Ice Cream - the old fashioned way (only better!)

It's time for me to put on my consumer advisor hat and wax on poetically about another one of my favorite gadgets...the ice cream maker! Previous blogs have made it clear that I am a fan of ice cream in just about any form or fashion and often find myself enjoying a scoop or two for any occasion that I can drum up. A friend of mine gave me my very own Cuisinart ice cream maker as a birthday gift earlier this year, and it is one of those gifts that I appreciate more and more each time I use it.

It should be noted that when David and I got married, someone gave us an ice cream maker. We never actually used it, but rather moved it 4 different times until finally David just gave it away during a purging of the storeroom one day, probably 10 years ago. We never used the thing (although I spoke regularly of cracking it out!) because it took something like 4 hours to churn and you needed some rock salt or something to make it work. I always relished the idea of making ice cream the old fashioned way, but never really had the energy or time to commit to it.

Imagine David's reaction when I brought home the new ice cream maker. There was much rolling of the eyes and a sarcastic comment or two of how much he is looking forward to ALL of the home made ice cream that is sure to be coming his way. Skeptic. Not to be outdone, I opened the box, read all of the instructions and put both of the chambers in the freezer to set up overnight. We went to sleep that night with David still not believing that home made ice cream was in his near future.

20+ years of technology has worked wonders for the old fashioned ice cream business. A whopping 5 minute investment to mix and pour in the ingredients and 20 minutes churning (all automatic, I just plugged it in) and voila!! We had some outstanding vanilla ice cream. I served it up with some butter wafer cookies, fresh blackberries and a little bit of whipped cream (that was a Holly addition, and I think an excellent finishing touch) Even the big cynic was impressed with the outcome AND it was so good that we made it again the next night!

Now that we are regular home made ice cream eaters David can finally agree that we are indeed making ice cream the old fashioned way - only better!

The Sweet Spice of Life

As mentioned in my last post, I spent a couple of days in Denver last week and had a blast. One of the activities that Allison and I enjoyed together was a visit to a little store called Savory Spice Shop. I will not deny that when Allison first suggested it, my thought was...Really? Spices? Nothing else?

But, I am a player and it was sort of on the way to the airport, so we decided to give it a go.

Let me tell you that if I had more time and was willing to spend even more money than I already did, I would have stayed overnight at the place! Allison made us a new best friend in Rose (pictured with us here) as they compared Italian recipes and cooking methods while Rose introduced us to every kind of sweet and savory spice known to mankind.

After tasting at least 10 different spice blends, salts, rubs, cinnamon, vanilla and ginger, I had to cut myself off due to flavor overload! I opted to ship everything rather than risk having something taken away by the compliance cops of TSA, so I am anticipating quite the bevy of seasonings to cook with this weekend when I return home.

Looks like it is BBQ time with the new fancy grill!

Did this really have to be put into print???

I was in Denver late last week, combining some work with a visit to my good friend Allison and among the many adventures that we had (there was a lot of blog fodder from our time together, so stay tuned!), we came across the sign that you see me mugging next to. If you can't make it out too well, it says, "No Pay, No Poop. No Pee."

The entertaining part of this is I actually DID have to use the restroom, so in an effort to stay compliant, Allison bought an iced white mocha and visited with the barista for a bit, entertaining her with our tales of craziness.

I have to admit that the more I looked at that sign and thought about what must have been in someones head to make them think that they actually HAD to go through the effort to create and produce the thing (including a very nice adhesive backing), the more amused I found myself at the entire thing! The coffee house is called the Ink Spot and it is in Lakewood, Colorado if you ever find yourself in need of a tasty coffee drink. If you just have to go to the bathroom however, DON'T BOTHER!!!

Be the duck...blog the duck

I am working on reading another book - A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle - the book report will come later after I finish it and if I decide I like it or not! At any rate, there are some nuggets of information that I am finding useful, the most entertaining of which I shared with Holly and David.

The gist of it is, after two ducks get into a fight, they separate and float off in opposite directions. Each duck flaps its wings vigorously a couple of times to release the surplus energy built up during the fight and then float off peacefully as if nothing ever happened. The point is that once the fight is over and the excess energy expended...it's over, neither duck carries any resentment, hostility or even memory of the issue.

The point in the book is that we need to be a lot more like ducks in some cases, letting things go rather than carrying the issue as a burden long after the issue has been resolved. I can definitely take a page from the book of the duck, as I tend to over-think and process stuff sometimes, which ends up bugging me probably far more than it should or needs to.

When Holly and I were chatting about this, I mentioned that ducks seem to have quite the knack for letting things go, as in the phrase like water off a duck's back. The duck is one cool character and one that is worthy of some ink space here. When I told Holly that she should BE the duck, her reply was, 'maybe you should BLOG the duck'.

Consider it done!

It's all about the journey

So I finally read the book 'Eat Pray Love' a few weeks ago (yes, it has been out for a year or two now...sometimes you just have to wait for the right time to really get into a book!) and I still find myself thinking about some of the messages that I extracted from the story.

First, I will give a big thumbs up and recommendation if there is anyone left out there after me who has not read the book. I felt like the story was pretty personal and Elizabeth Gilbert did a heck of a job of just putting her whole self out there. There were parts of it that were hard for me to read, but much like the personal discovery journey that Elizabeth was on, it was hard to live!

The biggest takeaway that continues to resonate with me revolves around a conversation that Elizabeth had with her medicine man friend while in Bali. They were discussing meditation, heaven and hell. Ketut had been coaching Elizabeth about meditating up through her chakras, which he had done many times before, where he then found heaven. Elizabeth asked Ketut to describe heaven, and during the conversation he also indicated that he had gone down through his lower chakras too, implying that he had also seen hell. Elizabeth asked him what it was like and he said 'the same'. It takes a bit of back and forth banter to realize that he is saying that heaven and hell are the same. The most poignant line in the book (in my opinion) is from Ketut and goes something like, "Same-same. Same in the end, so better to be happy on journey."

We can (and I am always happy to!) engage in a lively debate about the literal meaning of the quote provided, but when all is said and done, the way that we approach things, the attitude that we take and the outlook we have on the big picture makes a HUGE difference in our perception of it being good or not. I'm not going all Pollyanna on you here - sometimes stuff sucks - but pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps, hitching up our pants and looking for the most positive way to approach getting through it is certainly going to make a difference.

Here's to a happy journey.

I might be a bit obsessed with food!

As I go back and catalogue my various blog entries and reflect upon the things that I choose to write about, I am going to have to admit that I might be just a bit obsessed with food. Not any food mind you, but good stuff that a person can get excited about. Ice cream, nachos, donut holes, guacamole...these are all things that I have written about and will likely write about again. I like other foods too (and even some that are actually good for me!) but we can worry about that later because today we are going to talk about...caramel corn.

You may recall the 'snack Thursday' activity that I mentioned a week or two ago. It is growing in popularity AND notoriety as word gets out that the ops services aisle is the happening place to be. We have even taken to planning the NEXT snack option while we are eating our current - we enjoy our little ray of sunshine in the late afternoon!

This week the featured item was caramel corn - a valued item on its own merits, but THIS caramel corn is the Jamba-famous Lily Wong caramel corn. What makes this treat even more special is the fact that Lily hasn't worked at the big whirl for at least 4, maybe 5 years and we still crave (and can order!!!) her specialty. No one knows the recipe, no one knows why it is so good, but we ALL sign up to eat our weight in the stuff and do it with a big smile, even when we do start to feel a little sick from all of that sugar!

Lily uses her caramel corn powers for good - she typically leverages it as a fundraiser for her current Team in Training event which makes us feel even better about stuffing our faces and our bellies with the tasty treat combination of popcorn, caramel and cashews. Our ceo bought this round and made what Lily described as a GENEROUS donation so it feels good to be a part of something as important as helping to raise funds for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma research and patient services.

A good treat for a good cause - it seems as if this obsession is a win/win for all!!

Appreciate your freedom!

I had the opportunity to do a bit of SF touristing this past Friday and made a trip to Alcatraz Island as well as the lesser-known but equally interesting Angel Island. I have to say that if you haven't had the opportunity to visit either location, I highly suggest it but warn you to pack a jacket even if it IS supposed to be 82 in the City because it is COLD out there on the boat and shelling out $20 for a jacket and windbreaker that screams tourist feels like the best purchase you have ever made in your life!

The day was a good one, starting out at Johnny Rocket's for breakfast, followed by an hour-long boat ride to Angel Island where we then took some trams that looked an awful lot like the old tour buses from Universal Studios Hollywood. They used a canned recording to narrate the 45-minute tour around the island, but I have to admit that it was surprisingly entertaining and chock full of information. We made our way back to the park and had some nachos for lunch (who doesn't enjoy a little cheez-whiz and chips every now and again???), then got back onto the boat for the 30-minute trek to THE ROCK.

I had only been to Alcatraz once and it was about 11 years ago, so I have to admit that it was kind of exciting to see and hear all about the prison and quality of life that the inmates experienced. The facility has obviously aged and run down a bit since it closed back in 1963, but it still is pretty imposing and thinking about being trapped in such a scenic location makes me wonder what it must have been like to sit in the recreation yard, staring at the beautiful skyline, unable to go where one wanted to go or when they wanted to.

I was admittedly entertained by the many rules that each prisoner had to follow. Particularly amusing to me was Regulation #5: "You are entitled to food, clothing, shelter and medical attention. Anything else you get is a privilege." I bought the magnet and put it in my office, just in case anyone wants to demand something from me!

All of the Alcatraz prison visiting made us want to watch the movie, 'Escape from Alcatraz', which is exactly what we did on Saturday. It was kind of cool to see the Hollywood version of the escape (prison officials call it an attempt, but no bodies were ever found, so did they make it??) as well as have a bearing on where everything was located since we had been in the prison the day before. While cool to watch, I have to admit that actually thinking about being held somewhere and told what I could do when is NOT something that is on my list of things to do anytime in the near future.

Appreciate your freedom...and don't so anything dumb to mess that up!

Does this shirt make me look like a hooker?

File this in the 'too crazy and funny to make up' file. I was mistaken for a street walker poaching in on someones territory! This is how it happened...

I started doing a 'snack Thursday' about a month ago to break up the monotony of the week and bring some fun back to the JJ world headquarters - it has been a bit bleak and depressing around there ever since the layoffs. It started out with pluots (a tasty hybrid fruit of a plum/apricot) and cinnamon bread. Then we did chips and guacamole, another week we baked sugar cookies and this week we decided that we had to have some donut holes - it is hard to go wrong with a fried sweet. Barb was kind enough to research a neighborhood donut shop (Rainbow Donuts) so I jumped into the Jeep to make the 2.4 mile trek for our latest and greatest indulgence.

The trip there took longer than I would have liked because of traffic (don't people WORK in the middle of the afternoon??) and I got trapped by a bus on the first pass, so I had to go around the block. Round two netted no parking places so on the third foray around the block, my patience and time allotted were growing short. I parked in a questionable spot - it wasn't completely obvious if it was intended for the curb to be red or not - and started off on a trot the 1/2 block or so that I needed to cover to round the corner back to the donut shop.

As the donut shop came into view, I noticed a woman in black Capri's, spike heels and a flowy, see through shirt dancing around and waving to the cars waiting at the light. This is a sketchy part of Berkeley, so I didn't give it a second thought as I set the donut shop in my sights. Imagine my surprise when she suddenly turned to me and said, "GIRL. Get off my turf!!", to which I replied, "I'm just getting some donuts." Once I was inside the donut shop it occurred to me that perhaps she thought that I was honing in on her clientele.

When I returned to the office with the donut holes (a big hit, if there was really ever any doubt) I told the story. The team had a good laugh over it and then Georgie declared, "Maybe it was your shirt!" That pretty much put us all over the edge and will certainly make me think twice before wearing the leopard print in the future!!

On the road again!

After walking 26.2 miles, there are a few basic thing that a person wants to do...take off your shoes, shower, eat and lie down for a bit. I am not sure that I would put sleeping in a tent on the list of 'basic' things, but let's just for the purposes of this exercise add that in as well as get a good night's sleep. Once you wake up the first thing that enters your mind is...let's go walking!

And walk we did! A 1/2 marathon was on order for the day, which at half the mileage of the previous day should seem like a breeze. The difference on Sunday was the terrain - there are a good couple of hills to walk up and down in both the city and an area known as Potrero Hill (the former neighborhood of Jamba Juice world headquarters!), so we found ourselves leaning into quite a few hills in the first few miles. The food highlight of the day was the most INCREDIBLE donut hole ever made - soft and chewy with some kind of crispy pink sugar on the outside...we talked about it for at least 4 blocks after eating them. A shout out and thanks to our fine friends at the Four Seasons Hotel for being so kind as to provide the donut holes and coming out to cheer us on. I am sorry to report that I did not take a picture of these fantastic donut holes (I ate it far too quickly to do so) but did take some other compelling photos that you might find intersting.

The great news about this walk is there were no incidents to report. Lots of great support, lots of amazing stories and lots of steps towards completing our goal. Between Barb, Sally and I we had no noteworthy injuries, pains or inconveniences and I have to say that even if we did, we would have pressed on because once you connect with the spirit of this cause and the millions of women AND their friends and family who are affected by breast cancer - you want to do all you can to make a difference.

The walk ended back where we started - Golden Gate Park - and was even more emotional a finish than I had anticipated. The cheering, music, noise and realization that we could sit down and rest for a bit overtook each of us at some point, but when it was all said and done I was filled with a great sense of appreciation, accomplishment and determination to do it again next year - and we are going to have some cool costume/uniforms too!!

I can walk for miles and miles and miles...

I might have mentioned that I enjoy doing the occasional event that challenges me physically and supports a good cause. This weekend I was fortunate enough to participate in the Avon 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer. I did the event in San Francisco with two friends - Barb and Sally. The event covers 39.3 miles in 2 days - a full marathon (26.2 miles) the first day and a 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles). We sleep in tents to pull the whole experience together. I have done similar events on bike - three different AIDS Rides to be exact, and while this was the same in principle, it was different in both the cause and the mode of transportation.

As devastating as AIDS is on our society, breast cancer is also a horrific disease that knows no boundaries or lines. Hearing the stories of the different people at the walk; either something that they experienced personally or through a loved one were simultaneously heart-breaking and amazing. I liked the energy on this walk because while the disease and its effects are awful, the spirit, mood and tempo of everyone participating was upbeat because we are all DOING something to help make a difference.

The day started early enough with us loading up on the buses to get over to Golden Gate Park at 5 am. We ate a quick (and not very filling for this girl's hearty appetite!) breakfast and walked around the park, then went to the stage for a moving opening ceremony at 6:30 am then we were off and walking by 7 am - all 3,200 of us! It was a huge group and we moved slowly through the streets at first, but once we got through the first few miles and rest stops, things started to thin out a bit and we hit our stride.

Walking with Barb and Sally was a lot of fun and really helped the miles to go by. It was also a beautiful day, one that could be categorized as PERFECT for walking - cool and a bit overcast until almost noon, then gorgeous and sunny but not too hot as we wound our way to tent village to settle in for the night. Walking across the Golden Gate bridge is a privilege that not everyone gets in their life...we actually did it twice in one day!

There is an amazing group of volunteers who support and encourage the walkers along the route, all of whom have some sort of theme. Given the nature of our cause, the themes usually hover around the chest area and while not all necessarily appropriate for G-rated audiences, they are pretty darn funny and all in the right spirit of celebration. I cannot deny that the 'Hookers for Hooters' girls got a good laugh out of me every time that we saw them. I will spare all of the commentary on the different themes and let you experience them for yourself, along with some other choice pictures from the day.

We stopped for ice cream (shock and surprise if I was involved in that decision, isn't it?) at about mile 21 and then we powered up and over the hill to get back to the Golden Gate bridge and then the glorious moment when we arrived at mile 26.2 in Crissy field and finally STOPPED walking. For the record, that is a lot of miles to log in one day on two feet. We were very fortunate to have no blisters, issues or pains to really speak of, but you end the day VERY aware of your feet and legs and just how hard they work! I will also add that I calculated my daily steps for the day to be something around 54,000 - I usually strive to do a paltry 10,000 a day!!

Day one ended with a great shower, satisfying dinner, 25 glorious minutes in the foot and back massage tent and then off to the air mattress for a good night's sleep. Tent sleeping is not the most isolated and personal experience that one will ever have, you pretty much hear it all, but it was good to be lying down and relaxing, so good times for all!

Next up on the docket...day two and walking 13.1 miles to completion of the trek!

Smoothie Makers of Tomorrow

Work is usually filled with meetings, requests, conference calls and an incessant demand for data and information. Yesterday brought a nice surprise when the Brown's came to visit the 'Mother Ship' of Jamba World Headquarters (it sounds so impressive as 'world') on the last stop of a 10-day vacation. It is always good to save the best for last in anything, vacation being no exception.

After receiving an outstanding guided tour, David and Rachel declared themselves ready to be official smoothie-ologists. After washing their hands (a good sanitation practice anytime that one is preparing food products) and a quick orientation to the kitchen, each was tasked with figuring out what smoothie they wanted to make and then of course pulling all of the ingredients together to make that magic happen.

David was first up with a Strawberries Wild. He knew exactly what he wanted and was intent upon making it perfectly - no chunks or icy spot, just 16 ounces of strawberry and banana goodness. David's first observation was that he was surprised at how few ingredients it took to make his favorite; perhaps he was expecting a more laborious and complex process to blend together such perfection!

Rachel took the adventurous route and chose a smoothie she had never tried before - Razzmatazz. Being a tad bit shorter than David would have at first seemed to be a disadvantage for Rachel at the dipbox, but she did a fine job of directing me to help her out by bringing the orange sherbet tub out of the dip box so that she could scoop it properly.

Next up was blending perfection until we all witnessed the whirl , followed by some careful pouring into the cup (with a bit of help from Mom Bettina). Lids, straws and...YUM. Our smoothie makers of tomorrow declared their smoothies a masterpiece and their skills second to none...and rightly so!

It is quiet here in the office today and except for my nice notes on the white board and a few photos of the smoothie makers, we are back to the regular business. Perhaps I need to become a regular vacation stop for anyone passing through the general Bay Area!

Order now!

I admit to watching my fair share of television, including the occasional infomercial. Sometimes the way that the different 'hosts' pitch their amazing new product entertains me. I don't usually order the items featured because I don't believe that they work nearly as well as promised.

I have seen the Magic Bullet featured a couple of different times and have even watched as the hosts effortlessly blend up smoothies, cocktails, dips and even Alfredo sauce. It looks easy and fast but I know that it isn't really that easy and there is no way that the set is worth $99, even if you DO get a 2nd set at no additional charge!

My friend Eric and I were recently over visiting another friend of ours - Mo - who whipped up a cherry smoothie for Eric using the Magic Bullet. I had not yet arrived, so I did not participate in the preparation or tasting festivities, but I heard plenty about them when I arrived. Eric mentioned it to his parents, who gave him his very own Magic Bullet for his birthday as a joke.

Turns out, the joke is (quoting Eric here), "one of the best kitchen appliances I have ever received." Not to be left out of the 'what's what in kitchen gadgetry', I trotted on over to Costco where I picked up my very own 21-piece set for $49.99. Eric is right. That thing IS pretty darn cool. I read a testimonial on the Magic Bullet website where someone declared that 'it has changed my life'. I am not sure that I am ready to make that claim, but I have certainly enjoyed the smoothies, iced caramel latte, lemonade slushy, salsa and chopped cilantro that I have whipped up thus far.

Here's to the Magic Bullet and all that it promises in our culinary lives. Order one now...I am sure that somewhere, operators are standing by (or there is always your friendly Costco for a better price and the instant gratification of taking it home with you!)

Good eats

Father's Day WAS a month or so ago, but we just got around to picking up David's gift this weekend...a new BBQ. The last time we purchased a BBQ it was a charcoal model back in 1991 for David's 30th birthday. We got our money's worth out of that one; it finally was sent to the BBQ bone yard this past Memorial Day.

A lot has changed in BBQ technology since I bought the last one (and put it together in the backyard with my friend Katsy while Holly - who was not even 2 yet - napped). It took David and I nearly 2 hours of hemming, hawing and chatting it up with Greg the patio furniture/BBQ guy at our local Home Depot. I will say that Greg was chalk full of information, advice and opinions...most of which were very helpful to us and all of which were entertaining to some degree or another. Let's just say that he probably isn't going to win the employee most enamored with their employer award!

Our careful calculations paid off and we brought home a propane BBQ that has infrared technology. I would like to believe that this is very cool in the world of grillers and we will be glad that we got this model. I must admit that some of the allure in this case is the easy clean-up and distinctive red cover. Call me superficial, but a grill needs to be functional AND look good too!

We opted to assemble it at home ourselves (and when I say WE, I naturally mean David) to save a trip back out next week and to get things up and running for the weekend. We did not have too many difficulties (note that I have once again used the word 'we' in a very loose context) and after about an hour or so of fidgeting, it was ready to fire up! Hook up the propane tank and we are all set.

Ah, yes, that little matter of the propane. While we were at Home Depot I asked David if we needed a tank, to which he confidently replied, "I have 3 tanks at home." Excellent. One little detail however, they are all probably about 10 years old and the valve/connector thingie doesn't fit. Good luck trying to find a propane tank at 7:30 pm on the Sunday of the 4th of July weekend. It isn't going to happen. We opted for a nice tamale casserole instead and can only hope that we get the tank hooked up by tomorrow night.

The first meal? Steaks, of course. Beef tenderloins from Omaha Steaks for the carnivores. I will do just fine with my Morning Star Farm veggie dogs, all sauced up and sequestered to their own little spot on the grill...far, far away from the beef juices. It will be a fine and tasty meal topped off with corn, baked sweet potatoes, garlic bread and homemade ice cream. Seriously, this is how we should eat every day!

Now if only we had that propane connected...

Walking with a purpose

I realized this week that the Avon 2-day walk to fight breast cancer is NEXT WEEK. There is a sense of urgency here because I will be walking 40 miles over Saturday and Sunday...26 miles on Saturday and a paltry 13 miles on Sunday. Not an impossible feat, but not just a walk in the park either. I have never walked more than 13.2 miles in one shot (a standard 1/2 marathon!) and admit that I am never inclined to walk longer when I finish OR turn around and do another one the next day.

My realization that the event is next week brought about a sense of urgency to do something to help guarantee the event will be a smooth one. So, armed with my 100-ounce camel pack full of water, a clif bar and a hearty breakfast, I set off for Ventura to walk along the beach.

I am pleased to report that I successfully logged 14 miles and rather enjoyed myself doing it. I even shot a few photos, so if you care to see the beach from my vantage point, check them out. There were plenty of people out celebrating the 4th of July at the beach and the various campgrounds that I passed, and many of them were cooking some pretty tasty smelling vittles! The cliff bar, while effective, certainly was not quite as delectable as I imagined the other items cooking to be.

All in all I would chalk the day up to be a fine success and feel ready to take on the 2-day with Barb and Sally. The event is in San Francisco and is a part of a 9-walk series all around the United States intended to raise money to find a cure for breast cancer. I am excited to be a part of this event and if you are interested in sponsoring me, feel free to visit my page and read all about it!

Here's to lots of fun experiences without any incidents on the walk next week!

It gets me every time

I am proud to be a US citizen. I am not always aligned with the decisions and policies of my government and certainly some of what I refer as to the 'ills of society' that manifest themselves in our culture get under my skin. Still, when you put it all together and look at the multitude of benefits that we enjoy as a citizen in the United States, it is pretty easy to come to the conclusion that we are among the most fortunate in the world.

This is on my mind today for the obvious reason that tomorrow is the 4th of July. As I started to think about what this holiday represents (besides the very nice fact that it is a 3-day weekend and I don't have to think about anything work related until Monday), I realized that I can be categorized as quite the patriot. I like seeing the flag waving. I like saying the pledge of allegiance. I like hearing the Star Spangled Banner, in fact, I cry every time that I hear it sung...it gets me every time.

I think that this could actually be categorized as one of the things that no one really knows about me, but we will call it an endearing trait. I actually discovered this phenomenon a couple of years ago when I started doing events regularly. Just about every run, triathlon or biking event are started with someone singing our national anthem. It is not always the best rendition that I have ever heard, but sung with a lot of heart. I have actually tried to not tear up, but there is no fighting it, it just MEANS something and makes me feel proud too. Again, I don't agree with all of the policies and practices of the US government, but I AM darn thankful that I am a natural-born citizen!

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!

Provisional - but still legal!

I failed to report on a significant milestone at the Newton household - Holly passed her driving test (first try and received a 'nice job' note from the instructor in the comments box) this past Friday. David made the call to the insurance company to add her on the policy (I wasn't sure that I wanted to be the one to hear the cost of attaching a 17-year old driver) and just like that, Schnoogs has passed yet another mile-marker in the growing up process.

Of course...there are rules. She can't drive alone between the hours of 10 pm and 5 am, she can't drive anyone under 25 years old unless there is a licensed 25+ years (I fit into that category...barely) driver in the car and no cell phone at all - hands free or otherwise. Rules, yes. Limitations, it is true. Provisional, indeed - but it is still legal for her to drive (by herself) over to Target to shop for a few DVDs and then stop by Starbucks to pick up an iced caramel latte for her mom!