I Do Stuff…

Well Christmas at my dad’s house is shaping up to be another winner. Under all those presents there is a tree.

Merry Christmas everyone!

When Nancy got home last night she said she had a gift or me. We already talked about gifts this year and decided to skip gifts for each other because of the wedding and all the new furniture in the house. I consider our 55″ 3D tv art because it is mounted on the wall.

Any way, when she said that I was curious what it was. She needed help getting something’s out of her Jeep which included a Christmas tree. I know it’s simple and might even be stupid but it was really nice. Nancy didn’t want a simple tree with decorations, she wanted to do it up nice this year but unfortunately that couldn’t happen. That is why when she showed up with the tree I was shocked.

This fucker is huge! $50 from the Wholefood across from her office. I actually had to cut some of the top off to make it fit in the house. It has got to be one of the fullest trees we have had ever. Looks really nice and I can’t wait to get some lights on it this evening.

now with lights and decorations!

yum! slow smoked ribs

After some great beer, food and seeing moe. perform the night before, Sunday was time for more food and relaxation.  During my bachelor party we setup a date to get together and have a rib competition.  Last year it was meat loaf and that was great, this year we changed it up and did ribs.  Several people bailed at the last minute or just didn’t show up but we still managed to have a good crowd to watch the Skins play and eat some ribs.

The game started at one that afternoon and we talked first about eating at the start of the game, then it changed to half time, finally at 4 regardless of if the game was over or not. Like most family meals we ate later then planned at 5. I must say that it certainly was worth the delay.  Nancy and I got a late start out of the houses because we had to get the grill into the Jeep.  I could have used my dads gas grill but when you are cooking ribs, who wants to cook on gas?  Matt even offed to drive my grill up but I was certain we could get it in her Jeep, boy was I wrong.

It was close to 2 by the time we got my grill assembled at my dad’s house and ready to start firing up the charcoal.  Matt was not running late but thankfully waited till I was ready before starting his own ribs.  Even thought this was not a competition in the strictest sense, he would not tell me what recipe he was using.  I think I intimidated him by saying I was cooking three racks using two different rubs/sauces.  For weeks Nancy and I have been testing out different recipes to find the perfect one for this competition. Since I still had many of the ingredients from the last batch, I just decided to do two. I did the famous maple ribs and a newer one, dinosaur ribs.

With the ribs finally on the grill, all Matt and I could do now was sit back and relax. We drank a few beers and talked about the previous nights show.  In the background the Skins were playing the Dolphins but that was not much of a game, certainly not worth watching.  Two hours later we pulled off the ribs to the delight of the assembled family, everyone was eager to get their figures dirty.  With the cooking done I finally found out what recipe Matt used, the red eye one from the same book I have which calls for coffee and chili powder in the rub and sauce.  To top the evening off my dad and Pat got a cake to celebrate my birthday the following day.

Despite the Skins loosening it was a great day.  I got to cook some great food, drink a few beers and spend lots of time with the family, even my brother and Audrey came out.  The weather was perfect that afternoon, most of our time was spent outside so I of course smoked a cigar to pass the time.  We have already started work on the next “competition” which might be chili if we do it in winter or wings if we wait till spring.

Landhuis Misje - Westpunt, Curaçao

Got up at a reasonable hour this morning and smoked a cigar on the balcony with a cup of coffee and my book. Ah what a beautiful setting to combine some of my favorite things in the world. Today the last of our guests arrived on the afternoon flight. Nancy and I spent most of the day just lounging around and relaxing. We were staying so long we didn’t feel the need to pack everyday with activities, in fact just relaxing was well worth the price of admission. We walked around the hotel grounds and had lunch at the beach bar. All afternoon we kept running into family as they did their own thing.

Friday night was the big rehearsal dinner at Landhuis Misje just up the street from the hotel. We gathered in the hotel lobby at 6:30 for our 7pm reservation, car pooled the entire party over to the restaurant in a few cars. The place has gotten rave reviews on Trip Advisor and people have traveled from the city 45 minutes away to eat here. Because of our group size we had the entire place to ourselves which was rather nice.

The restaurant only has mostly picnic benches for seating which is very cool but a little awkward when you are trying to have a formal rehearsal dinner. With a wedding on the beach in a tropical paradise, I should expect as much. The wait staff was incredible and the food was outstanding. All the rave reviews on Trip Advisor are accurate. All night food kept coming and coming. Fortunately there was a 45 minute break between the last of the appetizers and the main course. Some notable items where the curry chicken with cocoanut rice, ribs, pasta dish with an incredible sauce and the rib-eye steak. Not to be understated, everything was exceptional.

a motley crew

A few hours after we arrived everyone was full and some a little tipsy from the wine. We posed for some last minute photos, include some with Graciela and the rest of the staff. As much as I would like to say the night was over, it was back to the Christoffel Sunset Lounge. We closed the night out with cigars for the smokers and more drinks for everyone else. We should have gotten to bed early, tomorrow is the big day, but decided to just enjoy the evening.  It was well after midnight before we turned in for a restful nights sleep.

love is all you need

After only a few hours of sleep the night before, to bed at 11pm and up at 3am, it was time to officially start our wedding/honeymoon with a 6am flight from Dulles to Miami. We wanted to arrive in Curaçao at a reasonable hour so that meant leaving real early. We spent the night at Greg and Maggie to help cut on our driving time and took a cab to the airport to avoid the parking fee. There is something about my face that scares security and again I was pulled aside for their “special” scanner. A note, a simple sheet of paper can defeat the scanner, billions spent on something that a 1¢ piece of paper can defeat.

For the entire flight down to Miami I slept. The last few days have been rather busy as I was working full time, getting last minute items for the trip, doing school work and working ahead on what I could for my classes. When we left I was a little nervous, once in the air all that went away. If I forgot something it was to late now and I actually felt good, I could finally start to relax.

Nancy carrying her dress

When we arrived in Miami we had a two hour layover before the final leg to Curaçao. In Miami we caught up with my mom, Norman, dad, Pat, Matt, Bobby and Tracy. Each group left from a different airport, but Miami is the only jumping off point in the US. Nancy and I stocked up on some duty free booze and cigarettes for the long weekend.  I got a nice 15 year old bottle of scoth and Nancy picked up a carton of cigarettes for just $32!  With all the family in Curaçao partying for several days, we would need to stock up.

Another two and half hour flight and we arrived in Willemstad. First thing we noticed was the heat and humidity, it hits you immediately off the plan. The weather just started to turn cool at home and here in Curaçao it was 90 plus everyday with over 70% humidity to wrap you like a warm blanket. We got our rental car and what a piece of shit that was. It was over 10 years old with 65,000 miles, scratches on all panels and even a couple of dings, one of which was on the roof. We took Bobby and Tracy to the hotel and in less than an hour we arrived at Westpunt and the Kura Hulanda Lodge and Beach Club at the far end of the island.

Upon our arrival we were warmly created by the front desk, Janis the hotel manager and William who was another big muckety muck. They were happy to see us and assured us everything was setup and ready to go for our wedding on Saturday. We all chatted for several minutes and it was like they had known us for years.  It was a good feeling to know they were going to take care of us while down there and what an important day it was for Nancy and I.  They offered us a tour of the property but we wanted to check out the room and unwind after 10 hours of travel and little sleep.

a nice view of the ocean

When we walked into the room we were both shocked and impressed. We splurged on the suite which had a great view of the ocean from our balcony. There of course was the bedroom and a separate family room with tv, dining table, and a smartly designed kitchenette with everything we would need. We quickly unpacked and headed down to the bar for a welcome drink. Slowly everyone else started to gather at the bar and mingle. Carla and Aron arrived on Wednesday and spent the night downtown before coming to the countryside. There was a managers happy hour at 6 in the library, so we went to that and enjoyed some free drinks. At the happy hour meet the owner of the hotel, he was in town preparing for the queens arrival in November. He is a nuclear engineer with all sorts of investments around the world, smart guy.

Not having an actual meal all day we enjoyed a nice meal over looking the water. Everyone’s meal was fantastic and worth the long day of travel. Cigars called those of us that smoke and the Christoffel Sunset Lounge was the perfect setting to relax and enjoy a cigar. We spent many nights in that lounge smoking, drinking, and talking. Just about this time the entire crew from Wisconsin arrived and we continued the party for a few more hours. By the end of the night a few people ended up in the pool, including Nancy and Matt who jumped in fully dressed.

After a long day and some partying, it was time for bed.