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Goals for 2014!

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Brian under Life.

My wife and I decided a long time ago that we would not make New Years resolutions but instead make New Years Goals. In the past she has been better at achieving her goals than me. But in 2014 I wanted goals that we both could accomplish.

Here is a list of our 2014 Goals.

1. Eat Better: Last year we started off OK, but as the year progressed we slipped more and more, eating out a lot and not making health choices. The fall out has finally caught up with us in the form of weight gain. This year I want to eat out far less, No more than once a month. This means we will have to say no a lot. Hopefully our family and friends will understand.

2. Exercise More: In 2012 my wife and I both met our weight loss goals. However, in 2013 we slowly watched those goals wither away and the weight come back. I blame no one but ourselves. We both have busy lives with work and such and we both traveled a lot last year, so making time to work out was difficult. In 2014, we will need to overcome these hurdles. Make time to workout, even if it’s just doing push-ups and sit-ups in the basement at home.

3. Save Money: This is a big one for us. We have some money in savings but I really want us to build up a nice little nest egg. I grew up in a family that had little in the amount of savings. My wife and I were in a large amount of debt several years ago and we pulled ourselves out of it and have worked very hard to stay debt free. However, I think we have room for improvement.

4. Shop Less: This falls in line with the previous goal. In order to save more you will need to shop less. We let this get away from us last year (and a little the year before that) but in 2014 we need to reign this in and focus more on the saving and less on the spending.

5. Sleep Better: This is something that I personally struggle with. I tend to have a problem going to sleep, I just can’t seem t turn my mind off sometimes. I also struggle with staying asleep. I am one of those people that need absolute silence to sleep comfortably. in 2014 I want to see ups going to bed early (8:30 or 9:00 PM) and wake up early (around 5:00 AM), well rested and ready to tackle the day. I have learned that there are a lot of things that you can struggle with if you don’t get a good nights sleep. Memory is one of them and I have a really bad one.

Hopefully together my wife and I can achieve these goals. Some might find them silly or not worth the effort but we both feel that you should always have goals in life. It makes you productive, attentive and gives you something to work for.

What are your 2014 goals!

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Happy New Year

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Ching under Life.

Before we start recapping the year that passed, allow me to catch you guys up…

2008 is the year that Brian started working for Viega, I completed my MBA from Wichita State University, and we dealt cards on a cruise ship.

2009 is a year of firsts. We attended Zoobilee for the first time. Brian had his first trip to Germany. He also visited the Philippines for the first time. I completed Leadership Westar. Tita Sol adopted Molly.

2010 was the year that we spent a lot of time with the Dills. It started out when we rang in the New Year at Kansas City Power & Light with Jay, Becca, and Mama Dill. A month later, we were traveling with them again. This time to San Francisco. We did a lot of traveling that year.

2011 was the year that we started by getting stranded at McCarran International Airport (Las Vegas). That didn’t deter us from traveling, though. We traveled through the East Coast with the Dills that summer and had a lot of firsts. We also got to see James Taylor perform twice: once at Intrust Bank Arena and again at Tanglewood. I also had my first ER trip and my first biopsy. Exciting stuff!

2012 we attended a few weddings, most notably Cousin Tracy and Jeff’s destination wedding at Coral Cove Resort in Jamaica. I got my Zumba Basic 1 License and I took Brian to Nashville for his 38th birthday. We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary by closing on our house and then I ended the year with a thyroidectomy.

Now that you are all caught up, let’s talk about what’s happened to us since then.

Brian and I both played in the Cards for the Cure poker tournament. Neither of us did well, but we had a lot of fun. I have a couple of Zumba classes that I teach on Saturdays now so I’m thinking of skipping the tournament this year, but Brian will likely be playing in the tournament. I’m hoping he takes the whole thing down this year.
Sheryll, Clayton, and their kids drove up from Dallas to visit us. It was a short visit but we had a wonderful time hanging out with the Orbases. We were hoping that they would visit us again but that may not be happening anytime soon as they’ve moved back to the Philippines, which makes me really sad.
After years of attending various fundraising events, we finally made Splurge! magazine. After the first one, we made the magazine a few more times this year. You’d think we were stalking their photographer or something. LOL.
I had to endure the worst winter we’d had in years without Brian. He was in Arizona at the time.
Brian and I got each other handguns for Valentines Day. I know. How romantic, right? We made a few trips to the shooting range this year to get further acquainted with our new toys… err, weapons.
I survived the Fight for Air Climb (a fundraiser for the American Lung Association) at Cessna Stadium. Thanks to my friend Jodi for talking me into it.
Brian and I went on one of my most favorite dates of all time. We completed a sculpture scavenger hunt on the Wichita State University campus. The best part was that we both got mistaken for a couple of college students. LOL.
We had some Walking Dead watch parties. The best one being the Season 3 finale watch party because Chef Jason actually joined us for dinner, though he could care less about the show.
Dad gave Brian his airboat. Things haven’t been the same since.
We attended the annual Filipino ball at the Marriott after several years of not attending the event.
We attended the Celebrity & Chef Cook Off benefit for the Orpheum. As fundraising events go, this one should be on everyone’s list because it is super fun. And the food is amazing to boot!
In the realm of professional development, I completed Leadership Elite.
We threw Brian’s parents a nice 40th wedding anniversary party catered by Truffles. Thanks to all who helped make the event possible, specially Kevin and Kasey for the decorations.
We discovered Cards Against Humanity, my new favorite card game.
Brian learned how to make lumpia.
I attended my first Zumba Instructor Convention and picked up a couple more licenses in the process. I’m now licensed to teach Zumba Toning and also Zumba Kids + Kids Jr.
I delivered my first webinar.
I attended the MEA Customer Relations Roundtable in Minneapolis. While I was in the area, I got to check out Mall of America and the famous spoon bridge.
Brian and I helped with the Labor Run.
I got a new double oven electric range for my birthday, which wasn’t without its challenges. We’ve made pretty good use of the two ovens though so, in the end, it was all worth it.
We got to see some amazing performances such as MOMIX: Botanica and Cutter J the Absurdist.
Brian’s parents officially moved to Oklahoma so we ended up hosting Thanksgiving and Christmas at our house this year.
We had our first ever post-Halloween party.
I had my first trip to Davenport, IA.
I completed the 8-week land instructor training at the YMCA and started teaching Zumba at Andover YMCA.

Man, it’s been a busy year! Here’s hoping that 2014 is just as amazing!

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Duck City Bistro

Posted on December 15, 2013 by Ching under Life.

While in Davenport we had dinner at Duck City Bistro, a restaurant that was recommended by our awesome bartender Laura at the Blackhawk Bowl and Martini Lounge. The restaurant is also conveniently located just across the street from our hotel so that worked out well for us. It was a no-brainer.

When you enter the restaurant, which really doesn’t look like much from the outside, you are greeted by a very enthusiastic chef and a display case full of beautiful food.

Here are some pictures of the food that I took as Chef Jeremy Charles gave us a quick rundown of each one with flair and flamboyance.

I have never met a more animated chef my entire life. This guy would give Chef Jason a run for his money. Naturally, I had to take his photo.

Here’s a picture of the wine list which was stuffed in a plastic mallard.

We had their appetizer sampler which was “perfectly portioned for the table” or so our server told us. The plate consisted of the Thai chicken skewers, East Coast crab cakes, and portabello mushrooms.

Isaac also ordered a side of the pomme frites, which is just a fancy word for French fries. Except these fries were fried in duck fat.

The fries were wonderfully crunchy and fried to perfection but I wasn’t really fond of the duck flavor. Truffle fries will always be my favorite.

This is a picture of the lobster bisque with pieces of lobster floating in it.

Isaac opted for a salad instead of the soup and was the odd man out.

The restaurant has a very masculine feel and great character. I really liked the exposed brick walls and the photos on the walls. If they have mobsters in Iowa, this is probably where they’d eat.

I had the Iowa stuffed smoked pork chop, which was hand-stuffed with ham and swiss cheese and then smoked. It was served on top of smashed potatoes and beside chunky applesauce.

This is Isaac’s entree, but I can’t remember what it is.

This is Faith’s entree. I think it’s the bone-in prime rib chop.

Lance had the Duck City duck breast served Duck City style. And, true to the chef’s promise, they wrote Lance’s name on the plate.

By the way, I wasn’t the only one taking pictures of food that night. Then again, food this fancy deserved to be photographed.

None of us had room for dessert but they gave us chocolate covered strawberries at the end of meal when they brought the bill.

I think this is possibly the fanciest restaurant that I have ever tried. Leave it to Faith to find a super fancy restaurant. I’m actually glad she picked Duck City because I would have never had the chance to try it if it weren’t for her. Everything was good but dinner was really expensive. I’m glad we got full off our appetizers and entrees because we didn’t have any money left for dessert. LOL.

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This Car Hates Me

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Ching under Life.

I drove one of our electric vehicles to Topeka the other day. When I got to about El Dorado, I got a TPS alert. The right passenger tire had low tire pressure.

I know that QT has free air so I called Brian and asked if there were any QTs between where I was and Topeka. No such luck. He did tell me that there’s free air at the Matfield Green service area, though.

I parked the car with the tire that needs air closes to the air compressor. I don’t think I did it right at first because the tire pressure actually went down instead of up. I tried again, making sure that the hose was securely fastened to the valve. It worked that time. Except, now the car wanted air in the other front tire. Yup. That’s my luck.

Although I had to wrestle with the hose to get it to reach the other side of the car, I was able to inflate the other tire without any problems. And, I got to Topeka and back home safely. However, I’ve come to the conclusion that the Chevy Volt hates me.