Live from the 925

Last Post

2011-01-10T21:11:00.001-08:00

Ok, changed my mind.

This blog is moving over to:

brynashley.com

And for anyone interested in my newest endeavor, 1000 Useful Things, you can find me here:

1000usefulthings.com

It'll still be cool and funny. Just a new url.

Horn Tooting

2011-01-06T07:40:00.001-08:00

In case you don't read Nick's blog. I'm famous.....on my husband's blog. But whatever.

http://www.nickloper.com/2011/01/how-fiverr-com-works/

And then go check out my new one.

BTW - I'll plan on posting random musings here on the weekends. So don't get rid of Live from the 925 for good.

http://www.brynashley.com/

Big Pimpin'

2011-01-04T06:34:00.000-08:00

Check out the new blog. :-)

www.brynashley.com

Science Center

2011-01-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

While at the Pacific Science Center (for the Harry Potter Exhibit), we visited the Mindbender Mansion. It was basically an area where there were tons of logic puzzles. I love logic puzzles. I'm also a little neurotic and can't leave one until I've solved it.

Stace and I decided to try a 2 person puzzle. Each person puts on a pair of "handcuffs" that are linked together. Does that make sense? See the picture below. There are a total of 2 sets of handcuffs, we each have on our own set, but they are looped in the middle.

The object of the game is to get un-hooked from each other.

Hilarity ensued.

First, Stace tried climbing inside the loop.

But we were right back where we started.

We continued to try a ton of other methods - including a number of semi-acrobatic moves that would not have been possible had we not been flexible and or small.

Hmmmm....maybe this will work?

"Do you know how to do it?" (no)

"Let me just think about this. Maybe I can visualize it."

Around the foot, through the loop......

Cat's cradle anyone?

Around the tummy?

At this point we've decided that there must be an easier way.....how would a full grown adult and a 6 year old be able to do what we're doing.

We are pretty much dying of laughter at this point because we feel pretty darn stupid.

To our dismay....and 15-20 minutes later....nothing seemed to work. Nick finally asked one of the staff members for a hint. We got the hint but still couldn't get out of the darn handcuffs.

We were literally about to give up when all of a sudden they came apart. We had no idea how it happened.

(But don't worry, we went back later and proved to ourselves that we could do it again).

And the new blog has been launched.....I'll try and keep up with this one as best I can. But I'm going to be attempting a 5-day/week blog about more useful things. Perhaps this blog will fill the other 2 days and will be filled with complete absurdity. Visit the new blog!

http://www.brynashley.com

Holiday Bowl Recap!

2011-01-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

Nick and I went to San Diego last Thursday for the Holiday Bowl! The huskies were going bowling and we weren't going to miss it!

We met up with our friends Paul, Theresia, (Sue (Paul's mom) and grandpa) at the stadium for some tailgating action.

Shanthi brought tattoos so we took a picture with all our husky pride!

The alumni association provided us with some of the worst possible seats available at Qualcomm. Thanks, UW alumni associate. We were in the LAST row near the endzone. There were 3 crappier sections. So I guess it could have been worse....but seriously? They put us with a ton of people that didn't really want to stand up and kept calling Locker - Laker. Ugh.

The UW band was way better than the Nebraska band. Our "W" kicked their "N" in the butt.

Some armed forces guys jumped out of a plane with fireworks attached to their shoes and landed on the field. It was cool.

At half time it became quite awkward for a few reasons.

1. Nebraska performed and replayed a song with the same field marching formations (the bands also performed during the pre-show). The UW band not only performed more songs, but DIFFERENT songs AND they did this awesome lady gaga piece where half the band and cheer squad performed the dance from Bad Romance. Awkward for Nebraska.

2. They made a big todo (to do....not sure how that works grammatically) about this magical halftime show with a ton of little girl dancers and a big band. The girls started to dance, the band played.....and then they started lighting of fireworks and playing music over the loudspeakers. So.....the band was fighting against the music coming from the loud speakers and no one watched the kids dance. Everyone watched the fireworks....except maybe the parents of the kids dancing. Maybe.

Then we got to move to better seats!

Then we won. And it was awesome.

That's my buddy, Mike. Biggest UW fan I know. We ended up sitting right in front of him after we moved.

As we left the stadium a round of "Whose House? DAWGS House!" was started. I love winning.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T09:36:00.000-08:00

It's been an exciting year! I had to cut down the number of photos because it was going to make this post WAY too long.

So here goes!

I baked. A lot.

The Issaquah High School Class of 2001 got married. Congrats to Charlie, Karen and Michael!

We did too. Officially. At San Francisco City Hall.

We ran a lot. 2 half marathons between us and a 5k with our newly engaged friends, Caresse and Tyler.

Visited London with Stace. Didn't really act mature at all.

Got another year older. Celebrating at the Toby Keith concert.

Celebrated getting married with a bachelorette party - Livermore style!

We did lots of other cool stuff. Went to a Raider's game and lived to tell about it. Learned how to trapeze. Went to Disneyland a few times. Raised money to fight cancer.

Had way more fun getting married (for fake) in Cabo.

Gorged ourselves at Thanksgiving.

Watched an awesome husky victory at Cal!

And an even better win in San Diego for the Holiday Bowl!

New Year's Eve

2010-12-31T00:01:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year's eve.

1 year ago I decided to see if I could blog everyday for a year.

Well, it worked! I stuck with it. It's a far cry from the diaries I'd start and stop while growing up.

I have some ambitions for another blog.....still in the works. Until then, I'll probably continue to update this one.

Check back tomorrow for a year in review. I'd have posted it today....but I've been WAY too busy.

Holiday Bowl!

2010-12-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

We're off to the holiday bowl.

But that's neither here nor there.

I learned something interesting from my sis this past week. I have this horrible tendency to overeat. To the point of nausea. It's a problem. I did this on Christmas. But my sister told me to do Child's Pose - from yoga. I did it for about 30 seconds and I was a new person! I had room for dessert! Try it.

And here are a few pictures of Mochi :-)

No pictures

2010-12-29T00:01:00.000-08:00

But it was still awesome! We got to see all the original costumes and props from the movies. There was even a "sorting hat" at the beginning. All the little kids wanted to be in Gryffindor (duh) - so we heard that sorting song quite a few times. Thankfully we had a hufflepuff and ravenclaw wanabe so we eventually heard all of them. But no takers for Slytherin....but let's be real. Who wants to be in Slytherin?

There was a little kid there - probably 10ish - dressed to the nines. And by nines, I mean Harry Potter. Adorable. He even paid up for the listening device.

At the end you can buy all sorts of cool HP gear. I really want a scarf....but I'm not going to pay $40 for a scarf. I'm gonna ebay that ish.

The best part was the wands. Stace and I walk over to the wands and she picks one up and goes, "B, that's the elder wand. The most powerful wand in the world!"

All yours for a low price of $55. But really, can you put a price on that kind of power? I think not.

Harry Potter!

2010-12-28T09:07:00.000-08:00

Today we are off to the Pacific Science Center - the greatest place to take kids in Seattle (kids both young and old).

They have a Harry Potter exhibit going on right now. I anticipate awesomeness. I hope I'm not disappointed.

Pics to follow.

Oops!

2010-12-28T09:05:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if yesterday was the first day I missed this past year...but hey, what can you do?

I spent the evening of the 26th doing something WAY more important than blogging. I spent about 2 hours playing Just Dance 2 on the Wii. This has got to be the most hilarious game. At the very least, it's hilarious to watch whoever is playing.

Maybe Nick will take a video of the antics so I can post an embarassing clip of myself trying to dance with a wii remote in my right hand.

I recommend it.

The Art of Racing in the.....

2010-12-26T11:21:00.000-08:00

Wind and rain.

That's what happens in Seattle.

I had to try out my new heart rate monitor, so I headed outside for a little post-Christmas jog.

What's funny, is that were at least a dozen other walkers/runners out this morning. Sure, it's raining. But that's par for the course here.

I enjoy it and I MELT in the CA heat. So it was good times for me.

I took a "test" at work that helps you estimate your max heart rate. You can adjust your training to be at different percentages of your max heart rate - thus optimizing your total workout. It seems like a good idea. I'll give it a try in 2011. BTW - the test you have to take to determine your maximum heart rate is super sucky for about 20 minutes. You basically exert yourself as hard as possible and hope you don't die of a heart attack.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hopefully no one is reading this today :-) You should be hanging out with your family.

But just in case you do, here's a little something something.

Mochi, "helping" us change the sheets.

Christmas Giving

2010-12-24T09:08:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday Nick and I volunteered at the Family Giving Tree. I'm not trying to toot my own horn AT ALL - we should have volunteered longer and/or brought more toys, but maybe net year - and maybe we'll bring more people.

In any case. It's a pretty impressive operation. Less fortunate kids write down what they'd like for Christmas - clothes and toys typically. This information gets put on a tag and those tags get distributed throughout the bay area (with a large number in Silicon Valley - good call, those guys are loaded).

When all of the clothes and toys are purchased, they are delivered to a large warehouse in San Jose. And that's where we helped out. For one minute, you have to pretend like you are a 10 year old child and you just walked into the world's largest toy store. Literally. there are toys all over the place. It's incredible. This is the tail end of the operation and I still had to stack 20 identical Tonka Trucks - Nick had the remote control cars (and 1 remote control dinosaurs). There were barbies everywhere and enough pillow pets to make any 6 year old scream.

I ended up working in the clothing section - they wanted someone who could fold clothes well, and apparently I looked like I could.

It was a great way to spend Sunday, helping fulfill kids' Christmas wishes.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Salted Caramels

2010-12-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

Remember those caramels I made a few days ago?

I decided to make salted caramels with the extra caramel.

I wanted to make them extra tasty, so I melted some dark chocolate frangos. I added a little wax to help it harden and add some shine.

I cut the caramels into bite sized pieces and put them in the freezer. Then I dipped them in the chocolate and put them on wax paper. I put a little sprinkle of sea salt on half. You only need 1 or 2 granules of sea salt to get the salty flavor.

All in all - they were pretty tasty!

Patty Cake

2010-12-22T00:01:00.000-08:00

If you haven't seen this, it will make you laugh. Nick sent it to me. I laughed out loud.

Crab Cakes

2010-12-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

I made crab cakes for a Christmas party.

My dad tried out almost every recipe in the Tom Douglas crab cake cookbook, and landed on his favorite. I changed it slightly.

1lb lump crab meat (costco)

1/2 c thinly slice scallions (green onions)

1/4 c finely chopped red pepper

1 c mayo

2 tsp grated and peeled fresh ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix

Then fold in 1/2 cup coconut (I use sweetened even thought the recipe calls for unsweetened...rebel) and 1/2 cup panko (asian bread crumbs)

I was making these for a party, so I wanted them to be bite sized. I used a cookie scoop so that they were all the same size. Make little patties and then put them on a cooling rack (allows for good air circulation).

Refrigerate for 30 minuts +

Remove, dip in a combo of panko and UNSWEETENED coconut (if you use sweetened you have to be careful that the coconut doesn't burn. I found that the unsweetened on the outside was fine.

Pan fry. Serve with lime and sweet chili sauce.

Beer Exchange

2010-12-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

The beer exchange is an awesome little tradition that Nick's family started - before Nick could drink. It has somewhat evolved over the years, but pretty much results in each +21 year old male members of the family taking 12 bottles of beer home.

We decided to bring the tradition to California, and the first (annual?) beer exchange took place this past weekend.

7 guys each brought 6 beers a piece. The beers were lined up against the wall and each person took a turn picking out their beer - kinda like the draft.

Lots of concentration goes into each pick.

But in the end, I think all the boys were happy with what they got.

Caramels!

2010-12-19T10:32:00.000-08:00

The caramels I made last week during cookiepalooza were a big hit and a few people have requested the recipe.

What's great about this recipe is that it's all in the microwave. You can make caramels over the stove but it involves a lot of stirring and a lot of temperature watching. It's almost fool-proof in the microwave.

You need a glass bowl - microwave safe. I didn't have one so I used a large pyrex casserole. It worked ok - splashed butter over the edge a few times. Nothing a sponge and some soapy water can't fix.

Here's the finished product - prior to wrapping.

Nick, enjoying the bowl remnants.

The most "annoying" part of the whole process is wrapping the caramels. Mine turned out a little on the soft side, so I froze the whole thing and then began cutting the caramel into strips and pulling each strip out of the tray. Then each strip gets cut into bite sized pieces and wrapped in a square of wax paper. We wrapped them while watched Rudolph (the old claymation movie). It went by pretty quick.

CARMELS

1 c light corn syrup
2 cubes butter, softened
2½ c Brown sugar
1 can Sweetened condensed milk
1/8 t Salt
1 t Vanilla

Generously butter 7x11 glass casserole dish. Set aside.
In a 3 qt bowl (glass or ceramic - not plastic or metal) mix all ingredients
together. Stir to mix well.

Heat 5 min on HIGH --- Remove, whisk 2 minutes until butter is mixed in.
Heat 5 min more on HIGH --- Remove, beat with whisk for 1 minute until well
mixed. Heat 8 min on HIGH --- Remove, whisk, pour into 7-1/2x11-3/4 buttered
casserole. Cool overnight.
Cut (**) & wrap diagonally in wax paper (3"x3" squares ***)

** cut caramels into 3/8" strips, then 10-20 pieces per strip.
*** wax paper - 15 pieces of 12" squares of wax paper yield 240 3x3 squares

(microwave) makes ~ 20 dozen

Clean Eating

2010-12-18T00:01:00.001-08:00

Let me tell you about November. Also known as the month without vegetables.

Here's how it went.

Weeks 1 and 2 were spent in Cabo and Nor Cal. Eating out for almost every meal. So even if we had vegetables, they were likely fried, dripping with dressing or "candied."

Week 3 was Thanksgiving and let's be real, everything had at least 1 stick of butter. And I'm pretty sure that potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn bread casserole and green beans with french onion soup, doesn't count.

Week 4 was spent in Kansas City - the BBQ capital of the world. Well, probably not....but we had a lot of BBQ. I tried to have a salad 1 day for lunch....bad idea. My body didn't know how to process all the fiber. Ha!

So now that it's almost time to eat nothing but cookies, I thought I'd put Nick and I on a "clean eating" diet. I got a clean eating cookbook, and it's basically just recipes with lots of fresh ingredients and nothing processed.

We had pasta pomodoro tonight. It's a fancy way of saying "make your own spaghetti sauce" - but whatever. Pretty tasty and way less salt than a can of sauce.

Starts of with some onion, garlic and 2 lbs of roma tomatoes in a pan. Then you kind of puree it a bit. Then add some spices and some chicken.

Top it off with flat leaf parsley and a little goat cheese and you're set!

And after such a healthy meal, we had a peanut butter cookie with a snickers inside for dessert :-)

I love my Mochi

2010-12-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

We take Mochi to a parking lot behind our house to play fetch.

And by "fetch" - I mean - throw the ball and sometimes get it back.

Either way, he enjoys himself.

When he's ready to go home, he lays down and we know he's had enough exercise for the day.

The Nutcracker

2010-12-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

My grandma started taking me to the Nutcracker when I was VERY little. I loved it!

As I grew older, I appreciated it more, and now I really enjoy seeing a show. A show put on by Pacific Northwest Ballet, that is.

See, here's the problem. PNB puts on a really good show. The dancers are awesome - but that goes without saying. What I've always enjoyed has been the gorgeous sets. Growing up seeing this version of the nutcracker, I've never known anything different. I assumed all sets were designed by Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are).

Doesn't the "Tiger" look familiar? Very reminiscent of the book.

I saw my first non-PNB Nutcracker a few years ago when I saw San Francisco Ballet's performance. The dancers were beautiful and the music always puts you in the mood for the holidays....but it wasn't the same.

I haven't seen the Nutcracker since.

But tonight, I'm headed to a local performance. I take adult ballet at a studio here in Livermore. The studio puts on the performance at a local theater. The theater is quite nice and I hear it's a good performance. I'm mildly put off by the cost of the ticket. I won't say how much it is....but I could actually get a slightly cheaper ticket in the upper level section at Mccaw Hall.

I'm going in with an open mind and will obviously enjoy myself. But when it comes to the Nutcracker....nothing beats PNB.

Best Christmas Performance Ever

2010-12-16T00:01:00.001-08:00

Epic Scrabble Moment

2010-12-15T00:01:00.001-08:00

Words aren't my strong point. But I still play scrabble with Nick. It's fun and it keeps my brain exercised.

I had a pretty epic moment while we were on the honeymoon.

Let me set this up for you. On a previous turn, I had "TOXIN." A good use of the letter "X."

On my next turn, I made TOXIN plural and landed on the triple word score while simultaneously spelling "SHAVE" and landed the "V" on a double letter score.

So "TOXINS" by itself is a 13 point word - triple word score that shit and it becomes 39!

Oh but wait, it gets better.

"SHAVE" earns me 15 points on its own, thanks to that double letter score with the "V". Triple word score equals 45 points!

That's right. 1 turn with a total of 84 points!

Best turn ever. I won. Nick was sad. But let's be real, there's no coming back after a turn like that.

Cookiepalooza!

2010-12-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

My friends, Lisa and Brooke, came over on Saturday for a HUGE cookie making party.

It lasted literally all day, and we came away with a nice little stash of goodies!

Santa Surprises - Peanut butter cookie with a snickers in the middle

Ginger Snaps

Chocolate chip M&M cookies

Sandwich Cookies

Caramels

Brittle

Pretzels dipped in caramel and chocolate

Playing with my new camera.

Taste Tester Extraordinare!

Seriously, Macys?

2010-12-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

Do you know what a Frango is?

It's a very delightful little treat, originally sold by the Frederick and Nelson Department store - where I got all my Santa pictures taken until they closed. It's a northwest thing.

They use to come in all different flavors - mint being the typical favorite.

So why am I talking about frangos? Well, I had a little run in with a Macys sales lady and I thought I'd share it.

My grandma has a major sweet tooth and she LOVES raspberry frangos. It's kind of cute because everyone in the family knows she loves them but when she opens a package on Christmas she always says, "Oh, my. How did you know this was my favorite?" Or something like that.

Naturally, Nick gets these for her every year.

I was at a Macys a few weeks ago and asked about Raspberry Frangos. The salesperson said they didn't have any! Uh oh.

Yesterday I checked online and not only do they still have some, but they were on sale for almost 25% off! My lucky day!

So I headed to Macys on Sunday. Yes yes, not the brightest....but I had some last minute shopping to get done.

I roll into the Macys and I'm pointed to the 1 lb. box of raspberry frangos. Bingo!

So I go to check out.....hmm.....full price. I casually mention that they are on sale online, and inquire whether they are also on sale in the store. Here's what transpired:

Me: Hmm, they were on sale on your website.

Macys Lady: Well, they don't ring up on sale here.

Me: Hmm, ok. Well, can I use one of my Macys coupons for 20% off.

Macys Lady: Actually, you'll have to use your macys credit card. And you don't need the coupon.

Me: Ok. Here you go.

Macys Lady: Hmm, I guess they aren't eligible for the 20% off.

Me: Um....ok.

Macys Lady reads the contents of the box and says: Eew, Raspberry Dark Chocolate, that seems way too sweet. (when you picture her saying this, imagine it was in the rudest tone possible)

Me: ***silence***

Macys Lady hands me my receipt and I take it from her hand and walk out.

Who says that? Let's think about this for a moment. Let's think about how this message would be communicated depending on what she was selling.

Skinny Jeans

"Enjoy your purchase, but it's not gonna make you look any skinnier."

Makeup Lady

"That color is UGLY, enjoy!"

Perfume Lady

"You'll smell foul, but thanks for stopping by!"

Tis the season.....but seriously? She could have been a little nicer.

Canon S95

2010-12-11T23:54:00.000-08:00

Nick got me a camera 2 years ago for Christmas. It was an awesome little guy and I took it everywhere!

These days, I want to take better pictures. So I thought about getting a snazzy DSLR.....but let's be real....I'm not that professional. And I just can't see myself taking such a large camera with me. But I wanted something a little nicer than your typical point and shoot.

This year, Nick got me a new "point and shoot." It's a Canon S95. It does all sorts of fancy things.

I took some pictures with my old camera and the new one, so that I could see the difference.

The top one is the new camera - no editing. The bottom is the old camera - "I'm feeling lucky" editing on Picasa. It takes EXCELLENT low light photos.

Playing with the macro while I was cutting grapes. Again, no editing on the top (new camera) and a little editing on the bottom - old camera.

Top is the new camera, bottom is the old. This has a much shallower depth of field option. Probably the best on a point and shoot...at least that's what I'll tell myself.

Thanks n!

Nebraska = Poor Sports

2010-12-11T07:25:00.001-08:00

I love Husky Volleyball. I love volleyball in general, but college volleyball is thrilling!

The Huskies played Nebraska last night during the NCAA seminfinals (in Seattle). Nebraska was ranked #2....huskies were unranked. But whatevs.

Turns out, those unranked huskies did a little number to those huskers and came out victorious. Then guess what, Jim - the awesomest coach ever - and poor-sport-mcgee-coach-of-the-huskers had some words during the "congratulatory" shake after the game. The Nebraska coach commented that they got a bad call, apparently insinuating that the Huskies only won because of that. Boo! Who does that (or maybe it happens often)? Either way, Jim had to be "held back" by some others as he tried to answer back.

This would have been awesome to see. Jim is so mild mannered, nothing could make this guy get upset.

Huskies play Cal tonight....football was victorious earlier this year, and I vaguely remember seeing an awesome volleyball victory against Cal a few years ago in Hec Ed. I've got my fingers crossed. And crossed even more that there is another husky victory against Nebraska on the 30th!

The long sleeved t-shirt

2010-12-11T06:56:00.001-08:00

The most underrated item in your wardrobe.

I have lots of short sleeved t-shirts. They always give them to you during high school, college, anytime you volunteer, races etc.

But what I don't have are the long sleeved t-shirts. They are such a money item of clothing.

It's perfect for those mildly cool days when a sweatshirt would be overkill.

Or, it's great as a shirt with no coat situation.

In any case..I'm wearing my one from Freshman or Sophomore year of high school. It's still in a wearable condition. But I'm on the hunt for the next great long-sleeved t-shirt.

Best dessert ever

2010-12-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

The other day my mom was telling me about this recipe. Well, she was actually telling me about the final product, which led me to request the recipe.

It sounded SUPER easy and delicious. So I made it the other night.

Here's what it consists of:

Saltine Crackers

(1/2 cup) Granulated Sugar

(1/2 cup) Brown Sugar

(2 Sticks) Butter

(1 bag) Chocolate

(~1.5 Cups) Slivered Almonds

Can't go wrong there!

First, you line a jelly roll pan with foil. Then line up saltine crackers on the foil. I filled the pan as much as I possibly could. The crackers fit nicely.

Mix the sugars and butter together in a pan. Melt and bring to a boil and stirring until frothy (~250 degrees F). Pour it over the crackers (I had to spread it a little to get it to coat all the crackers).

Bake at 400 for 10 minutes. My oven was a little too hot (I think). So I will probably turn it down and keep an eye on it at about 7-8 minutes. To make sure it doesn't burn.

Pull it out of the oven and pour a bag of chocolate chips over the top. Spread the chocolate.

Pour a bag of almonds over the chocolate and press into the chocolate. I also toasted the almonds....because toasted almonds are awesome.

Stick it in the fridge for about 20 minutes. I finished just as Glee was starting and we were eating it before the show was over.

Here's what it looks like when you pull it from the oven. Crack it into manageable sized pieces and enjoy.

But I know you're wondering, how in the world does Bryn know that this is the best dessert EVER?

Well, first, I couldn't stop eating it. So I decided to take 75% of it to work. I take a lot of goodies to work and most people never say anything - thank you or tell me how they like it. About half the opposite commented on how delicious this was. 2 guys even asked for the recipe. I was told it's a mix between an almond roca and a heath bar. And I know how much almond roca costs. And this doesn't get stuck in your teeth as much.

Basically, it's the easiest dessert I've ever made. And it's gotten better reviews than all of my cupcakes, cakes and pies that I've brought into work. So from now on, this is all I'm bringing in :-)

Cookie Tags

2010-12-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

I decided that I needed to start baking again. The kitchen aid mixer was getting a little dusty.

I pulled ou my trusty sugar cookie recipe (thanks, Beth!) and my new cookie cutter set (thanks, Cath!).

I decided to try something a little more adventurous than normal. Normal being - cut out different shaped cookies and decorate with colored frosting.

I decided to try "flooding". What does this mean? Well, it means that you pipe a relatively "thick" line of frosting around the edge of the cookie, and then fill it in with a more diluted frosting. The end effect *should* be a perfectly smooth frosting job. I think it will take some time getting the consistencies just right, but all in all, it wasn't too bad.

Then, I thought it would be fun to pipe some designs. Designs quickly turned to names, which quickly turned to first initials. Whatever. My piping skills need some practice.

Then I added some holly for a final touch.

Then I tied them to the presents like tags. They were eaten shortly after the gifts were open (how green of us).

Kindle?

2010-12-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

Everyone had a kindle in Cabo. I haven't decided if I'm going to jump on the kindle bandwagon just yet, but I'm definitely leaning towards doing so.

Here are the pros:

1. Great for travel

2. Keeps the bookshelf clutter down

3. Cool gadget

Cons?

1. Can't borrow books from the library.....the Kindle will only read PDFs.....most library eBooks are EPUB (although some are PDF). The Nook will play these.

2. Inability to "share" - I just let my friend read Hunger Games. Can't easily do this on a Kindle.

Anyone have one and care to chime in?

Speaking of Eating

2010-12-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

Have you ever dipped french fries in a milk shake or ice cream cone?

I was surprised at the number of co-workers that had never tried this out.

It's the perfect combination of salty and sweet.

It can be done with McDonald's fries and a milk shake or you can get fancy with more gourmet fries and frozen yogurt.

The fries should have a cross sectional area of less than 1cm^2. And should be on the crispy side. I would recommend either vanilla or chocolate or a swirl for the dipping flavors.

It's the bomb.

Super Hero Power

2010-12-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

To be fair, I guess it's not really a power. More like an ability.

But if world hunger and peace had already been figured out, I'd want the ability to eat whatever I want and not get full or fat.

Not getting full is key. I'd actually trade limited weight gain for the absence of fullness.

I really like to eat. But I get full too fast.

Equally awesome

2010-12-05T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hunger Games is the first in a trilogy. It definitely leaves you wanting more at the end. So I obviously needed it.

I did my best to be economical and get it at the library.....but it was already checked out. So I used my Border's coupon to get 50% off. Then, I needed a little something extra for my Amazon cart - I mean, $25 purchase for free shipping - so I bought the third.

Then, I had a trip to Kansas City for work. This meant 2 - 4 hr plane rides.

Naturally, I killed them both.

They were quite good. I suggest them both. Honestly, I couldn't put them down.

Apple Cup Time

2010-12-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

I love apples.

I think my favorite pie is an apple pie. Actually, it's probably the sour cream apple pie we had on Thanksgiving.

Since we are from Washington, the "big game" each year is between UW (huskies) and WSU (cougars).

Unfortunately, it's one of those games where ANYTHING can happen. Like, ANYTHING. So you can never discount either team. Regardless of how hopeless their season may be...cough....WSU....cough.

So let's cross our fingers and hope that they play a good game today.

GO DAWGS!

Born to Run

2010-12-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

I just read Born to Run.

You'd think it would be kinda lame, but it's actually REALLY good. It's so good, it makes you think you can go and run 50 miles. No big deal. It also convinces you that running barefoot is a good idea.

Nick did a nice little review of the book.

But yeah. If I can't put it down and it makes me actually want to run. I call it a win.

Hunger Games

2010-12-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

I love to read books meant for middle school kids. They aren't too deep, but have enough hidden meaning that I can feel good about myself - it's not PURE fluff like Twilight (but pretty darn close, and don't get me wrong, Team Jacob all the way). There's a guy at work with a middle school aged daughter, so I get tips on books from him.

He recommended Hunger Games, and then someone at the wedding actually had it available to borrow! I jumped on it and LOVED IT!! I couldn't put it down.

The story follows Katniss, a young girl living in a post-apocalyptic world. Each year the Capitol holds the hunger games, where one boy and one girl from each district (there are 12) are chosen to fight to the death.....you can see where this is going but I won't spoil it for you.

It reads incredibly fast and I've already started the 2nd book in the trilogy. Pick it up. You'll like it.

Other books I like (so you can get a feel for the stuff I'm into) - Harry Potter (I enjoyed all of them but liked the 2nd book the least), the Twilight books, The Giver (and the other 2 in the "trilogy"), Sookie Stackhouse books (vampire theme?), Freakonomics, Dan Brown stuff...you get the drift.

Best Weekend Ever: V

2010-12-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

On the day of the wedding, my friends helped me get ready. I really have great friends.

Lisa did my nails....she's better than any salon you'll ever go to. And Caresse, Melinda and Beth hooked it up with massages. It was incredible. Better than being at a salon.

They even got me lunch - because they were very concerned that I wouldn't eat.

A good time was had by all (but especially me). Thanks, ladies! You're the best.

Best Weekend Ever: IV

2010-11-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

I really like camping. Actually....I don't really know if I like camping....but I DO know that I like to roast marshmallows.

We didn't do a ton of camping as kids, so I never really experienced the whole marshmallow roasting thing. I tried to roast them in the fireplace, but we used those fire-starter logs and I think my parents were concerned about ingesting the chemicals in the log.

I have this theory. Anything you were "deprived" of as a child, causes major addictions as an adult. I'm the same way with Disneyland (I wasn't deprived....I just went a bit later than most of my non-addicted friends).

When we go camping, I typically roast everyone's marshmallows for them. I don't understand why they don't want to roast their own....but I'm not going to challenge them. After all, it's the best part of camping.

So you can imagine my excitement when I learned that we could have a bonfire on the beach in Cabo. And we could roast marshmallows!

Did you know that you can buy ginormous marshmallows in Mexico. They were about as big as my fist. In hindsight....not such a good idea. They never really get soft in the center....I'm sure I could go back and calculate the proper temperature for roasting such a behemoth....but that would have been lame at the time.

And did you know that "graham crackers" in Mexico taste more like Ritz crackers. While surprising, it was actually kind of nice to have something break up all the sweetness (not sweetness as in cool, but sweetness as in too much sugar....nothing was going to break up the coolness of this party).

Here...an example of my awesome modeling skills....you can see just how big those marshmallows really were.

And out bonfire. It started out kinda slow...then they started flicking all this fire starter stuff on it and it really grew.

And here I am. Roasting to my hearts content.

My buddy, Adam. Enjoying the fire.

And then everyone joined in. Get a load of Chris. He's got the double-roaster going on. Nice one! Thanks, Dad. Twas a fun little party.

Sleigh Ride

2010-11-29T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite Christmas songs.

We played it in band during high school.

The best part is when they start doing the syncopated rhythm, and the horse whinny at the end.

Winning and losing

2010-11-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

Ever notice an interesting thing about winning and losing?

If you spend your day at a game - say football. Let's say your team wins. It was all worth it.

If your team loses. It was a waste of time.

At least, that's usually how I feel.

Good thing the Huskies won yesterday.

Victory!

2010-11-27T17:12:00.001-08:00

Sporting our new Locker jerseys, Nick and I were headed to the UW vs. Cal game.

The first half was quick but BORING! Nothing happened. Seriously. Then Cal got an extra second on the board and miraculously scored a 53 yd field goal. WTF?!

Then it rained and hailed. And it sucked. And we were cold.

But then, Locker started running the ball and we all learned that Sarkisian has some massive cajones! Best ending ever. And our seats were prime for the win! Then the team came over and celebrated with the fans. Awesome. Awesome. GO DAWGS!

The win makes the whole thing worth it. I'd sit in the rain and hail again, in a bikini - just to watch that play again.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-27T00:01:00.000-08:00

The 4th anniversary of the best Thanksgiving ever occurred this past Thursday.

Spatchcocked the turkey again.....cooked in about 2 hrs.

The table - all set with the new dishes and glasses!

The feast. Truly a feast.

Letting the food settle before round 3.

Black Friday

2010-11-26T00:01:00.000-08:00

My friend, Caresse, is the best bargain shopper I've ever met. Her favorite thing to ask is, "guess how much I paid for this." She will undoubtedly blow you away by how little she spent in it.

As a result, black friday is one of her favorite days of the year. And her incredible enthusiasm has pulled me in. I find myself getting up at an ungodly hour to join her.

By the time you read this, I'll probably be back. Taking a nap.

Give Thanks

2010-11-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm a pretty lucky girl and I've had a pretty good year.

I'm thankful all of my wonderful friends and family - especially those that were able to make the trip out to Cabo earlier this month. Having a wedding and having people show up is a pretty humbling experience. You realize just how loved you really are. So...thanks!

And because I can't end this post on a mushy note....I'm also incredibly thankful for the turkey brining away in the garage, the cream cheese potatoes chilling in the fridge and my frozen pumpkin ice cream sitting in the freezer. Leftovers are the best!

Pumpkin Ice Cream

2010-11-24T00:01:00.000-08:00

We got a kitchen aid ice cream maker as a gift. So naturally, I needed to test it out. And since it's not snowing here in California, it seemed like a perfect addition to our Thanksgiving feast.

I decided that pumpkin ice cream would be fitting.

I became slightly concerned after reading a few recipes. Lots of heavy cream and eggs. I already know what makes thanksgiving delicious. Butter. So I wanted to see if I could lighten it, just a bit. I followed a William Sonoma recipe but changed a few things to make it a little less bad for you.

You make the "batter" the day before and keep it chilled. When you're ready, you pour it into the ice cream maker and let it go!

After 20ish minutes, you get ice cream! Pumpkin ice cream!

Nick liked it. It literally tasted like frozen pumpkin pie filling.

Whoever said blogging doesn't pay?

2010-11-23T21:06:00.000-08:00

Ever heard of shutterfly? It's a site that lets you turn photos into cards, calendars, invitations, mugs and even mouse pads. Because everyone needs a mouse pad with their favorite pet on it!

We (and by we, I mean me....Nick just happens to appear in the photo) started sending out Christmas cards once we got Moch. Seemed like a good time to start. And who doesn't LOVE getting a little REAL mail during the holidays.

I'd been getting my cards at costco until last year. I decided I didn't like the designs and they were getting kinda big. So I designed my own. They looked cool but it was a HUGE pain in the rear.

I was still debating what to do this year, when I stumbled upon this shutterfly promo. Blog about shutterfly Christmas photo cards and get 50 free cards. What?! I've been blogging everyday since January 1st and it's about time this blogging thing paid off! :-)

I went to the shutterfly site and was actually pretty impressed with their designs. I picked out a few of my favorite Christmas photo cards.

I like cards where you can put multiple photos. I can never pick just one photo.

This one reminds me of Cabo :-)

This card allows you to put 3 different sized/oriented photos. I think it breaks up the space nicely.

This card is just too adorable. And it works if you want to actually write a note to the people you are sending it to.

And here is one that allows you to put a "letter" to your friends. Let them know what happened during the past year. I learned quite a bit about Annie and Justin in the card below.

This one is super cute.....but I don't think I have a picture where we are offset on the right.

This is my absolute favorite. If I can find a good picture, we're using this.

This started out as a way to get free photos. But in the end, I learned that shutterfly has some pretty nice designs and I'll definitely return in the future!

Pumpkin Bars

2010-11-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

I love the holidays because the food is soooooo good!

This is a recipe for Pumpkin Bars with Brown Butter Frosting from my friend Lisa.

Bar Ingredients:

1 1/2		cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4		cups sugar
2		teaspoons baking powder
2		teaspoons ground cinnamon
1		teaspoon baking soda
1/2		teaspoon ground ginger
3/4		cup Butter, melted
1		(15-ounce) can pumpkin
3		eggs

Frosting Ingredients:

1/2		cup Butter
4		cups powdered sugar
1		teaspoon vanilla
1/4		to 1/3 cup milk
		Ground cinnamon, if desired

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, baking soda and ginger in large bowl. Stir in 3/4 cup butter, pumpkin and eggs; mix well.

Spread batter into ungreased 15x10x1-inch jelly-roll pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, melt 1/2 cup butter in 1-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly and watching closely, until butter just starts to turn golden brown (3 to 5 minutes). Immediately remove from heat. Pour into medium bowl; cool 5 minutes.

Add powdered sugar and vanilla to butter mixture; mix well. Stir in enough milk for desired frosting consistency. Spread frosting over cooled bars. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon, if desired. Cut into bars.

Genius my A$$

2010-11-22T00:01:00.000-08:00

Update.

So I go to the Apple Store. Grudgingly. But at this point, there's no turning back.

The apple store was CROWDED. And of course, the software is in the back. So I push my way to the back and am greeted by one of Apple's so-called geniuses. Here's the conversation that ensued:

"Genius": Can I help you?

B: Yes, I need to upgrade to snow leopard so I can install the iLife I bought yesterday.

"Genius": What OS do you have right now?

B: I have Leopard, I think.

"Genius": Then you should be able to run the new iLife.

B: When I installed iLife, it said I needed 10.6.3

"Genius": What do you have now?

B: 10.5.something

"Genius": Hmmm....let me see, I'm not sure what that is.

B: ***tapping foot****waiting for genius to figure it out

"Genius": Did you have Tiger or Snow Leopard?

B: I think I just had Leopard.

"Genius": Snow Leopard?

B: I don't know, I think just Leopard.

"Genius": ***starts typing into iPad****because everything can be solved with an iPad (rolls eyes)

"Genius": If you have Tiger, you'll need to buy "this" and it costs $179. But if you just need to upgrade, it'll only be "this" and it only costs $29.

B: Great, which one do I need.

"Genius": Ahhh, it looks like you have snow leopard and need to upgrade. So it looks like you'll be saving a little money.

B: Not really.

"Genius": ***Ignores snarky remark*** Will that be all for you?

B: Yes

"Genius": I can ring you up right here.

B: Great

"Genius": ***Fumble Fumble***

"Genius": Hmm....it's not working (that's what she said? anyone? anyone?)

"Genius": ***The genius then goes off to try 3 other people's swipe-y things. Eventually it works. But let's be real....not really a pillar of technology.

Let's recap. The Apple Genius was also confused about the OS. If the "upgrade" is going to cost me, just rename it. BTW - the Apple website says I have Leopard - sans snow. So Mr. Genius needs to brush up on his software.

And now the new OS is installed and I have iLife. Grrr. I'm happy about it. Damnit!

Eff you, Apple!

2010-11-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

So I decided that I wanted to upgrade my Apple iLife software. I wanted to be able to make better movies and websites.

Seems reasonable.

So I go to the Apple website and try to download the upgrade. Then I learn, you have to actually buy a physical CD. WTF?! You can't just download an executable and install?! Microsoft figured it out. We can download all of Office from the internet. No need for a stupid CD.

Fine.

So I go and buy the stupid CD.

I get home.

Download all the upgrades to all the other stupid apple programs (btw....how many iTunes upgrades do we really need?)

Then. It tells me. I don't have the right operating system. It said I needed Mac OS X. I have Mac OS X. Oh. Wait. The fine print 10.6.3. I have 10.5.8. Apparently the difference between the 5 and 6 is HUGE. In fact, it's like the difference between XP and Vista. Except that Microsoft thought it would be useful to give them different names, alleviate confusion. Ironic.

So....know what you have to do to upgrade to 10.6? Go buy an effing DVD from the Apple store! UGH! I'm very upset with Apple right now.

Tissue Paper Puffs

2010-11-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

I was determined NOT to spend a lot of money on table decorations. Because, let's be real, no one really cares. They'll enjoy themselves equally, regardless of how awesome or not-awesome the centerpiece. NEVERTHLESS....I still compelled to have something.

I saw these lovely puffs in the Martha Stewart Wedding magazine....so I thought I'd give it a try.

I think Martha lied. I actually think they give you bad instructions so that you always feel a little inferior to Martha, herself.

The directions say to stack 8 pieces of 20x30" tissue and fold it like an accordion (See steps below). Then you puff it out. When I did this, they were INCREDIBLY droopy and sparse. I think you need more than 8 sheets. But they were WAY too big for what I wanted anyways. So naturally, I came up with my own scheme.

For 10" diam poms:

6 sheets, 10x25, 0.5" folds

For 8" diam poms:

6 sheets, 8x20, 0.5" folds

For 6" diam poms:

6 sheets, 6x18, 0.5" folds

6 sheets is ok when they are small. The bigger they get, the more sheets you need.

Start out with your sheets of tissue, all stacked up. Then fold them like an accordion.

Tie it off in the middle and snip the ends. I found points to look better than the rounded edges. But that's a personal preference.

Then, this is the slightly tricky part, start separating the sheets. Alternate as much as you can to help make it even.

With the help of some friends, we pre-folded all the poms before heading to Cabo. They all fit inside a 1 gallon ziplock bag. Not too shabby! We tied satin ribbon around the middle and puffed them when we got to Cabo. Nick was thrilled :-)

Here's the finished product. We used them as centerpieces and on the chairs.

Kinda festive. And SUPER cheap.

Wedding dress!

2010-11-19T00:01:00.000-08:00

The neighbor girls didn't make it to Cabo, so I figured it was only fitting to let them play dress-up in my wedding dress.

A good time was had by all.

Flashback

2010-11-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

Just got back from UCLA. A little recruiting to round out the week.

We headed to the SUB (student union building) for lunch. We're just sitting there, eating lunch....when all of a sudden I recognize this old guy. I can't place him at first. Then I realize. It's Rick Neuheisel! I forgot that he coached the Bruins. Bummer for them.

His hair's a little longer and kinda skeezy looking....but otherwise has the same face. If I had been quicker, I would have snapped a photo. Oh well.

I sent bad thoughts his way. Hoping to help the huskies tonight!

GO DAWGS!

Here are some pics from the hotel. Not too shabby.

Moving sidewalks

2010-11-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

I've been in a few airports the past few weeks.

And I've got a bone to pick.

Moving sidewalks.

I like to move fast, and moving sidewalks help me move faster. They help you speed past the slowies at the airport.

But here's my issue. People who stand - and stand in the middle no less! - of the moving sidewalks. Completely able bodied people should walk. It's good for you. If you really have issues walking, stand to the right so I can pass. Europeans are excellent at this concept....not sure why Americans have such issues with it.

Best Weekend Ever: III

2010-11-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

The best weekend ever kicked off with a welcome dinner.

But not just any welcome dinner, a welcome dinner that would rival the wedding itself.

Let's go back to August....I'm trying to find a location for a welcome dinner and everything seemed lame. A restaurant that wanted to setup a dinner...blah, blah, blah. I wanted something fun, cool, and different.

After a TON of internet searching, I happened upon Villa Valentina. A super chic interior design store in San Jose. It's family owned and operated and during the fall/winter, they host paella and sangria on the weekends. The space looked awesome from the website and who doesn't love paella and sangria? I hesitantly emailed the contact info on the website.

I heard back from Daniel within a day or 2. Incredibly prompt and professional through all the correspondences. I was sold!

When Nick and I went to Cabo for our "tasting" - we stopped by Villa Valentina. Don't be fooled. It might be next to an abandoned lot, but once inside, the place transforms into its own little oasis.

Here is the view as you enter the villa - back in September.

Here's the area where they were going to serve the paella.

The terrace area, where everyone would eat.

We were sold! We loved the space, we loved the food - and Daniel was stinking adorable!

We went back to CA and continued planning the wedding. And then November came and it was time to head back to Cabo.

Daniel suggested we stop by to make sure everything was up to snuff. I wasn't concerned, but definitely wanted to see what he had in store.

Little did I know. The Villa had literally been transformed. It was beautiful when we saw it in September, but it was gorgeous in November. They fixed everything up! They added a beautiful mural and a cross made from wine bottles. They re-did the serving area upstairs and added a bar and extra lighting and even added a sound system. This was incredible. I was now concerned that the welcome dinner would upstage the wedding. In fact, I was beginning to wish I had just booked the Villa for the wedding.

The mural on the stairs leading up to the terrace and the wine bottle cross.

The newly finished terrace, complete with bar, tables, chairs and a chandelier.

The terrace and courtyard at night.

This is what we were greeted with when we (all 47 of us) got to the villa. This gorgeous courtyard filled with candles. Daniel and his team did an incredible job.

The staff kept everyone's drinks filled! Margaritas, beer and water and some delicious appetizers.

Then we headed upstairs for the main event - the paella and sangria. Outstanding!

Another lovely view of the terrace and the view.

Did I mention the tequila tasting? Daniel suggested 4 good tequilas for us to buy and we had the bartender host a little tasting for all our guests. Towards the end it turned into people taking shots, but hey....when in Cabo.

There were lots of hangovers the next morning - the mark of a good party. One friend said it best, "too much fiesta!"

People raved about the awesome space and the delicious food! They loved that we had the place (almost) to ourselves. We couldn't imagine a better welcome dinner. Daniel was incredible - running around all evening making sure everything was perfect. His adorable parents were also there and taught everyone a little about tequila! It was so much fun and I'm so glad we were able to host our event here. It honestly felt like a little family and I hope that when Nick and I return to Cabo, we have a chance to stop by the Villa for their weekly paella and sangria event!

Do you like this photo?

2010-11-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

Because I totally screwed up my shoulder trying to take it.

We were driving over the Golden Gate Bridge and I thought I needed to take a photo. So I stick my arm out the window with the camera in my hand. As soon as I do it, my arm gets whipped backwards.....and now my shoulder kinda hurts.

And it's a crappy photo. Lame.

Best Weekend Ever: II

2010-11-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

This Hilton does its part to help with the turtle conservation. They house thousands of sea turtle eggs and protect them from predators.

When it's time for the little baby turtles to hatch, the hotel guests get to help release them into the ocean. However, it's tricky. You have to be at the right place at the right time! And I was! So early one morning, I got to send some baby turtles off into the ocean.

A turtle and his buddies.

Doesn't it remind you of Finding Nemo? With Squirt and Crush?

Best Weekend Ever: I

2010-11-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

Oh yes. I plan on milking this past weekend for as many blog posts as possible. They may or may not come one right after the other. In fact, they probably won't.

We had our wedding this past weekend in Cabo at the Hilton los Cabos.

This is the nicest hotel I've ever stayed at, and I think most of my friends and family agree. If you're ever in Cabo. Stay here. It won't disappoint.

My friend, Kellie, took this photo from their room. Not a bad view in the house!

Saturday morning was beach yoga. The yoga lady made us do a series of moves with our eyes closed. Suppose to make us more in tune with our bodies or something like that.

One of these things is not like the other.....

At some point she made us do it really fast....we were all laughing. She was kind of a funny lady.

PODS

2010-11-12T00:01:00.000-08:00

What did I learn this weekend? I should own a PODS franchise.

This was suppose to be a light weekend in Cabo....but our hotel was booked solid. With PODS owners.

PODS is the mobile storage company. You know the one. Fill one of the PODS bins with your stuff and they'll ship it to another place. Forget movers, you fill the pod yourself and then it shows up later.

Their website says that it requires a $1 million net worth and $300k in liquid assets. And let me tell you, they partied well.

That's not to say we didn't have a few PODS people try and crash our kick ass dance party....but still, seems like PODS could be the way to go. Perhaps Nick will do a more fulloy researched post about PODS on a later date.

Happy Birthday, Stace

2010-11-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

My sister is the most talented person I know.

And today is her birthday.

She made pretty much everything for the wedding, and when I get pictures, I will post the awesomeness. Did I mention she also sang? Crazy fool!

Love you, S!

Leaving Paradise

2010-11-10T07:28:00.000-08:00

Best weekend of my life. Couldn't have asked for better friends and family. Will post pictures whenever I get something....the suspense is killing me.

Returning to CA later today....followed by a 6 day trip around NorCal....because there's no way I can go back to work anytime soon.

So.....did I mention we got married.

2010-11-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

No, not yesterday. Yesterday was technically the wedding.

We were officially married at San Francisco City Hall - arguably the most beautiful City Hall in the country.

We had an awesome photographer, Chris Tobeck! And you can find out more about her on her website or facebook page. She's pretty fantastic and specializes in baby/family photos. We were lucky enough to have her meet us in the city! And not only is she a FANTASTIC photographer, she's adorable and sweet!

Real mature....I know.

Oops!

2010-11-08T05:42:00.001-08:00

Oops, I missed one yesterday. Please excuse me....I've been busy.

Yesterday, I got to release baby turtles into the ocean. It was so fun!

Today I'm a little busy. I've already got a blog post prepped for tomorrow, so never fear - the 15-16 if you who follow me will have some better stuff manana :-)

Today is wedding day! Should be fun.

Funny Story

2010-11-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

So I had my shower this past weekend.

I got a few comments about how tiny/skinny I was. Very nice of people to say, but I feel like I'm the same size as I was the last time they saw me....I don't tend to fluctuate all that much. I thanked them and attributed it to the cute skirt.

When I got home and took off my tights (super cute, borrowed from mom) I realized why I looked so skinny. They were SPANX!!! Hahahaha. In case you were wondering. They work!

How compatible are we?

2010-11-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

At the shower, one of the games was "How well do you know the groom?" - it was really "How well does Bryn know the groom?" but everyone still got to play.

I think people were surprised by some of my answers. So in honor of the wedding weekend, let me recap the answers to the game.

1. What is Nick's favorite sport and team?

N: Baseball/softball -- Mariners. Partial credit for Husky football

B: Baseball/Mariners

2. What kind of animal was Nick's first pet and what was its name?

N: A black cat named Waldo. Actually we had a dog Sam in California but I was too young to really remember her.

B: Dog, Sandy?

3. What is Nick's favorite childhood memory

N: He gave a long list

B: Walking on the volcano in Hawaii (not one of the correct answers)

4. What is Nick's favorite Band?

N: Jimmy Buffett, Weezer, Zac Brown Band are all acceptable answers.

B: Jimmy Buffett

5. Which item is he most excited about on the registry?

N: Husky jerseys!

B: Husky Jerseys

6. Which item is he least excited about on the registry?

N: Pretty much everything else. Kitchen stuff, although Bryn will use it to make good food.

B: Kitchen stuff?

7. What is his favorite color?

N: Green

B: Green

8. What is his favorite meal that the bride has made?

N: They're all delicious. This italian sausage/pasta/broccoli rabe dish from Giada's book is pretty good.

B: He'll say that they are all his favorite. If I had to pick one.....we make this broccoli/sausage pasta thing (they asked me to pick one, and that's what I said)

9. What exact words did he say when he asked her to marry him?

N: "I still don't know if we want to get married, but I do know I want to spend the rest of my life with you." That came after "I didn't think I'd be nervous."

B: We don't have to get married, but I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you.

10. Favorite TV show as a kid?

N: Probably Duck Tales.

B: Simpsons

Doh! We needed clarification on "kid"

11. Favorite dessert?

N: Fro-yo

B: Cookies? Yeah, I blew that one.

12. Perfect vacation spot?

N: Anywhere with Bryn :) Perhaps Cabo?

B: Anywhere with Bryn - Cabo

13. Pet peeve #1

N: Wringing out the sponge.

B: wet sponge

14. Who's cleaner?

N: So Bryn probably does more cleaning, but I'm cleaner. She'll let her mail pile up for weeks.

B: Nick

15. In the Halloween spirit, what was Nick surprised to learn about Bryn.

N: She's never been real trick-or-treating. I was shocked. The things you take for granted growing up in South Cove!

B: I never went trick or treating as a kid

Headed to Cabo!

2010-11-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

Nick and I are on our way to Cabo today!

Why? Well, we have a little somethin' somethin' planned next Monday. No biggy :-P

Gosh darn it!

2010-11-03T00:01:00.002-07:00

So I went for a run on Monday...you know...want to look good in that dress.

So I'm running, feeling a little faster than normal (probably some pent up stress or something). Running running running......then....trip....oh no!...wait, I can catch myself....nope, no I can't....shit, this is going to hurt....here it comes....skid....skid....skid. Thankfully, I took the majority of the blow in a 1" diameter section of my hand and my right hip. The hand slowed me down in the direction I was running, and the right hip took care of gravity...that's right, I just broke up my fall into vectors.

There's that awesome moment, where you trip and you think you've caught yourself. Then the sad realization that you can't get your lower half to catch up with your upper half. It happened in slow motion.

Needless to say, there was blood, scrapes and a few tears....and I was 1.5 miles from home....without a cell phone. I haven't fallen like that since 1st grade at Linea's house. We were playing tag and I tripped on her gravel driveway. I still have the scars to prove it.

Thanks to the adrenaline, I was able to run home...a little gimpy, with a throbbing hand, but I made it back.

I got home and rinsed it out. But let's be real, without a mom telling you how hard to rinse it, it was kind of a half-assed rinse.

The next morning, I headed to medical at work. I got a little nervous that I didn't clean it well enough and I didn't want to get an infection. Do you know how medical people clean "abrasions"? With a scrubby brush and stingy liquid! Holy crap that hurt like heck! No wonder kids hate the doctor. But it was good for me.

Now I've got a fatty bandaid on my hand and everyone keeps asking what I did. Failed to stay upright, that's what happened. Oh well, at least I protected the face. I guess that's the important part, right? :-)

Shower time!

2010-11-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

My friend, Beth, threw me the world's best shower. Literally. I don't think a person could throw a better one. She's amazing.

Here are her awesome red velvet cupcakes!

Her dining room table filled with all sorts of goodies and beautiful flowers!

The obligatory ribbon bouquet - designed by my sis!

The shower planner! Did I mention that she boarded a plane to Japan 3 hours after the shower? See, told you she was amazing.

Halloween FAIL!

2010-11-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

So....when we moved into our townhouse, Nick got really excited for halloween. He was sure that we were going to get a TON of trick or treaters. So he went out and bought a TON of candy and we told our friends we had to stay at home because Nick wanted to hand out candy.

And that year....we had NO kids.

Next year, the only kids that came were the neighbor girls.

Fast forward to Halloween 2010. Last night we had a knock on our door. It was a trick or treater. And we had NO candy. Nick starts running around the house looking for something to give him. Since it's the 21st century and there are crazy people that try and poison kids, we knew we couldn't give him anything open. Nick pulls out a box of cookies, some granola bars and a bag of cotton candy. So we give him the bag of cotton candy (don't worry moms and dads, it's this cool stuff we got at target and it's actually better than the stuff at the fair because it's fresh).

Nick then asked if I thought he should run to the gas station and buy some candy....because we didn't have any. Poor guy.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! I'm coming back from Seattle today....give me a break :-)

Time wasters

2010-10-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already, these are some great time-wasting websites. Some are more or less appropriate for work....so just look at them at home.

People of Public Transit

People of Walmart

Awkward Family Photos

Enjoy

Speak Now

2010-10-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

I've been listening to Taylor Swifts new album.

I must say, it's pretty good.

But girlfriend needs to lighten up. I look forward to the album she creates after meeting the love of her life, getting married and having a kid. Although her 'i hate you,' 'you suck,' and 'screw you' songs are all awfully fun to run to.

Current favorite is Better than Revenge. People speculate it's about Camilla Belle - who "stole" Joe Jonas's heart right out from Taylor. Don't mess with T. She'll write a nasty song about you.

Aidan's Monsters

2010-10-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

There's a little boy named Aidan and he was diagnosed with Leukemia. To raise money to help pay for medical bills, he sells his drawings on etsy.

I love it.

You can purchase one of his prints HERE.

The Ronans take SF

2010-10-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

2 weekends ago, the Nike women's marathon took place in the streets of SF.

My friend Kelly, and her mom, decided to run the full marathon. Those crazy ladies!

The least we could do was cheer them on! So Nick and I packed up the bikes and drove into the city. We knew Kelly would be wearing a purple shirt.....doh! Unfortunately, all of the Team in Training people (and there are a lot of them) were also wearing purple. So it was like playing a fast paced game of where's waldo.

We eventually found them and got some sweaty hugs!

We then proceeded to try and find a cafe....it was rainy and cold and we wanted something warm and dry.

Then we found the ladies at the finish line! Congrats!

Love this!

At my house, I make my friends work for their dinner!

2010-10-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

We had some friends over last Friday. They (and by they, I mean the girls) helped me finish up some last minute wedding craft projects.

Everyone seems to be having a good time. We served them pizza and brownies....so you can't really complain.

Even our friends Brooke and Raf made it! They have a very new little baby girl, Lana. She actually makes a cameo in the pictures - look left.

Thanks guys!

Jumped on that

2010-10-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

The bandwagon, that its.

Did you hear? The Giants are going to the world series. That's right. The World Series. OMG.

We went to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the game with some friends....and everyone else in the area that wanted to see if the Giants could clinch the series birth.

It was a tight game. So stressful.

Our butts got tired of sitting in bar stools, so we went back to our friends' house to finish watching the game.

Brian Wilson is my hero. First, he's hilarious. He doesn't take himself very seriously and is a bad ass closer.

The last guy was struck out looking.

Here's his victory pose. Love it.

Chris was so pumped, he did it as well. Fear the beard. Let's do this.

Sorry M's....but it's the world series.

Dental Floss

2010-10-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

No, not floss. Dental floss. I love that shit.

I'm picky too. I don't like the cheap stuff that breaks apart. Give me some of the teflon coated, mint flavored goodness.

I have a piece of almond stuck in my teeth right now and I can't wait to run upstairs and get some dental floss.

I floss every night. It's good for your gum health.

Red velvet cupcake batter frozen yogurt

2010-10-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

Yes.

After softball we went to fro yo. Because that's what we do.

And yes, that was one of the flavors. Incredible.

C-section

2010-10-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

We're leaving softball last night and one of the girls on the team brought her parents. Her mom happens to be a labor and delivery nurse. As we are walking towards the cars, Megan tells her mom that Nick and I are getting married in a few weeks.

Her response, "Come to me when you need a c-section!"

Hahahahaha. I'm completely confused and laughing. She then explains that I'm so petite and Nick is so tall....I'll probably need a c-section. Or, the baby will be so skinny it'll just shoot right out. Think about that with your morning coffee :-P

Photo Comparisons - Miyahara styles

2010-10-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

My sister went on an "around the world" trip. Not sure why I put it in quotes....she really went around the world.

In any case, she's slowly getting pictures up. She finally got to Italy....and I've been there! We took a lot of the same pictures (granted, we both took pictures of famous things....so it's not that crazy).

In any case, here are the comparisons. Let's be clear, this is before I ever cared about taking cool pictures and editing them and stuff.

Stace's are on the Left, mine are on the Right.

I can't tell if it's the light or if the dude actually got cleaned between when I took the picture and when Stace took it.

Part of Il Duomo....

I guess I should have gotten closer....fewer people if you're closer.

Some parliament building or something. Not sure where the Italian flags were when Stace was visiting.

The coliseum. Again, why does it look cleaner? Apparently Stacey uses more than just the "I'm feeling lucky" button in Picasa.

Pantheon.

The Miyahara girls, always taking pictures of holes in ceilings.

Mini Apple Pies

2010-10-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

I had leftover pie crust in the fridge and Nick wanted something sweet. I offered to make mini-apple pies in my small ramekins. It turned out delicious! I just put a quarter of the pie crust in each ramekin....didn't worry about making it look nice. Mixed the chopped apples with some vanilla yogurt, sugar and flour and then filled the cups. Baked for 20 minutes, then added the topping - brown sugar, butter, oatmeal and a little flour. Bake for another 20 minutes. Soooo good. If only we had ice cream....

Did I miss the boat?

2010-10-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

Remember when they decided to start printing different pictures on the quarter? They made a HUGE deal about it and people started collecting them and putting them in books and stuff.

Did you know that they did it with pennies too?

Now, don't get me started on pennies....they are pretty useless - unless you are 3 and like pitching them into fountains. Ooooh, they are fun at the casinos.....penny slots....but let's be real, you put in a $20 to start your play - so you still don't need a penny.

Nick noticed the pennies the other day while we were cleaning.

Normal from the front.

Crazy town on the back (we threw in a non-crazy penny for comparison purposes).

Boy scouts let him down

2010-10-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

Nick and some of his friends might go on a fishing weekend trip or something like that.

So I asked him if he knew how to fish. Nope.

Wait.

Isn't this kid an eagle scout?

Doesn't that make him like the top tier of boy scouts?

Don't boy scouts do outdoors-y type stuff?

He knows how to tie weird knots, can basket weave and has a badge in metal working.....all useful skills....but no fishing. I feel like fishing should be on the required badge list. How are these kids suppose to survive in the wild if they can't catch their dinner?

Who steals a recycle bin?

2010-10-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

About 3 weeks ago, Nick goes out to get our recycle and garbage bins and our recycle bin was gone. Everyone has their own (or should). But we figured our hooligan neighbors probably took it.

Sidenote - our neighbors have a sign on their door that says the house is "unsafe to occupy." Apparently they are in forclosure and decided to rip out the toilets, water heater, cabinets, AC and doors. The water heater was the kicker. It went up for auction a few weeks ago but there were no takers....starting bid was probably WAY too high. It's not worth much in it's current condition.

In any case, our recycle bin got jacked. Nick waited a day or 2 and then called the waste management people. They dropped off a new one. So we were set.

THEN, come next Monday, our bin was back - but sans building number. We have bldg and unit numbers - we are Bldg 49, Unit 103. So all it says was 103. Clever....

Since we have a bin, we left it out there. Then there was a nasty gram from the HOA to get it out of the street. So Nick arranged for it to be picked up.

But seriously....what goes through a person's head? They honestly could have just thrown their stuff in our half empty bin. No big deal. Instead, they took ours, kept it in their garage and then put it back out the next week....and left it. At this point, they could just keep it.

California Pizza Kitchen

2010-10-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

So we went to California Pizza Kitchen - or CPK for those in the know.

We sat at the bar - so we wouldn't have to wait - chatted, ordered our food, ate....you know the drill.

The bartender rings up each of our orders separately and there is that code at the bottom of the receipt. You know the one. They tell you to go online later and fill out a survey and you say you will, even though you know you won't. So here's where it gets interesting.

Bartender says, "you girls have an iPhone or blackberry? If you fill this out right now, my manager will give you a coupon for a free appetizer." Hmm, that sweetens the deal. So Lisa starts to fill out the survey.

Manager comes over, and by the time we're done....we have 2 full size desserts and coupons for free appetizers with a $20 purchase for the next time we come in. Awesome!

Ironman

2010-10-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

No, no, no. I will NEVER do an Ironman.

For anyone that doesn't know what an Ironman is, it's a triathlon - a really long one.

2.4 Mile Swim

112 Miles Bike

26.2 Mile Run (yes, a marathon)

It takes a really long time to finish - the fast people do it around 8-9 hrs.

My roommate from freshman year of college, Laura, just competed at the Ironman World Championship in Kona. (That's her on the far right....her dad got us tickets to a Sonics game. We soon learned that NO ONE dresses up for Sonics games. Oh well).

She's always been very determined. She was an exercise fiend! Running, biking and swimming all over the place. I'd never really worked out. I'd say that she first inspired me to start running.

She finished Ironman Canada in 3rd place in her age division. What?! And she just finished competing at the World Championships. I don't know anyone who's ever competed at a world championship. I feel like I know a celebrity. She's incredibly inspiring and a really wonderful person. Congratulations, Laura!

False Advertising

2010-10-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

We "tailgated" in Dublin before heading to the game. We decided to take the 12:22 BART to the Coliseum. The BART takes 2o minutes and the game started at 1:15. So we had plenty of time.

We showed up at the BART station to find a line about 1 block long. WTF? So here's the deal with BART. The idea is great. The execution is incredibly flawed. The electronic ticket machine is not intuitive. You'll just have to take my word for it. This means that everyone trying to purchase tickets takes WAY longer than necessary as they try and figure out how to use the machine. Next - the BART people know there is a game. For Giants games they have extra people staff the station and sell tickets for people with cash. Hello? We ended up getting on BART at 1:05 - almost an hour after we arrived at the station. We only missed a safety and field goal and a touchdown, but who's counting.

Then, BART has the audacity to show this on the big screen. Seriously? Can they really make those kind of promises?

Chilean Miners

2010-10-13T00:01:00.001-07:00

I'm completely fascinated by the Chilean miners stuck in the ground.

I can't believe they lived underground for 2 months and are now being pulled up by a makeshift elevator.

This leads me to engineers and why they are cool. I'm absolutely impressed by how quickly this all came together. Yes, it still sucks to be stuck in the ground for 2 months. But seriously? They dug an ~2 foot diameter hole over 2000 feet into the ground and didn't kill the miners in the process. Then they devised a little elevator system to bring them to the surface.

CNN has a great little graphic that talks about the "elevator." It's 22" in diameter and 6'4" inside(they actually commented that the overweight miners have lost weight...due to lack of food....and should be able to fit in the tiny car). The ride takes about 15 minutes and is a claustrophobic nightmare - as far as I can tell. One of my favorite features is the harness that will keep the miners upright if they pass out. There's also an escape hatch if something goes wrong.....not sure how that 2000 ft slide would feel on your bum.

They aren't all out yet, but I have faith that it will work.

Chargers Fan

2010-10-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

We got to our seats at the Raider's game and were met with this lovely piece of work.

She stood up for the entire 1st quarter. Dancing around. Shaking what her momma gave her. She was incredibly obnoxious (this is coming from a girl that isn't a huge Raiders fan). Some debated about dousing her with beer....but no one did. She was in my way.

You might think that I (and by I, I mean Caresse) snapped this picture at the perfect moment to capture her snarled grin....but no....she had this on the entire game. She had that annoying sticker pasted to her chest....ironic.

She eventually left and was replaced by a pair of very random Raider's fans.

As we were leaving, we thought there might be a brawl. A few Chargers fans were having some heated words with some Raiders fans. Don't think anything came of it. But Caresse did snap a few pictures of a Chargers fan getting arrested. Stay classy, San Diego.

We didn't die.

2010-10-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

I went to my 2nd - ever - NFL game last Sunday. And it was my FIRST Oakland Raider's game. Before we went to the game, when I would tell people where I was going, they'd make comments like:

"Oh, really?"

"Um....have fun?"

"You're not rooting for the other team. Are you?"

"Hope you don't die."

So you can better believe I was looking forward to this! Nevertheless, I bought a Raider's shirt to hedge my bets.

We arrived late...more on that on a later date.

There were people in our seats and we weren't sure if we'd have to bust a few caps to claim what was rightfully ours. No. The seating guy came over and straightened it all out.

Turns out the Raider's fans aren't all that bad. Honestly, the Charger fans were WAY more annoying (I'll save that for tomorrow).

It was an AWESOME game! We had lots of fun.

Hands free? Please.

2010-10-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

Coming back home on Sunday, we spotted this girl. As you may (or may not) know, we have a hands free law in CA. This means, you should use a bluetooth so your HANDS are FREE to touch the steering wheel.

This is really common. People think that if they don't hold the phone to their ear, they are "hands free." I love it. And I finally caught it on camera. No, no. I wasn't driving.

And as Nick said - if she's going to do that, at least hold the phone a little lower so no one can see it.

Here's a trick. If you don't have your bluetooth handy, stick the phone under your collar on speaker. It'll hold it close enough for you to talk and listen.

Ikea

2010-10-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

The tissue paper debacle of 2010 is now over.

I thought I'd talk about one of my favorite stores. Ikea.

First, let's start out with the food. Have you ever eaten at Ikea? If you haven't, you should. Breakfast is cheaper than the grand slam at Denny's and you can get Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes and loganberry sauce - it beats the pants off cranberry sauce....maybe a new addition to this years Thanksgiving....but I digress. If you don't partake in the cafeteria delights, at least stop by the counter on your way out for a frozen yogurt for <$1.

I first fell in love during high school. It was the only furniture store I could afford. I bought random mirrors and shelves to try and personalize my room.

In college, I got colorful duvet covers, end tables and dishes. And during my post college years, we turned 2 shelves into a mantle.

I recently found this AWESOME blog. Ikea Hacker. People use ikea furniture for new and different uses. One of my favorites was a door that someone turned into a water feature. Some are better than others and some look very "hacked." But for every few hacks, there's some awesome new ideas.

Enjoy.

Here are a few photos I took from the site.

Update

2010-10-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

In an effort to buy < 480 sheets, I visited target and the local craft store. Apparently, ordinary people cannnot purchase 20"x30" tissue paper. I'll be making an online purchase later today.

Tissue Paper

2010-10-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

I don't typically need a lot of tissue paper. But I decided to make some tissue paper art. It requires 8 pieces of 20" x 30" sheets. I want to make 6ish.

Did you know that tissue paper is typically sold in packs of 8, 24 and 480. Because the logical next step after 24 is 480.

Slow news day.

I apologize.

A trip down memory lane

2010-10-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

Nick and I are trying to pick music....which is turning out to be kind of hard....either way, we've taken quite the little trip down memory lane. It's kinda funny what some of these songs make you remember. Here are some of the random ones we've come across and what I remember thinking.

Aerosmith - I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing

What I was thinking - I want to be an astronaut. Damn, Ben Affleck is a good looking man.

Mariah Carey - Always Be My Baby

What I was thinking - Summer camp wasn't this much fun.

Beach Boys - Kokomo

This was my favorite song in kindergarten. One day, after I cleaned my room really well, my dad got me the cassette tape single and I played it in my fisher price cassette player on repeat.

Awesome.

Teatro

2010-10-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

We topped off our weekend at Teatro Zinzanni. It was a fun night of food and entertainment.

The highlight may have been the 80-90 year old woman, Alice, that was pulled on stage to dance with the master of ceremonies. His mole grew throughout the night.

Wedding, what?

2010-10-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

Some friends from out of town (and some from CA) were nice enough to indulge me with a little pre-wedding party. (aka bachelorette party)

To be sure I had some nice clothing for the occasion, my sister made me this shirt. As in - she designed it and had someone put the design on a t-shirt.

While I'm obviously partial to her skills, I actually think she could make some dinero selling these to girls.

Nicely done, sis.

Dish!

2010-10-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

Our neighbor was able to hook us up with some VIP passes to Dish. Dish is sponsored by SF weekly and benefits Street Smart 4 Kids. A ton of local restaurants and wineries bring small tastes and drinks for everyone to enjoy.

They start out by giving everyone plastic tumblers and paper plates. Then you walk around the room, grabbing all the yummy food and drinks.

Here's a chef prepping his ceviche, handed out on little individual spoons.

Poke. It's a Hawaiian dish made with raw fish, we ate sooo much of this. It was super good.

The event was held at the top of the Metreon in SF. Here's a view from the outdoor terrace. Awesome.

Lisa and I, just chillin'.

I heart Erik Folk

2010-10-03T19:20:00.000-07:00

I love me some Husky football. Especially when we beat the pants off of those little rich kids!

Huskies beat USC on Saturday - clinched by an Erik Folk field goal. That kid is incredible. Absolutely incredible.

I sniped a few pictures from the Seattle Times website.

Saw this little gem on a youtube video from the game. Love it. Poor kids can't spell.