a.cup.o.joe.c

Wedding Shoes

2012-01-22T16:29:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite details of our wedding was our shoes. We both wore matching Onitsuka Tigers in Caribbean Blue purchased from Zappos.com. My hubby has always loved these particular shoes and they come in so many fun colors that we couldn't resist having the groomsmen wear this style as well. Wearing tennis shoes for my wedding was so fun made me feel so much freedom to run around, jump and just have fun . . . and my feet were never sore. Plus I get to re-wear them all the time and people recognize them as my "wedding shoes."

DIY Manzanita Centerpieces and Wood Table Numbers

2011-12-31T21:54:00.000-08:00

Hello blog world. Its's been awhile since I've posted. We've been busy with the holidays and moving to our new house (also pictures of that to come). I've been meaning to post some of the DIY projects and details from our wedding . . . so here's the first!

Doing a wedding on a limited budget definitely had it's challenges, but we had fun getting creative and using the things we had access to. And what we had access to was a lake and forest (and lots of helpful friends). For our centerpieces we cut 35 manzanita branches from behind my house (free, except for the scars from traipsing through the forest), set them in flower pots from Lowes (less than $2 each) and held them in with concrete ($40ish). We found the tea light lanterns online for $2.75. The table numbers (the date of our wedding shown below) were made from wood from my in-law's firewood pile. We sliced them, drilled holes, twisted copper wire from Home Depot in them, and used a stencil and a sharpie to color in the numbers. Easy! And lastly we covered the top of the concrete with bark.

We are selling the manzanita pots for $15 each in case you're interested. They make great jewelry trees if you trim them a bit. I think we have 18 left. Local pick up only (or you pay shipping). The wood numbers are also for sale individually. Let me know if you're interested or if you have any questions on more of the specifics on our projects!

Chocolate Coconut Biscotti

2011-10-25T18:06:00.000-07:00

Here is a little twist on my usual chocolate biscotti recipe. (Oh! And in interesting biscotti news, I will be making my biggest batch of biscotti ever next month, when I'll make a couple hundred pieces and several flavors, for a co-workers fall-themed wedding. I can't wait!) Back to the main point . . . I had a bag of coconut shavings in the cupboard, so I googled "how to toast coconut" and it turned out to be quite simple!

Preheat oven to 350. Place coconut in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Heat the flakes for a few minutes (I found that I needed to use a spatula to keep them rotating on the sheet). Let them cool.

After I toasted the coconut, I melted regular chocolate chips, and then dipped the biscotti in the chocolate . . . then in coconut. They are quite yummy if I do say so myself (especially with a non-sweet coffee!)

Let me know if you want the biscotti recipe and I'll send it your way!

Let the Fall Baking Begin!!

2011-10-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been way too long since I've blogged. I guess in the craziness of planing a wedding and working full time, blogging was something that got put on the back burner. Now that life is settling into a new normal, I'm just as excited about fall baking as I am about blogging again.

There will be lots of upcoming blogs from me about many of the details and do-it-yourself projects from our wedding. So stay tuned! But in the meantime, here was the kick-off to my fall baking. Mini pumpkin muffins with apple-pears. I think apple-pears (which is a cross between an apple and a pear) are only a thing of Central California. But they sure are tasty and they added the perfect flavor to these muffins.

A Downtown Engagement Shoot

2011-07-30T19:47:00.000-07:00

Better late than never . . . but as promised in an earlier post, here are a few of our engagement photos. These were all taken in downtown Whittier, CA several months ago. Enjoy!

Just another day at Hume San Diego

2011-07-07T01:18:00.000-07:00

My Fiance's The Best!

2011-06-17T20:03:00.000-07:00

He surprised me this week with new seating for my fire pit. I love it!

It's Been Awhile . . .

2011-06-17T19:46:00.000-07:00

Sorry readers . . . life has been crazy busy lately and the fun things like blogging are the first that get left behind. So I'm going to quickly catch up on a few posts.

Here's the first. I haven't shown you any of my recent latte art, so here's one of the better ones from this week.

Ready for Summer

2011-06-12T14:14:00.000-07:00

This weekend I decided to rake my yard for the first time since I've lived in my house (2 years). It is now ready for many summer nights of fires and smores!

Before

After

Wedding Lesson #2: Have Good Friends

2011-05-21T09:04:00.001-07:00

Ok, ok . . . here's a sneak peak of our engagement photos. We will post the rest after our save the dates are mailed , but I couldn't resist sharing at least one.

These were taken by our wonderful friend, Karley Mase. Check out his stuff at karleymase.com. Having wonderful and talented friends has been incredibly helpful in the wedding planning process. We have friends helping with cooking, design, and pretty much everything!

Wedding Lesson #1: Use what you have

2011-05-14T15:53:00.000-07:00

Using what I have access to has already been the biggest money saver in planning our wedding. The price of wedding venues is through the roof . . . often costing more than the entire budget I have. They (whoever they are) say that a venue may be up to 50% of your budget. I say no, that I'd rather have it be 0% of my budget. So that's what we did.

I may not have a lot of things for a wedding, but I have a lake. One of the perks of being on staff at the camp where my fiance and I work, is that we have the option to have a wedding on the grounds. At $0, that was an easy decision for us. It's free, it's beautiful, it's our home and we get discounts on lodging for our guests. It's perfect.

Wedding on a Budget

2011-05-14T15:24:00.000-07:00

To my faithful blog readers . . . .

I have decided to add another category to my blog over these next few months. With my wedding being 4 months away, I figured it would be fun to share my process of planning a DIY wedding with a budget of $5,500. I love the challenge of putting on a great event and figuring out the most efficient and budget friendly way to do it. I will be totally open about finances and ways that I'm saving (or losing) money. Hopefully you'll find my journey entertaining, inspiring and helpful.

I will probably keep some of my projects a secret and then post them after the wedding. At least some things need to be a surprise for our guests!

Enjoy!

Meet My Dance Company

2011-05-03T23:05:00.000-07:00

Check it out! After 2 1/2 sad years of no dancing for me, I'm now not only dancing, but teaching. This is my dance company along with my co-director Charles (pictured center). We've been working with these high schoolers since October and have been teaching them hip hop, and some other dance stuff. Their big showcase, called Play it Loud is this Thursday. We can't wait to show them off!

Hume Apparel Logo

2011-04-30T14:34:00.000-07:00

With today's morning coconut cappuccino . . . I kind of ended up with the Hume Apparel logo. Kind of. I may try to work on that one ;-)

My Year in Easter Eggs

2011-04-25T23:17:00.000-07:00

I think it's a leaf

2011-04-23T18:17:00.001-07:00

The Corner Office

2011-04-15T20:39:00.000-07:00

No, my job hasn't changed . . . but I did get to move offices, and now I am enjoying the only office here that has a view of the lake :-) I gotta say, it's nice to finally have an office with a window and a door. I feel like I'm moving up in the word. Key word: feel.

My Dad is the Best

2011-04-05T23:15:00.000-07:00

Pretty Places

2011-03-21T21:08:00.000-07:00

This was quite the transition in climates over the last couple of days.

14,531 Feet . . .

2011-03-19T01:01:00.000-07:00

. . . that's how far I fell through the sky today. Never in a million years did I ever think I would go sky diving. But I decided to not pass up the opportunity, and I'm so glad I didn't! It was awesome. And I didn't even feel like I was falling. It was quite the experience. I would highly recommend it. And seeing the North Shore of Oahu from 3 miles above the ground was something I'll never forget.

Party.Wedding.Party.

2011-03-08T17:58:00.001-08:00

Improving . . .

2011-03-05T16:32:00.000-08:00

Here's a few of my recent coffee drinks. I think my latte art is getting better! At least it's beginning to be more consistent. I should probably start adding some other designs to my repertoire though. You don't want to see a hundred pictures of leaves from me. Anyone know how to make anything else?

Ziplines and Tea

2011-02-27T17:38:00.000-08:00

A couple of weekends ago, while in the Santa Cruz/Mt. Hermon area for my friends Dave and Keri's wedding . . . we spent a morning doing a zipline tour through the redwoods and then they took the wedding party and treated us to an afternoon of tea tasting and yummy food at Asana. It's this cool tea house and restaurant that has awesome loose leaf tea. We had such a fun time getting to know the rest of the wedding party and their significant others, and it was a great treat to spend time with Dave and Keri instead of just doing crazy wedding stuff.

The teas were so yummy and the food was just as tasty. My favorite of the teas that we tried was a white coconut tea. Had I had my wallet with me, I probably would of have bought some on the spot. If you're ever in Santa Cruz, you've got to check out this place.

Cinnamon Honey Cappuccino

2011-02-12T23:06:00.000-08:00

Today this home barista tried something new. This was my version of a cappuccino made with cinnamon and honey. The honey was placed in the bottom of the cup so that the espresso melted it. And the cinnamon was just on top . . . then I gave it all a little stir to get the nice swirly pattern. I think this one's a keeper!

My Chair Project

2011-02-12T18:47:00.000-08:00

I just realized that I never showed you my finished chairs! I posted about these back in September when I acquired this set of old chairs. They sat on my deck for a couple of months until a few months ago I finally repainted them with gray spray paint, and then re-upholstered them with some fabric I found at Ikea and the help of a staple gun. I'm pretty sure this whole project was less than $40. Hooray for doing it myself!

Before

After

I found the one!

2011-02-06T20:27:00.000-08:00

Nathan was easier to pick out than a wedding dress. But today I got to ring the bell . . . because I found my wedding dress and bought it right there on the spot and took it home with me! Of course you don't get to see pictures ;-) But it's amaaaaazing and I can't wait to wear it!

Latte Art from Kean Coffee

2011-02-06T20:22:00.001-08:00

Latte art makes me happy. This one came from Kean Coffee in Tustin, CA today.

Sometimes . . .

2011-02-06T19:22:00.000-08:00

. . . you just gotta try out sleeping bags in the store. (We are so excited to have just registered at REI for our wedding!)

If you're ever in Irvine, CA . . .

2011-01-09T16:13:00.000-08:00

. . . You've got to check out the 85 Degrees Cafe. The only one in the US is minutes away from my parent's house, the rest are in Taiwan, China and Australia. It's a unique coffee shop and bakery. The moment I stepped through the door I felt like I was in another country. There are interesting baked goods, non of which are labeled, and fun asian-y coffee and tea drinks. I tried this little thing which ended up being a really light cake with blueberry stuff in it. The inside was almost completely hollow which made it seem like a much more manageable dessert for me.

The drink they are famous for, and what got this place listed in some magazine as one of the top 10 places to visit on the west coast, is their sea salt coffee. Yep, sea salt. Nathan opted to try this one. The coffee itself is a tad sweet, but the foam on top is foamed with sea salt in it. The combo is really unique, and I almost didn't know how to handle the fact that the coffee had an aftertaste that tasted like salted butter. Definitely an experience though.

I on the other hand decided to try an iced grapefruit green tea with boba. It was awesome and super tart. It even had the little chunks that grapefruit juice has. I could go for one of those right now . . .

I'm a little behind . . .

2011-01-04T23:30:00.000-08:00

After more than 2 weeks away, 5 different Christmas celebrations, 1,500 miles driven, 2 more dentist visits, and getting engaged . . . needless to say I've been pretty busy and blogging has fallen to the wayside recently. But here's the beginning of catching up. Here was my Christmas card that I sent out for 2010. It was the first one I've sent out on my own, and I have my wonderful sister to thank for helping me design it and make it.

In Other News . . .

2010-12-31T23:00:00.000-08:00

Holiday Biscotti

2010-12-05T16:05:00.000-08:00

As promised, I have made a more festive version of my chocolate peppermint biscotti. This time the chocolate wasn't peppermint flavored, but I rather dipped them in crushed peppermint candy. I actually tried a new recipe for chocolate biscotti instead of using the healthier version made with egg whites and oil that I have made before. These are made with butter and the full egg, but I didn't mix in the regular and white chocolate chips that it called for. I like both recipes, so I'll probably use both of them in the future, depending on what I feel like. Hopefully these will be a big hit at our Christmas party and bake-0ff contest tomorrow.

Ikea Cappuccino Cups

2010-12-04T10:32:00.000-08:00

It's been a little over a month since I got my espresso machine and I finally got a set of cappuccino mugs so I could work on my latte art at home. I found these great plain 9 oz ceramic cups at Ikea for $4 for a cup and saucer set. Here's a picture of my first attempt at latte art with my own machine and cups. Soy milk, D'arte espresso and an Ikea mug . . . what a good combo.

What Did You Do This Week?

2010-12-03T20:10:00.000-08:00

Amidst 101 other projects and things to do at work this week I got to stuff 500 letters into 500 books and stuff them into 500 envelopes and put 500 return labels on them.

And next week? We'll sign 500 cards, print out 500 address labels and put it all together.

. . . what a week.

Rogalski Family

2010-11-30T18:13:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful and beautiful family I have! Here's a few pictures we took after Thanksgiving.

Surgery Day

2010-11-24T13:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my day started with a simple trip to the dentist. One of my bottom wisdom teeth has been giving me occassional trouble since summer. A couple of weeks ago it was the worst it had ever been. It was so painful that I started taking medicine for it, and even part of my jaw became numb. So it was finally time to take care of it. I showed up at the dentist yesterday so they could pull it out since the tooth was already mostly out of the skin. But after looking at my x-rays the dentist discovered that my tooth was partially encased by bone and that the root was connected to the nerve at the bottom of the jaw. I risked nerve damage if the dentist pulled it out. So they scheduled me a rush surgery yesterday afternoon.

I ended up getting both of my bottom wisdom teeth taken out. The other was still under the skin but the surgeon said it was also held by bone and close to the nerve as well. (My top 2 wisdom teeth are already out of the skin, so the dentist will pull those out at Christmas). It turns out that age 25 seems to be the cut off for there being an increase in un-heal-able nerve damage to the lip, jaw and chin with a surgery like this. I'd wished my dentist would have warned me about that before my teeth ever started bothering me because these should have been taken out years ago as a preventative measure. I am right on the cusp age-wise for the higher risk of nerve damage, but already I have all of my feeling back! Yay!

The surgery went well. I was a little nervous about the IV, but it hurt way less than I thought it would. The doctor even thought I had a beautiful vein in my arm. He couldn't miss it. haha. I tried to remain as conscious as I could so I could remember how everything happened . . . but I don't even remember getting sleepy. When I started waking up, I actually thought that that was me starting to get sleepy. But I was already done! I have many gaps in my memory after waking up, and even things and conversations I had later yesterday that I thought I was "all-there" for, I am a little fuzzy on today. I do remember getting into the wheelchair and being proud of myself (I guess I gave a lot of thumbs up and thank yous to the doctor and nurses and my mom). At least I was a kind patient while I wasn't in my right mind. So I remember getting into the wheelchair, but I don't remember going down the elevator. I remember going through the front door to the parking lot, but the next thing I knew I was getting into the car. Like I said, lots of gaps.

I was put on the couch as soon as I got home. I think I fell asleep really fast. For hours after the surgery my mouth, cheeks, chin and tongue felt HUGE!! But there was no pain until a few hours later. My medicine must have worn off right as my dad got home with my prescriptions. I instantly got really dizzy and had a crazy heat flash. The pain was not fun either. But I took my meds, and instantly fell back asleep. Since then, the pain has been manageable. I was woken up this morning with miserable heartburn and another dizzy/nauseous/hot flash. I think it was because I took a pill in the middle of the night on an empty stomach.

I've had a few pretty bad moments, but generally it's all been fairly manageable. Already I can tell that with the one tooth gone, my mouth and face seem to feel happier. Ironically, the more painful one for healing is the tooth that was still under the skin, the one that wasn't bothering me. Maybe that's because there had to be more cuts into flesh. There's even a little piece of the inside of my cheek missing.

Anyways, sorry that was long. Even if recovering isn't fun, and even though this cost me a ton of money, I'm glad to have this all taken care of and I think I will be better in the long run.

First Snowfall. . .

2010-11-24T12:52:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning I woke up to the first snowfall of the season! It was so beautiful. Nathan and I drove to Escondido after this first little snowstorm before the second one hit. I guess there's been another couple of feet since I've been home.

The view from my bedroom window

Getting ready to head down the mountain

On the drive

The storm clouds were so pretty with the setting sun behind them.

Pumpkin Shortbread Cookies

2010-11-24T12:43:00.000-08:00

For last week's Thanksgiving potluck dinner with our community I decided to add a twist to a traditional shortbread cookie. I used my mom's shortbread recipe that I remember having as a kid each Christmas. Then I made a butter cream frosting, added food coloring, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. A little sprinkle of cinnamon finished them off. The cookie part was great, and my pumpkin-ish frosting was also really yummy . . . but I think shortbread is better left alone. Why mess with a good thing? But these must have been a hit since they were all eaten up.

Taking the Show on the Road

2010-11-21T19:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I packed up my espresso machine and grinder, four pounds of coffee, a couple of syrup flavors and all my coffee accessories and left to enjoy a week of Thanksgiving vacation with friends, family and good coffee.

An Afternoon With Rebecca

2010-11-21T18:21:00.000-08:00

Today I got to see my wonderful friend Rebecca. What a great day.

Thai Curry Soup

2010-11-14T16:40:00.000-08:00

Ok, I just have to rave about this soup I had yesterday. It was the best thing I've eaten in a long time and is remarkably close (other than a different type of noodle) to the Thai soup I had in Thailand last year.

This came from Noodles & Company in Elk Grove. The restaurant serves basically anything you can do with noodles from mac 'n cheese, to chicken noodles soup to international noodle dishes. I was super impressed. This Thai soup had a coconut milk and curry broth with noodles, grilled tofu, mushrooms, tomatoes, cabbage, onions and some other stuff. It was amazing and totally hit the spot! I wish I knew how to make this. I'm so excited to have discovered Noodles & Company. But unfortunately, there's only 3 in California: Elk Grove, Roseville and San Diego.

Peppermint Chocolate Biscotti

2010-11-14T15:31:00.000-08:00

Last week I made these peppermint chocolate biscotti. This is my main recipe for any chocolate biscotti I make. It's supposed to be a little healthier than normal biscotti recipes . . . but to liven them up I dipped them in peppermint chocolate. That's healthy right?

The recipe calls for them to be made with strong brewed coffee. Coffee haters have no fear . . . you can't even taste it. I think I'll make a more festive version of these for Christmas and put peppermint chunks in the dough and on the outside. In the meantime, here's the recipe in case you want to try it out. I think there's so many fun variations you can do with this. Don't worry, I'll let you know when I come up with new varieties. Let me know if you have any good ideas!

Prep: 30 minutes plus cooling
Bake: About 50 minutes
Makes: 48 biscotti

Ingredients:
3 Egg whites
1/3 Cup vegetable oil
2 Tbs strong brewed coffee
1 Tsp vanilla extract
1 2/3 Cups flour
3/4 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup unsweetened cocoa
1 Tsp baking powder
1/4 Tsp baking soda
1/4 Tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease cookie sheet (I like to use parchment paper).
2. In a small bowl, beat together egg whites, oil, coffee (I used shots of espresso) and vanilla.
3. In a large bowl stir together flour and remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Shape mixture into two 12" by 1" logs. Place both on cookie sheet and flatten slightly. Bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes.
4. Transfer logs to cutting board. Slice diagonally into scant 1/2 inch think biscotti. Arrange biscotti, cut side up, on cookie sheet.
5. Bake 20 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Store in airtight jar up to 1 month.

Homemade Pumpkin Latte

2010-11-10T21:00:00.000-08:00

This was my homemade pumpkin latte. It consisted of two shots of espresso, steamed milk, a little of the Torani pumpkin spice syrup (which really doesn't taste like pumpkin at all), a dash of allspice and cloves in the drink and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top. Yum!

Handmade Wood Coasters

2010-11-07T15:04:00.000-08:00

Check out my new set of coasters. They are handmade by Charles from some "special wood" that I probably shouldn't have in my possession. But since I live in the National Park . . . we'll just say it's ok since the tree hasn't left it's natural environment.

This is a set of eight, and they came in their own handy-dandy little holder. I love them and will enjoy them with many cups of coffee tea this winter.

An hour and a half, a bruised lip, and a pound of coffee later . . .

2010-10-28T16:12:00.000-07:00

Finally, this coffee lover has bought her first espresso machine!! It's a Rancilio Silvia with the Rocky doser grinder, bought from seattlecoffeegear.com. (And aside from my college education, this is the most expensive thing I've ever bought. Eek!) These machines are pretty much the same price everywhere online, but Seattle Coffee Gear offered the most "freebies" with it. Like: shot glasses, a thermometer, cleaning supplies, a milk steaming pitcher, a tamp, and a free pound of coffee. Everything to get you started as a home barista. Thanks Seattle Coffee Gear!

It came in the mail yesterday and I spent the afternoon figuring it all out. Espresso is a very temperamental thing, even the slightest change of bean, grind or temperature can change the way the shots pull. My first shots were really bitter, but an hour and a half and a whole pound of coffee later . . . I finally had some semi-usable shots!

And the bruised lip? I was washing the tray and when I was drying it, somehow I pushed my hand off of it, and then the tray swung back and the edge hit me in the lip. So then I had a painful bruise, coffee and coffee grinds splattered all over my walls, counter and floor. But it was worth it! The learning curve can be pretty steep with a machine like this . . . but I was thrilled with the progress of one afternoon. It's only going to get better from here!

I can't wait to make you some coffee! Come on over :-)

So excited that my espresso machine is here!

This is the first time I've tamp'ed espresso since I left Coffee Bean 2 1/2 years ago. It was a great feeling!

The first lattes

Progress. These aren't perfect shots, but after a pound of coffee worth of bad shots, these looked really good and tasted waaaay less bitter than the earlier ones!

The fabulous duo!

Fall in my Backyard

2010-10-23T14:48:00.000-07:00

Since I've gotten my motorcycle I haven't done as much walking around. So today I did a little exploring in the forest next to my house. There are not a ton of trees and plants that change color here in the Sierra Nevadas . . . but the ones that do look amazing right now!

Chewy Molasses Cookies

2010-10-23T13:57:00.000-07:00

Fall is my absolute favorite time to bake. Flavors like pumpkin, cinnamon, and gingerbread are just fabulous. The cooler weather means more time inside with friends, games, movies, good cups of coffee . . . and yummy treats. And if you hadn't noticed already . . . my baking tends to revolve around the things that go great with coffee and tea. This week I made some chewy molasses cookies. They are quick and easy to make. Feel free to be generous with the spices. I always add a little more.

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Ready In: 1 hr 20 minutes
Yields: 30 Servings

Ingredients:
3/4 cups melted butter or margarine
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ginger

1. In a medium bowl, mix the melted butter, sugar and egg until smooth. Stir in the molasses. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and ginger. Blend in the molasses mixture. Cover and chill dough for 1 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in white sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.

3. Bake 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven until the tops are cracked. Cool on wire racks.

Walk Around the Lake-Less

2010-10-15T20:17:00.000-07:00

Every fall the lake here is drained in preparation for winter. I think it's so that the ice doesn't put too much pressure on the dam. Anyways, this year the lake is being drained basically to the bottom (normally there's a stream that runs through it) so that a valve on the dam can be fixed. Nathan and I took the opportunity to walk around the lake . . . actually rather in the lake, to see what there was. Here's some pictures from our afternoon. Nathan took all the pictures on my little camera . . . so I can't take credit for these.

Bears! There were tooooons of bear prints. Mountain lion ones too!

All the snails get left when the water goes down.

Cool shadows.

More snails.

Lakeweed and a stump that's always under water.

I found some crawdad looking thing.

It was very muddy. I didn't do so well. Thank goodness for Gore-Tex shoes.

Hmmm . . . umbrella in a tree stump?

The sign above me is the measure of how low the water is at the dam.

Us and the pretty sky . . . which you can't see here.

Ahhh, so pretty!

My First Loaf

2010-10-03T14:28:00.000-07:00

I have just entered into the world of baking loaves. I bought a loaf pan last weekend, and here is the result of my first attempt. Its a recipe for molasses spice muffins. I doubled the spices, added some ground cloves, made a crumbly top and then made a light vanilla sugar glaze (I think I'd do that a little thicker next time). Overall, I think it turned out great for my first loaf. Hopefully it will be the first of many more!

Gingerbread Scones

2010-09-19T17:50:00.000-07:00

Devotees will remember my "not-so-sensational" blueberry scones from awhile back. I decided to make another attempt at scones and made some gingerbread ones today. They weren't nearly as bad as my other ones . . . but still aren't 100% what I'm looking for in scones. These had a good flavor, and the top which was slightly crispy from eggs whites and sugar baked on was really yummy, but the scone itself was a little dense for my liking. But at least I made some progress this time. I'm thinking my next ones will be great. Third time's a charm!

Latte Art - Training Day #2

2010-09-18T23:13:00.000-07:00

Today I got to work on some latte art again. I got some new pointers, and I think I made a little progress. Here were two of today's creations.

We'll call that one a flower . . .

. . . and this one fire . . . or a leaf, whichever you think.

Latte Art . . . Well Maybe One Day

2010-09-17T19:06:00.001-07:00

Ta da! Here's my first real attempt at latte art after a little lesson from my friend Elisa and the help of her nice Expobar espresso machine and Caffe D'arte espresso.

I think I could get it with more practice, and I fully intend to. Latte art is one of those things that I really want to accomplish in my lifetime. But being that I only own a french press and a hand-held frother . . . I probably should think about getting a nice espresso machine. Anyone wanna buy me one or give me one? :-)

Here's to hoping for an espresso machine one day . . .

Pumpkin Goodness

2010-09-17T18:38:00.000-07:00

I've always been a sucker for anything pumpkin so last weekend I made these caramel frosted pumpkin cookies. They are quite yummy if I do say so myself. The cookie itself has all the great fall spices I love (I think I even added some extra to it) and isn't super sweet. It pairs so well with the sweet and hardened caramel frosting. Carmel you say? Yep. I was skeptical on that too, and wouldn't normally say that I love caramel . . . but it's perfect with the cookie. The frosting recipe called for vanilla and maple extract, but since I had no maple, I just used vanilla . . . and I would keep it like that in the future. I've still got some cookies left . . . come on over!

I'm keeping this recipe for sure!

Let's Take A Vote . . .

2010-09-11T17:33:00.000-07:00

Today I spent the afternoon painting the chairs I got at Country Fair. These will be for my office. The color is a little bluer than I would have hoped, but I think they'll still turn out nicely. Next I need to pick out some fabric to re-cover the cushions. Let me know what you think would be best. Here's a few options . . . .

Number 1

Number 2

Number 3

Number 4

Number 5

Number 6

Number 7

Number 8

Number 9

Number 10

Number 11

His, Hers, and Costa Rica

2010-09-09T18:41:00.001-07:00

Nathan left for Costa Rica today and must have forgotten his sweatshirt at my house. But I had a smile today when I noticed our sweatshirts hanging out together.

Adding to the History

2010-09-08T19:06:00.000-07:00

This is one of the Memorial Chapel benches. There is probably 40 plus years of history carved and scratched into them. They were being sold at the Country Fair this past weekend so before they were sold, the boyfriend and I decided that we should add our own little piece of history to it before it goes to a new family.

I'm a Big Fan . . .

2010-09-06T10:49:00.000-07:00

. . . of my newly revamped ceiling fan!

I've been in my house for a year and three months now, and it's been a year and three months that I have been looking at a ceiling fan with no blades on it. The original fan blades drooped and died when there was a mold problem in the house which soaked into the blades (as well as every wall).

The house has since been bleached and repainted . . . but the only lasting evidence of the problem has been the missing fan blades. My dad got me some new fan blades, Nathan painted them black and found some grommets, I picked out the chains, and presto . . . I now have a fan!!! Too bad it's at the end of the warm summer weather. But it sure looks a whole lot nicer!

Stony Creek Adventures

2010-08-30T12:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got to go check out Stony Creek for the first time. It's about a half an hour away. It is so beautiful. I loved all the different little plants that grow up between all the rocks. It was a fun afternoon (and of course I was the one who had a little slip and go into the river - thank goodness for Gore-Tex shoes!). It was a little chilly but we hiked in bathing suits and sweatshirts and then slid down some rocks into one of the pools. I'm not nearly as crazy as my friends are, so it took a little time for me to gear up to slide into an icy cold pool . . . but in the end I did it. Maybe I'll put the video of my slide up later. In the mean time, enjoy the pictures of another one of my outdoor adventures.

Camping in my Backyard

2010-08-29T18:31:00.000-07:00

I have been a mountain dweller for two and a quarter years now . . . and can you believe it, I haven't been camping once since I've been living in the mountains?! So last weekend a few of us decided to see if we could hack it. We camped at Forest Camp, which is really just in our backyard. Seriously, it's within camp and is like 30 seconds away. But even though it was super close to home, it still felt like we were in the middle of nowhere, especially since there was no bathroom, scary night time sounds and a bear that came through our camp. We survived though and look forward to when we can have another camping trip. Here's some pictures of our 1 night camping trip:

Henna

2010-08-29T18:23:00.000-07:00

Check out the recent henna I got on my foot. It was done by the one and only Rachel Pearsey. She made the henna herself (well, not the plant . . . but the mixture).

I may not have a car . . .

2010-08-22T21:37:00.000-07:00

. . . but now I have a motorcycle!! It's a 1972 Honda CT70 (on the right) and matches Nathan's. His is a 1973, but the only way you can tell it's different is the Honda stickers. Nathan has had his for several months and has been enjoying riding it around camp for the summer. So when the seller that he bought his bike from listed another teal one online on Friday, we jumped at the opportunity to get me one!

It's so fun and easy to ride. It's three speeds with an automatic clutch, which makes it super easy to shift. We spent the afternoon riding around the subdivision and on the surrounding trails.

Now it just needs a name (actually they both need names). Any ideas??

Some Summer Fun

2010-08-18T17:58:00.000-07:00

So a couple of weeks ago Nathan and I and some of our fabulous friends got to spend a weekend at the Schakkett's awesome beach house at Lake Nacimiento. We enjoyed a weekend of wakeboarding, boating, sea-doing, kayaking and swimming. It was so beautiful and so fun to spend time at a different lake. We did lots of driving and had a lot of late nights that weekend, but it was so worth it. Here's some pictures from the weekend!

Kaaaatttiiee!

Just enjoying summer together . . .

Ummm yeah . . . Karley is crazy

The girls

Friends!

The end to a great weekend

Home Improvements

2010-08-11T17:05:00.000-07:00

I love home improvements! Recently my parents came for a couple of days and helped with a few little home improvements for my humble abode. My favorite? Getting outdoor lights on my porch!! They look so great at night since it's sooo very dark here in the mountains at night.

Also in the works soon here will be newly painted fan blades and hopefully a couple homemade outdoor benches!

Tea Moments

2010-08-06T23:41:00.000-07:00

During my summer travels I've gotten to enjoy a couple of cool tea things. Check out this cup of tea that I got at a fantastic bakery in San Diego called Con Pane. I love the idea of holding a loose leaf tea bag with a stir stick. Brilliant!

Sorry this next picture isn't great. This is the Elephant's Ear in Terrace, British Columbia. Terrace is a small town and not exactly what I'd call a cool or interesting city . . . but this coffee shop was surprisingly hip. I loved the artwork on the walls and how the place was decorated. It was both natural, and modern - my favorite combo! I wish I could have spent more time here.

But I did enjoy a nice chai latte while I was there.

A Canadian and Alaskan Vacation

2010-08-06T21:47:00.000-07:00

It's been waaaaay too long since I've blogged. Sorry to my faithful readers. Life has gotten so busy this summer. I have hardly even had a waking moment to myself. But now that I have a spare moment . . . here's a few pictures from my recent trip to Canada and Alaska. More blog posts coming soon!

In British Columbia, near the Alaskan border

The view from my car window on the drive from B.C. to Alaska

Alaska

There were lots of glaciers on the way to Alaska

Fire Weed

Kleanza Creek, B.C. Canada

My family minus 8 (missing an aunt, an uncle, 3 cousins, 2 husbands of cousins and a new baby)

We had a pajama pant making party with the girls

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

2010-06-24T19:29:00.001-07:00

. . . my seeeeester and Yogurtland. Enough said.

Borrowing the Forest

2010-06-20T21:06:00.000-07:00

I have decided that since I live in the great outdoors, I should probably bring some more "natural" stuff into my house. I want to develop my own style which I have decided to call "natural modern."

So yesterday on my hike I gathered a ton of these little sequoia pinecones, as well as a big piece of wood. I'm not quite sure what to do with it all yet . . . so likely this will all change, but here's how it's sitting in my house as of now.

Hiking Sugarbowl Trail

2010-06-20T15:27:00.000-07:00

Just a few miles from my home is the largest concentration of Giant Sequoias in the world. Crazy huh? I had no idea. So yesterday afternoon Katie and Aaron and I set off on the 6 1/2 mile Sugarbowl Trail in Redwood Canyon to see this sight for ourselves. It really was impressive. Every tree was just enormous and we could get right in there and touch them and walk under them. This is very unlike seeing the General Sherman tree which has fences around it and concrete paths which you aren't allowed to leave.

This is a much better way to experience nature.

Starting off. Look at us all matchy-matchy.

Self-explanatory

So many of these trees have burned sections, and some have holes like this underneath.

Little flower.

One of the views as we started descending down into the canyon. Eventually we were on the bottom. Coming back up - not so easy.

I found this piece of wood that I really liked and thought would be fun home decor. We took turns carrying it for probably 4 or 5 miles.

All ready to go!

Roots from a fallen giant sequoia.

Then we climbed on the tree. It was huge!

A ring of giant sequoias.

Today's Menu: Cinnamon and Sugar Biscotti

2010-06-12T22:04:00.001-07:00

To make up for my not-so-sensational scones, today I made cinnamon and sugar biscotti. I actually haven't eaten one yet, so I hope they're good. If you're interested in the recipe I used click here. It calls for 1 egg and 1 egg white but I just used 2 eggs. I also didn't brush the loaves with an egg white before baking like the recipe calls for. But I think they turned out fine.

My Not So Sensational Scones

2010-06-12T11:57:00.000-07:00

Baking has been one of my new-found loves in life. Mind you . . . my interest seems to only be in unusual fancy things like cream puffs and truffles, and the things that go with coffee and tea. Go figure. Biscotti is what I usually make, but this week I decided to branch out into the world of scones. I was inspired by Katie's delicious blueberry muffins, so I made my first scone attempt and made blueberry ones. The recipe called for half and half . . . which I had none of and opted for regular milk instead. Not that I'm going to blame it on that . . . but my scones looked nice, tasted ok, but had an awful rubbery texture. They were topped with sugar and a yummy tart lemony glaze that I made, but it wasn't enough to salvage them. They are in the trash. Well, I guess you can't win everything huh? Onwards and upwards from here!

I would welcome any tips on making yummy scones :-)

Cream and Sugar

2010-06-11T20:55:00.001-07:00

Being the coffee and tea freak that I am . . . it has always surprised me that I don't own a cream and sugar bowl set. Whenever I have people over for coffee, I end up giving them my big baking container of sugar. Definitely not very classy, and not the type of coffee lover I want to be. It's not that I haven't wanted a cream and sugar set. Believe me, I have. I just hadn't found the right one yet. I've been casually looking for probably the last 8 months or so. And I finally got one! Since I have paid off my student loans, I decided to splurge and buy a set from Anthropologie that I really liked. So here you go, this is it! It's kind of hard to tell, but the glass has a wavy pattern to it and the designs are a coral colored leaf/plant thing. You should come over for tea so you can try it out! (the ants in my house have definitely arrived to try it out.)

Meet My Childhood Friends

2010-06-10T12:32:00.001-07:00

Ready for another dose of my life? This past weekend I got to spend time with my oldest group of friends. Not old friends . . . but the friends that have been in my life the longest - since elementary school for most of them. We went to school together, went to church together, were in cabins together at camp, went to college together (for a few of us), went to each other's weddings (for 3 from the group so far) . . . . Anyways . . . . these guys are great and every single one of them is quality. We had a great weekend soaking up the sun by the pool, dancing, napping, eating and just hanging out. The 14 hours of driving for one weekend was definitely worth it!

Jessica, Kelly, Me and Leslie gettin' our groove on!

Alyssa, Meghan, Kelly and Me . . . it was too hot to be outside of the pool.

All of us . . minus Alyssa who's taking the picture.

The pool felt so nice!

Out to eat.

Just a walk in the backyard . . .

2010-05-24T19:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is where I live. Spectacular isn't it? Yesterday Nathan, Andy, Katie, Aaron and myself braved the weather forecast, geared up for an adventure and went to hike Mist Falls. It's at the bottom of Kings Canyon, about an hour away from us. We knew we had the possibility of rain or snow, but decided we didn't have many other weekend options coming up . . . so yesterday was the day.

The 9 mile hike wasn't too bad. A good portion of it was flat (that's my kind of hiking). It started snowing. Although, this was actually better news than rain, which would have been so much wetter. I'm thinking I may need to invest in some sort of light waterproof hiking jacket. As we reached the falls, the mist from it coupled with the icy temperatures and the snow made it instantly really cold and really wet. So we went a bit off the trail, surrounded ourselves with some rocks and trees to be a little dryer. Then good ol' Nathan took his handy dandy mini stove and we boiled water for hot chocolate. It definitely hit the spot. He even pulled out some fancy Venezuelan dark chocolate. This kind of stuff sure makes hiking worth it! I'm sure glad we have friends that are up for snowy adventures!

Here's some pictures from the day:

Starting off

The mountains were beautiful, and still had snow on top!

We came upon a sign. That's always exciting. You know you can't be lost.

Pretty plant I found. I'm not sure what it is though. Mini pumpkins?

Us and the Kings River. The water is running so fast!

It's hard to tell, but it's totally snowing here. It was so cold and windy at this part.

So we warmed up with some hot chocolate. Go Nathan!

Friends

Awww, isn't he cute?

That's Mist Falls behind us. It was so misty and wet . . . we didn't enjoy it for long. We booked it the 4 1/2 miles back to the car!

Debt Free!

2010-05-10T22:44:00.000-07:00

Today is a very special and memorable day for me. I paid off my student loans!! I graduated less than 2 years ago with about $20,000 in school debt. This is a miracle in and of its self that my loans were only that much for my $125,000 Biola degree. Paying off my debt is a huge accomplishment for me and I definitely feel ok about saying that I am proud of myself :-) I remember years ago when I set up my savings account at the bank, that I told the person there that if I didn't go to grad school right away, that my goal was to pay off my student loans by the time I was 25. They just laughed at me.

Well here I am, just turned 24, and today I have made the biggest financial accomplishment of my life.

God has been so faithful to provide for me. I have paid off my entire loan while working in ministry and making barely above minimum wage. I even make less than 75% than what I did working for Coffee Bean. But paying off debt has been such an enjoyable and worshipful experience. I get excited every month when I can take another portion of my financial burden away. And what really gets me . . . is that even though I am living so simply and without so many things . . . I really don't feel like I have ever been suffering or missing out on anything during this process. I have been very content the entire time. I made some significant changes to my life while paying my loans in order to help make it happen though. I dyed my hair brown so that I didn't spend money on highlights anymore, I got rid of my cell phone and switched to pre-paid and google voice and I took 2009 as a year of not buying any new clothes. Oh, and I have no car. Needless to say . . . I've definitely developed some healthy spending (or not spending) habits.

And God has continually provided for all of my needs-and more. I love that I've still been able to tithe and give to the people and the causes that I care about this entire time. I'd like to think that I have been a good steward of my finances . . . but I also can't help but realize that the true test of my stewardship with what God has given me, is really going to begin once I have the freedom to spend my money how and where I please. With no deadline and no loan balance, will I still be found faithful? I think to some extent, I can loosen up a little bit and spend more here and there, but in the end I want to be spending my money and time on things that have an eternal impact. After all, it's all God's resources anyway, and he has entrusted them to me to use in a way that brings Him glory.

Years ago I vowed that I would always be a generous giver. So I am especially excited to now have more resources to support the things and the people I care about. I have several friends working/will be working overseas doing missions work, and I am just beside myself to be able to begin supporting them monthly. What better way to use my finances, than to support Kingdom work?

Anyways, sorry this is long. But for me, this is a big deal and I am so excited to have a financial fresh start.

Here's 2 pictures for you. This is the first loan payment I made . . .

. . . and the last!

To Our Most Faithful Readers

2010-05-09T14:50:00.001-07:00

Hike and Bike

2010-05-03T21:11:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was quite the outdoorsy weekend for Nathan and I. But I guess when you live in a National Park at one of the most beautiful places ever . . . it's ok to go out and enjoy it. On Saturday we hiked up Sunshine Mountain. It's the mountain on one side of us that forms our little valley where we live. There's a metal cross that's up at the top of it and it's got a beautiful view looking over the lake. It was a hard hike for me, quite steep. But the beautiful view and the fun of hiking back down hill made it worth it.

Then yesterday we borrowed my neighbor's tandem bike and took it for a spin around the lake. Other than getting a little muddy and ducking under the fallen trees that are on the trail . . . it was fun. So after a great weekend outdoors I was definitely a bit sore and definitely a little sunburned. But it sure was lovely.

Just to Let You Know . . .

2010-04-26T21:20:00.000-07:00

Normally my blog is filled with the random things I do or discover or the things that make me excited. I've never been one to write deep personal stuff online for the entire world to see . . . and not that this is necessarily going to be like that; but there's been some interesting developments here in the last couple of days and faithful readers like yourselves should probably know.

I've been in my job as development assistant for almost 2 years now. I work with an awesome little team of 4 of us: three guys my parents' ages and older . . . and then me. But honestly, we all work really well together and have really come together as a team, especially over the last year.

On Friday my boss Jon, the director of development told us that he is leaving. He got a job as the new Executive Director for Covenant Pines, a camp out in Minnesota. It's the camp he grew up going to as a kid. This was very sudden and unexpected news to me . . . and the fact that he and his wife leave a week from Saturday makes it all feel so real so fast.

It's really hard to know what my job will look like over the next few months now. I doubt they'll hire anyone soon to replace him . . . so I think my job is going to get a lot harder very quickly. Once he's gone, I will be the only person in camp that spends 100% of a work week doing development stuff. The other 2 guys have their time split with jobs they have in other areas.

There's a part of me that thinks I'll be able to handle it no problem and at least keep us on track with all of our events, news publications, letters and mailing lists. But the other part of me wonders what I'm going to be getting myself into . I'm not sure if one of the other guys will take over or not. Probably. But still whatever happens and whatever direction we go, I'm sure it's going to feel very different.

But I'm hoping that with such a loss (more than 25% of my department) we won't lose the momentum we've established over the last couple of years. I'd hate to just be status quo and just "get by" with only the necessities getting accomplished. We'll see though.

Well, I just wanted to let you know . . .

All in the Same Week

2010-04-26T21:05:00.000-07:00

Last week was sure interesting for us mountain dwellers! This winter seems to keep stretching on and on. We'll have nice days and all the snow will melt . . . but then we'll get another storm. Like this one! We got about a foot of new snow last week. And the weekend before I was enjoying the sun by the lake. It's definitely fun though. Nathan and I bundled up and walked around the lake. It's quite a lot of work tromping through the snow . . . but we enjoy it. This week it looked like some sort of enchanted forest. It was stunning.

And theeeeen . . . just days later its so amazingly warm and looks like spring again. So Nathan and I had a picnic in Fresno. Yes . . . contrary to popular belief, there is beauty in Fresno if you look for it.

If I hadn't told you . . . would you even think it was possible that those pictures were taken 3 days apart?

Something I Need to Remember

2010-04-20T19:54:00.000-07:00

Read that first paragraph there. Awesome isn't it? That's something I definitely need to remember. In thinking about and wondering about future careers . . . I am so quick to get caught up in the "what" I am doing or dream about doing and not the "how am I doing at it" or "with what attitude do I go about my work." I would rather be great at some not so desirable job than be awful and miserable in a "great" job.

An Outdoorsy Kind of Day

2010-04-18T14:55:00.000-07:00

If my day off yesterday was characterized by indoor activities such as movies and baking and reading . . . today was my outdoorsy day. Realizing that the snows a comin' again this week, and that we have no conference this weekend and that it'd be nice and quiet around camp, I pulled on my hiking boots, slipped into my flannel shirt (living in the mountains that should be a staple right?), packed my backpack with my book, towel, granola bar and fruit snacks and headed off. I spent a good couple of hours lying on a nice big rock, ejoying my book "Safely Home."

It's a fictional book, but is a serious wake up call to the persecution of the Church in China. Between this book, my boss talking about his missionary friends in China this week, the earthquake, and passing the Chinese family walking around the lake right as I closed my book . . . I think I'm supposed to be praying for China right now.

Weekends and Biscotti

2010-04-18T10:03:00.000-07:00

I absolutely looove weekends. In high school I had dance competitions on weekends and in college, I always worked on the weekends, so they never actually felt like a break. And working summer staff, I only had one day off a week. But now . . . working a full-time job Monday through Friday, I really get to discover the joy of having 2 days off. Days that aren't filled with homework. It really is fantastic.

Yesterday I spent my day doing things I love, like drinking tea, reading, laying on the couch, catching up on laundry and chores around my house, hanging out with friends and watching a movie, and baking. Here's a picture of my most recent creation (along with the great cooling racks I got for Christmas). Gingerbread Biscotti! This was a new recipe for me and I think they turned out pretty good. They don't have as much flavor as I would have hoped, so I made up my own little vanilla frosting/glaze which I added to about half of them. Yum! Come on over for some biscotti!

My New Favorite Tree

2010-04-17T17:21:00.000-07:00

Hey check it out! This is the newest addition to my bathroom decor. A jewelry tree. My friends Katie and Aaron who just moved up here this winter gave it to me. These were the centerpieces at their wedding in December. And now they're giving them away as jewelry trees. Good idea huh? The plum colored pot and brown go perfectly with my plum/brown/white bathroom colors, and I don't think I've ever had a good way to store my jewelry (up till now it's all just been sitting in a bowl) so I'm loving this cute/earthy/practical addition to my home. Thanks friends!

Now I have a vision for a brown, purple and orange shower curtain that is somehow both earthy and abstract. That would really add some texture. We'll see if I can find something like what I'm picturing in my mind. Or . . . maybe I should make one myself. Hmmmm . . . .

Barista at Heart

2010-04-11T10:44:00.000-07:00

I will always be a barista at heart. After 4+ years working for the Coffee Bean, then a summer at Hume N' Beans, and the occasional weekend I work in winters serving coffee . . . it's not hard to see why.

So it's no surprise that I am excited about my newest coffee gadget. This was a "just because" gift from Nathan :-) It's called aerolatte. Basically it's a milk frother. And since I absolutely loooove foam it's the greatest little tool! Everything feels fancier with a little good foam. These were some black Vanilla Ceylon teas with a little vanilla syrup and some steamed milk and foam. Yummy! Today I'm having the same thing but with chai tea instead. And with my coffee and tea and syrup collection growing all the time . . . . feel free to come by for a drink!

Not Your Average Spring Cleaning

2010-04-10T17:10:00.000-07:00

It's been almost 2 years since I graduated from college . . . and during my spring break I, for the first time, had a chance to clean/organize/sort through absolutely everything from my entire life up until I left after college. I left So-Cal 6 days after graduating, thinking I'd be back at the end of the summer to unpack from college, but that never happened since I got my full-time job.

So all my stuff from college was still boxed in a closet (since I no longer have a room at home) as well as everything else I had once had in my room. It was a lot of work, but was such a freeing experience to simplify and de-clutter my life. It was fun to come across things and reminisce.

Some of the things that I came across (and don't worry, I didn't get rid of them) that I enjoyed seeing again, were: my tiny little tap shoes, my prom queen crown, the children's books I'd written in jr. high, all my dance costumes, lots of old pictures, and of course lots of other random stuff. I was able to get rid of so much though. I basically condensed my entire life up till the age of 22 into less than 10 boxes. Faaaaantastic!

Before

After

Spring Break

2010-04-10T16:18:00.000-07:00

You'll have to excuse the fact that there's multiple blog posts coming from me today. I suffer from "Weekend Blogger Syndrom". I get busy during the week and only seem find time to keep up on blogging on the weekends.

The last couple of weeks have gone by really fast. This year I actually had a week long "Spring Break." Not being a student and not being a teacher I would have thought that I was done having Spring Breaks in life. But this year our staff was given some paid days off since they didn't take us on a staff retreat this year. I'm not complaining about a paid week off.

Here's a few pictures from my break:

Snowboarding with Nathan and my family (well . . . they ski)

Some egg decorating

I got to spend Easter lunch with the Pearsey fam and their Epp side of the family

The four Pearsey sisters. Love them!

Turning 24

2010-03-24T19:20:00.000-07:00

Just a few pictures from my b-day . . .

It was the warmest day we've had since last summer . . . so I enjoyed the sun, some iced coffee, sour patch kids, a book, and a nap on my deck.

Then a bunch of us got together for breakfast for dinner. And the girls played video games . . .

. . . and the boys cleaned up :-)

I laughed and accidentally blew out a candle before it was time.

Yay for turning 24!

From Nathan in Hawaii . . .

2010-03-16T21:30:00.000-07:00

A New Life Experience

2010-03-16T21:10:00.000-07:00

I just experienced something for the first time in my life. I finished a roll of dental floss! Whoa! I must have developed a good habit here. And just to give you an update on my New Year's Resolution of flossing my teeth every day . . . I am still on track! I've flossed every day since December 23, 2009. I must say I'm quite proud of myself!

And side note, I liked my old Crest "Glide" floss much more than my new Oral-B one. But I'm sure I'll go through this one fast enough.

Spring's A Comin'

2010-03-15T17:51:00.000-07:00

So as much as I absolutely looooove winter and am not looking forward to summer . . . today really felt like spring. And it was lovely. There's still snow on the ground and it's still likely under 50 degrees (funny how when you live in the snow, that actually does feel warm!) but some people were in shorts, I didn't need a jacket when I left work, there were kids on their bikes around, and the first motorcycle/dirt bike made an appearance. It's a comin'!

This was from my trip to Canada in Sept but still seems spring-ish don't ya think?

Brave New World

2010-03-04T19:05:00.000-08:00

Last night I finished reading Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I had read this in AP Psychology in high school, and since then have always named it as one of my favorite books. And now, a good 6 or so years later, I chose to re-read it for the first time. It was still awesome.

It's the story of a dis-utopic future society where all hardships have been taken away as well as all sense of loving one another and being devoted to the ones we love. People are conditioned to be whatever they are supposed to be in society, and conditioned to see community and society as the ultimate good. The world is stable, people are happy, and life is easy. But it paints a picture of how monstrous this society truly is. It helps the reader see the beauty of struggle, pain, relationships, God, art and individuality.

This is definitely my favorite type of book. I love books that have depth like this that make me think about society and where we may be headed. These books about the future are always more of a commentary about our current state than anything else (and for this one being published in 1932 . . . it's quite impressively modern . . . or maybe it's just timeless). "Readers are Leaders" my friend and it saddens me that people don't often read books with depth very often. We settle for the candy rather than the meat and potatoes of literature, which will be the most rewarding in the end. Maybe one day people will get themselves sick off of it all.

But on second thought . . . only if they take the time to dive into and really chew on the substance of a good book. And most people don't like the effort.

For Kelly

2010-03-02T09:49:00.000-08:00

This is for Kelly . . . since I was lame and forgot to blog about when her and Caroline (and my parents) came to visit! This was back in November. We had a great time just relaxing, making smores . . . and simply enjoying time together.

Kelly is the only friend who's come to visit me more than once since I've lived here. What an amazing friend. I just love her!

Epidemic

2010-02-28T15:17:00.000-08:00

We are more than 4 months away from summer
here . . . but already we are seeing an outbreak of the mustache! The theme for this summer (Excusez-Mwa!?) has a Three Muskateers type feel . . . and the theme for Spirit Day is staches and taberds (not sure if I spelled those right), but everyone's starting to get into it . . . including this guy!

I think all our guys here would look creepy outside of camp . . . but here, it's just the new fashion trend.

Click here to check out the summer teaser video.

Discovery of the Week

2010-02-28T15:06:00.000-08:00

Suzanne and I have been going on lots of fun coffee and tea adventures while we've been traveling around California this past month (some adventures are more successful than others). And in San Luis Obispo last week we went to Uptown Espresso.

It's a really fun environment and they serve Black Horse coffee. I opted to try the tea though. I had a vanilla almond black tea with a little steamed soy and foam . . . it was heavenly. So if you're ever in SLO, check out this little fun place.

Fail

2010-02-28T15:01:00.000-08:00

I came across this last week - Wine tasting next to the Rehab center. That's a winner. Way to go Fresno.

Chicken Pie Shop

2010-02-24T19:46:00.000-08:00

Last week we checked out out this old diner in the Tower District of Fresno. It's called Chicken Pie Shop. It specializes in chicken pot pies and apparently lime green plastic booths, chairs and counters.

I had a tuna melt . . . but only got through half of it before I was weired out by the American cheese on it. I still can't believe I didn't notice it right away. American cheese . . . . ewww gross!

Boo Boo Bunny

2010-02-24T19:33:00.000-08:00

Ever heard of a Boo Boo Bunny? I grew up with those things. They are wash clothes in the shapes of bunnies. There's a space where you put an ice cube. Then you use them to put on, well . . . boo boos.

I haven't thought about them in years, but was just telling Nathan about them the other day . . . and lo and behold I find some in SLO!

Sorry the picture's not clearer.

Catching Up - Valentines Day

2010-02-24T19:14:00.000-08:00

I've been so crazy busy these last few weeks traveling with our Vision Dinner tour . . . that I haven't had a chance to post pictures and updates from some things!

So going back . . . here's some pictures from Valentines Day! My family's tradition is to have a candle light pizza dinner on Valentines Day, so Nathan and I have enjoyed doing that the last 2 years. Check out our pizza cookie too :-)

And Nathan surprised me with 2 new orchids (Nathan has always kept me with a supply of orchids since we've been dating) . . . and ta da! Hooks on my wall! You have no idea how excited I am to have hooks there!

The Apple Farm

2010-02-22T23:41:00.000-08:00

Tonight I am in San Luis Obispo and you gotta check out this place where me and my team are staying. It's called the Apple Farm. It's like an old lady boutique meets a hotel. My room is completely pink (and all the rooms are different). It's all comically hideous. And I really think I'm the only person under 45 here . . . and if you don't count the rest of my team . . . I think we are the only ones under 60. This hotel has definitely got a certain demographic.

The Life of an Event Planner

2010-02-18T22:08:00.000-08:00

With today's dinner I gave a guarantee of 70 dinners. There were 64 people registered . . . and with the 6 of us staff . . . it had the potential to be perfect! (I have to give these numbers to the venues before I'm even done getting registrations, so it's quite a lot of guesswork).

But we made an all time record tonight with 19 no shows!! That's pretty ridiculous. Those are all pricy dinners that we end up paying for. It's normal to end up with a few no shows, but not anything like this. And I can't have fewer dinners prepred than the number of people who are registered, so it's a bummer when people don't show up since I have to plan for them.

Generally, we've been really good on numbers the whole tour. But I guess not tonight. Oh the life of an event planner. I guess you win some, you lose some.

Jocelyn Marie

2010-02-18T15:32:00.000-08:00

Hey that's my name!

Yesterday at our Lodi Vision Dinner there was someone with the name Jocelyn there. And as if that wasnt uncommon already . . . her middle name is Marie too!

Crazy!