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!