I LOVE ELI!!

Eli is my sweet nephew, who just turned 13 months old.  This past weekend in New Orleans (we were all in town to celebrate Trey Medbery's wedding), I got to spend more time with him over two and a half days than I have in the past year.  Here are some photo highlights of our visit... dressed up at the Rehearsal Dinner, eating beignets at Cafe du Monde, dressed up for the wedding, and just snuggling and loving on one another.  He is the sweetest baby in the world... a wonderfully happy guy, even when he's worn out and sleepy.  Just a Love!

What a handsome boy...

Eli is so happy and fun!

Checking out the sugar... not quite sure about these beignets...

 

Mmm... Yummy!

Aunt Rachel Loves Eli!

Shows

So, this post is a little (ok a lot) self-indulgent.  For my birthday, my mom came to San Diego and we went up to LA... she treated me to "The Phantom of the Opera" at the Pantages Theatre.  Somehow, I'd never seen that show, so it was a wonderful gift to finally get to see it, especially with her!  Now that's gotten me thinking about all of the amazing shows I've gotten to see or be a part of.  And the rest of this post is going to be a list of shows that I've seen/been a part of from most recent to past.  See... totally self-indulgent.

The Phantom of the Opera
Legally Blonde: The Musical
Spamalot
Children of Eden (Yonah/Producer, 2009, Eve/Mama Noah, 1999, saw it in 1998)
Ragtime (Music Director, 2008, saw it in 2001 or '02)
Joseph And the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Narrator, 2008, saw it in 1996)
Jersey Boys
Wicked
Rent
Oklahoma (Laurie)
Mamma Mia (2x)
Showboat
The Sound of Music
Sunset Boulevard (2x)
Les Miserables (2x)
Footloose
Grease
Guys and Dolls
Cabaret
Urinetown
Fosse
A Chorus Line
Fiddler on the Roof (chorus)
Camelot (chorus)
The Music Man (Marian)
Carousel
Oliver
Honk!
Floyd Collins

That's all that I can think of... seems like there should be more.  If I think of any, I'll let you know!

Me, outside the Pantages after "Phantom"

Mom and Me... Happy Birthday!!!

Great Quote

I watched "Runaway Bride" on the plane ride home from Okinawa, and picked up a great quote from the movie.  "It takes three people to make our marriage work; him, me, and our therapist."  Ain't it the truth?  Marriage is tough.  I have so benefitted from my work with an excellent therapist over the last ten months.  It feels good to be authentic and healthy.  Hooray for doing the hard work in therapy!

Forget Me Nots

This Spring I've had the opportunity and pleasure to sing with a group called "The Forget Me Nots."  Last Friday night, we had our debut show, and each of us sang a solo in addition to our group numbers.  Here's me!

Feels So Good!

This post is more for my benefit than anyone else's... But I just needed to write it as a little reminder to myself of how GOOD it feels to have completed a run before work!

Some mornings (like today) it's a drag to get up early, and would be really easy to talk myself out of a run, but with Gabe's encouragement I make it out the door and hit the road.  And it only takes about three minutes to be glad that I'm out there and to start enjoying feeling my body exert itself.  Then, when the run is over it just feels GREAT to come back inside, drink some water and hit the shower and get on with the rest of my day.

So, self, get out there and run.  (And remember, Lake Tahoe already has your money, so you'd better keep running so that you're in shape to take on the 1/2 Marathon on your birthday!)

Back at it!

Whole Note Music Therapy has been revamped, refreshed, and re-launched on the Web.  Check out the site! www.wholenotemusictherapy.com

I am so excited to be building a new voice studio and exploring new ways to share music therapy with my community.  I appreciate your continued interest, support, and feedback!

It's been a while...

And I don't have much to say tonight.  All is well, though, just incredibly busy!  It was a real treat to have Burr so close (relatively!) March - May.  He went back to Okinawa at the beginning of June, and since then I have been playing catch-up at work, and have done a whirl-wind trip to Orlando (for NICU-MT certification; amazing!), and Birmingham (much playing with Baby Eli, and wonderful visiting with Mom!).  Now, back in San Diego, settling in for a productive weekend home alone, to be followed by about two weeks of company!  (Kristy first, then Mom and Rose - can't wait!)

Other reasons I haven't posted here lately are largely tied to Whole Note Music Therapy and how much "brain-time" the "rebirth" is demanding of me!  Working on website revisions, a Whole Note blog, possibly a podcast, and oh yeah, drumming up some students and clients!  Also beginning to explore the possibility of a NICU Music Therapy contract in San Diego, and still pondering what I should be when I grow up... Full time music therapist?  (Employee or Private Practitioner?)  Go back to school for a Masters degree in Speech Language Pathology?  Shelve everything and be a full-time mom?  (Of course, that would require children, and I'm not in a rush to acquire any at the moment, so probably not the best option!)  Sadly acknowledging that the window has likely shut on other career aspirations... probably will not be an astronaut, Julie Andrews, Shamu Trainer, or Esther Williams.  Sad.  Oh well, it feels good to remind myself that Julia Child didn't become "Julia Child" until her fifties... so there's still plenty of time to leave my mark!  But that brings us back to the question, where shall I leave said mark?

Enough of my rambling.  I've also cooked some great meals over the last couple of months, and I'll be happy to share those with you soon...ish.

Cheers!
rmf

Third Thursday Dinner pt 2

Ok, Blogger went back to "normal" and let me upload the pictures from Dinner!  Behold the Lobster Paella, the dinner guests, and me serving the cheesecake!

Third Thursday Dinner

Third Thursday Dinner came early this month!  Seems like I blinked and it was April 15... oh well, the food was good, and the company was even better!  Best part, Burr got to drop in and meet some of my SD friends, and they got to meet him!

The menu:
Lobster Paella (This was good, but the ingredients were quite expensive and I'm not quite sure that the end result justified the cost.)
Bay Scallop Gratin (Really, really, really good!)
Sauteed Green Beans (So easy, and so yummy!)

Pea Pesto Crostini for the Appetizer (leftover Pea Pesto was great over orrechiette pasta for dinner last week!)
Chocolate Cheesecake for Dessert (um, yeah.  Enough said.)

oook... looks like Blogger has changed the rules on uploading photos, so I'll have to get back to you with the pics from the event!  Sorry!

The Bird Bath

Today, I've felt a bit down.  Doing things that are self-destructive, that you KNOW will be self-destructive before you do them, is a bad idea... I don't recommend it... But having been self-destructive this morning, I've had to reap the consequences all day, in the form of a nasty case of the blues and too many thoughts full of self-doubt to count.

I did "nice" things for myself today... got a manicure (first one in I can't remember how long, and just went with clear!), and a pedicure as well (pink for springtime), took care of Burr's laundry, even got to watch a bit of "Casino Royale" while I munched on my lunch.  Then I went to the pool.  Glorious afternoon in Yuma.  Hot.  Sunny.  Perfect.  Started a new book ("The School of Essential Ingredients" - highly recommend!), and tried to breathe deeply and enjoy the sunshine.  But I still felt down.

Until I saw the bird.  It was a pigeon, and it was perched on the edge of the fountain by the pool.  There was nothing especially remarkable about the bird.  Brown, no distinctive markings, regular size, you know, just a bird.  But that bird was Joyful!  It was luxuriating in the cool splashes of water being blown onto it from the fountain.  One wing would lift as the bird tilted to the side to get the water in those "hard to reach spots!" then the maneuver would be repeated on the other side.  The bird Luxuriated in the water... and I became lighter, and more joyful just watching.

Watching the bird playing in the fountain reminded me of how much I've always loved the water and experienced great joy just from being in it and pretending to be Esther Williams...  But I held off on my impulse to dive into the pool.  I mean, then I would have to wash my hair, my eye make-up would get runny, etc, etc.  My eyes, however, continued to be drawn back to the bird, as he bathed and played in the fountain.  It looked like FUN.  And that bird seemed Happy!  And at the end of the day, I wanted to feel happy, not blue, and I knew that all it would take to feel happier would be to dive into the water, and frolic for a bit.  So, I did.  And it was wonderful.  And I felt happy.

Now I'm left to ponder...  Why do we (or maybe it's just me), so easily do things to ourselves that we know will bring us down and not lift our spirits.  And why is it so much more difficult to choose to do something simple that we know will bring joy to our souls?  It's so easy to choose to squander in negativity, and can sometimes be much more of a challenge to embrace the healthy and positive... even though, from my experience, it's actually more Difficult to do something self-destructive (too many steps, too  much yuck to wade through) than it is to choose the Positive.  Craziness I tell you.

I will continue to look for the beauty and joy in the simplicity around me... and make the decision as often as possible to do the things that I know will bring joy to my own life.

Here's to the bird bath.

rmf

It may surprise you

It may surprise you to learn how many ideas for blog posts run through my head each day.  I don't post with regularity, but that doesn't mean that I'm not thinking about it!

Sometimes, I'd like to do a really "scandalous" post on something that people don't talk about very often... like Vibrators... or I'd like to wax insightfully about relationships, or rail away at the injustices of the world...  Other times, I'd like to talk about my job, and how cool it is to do what I do... and how I want to touch people and society and make an impact with my life, but how I'm scared that in the final analysis, my life won't have positively impacted anyone.  (Scary, scary!)

Sometimes I want to blog about singing.  Sometimes I want to blog about running and trying to keep my body feeling and looking it's best.  And then there are times when I want to be snarky, but I reign myself in on those... there's too much snarkiness and negativity out there already, why contribute more when it's so much more refreshing to have something kind and thoughtful to say?

I guess my reluctance to test all of these waters and to post some of the ideas that I have is that I'm still not exactly sure what a blog is supposed to be.  Is it supposed to be like the cards we get at Christmas, and paint everything with a rosy hue?  It it supposed to be dedicated to a single topic or type of post?  Can it be an authentic representation of one's life and experiences?  Do readers (whoever you are!) only want to hear the "good stuff" or can we be honest about the struggles and low times we face as well?  Questions, questions...

Oh well... We'll travel this blog-y road together and see where it goes.

Don't be snarky.  Being kind is so much more clever.

:)

Thai Cooking

One of the high points (if not THE high point) of my trip to Thailand last May was getting to attend a Thai Cooking Class.  It was in a quaint little restaurant on Phi Phi Island, and we (Burr and I) stumbled onto it after seeing a flyer advertising cooking classes on the beach.  (The flyer was on the beach, not the class.)  Now, nearly a year later, I have finally delved into the world of recreating the recipes on my own.  Well, not totally on my own, I still have the cookbook that I bought, along with the notes that I took!  I just mean, "on my own" in the sense that there's not a Thai lady in my kitchen guiding me through each step.  :)

A couple of weeks ago Talia came over to sample the goods... We had a delicious Green Curry with vegetables (there were no green chili peppers at Whole Foods, so I had to use store bought curry paste), and a luscious Panang Curry with chicken, which featured my made from scratch Panang curry paste!  Can I just say, WOW... it was soooooo good!  I've been enjoying Trader Joe's Thai Green Curry sauce for the last several months, but after seeing how easy and how much BETTER the food was when I made the real thing, I will think twice before buying that jar again!

Here are a couple of pics... first the ingredients for the curry paste, then, the final product!

Burr wasn't here to sample and tell me how my version compared with the "real thing" so this weekend when I went to Yuma, I decided to surprise him with a Panang Chicken Dinner!  After the Coast Music Therapy student talent showcase, I rushed home to make the dish, then packed it up to take with me... I finally got on the road around 5:30pm, and around 6:30pm the Panang tumbled from it's careful packing and spilled all over the backseat of my car.  Gabe was thrilled, and was quite helpful in the clean-up, but I was CRUSHED!  Needless to say, Burr has still not gotten to taste my Thai undertaking... I may give it another try this weekend though, so we'll see what he thinks!  (On a sidenote, the smell that is lingering in my car is that of Fish Sauce... only two tablespoons in the recipe amidst peanuts, chilis, coconut milk... so many other wonderful scents, and THAT'S the yucky smell that's lingering!)

Thai food is yummy.

rmf

Tasks

It's Sunday.  And I have nothing to do today.  Well, nothing, that is, that's on my schedule.  But there are many things that I COULD do today... I'm currently pondering what might (or might not!) get done.  Here are some of my potential tasks today:

Deposit checks (a must-do!)
Pilates class
Bathe Gabe
Go to the beach
A Borders Bookstore run
A Run
Closet Overhaul (I went shopping yesterday and must now delete items from my closet to accommodate the new things.  It's my new shopping policy!)
Menu planning for Thursday dinner party
Vacuum
Trip planning for May
A trip to the nursery to finish out my herb garden

Lot's of options today!  Wondering what will transpire... guess it's time for me to get off of the computer and get busy!

I Don't Like Fish...

But this dish was incredible!  I've been in a bit of a slump lately with my cooking, but have finally started to come out of it... I've been re-reading some of my favorite cookbooks, have purchased a couple of new ones, have been taking note of recipes I've never tried, and have been playing with some different ingredients and flavor profiles.

I made this Mustard Roasted Fish from Ina's "Back to Basics" earlier this week.  Creme fraiche, dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, chopped shallots, capers, salt and pepper, combined then spread over the fish (Ina called for red snapper but Whole Foods had none and the fish guys recommended the white, flaky Rock Fish that I used instead).  Baked for 10 minutes in a 425 oven, served with sauteed haricots verts (French green beans!), and brown rice, this dish was delicious that evening and the next day for lunch.  My only complaint is to the fish monger at Whole Foods for not doing the best job of de-boning the fish... I don't like having to search for elusive bones in every bite... kind of takes the enjoyment out of the meal!

Funny Impulses

Almost four years after my dad's death, I still have funny, instinctive impulses to give him a call.  Most recently, I got my car washed and as I drove on into work, I wanted to call him to let him know!  He was always a stickler about keeping his car in great shape, and whenever I was taking good care of my car, I would call to give him an update.  And he would be pleased.  And his happiness/pride over such a simple thing made me happy.

That's a silly example, but it's funny the moments in life that give you pause and make you feel like/wish those who are no longer with you still are...

The Fig Sauce

Several friends tonight raved about the Fig Sauce which accompanied our pork loin, so here is the recipe, from Giada de Laurentiis' "Everyday Italian."

2.5 C Port
1.25 C Chicken broth
8 Dried black mission figs, coarsely chopped
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 cinnamon sticks
1 T honey
2 T unsalted butter cut into pieces
.25 t salt
.25 t freshly ground pepper

In a medium sized, heavy bottomed sauce pan, combine the port, chicken broth, figs, rosemary, cinnamon, and honey.  Boil over medium-high heat until reduced by half, about 30 min.  Discard the rosemary sprigs and cinnamon sticks (some rosemary leaves will remain in the port mixture).  Transfer the port mixture to a blender and puree until smooth.  Blend in the butter, salt, and pepper.  (Sauce can be made 1 day ahead.  Cover and refrigerate.  Warm over medium heat before using.)

Enjoy!

Third Thursday Dinner

I've mentioned before that I love to cook for my friends, and more than that, to share meals with them.  As a result of that pleasure, I've decided to host a little dinner party for my friends on the Third Thursday of every month.  Tonight was the first of many more to come, and I think it was a great success!  The menu was:

Roasted Pork Loin with Fig Sauce
Cous Cous with figs and pine nuts
Green Spring Vegetables with Shallots

The famous "Artichoke Dip" was on hand as an appetizer, and the heretofore known only to Burr and me "Oreo Ice Cream Cake" was the dessert.  Yum.

Pata Pata

I LOVE this song by Miriam Makeba; it's just impossible to listen to it and not have a lift in the mood.  For whatever reason, I've felt a little blue this afternoon, so I treated myself to the entire "Pata Pata" album on iTunes.  It's having the desired effect... elevating my mood, so that I'm now motivated to go shop for groceries and cook for the evening!

Losing my "Muchness"

Last night I saw the new film "Alice in Wonderland."  One of the themes that kept coming up in the first half of the movie was that Alice didn't seem Much like Alice.  She had changed as she had grown up, playing the role that society demanded of her, and losing confidence in herself and her gumption.  She had lost her "Muchness."  (Of course, as one expects, over the course of the story, she rediscovers herself, etc...) :)

I don't ever want to lose my "Muchness."  Over the last couple of years, I've gone into places in myself that I didn't know were there, and that I would rather not go again.  I haven't always felt "Much" like Rachel.  I've felt like a different person; trying really hard to be what I felt like I 'should' be, instead of being true to myself and throwing all of my Rachel-ness out into the world.  I should be as Much Rachel as I can be; it's who I am and I'm learning to explore my feelings, express them, and share myself with the world and the people that I love in the most authentic way that I can.  It's scary sometimes; authenticity also equals vulnerability, because there are no longer any walls or barriers up to prevent the world from seeing me in all of my Rachel-ness.  But authenticity is far less terrifying than the notion of losing my "muchness."

Don't lose yours; be all that you are, all the time.  Be as Much Yourself as you can be.

With Muchness,
rmf

The Garbage Truck

My friend Dianne sent me this little message in an email forward.  I usually just skim through forwards and don't spend much time with them, but I really liked this one.  Sometimes I feel really "dumped on," and this is a good reminder for taking it all in stride.

Law of the Garbage Truck

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport.

We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.

My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us.

My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly.

 

So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined
Your car and sent us to the hospital!'

This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment.

As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally.

Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day.
Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets,

So ... Love the people who treat you right.

Pray for the ones who don't.

Have a blessed, garbage-free day!

Top Picks - Dried Mango

And the winner is... Safeway Brand dried Philippine mango!  It was soft, sweet, and as an extra bonus, the cheapest of the bunch!

If you can read...

then you can cook.  At least, that's what my mom always told me.  As a result, I've never been intimidated by a recipe, or afraid to try something new in the kitchen.  Gaining that mindset is one of the best things that could've happened for me growing up; I love to read cookbooks, try new recipes, cook special meals for my husband, and have dinner parties and events for my friends.

I'll start posting recipes that I've cooked, give a little review of the result, and try to show a picture of the meal as well.  Sadly, my pictures of my food never look as great as the meal does in "real life."  Ah well... you'll get the idea, and hopefully forgive my novice photography skills!  (Perhaps I should next read a book on photography...)

This is orechiette with broccoli rabe and spicy sausage.  It's featured in Giada de Laurentiis' "Everyday Italian" cookbook, and was pretty tasty!  I used a mild Italian sausage; I wish that I had used one with a bit more heat, because against the starch of the pasta and broccoli the mild sausage flavor got lost.  It's a meal that I would repeat, however.  Served with a nice green salad with a sweet vinaigrette and some crusty bread - great dinner!
 

"Orechiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe"
Salt
2 bunches of broccoli rabe
12 oz. orechiette pasta, or other small shaped pasta
3 T olive oil
1 lb spicy pork sausage, casings removed
3 garlic cloves, minced
pinch of dried crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 C freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

In a pot of salted, boiling water, cook the broccoli rabe until crisp tender (about 1 min).  Strain the broccoli, reserving all cooking liquid.  Return to boil and cook the pasta to al dente, about 8 minutes.  Drain pasta, and reserve one cup of cooking liquid.

In a large heavy skillet, heat oil over med-low flame.  Add sausage, break up, and cook until brown, about 8 minutes.  Add garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until fragrant.  Add broccoli rabe and toss to coat.  Add the pasta and enough of the reserved cooking liquid, 1/4 cup/time to moisten.  Stir in the parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste.  (This yields about 4 main course servings.)

When I Grow Up

... I want to be this couple!  There's just no way that you can watch this and not smile and be happy!

Top Picks - Fast Food Milkshake

I've been brainstorming for quite a while about my favorite this and my favorite that... not that I think you care too much about what I like, but on the off chance that you're looking to try to something new, I'm going to occasionally blog on "Top Picks."

So - today's Top Pick - Best Fast Food Milkshake.  And the winner is Jack in the Box, small chocolate shake.  They hand-dip, which means that the shake is made to order from real ice cream - not out of a machine.  I had one for lunch yesterday and it was just fabulous.  Such a great mid-week treat!  I have to be honest, not much else on this restaurant's menu intrigues me, but I'll go out of my way once every couple of weeks to swing by for their chocolate milkshake.  Indulge yourself.  It's worth it!

http://www.jackinthebox.com/menu/

Pairs Skating

I'm watching the Olympics tonight... and I have to admit, indulging in my favorite event... pairs figure skating!  It's so romantic... what girl doesn't want to be twirled and lifted and held by a big strong man whilst spinning across a sheet of ice in coordinating outfits to beautiful music?  Really.  What could be better?  I always make up love stories for the couples on the ice, and replay the love story of Ekaterina Gordeeva and her husband/skating partner Sergei Grinkov.  Their story was magical, and watching them skate was just wonderful.  Sigh.  Guess I'll put on some socks and go slide across my hardwood floors. :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

I should also wish a Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year... it's been a while since my last post!  I have lots of ideas for posts this year, and am going to make an effort to sit down and send them out to you with more regularity.  But for now, please enjoy one of my favorite love songs...