A Thought About Graduations

Last weekend Troy and I traveled to San Antonio for his nephew, Rashaad's, graduation. The entire Miller family went to Benihana's beforehand and filled our bellies for the long night. We had a little trouble splitting the ticket at Benihana's and ended up rushing into the stadium just as the graduates were walking in to Pomp and Circumstance.

It has been awhile since I've been to a high school graduation. And, mine was really small and quick. So, I really hadn't anticipated the dynamics of a large high school graduation. Of course, the kids are totally excited and nostalgic. It's so cool seeing that side of it and celebrating the great opportunities these kids are walking into. On the other hand, for family and friends, you sit and listen for several hours for just a couple seconds of fulfillment - when they call your graduate's name. You squint, for that small minute, trying to see him/her waaaaay in the distance, accepting their diploma, their admittance into adulthood and independence. And then it's over. You have to sit through tons of other small moments for kids you don't know and can't even get a visual on their face. Ahh, what an awesome American experience! :D

Sushi Sunday and A Trip to the Zoo

Troy and I enjoyed some sushi over Memorial Day weekend, so I feel like I should comment on it. I was recovering from a stomach episode (suprise, suprise), so I was taking it easy and keeping to veggie rolls. We went to Pirahna Killer Sushi in Arlington http://www.piranhakillersushi.com/. They are awesome because they have so many signature rolls, like the Marry Me Roll (shrimp tempura & ginger cream topped with avocado, tuna & strawberry) and the Sexy Roll (coconut shrimp tempura, ginger cream & cilantro topped with avocado, crawfish & mango ). These are what I would have gotten if my stomach wasn't so darn sensitive. A friend and her husband got a boat full of sushi, which looked delicious and very filling, if you go in starving :) Troy got a couple rolls that he really liked, so . . .. . on the Troypril Sushi Scale we give Pirahna Killer Sushi an 8.

On Memorial Day, Troy and I ventured to the Dallas Zoo. Holy gobs of kids! It was crazy with children! We should have expected this, but I was quickly overwhelmed by the whining and screaming and pushing. Little buggers. I wanted to run a parenting class on discipline right there in the reptile house!


Other than the massive amounts of children and the extreme heat (Troy dislikes heat as much as I dislike cold), the zoo was fun! I have heard some negative things about the Dallas Zoo, especially in comparison with the Fort Worth Zoo, but we really enjoyed it. Now, my dad is the real zoo connoisseur. I remember as I child that we would visit the local zoo on every vacation. Dad favored the zoo in Omaha, NE, if I remember correctly. But, without my dad's opinion, I would have to say that the Dallas Zoo wasn't half bad. They could really use some lions, bears, and zebras. They are adding some additional Africa exhibits, so hopefully they'll get some lions at least. At any rate, don't avoid the Dallas Zoo just because it isn't quite as good as it's neighbor-zoo!

Partini Party

We had a few friends over this weekend for game night and a small birthday celebration for ME! It was Doughboy's debut with house guests, and actually, our's too, so we wanted to keep it small (for those of you who are wondering why you weren't invited :D). We would've loved to have a big blow-out, but since we are new to entertaining as a couple and Doughboy is new to houseguests, we just had to keep it down to a few brave souls. Doughboy only had a couple barking spells and then retired to his room. I was really impressed! Us human types had homemade ice cream that Troy and I made in the ice cream maker we got for our wedding and cake "balls" that I made (I guess cake balls are the new popular thing - I read about it in Dallas Morning News). We played Partini (another wedding gift), a game with challenges like charades, word games, ball-bouncing games, name-that-tune, etc. I think everyone had a lot of laughs and learned a lot about each other (like how much Troy likes to be the D.J. and I like to hum incoherently!)

Troy surprised me with the most AWESOME birthday gift ever. . . season tickets to Dallas Summer Musicals! Some of the shows are Happy Days, A Chorus Line, Legally Blond, Mamma Mia, Mary Poppins, and Wizard of Oz! Can you imagine a better gift for me? It just goes to show how wonderful marriage is! To spend a lifetime with someone who knows me that well and would go out of their way to make my wishes come true - it's divine.

Oh, but here's the highlight of last week . . . Somehow our marriage license was "lost." The church promises they mailed it, but the county office never received it! We had to run downtown and get a new license and have our minister sign and back-date it. We like to say we got "remarried." :D

Sushi Saturday!

Last Saturday, Troy and I started "Sushi Saturday," our newest DFW culinary adventure. Before we got married we scanned Dallas for the best margarita ("Margarita Saturday"). I'm not quite sure we're done with Margarita Saturday, but we were a little burned out on Tex-Mex, so we're now in search of the best sushi rolls in Dallas! As a disclaimer, we are certainly not sushi experts! We just enjoy sushi rolls now and then! Our reviews may be vastly different from the "experts."

We actually started prior to our wedding at Hibashi http://www.hibashi.com/ near the Galleria. I had the Tahiti Roll, which was super delicious. It had pineapple inside and sweet potato shreds on top (and other yummy stuff too inside and out!). Troy had the 3 piece sushi appetizer to start with a fish entree (it's been too long to remember exactly what it was :D). Overall, when looking at the selection of sushi rolls, they were creative, visually stimulating, and yummy (that's how I judge my sushi rolls :D) On a scale from 1 to 10, we give Hibashi a 7. I liked it more than Troy did, probably because of the Tahiti Roll.

At the official kick-off of Sushi Saturday last week, we went to Tei Tei Robata Bar http://www.teiteirobata.com/ in the Knox-Henderson area. Tei Tei has the typical ambiance of uptown Dallas; modern, cool, a bit pretentious. The bar has a DJ on Saturday nights, so we hung out and got a martini before our table was ready. We ordered several plates of sushi and rolls, but the sushi menu was pretty basic - spicy tuna, soft shelled crab, etc. The quality of the fish is top-grade, though (Troy has the insider info. on that :D). We give Tei Tei a 7 out of 10. Troy liked it more than I did - apparently he has a more sophisticated palate.


This weekend we'll be taking a break from Sushi Saturday for a celebration dinner for a friend who passed his architecture tests (yippie Michael!). And, we'll be celebrating Resurrection Day! I'm so excited for our first family Easter - Troy, me, and Doughboy!