Last week I was invited to bring some guests and enjoy the new show and upgraded feast that begins at the Dallas Castle on Friday, November 18. Can you believe the story hasn’t changed since 2007? Me either. It was always magical, but it’s fun to see the subtle changes and old favorites. It was like I was 16 all over again!

Once you enter over the drawbridge, you are transported back to the 11th Century. We encountered a princess, a jester, and a falconer. Everyone is in character, and tries their best to interact with each guest.

We got dressed in regal wear for a photo prior to dinner which was fun to do. We liked the picture so much that Krista paid the $32 to get us a copy. Yes that’s a little steep, but it came in a very nice hard cover keepsake book. And look! It has the date we attended as well as the castle location.

Afterward we mingled in a large hall in front of a bar and souvenir shops before being invited by the king to enter the arena. We were seated in the front row of the red knight’s section. Did I mention we got hooked up with Royalty Upgrades? We also happened to be right next to the knight’s wife and young daughter. We were tipped off when she kept calling him daddy. Surely he was going to win. They wouldn’t let him get slayed in front of his little girl, right?!

I also love the food they serve during the show. Yummy chicken, ribs, potatoes, soup, bread and apple strudel– most of which has a clever name like dragon toes, for example. We were so stuffed afterward. The meal alone is worth the price of admission.

We cheered for our knight as he competed and fought, waved our flags, and watched the beautiful horses. Unfortunately in the end our knight didn’t win, but he did get to give his daughter a sash that said Queen of Love and Beauty. AND our friend Helen received one of the carnations he tossed to his adoring fans.

We had so much fun, and I know you would too. I can’t wait to go back, and we actually are going again this week just the two of us. I can taste the chicken now.

Did you know Medieval Times is open on holidays? We went a few years ago on Christmas to avoid having to cook. You can also go on Thanksgiving. Just think… no dirty dishes, no slaving over the stove or playing hostess and cleaning up after guests. I like letting someone else do all of the work! Guests can purchase tickets at the door, online at www.medievaltimes.com, or by calling 1-888-WE-JOUST. They often have specials where adults can get in for kid’s prices or other promotions, so be sure to ask when booking. Right now you can get a free Royalty Upgrade when you purchase full price tickets.

Disclosure: I received complementary admission and Royalty Upgrades from Medieval Times for myself and three guests, but was not monetarily compensated for writing this post. The opinions expressed are my own, as always.

Have you ever had food that you could say that about? It really was that good. I wouldn’t lie.

Since then I have been to craft Dallas a few times and it is always some of the best food ever. Last month I went with Krista and Helen for Restaurant Week and had braised pork. It was pretty much the best pork I have ever had in my life. Chef Tom didn’t personally cook it, but still everything was exceptional.

I know that Chef Tom occasionally comes to Dallas and cooks at the restaurant, so I obsessively check to make sure I know when he is going to be here. Luckily Krista got the e-mail from the W Hotel before I heard about it and made us a reservation. This time? He not only cooked our dinner, but we got to meet him too!

He was as nice as could be (yes, that’s his hand on my back), especially considering we are big foodie nerds and wanted photos. What good is a blog post saying you got to meet Chef Tom without photographic evidence? Y’all never would have believed me. He was awesome. Dinner was awesome. I cannot wait to go back again. Soon. It is expensive, but soooo worth it.

I love the W Hotel, too. It is so pretty and fancy. We always get a cocktail in the bar and hang out in the lobby. There’s also a cute little shopping area right near the entrance where Krista and I had our picture taken.

When we got there the doors to the restaurant were locked. We had an earlier reservation because we had to change times due another friend not being able to go. While in the lobby we thought we had spotted Tom, but it turned to just be someone who looked a little like him. Later Kris looked in the window and spotted him at the hostess stand before the doors opened. We were excited to know that he was really there and would be cooking for us!

One of the things I love about craft is that they serve family style, so you get to try a little of everything that your table orders if you choose to share. I had braised beef short ribs (above) and we also had roasted brussel sprouts cooked with applewood bacon and Yukon gold puree potatoes. We both agreed they were some of the best potatoes ever and could eat a whole bowl by ourselves. We started off the meal with a frisee and truffle salad and an amuse bouche of fennel and bacon soup (not pictured). Both were yummy too.

Kris had friend peanut butter and jelly for desert with a banana gelato and homemade peanut butter. It was pretty darn good, I have to say. I went out on a limb and was adventurous with the Mango Semifreddo with tapioca pearls and sweet tea reduction with micro basil. It was interesting, but definitely not the most delicious desert I have ever had. I should have gone for something chocolate, but there’s always next time.

Giddy from meeting Chef Tom we headed toward the ladies room in the lobby. I was following Kris, and walked in behind her. All of a sudden I heard her say, turn around! I looked up to see an older man reveling himself in the urinal, and we turned to leave. I died laughing as we made our way to the correct door. It was most definitely an eventful ending to a wonderful and fun evening and a delicious meal.

Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.

I have always loved that quote by Anne Frank. After spending two entire days sitting in front of Walmart with my best friend fundraising for breast cancer, it is even more ingrained in my head and heart.

I am amazed by the generosity of strangers. Amazed. I realize that not everyone is willing or would want to give money to two sweaty and sunburned women sitting at a folding table decorated in pink and plastic ducks. Even though we wore matching shirts, we didn’t exactly look official. I am inspired by the willingness of others to put trust in us. I don’t think I will ever stop appreciating the collective good that is out there in the world. I am so thankful that my participation in these events has given that gift to me.

We meet and talk to a lot of people. Women who were just diagnosed. Daughters who are missing their mothers, grandmothers, and aunts. Sons who aren’t afraid to wear a pink bracelet proudly. Husbands who have lost their wives. Nikki says those are the hardest ones for her. The men? They silently drop money into the bucket and give us a thumbs up or simply say “thank-you for doing this,” and continue on their way. Some will add a, “I lost my wife __ years ago.” We see a lot of pain.

In 2008 when we were packing up our garage sale for the day, an older man pulled up and parked along the curb. He walked over to us and told us about losing his wife. He said he didn’t have any cash and that he was going through a hard time, but that he wanted to do something to thank us for what we were doing. He ran back to his car and came back with a package of Pepperidge Farm cookies in a pink bag. He said he had just gone grocery shopping, and that he tries to buy products like that to support the cause and remember her. He insisted that we take them. I am pretty sure I will never forget that. This disease destroys so many lives.

Today a woman and her daughter approached the table. The mother told us that her daughter wanted to donate a few dollars of her own money. She talked to us for a few minutes about some friends and family members of hers who have gone through breast cancer, and asked us about why we were doing it. Then she looked at her daughter, and she said that someday she would be taking our places at the table. Nikki quickly told her that no, there would be no need for that because there will be a cure by then. She told the woman about her own daughter, and that making sure she doesn’t have to go through it is such a big part of why she is doing it too. The woman said she had not thought about it in that way, and said that she was right. I am so proud to be her friend.

Oh, and in my book? The People of Walmart are A-Okay.

I mentioned that it has been many years since I had used their product, so I was definitely curious what this new formula could do. The people at Wisk decided to send me a protein-stained swatch, dropping pipette, plastic beaker, goggles, lab coat, bottle of Wisk® Laundry Detergent and instructions to perform a little experiment. All I had to do was supply the scientist(s). Below is a video of what happened:

I discovered several things at the conclusion of making this video. 1) I hate the sound of my voice. 2) I love the smell of detergent. 3) Wisk really did a good job of cleaning the stains. It was also a lot of fun enlisting the help of Taylor and Zach, as well as getting to try the product firsthand. I even let Taylor take the white lab coat outside and rub it in the grass. She brought it back in and we cleaned the stain she made with Wisk. So far I’m pretty impressed, but we are definitely looking forward to the next challenge!

Are you interested in trying out Wisk with Stain Spectrum ™Technology? You can find a $1 off coupon on their website. It usually retails for $5.99 for 50 fl oz. bottles that clean 32 loads. I’d love to hear what you discovered based on your own at-home experiments.

Disclosure: This is the second in a series of sponsored posts I will be writing as part of a campaign on behalf of Wisk and One2One Network. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

Today was the 2010 North Texas Race for the Cure. I had an amazing time with my team, Breast Friends Forever. This is the third year I have participated in this affiliate’s event. Last year I also spent a few weeks volunteering at Race Headquarters. Two really awesome things happened this year in conjunction with the Race.

The first? Hanes offered to outfit my team with customized t-shirts! They are the official t-shirt of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure series this year, which means every single participant received a tagless Hanes shirt. Pretty cool! Of course, my team had their own special shirt with our team name. Here are some of us sporting our shirts in front of the Survivor tent this morning. Nikki & I also wore them to fundraise earlier in the week.

It was humid and muggy today, but somewhat overcast and there were periods where we caught a nice breeze. I went with Cathy, David and Ana into the Survivor’s Tent (we are celebrating Ana’s 10th year, and Cathy’s 3rd) and we had breakfast while the rest of the team enjoyed the vendor booths and waited for us. Then we headed out to the starting line for the Race. After we crossed the finish line, we waited to see Cathy and Ana participate in the Survivor’s presentation. That is always really emotional because it really hits home why we do these walks every year. There was a 50-year Survivor in the front row, and I couldn’t help but wish that was the reality for everyone. Hopefully we are getting closer to a cure and this will not be something future generationa have to worry about or fear.

I took a ton of pictures today. If you know me and are on my Facebook page you can view the album. Also, on Twitter you can search the hashtag #KomenHanes for some of my TwitPics I live-tweeted from the event. I will share more highlights and additional photos on my breast cancer blog later this weekend. I hope everyone had a fun Saturday.

Disclosure: This is not a paid post. Hanes® offered to outfit our team in customized Hanes tees and donated socks to further promote breast cancer awareness, however no monetary exchange took place. Massage Envy wrote $1000 check to Susan G. Komen on my team’s behalf, however I was not monetarily compensated nor was I asked to promote the details of the sponsorship.

I had been a casual watcher of the show when it was on HBO, but of course I knew all about Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda. Who doesn’t? I had borrowed a lot of the DVDs from another friend to get myself up to speed before going to the first one which I loved. I have to admit I was a little worried about a second go-around. Would there be the same magic formula of fun, friendship, and fashion? And what the heck is up with Abu Dhabi? The idea of that plot line alone had me shaking in my Manola Blahniks. The desert? Are they really riding camels in THAT? I digress.

Thanks to the One2One Network, I had also been driving around the days prior to the movie’s release listening to the Sex and the City 2 Soundtrack. I wish I could say that the Soundtrack made me feel better about how the actual movie would be, but Liza Minnelli, Cyndi Lauper, Alicia Keys, Dido, Jennifer Hudson, and a Men’s choir? I won’t even mention the cast sing-along of I Am Woman.

That’s quite a lot of diversity, and honestly a lot of the choices didn’t make sense to me. My first impression was that the R&B feel at the beginning didn’t really match the way the show had been, and there were also a lot of tracks that had a Middle Eastern feel. I get it because I knew they went to the desert, but who wants to listen to that on a Soundtrack? I did love the Ricki-Lee single Can’t Touch It that is on the movie’s trailer. It’s fun and upbeat, and I had already associated it with the movie. I also really liked the Dido song, and you can’t go wrong with True Colors by Lauper. Did I mention there are three tracks from a Men’s choir?!?!

I’m happy to say that after seeing the movie, the Soundtrack made complete sense. You’ll understand the Liza tracks and the ones by the Men’s choir. But honestly? Those moments were in less than 5 minutes of the movie and had almost nothing to do with the plot. Still, like the movie, there are still some fun moments and it is a good CD to listen to in the car.

We decided that even though the movie’s plot was a little lot recycled from the first time around, it was still fun to catch up with our four favorite friends and check out the fashion, even if it was completely inappropriate for the desert.

Want to win a copy of the Soundtrack and check it out for yourself? Leave a comment letting me know which SATC character is your favorite and why. If you can’t wait or don’t win, you can still purchase it from Amazon.

U.S and Canada only, please. The winner will be selected randomly from all valid entries on or around June 15. You must leave a comment letting me know your answer to the question above. Please also use your real first name and leave a valid way for me to contact you should you be selected as the winner. You will have 48 hours to respond before I select an alternate winner.

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. I did receive a complementary copy of the soundtrack to review from One2One Network and they are also providing a copy to one of my readers. This did not influence my opinion about the movie or the soundtrack.

American Airlines Center

Join Bon Jovi’s text updates and he’ll call your phone.

Most of the t-shirts were $50. No lie. I passed.

Jon.

Jon and Richie

Helen and Laurie

It was a fun show. I was sad they didn’t do Blaze of Glory. You have no idea how much I loved Young Guns 2 back in the day. A lot. I used to be able to quote every single word. That’s how many times I’ve seen it. And I knew every single word to every single song on that tape. Yes, I said tape. Most of my Bon Jovi collection was on cassette. I wish I knew where they were… not that I even own a tape player anymore.

You are not a god! Why don’t you pull the trigger and find out?

Thanks to Helen for inviting me and Special K who gave me her ticket.

I grabbed some canned food to donate, and Little E (plus Special K and Dave) and we were off to the Bedford Movie Tavern. Krista and I stood in line to have our picture taken in (and with) Bella’s truck from the Twilight movie. Yes, the actual truck. My understanding is that Sterling Biegart, a local 17-year old talked her parents into purchasing the truck for her on Ebay. It was one of two used in the movie. It was her idea to use the truck to raise money for charity. She told us that her mom actually wanted her to use it to make money for college, but backed up her decision to donate all the money instead. She told me she didn’t feel right taking people’s money. They were both there last night with the truck, and could not have been more sweet. Her mom actually took this picture of us:

For $5 each, we were able to take as many photos as we wanted in and around the truck. It was kind of neat just to be able to say we did it, and more importantly helped raise a ton of money for charity which is always good. Here are a few more photos of the front and back of the truck:

Here’s what Audra and Amanda (the event’s organizers) sent out this morning:

With your help, we raised over $3000 for the TAFB and collected almost 700 pounds of food! That will help feed 12,000 people in the DFW area this Thanksgiving, and we couldn’t be happier.

Me and Krista in the theater with Little E

Would you like to win your very own Mattel Collectable Pink Label Edward or Bella doll? One winner will get to select the doll of their choice. Here’s how:

1) Comment and tell me your favorite character from the Twilight Saga and why for one entry (required). 2) Make a donation to the TAFB (and e-mail me your receipt) for ten extra entries (leave 10 comments). 3) Follow me @laurie_pooh on Twitter and send the following message for one extra entry: I entered to win a Mattel Twilight Barbie Edward/Bella from @laurie_pooh: http://tinyurl.com/twilightbarbies 4) Follow my blog using the Google Connect in my sidebar to the right for one extra entry. 5) Subscribe to my blog in a reader for one extra entry.

U.S. and Canada only, please. The winner will be selected randomly from all valid entries on or around December 12. You must leave a comment letting me know your answer to the question above, as well as additional comments letting me know what else you have done to earn extra entries. Please also use your real first name and leave a valid way for me to contact you should you be selected as the winner. You will have 48 hours to respond to my e-mail before another winner is selected. Good Luck!

Nikki and Craig,

On behalf of your friends and family, thank you for allowing us to be a part of your special day. I haven’t known you as long as your other girls, Nikki, but I feel like we have been friends forever. It is not often that you meet someone as loyal, caring, funny and intelligent as you are. You are the friend that I know I can depend on in a crisis, even if that crisis is a chipped nail, shopping emergency, or standing in line to meet Lauren Conrad. Craig is such a lucky guy.

I feel blessed to have watched your relationship with Craig grow. I see the love that he has for you, Taylor, and Zach and how even more special and amazing your family has become because of him. I also appreciate that he allows me to steal you away for girl time, and his willingness to join us on 13 mile walks just because. Although he vowed that will not ever happen again, I have the feeling he would if you asked. You are such a lucky girl.

Of course relationships are made up of more than luck. Thomas Jefferson said, “I’m a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”

Here is to Nikki and Craig, a couple who have made the hard work of love look incredibly easy. Congratulations on your wedding day. May you have a long and beautiful life together.

Thanks to Jodie, Mandy & Missy for all of their help. Next up will be the bachelorette party in a few weeks, and then Saturday, November 14 is the big day! Next week we will both have our final dress fittings. Say a prayer for me! I can’t believe it is getting so close.