Tell Your Momma Hi

What do I start with first...hmmm...okay, well, I guess I'll lead with the fact that I went to the doctor yesterday & the boot - ah, the dreaded boot - has to stay on at least another 2-3 weeks.  

The doc said it wasn't healing as fast as he thought it would...to which I replied, "Maybe I should not have been dancing on it?"

...that's when he looked at me like I was ca-razy, so I quickly exclaimed, "I've been drinking lots of calcium!"

Oh well...what's another 2-3 weeks...especially when I have my toes painted!

Oh yeah, baby!  The lady even painted my other foot, but the boot kinda takes away from it!  

My mom was in town this whole last week - from Sunday to Friday.  We had a girls day in the City on Thursday, which included the spa - a total treat!  We each got massages, facials & she enjoyed a pedicure, while I stuck to just getting a good ole toe paintin'.

The spa was relaxing & her trip here was fabulous.  I don't know where she gets her energy & being half her age it makes me embarrassed that I simply cannot keep up sometimes!  We went out to dinner EVERY night (after workin' all day...remember, her territory now includes NYC).

   

There were so many truly fab restaurants we tried...yes, my momma knows how to pull at my heartstrings!

One of my fave places we ate was Barbetta's. It's this great Italian restaurant that has been open for over 100 years & still owned by the same family that founded it.  What added a whole other awesome level (besides the food, wine & fabulous company), was this tree we were sitting near.

I know...silly...a tree, awesome?  But take a look...

     

When mom asked the waiter what kind of tree it was, his reply was (in accent), "Well, it is an old tree."  It was more than likely one of those "you have to be there" moments, but trust me when I say it was HILARIOUS!

                     

So that's the story, morning glory!  While mom was in town, Stephen was in Oregon.  He flew back in last night (or early this morning) & today we are meeting Johnny Boy up for some lunch!  Wonder where we'll go...???

Photo send-off....mom & I enjoying the Old Tree and each other in New York City!

Tortoise and the Hare

So, as I promised, here is the pic of me on my more than FABULOUS scooter!  

It was great...I may even put the boot back on next year, just to be able to rent it again!  Besides the deluxe leather chair & the 2" DUBS, the scooter rocked not one, but 2 horns & speeds that ranged from tortoise to hare (no, really, the knob turned from a picture of a turtle to a picture of a rabbit)!  The nifty basket up front held the backpack purse I've been sporting of late (because of ease of use), and it even had headlights.

The only suggestion I would have for the folks at Scootaround (seriously the name of the place I rented it from), would be to include a holder for the crutches!  I about killed myself trying to catch the crutches when they fell off the scooter when I was going at the hare speed!

At one point, I was haulin' it (air blowin' through my hair & all), and I heard an older lady say to her man, "She doesn't look hurt!"  You know grandma was just jealous because she wanted a scooter of her own!!

So, I'm back in town (as I have been all week), and am finally walking without the crutches, which is great.  So, hopefully this means there will be no more references to the broken ankle & I can put it all behind me!!

Tonight, I decided to be Chef Brittany (rhymes with Boyardee - hee hee - you know I just sang the song in my head)...and cooked this Chicken w/ Feta, Lemon & Zucchini...

**Update - this picture was snapped before the meal went into the oven**

My feeling is that it more than likely would not look like this if presented on a cooking show. At some point during the cooking process, smoke started to come out of the oven, setting off the smoke alarm a few times.  Stephen, being the wonderful man he is, said he thought for sure it was just steam!  In the end, Stephen enjoyed the meal (Seriously, I'm not just making myself feel better)...and I liked the zucchini.

At least it wasn't like the time I made Penne w/ Lemon, Ricotta & Herbs.  Oh my...I made the dish w/ an insane amount of parsley, because that's the only herb we had...to sum it all up, the dish tasted like grass & we threw it away and ordered take out!!

Alright...photo send-off time!!  A little tribute to Rambo, as my mom is about to take him back to Texas after her trip this next week.  Love his hair all crazy with static!!  Boy are we going to miss him!

This Boot Was Made For Walkin'

Thought I would start it off with a pic of me being silly.  Seriously, left my make-up in the car Friday, which led me to find out that I'm not that good at the whole liquid eyeliner thing!  A lil' "clockwork orange" style fun pursued.

Well, Friday I got the cast off & they put me in this nifty walking boot -

I was thinking that a walking boot meant I would be walking in it...but oh no, ain't no way I can walk just yet!  

You see, Friday after I left the doc's office & got to my office, I thought - man, this is feelin' pretty darn good, maybe I should try "walking on it"...'bout hit the floor in pain, I tell ya! Whew...not one of my best ideas.

It has, however, gotten a little better over the weekend, with me testing my limits on how much pressure I can put on the injured limb.  My goal (and I could be setting myself up for failure) is to be able to walk on it by Thursday (that's when I board the plane - at 6:40 a.m. nonetheless - for Chicago).

Now I'm sure you all have heard enough about the "break", so I'm movin' back to subjects I know best...

...Stephen and I went to Hill Country Bar-b-que yesterday.  (Come on, you knew I would be talking about food!!)  Now I cannot think of anything better than a Texas Barbecue market in the middle of NYC...they played country music while we noshed on some serious brisket, sausage, and sides!  And to top it all off I had a Coke Float w/ Blue Bell ice cream!!  

That's right, I just typed Blue Bell...they fly the stuff in special...they also fly in Big Red, Kruez sausage & my personal fave Mexican Coke!!  (the stuff you drink, duh!)...

Man, oh man, were we in heaven!  Check it out for yourselves...should you ever find yourself implanted in NYC from the Great State of Texas (or even if you just live here), you should definitely give it a try!

So, I guess that's about it...I leave you with a picture of my cast watching the mighty Longhorns fall to Memphis last weekend (this is becoming somewhat of a trend - you know, the photo send-off)!

Scoot, Scoot, Scootin' Along

I tell ya, my timing is impeccable! Of course, I go and break my ankle just a few short weeks before the biggest convention in my industry. This year it's held in Chicago & it is 4 days of straight walkin' and talkin'. Though this year will be a little different, because I will be scootin' around!

That's right - I get to ride this at next week's Kitchen and Bath Industry Show:

So, I'm 50/50 on being embarrassed and being totally pumped!

The Embarrassed Brittany - "Oh my, this is a serious networking event. All the biggest vendors and customers will be there. How can I possibly do business on a scooter?"

The PUMPED Brittany - "Oh my, this show is always a pain on my feet & this year I get to scoot around on my booty the whole time!! Woo - to the - Hoo!!"

Eventually, I'm just gonna have to let the Pumped Brittany take over, because there is simply nothing I can do about the fact that I NEED the scooter. Maybe it will be so great that I claim severe arthritis every year after this one & find the scooter to be the best thing since delivery service in New York!

Don't worry, I'll be sure to get a few pics of me actually on the scooter to post after the show...surely wouldn't miss an opportunity to have y'all share in one of my lil "Brittany moments"!!

Fracture & Family

SO first and foremost, check out this picture of the DELICIOUS grilled artichoke from Houston's...if you have never had one - drop EVERYTHING and go check it out. If I didn't have a broken ankle, I would be there in a heartbeat! (Go figure, it's one of the few things I can't get delivered!)

So, on to the next bit of news...yep, it's true, I've broken my ankle - specifically my fibula. Me, of all people, ME...I can't get out of bed, I can't do anything - it's been this way for the ENTIRE week! This has been the view:


And yes, I am watching "America's Best Dance Crew" and yes, I would watch it even if I wasn't confined to bed for 7 days straight.

I've never broken anything ever before & I must say it absolutely sucks. Beyond the fact that I can't do anything & have only showered once in the past 7 days & am dying of boredom...it REALLY hurts. I've tried to be a big girl about it, but the pain is sometimes quite unbearable.

I keep it elevated while in bed (which is ALL the time)...the thing is when I have to get up to go the bathroom, or even just to stretch & all the blood rushes to my ankle...boy, oh boy, it's a throbbing pain like no other. It's like my ankle is on FIRE!

Stephen has definitely proven his worth as a husband (not that he hadn't before)...he is the greatest...getting me anything & everything, being so sweet, and he's even promised to paint my toes!

**Life Lesson - Always have your pedicure fresh, because should your big booty happen to fall on your ankle & break a bone, it is quite embarassing to have tired toes while the whole world is checking out your foot**

So, I'm going to return to work tomorrow & am very excited about it, although a little nervous, because I'm not the most coordinated person on crutches (lemme tell ya...this is some major motivation to lose weight - having to "carry" myself around by my arms & one leg). I'll be in a cast for 2 weeks, then the doc will put me in a walking boot just in time for the big Kitchen & Bath show in Chicago.

Before all this mess, I was going to blog about my family's visit this past weekend (well, last weekend)...my sister & husband & their 4 kids were all here & as always, we enjoyed hanging with the whole crew...I'll leave you with some pics...

The first two are fashion shots of me & my nieces - Madison (left) and Katy (center)...the third picture is my adorable nephew Joe pretending to eat a HOT pepper @ Ruby Foos!




This final pic is of Griffin (the youngest)...so Stephen (aka Uncle Baldy) and I (aka Auntizzle Barizzle) bought the kids $75 worth of candy from Dylan's Candy Store...Griffin ate about $40 of it by himself that day...we got to dinner & he went into an immeadiate sugar coma!