How I became the Queso Queen

 I will take a break from the wedding updates and include a tid-bit of random info about yours truly...

Last year, on this very day, I entered my first competitive eating event. I went in to this not knowing what to expect. It was Cinco de Mayo and Mattito's had been advertising a Bob Armstrong Dip (queso with taco meat, guac, sour cream, pico) eating contest - well, I LOVE ALL THINGS CHEESE - it's a very unhealthy habit, but, an oh-so-tasty one.  Prior to the contest I was thinking oh, they'll probably just bring out a few little bowls and the person to finish the most in a minute wins, no biggie. I was able to chat with the owner about an hour or so before the contest. They were only allowing 5 contestants and you had to eat the dip from a chip - that was pretty much the only info he'd share...after chatting a bit more, and turning up the charm a little, he also shared with me that the ingredients would not be mixed together. Hmmm, that got my 'smart' side of the brain thinking - what weighs the most? So, I came up with the strategy of eating the cheese first, then the sour cream, then the guac and last the meat. I also hit up my always reliable friend Google for a little tip session on eating contests. Welp, I had missed out on the majority of the tips like eating 5 heads of lettuce the day of and doing other random things to "stretch your stomach" - but, there was one that caught my eye. It said that if you wiggle while eating then it would help the food go down faster, in turn allowing you to eat more. What the heck, I'll try that one.

So, contest time rolled around and they had all of the contestants lined up at a table overflowing with chips - me and 4 boys...there was one "healthy" boy that had been talking smack to me for the past 30 minutes, I lined up next to him - I felt like I might have the upper hand, knowing he had been pounding water the whole time - rookie mistake, duh ;)

Once we got all lined up there was a grand entrance of servers with the BUCKETS of queso...10 POUNDS to be exact. GULP...umm, what am I doing??

They announced the rules and in an instant the timer started. I had my cheerleaders, which I swear there is no way I would have even made it through the first minute if it hadn't been for them. The announcer did a continious countdown - which every minute/second marker was amplified in my head. Finally, 30 SECONDS I heard the lady call out. Scoop, Scoop, Scoop...that is all I could think to myself. TIIIIIIMMMMMMMMMEEEEEEE!!

Oh wow - I really just did that. Cheese dripping from my face, down my chin, off my hands - Classy Teresa, classy.

As they weighed each of the buckets I kept trying to eyeball to see if I could tell how I did against my competition...hmmm, mine looks like it has the biggest dent in it?? No way. As they started to announce the winners I could feel not only the excitement building, but also the gallons of queso that I had just inhaled - you would be disqualified if you "lost it" so I fought it back.

5th place - not me; 4th place - not me; 3rd place - not me...UMM, I am going to be so upset if I get 2nd place - not me. Hold the phone - 1st place, TERESA!!!!! You seriously would have thought that I had just won the lottery or Miss America! I was jumping up and down and pridefully held the trophy over my head, again, keepin' it classy. As the excitement died down I could feel those 2.8 pounds of queso coming up. Ma'am can we interview you for the 10 o'clock news, ma'am can we get some info from you, ma'am, ma'am. It was like I blacked out...on queso? I made a mad dash to the restroom where I sat for a good, umm, yeah, HOUR!

Once I resurfaced the madness had died down, but I still couldn't focus. Was I Cheese Wasted? The next morning I woke up for a 9am Strategy Meeting ---> HUNGOVER. Keep in mind I had one margarita at about 6pm and a beer about 10pm, no way I was hungover. I literally struggled all day long, I really was suffering from a CHEESE HANGOVER. 

Needless to say, I will not be participating in this year's event. The owner called me a few weeks back to let me know that they were saving me a spot for the contest - I politely declined. He then asked if I would host the event...I gave it some serious thought, but decided it would be too much driving and I just couldn't make it work. Today is a little sad for me, as I am missing such a monumental event and I won't get to see who will take my title. 

For your viewing & reading pleasure...

The Event

Today's News Story

Flattering Pics & Story

Dallas Observer Stories - the writer was in the contest last year and is participating this year

Those of you celebrating Cinco de Mayo eat some queso for me...or better yet see how much you can guzzle down in 5 minutes.

Happiest Ever After: Venue Menu - I'll have...

So, I might have told a little fib in my last post...the whole easy as pie thing, yeah not so much. I am a people pleaser by nature, and confrontation is something that I try to avoid at all costs. Sometimes I tend to build a situation up in my head and then play it out - worst case scenario. It's double trouble because Kyle does the same exact thing.

As we were trying to come up with a strategy for getting all four sets of parents out to see MRR without hurting anyone's feelings we came up with every scenario possible. It was an ongoing conversation between the two of us for a good two or three weeks...exxxhhaauussttting!

Finally, one day while wrapping my day up at work I just sent out an email to everyone - basically saying - here are the details, see ya there! And, ding ding ding - everyone was in...just like that! So, in the end it was as easy as pie - just the angst and anxiety that we brought upon ourselves made it a little more difficult than need be.

Okay - now on to the good stuff!!

This is the entrance as you pull up to Moon River - warning to those of you who will be driving out to the ranch...iT iS a BuMpY RiDe!! I will have shuttle service set up for those staying at either of the hotels where we have rooms blocked (click the Wedding Info Tab for more Lodging Information)

The Chapel - the ceremony will take place in front of the chapel. Teresa's grandfather (Poppie) was a preacher and this is almost a perfect replicate of the church he served in when she was a little girl. Such a sweet reminder of her Poppie.

The Reception Barn = PARTY TIME!!!!

The Main Lodge - This is where the Wedding Party & Parents will be staying for the weekend

Overlooking the pool from the Main Lodge - Rehearsal Dinner Location

View of the Main Lodge

Cabins - these were still under construction. Wedding guests will have the option of staying here.

The TeePee & Fire Pit - Reserved for Kyle Barnes & Brandon Barnes

Yay! We made it and we are all here together...Such an amazing day! Now the countdown really begins!

Happiest Ever After: Venue Menu - what'll it be?

I can't believe that I've rambled on and on about so many wedding details and hadn't even mentioned the place where all of the excitement will take place and how it came about...

Kyle and I both knew that we wanted an outdoor wedding and something not too fancy, definitely had to have an element of fun - and, on the water would be the icing on the cake! We searched out a few options, some in Dallas, Houston, the Hill Country - it was tough because we had family and friends spread out all over and it was important to us that we pick the location with them in mind. Finally, after a couple of weeks of constantly thinking about it and talking it over with anyone and everyone a light when off in my head! My stepdad had found a place for Jayson, my stepbrother, to look at for his wedding. OMG, this is perfect!  I couldn't believe that I had forgotten about this jewel...and I knew that Jay would be excited that he was the one who found the venue.

I called Kyle immediately and told him to hop on the computer. I directed him to the site and it was an instant love connection. The location was central for everyone. It was rustically charming or charmingly rustic, depending on your point of view. It would allow us to not just share a few hours with our closest friends and family, but an entire weekend. We could have an outdoor ceremony and the reception in the old barn. And, an added bonus, it sat on the Brazos River...which is where I learned to wakeboard! So many important elements all in one place.

We quickly shared the news with our family. Everyone loved the place! We were so excited. This was the first step in the planning process, we were on the road to planning OUR wedding!

My mom and I had the opportunity to go visit the location early on, but it was important to Kyle and I that all of our parents had the chance to see it before the real planning got underway. Well, when you are dealing with four sets of parents this can get pretty tricky. Do we plan 2 weekends and split up the parents? Do we just plan it and not tell the other that the other is going to be there? How in the world were we going to make this work?

The more I thought about it, the more I stressed over the whole planning process. So many moms to keep in mind, so many opinions to filter through, so many words to stumble upon and possibly take the wrong way...all I could think was OMG, my sensitivity is surely to get the best of me! 

I am very blessed to have a mom who is also my best friend. It hasn't always been that way, but it is so nice to be able to talk to her, transparently, about issues such as this. I explained my situation and my thoughts. I tend to be a bit of a people pleaser, and I wanted to make sure that my anxiety and stress was legit and not just me being a sensy sally. My mom reassured me that it would all work out. She went on to say that she was perfectly fine and thought it would be best for all of the parents to make the trip together. Awesome, that meant that both of my parental units would be on board! Next up, Kyle's trio of parents.

Since I was fairly new to his family I wasn't quite sure how to approach it. I talked to him about it and he said that I should just send an email to everyone and see what happened. Well, voila, easy as pie! (don't really get that saying because pie isn't all that easy) All three of his parents were on board!

Woo Hoo! Mission Accomplished...or was it?

Happiest Ever After: Dress Stress

Where to start? Where to start?

My mom and I had been looking through magazine after magazine and it was very obvious that our styles were not exactly the same. I guess every mom envisions their sweet angel (yep, that's what she calls me) in the poofy, marshmallow, blingtastic dress. And, my mom, unfortunately, is no different. I will say that my mom has pretty good taste in style and I understand that she is in the bling phase, so I tried to keep that in mind while searching for THE dress.

We had been to a few places, shed some tears and laughed a whole lot...but, I still wasn't convinced that we had found IT. I felt like when I found IT the heavens would sing, my mom would ball and I'd say THIS IS MY DRESS!! Not an ounce of doubt would cross my mind...hadn't gotten there yet, but I knew we had to be close, as I had tried on what felt like a bazillion dresses at quite a few different places.

I was headed to Dallas for a shower and my mom offered to ride with me. So, she called her bestie and we all made a day trip to Dallas. I rode to the shower with my bestie and MOH, Jayme. So, after the shower we met up with my mom and Paula at Mockingbird Bridal. They were closing in 30 minutes, so I had no intention of trying dresses on, but I knew that my mom had been shopping for herself and I was excited to see what she had found. Well, I walked in and was greeted by a super sweet consultant that informed me that my mom had found THE ONE for her. Sure enough, she had! It was breathtaking on her, she glowed in it!

Much to my surprise, not really, they had pulled several dresses for me. So, I agreed to try a few on. I finally knew what it meant to feel like a Magazine Bride - I felt so stuffy in every single dress I tried on! After the 7th or 8th NO! I shared my feelings with the consultant. She took all of the "stuffy" dresses out of the room, left one or two that my mom and Paula had pulled and brought a few new ones in that she had pulled.

I tried the first one on that she had pulled and I'm pretty sure the angels in heaven started warming up their voices...this one felt a bit closer to being right. Next one, zipper zipped, clips clipped - turn and see myself - HUGE SMILE! This was it!! I had found it!

I walk out of the room to strut my stuff for the ladies, grinnin' like a possum, as they say it in Marquez. "I LOVE IT!" I proudly announce. SILENCE, not a word from anyone. Finally, Jayme speaks up...I don't like it. Paula chimes in, "Yeah, not so much." I look to my mom, feeling completely defeated..."I love it! It is so you!" Emotion overload at this point. Confusion takes over, so I quietly retreat back to the dressing room.

The sweet consultant says, "this is YOUR dress." Was she telling me this because she wanted the commission or because she really felt this way. She continued on as to why she felt like this was my dress, pretty convincing sales pitch or not, she made me feel better.

I tried on a few more, but I still have that tugging at my heart as I look at the ONE hanging on the hook. I put it back on without telling my panel what I am doing. Go back out to show them...and THE HEAVENS STARTED SINGING!! They all said, "YES, that is YOUR dress!!" Those emotions that I had imagined came over me, maybe not as intense as I'd imagined, but they were there.

Dress shopping was definitely an emotional roller-coaster, but definitely worth it! What a very special moment to share with such special people, especially my mom, as we both found our dresses on the same day in the same store. Oh, and did I mention my mom was the one that had picked out MY DRESS!!

Happiest Ever After: Bridal Show Bliss or Miss?

Bridal Show! Oh, Bridal Show! How I wish I didn't go...

Actually, every bride should be required to go, don't expect anything but organized chaos! But, I must say that in the midst of the pushing and the shoving and the obvious once-overs from the posh-ilicious vendors, it did make me feel much better about myself and my character. Although, it did take me back to those moments of going through rush and the overwhelming rush of anxiety knowing that every move I made, item of clothing I was wearing was being judged in a very harsh light. But, that, too made me a better person, I guess.

I had the honor of having my entourage accompany me to my first, and probably last, Bridal Show. It was me, my mom, my mom's best friend, Kyle's mom, and my best friend, Jayme.

We thought that we were prepared for this event. Jayme had made labels with all of my information on them. We had read bridal show tips, knew what vendors we did/didn't need to chat with, we even came up with a system to make sure that I got registered in all of the BIG prize drawings.

Welp, enter first vendor booth. Drawing Sheet. Place sticker on sheet...oh sheeet! We didn't include an email address on the labels! How would I be notified when I won the FREE bridal gown or even better the Honeymoon of our DREAMS?!?! So, we quickly devised a plan to solve this little issue. Failure turned success in .2 seconds!

I won't bore you with the details of the extremely long, but memorable day. I'll just hit some of the highs & lows...

• Mimosas! along with a full bar
• Cake Samples - the lines were way too long, but they looked tasty
• Free Ring Cleanings - avoid the sales pitch
• Great Vendor Offers! We booked our DJ and they threw in a few extras at a great price AND we got to meet our DJ on the spot! 
• Give Aways Galore - or just probably just a ploy to get your email address, nonetheless still fun! 
• Take your camera! Great inspiration and ideas all around!
• Just take it all in...this was my first true "I'm Engaged" memory

Happiest Ever After: Planning for a Plan

Although, I was not the little girl that would sit and day dream hour-upon-hour about my prince charming and walking down the aisle in my big, stark-white, poofy, picture-perfect dress; I did have the thought a few times "OMG - the minute I get engaged I will be able to plan my wedding...no problem!"

You see, I am a planner by nature. By that I mean I have a plan and an itinerary for EVERYTHING...I even make a plan to make a plan to later make an itinerary and if you're lucky there will be a spreadsheet attached. So, when Kyle and I started talking about marriage you can only imagine the excitement that my OCD brain experienced - I knew the colors, the feel, the venue, even the added little touches. Then he popped the question...(a story that I love to tell over and over, so feel free to ask at any point or just read my previous post.)

But, it was like once he popped the question I lost my ability to plan. I mean I had the basics figured out, we had at least decided on a date, but I lacked any direction. I had no idea where to start, where to look, how to even map out a plan for a plan. Had I lost my planning mojo? 

So, with that being said the wedding planning is er, umm, underway?!? Stay tuned for continued coverage of our planning adventures...I'll do my best to keep it interesting.

Happiest Ever After: Chapter 1

Some may describe our story as a whirlwind romance, but those who know us describe it as a fairytale in the making. This is our story and this is our forever...

Teresa and Kyle met through a mutual friend back in the summer of 2009, August 8th to be exact. They hit it off instantly and most say that sparks flew, but apparently the 2 were so blinded by those sparks they missed the instant attraction that they had for one another. Although a romantic relationship did not form instantly, the 2 did build a great foundation for a friendship over that weekend.

As their friendship grew they found themselves turning to the other for advice and comfort, to share the ups and downs of their days, or just simply to say hi and check in on each other.

Through wakeboard trips, and other random gatherings of friends, Teresa and Kyle always seemed drawn to each other, in a fun-loving, similar personality way.

As the summer of 2010 rolled around lake trips started being planned weekend after weekend, so the group got together quite a bit. Looking back it is funny to hear the stories and the little things that each remembers about the other...”you didn’t pay attention to me and it hurt my feelings” to “you never called me back and that was so rude” and even on the serious side “you were one of my biggest supporters during one of the most difficult times in my life.” It was quite obvious that the pair had a love for one another and valued the friendship that had developed over the past year.

As summer 2010 was coming to an end the group was gearing up for the Labor Day trip to Broken Bow, OK. Comments and speculations started flying, “What if KSmith tells you he likes you”, “You and T are the perfect pair”...even Teresa's mom said the week of the trip, “Why don't you and Kyle just date?!?” It did seem as if the timing was finally right, but neither one of them wanted to admit the true amount of thought that they had given the possibility of dating.

The realization was pretty instant for both of them the minute that they saw one other as everyone was arriving at the cabin. Teresa describes it as an awkward, nervousness...”almost like I was 13 all over again.” On this trip Kyle took the initiative and opened up completely and wholeheartedly. He was very clear with his intentions and they both knew that they were looking into the eyes of their forever.

The engagement story is just as precious. As Teresa was packing up to move from Dallas to be closer to Houston Kyle went up to help her get organized. This weekend was the first one since they had started dating that they didn't have a prior commitment, so they also decided that this would be they would go on their "first date." Kyle had made plans with some buddies for Saturday, while Teresa was working on packing up her apartment. He called Teresa while running around with his buddies and said that his parents knew how stressed she was with the apartment being so unorganized, so they got them a hotel room for Saturday night. They decided that since the apartment was such a mess that it made more sense to just get ready for dinner at the hotel, so Teresa got her stuff together for the night.

Once they got checked in and on the elevator Kyle, in his usual playful manner, pushed every single button – annoying Teresa is one of his favorite hobbies. They finally got to the 10th floor, and Kyle realized that he forgot something...so down they went. Once they finally got back up to the 10th floor and to the door Kyle kind of fidgeted with the door, Teresa thought nothing because this wasn't out of the norm for Kyle. As he opened the door, Teresa saw rose petals sprinkled all over the floor – as she rounded the corner she saw spelled out in rose petals “Marry Me?” - she turned to Kyle and saw him down on one knee, as he once again shared his heart with her. As she turned around to take it all in there was Kyle's cousin who had been taking pictures of the entire event, and in the corner of the room they had a video camera set up, as well. This was a moment that neither would want to forget, and because of Kyle's perfect planning they won't.

It doesn't end here, they went on their “first date” to an amazing dinner at 560. Oddly enough Teresa's phone died before she could even update Facebook, so Kyle suggested that they go back to the hotel after dinner to charge it and then they could possibly go meet up with some friends. So, after dinner they headed back to the hotel, as they entered the lobby of the hotel Teresa was surprised by family and friends - all there to share in this special moment with the couple! The night was a dream come true for the both of them. As Teresa says, “They had found their HAPPIEST ever after.”