The Thai Place

Is it still January???  This has been the longest month ever.  But before we can close out the month, we must visit a new (to us) Kansas City restaurant. We opted for some spicy Thai food at The Thai Place.

Drew & I love Thai food.  And I've always heard great things about this little place tucked away on 87th Street.  I wasn't expecting it to be quite so nice!  When we walked in I immediately felt under-dressed.  The tiny dining room was full of folks rocking their best.  And here we were in our jeans. 

We were seated in a huge side room that seemed more casual.  It was full of families and couples.  We started in on reading the ENORMOUS menu.  Seriously, it was overwhelming.

When it came down to it, Drew ordered the Pad Thai... his usual.

Drew talk Thai.

Pad Thai... with shrimp?

I seriously could not make a decision and went with the waitress's recommendation of Red Curry.



Curry in a hurry.

Love Thai.

Oh so spicy.

To be honest, I don't think I've ever ordered a real curry before.  I didn't realize it would be so soup-ish.  I wasn't really sure how to eat it.



Is this what I do?

The curry was spicier than I'd anticipated and I was chugging water after every bite.  I also expected it to be a bit heavier on the veggies.  The flavor was great, but I would have killed for a bit more broccoli.

Drew clearly enjoyed his.

Happy Thai Plate.

And, just for good measure we I decided to order dessert.  Fried bananas topped with coconut ice cream.  Hello!

Very Nice.

The dessert was maybe my favorite part!  Very very yummy.

I'm gonna eat you up!

The meal was good.  The atmosphere was great.  The service was fine.  We had a really good time.  However, as we were leaving, we discussed our opinions.  Drew said he really liked it.  When I asked if it was better than LuLu's he didn't even hesitate with his "no".  It really didn't compare.

 

 

We really enjoyed our evening!  If we get a Thai craving and aren't hyped to drive downtown we will probably return to The Thai Place. 

Bad Habits Broken

We all have our vices.  And trust me, I've had mine over the years.  Fortunately I've found it in me to give up all most of them and feel that life is better because of it.  For the most part anyway.  I still crave some of these habits though, that is for sure! 

So here are my top 10 habits; BROKEN!

1. Tanning.  You are talking to a girl who worked at a tanning salon in high school and college.  I cringe looking at pictures from my senior year in HS.  I was a walking advertisement for melanoma.  I'm still terrified to this day that I'll develop skin cancer from my tan-orexia days.

2.  The Treadmill.  What???  We're talking about bad habits, right?  You betcha.  I used to rely on the treadmill waaaaay too often.  Any time the weather wasn't perfect, I'd head to the gym.  And I hated it.  And it made me dread running.  Once I pounded out an 18 mile training run on that stupid machine.  Never again.  I've toughened up in recent years and am proud to say that rain or shine, I'm running outside!  I've only run on the treadmill once in the last year and a half!  I will definitely say that I am a happier and tougher runner for it.

3.  Ben & Jerry's.  The Mister & I have a thing for sweets.  And we like our occasional ice cream dates.  Back when we were first married, we would make a grocery store run to pick up a pint of B&J's... EACH!  While delicious, those suckers contain over a thousand calories and a day's worth of fat!  And we would have them almost every week!  Fat & happy.  Now we are a bit more sane when we go out for ice cream, and we don't do it nearly as often.  But sometimes on special occasions we will still split a Ben & Jerry's.  It's always a toss up between Phish Food and New York Super Chunk.  Yum!

4.  Diet Coke.  Oh how I love Diet Coke.  I haven't had one in over a year.  Every time someone pops the top on an ice cold DC I have to remind myself that I'm so much better off without it.  But iced tea just isn't the same.

5.  Sleeping in.  I think it's all psychological, but I've completely convinced myself that I'm a morning person.  My alarm goes off at 4:30 and I'm ready to start the day.  I don't get up that early on the weekends, and do occasionally sleep in, but getting up and making the most of my day makes me feel so much better than wasting away my weekend in bed.

6.  BRGR.  Okay, you know I still love me some BRGR.  But since starting Supper Club last year, we've really expanded our restaurant horizons.  Now instead of always heading to the same ol' (delicious) spot, we are usually out trying something new!

7.  Processed foods.  Let's be real.  I still eat processed foods.  But we have done an amazing job of cutting out most overly-processed packaged products full of chemicals and artificial sweeteners (see #4).  At the store, I look for products that are more natural and have fewer ingredients.  Plus I'm making a lot more foods from scratch.  My homemade granola is the shiz.

8.  Meat.  Oh how I love being a vegetarian.  Let me sing to you the joys of not worrying how the animal I'm eating was treated, or what ill-effects this factory farmed meat has on the planet, or what-the-heck is actually in this hot dog.  I do not miss meat one bit.  Everyone seems so shocked by this, but for me, giving up meat was such a relief.

9.  Fast Food.  This ties in well with #8.  It isn't easy finding a real vegetarian meal at a fast food restaurant.  For the most part I don't eat at any of the big chains.  This goes for "casual dining" as well.  We almost never eat at boring chain-type restaurants.  It isn't worth the money and I'd much rather eat at home.  Chipotle is the (big) exception.  Love me some burrito bowl.  Especially since they started serving brown rice!

10.  Smoking.  I know, right?  I was a smoker for a loooong time.  People always seem shocked to know that.  Quitting was one of the hardest things I've ever done.  If there is one thing I regret in life it is that I ever took up smoking.  But hey, I'm a sucker for peer pressure.  I was not the one going out for a smoothie.  I was the one hanging out at the gas station trying to convince someone to buy us a pack of cigarettes.  It kills me to think how much faster I'd run today if my poor lungs weren't recovering from nicotine & tar.  But honestly, even so many years later, I still get cravings whenever someone lights up.  Sick.

Okay, let's hear it.  What bad habits have you given up?  What are you still working on?  What vice will you never ever give up, no matter what???

Top 10 Watering Holes

The one you've all been waiting for:  my top 10 list of places to drink a beer.  Note, this does not include places to drink wine.  That is an entirely different list.  Just for kicks, I'm including the type of beer I choose at each place.  I'm no beer aficionado, but I like specific types at specific locals.

1. The Well: Roof-top.  Is there any place better to enjoy a cold beverage on a hot night?  Give me a Bud Light and I'll stay forever.
2. Maloney's: Patio.  Day drinking with my lovely friend Katy is tops on my list of to-do's any day.  Maloney's is especially nice on a warm Spring day, hopefully after basketball season is over because they tend to have a bit of a KU following, which totally ruins the mood.  Patio drinking = Blue Moon.
3. The Blue Moose: Patio/bar/restaurant.  I don't care where you put me.  The Moose is my happy place.  Blue Moon is usually my first choice, but on Thursdays when beer is cheap I like to try new things too.  My most recent fave is Boulevard's Irish Ale. 
4. La Carreta's.  This is a new-ish Mexican restaurant near my school with insanely cheap Mexican beer specials.  The other teachers hold "meetings" there every Friday.  Who knew teachers were so fun???  Even more fun?  The waitress doesn't even ask me what I want anymore.  She just brings me an ice-cold Modelo Especial when I sit down.  I feel like royalty.  Drunken Royalty.
5. BRGR.  Whether on the patio, inside the restaurant, or sitting at the bar, there is beer & atmosphere a plenty at BRGR.  Here's another place that makes me crave those Blue Moons.
6. Porter's.  Oh, Porter's.  Where everybody knows (knew) my name.  I still love to go back to Porter's when we are in Manhattan.  The memories of walking in and having half the bar say hello are still fresh in my mind... even though college was... awhile ago.  This was also the place where Drew & I became acquainted, so it holds a special place in my heart.  Bud Light bottles please!
7. My deck.  Our tiny deck is the place to be in the summer!  I love hanging out with Drew after a long day (for him, not me.  I don't work in the summer) and catching up over a cold one.  I'll drink whatever random assortment is in the fridge. 
8. Penn Valley Park: Kick Ball Fields.  When we signed up for kickball last Spring, I did not realize just how much I would enjoy it.  But hanging out with friends, having a few drinks, and enjoying the beautiful weather and a view of downtown KC quickly became one of my favorite pass times!  The drink of choice is Bud Light, but I'll take anything that will fit in a koozie.  I brought Lime-a-rita's once and it didn't go over so well.  They're too small and fall out of the koozie.
9. BSFS.  Bill Snyder Family Stadium; parking lot.  Friends.  Family.  The EMAW nation.  What more could I ask for?  How about a cold Bud Light in a red Solo cup.  Heaven.
10. The Pool.  My pool, your pool, any pool.  Let's catch some sun and drink some dranks.  For the summer months you cannot beat a Leinenkugal Summer Variety Pack.  Sunset Wheat's my fave, but I also love a Summer Shandy.

So where's your favorite place to enjoy a cold one? 

Thanks for all the Top 10 Tuesday ideas!  I will definitely be incorporating them in the coming Tuesdays!

A Politician in the Family

I traveled to Topeka this week to see my dad get sworn in as a member of the state Board of Education.  Jim was elected in November and is representing District 10 (Wichita, not Panam) for the next four years.  He's dedicated his life to education, so this seems like the logical next step.  We're so proud!




The Fam.



The Lieutenant Governor Swore Him In.



We're so darn proud.



The swearing in.

Top 10 Questions Asked by 6th Graders

Oh hi!  Welcome back to Top 10 Tuesdays!  A reminder that I'm in desperate need of top 10 lists to make and share.  Think.  And get back to me.  Seriously.

School started back up last week and with a new semester came brand new classes*.  That's 123 new students, new names to learn, and new faces to remember.  I love them all already.  I can't help it.  They are awesome.

To help me get to know the kids, I always have them fill out a get to know you form on the first day.  The form that my 6th graders fill out has a question that says, "If you could ask your teacher one question, what would it be?"  I always get a kick out of the things they ask and if we ever have a few minutes left at the end of class I'll pull the forms out and answer some questions.  I like to pretend I'm a celebrity.

So here they are, the top 10 questions 6th graders asked, and I answered.

1.  What is your favorite color?
          Purple

2.  What is your favorite movie?
          Mean Girls

3.  What is your favorite food?
          Pizza.

4.  How did you learn to cook?
          I have no idea.  I always liked to cook.  My mom always cooked, and I remember doing some baking growing up.  In high school I made a mean panko breaded tofu.  And in college I cooked a lot of mushrooms.  I guess I just watched a lot of Food Network and transferred that knowledge into the kitchen.  I'm no expert, but please don't tell the 6th graders.

5.  How did you learn to sew?
          I took an apparal construction class as part of my FACS certification process.  I'm so glad I did.  I love to sew and if I had more time patience, I would attempt more.

6.  What do you order at Starbucks?
          Non-fat latte.  Don't give me any of that sweet stuff.

7.  How old are you?
          26.  Or, mind your own damn business.

8.  Why don't you like KU?
          Because I didn't go there.  Why do you like them?

9.  Are you strict?
          I'm working on it.  Being that I didn't go through a traditional teacher program, I missed a lot of the classroom management stuff.  I'm still not sure what is and isn't allowed.  Like, phones are only allowed if you are Instagram-ing the food you made.  Right?

10.  Have you ever been broken up with or broken up with someone?
          I died when I read this.  I have plenty of hilarious boy stories.  Plenty.  I'll share with you the one I shared with them.  In 6th grade, I had a boyfriend for something ridiculous like 3 months.  Everyone agreed that is a long time to have a boyfriend in 6th grade.  I don't know why we broke up, but I remember my friends made fun of me for dating him.  And now he's married to one of my best friends from back then and they have an adorable little boy and I love to say that I dated him first.  Moral of the story; everyone has heartache.  Things usually work out in the end.  And 6th grade can be so dramatic.

And, that's it for this addition of Top 10 Tuesday.  If you'd like to join in the party you can answer these questions too!  Unless you have your own 6th graders asking you even funnier questions.  In that case, use those questions. :)

Happy Tuesday!

*Thank freaking goodness.

Top Ten Improvements for 2013

My lovely friend Kaitlin is very concerned about the status of my blogging.  So much so that she came up with a new series for 2013.  She is admittedly not a fan of Meatless Mondays and so she came up with her own spin.

With that, I bring you TOP TEN TUESDAYS.

Kait promises to provide me with a new top ten list to make every week.  So far I haven't seen such a list, and am forced to make my own. 

Last week on New Year's Eve, Daniel Tosh tweeted something about how regardless of our resolutions, we're all going to be the same sad version of ourselves that we've always been. 

I totally agree.  Well, maybe not totally.  I do think it's a mistake when people try to completely reinvent themselves just because it's a new year.  But you know I love resolutions.  And I love the idea of always striving for improvement. 

I am fully aware that I will end 2013 the same person that I began it.  But there are several areas I'd like to improve upon over the course of the next year.  In fact, there might be 10.

1.  Walk the dogs every day.

2.  Stick to our budget!

3.  Sweep, dust, mop, and clean the bathroom every week.

4.  Go to Church every Sunday.

5.  Eat less processed food, more organic food.

6.  Blog more... every Tuesday. :)

7.  Sit at the table for dinner.  Not the couch!

8.  Cook once a week.  Try new recipes. 

9.  Travel far.

10.  Send birthday cards.

While I totally expect to be the same person at the end of the year, maybe I can end 2013 as a slightly better version of that person. 

If you have ideas for a top 10 list you'd like to see, holler at me!  Or, if you'd like, you can join me in Top Ten Tuesdays by making your own list for the week! 

Happy Tuesday!