Veggie Love

Howdy Y'all!  

I hope the holidays and traveling have been safe and happy for you.   

Thanksgiving in the South is a wonderful opportunity to take in your favorite butter, sugar, corn syrup, mayo dishes... OH opps!  I mean squash casserole, green bean 'salad', pecan pie, stuffing, and the like.  All are deliciously wonderful and will have you in a happy food coma in no time at all.  College football does provide some stimulation for keeping everyone pumped up, especially when UT defeats rival A&M.*  

Perhaps my body was sending me SOS signals for a post-Thanksgiving feasting cleanse when it started craving healthy veggies again.  Miraculously, this past week I've had a food creative spirit for creating healthy, veggie friendly dishes.  My sister and several good friends are vegetarian (and some vegan).  While the idea has crossed my mind quite a few times, I prefer the term 'Veggie Lover' over the restrictive feel that Vegetarian gives me.  Loving sounds a lot better to me :D   

Black Bean soup with guac and tomatoes on toasted wheat bread

Whole wheat Couscous with carrot, cucumber, tomato, and some cilantro, salt, peper, and lime juice to taste

Veggie burger (cooked frozen patty) with guac, carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes on toasted wheat bread

You can probably see common ingredients in these dishes, aka, what I got at the grocery store this week! :D  The amazing thing is, my bill was under 25 bucks and I've made A LOT of food with all of this.    Everything is veggie and vegan friendly.  It's a fun experiment to try!   Everything  is super easy to make; it almost takes more time to wash the dishes than make the food!  Feel free to let me know if you want any tips on how to make this stuff!

*Shoutout to all my Georgia Tech buddies....  :(((( Sad loss against UGA.  CPJ better be planning for next year's attack on them Dogs!!!

Rain Event and Squeaky Clean

I just had to document this proof!

I am well aware this is my second post devoted solely to rain.  That’s how big of a deal this is. Austin, Texas finally gets more than a Sprinkle Storm.  Today we are getting treated to the good stuff.

To show you just how big of a deal this rain event is, let me share a story about my car.  My car, a green Ford Explorer, is very, very lucky to get to live in a carport now that he’s moved to Texas.  Even at my parent’s house, he had to stay outside in the driveway, exposed to all sorts of sun, heat, rain, hail, thunder, night and day.   Now that he and I are on our own, his standard of living has risen quite substantially. 

However, he has been in dire need of a good washing.  Especially, the back bumper and window that stick out from the carport’s cover and is exposed to the nearby tree’s sap drippings.  Mix in wind and dust and dirt, and this guy is hurting for a ‘WASH ME’. 

After going outside for a run this morning, I can tell it has the potential for rain.  Like any good mamma, my thoughts are always on how best to care for my chillins.  So, I grab keys when I get back to my apartment and move my car to the side street.  Conditioned now to the typical Texas ‘Sprinkle storm’, where rain is a few drops that barely get the ground wet, I even make sure not to park under or near any trees: this could limit the exposure to those precious rain drops. 

A few hours later and we have a real soaker on our hands.  We even get the lightening and thunder that usually come with thunderstorms.  It gets me pretty excited.  Even having to get wet going to class is exciting.  I check up on the Explorer when I get back and I’m one happy mamma:  he's squeaky clean and is lookin’ mighty fine J So clean you can see your reflection in the window now!!...  

Squeaky Clean

Book Review: "Happier Than A Billionaire"

Happier Than a Billionaire

By Nadine Hays Pisani

Pages: 227
Price:  I paid $9.35 on Amazon.com (but it has recently gone up to $12.99)
Publisher:  This book was published on July 3, 2011 by Nadine using an online publishing tool, Createspace.

Nadine shares with readers the challenges and rewards of moving life from the States to the Central American country of Costa Rica.  Above all, Happier Than a Billionaire is absolutely hilarious.  Be warned: if you don't like the attention you'll get when bursting out laughing in public places, don't read this book in public places.  Because, within the first two sentences, you'll be in fits of laughter and transported to a whole different world.

Originally both chiropractors in the US, Nadine and her husband Rob radically changed their lifestyle four years ago.  Both were fed up with their jobs, miserable and unhappy, and tired of their life.  So, they sold their practice, their house in the States, and moved to Costa Rica (after much discussion and research, of course).  They buy a house on a mountain, enjoy a carefree lifestyle of a 'zero-hour work week', and go on adventures while trying to integrate into the Costa Rican lifestyle.  Nadine's style of writing has you right there beside them as they bounce down the pitted dirt road on a moped or run down a mountain after seeing a group of bulls while 'house-hunting'.

Educational
According to Amazon.com, books often bought with Happier Than a Billionaire include travel guides and other books associated with the lifestyle of Costa Rica.  Nadine's book shares with readers the reality of this lifestyle change.  Including everything from dealing with realtors to purchase a house, buying cars, using Spanish translators, and getting residency, Nadine's account is honest, informative, and of course, 100% hilarious.  Once in Costa Rica, Nadine and her husband take advantage of the sights around them.  They travel to neighboring countries (usually to renew their visas every 90 days) and share stories of crazy adventures about navigating the roads, visiting beautiful beaches, and experiencing the natural wonders the Central American countries have to offer.    While the general picture will be painted in your mind as you read about these adventures, it would be a good idea to have a travel book by your side if actually planning out a trip to Central America to solidify names of cities, resorts, roads, parks, etc.

Heather's Opinion

This book is a fantastic resource to get readers familiar with both international travel and international living in a low-stress and enjoyable way.  Reading this book is worth many, many laughs and is a welcome break from typical every-day life in the US.  It is eye-opening to the possibility of living internationally and inspiring to read about Nadine and Rob's journey of pursuing what they truly want out of life.  

Throughout the book, Nadine experiences the transformation that living a low-stress lifestyle has on her.   Quotes from Happier Than a Billionaire:

Last night was difficult.  There were times during the drive that I wanted to turn around but I never imagined it would be this beautiful.  And just like that, as my sister would say about childbirth, all the pain faded away.  My life doesn't feel like a long dark tunnel anymore.  Perhaps it's because I'm falling in love with a place I haven't been in for longer than twenty-four hours.                                                                                                                                  --Page 34

The longer I live here the more I am changing.  I'm opening up to people and finding something in me I thought was lost years ago.  I'm enjoying myself and allowing walls to come down that I built up while working in my office.  I'm learning it is still possible to have the life you always dreamed of and there are still people out there who are waiting (and willing) to be your friend.                                                                                                            --Page 209 

Migas. Simple Style

Since being in Austin, I've had the pleasure of trying migas.  My first encounter was ordering them at Kerby Lane Cafe, and I've been hooked ever since.  In addition to being tex-mex, Spanish style migas can be quite different.  All the versions I've encountered in Austin have been the tex-mex style and generally consist of scrambled eggs, tortilla chips mixed in, cheese, tomatos, and onions.  Having a huge craving and a lot of eggs that needed to be eaten, I came up with my own version.

Migas: Simple Style

Grind some fresh pepper and salt into skillet along with a dab of olive oil.  Heat and scramble two eggs (that have been beaten and a little bit of milk added).   Put some grated cheddar cheese and some broken up tortilla chips (I used whole grain Tostitos) in a bowl.  When the eggs are down cooking, immediately add them to the bowl and stir with the cheese and chips.  Add some pico de gallo for a fresh taste.  Enjoy!! 

If you want to get a little more fancy, this recipe from Texascooking.com looks great.

Inside Southwest Airlines: With CEO Gary Kelly

The McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas hosts a monthly VIP Distinguished Speaker Series.  These events aim to give all UT students access to the leaders of business across many industries. 

On October 27th, the CEO of Southwest Airlines Gary Kelly shared insights into his leadership experiences at Southwest.  The one hour long event was held in a packed house at UT's AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center ballroom.  To those familiar with the GT Hotel and Conference Center, this venue is very similar to the Grand Ballroom that often hosts banquets and seminars.  Several hundred students from a wide range of disciplines at UT took advantage of hearing the local airline favorite CEO and UT Distinguished Alumnus.  The McCombs Business School Dean Thomas Gilligan lead the first 30 minutes of interviewing and then the floor was opened to students to ask questions to Mr. Kelly. 

Southwest Airlines is the largest airline carrier in the US based on the number of domestic passengers.  The company carries about 25% of the countries' air travelers.  Everyone that has experienced Southwest has not only been treated to their signature low-cost flights but to a friendly and personable flight crew.  And while the results of Mr. Kelly's leadership are apparent, Thursday night's event was a great way to get an insider's perspective on his leadership style.    

Gary Kelly seems like a pretty down-to-earth dude.  He went to college at UT, majored in Business, and became a CPA.  His Southwest career started when working at the Dallas, Texas based airline company as a 'Controller', which is a role in the financial/business side of things.  He has worked his way up the ranks over the last 20 years.  He was CFO, Vice President, and now he's CEO.  He's been named one of the best CEOs by Institutional Investor Magazine in both '08 and '09.  So, what did it take?  What makes him special?  What makes him qualified, with a Bachelor's in Finance from UT, to run the largest airline company in the US?  Turns out, it boils down to a few key ideals: humbleness to the dependency on those around him, persistance and hard work, passion, and caring for his 'family'.  

Obviously, Mr. Kelly has a lot of people working for him.  He says it is a humbling experience realizing how dependent you are on others.  Like many successful leaders, throughout his career he has been the beneficiary of support and mentoring.  He says that we are not alone, and not independent, when it comes to leading businesses.  He forever seeks input from his executive officers when dealing with what he calls the most challenging issues in business: people.  He has mastered nothing, he says, but is more an orchestrator of talent. 

Hard work and passion are two traits the airline leader deems critical to his success.  He was quick to bring up the underlying factor in any role he has had throughout his career was that he simply worked his butt off.  And, he says, the best advice he has been given is to never give up.  Who hasn't heard that before, right?  But pairing this advice with the belief that if you're really passionate about something, you'll be good at it, he says, will take you a long way.  In a roundabout way, it almost seems like he claims he doesn't focus on making money.  But that, making a profit is the by-product of being passionate about serving his customers.  A CEO not focused on making money is a hard idea to grasp, but, his take-home message to students is very clear:  Work hard on something you're passionate about and good things will happen.

Garry Kelly enjoys having a large family and is the father to almost 35,000 people (...2 of them are biological).  Seriously.  The man has his family values down pat.  It's his goal to treat everyone, including his employees, like customers.   He feels it's his duty to take care of his employees and is extremely proud of the fact that Southwest has had NO layoffs or pay-cuts in the last 40 years.  This quote from Garry Kelly sharing news about the birth of his first grandchild sums up the Southwest attitude:

"As I have shared the many joys in our Employees' lives over my 24 years at Southwest, it is a treat to share mine with them, too.  It just reminds me, again … that is what families do—share with each other.  And at Southwest, truly, we are Family."

 -Southwest Blog

In May of this year, Southwest acquired AirTran Airways.  To welcome the recently-acquired AirTran crew, what did Southwest do?  Throw a bar-b-que, of course.  Good 'ole southerner hospitality at it's finest.  And, in fact, according to Southwest's website, their stock exchange symbol, LUV, part represents their home at Dallas Love Field and part represents the theme of their Employee - Customer relationship.   

It was encouraging and refreshing to hear that the ideals many try to live their lives by can be the pillars of a successful company.  Oftentimes business success can come at a price in cut-throat competition and difficult ethical decisions.  Southwest is a prime example that a little bit of hard work and a little bit of 'luv' really can get you to the top of the game.