Metro Richmond Zoo

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Yesterday Kaitlyn, Kourey and Katherine met up with Kaitlyn's best friend from church, her mom and baby brother, and jaunted up to the Metro Richmond Zoo.

As much as I love the zoo, I've never been to this one, as I am a zoo snob. I have high standards because I grew up with the NC Zoo so close - it may not a big name, national level zoo, but I think in many ways it's better than others I've been to.

So a private zoo a block off of Hull Street - behind an elementary school at that - and named Metro Richmond Zoo, well... let's say my expectations were low. But I really enjoyed it! The smallness of the zoo made it feel really accessible for the kids, and I think I enjoyed hand-feeding the giraffes even more than they did (especially since they didn't hand feed the giraffe, they just held out cups for the giraffes to eat out of with their purple, prehensile tongues).

Kaitlyn stayed true to her peculiar predilections by being most entranced by the two sloths that hung alongside of scarily big bats in the nocturnal house. She refers to them as "two monkeys in a tunnel." It took me a while to figure out that's what she meant. She loved all of the primates (and all of them, from gibbon to chimpanzee to spider monkey, were just plain "MOWN-keys!"), in no small part because "monkeys are daddy's favorite."

We'll definitely be going back - anyone want to come with us?

Our Anniversary

In honor of our anniversary, here is the story of how we met:

April 20, 2003 started out like a regular Sunday. The weather was beautiful as spring really started to take hold in Richmond. Keith made the decision to go to a new church, Grove Avenue Baptist Church, where Katherine had been attending for about six months, and beyond that to go to Dennis and Cheryl's Sunday School class/small group (where, coincidently, but quite guessable at this point, Katherine was an active member).

Most of the group went out for lunch after church, and on this particular Sunday they decided to make it a park day. Another member of the class, Bill, knew Keith from the church he had previously attended and convinced him to come.

After sitting around and eating and talking and enjoying being outside on such a lovely day (lunch time conversation topics: Katherine's fear of squirrels and Keith's (clearly incorrect) theory that the maximum pairs of shoes needed by anyone is six), Keith, Bill, Katherine, and another girl from the class were headed towards our parking lot. The conversation was still on shoes; Katherine was defending the need for multiple pairs of black shoes at this point:

"Like this pair," she said, indicating the strappy platform black open-toed sandals gracing her feet, "are the best for kicking off easily when driving so I can put my feet out the window."

"You can't drive with your feet out the window! It's against the law! Right, Keith?" said Bill (the guy who already knew Keith).

"Yeah, you can't do that. It's reckless driving," said Keith.

"Pffft. It's not reckless driving! I only put one foot out the window, I adjust my mirrors, I have complete control of my vehicle," Katherine countered.

"No, no... it's definitely against the law! Right, Keith?"

"Right."

"Whatever," Katherine said, dismissively, "If it's against some law, it's a stupid law. Any law that stupid is OK to break."

"No! No, you can't do that, right, Keith?" Bill said, anxiously.

"Yeah, you can't do that."

"Yeah, what are you, a cop or something?"

This is the part where Keith, without breaking stride, pulls out a wallet and flips open his badge, leaving Katherine to stop, gaping and speechless. This, as everyone realizes, is somewhat of an accomplishment, one Keith jokes he has never managed to replicate.

And that's how we met. And how Katherine found out Keith was a cop.

Keith Raymond Dohl & Katherine Elizabeth Hudgins Dohl
Married April 24, 2004

May we forever continue through life's journey beside each other,
our hearts still filled with love, respect, and admiration, as it was so many years ago.
May our caring for each other grow deeper; may our love for each other grow stronger.
May our home be filled with hope, peace, and love as it has been for
all these years we have shared together.
May we share just as many more.

Chicken Saltimbocca

Possibly as long as I've known of Maggiano's Little Italy's existence one of my favorite dishes has been Chicken Saltimbocca. Heck, it was one of the dishes we served at our wedding! Plus, I like the name. Saltimbocca, translated from Italian, means "jump mouth".

With my new home business (which I can't explicitly say what is; darn rules and darn my ethics for following them! shoot me an email if you are curious) I have even more of an excuse to try some new dishes, and Chicken Saltimbocca was Tuesday's adventure. I looked at a few recipes, took a bit here and a bit there and ended up with this:

Chicken Saltimbocca

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
all-purpose flour (about 1/4 - 1/3 cup)
2 T. butter (NOT margarine)
1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small onion, wedged
1 tsp. dried marjoram or sage (or about 2 teaspoons fresh sage, chopped - I just didn't have any on hand!)
2 large slices prosciutto, cut in half
4 slices provolone or mozzarella
3/4 C. dry white wine

Directions

1. Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness with meat mallet. Season with salt and pepper to taste (fresh ground of both if possible) and dredge in flour spread on a plate.
   Tip: Pounding the chicken flat means it will cook evenly, especially important when pan cooking.


2. Melt 1 T. of butter (save other tablespoon for later) with olive oil in a large stainless steel fry or sauté pan until very hot. Add the chicken and onion wedges and cook about 5-6 minutes (until the undersides are golden brown). Turn chicken and onion wedges and cook an additional 4-6 minutes (until the chicken is firm when pressed in the center).
   Tip 1: You need to use stainless steel to create the "fond", the brown bits stuck to the pan used in making the sauce. You won't get them in non-stick cookware.
   Tip 2: The easiest way to cut up the onion is with an apple wedger/corer. Use as many wedges as you like, save the rest in freezer for another use.


3. Reduce the heat to very low. Sprinkle the chicken with marjoram or sage. Top each piece with a piece of prosciutto and cheese. Cover pan and cook about a minute to a minute and a half (until the cheese melts). Remove chicken to a serving plate and cover loosely (without touching cheese) with foil.


4. Bring pan to high heat until it sizzles. Add the wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes, until reduced to about 1/4 cup, then remove from heat and whisk in the remaining 1 T. butter.
   Tip: deglazing the pan not only creates a great sauce, but makes the pan really easy to clean!


5. Spoon sauce and onions over and around the chicken and serve immediately. Be prepared for accolades.

Kourey Elizabeth Dohl

Kourey Elizabeth Dohl

Born November 5, 2007

12:22 pm

7 lbs 10 oz

20 inches

Mommy & Kaitlyn's Photo Shoot

A new post, but no new news about Broccoli's pending nascency. While you're waiting for more on that front, here are the pictures from Kaitlyn and Mommy's recent photo shoot at JC Penny. Some of Kaitlyn, some of super-pregnant Mommy, and some of the two of us together. Enjoy!

All the world is a playground, and we are all merely players

Over the past few (if nearly six is a few) months, we (and mainly I mean Keith) have been building a playground for Kaitlyn (and future children, like Broccoli).

It took some doing. The backyard sloped, so Keith built a retaining wall, excavated by the flower box, bought a load of topsoil and evened out the whole thing. Then came the building weekend. Along with Pop, Keith built the frame, most of the roof, and the swing arm. It was usable!

We found out the included swings only held up to 150 lbs, which left Keith and me out of the fun, so our next few trips to the hardware store had us stocking up on "reinforced" hangers, an adult swing, and a trapeze bar/rings combo.

Then came the rock climbing wall. My contribution was driving to all of the Home Depots trying to get enough rocks, and then finally ordering them so we would have enough. Keith build the wall, and Kaitlyn is getting pretty good at climbing it herself!

A few weekends ago Pop helped out again, and the set was basically finished by adding monkey bars, a ladder, and a few more roof slats.

Keith did a great great job, and Kaitlyn has been loving it all summer long. Now that the days are getting cooler (and the bugs getting less), she'll be able to enjoy it even more!

Next step? Adding some grass or mulch or something, and then maybe a cute little playhouse. Hey, we're going to have two girls!

Our 2007 Vacation, Part III

So I feel like I've been forgetting something.... oh, yeah, the final chapter in our early summer vacation pictures. Oops. Here you go.

Our 2007 Vacation, Part II

Our 2007 Vacation, Part I - NC and TN mountains

After we left Pigeon Forge we hit a long stretch of I-40 highway to Arkansas. Arkansas? I thought you said you went to Memphis. Well, we did, but our hotel was in West Memphis, just over the Mississippi in Arkansas. There was a Wal*Mart less than a mile from the hotel - we choose to believe that in Arkansas there always is.

We tried to make sure we hit Knoxville before rush hour and Memphis after rush hour. We checked into our hotel right around 6:30pm - so we thought. The room clock said 5:30. Maybe they just hadn't set it forward from Daylight Savings Time, right? Well, at some point it hits us - we are in Central Time Zone. Major "duh!" moment. But the real question was, where was the time line? Was Memphis back in Eastern Time Zone? We asked at the hotel front desk and the clerk looked at us blankly. "Time zone change? That's all the way back by Chattanooga." Well color us silly.

Keith had found a website called Roadside America, which bills itself as a "Guide to Uniquely Odd Tourist Attractions". Through it we found a few more off-the-wall places to visit if we had time, including two in Memphis. The first one we went to was the Crystal Shrine Grotto, a man-made cave built in the early 30s and filled during the 30s with Biblical scene dioramas of various styles. What we didn't realize originally was that the grotto and the surrounding area are located within Memorial Park Cemetery. Not too far away was the Statue of Liberation through Christ, a large-ish replica of the Statue of Liberty clutching a cross instead of a torch. The pictures online are more impressive than the actual thing, but it was just a few mile detour.

That night we also ate a KFC dinner, and stopped by Wal*Mart for a special treat for Kaitlyn to reward her great behavior on the trip so far. She picked (from our narrowed down selections) a Mrs. PotatoHead. "Tater? Tater? Play 'tater now, ok?" she reminded us, all of the way back to the hotel. Throughout the rest of the stay those facial features and limbs were all over the place - even on Kaitlyn herself.

After breakfast at the hotel, we drove back into Memphis for my "must see" - Graceland. The King's house. Room after room of 60s and 70s southern-style opulence. We got the Platinum Tour so that we could see not only the house, but the planes, the cars, and the dozens and dozens of jumpsuits. Doesn't Keith love me so much? While you expect it to be over the top, after the proliferation of shows like MTV's Cribs it really just doesn't seem that crazy. Kaitlyn liked the horses, but was largely unimpressed with the rest of everything, with the possible exception of when we stopped for a cookie break.

We spent the afternoon going downtown by Beale Street (which we decided was probably a much more fun place if you (a) aren't pregnant and (b) aren't toting a 2-1/2-year-old. We did sit for a while in W.C. Handy Park and listen to the blues, and decide to come back the next day to Ride the Ducks, plus we made Keith's favorite stop of the day - Maggie Moo's Ice Cream.

Keith tried to convince me we needed more of that ice cream the next morning before our Ride the Ducks tour, but it just seemed to early. I asked Kaitlyn if she wanted to "ride a duck". She looked a little confused, then a little thoughtful, then nodded and said "yes, ma'am." While she really enjoyed the DUKW trip, I'm pretty sure she thought we were going to jump on some mallards' backs.

We got our Wacky Quackers (Kaitlyn's absolute favorite souvenir from the trip, bar none) and boarded the land/sea craft to go around the town. We saw the Memphis pyramid from all sides, and found out it is actually the third largest pyramid in the world. Keith was about to go nuts trying to figure out what in the world was in it, so we had already looked it up the night before (for the record: nothing. It was built to get a pro-basketball team to come to Memphis, and the Grizzlies did, but then they quickly moved to the new FedEx Arena and the pyramid sits empty).

After a lunch at a Beale St. hamburger joint with some really good sweet tea, we walked down to the river and over to Mud Island (after stopping by the I-40 TN Welcome Center - what?! I'm pregnant and drank 3 sweet teas!). They have a scale model of the Mississippi River you can walk through, all the way down to the "Gulf of Mexico". Kaitlyn enjoyed splashing in the water, but the uneven bottom and scorching concrete banks had us put our shoes back on somewhere around "Memphis" and stroll the rest of the way.

One other note about our time in Memphis - our hotel's AC worked very oddly. It was freezing in our room, even with the thermostat turned up to 90. We had to turn it off and on, as off it was just too stifling. Kaitlyn spent her first night in our bed, snuggling against us with her cold, cold little feet.

Our 2007 Vacation, Part I

There is far too much to share from our vacation to try to get it all into one post, so I'm going to split it up a bit.

The first part of our trip actually started on Saturday with a drive to Raleigh for Aunt Jean's retirement & Kent's graduation party. My Uncle John is an award winning pig chef, so the whole pig and the extra shoulders all got completely eaten, in no small part thanks to Kaitlyn! We drove to Winston-Salem for a night at the Parent's Bed & Breakfast.

The 230 miles from my parent's house to our hotel in Pigeon Forge should take 4 hours and 14 minutes, according to MapQuest, but we decided to take the Blue Ridge Parkway from Asheville, and then up through the Great Smokey Mountain National Forest. Well, it was a pretty drive, but it bumped the drive time up to somewhere in the 8 hour range (well, to be fair, that included stops for picnicking and visiting the Folk Art Center, numerous stops for pictures, and a few little hikes). Still, by the time we got off the Blue Ridge Parkway we were to tired to even turn our heads to look at "another" beautiful vista.

One of the great things about the Parkway was the proliferation of tunnels. Kaitlyn loved them.
"Tunnel!" she would cheer as we entered each one. As soon as we exited back into the sunshine she would cry "Peek-a-boo!"

Our Pigeon Forge hotel was great - we found out that what we thought was a fair price for a junior suite with a King sized bed was a great price for a full suite complete with a fireplace (not that we needed that in the summer!). We had a double balcony from the bedroom and living room overlooking the creek, too, which was nice for playing cards outside after Kaitlyn went to bed.

On our full day in the area we went to a "family fun park" (mini-golf, go karts, etc) that we had seen in our after-dinner walk the day before. Pigeon Forge has a bunch of really neat go kart tracks - we're talking multi-story, really long tracks - and Kaitlyn at 3'1" was just over the minimum height for being a ride-along. She was very interested in what she thought was a roller coaster ("roaster coaster"), and Mommy videoed while Daddy and Kaitlyn went on the "Wild Woody". Daddy rode again on his own, and Mommy and Kaitlyn checked out the kiddie area.

We had gone early to get the price special on rides, so it was still morning when we took a trolley into Gatlinburg. We walked all over the downtown tourist area, stopping for lunch at Wendy's, ice cream (and bathrooms!) at Baskin Robbins, a trip up the Space Needle (which was ridiculously shaky and rusty - the web page is in better condition than the actual space needle, I'll tell you that), plus countless little shops. There were seemingly hundreds of "antique photos" places and the regular tourist staples. It reminded me a lot of Niagara Falls, minus the actual waterfalls.

By the time we made it back to the hotel we were ready to just swim in the pool and order a pizza for dinner. The next morning we started the day by feeding the ducks in the creek. Kaitlyn's last try at feeding bread was to fish in Asheville, and she put every piece she was given in her mouth. This time she laughed and talked to the ducks as she watched them dive and feed on the bread she, Mommy and Daddy threw (mainly that Mommy and Daddy threw, since she had the will but not so muck the skill to throw the bread). We then pulled out for our drive across the state to Memphis.

To be continued!

'Cause Somebody's Getting Married Today!

For Memorial Day weekend we all went up to Pennsylvania for Suzanne's wedding. We headed up on Friday morning so that we would be there in time for the Bachelorette Party (well, Katherine would be - Keith and Kaitlyn went out for some TGIFridays). Where are the pictures of that night? What happens in Bethlehem stays in Bethlehem!

Our hotel was right across the street from Dorney Park, and the two things Kaitlyn liked best about the hotel were the elevator (she pronounced it "O-lee-va-tor!") and watching the roller coasters from our window (in Kaitlynese "roaster coasters!").

Saturday afternoon Kaitlyn charmed the ladies at the Bridesmaid Luncheon held at a charming teahouse that made a deliciously sloppy PBJ for the picky eater. She didn't ask for a special dessert - she liked our cake just fine!

Saturday evening we had the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. As flower girl, Kaitlyn's job was to walk down the aisle holding a basket of (fake) flowers in one hand and the hand of the four-year-old ring bearer, KJ, in the other. KJ's father was a groomsman, and he was Katherine's escort just before they were set to start off. She and KJ had both been prepped, and trotted cutely down the aisle. We all thought we had got one over one someone, and that this was going to go smoothly.

After a brief nap in the car for Kaitlyn, a few wrong turns on the way and the rehearsal dinner, we got back to the hotel in time to call up Amanda G. and Paula McC. who were up for the wedding and got to hang out with them for a while (and got called by our hotel neighbors to keep down the noise. What?).

Then it was THE BIG DAY already, and we prepared for the wedding. It was a hot day, and many many places in Pennsylvania don't have central air: (a) they're old and (b) most of the time they really just don't need it. But this was a hot day, and the church was one of those places. Keith took Kaitlyn for a long stroller walk (and cookie adventure) while Katherine got her hair done, and then it was Kaitlyn's turn. That's right, the stylist did Kaitlyn's wispy short hair. She got that troublesome hair - on the head of a two-and-a-half-year-old, no less! - into a pair of french braids that she wove together at the bottom. Think Greta in The Sound of Music - very cute.

Then came pictures, wedding, pictures, reception, a late-night drive to Nana and Pops with a very notable story in the middle. Remember KJ and Kaitlyn's job? Well, KJ took it so seriously that he felt the need to hold Kaitlyn's hand and lead her around all of the time. Which she didn't mind - until he walked her into a door jam! After that, if KJ got too close she would cry. And KJ really wanted to walk her down the aisle, so the fact that she wouldn't hold his hand made HIM cry! We ended up with Kaitlyn walking down the aisle with me, and KJ walking down the aisle with his daddy. Moravian weddings are long, you know, so Kaitlyn retreated quickly to Keith's pew, where Suzanne had placed a basket full of books, crayons and cookies for her to enjoy. And she did!

It was great not only being there for my dear friend on such a happy day where she married a great guy, but it was great to see old friends and meet new ones (and in some cases meet old friends' husbands and/or children!). Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Steven Miller!!!

PS - yes, Keith was there! He was the one taking the pictures! (except the one of Suz getting ready). Unfortunately, we don't have a picture of the whole family. Trust me when I say he looked very handsome in his suit (which he pointed out he's worn to every wedding we've been to since we met - including our own!).

Family Updates

Well, it's been a while since I've updated, so here' s a quick laundry list of news of the Dohls, with more to come soon.

1. We went to Pennsylvania in May for Steve and Suzanne's wedding! Katherine was a bridesmaid, and Kaitlyn was the cutest flower girl EVER. Keith was the best flower girl wrangler EVER!
2. The three of us went on our first vacation with just our immediate family ever. It was a rambling trip with main stops in Pigeon Forge & Memphis, TN and St. Louis. We went to Graceland, Kaitlyn rode go karts, we went up in the Arch... lots of stuff!
3. Kaitlyn is getting a new bedroom. The guest bedroom is in renovations to be the "Big Girl Bedroom". We're using this border with white wall bottom, chair rail, and moldings and a yellow wall top. I think we're going to get my old bedroom set from my parents garage. Canopy bed with frills - what little girl wouldn't love it?
4. Actually, Kaitlyn's room isn't a "Big Girl Bedroom" - it's a "Big Sister Bedroom". That's right - we're expecting. November 10 is the due date, and we're calling the baby "Broccoli" since we don't know whether baby is a girl or boy.

So that's all for now!

Making the Bed is Fun!

This morning Kaitlyn helped me make the bed before breakfast. This isn't completely out of the ordinary. Lots of days where Daddy is at work in the morning Kaitlyn helps make the bed, whether it's just tucking up the sheets and comforters and evenly distributing the pillows or stripping the bed to the mattress pad and putting on clean sheets.

But today there were two things that added to the fun.

First, we watched Sesame Street while making the bed. Kaitlyn gets to watch the end of Sesame Street after she eats breakfast, but rarely gets to see more than "Elmo's World". Today she got to see it from the very beginning.

Second, Kaitlyn helped rotate the mattress. That's where the real fun came in. We have a pillowtop mattress, so you don't flip it, you just rotate it every so often. With Kaitlyn sitting in the very middle of the bed I pushed and maneuvered the edges until it had made a 180 degree rotation. Kaitlyn giggled and laughed through the whole process, and then "helped" layer the bed with fresh linens.

Happy (belated) St. Patrick's Day!

May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Happy (Belated) St. Patrick's Day!

On Saturday Kaitlyn and I both decked out in a bit of green. Keith escaped pinches by (1) threatening retrobution and (2) claiming he was wearing green underwear. I hear kids don't get to pinch for St. Patrick's Day anymore, anyway.

Sunday we got to have corned beef and cabbage - minus the cabbage. It was the first time I had fixed this childhood favorite meal, and the first time Keith (and Auntie Kris) had had it at all. It was actually much easier to cook than I thought!

When I was growing up we had this meal every St. Patrick's Day weekend, as well as many other times during the year. We loved it! Mom would make cornbread in a cast iron skillet, and my dad would slice the top on and layer in thin ribbons of real butter, then wrap the round cake in a towel and put on a plate. It would be cut in wedges and was so good and moist that we would eat it with a fork. Mom cooked potatoes, carrots, and cabbage in the broth while the corned beef and cornbread cooked in the oven (you crockpot the corned beef overnight in a broth of water, bay leaf, and minced onion and carrot, then you put on the glaze and cook it in the oven). I'm so glad that Keith like it, so that we can have it again!

Manis for Mommy & Me

The other night Kaitlyn came to me with a bottle of red-tinted nail polish. She wanted me to use it. On her.

Kaitlyn has not had her nails polished since she was about 5 months old. And then it was just her toes. And I basically never have nails (darn that biting!), let alone the desire to polish them, so I'm not sure what made her ask.

First, we found a more appropriate shade - both for fingers, and beyond that the fingers of a 2-year-old. We (I) settled on a light champagne color. She sat patiently while I painted a thin coat on each of her little fingernails, and then during the second coat. She managed to not smudge them while they were drying. She said they were "Pribby" (pretty).

She asked me to do my nails, too ("Mommy dosome pribby fingers too"), and I actually have fingernails right now so I went for it. Kaitlyn examined both of our hands and declared it good.

We told Daddy on the phone, and the next morning at breakfast he checked out Kaitlyn's little fingers. "Well, what color are they normally?" he questioned. Apparently the color was too subtle for someone so manly to discern :-)

Next up - mommy & me pedicures?

Lunch on the Porch

What beautiful weather we're having!

When I came home for lunch today, we decided to eat on the deck, and give our patio furniture the first workout of the season. The air was already smoky and delicious-smelling from the grill where Keith made our grilled chicken, and after loading up Kaitlyn's plate, my salad and Keith's mashed potatoes, we sat down to dine al fresco.

Kaitlyn loved that she was sitting in a "rocking chair" (our patio chairs rock slightly). She loved that it was a big chair. She loved that we were outside and she could see her cool car. She loved pointing to her feet and waving her hands beneath the frosted glass top. She actually managed to even eat in the midst of all the excitement!

We overlooked the developing play area - we are almost ready for our truckload of dirt to level off the terrace and we need to go ahead and order the slide and other "fun hardware" for the playground. Days like today were made for playing outside, and it will be that much more fun when the playarea has more than busted roots and dirt piles!

We hope you are having great weather - and really enjoying it!

Valentine's at the Dohl's

As a loving family, we can't overlook Valentine's Day. We can decline to buy into the increasing idea that it is a gift giving occasion, but I'll take the opportunity to go out to dinner, and if flowers are involve, well, so much the better.

This year Valentine's Day involved all of the above. February 13th Keith and Kaitlyn gave me their cards and a beautiful vase of tulips. I had made a card for Keith with a crocheted heart on the front. Auntie Kris came over to sit while Keith and I trekked to Maggiano's for dinner (family style for two! thanks to the Ares Family for the heads up!).

Valentine's Day Proper Keith had a full day of court and patrol, but we found a time to get our Valentine's pictures for the grandparents. Kaitlyn finished coloring the cards that evening, after giving Auntie her Valentine flowers and cards and after going out for pizza!