The Best Thing I Ever Ate

I LOVE Food.

Some people might call me a food snob. I don't see myself as one simply because as much as I love truffled goose liver with gold shavings (made-up item), I equally love Doritos (not a made up item). I understand there is a difference between the two, but I can't help but enjoy the junk. That being said, the best meals always consist of a little effort being put forth. In this case the effort wasn't mine, but that of PRIME in Las Vegas.

Prime is a swanky steakhouse. While in Vegas for my fabulous birthday celebration (more on that later) one of the nights the crew decided to eat at PRIME. One of the other birthday girls had eaten there before and claimed it was fabulous. She did not disappoint.

Prime is located in the Bellagio hotel overlooking the dancing waters. Ya'll... we sat on the patio, overlooking the water (and occasionally getting a misting from the dancing waters).

This is right before our meal standing in front of the signage. Yes, those ARE tiaras. 

This is the view from the table. Yep, that's the Eiffel Tower in the background, along with dancing waters. 

This isn't the best picture of the three of us, but it's the birthday girls! 

So I wish I had taken pictures of our food, but I didn't cause I was too anxious to get it in my mouth (twss). 

Three other girls and myself split a bottle of wine, 3 (different) steaks, 3 appetizers, and 4 sides. We call it musical plating. I LOVE when I can share food cause I love trying as many things as possible. 

Our menu was: 

1 Bottle of blended red wine (Sarah ordered it so I cant even give specifics)

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

Market Tomatoes, Burrata Cheese, Mussini Balsamic & Basil Salad

Roasted Baby Beets, Yogurt, Crispy Shallots & Fresh Herbs Salad - SO GOOD

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Quince & Bacon - YES YES YES!

Ginger Sweet Potatoes

Chickpea Fries

Gratin Dauphinois with Comté Cheese

Bone in Rib-Eye - THE WINNER OF THE NIGHT (IMO)

Bone in Filet

Regular Filet

I suppose what all this is getting at, is that if you are in Vegas, you NEED to eat here, otherwise the terrorists win.

Love,

Tina Marie

Habeus Papem!

Habeus Papem! Viva il Papa! 

Sounds like spells from Harry Potter? It's not, it's Latin. We have a new Pope! I know almost all my readers know that I am Catholic, and the church has every reason to celebrate right now. For those living under a rock, our previous Pope, Benedict stepped down last month, citing old age and inability to meet the demands necessary to lead the church. Catholics everywhere were stunned. It was completely unexpected. I felt very unsure. I did a lot of praying that this was the right move for the church. It's no secret that the Catholic Church is riddled with scandal. Between sex scandal cover ups, Vatileaks, and the infighting in the curia, it is a tough time to be Catholic. 

In the two weeks leading up to the conclave I did a lot of reading on the papabili (the contenders for pope). Technically it could have been any of the 115 cardinals in the conclave, but there always emerge a few "front runners". As I read the biographies one stood out in particular: Jorge Mario Bergoglio. I knew he was a definite long shot, but I thought it's what we needed. He is a Jesuit. I have a special place in my heart for the Jesuit order, as I went to a Jesuit College. I know from first hand experience how AWESOME the Jesuits are. Unlike Diocesan priests they don't focus on the every day running of a Church. Instead they live in communities together, and the Jesuits are famously known for their efforts in education and ministry to the poor. The Jesuits at Loyola would have happy hour with the students every Friday at a local bar. Why? Because they go where the people are. They are humble, easy to talk to, and accepting of all kinds. 

I was at work when the white smoke first billowed out from the Cistene Chapel. I shed a few tears at my desk, and along with the rest of the Catholic world I was in shock when the Pope was announced: Jorge Mario Bergoglio, taking the name Francis I. St Francis is known for his life of poverty and ministry to the poor. I really should have had money on my pick in Vegas, I would have cleaned up. 

As elated as I was, and still am it's still not an easy time to be a Catholic. This is where living in New Orleans was awesome, EVERYONE is Catholic. You never have to explain yourself. Among my (very educated) friends I often feel like I'm defending my decision to belong to a peasant religion. I know they don't mean to offend, but it's really hard to be constantly questioned and (feel) attacked. Sometimes I feel like people hold me personally responsible for every wrong doing of the church. It doesn't stop with people I know either, I see it on TV, and in the news, every where people constantly questioning Catholics (sometimes warranted, sometimes not). I don't write this because I want to be some sort of victim. I choose to be a part of this religion, with all it's flaws, because I so intrinsically believe in the dogma that has nothing to do with the curia, or Vatileaks, or sex scandals; it has to do with faith at its core. 

I really have every faith that God was in the room, helping the cardinals at the conclave make their decision. I think Pope Francis is exactly what this church needs, and I look forward to growing in my faith with him as our leader. 

Everything is Bigger in Texas: Another 30 B4 30 Goal!

Number 13: Go to a game at Cowboys Stadium.

While I was on my life sabbatical and living in Texas for a few months I realized I could totally cross this one off my list. You know the saying that everything is bigger in Texas? Jerry Jones took that one to heart.

I went with my entire family. We went to a preseason game, so the weather was beautiful. Cowboys Stadium and The Ballpark in Arlington (where the Texas Rangers play) share parking lots. A baseball game just happened to be playing the same night so we parked in the Rangers parking lots cause they were cheaper. The walk was maybe half a mile to the stadium.

This thing is huge. (TWSS)

This is right outside the front doors. More TVs.

Fireworks and the infamous screens.

"Smaller" side screens.

The standing room is kind of amazing. Walking around the stadium you almost don't need seats as there are so many awesome places to stand (and set your drink down) while you cheer. We had seats but only stayed in them for about half the game.

All in all I would DEFINITELY go back and watch another game, but I don't know that I would want to watch a regular season game there. There is so much to be distracted by (look! shiny object!) that I think I would lose track of what's happening on the field. I think I'll stick to Clarendon Grill for my regular season football watching.

Love,

Tina Marie

Go Home Panda. You're drunk.

I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving. I totally know I did.

My day started off with meeting my good friend Jena for lunch at Honey Pig.
What is Honey Pig? I am glad you asked. It is the most amazing Korean BBQ place in Annandale, VA.
It's sort of like Hibachi, in that your food is cooked right in front of you/ at your table. It differs from Hibachi because you don't get a show. You order your meat and they waitress comes to toss it on the wok. She will occasionally pass by to stir or cut the meat, but really, it is all on you. Jena and I always order the thinly sliced spicy pork belly. AKA the Korean equivalent to bacon. Lots of spicy, spicy bacon. We totally demolished it.

Also to be noted, this place is open 24 hours. 

After Honey Pig we wanted/needed to walk off all the food, so we headed to the National Zoo. The Zoo is part of the Smithsonian, so it's free! (Parking, however, is not!) It was too cold for most of the animals, so we went through a lot of "houses" (The Reptile House, The Bird House, etc). It was a fun way to spend the afternoon. The National Zoo is more sprawling than I thought it would be, which was interesting considering I had run my first 5K that very morning before lunch! By the end of the day I was pooped! 

All in all I had a great time, and this is by far the best picture of a panda I have ever seen:

"Go home panda! You're drunk." -Jena

Love,

Tina Marie

I did it!

1. I am taking a page out of Annie's book, and pretending like I never took a months long hiatus from blogging. I am diving back in.

2. I FINALLY did my 5k!

What it all comes down to is that after I moved to Virginia I was ridiculously lax about my running schedule. I am working at night, and have been using that as an excuse not to exercise. About a month ago a bunch of my friends signed up for The Turkey Trot in Arlington. I waited too long to sign up (they sold out) but ran it anyways sans number. My unofficial (stop watch) time is 41 minutes. It's nothing to brag about time wise, but considering I just decided to run 3 miles after taking weeks and weeks off, I was pretty proud of myself.

These are the fabulous ladies I ran the race with. We all broke apart once the race started, but we all hung out together at the finish line!

I am so lucky and thankful to have such awesome friends. I am also really happy that I finally crossed this off my 30B430 list!

Finally, because she has always been an inspiration to me, this one is for Theodora!

A race isn't officially over until you take a picture holding a banana! 

Love,

Tina Marie

Running Like the Wind

Okay, so maybe I'm not exactly running like the wind, but I AM running. Even though I let one of my 30b430 goals get away from me doesn't mean I will let all of the slide away. I keep trying to schedule a time to accomplish number six:

Run a 5k, no walking allowed.

I'm so close to this goal. I started the Couch to 5K program 6 weeks ago. It's an eight week program, and by the end of it I'm supposed to be able to run a 5K. I have to say... It is working! It's a great training program, it really built me up from nothing. When I started I couldn't even run 30 seconds without needing to stop and walk. I'm now up to 10 minute runs! I know it might not sound like a lot, but for me it is a HUGE accomplishment. Also, I don't just run 10 minutes, I just get a break and get to walk after 10 minutes. Usually the break is about 3 minutes long, and then I run for another 10 minutes. I really think that I'll be able to accomplish my goal in just a few more weeks. The biggest problem is going to be finding a 5K to run in. I had plans to run in a 5K in NOLA, but now I'm not sure that will happen, as I am moving. The goal is to find a 5K in East Texas. They are plentiful in Dallas, which is a good hour drive from my parent's house. I may have to suck it up and drive it. We will see. In the meantime I'm just really excited to reach my goal. I even think I want to continue with the running and train for a 10K next!


Love,
Tina Marie

Kids, You Tried and You Failed. The Lesson is: Never Try.

I love that Simpson's quote. Seriously.

I know about a million days have passed since I last blogged. I totally failed at my 30b430 goal of blogging twice a week. Cest' la vie.
Not that it's a reason, but my main excuse is that my laptop was stolen. Yep, sucks. I still haven't replaced it either. Thank God for the Loyola Library and my student ID still working.
So much has happened since my last entry. The biggest announcement is...

I'M MOVING BACK TO VIRGINIA!

Crazy, I know. Trust me I didn't arrive at this decision lightly. I really wanted things to work out in New Orleans. I was excited to settle down, and start a new life here, but alas, things don't always turn out as you plan. People are asking why I'm moving bacj, there are a few reasons, these two are the biggest:

1. I was disillusioned. My memories of New Orleans are all from college. I of course knew that things would be different, but all I could think about were the festivals, parades, warm weather, tubing and all the other things that made me love this city so much. In reality all of those things are just as amazing as I remembered, but what I didn't remember was the crime, the dirtiness, the inability to walk from my car to my front door without looking over my shoulder, the lack of education, the commuting. Some of these may seem trivial, but after living in one of the nicest zip codes in America for the past six years, it was really hard to come back to this. I consider myself a pretty tough person. I grew up without a lot of money, and I'm no stranger to the struggles of the middle class, but living in New Orleans is beyond that. The bad neighborhoods are everywhere, crime is everywhere. You see people littering on a daily basis. You see people just not caring about their environment. It's all really hard to witness. The Texan in me is viciously proud, so when I see people not taking care of my neighborhood it makes me angry. When I see kids wandering the streets in the middle of the day, instead of at school, it makes me angry. When I have to drive everyplace I go, because I'm too scared to walk alone at night, it makes me angry. All of this really shattered the rainbows and puppies illusion of New Orleans that I had built up.

2. Friends. The other reason I'm moving back to Virginia is because I miss my family there. Not my biological family, but the friends I made into family. New Orleans people are some of the greatest people on earth, but as an "outsider" it's hard to make friends here. Everyone who lives here is from here, and they have all had the same friends for life. I'm not exaggerating in the slightest. When people here ask where you went to school, they don't mean college, they mean high school. High school pride is huge here, it's how everyone is connected. As someone from Texas, by way of Virginia, it seemed impossible to meet people my own age. I'm sure it can be done, but I was just not having any luck. I had a few sorority friends here, and I want to give them all the credit in the world, they are the reason I made it 7 months. Alas, I am a social butterfly, and I just needed more interaction. I know that I can get that in DC.

So, I tried New Orleans, and I failed New Orleans. It's not like I'll never be back. I still love the city and her people. I just know now that Virginia is my home.

Love, Tina Marie

PS- It would be wrong not to mention the social media campaign for my return to Virginia.
A fake twitter was made: https://twitter.com/FakeVATina
Hats/ Logos were made: http://www.cafepress.com/cp/customize/product2.aspx?from=CustomDesigner&number=666634944
A Petition was sent out: http://www.change.org/petitions/tina-cordova-move-back-to-virginia
And a facebook page was made: https://www.facebook.com/TinaCordovaMoveBackToVirginia

Thanks ya'll, you really make a girl feel loved.