Little Brother's Senior Ball

My brother, Brad and his adorable girlfriend, Maddy, went to her Senior Ball this past weekend. They looked like models! I wasn't there to witness photoshoot, but thanks to Melissa, I was still able to oooh and ahhh over each shot. I loved her dress and the flower in her hair!

My sweet brothers :)

House Hunting

Some people have babies on the brain. Or weddings. Or shoes. Or the next chore on the list. All that is on my mind lately are houses! I seem to be drawn to the old charmers...I mean OLD. Like built in 1900-1924 old. I know, I know....outdated plumbing, wiring, etc... but there is just something about a house with personality, right? This is the one I can't keep out of my head....

Isn't she sweet?

Barnwood Beauties

For Mother's Day, I arranged a photo collage on one of my Mom's entryway walls. One of my favorite finds were the barnwood frames I found online. They added a lot of texture and fit well with our family beach photos - not to mention they were very cheap (each was under $10!)

Pretty Enameled Bottles

I wonder how hard this would be?

Find instructions here. Then let me know how it goes.

:) just kidding. I'm adding it to my do to list and will keep you posted. 

Photo: Women's Day

chocolate cake...

with a few {or maybe an entire box} of candles.

Perfect for Mom's birthday celebration earlier this week. Isn't she cute?!

Dinner, tissue paper flowers, streamers, balloons and close family...

I took on the responsibility of making dinner and about an hour before everyone was about to arrive, I was crossing my fingers everything turned out - since there were hardly any left overs, I think it was a hit!

Summer Corn Soup

with Cremè Fraîche and Crostini

In my mind, I imagined using sweet corn straight from the cob, but since we aren't quite into corn season, I used the frozen variety for now.

1 bag frozen corn

1 can creamed corn

3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 quarter sized drizzle of olive oil

1/4 c. carrots, chopped

2 small shallots, chopped

2 teaspoons garlic, chopped

1 cup milk or cream

generous salt and pepper

Combine frozen corn, creamed corn and stock in a Crock Pot on LOW (I'm sure you can use a pot on the stove, but Mom has all these fun things I haven't had the honor of owning quite yet!).

Heat oil. Add shallots and stir gently until translucent. Add carrots and garlic for a minute or two. At this point, I pureéd the shallot, carrot and garlic mixture with about a cup of the corn mixture. It made it a bit thicker and creamier, although I don't think it's necessary. From there, I added a bit of cream to make it silky (it was a party after all!).

Finished with a dallop of Cremè Fraîche and drizzle of basil infused olive oil. To make Crostini, you can use any kind of baguette, thinly sliced, brushed with olive oil and lightly toasted. I served mine in stemless martini glasses....because I felt like it!

Mixed Greens with Roasted Apple Balsamic Vinaigrette

with Pears, Candied Pecans & Crumbled Goat Cheese

Okay, so I lied.

I didn't use "mixed greens", but it sounded romantic, didn't it? I used what I had, which was a head of Romaine, and it worked well too.

Roasted Apple Balsamic Vinaigrette

This recipe was adapted from a salad I loved very much from The Plantation House - I never officially learned how to make the dressing, but this is how I imagined it to be and was happy with the result.

1 medium apple, any variety, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

1/2 c. balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

salt & pepper

1/2 c. olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake apples until soft all the way through and slightly golden brown. Set aside.

In a blender (or food processor) blend vinegar, honey, mustard, salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle the olive oil in blender (I drizzled about a quarter of the amount at a time and blended really well in between each addition). Add baked apples. Blend until smooth. Toss with greens, top with pears (or apples), goat cheese (or blue) and candied pecans.

I'll be back soon with recipe for Roasted Artichoke, Garlic & Ricotta Ravioli and Portabella, Prosciutto & Parmesan Ravioli in a light cream sauce with fried sage...

oh yes, and the most important part....

the recipe for this beauty (not a beauty because I made it, but because it's chocolate and anything chocolate is beautiful!!) will be on it's way shortly!

Logic of a 4 year old

Thanks, Mel for the recounting of this funny conversation from the other day...

Connor was deciding who would be invited to his birthday party (6 months away mind you) and wasn't being very kind "I don't like her....she won't be invited to my birthday!"

Mike, trying to help, responded “Remember who’s watching! Do you know who’s watching all the time?”

Connor replied, “God” with a roll of his eyes.

We chuckled impressed that this was Connor’s first response.

“Who else is watching?” Mike asked again.

“Jesus” said Connor with a slighter eye roll.

Getting a little frustrated that this wasn’t going where he intended Mike pressed on “There’s one more person…”

to which Connor hesitated and then proudly exclaimed “Moses!”

We all laughed and left it at that...

Name changing....

For awhile, this blog was intended to keep family and friends informed on the happenings of out lives in Maui since the distance made it difficult to keep everyone in the loop. The other purpose was a bit of an online journal since my black leather book was lost somewhere in the shuffle and I never seem to find the time to label all of my photos with the appropriate captions/stories.

Now...since we have made the move back to Washington and have our friends and family integrated back into our lives, this blog becomes...well, a little pointless.

I have decided to keep it to share the things I would with a friend over a cup of coffee...dreams, inspirations, amazing people, things that make me laugh, the recipe that was a complete hit at the girl's get together last weekend.

I invite you to come on in, warm your tootsies by the fire and enjoy, my friend.

It's been awhile....

So I've fallen off the blogging band wagon...but I think my reasons {excuses} for not blogging may be validated since a lot has been going on:

• finished work, trained the new hire and handed all of my responsibilities over - a HUGE relief. I didn't realize how unhappy I was sitting in a dungeon for 9+ hours a day alone in my dark little corner. I felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders after I closed the door in on that experience. 
• relaxed with my family for the last week...one of the first times I was actually given the opportunity to enjoy Maui without being on call for work.
  
  
• packed, cleaned, organized and shipped all of our belongings home (thanks to Dad and Mel for checking all 47 inches of Mike's gigantic TV on the airplane and thanks to Mom and Doug for taking home seven 50.5 pound suitcases which included golf clubs and a guitar) I am still wondering how everything made it! 
• tearfully waved goodbye to Maui...it was hard to go, but knew it was time. 
  
  
• stopped in Kauai for two days to relax with Mike....it was cold most of the time, but when the sun peeked out, it was gorgeous and we were able to reminisce about the adventures and memories we made in the past year. 
  
  
• took a red eye from Kauai -> LA -> San Jose -> Caltrain to SF -> to surprise the heck out of Lindsey {got ya girl!} The four of us (Lindsey & Scott, Mike & I) had a great long weekend that included a Giant's game, a night at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay (where we drank hot chocolate from the hot chocolate bar while listening to a bag piper and sitting around a bonfire), made dinner, played cards, and were able to relax and catch up. 
  
  
  
  
• moved to Yelm with my Mom and Doug - we are living in their "apartment" above their garage - it's huge with a waterfront view so although we are a bit far into the boonies, we are lucky to have such a beautiful place to live. Not to mention...I get to see my Mom everyday! 
  
  
• we finally met our new niece!  Her name is Payton Starr and is the sweetest little thing. Amy and Jason are doing a great job and the three of them make an adorable family. 
  
  
• we bought two cars in the last week - both great deals....now we are just keeping our fingers crossed that they last us for awhile. 
• I start work back at the Tides tomorrow... they generously were able to fit me in, but there are quite a few days I am on call, so I am looking for some other supplemental income in the form of one or more of the following: starting an Etsy shop, baking cupcakes for weddings, helping Mike's dad sell his awesome antiques, help some of my friends plan their weddings....hmm....we will see! 

Reasons why I had a great week...

1. Last Friday, Mike handed me a copy of the movie the Big Lebowski...puzzled...I'm thinking something along the lines of "well I guess we could watch it on Valentine's Day...not quite what I was thinking but what the hell?"

"Open it!" he says, laughing.

His laughter is furthered by my sqeals of delight when I discover the gift certificate for a trip to the spa at the Ritz and a massage while he was going to be working the next day. It was HEAVEN!! Thanks love xoxo

2. Sunday, my friends from home arrived - we stayed up late talking about funny memories, life, dreams...

3. Monday, my handsome boy took me out to dinner at Lahaina Grill ... and on the way {after sulking about my lack of pretty things to wear} ... he stopped at one of my favorite dress shops and made me pick out a new pretty dress! We continued on to a delicious dinner while sipping Bellinis and stuffing ourselves with King Crab Raviolis. A day before my birthday...just the two of us.

4. Tuesday, I woke up and looked at myself in the mirror. I thought I may look a teeny tiny bit older, but nope just same old me, with one more year under my belt. Although my appearance hasn't changed much, I'm amazed at how much my life has changed after one little year. Oh yeah and this was a good day because I got to have a pzookie for dessert. mmmm.... I think this may have been the first year I haven't blown out any candles though.

5. I ate Ben and Jerry's Mint Cookie Ice cream yesterday.....for dinner :)

6. I am constantly inspired by little things in this blogging community - I find sweet recipes, am touched by the power of prayer, learn how to make great things out of very little and appreciate those of you who take the time to follow along with my journey.

Happy <3 Day!

“Live with intention.

Walk to the edge.

Listen hard.

Practice wellness.

Play with abandon.

Laugh.

Choose with no regret.

Appreciate your friends.

Continue to learn.

Do what you love.

Live as if this is all there is.”

Sending lots of love and aloha your way!
xoxoxoxoxoxo

a

Photobooth + Champagne

Yes, we were rockstars. 

Kauai: the garden isle

Kauai was magical, breathtaking and all around a wonderful trip. We {read: Mike} met this great couple on their honeymoon at the Ritz pool and who happened to be traveling to Kauai the exact same days we were! The four of us completely clicked and were inseparable. Ben and Jenny live in Nantucket for the summers and have this awesome catering/concierge company, Enjoy Nantucket, to allow visitors or summer vacationers to sit back, relax and enjoy! We are already planning future adventures and can't wait for what is next!

We started our first day in Kauai relaxing by the pool, having a few Mai Tai's (and "munchies"!) at happy hour and watching the sun set over Nawiliwili Harbor (I still laugh like a school girl at the name - No Willy Willy!). We then ventured out to a pizza place a few minutes up the road - we had great food, good wine and perfect company. 

The next morning, Mike and I wandered around the Marriott's beautiful grounds and ate breakfast doing the crossword puzzle and looking out over the glittering ocean. Ben and Jenny kindly invited us to ride along with them (in their Mustang convertible, no less) exploring the island. We headed up to Wiamea Canyon, a little bit of a drive up the coast. It was a vast canyon with helicopters cruising around checking out the view. My three words of advice - 1)do NOT buy snacks from the nice man in the visitor parking lot even if they are wrapped in cute packages (I wish I had a picture of the look on Ben's face after he ate a fried banana chip!) 2) Don't talk very loud and don't you dare laugh - it is kind of like being in an art museum and people will look at you as if you are interrupting their view by giggling...ooops 3) the ride down the hill is amazing! Make sure you have your camera handy and be prepared to be awed.

We cruised through a few cute towns and stopped at a farmer's market for....citrus! Any kind of citrus you can think of - oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit and our favorite...tangelos! Had lunch at a hippy stand along side the road - wraps, tacos and curried veggie plate - yum! The coffee shop (where we all made small talk with the barista to slide our way into the bathroom) had delicious desserts that we munched on as we assumed our respective positions in the Mustang - Ben: Driver. Mike: ShotGun. Jenny & Amber: in the back freezing our asses off but laughing the whole way.

We continued our journey up the other side of the coast to Hanalei Bay where we jumped out and felt the sand between our toes....then continued up to the Sea Cliffs where I'm sure we can all agree the best part was the banana bread we bought from a hippy lady in a beach parking lot. Does it seem like we ate a lot? We did! Oh yea - there was a great waterfall alongside the road too! 

It was a wonderfully relaxing trip and although short, memorable nonetheless. We are now back to real life: working and doing laundry! 

I am sitting here listening to the rain trickle down the gutters and I can't help but think of home. I have listened to and been comforted by the sound of rain for as long as I can remember. I know some can't stand it, but I can't help but smile.

Love and miss you all,

a

Mercedes, Kate Hudson and band aids...

Hi all, remember me? I'm back!! I've had one day off in about 20 days and I am feeling it. Don't feel sorry for me, though. My last few weeks have been SO much fun! We hosted the Mercedes Benz PGA Championship Tournament at the Plantation Course and my opinion of golf has greatly improved. When people ask if I golf, my response is usually something along the lines of "Nope! I drink beer and drive the cart though!" Which really, when it comes down to it, isn't true. First I don't drink beer (unless it is an occasional Mexican beer). Second, Mike would NEVER let me drive (I always told myself it was because he is a gentleman, but come to find out he thinks I'm a terrible driver - thanks dude, love you too). Anyway, being up close to all of the action (I'm not sure if golf and action actually go hand in hand, but you get the gist) was really cool. I spent most of my time in the Sky Boxes positioned around the 18th hole - there were moments when the golfers were putting in when it felt like the entire world stopped rotating on it's axis - you could almost hear the heartbeat of the guy on the green. It was unlike anything I've ever experienced. 

I went through almost an entire box of bandaids - some for my blisters from running up and down the stairs and many for the other various clumsy things I did...

Mike of course loved it too and am pretty sure he has big dreams of being out there one day. He had a couple very exciting moments - after Geoff Ogilvy (the winner) putted his ball into the 18th hole, he threw it up in the stands - straight into Mike's hands! He looked like a boy who had just been handed the keys of his very first car - awestruck. We then tracked Ogilvy down and had the ball signed - pretty cool keepsake! 

While Mike was drooling over the golf pros, I was drooling over the celebrities that come along with any major event. I laughed at Luke Wilson (who played in the ProAm) while he told me the story of showing up to his practice round with two different shoes on (apparently had too much to drink the night before?). I waited excitedly for Katherine Heigl to attend my ProAm Dinner (she never showed!) but many other celebs did - the cast from Entourage, some of the guys from Desperate Housewives, Michael Bolton, John Elway and a few others I didn't really know, but recognized nonetheless. I did end up with leis that Kate Hudson and Goldie Hawn wore at the pool that day (I didn't sniff them or anything creepy like that, I promise). Although I felt like I was walking through an issue of People magazine, it was hard to tell they were anything special. They are fairly normal people. Short normal people with really expensive shoes. But more than anything - normal. 

The ProAm Dinner 

We managed to sneak away one night catch a few minutes of a gorgeous sunset and for Mike to dip his fishing rod into the ocean. Heaven!

On Friday night, we dressed up and went to the Mercedes PGA Gala Event at the Ritz. The dinner was wonderful (especially the modern s'mores for dessert) and Mike was excited to see Steve Winwood. We were in the front row and this guy looks really old - I kept trying to back up in case he had a heart attack and landed on us. He somehow pulled through and got everyone rocking. 

The pool at the Ritz (aka: where Mike works)

My S'mores dessert

Steve Winwood

Well, I'm off to my VERY normal life of unloading the dishwasher and ironing my clothes for tomorrow. 

I send my love! 

Snow, Mistletoe & Maui Christmas

Ahh...what a fun week! I'm still recovering from wedding celebrations, good times with old friends, Christmas brunch, Christmas dinner, Christmas dinner again, family and sitting on Santa's lap! The photo above is our celebratory overly-priced drink in the airport waiting to go home to snowy Seattle. The first night, my Mom & Doug picked me up and we headed out to Yelm to spend a little time together and drop off some of heavy luggage I was dragging around. Mike headed out to meet up with all of the boys - they were at Brett's bachelor party in Auburn. I was VERY excited to see snow as we trekked our way out to Yelm. My Mom laughed at me wearing thin yoga pants and flip flops off the plane - it was all I had!! Thankfully, she quickly

 bundled me up in sweaters and socks. I kind of felt like Alfie's little brother in "A Christmas Story" - thanks for watching out for me, Mom!! 

The next day, I ran around with the girls from the wedding to get mani/pedis in the Harbor. I then watched Kate go from "girl who has been running errands, is crazy-busy and is late for her own wedding rehearsal" to "I'm smokin hot and still have five minutes to spare" in about 10 minutes flat. Yep, atta girl. It was a really fun night, and we had the rehearsal dinner at this cute little restaurant on Broadway in the Theatre District of Tacoma - Over the Moon Cafe. The wedding was the next day - filled with snow! The gorgeous candle-lit church twinkled as we all walked down the aisle. The reception was at McCormick Woods Golf Course and was decorated with red holiday ornaments in hurricane vases complimented with fresh garlands and glittery pine cones. 
That weekend, I had Christmas brunch with my family and was excited to discover "Santa" brought me a Kitchen Aid Mixer!! Actually, all of the gifts I received this year were very generous and thoughtful - I appreciated and loved them all. I felt terrible because many of my gifts I bought online and had them shipped directly to the recipients - unfortunately due to the snow, almost every one of them didn't make it!! Good job, Amber. We then headed out to Yelm to a wonderful and delicious Christmas dinner. My Mom slaved away making this gorgeous dinner - complete with baked corn and sweet potatoes with maple pecan sauce. YUM! Meanwhile, Mike went with the boys to the Seahawks game - his first and only game in the stadium this season. Before we knew it, it was time to pack and head home to Maui. Grammie braved the snow and ice and crack of dawn hours to deposit us safely at the airport - way to go Grammie! The trip was so much fun and exactly what I needed. It was rushed and was a bit stressful trying to see everyone, but for the most part, I think everyone understands. Christmas in Maui was simple and sweet - filled with profiteroles (thanks to Will) and Christmas leis made of various local berries. Ruthie, Will, Mike and I enjoyed Opah and Steak for my first Surf 'n Turf Christmas dinner. We then played cards until my eyelids couldn't stay open and headed off to bed. I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas with warmth, laughter and joy.