Troy & Kristin Contreras’ Neighborhood

I have a new job and it has placed me in the culinary throws of 290 and 610, approximately. There is a Chilis, a Jason's, a Luby's (I heart Luby's!) and various other Mom and Pop stands, among them-Friky Chicken.

I have been wanting to try this place because a) Freaky is misspelled and b) the man they make wear a chicken suit and pass out coupons at the light is very entertaining. For instance last week I was waiting on a particularly long red light and he pretended to be electrocuted while sticking his wing in the light pole. Hilarious! (So much more funny than the homeless man at the same light.)

Anyway, poultry humor aside, the chicken "friky" (spicy) wasn't ready today, so I settled for regular rotisserie, or white people chicken. It wasn't that great, but I'll try again when the Friky is available. Here's a pic of their birds:

I have a cat. Well, Mabel has her because she really begged to keep her after I found her in the bushes last year. To say that Audrey isn't afraid of heights is an understatement. Here's where I found her yesterday.

I'm a proud Aggie, but don't have the best post-graduate attendance record for home games. Last Saturday I went to see the Aggies beat the Hell out of Utah State. And we did. Here's the band at half time, which is my favorite part of every game.

Three years ago, Mom and I decided to plan a trip. She was finishing up chemotherapy and we thought a trip to shed some light at the end of the tunnel would be just the ticket. A friend lived in Las Cruces, NM and suggested we try Truth or Consequences, NM. We loved it so much, this year marked our third trip! Here's a few of my favorite pics:

This is a pic Mom and I take every year, in front of the Fire Water Lodge. We love the Fire Water-thanks to Richard for always making it a GREAT time.

Small town Saturday night...

I recently returned home from a work trip to find multiple dismembered lizards, beetles, salamanders and the like scattered throughout the house. This isn't all that unusual as Audrey (recently dubbed the Vanilla Killa), has a penchant for blood. However...while enjoying a toddy last night in the backyard, a new visitor was spotted at the bird seed buffet. If you can't see "him" on the bird feeder itself, just look at the shadow on the wall behind. Sic 'em Vanilla!

My new backyard guest enjoying a late night snack.

I'm in Ocala, FL for work this week. No, I don't know where that is either. Anywho, I say nothing says Florida like a grocery store with golf cart parking!

Nothing says Saturday night like a little line dancin at the SPJST Lodge on Beall. That's right.

Yesterday I popped into the Katy Elk's Lodge (ok, not popped, it was 30 minutes and I had to stop for gas and snacks) BBQ cook off. Apparently it's not just about ribs and brisket anymore. This is a dessert entry-apple enchiladas-made on the pit-with flour tortillas, ricotta cheese, condensed milk and topped with caramel and pecans. Yes, it was as good as it looks. The scary thing is, it placed 8th! So there were 7 other desserts that were deemed better than this one. Crazy times in Katy.

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Gee where has Kacey been? She is doing so good maintaining her weight loss, it's just amazing that she lost 30 pounds and has kept it off.

I have been eating. It is fun. Soon, I will hear, "You have such a pretty face" again. Cruel, cruel world that offers cheese at every turn.

These are the spinach enchiladas at Irma's. There is nothing bad at Irmas. And, if you eat there before an Astros game, you can park in their lot for free!

This is the super deluxe grilled cheese at Block 7. It is made with gruyere cheese - as opposed to the Kraft Free Singles that I make mine with. Served alongside are the french fries, or pappas frites, if you need to make yourself feel more cultured about the grease involved in eating them. 

In case you haven't seen me lately, I have big hair now.