DCM

Before the 1st pre-season Cowboys game, they did a special about our celebration of 50 seasons of football, and Dallas Cowboys Merchandising (DCM) was a big part of it. I thought I would share with everyone the video, so you can see just what a big deal DCM actually is. People are constantly amazed at what a big production we are, and how much work goes into getting those die hard fans all around the world their Dallas Cowboys merchandise.

http://www.nbcdfw.com/blogs/blue-star/Dallas_Cowboys__World_Famous_Brand_Dallas-Fort_Worth.html

Sorry this isn't a more entertaining post, but I don't know how to put the actual video on the blog. Maybe one day I'll get that figured out. Until then, enjoy!

cowboys training camp

As I mentioned in my last post, I spent a week in California. I was there to help work our merchandise trucks during the second half of Cowboys training camp. I never thought there would be such big Cowboys fans, and so many of them in California. On the first day of camp, we had two practices, one at 9am and one at 3pm. People started showing up to get in at 6am! We were solid busy ALL DAY! It never stopped. We worked at 6am and didn't leave until 10pm! Needless to say it was exhausting, but fun. Sunday there were two practices as well, then the next two days only one practice. Those days went by fast. The weather was amazing! 70 degrees everyday. I did get to take advantage of being staff and got to go down on the field during practice a few times. These are a few pics I got...

Jason Witten

Miles Austin

Some of the injured players (including Dez Bryant) warming up

On the third night, we drove to Ventura to have dinner. We ate at a really good italian place called Cafe Fiori. Lori and I really liked the way the streets looked in Ventura so we made Matt risk his life by taking a picture in the middle of the street.

Lori and I in Ventura

After dinner we decided to head back to Oxnard and check out their local bar. We were basically the only ones there. Not much going on on a Monday night in Oxnard, CA!

Me with the cardboard cutout of the Dos Equis man

Felix Jones! I wanted to do a Hog Call, but I refrained.

Tony Romo

One night we went to Channel Islands Harbor and had dinner at a really great seafood place. Afterwards we were determined to find a place to go on the beach. It was freezing! We were just excited to see the ocean!

Carly, Me, and Lori on the beach

Before we had to go back to the airport, we decided to hit up In-N-Out burger one more time, then we drove over to Universal Studios. We walked around in the shopping area called Citywalk. Lots of celebrities are spotted there, unfortunately it wasn't our lucky day. Its a really cool place though.

In the Raiders store at Citywalk. Had to represent my boy Darren McFadden.

Lori and I in front of the Universal Studios fountain.

All in all, Cali was fun. I wish we could of done more sightseeing, but we were there to work. The weather was amazing, the food was great, and I got to sell all our amazing Cowboys gear all week. Thanks to all our supporters in CA! We had a great week, and broke a record for the most dollar amount sold in a training camp, and we still have one more week to go.

Now its time to catch up on all my DVR'ed shows, and get back to a normal routine in our time zone!

california or bust

Thats right, I'm headed to California! I leave Friday to head to Oxnard, CA for the second half of Cowboys training camp. I've posted a picture of a map of where Oxnard is located. Because if your like me, you probably had no clue where it was. Its about an hour North of LA, right on the coast!

Oxnard, CA

I'll be there until next Thursday, helping out with our merchandise trailers. Training camp is a big deal, because this is what gives us a for cast of what to expect for the rest of the season. There is a lot of hype around our team right now. We have great players, and we're coming off of a good season last year. The Super Bowl is in our town this year, so everyone would love to see the Cowboys there! Outside of Texas, California has the most season ticket holders. So, we are sure to be very busy while we're down there. I'm excited because I've never been to CA and I've never been to training camp.

Bill will be here to hold down the fort. I don't think he's too upset about bachin' it for a week.

I hope to have lots of pictures and stories to share when I return! GO COWBOYS!

Chicken Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese

I wanted to share with you what I made for dinner tonight...

Chicken Orzo Salad w/Goat Cheese...

What a lovely alternative to a heavy pasta dish. This is almost like a salad. In fact, you could add it to a salad, or leave the chicken off and serve it as a side dish with your backyard BBQ. It was super delish!

Chicken Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese

(picture from myrecipes.com)

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
3 cups chopped grilled chicken breast strips (such as Tyson)
1 1/2 cups trimmed arugula
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup prechopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
6 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese

Preparation
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well.
2. Combine pasta, chicken, and the next 6 ingredients (through oregano) in a large bowl; toss well.
3. Combine vinegar, oil, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle vinegar mixture over pasta mixture; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.

This was a really simple meal to make. We didn't have anything else with it, but you could certainly serve it with pita chips, crackers, or some sort of bread. Plus, its pretty healthy! I'm becoming a big fan of goat cheese. I've used it in 2 dishes lately and I'm lovin' it!

Hope yall try and enjoy it!

TriWaco

Last weekend, Bill and I traveled to Waco for another triathlon. This time he did what is called an Olympic distance. Its like double the distance of the sprint, I don't know the specifics other than you run a 10k. Bill did really well. His goal was to finish in 3 hours and he finished in 2:56! He was pretty tired afterwards, but I'm super proud of him. Some friends of ours that we knew from Arkansas, who now live in Austin, were also in Waco for the race. We had dinner with them Saturday night, and then I got to hang out with Jennie, while her hubby Justin ran in the race. It was so good to catch up!

Jennie and I before the race began. This is a picture that ended up on the Waco newspaper website.

The swim was in the Brazos river, which has several extension bridges over it. It was actually the longest single-span expension brindge when it was built back in the 1800's. We were able to stand on the bridge and watch as all the swimmers took off.

Bill coming in from the bike to transition to the run.

The finish was also on the bridge, which was really cool. This is Bill coming into the finish line!

Bill after the race with his medal. Way to go hubby!

As of now, we don't have any races scheduled. There might be one in Arkansas the he does. Which gives us a good excuse to go back home for a visit!

big girl job

Over the past month, I have been a busy girl. Yes, busy getting a new job! Don't freak out, I still work the Dallas Cowboys. I just got a promotion. As you know, I've been a manager for the Dallas Cowboys Pro Shops for the past 2 years. First, in Garland at Firewheel Town Center. Then, in Frisco at Stonebriar Centre. A little over a month ago, I was asked to come in for an interview for the assistant buyer position. I met with our new Director of Retail Operations, and both the current buyers. I was super nervous, because it has been a while since I've had an interview and I was up against 2 other managers for the position. Both the other managers have been with the company a lot longer than I have, and are just as deserving of the position as I am. A couple weeks went by with no answer, then I was asked to come in to meet with our CEO. I figured it was another round of interviews, but when I went in, I was offered the position! Woo hoo! A week later, I'm out of the store and on my 3rd day at the office. So, I am the new assistant buyer for Dallas Cowboys Merchandising! So far its been lots and lots of info! I'm sorta on information overload, but I know it will take a few weeks to settle in and get the hang of things. I've already been given 2 pretty big projects, and it will only pick up from there. Anyways, I know this is a boring post with no pictures or anything, but I wanted to let everyone know about my new "big girl" job! :)

its miller time

last weekend i drove down to Austin to meet my friends for the weekend, and to celebrate Blake and Laura's wedding. I went to high school with Blake, and was so thrilled to be a part of his wedding celebration. We stayed at the Stephen F. Austin Intercontinental, which is a super fancy and old hotel. Friday night we had dinner at Trulucks. This is a really great steak and seafood place. After stuffing ourselves silly, we met up with the wedding party at a place called The Belmont on 6th street.

all the PA kids: Blake (the groom), me, Carla, Michelle, Patrick & Spencer

"To the Blue and Gold..."

We had a fun time out on 6th street Friday night. I haven't stayed out that late in while! The next day we woke up and had lunch at a cute place on Lake Austin called the Hula Hut. It was super hot outside, so we made our way to the mall to waste time. While we were there we all got our makeup done for the wedding. That was fun!

The wedding was at a really pretty Methodist church downtown. Laura's dress was sooo beautiful, and the flowers were amazing.

Me, Carla, & Michelle outside the church

The reception was out of this world! Every little detail was thought out. My favorite part was the grooms cake! It was a replica of Razorback Stadium!

The Grooms Cake! Woo Pig Sooie!

The beautiful bride and groom

The girls with the groom

The wedding lasted late into the night, so we just crashed after that. There was A LOT of dancing! The next morning we all woke up and headed home. It was a great weekend hanging out with friends and seeing people I haven't seen in a while. I believe that caps off my wedding season!

Iron Brothers Tri

This past weekend Bill competed in his second triathlon. It happened to be the exact same length and at the exact same locations as the 1st one he did a month ago. My camera battery died, so unfortunately I didn't get many pictures. And, the ones I did take came out blurry because it was so humid outside!

Anyways, Bill did great! He wanted to beat his time from the 1st one, and he did! He finished in one hour, that's 3 minutes faster than last time. He's really been working hard and getting his weight down, eating healthy, and staying in shape. It payed off. He finished 4th in his age group and 49th out of 150 overall.

So proud of the hubby!

Bill crossing the finish line!

Lucy got to come this time! She loved playing with and sniffing the other doggies. And she enjoyed lots of pats on the head from people!

Coming up next... Waco Tri on July 25th. An Olympic length triathlon in Waco, TX.

halfway to 50

last monday was my 25th birthday. i was lucky enough to celebrate while i was on vacation in florida. bill woke me up to be the 1st to say "happy birthday." he came in and gave me a hug, and i rolled over and said, "uhhh halfway to fifty." ha! i am one of those people that thinks their birthday is the best holiday. i'm usually bouncing around all month long excited about it. reminding people of how close it is. this year it was different. i don't know if i was wrapped up in our vacation, or if the luster of my birthday is wearing off the older i get. either way, i had a great birthday, besides the rain and oil on the beach.

this is me with my fancy birthday cake my aunt made for me

there were two things i could think of as presents i wanted for my bday. so, that is what bill got me. well... sorta. i knew we would be in destin on my bday, and they have a fabulous outlet mall there. i looked up the stores and saw they had a Perfumania and a Le Creuset outlet store there. i am down to the last drop on all of my perfumes, so that was gift number one. a gift card to the perfumania store. i wanted to find something new, but they don't have the perfumes out where you can just sample yourself. you have to get them to spray it on a card for you. so, i just stuck with my old standby, Dolce and Gabanna Light Blue. Love it!

i did not receive a cast iron skillet as a wedding gift, nor have i gone out to purchase one in the 2 years we've been married. this is something that i've been wanting. and i've been eyeing all the lovely le creuset skillets and cookware. so this is my second gift. a gift card to the le creuset outlet store. i was able to pick out a cast iron skillet, a stockpot, trivet, potholder, and basting brush with my card!

these are my stockpot and skillet. love the cherry red!

now i just have to use them! come on over and i'll make ya some cornbread! ;)

overall, i had a wonderful birthday. i'm so thankful for all my gifts and how thoughtful everyone was. now this year needs to go really slow, because saying 26 really sounds old!

destin vacation

Bill and I just got back from Destin, Fl where we spent 8 glorious days of vacation with Bills mom, dad, and sister. We got up super early Saturday morning, I'm talking 4am early, to start the 12 hour treck to Destin. It went by pretty quickly. As quickly as 12 hours in a car can be at least. We woke up Sunday morning to beautiful weather. We spent the day out on the beach. There was lots of seaweed in the water which was sorta gross, but no oil! My mom and aunt were also on vacation in Destin for a few days while we were there. That night we had dinner with them at one of my favorite places, Louisiana Lagniappe. Its on the harbor and they have a pretty patio to sit on.

At Louisiana Lagniappe for dinner. Bill is talking in this pic, but I liked it.

The next day was my BIRTHDAY! The big two.five. Unfortunately we woke up to thunder and storms rolling in. And what was sitting on the counter next to my doughnuts when I walked in the kitchen? A ginormous tar ball!

This was the biggest one we saw all week. Most were about the size of a quarter.

So, we got dressed and headed to the outlet mall. We spent half the day there, then came back to the condo to celebrate my bday. I got some great things!

My aunt made me a cake from regular pound cake and mixed it with cool whip, then added peaches to the top. it was super delish!

It rained the rest of the day, so we gave up on the beach that day. We got dressed up for dinner and went to a new restaurant in Destin called Louis Louis. It is owned by the same people that opened Red Bar in Grayton Beach. If you've never been there, you are MISSING out! It has the same sort of vibe, and delicious food! The crabcakes are to die for! These are also the same people that own Cafe Prego in Little Rock. You know its good!

Before dinner, we were goofing around. This is what we got.

We woke up to more rain the next day. But whenever it looked clear for a minute we would run out to the beach. Unfortunately it wouldn't last long. We got caught up in some down pours a couple times. And since they are making everyone wash their feet off down by the beach, to prevent oil from getting on the pool deck and in the pool, it really slowed things down.

one good moment on the beach.

Isabelle and me with our matching swimsuits.

It ended up raining 4 out of the 6 we were there. We got a lot of shopping in. I went with my mom and aunt to seaside one day to do some shopping. Other days we went to the outlet mall.

Luckily we got one clear night to take some pics out on the beach.

Me, mom and Aunt Mel

Bill and I on the beach

The fam on the beach. We didn't really plan on a color coordinating them this year, but this somehow worked out. Love it.

Bills family left a day before we did. And what do ya know, Friday was the prettiest day we had. We literally went down to the beach at 8 am and I didn't come in until 5pm! I got a little sunburned, but it made up for the 4 days of rain!

On our last night there we went to Baytowne in Sandestin Resort and used a gift card we had gotten for dinner. We went to Poppy's on the bay and overlooked the marina. Then we walked around the little town, until once again it looked like it would rain.

All in all we had a wonderful trip. We almost canceled in fear of the oil ruining it, but I am so glad we didn't. The oil was present, but the beaches were still open and you could still get in the water. The rain did put a damper on the trip a little, but we made the best of it. It was relaxing and nice to have some time away from work. I can hardly wait until next year!

fried pies

i've been thinking a lot lately how much i miss my grandmother Allison's fried pies. no one, and i mean NO ONE could make them like her. the apricot ones were the best. flaky crust with a hot sugary fruit center. melt. in. your. mouth. the sad part about it is, no one has the recipe. thats how it was with all the good things my grandmother made. she knew them all by heart and never used a recipe. fried pies, mini blueberry muffins, fried catfish... oh wait that was Nick's BBQ in Carlisle, AR. she took me there everyday when i was left to spend a week with her. shhh! don't tell my mom.

anyways... i can remember making them with her. she would always let me be the one to press the seams together with a fork. ugh, my mouth is watering. i think i'm going to have to go on a mission to figure out how to make them. there are tons of recipes out there, and my mother and i have tried to make them before. but, its all in the crust. no one makes crust like my g-ma did. so, i might just have to develop a little test kitchen of my own, and try to find the closest thing to it.

i know my Gram would be so proud if i made these delicious pieces of heaven in her honor. miss and love you Gram!

15th Annual Metroplex Sprint Triathlon

first, i want to apologize to my wonderful, hardworking husband, because i have neglected to share with our faithful readers that Bill has been training for a triathlon! the big one he is training for is a half-ironman in October. so, this past sunday he raced in his first triathlon.

This was a sprint distance triathlon. a quick race, but a good place to start. There were 150 competitors in the race. Bill finished with a time of 1:03:00, 49th overall, and 7th in his age division. I am so proud of him!

Bill after the race.

Beginning of the race: Swimming.
Second leg: Cycling.

Third leg: Running.

Crossing the finish line!

I am SO proud of him! He has been working so hard and to finish his first race is such an accomplishment. There will be many more to come!

my thoughts on USC...

Dear Mitch Mustain & Damien Williams,

You leave Arkansas full of drama and what do you get at USC? More drama. You're coaches and administration have failed you. Actually you failed yourself. Mitch, you could of had a bright career as a quarterback at Arkansas and quite possibly could have had a slim shot at going pro. At least make a practice squad. Instead you keep the bench warm and watch your dreams pass you by. Maybe the AFL needs a quarterback?

Damien, you excelled at USC and you might still have a shot at stardom, but who looks at teams that don't make a bowl game? And that's sad, considering how many bowl games there are now. Too bad. It wouldn't surprise me if your family was living rent free though.

And Pete Carroll. Pete, Pete, Pete... Way to jump ship and abandon your team just before you know it's all gonna hit the fan. Looks like you and USC are full of liers and cheaters. What a great example to set for future students. And those poor recruits, if they only knew.

Karma sucks doesn't it?

Oh, and Layne Kiffin, you should have stayed in Gods conference a little longer. The SEC will always be the best!

Best of luck at the bottom,
Allison

chicken tamale casserole

tonight i made a chicken tamale casserole for dinner and boy was it T to A to the S.T.Y. now, i've never made real tamale's before, but i've heard they can be a little tricky and time consuming. this recipe puts a good spin on the original, and its super quick and easy. this recipe would be good for a potluck, or if you're trying to make dinner for a large crowd.

Chicken Tamale Casserole

i ate 2 big pieces of it! i sure hope it makes good leftovers!

coconut cream cake

i'm not much of a baker. i seem to burn the slice and bake cookies every time. maybe i just don't have enough practice? none the less, i tried my hand at it this week by making a coconut cream cake. bill loves coconut cream pie, but i'm not too big on the coconut and meringue, so i thought maybe this would be a compromise. i found a recipe for coconut cream cake on foodnetwork.com from emeril lagasse. wowza, was it a hit! yes, it was a process making homemade cake batter and frosting, but sooo worth it. this cake embodies just about everything bill loves in a dessert: cake, sweets, coconut, and pecans.

i'm bad at remembering to be all "pioneer woman" when i'm cooking and taking pictures of each step. so, i don't have a picture of the finished product, but trust me when i saw its awesome!

here's the link to the recipe: Coconut Cream Cake. so, if you like coconut, but not an overwhelming amount of it, this cake is for you. the pecans add a little extra to the cake as well. it would probably be tasty to toast the coconut before putting it into the cake too. look at me getting all fancy! the only change i would make is in the icing. it calls for pecan pieces, but i would probably omit or chop them up next time.

i'm gonna go get me a slice....

state of mine

Bill and I live in Texas now, but when people ask me where I'm from, I'll always say Arkansas. Being that I was born and raised, and lived my first 22 years there, I'm pretty loyal to my home state. I recently stumbled across a website that sells "state" jewelry. I particularly like the necklaces that come in your state, and you can designate your hometown, and they will put a diamond where that city/town is on the charm. Here is a picture of a Texas charm.

www.stateofmine.com

How cute is that? I would love to have an Arkansas one and a Texas one. It would be fun to wear them together, and if God ever moves us anywhere else, I could get one of that state as well. Sort of a fun way to represent where you came from and where you've been. What a good conversation starter they would be, right?

The website I found only offers 14k gold ones, and I think I would prefer a sterling silver. None the less, they are cute and sorta quirky at the same time.

lets go boot scootin'

May has seriously been the busiest month! We've had something to do every weekend of this month. A trip to College Station, Bill's first bike race, Mother's Day, birthdays, weddings, and to cap it all off, Memorial Day! Our friends Lori and Trevor came to visit and stay with us this past weekend, and we had a blast! They arrived Friday evening, and we drove out to Fort Worth to eat at Joe T. Garcia's. After some yummy mexican food, we drove over to Billy Bobs. Everyone needs to go to Billy Bobs once in their life. It is the worlds largest honky tonk and I believe it. They have a casino, pool tables, two dance floors, two stages, a BBQ restaurant, AND live bull riding every Friday and Saturday night! Doesn't get better than that, huh?

Billy Bobs Texas

Sign says it all...

Saturday some other friends arrived from LR, and we had a cookout at our house that afternoon. Burgers, potato salad, baked beans, and strawberry pie of course. It was a good ole fashioned lawn party. Then we headed to superpages.com center for the Brooks & Dunn/Jason Aldean concert. The concert was so good!

Lori and I in front of the Brooks and Dunn truck

The whole gang at the concert

Sunday we all went to Six Flags. Bill and I are not really big on roller coasters, but I sucked it up and rode a few. Bill wouldn't give in. It was super hot, but we had a lot of fun. I didn't get any pics unfortunately. That night we all went to dinner, then Lori and Trevor left us for the Four Seasons Hotel. The next day was their anniversary, so they decided to spend one night there. The rest of us went to a little bar in uptown called Stonleigh P's.

We had a wonderful weekend! It was busy and non-stop, but very enjoyable. Oh, and on top of all of that, Bill sold his motorcycle! I couldn't believe he did it, but he was having to choose between the motorcycle and the bicycle, so he chose to sell it. I'm so proud of him, I know it was a hard decision.

Up next for us: my birthday and vacation!

wedding weekend

this past weekend Bill and I were back in Little Rock for a wedding weekend extravaganza! well, technically, i'm the only one who attended the wedding events. Bill just enjoyed the weekend in LR.

1st up was a bridal shower for Laura Allen. She is a friend from high schools fiance. She is from Austin, so they had a bridal shower in LR for all of Blake's friends and family. It was a very nice shower, and so nice to meet the bride to be. They will be getting married in Austin in July, and we are looking forward to attending the wedding.

After lunch with mom and the BFF, I ran home to change clothes and head to the next event. This was a wedding for a friend that we used to attend church with when we lived in LR. Her daughter was getting married. It was a lovely wedding and so good to see all our old church friends. We miss them dearly.

After that, I went home to rest for a bit, and get ready for the 2nd wedding. This wedding was for one of my very dear friends, Ashley Gibbs. Ashley and I have been friends since the 4th grade. We spent a lot of time together when we were younger... carpooling, cheering, making up dances, and just being goofballs. The wedding was at Wildwood Performing Arts Center. This place is out in the country, surrounded by nature. They even have a butterfly garden there. Its a beautiful place. It was lots of fun seeing old friends, and spending time with the besties.

Here are a couple pics from the wedding...

Michelle, Carla, Ashley, & Me

Eric, Me, Meesh, Carla, Kim, & Spencer

I told Bill going into this weekend, that I didn't mind if he didn't attend the weddings with me. As much as I enjoy being with the hubby, and want him by my side at events to show him off, it was good being able to hang out with old friends and not worry about him feeling left out. I know he was disappointed he didn't go with me (sarcasm). He enjoyed his weekend by meeting and working out with his triathlon coach, playing golf, and having dinner with his best friend.

Now, I'm looking forward to next weekend so much I can hardly stand it! Lori and Trevor are coming to spend the weekend with us. Some other friends are coming as well. We're going to a concert, Six Flags, maybe Billy Bobs, and celebrating Lori and Trev's anniversary!