamon sticks.  There's something about those little earth colored sticks.  The powdered stuff that comes in a little tin container will never do the trick. 

Currently I'm reading a book on aphrodisiacs.  Ruben's sangria, I think would top that list. 

Our friends all arrived in anticipation of a feast and everyone left satisfied.  For an appetizer we served ceviche, which is a seafood cocktail served in salsa on a tostada (a round fried tortilla).  For desert we served tres leches (three creams or milk) cake. 

My friend's boyfriend runs a group in the area with some friends.  They go to a different Mexican restaurant and rate their tacos once a week.  He has been in the newspaper and also runs his own website.  He told me last night that Ruben's tacos were the best he had ever tasted.  I wasn't really all that surprised.  The man can cook like it's going out of style.  Ruben was thrilled to have this local food critic here. 

After the last guests left for the evening, we sat out on the porch swing and drank what was left of the sangria.  A storm was rolling in so our stay outside was brief.  I thanked him for preparing such a wonderful meal for our friends.  Then I bathed in the afterglow of his satisfaction at having created such a wonderful night.