Down in the River

I've written before on my own blog about The River and Rail in Roanoke but wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to share about our most recent experience at this fantastic restaurant.

Nicole and I had dinner with my brother at The River and Rail a few weeks ago because we'd raved about it to him. Actually, we rave about it to everyone. It's one of the truly special dining experiences in the Roanoke Valley. Now I'm raving about it to you.

Our latest dinner was just as good as every other meal I've ever had at The River and Rail. Our reservations were for 9:00pm on a Saturday night because that was the first opening they had for a table so it's obvious that this place is the talk of town. Considering the food Chef Aaron Deal is serving, it's easy to understand why.

We enjoyed a number of creative and tasty dishes during our dinner, including smoked beef tongue, chicken liver mousse, pig's head terrine, lamb sausage, blueberry hand pies, and banana pudding with coconut jalapeno sorbet. Yep. Coconut jalapeno. Try it.

Any time I eat at The River and Rail, I know I'm going to be impressed. The service, atmosphere, and food are of the highest quality. And our recent trip was just the latest example of that.

-David

Gone Fishing

This past month has been crazy. Nicole was in Italy for a couple weeks and there have been lots of fun family activities.

I've been trying to spend more time outside and keep myself from sitting in front of my computer all the time. It's a challenge because I want to be productive, but there's something relaxing about the fresh air. One of my favorite activities has become fishing. And I've caught quite a few bass over the past few weeks. I'm turning into a bassmaster.

Nicole and I also had a great time together this past weekend. We had a date night on Friday night and went up to Eggleston to The Palisades Restaurant. This place is in the middle of nowhere in Giles County but it's features amazing food in a really charming atmosphere. I ordered the pizza and it was some of the best I've had in a long time.

We finished off the weekend with a day-trip to Lynchburg. It was a beautiful afternoon and we had a Groupon to use for tubing on the James River. We went with the James River Float Company and I would highly recommend it to anyone. It was a leisurely 1.5 hour ride on the river with great views of Downtown Lynchburg and some of the surrounding mountains. I wish I had a picture of us on the river but we left our phone/cameras in the car to make sure they didn't get wet.

Until next time...don't stop the party!

-David

Flying through Summer

June has been an awesome month. We've been so busy out having fun that we haven't had time to write a blog post to let everyone know all about it.

Here are some of the highlights from the past few weeks:

A fantastic week of vacation in Chicago, which included going to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field. A huge thank you to our friend, Diana, and her roommates for hosting us for the week!

Nicole added some color to the month by participating in The Color Run in Roanoke. This is right before they both jumped into the car so that we could all go get slurpees at 7-Eleven.

And because it's summer, I've become obsessed with all sorts of frozen concoctions. This includes soft serve, milkshakes, and slurpees. Nicole goes to a run - I go to Sonic for half-price milkshakes.

I'm also a huge fan of this video that I saw on the Jimmy Kimmel show the other night:

That's a quick update on what life has been like for us. Tonight, we're going to dinner at Taaza, an awesome Indian restaurant in Roanoke, and then we're headed to the Corey Smith concert at the Jefferson Center. One last date night before Nicole leaves for Italy for the next two weeks!

To read more about what's going on with us, I encourage you to follow along with our other blogs. Nicole is at Seven Ate Nine and I'm over at From Ballparks to BBQ.

Take luck,

David

Weekend Adventures

How was your Memorial Day Weekend?

Ours was full of crazy adventures. We took a drive on the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway on Friday night to the Town of Floyd. Floyd is an awesome little town with a cool, local music scene and some really funky art and shops. It's known as a music hot spot on Friday nights and you'll always find a crowd at the Floyd Country Store for the Friday night jamboree.

On Saturday afternoon, I spent the day fishing with my granddad, brother and his girlfriend. We caught about 15 fish and fried them up for dinner and I learned that I have no patience for dealing with the bones in fresh fish. Unfortunately, we didn't cook the massive bass my granddad reeled in.

We were back on the road again Sunday with a trip north to Lewisburg and White Sulphur Springs in West Virginia. Lewisburg is a quaint little town that doesn't have much activity on Sundays and White Sulphur Springs was mostly abandoned. However, it is home to The Greenbrier, where we toured around and had some afternoon tea.

And we capped off the weekend by spending Memorial Day picking strawberries at a nearby farm. We now have enough berries to eat strawberry shortcake for the next three months but it's great to be able to pick your own fruit and eat it right after you picked it.

The Freakin' Weekend

During the winter months, there is a shortage of things to do in our area. Actually, that may not be entirely true. But because the weather is often cold and snowy during the winter, we don't venture out of the house unless we have to. Instead, we keep a fire going in the wood stove, build pillow forts, watch movies and drink hot tea. We manage to act like 7 year olds and 70 year olds at the same time. It's quite a feat.

Now that the weather is warming up and spring has arrived, there are lots of great weekend events to check out, and this past weekend was particularly busy.

On Saturday, we started the day in Downtown Roanoke and hung out for a while at the finish line of the Blue Ridge Marathon. This race is known as "America's Toughest Road Marathon" and makes its way along a portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway and attracts visitors from around the country. It did nothing to motivate me to ever run a marathon but it was really cool to stand at the finish line and see people as they celebrated finishing. I love watching people accomplish a goal they've worked so hard to reach.

Spring Saturdays in Roanoke also offer great opportunities to visit some of the local farmer's markets in the area. The Historic City Market in Downtown Roanoke is one of the oldest farmer's markets in Virginia and features a great selection of produce, baked goods, and other homemade items. We act like such trendy hipsters and always peruse the market even though we know what's there every Saturday.

In other ridiculous news, I had ice cream for breakfast on Sunday. It wasn't just ice cream though. I toasted a waffle and then put a giant scoop of ice cream on top of it. But I didn't want to stop the party. So I also heated up some homemade ganache and put that on top of the ice cream. Don't judge me. I'm already ashamed.

-David

The Taste of Roanoke

Nicole and I have a thing for free stuff, especially if it involves free food. We once asked a friend who had a Costco membership to take us with her so we could try the samples. When we lived in West Palm Beach, we ate dinner twice a week at the two different Whole Foods locations because they'd have block parties and offer dishes from the various departments in the store. We even went to the Ikea in Orlando once only because they were serving free breakfast. We're such great supporters of the economy! If it's free, we'll take three.

And we always check the calendar for events that could include complimentary snacks. Hello, The Taste of Roanoke.

The Taste of Roanoke was part of the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce Business and Technology Expo at the Roanoke Civic Center this past week and it featured a number of local restaurants.

We spent the evening enjoying burger sliders from Beamer's 25, chocolate chip cookies from The Hotel Roanoke, ribs from Smokey Bones, grilled chicken and steak from Longhorn, vegetable kabobs from the Salem Civic Center, and much more. 

They were even serving the new Cool Ranch Doritos Taco by Taco Bell! SPOILER ALERT: It's just as bad as the other Doritos taco.

It was a lot of fun trying food from different restaurants in the area and we ran into a lot of friends. 

Do you have any tips on fun free things to do? Particularly those that involve free meals.

-David

Spring Update

It's been a few months so it feels like we're due for another "It's been too long since we last posted and we promise to do a better job with this in the future" post. I don't know if this will happen or not but we'll keep trying to post when we can and provide updates about what's going on in our life.

Nicole has been doing some serious baking lately and trying new recipes that have been amazing. It has made me quite popular at work as I usually take the leftovers to the office. Two of her latest creations have been blueberry muffins and chocolate cake, which were inspired by these two recipes:

Cooking Classy

Cannella-Vita

This is also the start of one of my favorite weekends of the year as a sports fan. The Masters just finished it's second round of play and the weekend should be full of great golf from Augusta National. I'm so excited about spending Sunday afternoon watching The Masters on CBS and seeing who wins golf's first major of the year. Here is a picture from when we went a few years ago:

That's all for now!

-David

Welcome to Church

I saw this post from Stuff Christians Like and thought it was awesome. It's from Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Community and it's the welcome message they put it in their church bulletin a few weeks ago. If you decide to visit a church today, I hope you go somewhere that makes you feel like this. Here's the message:

We extend a special welcome to those who are single, married, divorced, gay, filthy rich, dirt poor, yo no habla Ingles. We extend a special welcome to those who are crying new-borns, skinny as a rail or could afford to lose a few pounds.

We welcome you if you can sing like Andrea Bocelli or like our pastor who can’t carry a note in a bucket. You’re welcome here if you’re “just browsing,” just woke up or just got out of jail. We don’t care if you’re more Catholic than the Pope, or haven’t been in church since little Joey’s Baptism.

We extend a special welcome to those who are over 60 but not grown up yet, and to teenagers who are growing up too fast. We welcome soccer moms, NASCAR dads, starving artists, tree-huggers, latte-sippers, vegetarians, junk-food eaters. We welcome those who are in recovery or still addicted. We welcome you if you’re having problems or you’re down in the dumps or if you don’t like “organized religion,” we’ve been there too.

If you blew all your offering money at the dog track, you’re welcome here. We offer a special welcome to those who think the earth is flat, work too hard, don’t work, can’t spell, or because grandma is in town and wanted to go to church.

We welcome those who are inked, pierced or both. We offer a special welcome to those who could use a prayer right now, had religion shoved down your throat as a kid or got lost in traffic and wound up here by mistake. We welcome tourists, seekers and doubters, bleeding hearts … and you!

NaBloPoMo - November 27

Question: If you could instantly know any language in the world, which one would it be?

I'm torn between Afrikaans and French. I would love to learn Afrikaans because I love the way it sounds and it would make me one step closer to sounding like a South African when I talk, which is one of my goals in life.

On the other hand, learning French would open so many doors to different parts of the world. From Africa to Europe to South America to North America, there are people speaking different variations of the French language. Through the traveling we've done around the world, I've been constantly reminded of how much easier it would have been to communicate if I'd had any sort of knowledge of French.

While Afrikaans would be fun, French makes the most sense. Au revoir!

David

NaBloPoMo: November 26

Monday, November 26, 2012: Do you speak more than one language?  How did you learn the additional languages?

I am horrible at speaking other languages - though admittedly quite good at English :) I took Spanish classes throughout middle school, high school and college but am far from mastering it. Actually, I like Spanish and frequently try to get other people to speak Spanish with me but I still stink. While we were in Switzerland, David did a great job of picking up French (and Haitian Creole in Haiti) but I find French horrifying. The letters don't look like the word and nothing sounds phonetic at all. As much as I long to move to another country, the thought of learning a different language doesn't excite me at all. 

Laissez Le Bon Temps Roulet!

-Nicole

NaBloPoMo - Day 22

Question: When was the last time that you cried? Why?

Here I was thinking this would be some sort of question about being thankful and NaBloPoMo goes in a totally different direction!

I'm not a crier. Nicole will tell you I struggle to have any sort of emotion whatsoever. Some people would call me apathetic. I like to think I'm actually Jason Bourne. So, when I say this is the last time I cried, let's assume my emotions were to the point of being close to crying and I had a lump in my throat and my eyes got a little watery.

A few months ago, Nicole's company had a large charity event and one of the charities they were raising money for was Homes for Heroes, an organization that helps build or find homes for veterans and other servicemen and women. As part of the event, there were two veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who were there as the guests of honor on behalf of the charities all weekend. These men sustained major injuries during the war and I can't even begin to describe the daily challenges they and their families will face for the rest of their lives because of the sacrifices they made to protect our country.

During one of the nights, the company hosted a private concert by Darius Rucker, the artist usually known as "Hootie" from Hootie and the Blowfish. Darius played many of his new songs but also brought back some of the hits he is so well known for from his days of being "Hootie." At one point, he and his band began playing "Let Her Cry," one of his most successful songs during the 1990's. During the second verse of the song, I remember looking over to my left and one of soldiers was standing by his table and dancing with his wife. Because this was a "corporate" event, most people were sitting at banquet tables or in rows of chairs so it's not like anyone was really dancing or jumping around. The moment with the soldier and his wife was a completely spontaneous, amazing moment I will never forget. I remember sitting there watching them and being so thankful for what they've done to protect our freedom and so grateful they were able to have that dance together, despite their difficult circumstances.

Even from someone who never cries, it's hard not to when you experience a moment like that.

- David

NaBloPoMo - Day 21

Question: Where is your favorite place to read?

In a word: outside. Most of the places I can think of involve being outside in some form or another. I enjoy reading books when we go on vacation and I can sit by the pool or on the beach. The same could be said when I'm at home - if the weather is nice, I like being able to sit out on the patio or put a chair out in the front yard and have a book or magazine with me. When I'm able to stay awake, there is nothing better than setting up a hammock and lying in that while reading. Seeing as how it's currently 31 degrees outside right now, I think I'll pass on reading in my favorite spot.

- David

NaBloPoMo - Day 20

Question: Talk about the opening of your favorite book.

Nicole really should be answering this question because she is the book connoisseur but I'll take a stab at it. My favorite book is Spud, a South African fictional novel about a young boy who goes away to boarding school and writes about his time there through the form of a journal. It's written by John van de Ruit, who is South African and does a wonderful job incorporating aspects of the local culture with incredible humor.

The book begins with John "Spud" Milton getting ready to leave for boarding school. His parents are beyond insane and his grandmother is senile, both of which make Spud excited to get away to school. Once he actually arrives to school, he quickly learns that many of his roommates are just his crazy as the people that were part of his life at home. The rest of the book chronicles the adventures and trials of Spud and his roommates, who adopt themselves the nickname of "The Crazy Eight." If I could compare it to anything, I'd say it's a humorous and witty version of Dead Poets Society.

I can't think of another book that has made me laugh as much as this one did. If you can find it at your local library, I highly recommend reading it.

NaBloPoMo - Day 19

Question: If you had to get locked in some place (book store, amusement park, etc) overnight alone, where would you choose to be locked in?

The fact that you're going to be locked into this place alone makes it a little creepier and less fun. While spending the night at Disney World would be fun, it'd be weird to be the only one there. Instead, I'll chose to be locked in somewhere that offers plenty of opportunities to entertain myself, the man cave of The Dan Patrick Show.

Dan Patrick, a former Sportscenter anchor for ESPN, left the network a few years ago and decided to start his own radio show. Now, his show is on radio stations across the country and has its own television show. The studio where the show is produced is a sports fan's dream. It is full of memorabilia from historic moments in sports and gifts from great athletes. There are televisions all over the studio to keep up with what is happening. And there is also a basketball floor and golf simulator. The place even has its own sports bar! I'd have no trouble at all being locked in there for the night.

NaBloPoMo - Day 16

Question: Would you buy your dream house if the price was right BUT you also were told it was inhabited by ghosts?

Very interesting dynamic here. I don't think talk of ghosts would prevent me from buying a dream house and this question seems vague enough for there to be lots of options.

First - even if we were told the house was inhabited by ghosts, we could have been told that by an idiot who has no idea what he's talking about. He mentioned there might by ghosts and he also mentioned that the neighbors were very friendly. Wrong on both accounts.

Second - if the house is inhabited by said ghosts, who's to say this would be a bad thing? Why do ghosts always get a such a bad reputation? If it's our dream house, I'm hoping it's inhabited by ghosts who enjoy doing the laundry, making dinner, and using the vacuum cleaner. Perhaps it's a ghost who always makes sure no important things are missed in the scheduling of the DVR. Maybe it's a ghost who enjoys inviting women over and having romantic dates involving pottery wheels.



The possibilities are endless. Bring on the dream house and the ghosts!

NaBloPoMo - Day 15

Question: Tell us about your favorite pet.

When someone has a chocolate lab puppy and a hedgehog, you'd think one of those two would easily fit the category of favorite pet. Unfortunately, the hedgehog appears to hate human interaction of any kind and the puppy is a ridiculous mess that eats everything in sight - including rocks, acorns, sticks, and anything else you find on the ground in the woods.

When I was in middle school, my family decided to get a chocolate lab puppy. We named him Buckwheat and he was an awesome dog. Some of Buckwheat's highlights included - making friends with a baby deer in the woods and walking the deer home with him; finding an inflated balloon that a school in North Carolina had released into the air and holding the balloon in his mouth without popping it; sitting in the driver's seat of my car and refusing to move when I was trying to go back to school after the holidays one year. Buckwheat died last year but the memories of him will stay with us for a long time.

NaBloPoMo - Day 14

Question: Tell us about the best meal you ever cooked.

There are two meals that immediately come to mind and I didn't really have a lot to do with the cooking of either one but I did contribute some. The best meal would have to be what we made for my birthday two years ago. My birthday was on Easter Sunday and we made BBQ chicken on the grill, macaroni & cheese, roasted vegetables, and strawberry shortcake. To be honest, Nicole deserves credit for the shortcake, my dad deserves credit for the BBQ chicken, my mom deserves credit for the macaroni & cheese, and I was responsible for the roasted vegetables. I may have made the easiest part of the meal, but it's close enough to count. Right?
- David

NaBloPoMo - Day 12

Question: Where is your favorite place to blog?

Hmmmmm....good question. For the boring, traditional, cliche answer, I'll say Starbucks. The biggest Starbucks in Roanoke has an upstairs area where they have larger chairs and plenty of tables for spreading out. It's a quieter space, but you can hear people talking downstairs and the staff making drinks, which is kind of a cool atmosphere.

For the more creative answer (and place I wish I went more often), I'd have to go with the new library in Roanoke County. The South County library is one of the coolest library buildings I've ever seen. It's beautifully designed and they have some awesome areas where you can sit, read, study...blog! The designers of the building also took advantage of the surroundings and put in huge windows where you can look out at the surrounding mountains. It can be a very inspiring place.

South County Library

- David

NaBloPoMo - Day 9

Question: If you could change one thing about your life right now, what would it be?

Wow. These questions are getting a lot more serious than anything I typically care to write about on the internet. There is so much I would like to change about my life right now that it's tough to figure out where to start. One thing I know Nicole and I would love to be able to do is find a church home. We've tried a variety of different churches since living in the Roanoke area and we haven't been able to find a place where we felt comfortable or connected. I know a big part of it is the fact that we were spoiled and had the opportunity to be part of some incredible churches (Athens Church, North Point, First Orlando, Christ Fellowship) and it's always a challenge to not compare churches here to those four. Another challenge is finding a church that is more concerned about preaching the gospel than spreading a political agenda. And considering that we just had an election, many churches have displayed their true priorities over the past few months.

For now, North Point Online is our church home. Hopefully we can change that in the near future.

NaBloPoMo Day 6

Do you like how I initiated this idea of participating in NaBloPoMo so that it would make me write everyday....and then I left it up to David? Oops. I do that a lot (laundry, cleaning, etc.) and he always pulls through. So there, David, if you don't feel like you have received a valid compliment lately - you are an awesome husband!

...and your curry was pretty fantastic too.

Okay, anyways. Today's prompt is:

Thursday, November 8, 2012
If you could have any job (and instantly have the training and qualifications to do it), which job would you want?

In reality, I would really like to own my own bakery or cafe someday. Especially a Great Harvest. But if I could do anything...wow. I think it'd be awesome to be a food critic and travel the world trying new restaurants (and crazy stuff, like Andrew Zimmern from Bizarre Foods). Besides the money part, I think I have the qualifications to do that already though - I have no tact at all when it comes to eating strange things (...or things past their expiration or that have fallen on sketchy floors...). 

Other honorable mentions would be: Astronaut (for only as long as I get to float around in zero gravity. I don't have much of an interest after that), Olympic gymnast and some sort of artist. I am so uncreative that I can't even fathom what it would be like to be able to paint or draw.

Until then, hi ho, hi ho.