My First 5k

It's no secret that I am not a runner. My running abilities, which are actually inabilities, have been discussed numerous times on this blog before. I have always wanted to be a runner. However, any time I have ever tried to teach myself how to run, I have always failed miserably. Not to mention that I have never successfully set a workout goal for myself and actually followed through with it. I am so envious of people who enjoy being healthy and working out. I hate it. So naturally, I decided to include running a 5k on my Bucket List. I have walked a number of 5k races for charity, but I have never even attempted to run one.

This elusive goal has been sitting on my Bucket List for a few years now and every time I have attempted to start "training" I usually quit after a week. Now, that I am starting to get to the age where I feel like I'm going to be entering my child-bearing years here soon, I figured I better get this out of the way. I know that if I don't have the time or energy to run now, then once I have kids this is never going to happen. Alas, I made running a 5k one of my New Year's Resolutions for this year. We all know how good I am with keeping those...no hope.

As the early months of 2013 rolled by, running was just not in the cards. Those of you who know me in real life, know that this past year has been very rough for me for a number of personal reasons which I feel like somewhat contributed to my lack of motivation. In addition to my personal struggles, running just did not conveniently fit into my life. Option 1: Run before work. Which would mean that I would have to wake up every morning at like 4am. Hell no. Option 2: Run right after work. Here in Florida, it is still about 90 degrees until the sun goes down. I would die. Option 3: Run at night before bed. By that point in the evening, I'm probably one glass of wine deep, grading papers, writing lesson plans and thoroughly exhausted. Aka: so not in the mood to go for a run. Therefore, the entire spring passed me by without any running.

All of a sudden the month of July opened up as the perfect opportunity for me to accomplish this goal. I wasn't working so I could run any time I wanted and I actually had the time and energy to dedicate to running. I made a decision at the end of June that I was actually going to do this. I signed up for a July 27th race so that I would have exactly one month to train. I was determined not to give up on this. I knew that once school started back in August, I would get bogged down with work and running would once again take its place on the back burner.

For a solid month, I ran five days a week. I did interval training, so during each workout I would go the full 3.1 miles and I would alternate running and walking throughout. Obviously at first, I would walk the majority of the time and run only for very short increments. Every few days, I would increase the percentage of running that I did during the workout. In the final days leading up to my run, I was able to run the entire 3.1 miles except for a 1-2 minute walking break that I would take either 1 or 2 times in the middle of the workout. I never actually ran the full 3.1 miles without stopping before the race, but I was hoping that during the actual race my adrenaline would get me there.

My main goal was to run the entire race. I didn't care how fast I did it, I just wanted to run from start to finish without stopping to walk. The day of the race finally arrived and I was super nervous. Even though the race started at 7:30am, it was already hot and really humid before we even got to the starting line.

We ran the Bridge of Lions 5k in St. Augustine. The race starts at the Castillo de San Marcos in downtown St. Augustine, goes over the Bridge of Lions and onto Anastasia Island where it ends in Oglethorpe Park.

Before the race began, we walked over the bridge and along the water to get from the car to the starting line. I was happy to have this beautiful sunrise for a little inspiration.

Jared and I made our way to the starting line and then parted ways. I did not want him anywhere near me while I was running. I cannot run with other people. I don't want anyone I know anywhere near me. I lose focus. I concentrate more on that other person than on myself and it messes me up. So I said goodbye to Jared and knew that I would see him again at the finish line. Jared actually knows how to run so I knew that he was finish the race before I did. However, he did only finish 3 minutes ahead of me. Go me :)

I drink a lot of liquids so I always have to go to the bathroom. In fact, this was my biggest fear for running this race. I was terrified that I was going to have to pee in the middle of the race. Luckily, that did not happen. Although I did have a mild panic attack before the race started because I did really need to go to the bathroom before the race, but of course the port-a-potty line was a mile long. However, I knew there was no way I would survive the entire race if I didn't go before I started running. I actually started the race 2 minutes late because I was in the bathroom. It wasn't a big deal though because I was being timed on my own personal chip so it still tracked me from the moment I crossed the start and finish lines.

I had to spend the first mile of the race passing all the slow people. By the time I actually crossed the starting line, pretty much everyone was gone, even the police escort. So I had to run past the police cars bringing up the rear, weave in and around all the strollers and children and old people, past all the walkers to get myself to a nice open area where I could focus on actually pacing myself.

Thankfully, the bridge portion of the race was in the first half mile so I was still perky and energetic while running over the bridge. My mom was waiting at the bottom of the bridge, so I was waving at her.

I was surprised by how much easier running this race was than I thought it was going to be. Thank you adrenaline. My legs never started hurting, I never got cramps, I felt pretty good the whole time. After the first 2.5 miles, I wanted to walk so bad. I was huffing and puffing, getting really tired and just wanted to walk. But I didn't. I was so close to the end at that point and I was determined to run, even if it was a slow run, every step to that finish line. Finally the end was in sight. When I turned the corner at the 3 mile mark and saw that finish line, I almost started crying. Not because I was in pain, but because I was in awe of myself. I could not believe what I was about to accomplish.

And then about 50 yards from the finish line, this chick in front of me decides to stop and take a picture with her phone. I literally almost plowed into the back of her...and I kind of wish I would have. Who suddenly stops in the middle of a race course where people are running? Idiot.

I was sprinting/skipping across the finish line in excitement. I did it. I ran an entire 5k and I did it in 36 minutes. While that probably doesn't seem like a big deal to most people, it is for me. A month ago, I couldn't run continuously for more than 2 minutes. I couldn't even run half a mile. So running 3.1 miles continuously without walking or stopping for 36 minutes is a huge accomplishment for me.

Together again at the finish line. Jared was standing with our moms about 30 yards before the finish line as I came running by. When I saw him I just started yelling at him, "I did it, I ran the whole time!" as I ran towards the finish line. Finishing that race was a great moment that I will never forget. 

Thanks so much to my mom and Jared's mom for coming to watch us run and talking all these pictures. Thanks to my church small group for praying for me during my run. Thanks to my other friends and family for sending words of encouragement on the day of the race. Thanks to my fellow blogger Christin for giving me some good running tips and race day advice. Thanks to my husband, Jared, for running this race with me. I could not have done this without y'all! 

Caprese Kabobs

This is my new favorite appetizer. It's delicious, fairly healthy and so easy to make. No actual cooking required, yay! These are perfect for cocktail parties or tailgates where there is limited seating because you don't need a plate and you can eat them with one hand, which is important because you won't even have to put your drink down :) So next time you have a party to attend and you need to make something quick that everyone will enjoy, this is the appetizer for you. Needless to say, I will probably be bringing these as my "contribution" to every party we go to in the future.

Here is what you will need: 

Fresh mozzarella

Grape tomatoes

Balsamic vinegar

Fresh basil leaves

4" Skewers

Make sure you get the mozzarella that is in water because it stays fresher. Also, don't get a big block of mozzarella, get the mozzarella that is already in little balls. If you are going to Publix, you can get the exact one pictured above in the "fancy cheese" section in the deli.

Each kabob will require 1 skewer, 1 basil leaf, 1 mozzarella ball and 1 tomato. The container of mozzarella that I used had 20 little balls in it so I made 20 skewers. Keep this in mind when planning this dish for a party. The average person will eat more than one of these kabobs.

Cut the mozzarella in half, the tomato in half and the basil leaf into thirds. 

Then assemble on the skewer in this order: tomato, basil, mozzarella, basil, mozzarella, basil, tomato. I folded the pieces of basil in half so they didn't stick out awkwardly.

Repeat the process until you have used all your ingredients and then arrange the kabobs on a platter. 

The last step is sprinkling balsamic vinegar all over the kabobs. If you are making these ahead of time, hold off on the balsamic until you are about to serve them so they don't get soggy. Balsamic has a very strong taste so do not drench the kabobs in it. Just carefully sprinkle it all over so that each kabob gets a little bit on top. Enjoy!

Island Green Smoothie

One of my self-proclaimed talents is making delicious smoothies and frozen cocktails...meaning, I know how to operate a blender. No really, there is a little more skill involved than just throwing a bunch of stuff in a blender and pressing"start", that is, if you actually want it to taste good. I worked at Tropical Smoothie for a year in college and then for two more summers once I started teaching. I absolutely love Tropical Smoothie so it's a good thing that I know all the secrets and have the skills so that I can make it in my own kitchen. If you want to know how to make anything on the Tropical Smoothie menu, I can teach you how to do it. However, there are some newer items on the menu that have come out since I was working there that require a little more effort on my part to figure out how to make them taste just like the real thing.

Since I have recently been trying out this kale fad, I decided to try Tropical Smoothie's new Island Green smoothie. I wanted to drink one from the actual restaurant before I tried to make it at home so that I knew what it was supposed to taste like. I was actually surprised by how delicious it was. I was expecting it to taste like it had leafy greens in it, but it doesn't. I think the strongest flavors of the smoothie are the banana and mango, which is good because it doesn't seem as though you are drinking leaves except for the fact that the smoothie does turn out green.  

To make this smoothie at home, you will need banana, mango, pineapple, kale and spinach. Now, you have some options here for your ingredients. Obviously, you need to get your banana, kale and spinach from the produce section. However, you can use either fresh or frozen for the mango and pineapple. If you are really into the "all fresh" style, then you can get all your ingredients from the produce section. On the other hand, Dole makes bags of mango and pineapple chunks in the freezer section. I decided to use frozen mango and pineapple for a number of reasons. Number one, it will last longer if I don't use it all right away. Number two, it is all ready to go into the blender. I didn't want to have to peel or seed any fruits. Number three, it will keep your smoothie thicker and less juice-like because it is already frozen. Whether your preference is fresh or frozen, it will taste the same so no worries.

You also have the option of putting sugar or sweetener in this smoothie. Tropical Smoothie uses a special sugar called turbinado in all of their smoothies, which is why they taste so good. When you order one of their smoothies, you can request to have that sugar substituted with Splenda or request no sugar at all. I will warn you that this does alter the taste of the smoothie and some smoothies really do need a little sugar in them to remove the tart from the fruit (example: raspberries). However, I think that this Island Green smoothie tastes just fine without sugar. I made mine at home with no sugar or sweetener.

I also did not use any ice when making this smoothie. Using the frozen pineapple and mango allowed me to get the smoothie-like texture without adding any ice. If you use all fresh ingredients, you might need to add some crushed ice or else yours might end up more like a juice than a smoothie. Go ahead and blend up all the ingredients and if it looks too liquid-y for your liking, then just add some ice.

I don't use specific measurements when making my smoothies, but here is a rough estimate. This smoothie calls for 1 banana, and about a handful of everything else (pineapple, mango, kale and spinach), which equates out to about 1/2 cup of each ingredient. I highly recommend that you chop all the ingredients up into smaller pieces before you put them into your blender. The blenders at Tropical Smoothie are professional grade and about $1200; therefore, you can put whole pieces of fruit into those blenders no problem. However, unless you have a $1200 blender at your house go ahead and chop everything up to help your blender out. Once you put all the ingredients in the blender, add a splash of water as well.

If you notice while your blender is going that it doesn't seem to be blending well, there might be an air bubble at the bottom causing it to stall in mixing. Stop the blender, then take a utensil and stir around in the blender mixing the ingredients up. Keep doing this until your smoothie is well blended. Do not stick a utensil in your blender while it is running! I do not want to be responsible for anyone having to go to the emergency room or broken blenders. When you see that your smoothie is getting a smooth, well defined funnel in the middle, then you are all done!    

Enjoy your smoothie!

A Champagne Toast

Any time I go on vacation somewhere, I always bring gifts back for the fabulous women in my life. My mom, my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law, Erika. And by "gifts" I mean wine. No matter where we travel, Jared and I always manage to find a winery nearby. So of course on our most recent adventure to North Carolina we made sure to stop for a visit at the winery of the Biltmore Estate. We purchased bottles of wine for ourselves and the mamas, but for Erika I got champagne. Erika and I have this fun tradition where we like to drink champagne together. Usually it's something really cheap like Andre, but when I find a fun bottle on my travels I always have to bring one back for us to share. When I spotted this bottle at the Biltmore Winery, I just had to buy it.

Two reasons. Number one, pink bottle. We all know I'm a sucker for anything pink. Number two, the name of this champagne is Pas de Deux and I just can't pass up a good ballet reference. Too perfect.

Last night, I invited Erika over so we could pop this bottle of champagne and celebrate two very special occasions. The first was to watch this season's Men Tell All special on The Bachelorette. Since Erika was the one who got me hooked on The Bachelorette, it's only right that she be there to toast a little champagne with me on this occasion.

Even though watching The Bachelorette together was the initial reasoning behind our champagne date last night, it ended up being the far lesser important reason of the day to celebrate. We also got to toast the arrival of the royal baby!

I know that a lot of people are sick of hearing about this royal baby stuff already, but I have to admit that it makes me excited. Just like I was really excited two years ago about watching the royal wedding. I know that I'm not British and I have no reason to be excited about the royal baby, but as much as we Americans want to believe that the new royal baby does not affect our culture it does. Plus, isn't it nice to see something positive and happy on the news instead of the normal depressing, hateful events that we have to see on our news everyday? I think so.

Let's be honest, this is a historical event whether you want to believe it or not. This is one of those moments where decades from now when this baby is an adult, people will all be saying, "Do you remember where you were when William and Kate first brought that baby out of those hospital doors?" And thanks to it being summer and me not working, I will be able to say that I was sitting here on my couch, eating my lunch and watching it on television live. It might not seem like an important life moment right now, but it resonates with me for some reason. Just like I vividly remember being 10 years old sitting on the bed with my mom at a beach condo we were staying at and watching Princess Diana's funeral. I feel the same way about Kate as I did about Princess Diana as a kid. I always admired her. I even had that purple beanie baby that they made in honor of Diana, you know the one I'm talking about.

With so many of our current cultural "icons" ending up in rehab, arrested or even dead from violence or overdose, it's nice to have a role model like Kate for our society to prove that just because you become famous don't mean you have to become a lunatic. Plus, I really love the positive attention that is being paid to the traditional family unit which is unfortunately becoming more uncommon in our culture. Ultimately, this is a happy and historical occasion for all.

Cheers to Will and Kate and their new bundle of joy!

Life Goes On

Well, I managed to survive this weekend. I thought it was going to be absolutely horrible, but it actually wasn't that bad at all. This probably has something to do with the fact that I have an amazing and supportive family and group of friends. I think it also just proves that no matter how difficult things seem to get at times, life does go on. Just because something bad happens in our life doesn't mean we stop living it. Even though we hate them, our hardships make us better, wiser and stronger. Trust me, I would much rather not have this much life experience at the age of 26, but we have to make the best of the hand we are dealt. There are some things in our life that we have control over and some things that we do not. What I have learned is to focus on the things that I do have control over and let go of the things I don't have control over. There is nothing I can do about those things, so why would I allow them make me miserable? Let go and enjoy your life. We only get a short time here in this life, so live it up.

We went out to lunch on Sunday after church with my grandparents. We had a very surreal moment while we were at lunch when I just knew that my dad was with us. Back story...I am deathly afraid of clowns. I hate them. I freak out whenever I see a clown and I have to get away from it right away if I see one out somewhere. Knowing that I am terrified of clowns, my dad used to mess with me about it. He would always joke around and pretend like he was going to hire a clown for me for every special occasion. Every year on my birthday when he would call me, he would always say somewhere in the conversation, "so have the clowns I ordered for you shown up yet?" I always knew he was joking, but I was also secretly afraid that one of these days he was actually going to follow through on his prank. Well, on Sunday he did it. We all went to church together, visited him at the cemetery and then went to lunch. About halfway through our lunch, these two clowns walk into the restaurant. My brother drew my attention to them as they came in. I looked up and jokingly said, "thanks a lot Rocky". Next thing I know, the clowns are walking over to our table. Panic ensued. They came over and talked to us at our table, I of course said nothing because I was frozen in fear. Finally they made their way up to the counter to order their lunch. They didn't visit any other table in the restaurant. It was very odd. Nice prank dad. Touche.

There is a local fishing club that regularly holds bass tournaments that my brother and my dad would sometimes fish in together. In fact, my brother and my dad fished together in the first tournament that this club ever held and won it. The club was holding a tournament on Saturday and when they found out what day it was, they decided to have everyone at it fish in honor of my dad. My brother and my uncle fished the tournament together and while they didn't win anything, I'm sure it was still a very special moment for the two of them. Especially because both of them learned how to fish from my dad when they were little and probably attribute much of their love for fishing to him.

We attended worship service at my parents' church on Sunday. The altar flowers that day were in honor of my dad.

We visited my dad's grave site on Sunday after church. Everyone else in my family has been there numerous times over the past year, but this was the first time I had been there since the funeral. My post from Saturday explains why. I was surprised and very touched to discover flowers from Jared and I's friends when we arrived there. What a sweet gesture. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends.  

I Drive Your Truck

We all grieve in different ways. I've been told that there is no wrong way to grieve, which is a good thing because I'm pretty sure that I'm probably as far away as possible from your textbook definition of the "grieving process".

Today marks the one year anniversary of my father's death. It also marks what would have been his 60th birthday. Today is also one of my dear childhood friends' birthdays as well as they day that Jared and I got engaged. Which for me, makes this day more about celebration than grief. My dad was always big about celebrating his birthday. He made sure that everyone knew when it was and always joked about what kind of extravaganza we were going to have for it. Therefore, July 20th has always been a day of celebration for my entire life. Which is why even though I now have another holiday to honor on this date every year, I am still going to celebrate. I will celebrate God bringing my dad into this world. I will celebrate God bringing my childhood friend into this world whom I never would have even known if it wasn't for my dad because he was friends with her mom in high school. I will celebrate God blessing my husband and I in marriage because my dad knew that even after he was gone that Jared would always take care of his little girl. The way I see it, today is a day for celebration and it always will be that way for me at least.

I choose not to reflect on or replay what happened on this day last year because then I just get into that whole could'a, should'a, would'a which is no good because I know that ultimately I just have to have faith in God's plan. There is nothing I or any other person could have done to change what happened on that day. While I dislike God's plan sometimes (y'all seriously have no idea how much I really dislike God's plan sometimes), I just have to have faith in what is to come. We all do.

Over the past year, I have not once visited my dad's grave site. The last time I was actually in that cemetery was on the day of his funeral. I know, go ahead and judge me. Remember, it's my grieving process so I get to do what I want. While this may seem weird or disrespectful, I have a good reason. Being there only reminds me of the bad things. It reminds me of having to plan the funeral. It reminds me of having to face all those people and have them feel sorry for me. That is not how I like to remember my dad. I don't feel his presence when I go to his grave, so I don't go there.

That is where the title of this post comes in. Thank you Lee Brice. If you have never heard this song before, I have the video posted at the bottom of this post. This song sums up exactly how I feel about my grieving process. When it first came out on the radio, I couldn't listen to it all the way through. Simply because sobbing hysterically while driving on I-95 just isn't safe. Yet, this song says it all. While I don't have access to my dad's truck, I have access to other things that make me feel exactly how I imagine the guy in this song feels. So rather than going to my dad's grave site, I drive around Jacksonville. I go into neighborhoods and drive past people's houses (trust me, not as creepy as it sounds). Over the course of 35 years, my dad built a lot of beautiful homes in this city. He put so much of himself, his heart and soul, into every custom home he built. So that is where I go, to those homes. That is where I feel him.

So instead of feeling sorry for me, do me a favor. Go out, celebrate your wonderful life and have a beer in Rocky's honor today :)

 

Cooking with Kale

I bet you never thought you would be reading about this topic on my blog, huh? Don't worry I'm not being held hostage by some organic-granola-hippies or anything, just trying something new. I enjoy eating healthy about as much as your average overweight twelve year old. However, since the day I turned 25 I realized that I can't live off of diet coke, wine and double cheeseburgers like I did in college. If you haven't turned 25 yet, trust me, the rumors are true. I literally woke up on my 25th birthday and no longer had a metabolism. In these past 4 years of marriage, Jared has been trying to train me to eat healthier. I guess the time has come for me to jump on the bandwagon, sort of. I really have been making an effort recently to eat healthier, nothing crazy, just eating less crap. Don't worry I still eat cheeseburgers and pizza, just a lot less often.

Which brings me to this whole kale thing. In case you have been living under a rock, kale is the new super-food. I haven't personally spent any time researching it, but apparently it is full of vitamins and all kinds of wonderful things for you. People are literally obsessed with this stuff. Apparently, kale is going to save the world one little green leaf at a time.

I figured if it's so wonderful, then I might as well try it. Anytime something gets a lot of hype, I just have to try it out for myself to see what the big deal is. Like last summer when we all just had to read 50 Shades of Grey. Gosh, I wish I could get those hours of my life back. Anywho, last Sunday during our weekly grocery shopping trip I decided to try out this kale stuff. I decided that if it tasted like crap, I would just chock it up as a loss of $4 and never eat it again. But if I liked it, then why not get some extra healthy goodness in my diet. Here goes nothing.

When it came to incorporating kale into my diet, I knew there was only one option. Cooking it. I love leafy greens, but only when they are cooked. I love cooked spinach, collard greens, turnip greens, etc. However, I hate leafy greens raw. Spinach salad? Yuck. I have to have crunchy lettuce in my salad. I knew that if I made myself a little raw kale salad that I would immediately throw it away and give up on kale. So of course, I went to my laptop and googled "cooking kale" to get some ideas. How did we ever survive before Google?

Since kale is only good for a few days, I had to use the entire container I bought before this week was over. Alas, kale for dinner every night! I got a little creative and came up with three different meals this week that incorporated kale. Honestly, I'm pretty impressed with myself. I have always been able to follow a recipe, but never just throw random stuff together in the kitchen and have it taste good. Yet, all three of my kale creations were delicious. Go me.

Of course I am going to share these three recipes with you in case you are itching to cook with kale too. The first and most important thing you need to know about cooking kale is lemon juice. You only need 5 things when you cook kale and lemon juice is the most important one. So when you go to buy your bag of kale in the produce section, go ahead and get one of those little lemon-shaped bottles while you are at it. The best way to incorporate kale into your meal is to sauté the kale in a pan before you do anything else with it. To do this, put olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Then chop some fresh garlic and throw it in the pan. Next, chop the kale into small pieces (warning: they will shrink up a lot when you cook them, so chop much more than you think you are going to need). Add the kale to the pan with some sea salt, ground pepper and lemon juice and sauté until the kale looks wilted. Finally, you can go ahead and add it to whatever you are cooking.

Here are some healthy, kale-inspired recipes that I created...

Meat and potatoes, y'all. Simple as that. I am a Southerner after all. For this recipe, you will need kale, sausage of any kind (Jared made me get chicken sausage because it's healthier supposedly), and those little yellow dutch potatoes. This is a one pan meal, which I love because I hate doing dishes. 

1. Chop kale, slice potatoes and put to the side.

2. Cook sausage in a pan thoroughly and then put on a plate to the side to slice. 

3. Sauté potatoes in olive oil with salt and pepper and chopped garlic. 

4. Add kale to the potatoes and continue to sauté. Add a little salt, pepper and lemon juice to the kale. 

5. Add the sliced sausage back to the pan and toss all the ingredients together.  

Next on the list is a recipe for all those red meat lovers (like me!) out there. Moo.   

I used a sirloin filet for this recipe because that was what was on sale at Publix this week. You can use any cut of meat, as long as it is thick enough to be cut in half. For this recipe, you will need kale, Philadelphia cooking creme (it's right next to the cream cheese in the dairy section), and a steak. 

1. Sauté kale as I explained above with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and lemon juice. 

2. Butterfly the raw filet in half (yes, this means you have to touch the raw meat extensively). 

3. Spread the cooking creme inside both halves of the filet.

4. Spread some of the sautéed kale on one side and then fold the top half of the filet back over. 

5. Season both sides of the filet (on the outside) with salt and pepper. 

6. You can either bake it in the oven or cook it in a pan to your preferred meat temperature. I like to cook it in a pan because it is easier to monitor and not overcook your steak. Jared and I like our cows still mooing when we eat them :) 

7. Top the filet with the remaining sautéed kale. 

Jared and I always have a ton of chicken in our house. It's cheap and healthier for you than red meat (at least that's what he tells me) so we eat chicken a lot. I personally don't like chicken that much, it's so bland and boring. I would much rather have a steak. However, since I am stuck eating chicken a lot, I have to get creative with ways to make it not taste like I'm eating the same boring chicken everyday. 

You can make chicken this way even if you don't want to incorporate the kale. Just doing the marinade itself is so yummy. For this recipe, you will need, kale, chicken breast, balsamic vinegar (the actual vinegar, not the salad dressing), fresh garlic and fresh rosemary. 

1. In a sauce pan, heat balsamic vinegar with chopped garlic and rosemary until it simmers.

2. Place chicken breasts in a tupperware. Pour the balsamic marinade over the chicken and cover. Allow the chicken to marinate in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. The longer, the better.  

3. Sauté chopped kale as I explained above with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and lemon juice.

4. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and place on a greased baking pan. 

5. Bake chicken breasts in the oven until they are cooked thoroughly (mine were pretty thin so I only did about 20 minutes in the oven). 

6. Top chicken with the sautéed kale. I also shredded some fresh grated parmesan cheese over mine.  

The final verdict. Kale is yummy. And it's good for you, so that's a plus. However, I will say I have been a little disappointed with all the hype. I was expecting to have some sort of Popeye experience when I ate the kale, like I instantly become superwoman or something. It's only been a week though, so I'll let you know if any super powers start to surface. 

South America Hunt {Uruguay}

Jared and Chris' trip to South America continued with dove and perdiz hunting in Uruguay. Read about the first half of their trip through Argentina here - South America Hunt {Argentina}. They made the drive across the river into Uruguay in the afternoon and headed to their lodge in Ninette.

My brother has been known to take a pretty cool picture :)

Even though it was late in the afternoon, they couldn't give up the opportunity for a quick hunt of course.

The field where they went to hunt perdiz

Perdiz hunting is a lot like quail hunting here in the US, so you use a dog to point and retrieve the bird for you. They took out this French Brittany, named Rumba, on their hunt.

The owner of the lodge, Hector, came out in the field with them for the hunt in order to lead Rumba since she was trained with Spanish commands. 

The kill from one of their many perdiz hunts

The view from the back porch of the lodge in Ninette...complete with infinity pool. 

Inside the lodge in Ninette...pretty fancy for a hunting lodge, huh? 

The guys spent a few afternoons fishing in the river behind the lodge

Time for some sunset dove hunting

There are so many birds flying over at one time that they look like stars in the sky...or something out of a Hitchcock movie. 

During these hunts, they shoot so many rounds so quickly that they have to wear gloves because the gun gets too hot to hold. Sometimes they just have the bird boy hold two guns and rotate them. That way, he can be loading one gun while they are shooting the other one and then trade.

On this particular hunt, they shot about 200 doves in one hour. I know, insane. Now, you know why people fly all the way to South America for these hunts.

The guys had a great time on their trip and I'm sure it won't be too long before they return again. I'm so glad that my brother and my husband have developed an actual friendship beyond just being in-laws. It's so awesome that they have a close enough relationship to be willing to travel to a foreign country for 9 days together, not many in-laws can do that. Hunting was always something that my brother and my husband shared with my dad and it's such a blessing for me that even though my dad is gone, Chris and Jared can still share that special bond of hunting buddies.