Food: the REAL Attraction - Part One

We'll start this one off with a little song. I just made it up (I know...you may marvel at my brilliance later), but imagine it to the tune of "Anticipation" by Carly Simon. And notice how I changed the lyrics up to suit my message. Again, a stroke of sheer brilliance.

"Procrastination. 
Procrasti-na-a-tion is 
makin' me late.!"

Okay, so I only changed one word, but seriously, this little diddy (minus the Puff or P) popped into my head as soon as I started working on this post, which was originally saved in my post queue WAY back in October 2010. Practically ages ago. I've been putting this one off, because I knew it would take forever to write...just because I have SO many opinions on this particular subject. What subject you may ask? Well, reader, I will end your anticipation (anticipa-a-tion) now. This post is all about Disney Food. Not Disney World, because let's face it, that can get boring. Disney FOOD: the real attraction.

Way back in October 2010, my husband Jeremy and I took a third anniversary trip to Orlando, to re-experience some of the "magic" (nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more, say no more) of our honeymoon trip from three years before. Because romance and lovey dovey crap was the focus of the honeymoon trip, this trip we got to focus on what we really love: food. Practically the entire trip was centered around where we would eat and what we eat and when we would eat. Just the way I like my vacations...food-centric.

Ribs, anyone?

Another weekend is coming to a close. Such is life, but I still can't help but mourn the passing of yet another weekend every Sunday night. Around 5:00 or 6:00pm, I start to mope in anticipation of the work week. To distract me from this ritual, Jeremy has been planning and promising a rib cookout all weekend. And I've gotta say it's a great way to end a pretty perfect weekend.

After a horrible work week, I was looking forward to this weekend more than any weekend before it...well, maybe not that much, but you get the point. We started off with a yummy outing at The Lazy Donkey on Friday night with my parents (more to come on the Donkey later, when I plan to do a full review after Jeremy and I take my Aunt Claire there this Friday night). And yesterday, I got to spend the entire afternoon with two of my favorite people: my nephew Garrett and my cousin's toddler Landon. Seeing them play together and chase each other around almost (ALMOST) makes me want to have one of my own, but Jeremy and I both agree that now is not the time. Maybe in the future. Maybe :)

Today, I sadly spent most of the day in bed with a migraine, but around 4:00, my head finally stopped trying to depart from my body, and I found that I could mostly hold it together enough for a quick trip to Home Depot. Thanks to my friend Payton, Jeremy and I have been inspired to tile the backsplash of our kitchen, so we looked at tile and at gardening stuff at the Depot. Fun times. And now, here I sit killing time writing while Jeremy whips up the ribs as promised. Ribs, baked potatoes, and wine...a meal that just might get me through another work week.

 

The All Good Things Must Come to an End Rule

In regards to e-mealz, I seem to have reached a bit of a turning point. Turning points I'm familiar with, because I've always had the tendency to get bored with things after a certain amount of time. Some might call me fickle, others may say I just lack focus, but regardless, I have had this trait ever since I was a child.

My parents were first made aware of my not-sticking-to-it-ness at a relatively young age. First were swimming lessons, which lasted for one lesson exactly. Then, I took up baton twirling, again a one lesson endeavor. By second or third grade, my attention span began to grow ever-so-slightly, and I took up dance, which I may have maintained for about a year, but it was a sporadic kind of year with skipped dancing lessons throughout.

An obvious dance prodigy. What form! What style!

Socks in the Door

I don't think it ever occurs to you how strange you are until you look at yourself through someone else's eyes. What's normal to you maybe totally foreign to someone else. This thought came to mind Thursday night after my friend Whitney visited to spend the night. As soon as she arrived, being the gracious Southern hostess I am (Ha!), I showed her around our humble home. Of course, I stressed over the fact that the house wasn't spotless, but I'm comfortable enough with Whitney to have let her seen it at its end-of-the-week, clothes-strewn-everywhere, kitchen's-a-disaster worst.

Looking at our little family of three cats, me, and Jeremy, I couldn't help but wonder what she thought of us in our "home environment." Sure, I work with Whitney everyday, but it's rare that you get to see your coworkers in relaxed-home mode, so I just wondered what Whitney must think of my relaxed-home mode...and here's what I came up with.

Things Whitney and others probably notice while visiting the Ross family:

1) First of all, there's the trio of felines constantly plotting your demise. I know this because they're constantly plotting our demise as well. I catch them staring at me sometimes, and I can see it in their eyes. "Must overtake human and claim house as territory." They jump all over you and the furniture, for which I apologize, but controlling a cat is like controlling a...well, cat. They're pretty much going to do what they want. Added to this is the cat hair that sticks to your clothes like glue. This makes their presence a constant and annoying one. Why do we have them, you ask? Love or craziness...I haven't decided which.

Here they've organized themselves by level of evil-ness.