Vancouver Day Trip With Friends

I love Vancouver BC. It's a very vibrant, large and amazing different cosmopolitan city than Seattle is. A slice of all the European cities that I love, and just a two and a half hour drive north from our home here in Seattle. Holly and I, along with our friends Brock and Layla, decided to head up for the day and first and foremost attend a session at the newly dedicated Vancouver BC LDS Temple. We went up for this public open house a few weeks ago. A lot of the volunteers that have worked with us on Wednesday nights in the Seattle temple would commute from BC. It's nice they have a dedicated temple in much closer proximity now. Each temple beautiful in it's own fashion. The Vancouver BC temple is no exception.



Holly and I taking a quick pic by the main entrance of the Vancouver LDS Temple.



Temples truly are spiritual places. It signifies faith, and a connection to a higher power. An existence beyond this earthly life. I honestly feel that temples are the most sacred places to be on the face of the planet.

Afterwards we drove from the suburb of Langley, right into downtown Vancouver. When Holly and I were up there a few weekends ago, we took some friends recommendations to eat at Lupo in Yaletown. We loved this place. Locally sourced ingredients, house made breads and condiments. Organic meats and cheeses and charcuterie. We wanted to go back, so I made reservations again. It's in a quaint restored row house.



For my first course, I had an amazing caprese salad with fresh buffalo mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes, so house dried tomatoes, pesto, balsamic reduction and micro-greens.



My second course was some lamb cheeks simmered in burgundy wine and beef demiglace, with fresh ricotta gnocchi and sauteed wild mushrooms.



No trip to Vancouver is complete without a crepe. In this tradition, we all walked along Robston St, and made our way to Le Crepe Cafe. I had hazelnut crepe with crushed almonds and Nutella. I had to have a scoop of espresso ice-cream to accompany.

Nom! Nom! Nom!

I totally feel like this today, the urge to junk out. But I want to bury my face in a feed bag of Wheat Thins! Or Buffalo Blue Cheese Kettle Chips. But alas, I don't junk out much these days. Not conducive to my healthier lifestyle. Thanks for the funny picture Holly. I love how CM is burying his face in a pot of cookies. This made me laugh extensively.

Temple Weekend

This weekend Dan and I are heading to Vancouver BC for a day trip to the new LDS temple. We went through the open house before it was dedicated, but haven't been inside to worship and do work there yet. As I was thinking about our upcoming road trip, I started a list of the number of temples I've seen, and the number of temples I've actually been in.

Seen:
Boise, Idaho
Boston, Massachusetts
Bountiful, Utah
Columbus, Ohio
Johannesburg, South Africa
Jordan River, Utah
Logan, Utah
Manhattan, New York
Manti, Utah
Mount Timpanogos, Utah
Nauvoo, Illinois
Oquirrh Mountain, Utah
Portland, Oregon
Provo, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
San Diego, California
Seattle, Washington
Vancouver, British Columbia
Washington D.C.

Served in:
Boston, Massachusetts
Bountiful, Utah
Columbus, Ohio
Johannesburg, South Africa
Jordan River, Utah
Manti, Utah
Mount Timpanogos, Utah
Portland, Oregon
Salt Lake City, Utah
Seattle, Washington

I love that we have temples around the world for so many to have the opportunity to serve and worship there. Both of my lists are kind of short, I'd like to work on making them both much longer.

Fabric Crush

So yesterday as I was out and about with visiting family (Mom, Renae, Olivia and Nicole are up visiting for a week) and we ended up at Wallingford Center. First and foremost to get cupcakes at Trophy *YUM!* and while we were there I discovered Fabric Crush. The name is so fitting for me, I really do have a love affair with fabric. I love the colors and patterns and this store is so light and bright I couldn't help but smile as soon as I walked in.




I also had to buy something, even if it was something small...2 fat quarters fit that bill perfectly. As I left the store (with a smile on my face) I had no real idea what I would do with my purchase until I walked over to the toy store my nieces were playing in and saw little girl patchwork aprons. They were so cute and seemed like a perfect next project especially since Olivia and Nicole had so much fun this weekend helping Uncle Dan cook in our kitchen! I'll post pictures as soon as I start...which will hopefully be soon :)

Homemade Sushi & Gyoza Yumminess

Holly and I had a great time this past Saturday night learning how to make gyoza from scratch, and roll sushi. Friends of our purchased the hands on food demonstration at a private grade school charity auction. All and all it was all for a good cause, and the company was great!



The filling which consisted of ground chicken, spices, cabbage, green onion, soy sauce to name a few. All rolled up by hand or in gyoza making devices. I personally found it was easier to just do this by hand, and omit trying to do the fancy edge with the rolling machine. The beauty of it, is that it all tasted the same going down.



Our little sweat shop, making dozens of gyoza.



My sushi roll. Mine had sprouts, smoked salmon, green onion, red pepper and mushrooms in it. Not a bad roll for my first time if I must say so myself.



My finished roll, all decked out on the plate just prior to consumption. We had a fantastic evening and will definitely be doing this again.

Some Much Needed Reprieve

It’s been an interesting few past weeks at work. A period of time that I hope we will be leaving soon behind us and moving on to other productive things. It’s interesting to see how people respond to changes and process improvements, particularly in a corporate setting. I’ve gone through these types of changes before, a myriad of times, at other places of employment. I’m learning with some colleagues at work, that these types of changes are stressful if they have never been subjected to a process improvement review. Or have never gone through anything like this in their professional working career. Tensions have been high at work to say the least and I’m glad I can be a sounding board for colleagues that are stressed out. I’m glad I have direct work colleagues to vent to.

I’m starting to feel that there are enough things in motion at work that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The much needed changes and process improvements are commencing and starting to fall into place. And enough external departments are in the know of the challenges we’ve been facing, that they can be a catalyst for implementing the changes as well. For the first time in weeks, I feel some sort of reprieve with the work related stress.

The Resistance

I've really been enjoying my Muse recent music purchases. I like the varying styles of music on both CDs. Some a little country sounding, some heavy metal and others alternative in nature. Particularly with wanting to block out unnecessary drama with colleges at work, it's nice to put my head phones on, and tune people out.

Vancouver Temple

I promised I'd post pictures of the temple so here they are. We had a little struggle getting there, but it was so worth it. I was amazed by the spirit that Dan and I both felt in the temple even before it was dedicated. We both got choked up as we walked through, not because of the architecture or decor, not even because of what the guide was saying, but it was because I know the sacred work that is done there, and I know that it is a place where God can dwell. I'm thankful for temples and even more thankful for the love Dan has for them and the opportunity we have to serve there.






As for the interior, it is very beautiful. There are representations of the provincial flower, the dogwood, all around. It felt very inspired by nature with the blue and green stained glass and rich murals and paintings.

Vancouver, BC

Dan and I had talked about going up north to see the new Vancouver temple on the last day of the open house. We thought driving up and back on a Saturday might be a lot of driving, but could be a fun little adventure. Happily Dan surprised me with a hotel stay in Vancouver instead so we could leisurely enjoy the temple open house as well as unwind from our busy, busy lives. It was such a fun and spontaneous adventure, one we really needed to take together.

That said, there will be no pictures with this post of the temple as I forgot the cord to download them. But I do have some pics of our lovely dinner we at while in Vancouver at Lupo.



We got this recommendation from Dan's coworker who hadn't been herself, but had heard really great things. I am hear to say, her friends weren't lying! The food was amazing. Our antipasti was sliced and cured meats – various salami and prosciutto goodness accompanied with 3 dishes of tiny pickles and artichoke hearts, roasted red pepper, and some fruit mixture (I did not partake since it had apples in it).



We were also coerced into the focaccia which had tomatoes, zucchini and a bit of rosemary on top. I'd like to thank the over eager waiter, it was heavenly.



We ordered the spaghettini pomodoro to share for our primi. The sauce was so simple, but so good.



Secondi consisted of roasted chicken with a rosemary reduction with baby potatoes, very young beets and tiny balls of zucchini and carrot. It's like they used the worlds smallest melon baller which I thought was great because the part I hate, at least for zucchini, is the soggy seed parts.



Dan had the italian sausage over mashed potatoes and the same tiny carrots and zucchini. (Isn't he cute!)



We were pleasantly full so we passed on dessert. It was a lot of food, but we were starving after only eating breakfast and driving all day. On our walk back we did some window shopping and ended up finding a good cupcake place for the perfect sweet bite. It was great.

The next morning we stopped at Crepe Cafe and had breakfast and dessert :) I couldn't leave without having a nutella crepe with strawberries. Si bon!

Our adventure continued down to the border where we were harassed by the border police. The guy directing traffic kept pointing us to the other lane that was meant only for people with special passes and was separated by posts that looked like they were made of metal. Finally Dan rolled down the window and said he didn't want to hit the metal posts to which the guy looked at us and said "they're made of rub-ah". We cracked up laughing as we drove over the barrier. Then we got to the gate and the guard there gave us crap about why were were in that lane so Dan told him "the guy in the outfit like yours told us to drive over the rubber barrier" HA! The guy was offended and promptly told us it was a uniform, not an outfit. We couldn't stop laughing which made us look like we were drunk or something. He asked us a few more questions, we tried to compose ourselves, he finally let us through and welcomed us home.

It was a great little trip. Thanks honey for suggesting it, and thanks for always making me laugh!

Change is Good

Life can be difficult. At times we all need to change in some way or another. For the most part I am very happy with my life, but there are still things I need to change in order to become my best self. So lately I've been introducing a few new things into my life to help me along the way.

First I've started amping up my gym work out (with tons of help from Dan!). I know I need to get healthier, so I've started jogging a little while on the treadmill to try and push myself. I've also increased the weight I'm lifting on the weight machines. And to aid in healthier living I found an iPhone app that helps me track my calories, water intake, and activity level. So far I really like it, and am finding it pretty amazing how many calories can be ingested without even thinking about it...and even from good foods!

Lastly I've felt like I need to do something to increase my spirituality, so I've finally added morning prayers to my routine. I know it sounds lame, but I really value sleep and that is why it has been hard my whole life to say morning prayers. In the past I've tried saying them in the shower, or on the bus, but always find it hard to focus. There is nothing better, in my opinion, to stay focused and draw the spirit close to you than when you are on your knees. Since making this part of my morning schedule, I've noticed I'm able to shave off a few seconds here, or there to give me the the time to pray while still getting up at the same time and out the door at the same time. I love it and really feel like it is a way for me to set the tone for my day.

Hopefully these new changes in my life will help me to stay focused on what is important and quite frankly, become less grouchy.

2010 Healthy Recipes, Week #12

In my ongoing Weekly Healthy Recipe installments, here is the latest. "Risotto For Two!" Fresh risotto always hits the spot. I whipped this up the other night after work and our gym workouts. This made enough for four servings. I also made some prosciutto crisps to garnish the top, be we ate those in advance! :) They never made it to the photo shoot...



Dan's Leek & Pea Risotto

1 T olive oil
2 leeks, finely diced
1 sweet onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 C alborio rice
1 C dry white wine
4 C chicken stock, warmed
1 C petite peas
½ C grated parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper to taste
3T chopped fresh basil

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium high heat. Sauté leeks and onions until translucent and they start to caramelize. Add rice and garlic and sauté for three minutes. Reduce heat to medium low. Add wine and cook until liquid is evaporated. Add warmed stock ½ cup at a time ensuring liquid absorbs before each addition. You may not need to add all the stock. About 20-25 minutes for this step.

Add peas, cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with nuts and fresh herbs.

Vintage Trike Riding Cookie

So I was pretty excited when I came to work and was given a Michael Kors bag as a gift. At first I thought, what could this be? Is it a tie, or dress shirt? Maybe an accessory of some sort? I was very much surprised to find this little guy in the bag, all dolled up!



I'll admit, I'm obsessed with Cookie Monster. This one is vintage, old and used, but in almost pristine condition. His legs turn on his orange trike as you pull him along the ground. He has one arm on the steering wheel, and his other arm rotates up and down shoving cookies into his mouth. It is hilarious! I felt like a 5-yo getting a toy at Christmas at work yesterday. Thanks Miss Stephanie for feeding my obsessive Cookie Monster addiction.

2010 Healthy Recipes, Week #11

After a seemingly long day at work, and a fairly intense work out at the gym, Holly and I both were pretty ravenous when we got home. Dinner did not occur until almost 8:45pm last night. With that said though, I had a few simple ingredients in the fridge and threw together a pretty tasty frittata for dinner. Lots of fresh rosemary from our herb garden really kicked this up. And it was easy.



Dan's Potato-Pepper Frittata

1 T olive oil
1 small onion chopped
1 small potato finely diced
1 red pepper chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
2 T rosemary, finely diced
8 eggs
¼ C milk
Salt
Pepper
¼ c cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté onions and potatoes until browned and crisped. About 15 to 20 minutes. Add red pepper and garlic and heat through. Combine eggs, milk, rosemary, salt and pepper and thoroughly whisk. Pour egg mixture over potatoes, onions and peppers. Cook for a few minutes until eggs are set around the edges, but runny in the middle. Cook frittata in heated oven for 15-20 minutes until center is puffy and browned. Remove from oven and sprinkle cheese over top. Return to oven under a high broiler and melt / toast cheese. Remove from heat; allow cooling for five minutes. Cut into wedges and serve. Sprinkle with more fresh herbs on top.

Me Like Me Some GaGa

I definitely jumped on the obnoxious Lady GaGa bandwagon this week. What am I thinking? And, why did I wait so long? This is perfect work out music, yeah that's right, I'll "only" listen to this at the gym, right...!



Great tracks on this CD. Poker Face is my favorite track.



And Monster is my favorite track on this CD. I only purchased a few tracks from each disc on iTunes, since I didn't care for every track. But I'll totally admit, that Miss GaGa can help me kick up my work out routines even more so than I already have. Why can't Lady GaGa perform at church on Sundays? I'd probably enjoy Sacrament Meeting that much more, if she got her groove on up on the stand. Then she can be followed by Guns N' Roses. Holly would appreciate that best! She is the metal rocker in our relationship.

Happy Easter

We never got around to putting up our Easter decorations this year, since we've been living in a museum while our house is on the market, so it hasn't felt very "Eastery". But we made up for it this weekend. I'd seen in Martha Stewart and Sunset various techniques for egg dying that I wanted to try this year, so on Saturday night we had friends over to try them out. Sunset says to dye brown eggs for rich jewel tones and Martha says to use electrical tape to mask off areas to make silk screen like designs. We did both!

I started out by boiling some brown eggs. I don't know why but for some reason I was fascinated with the eggs while they were boiling. Look at the bubbles that come out of the eggs in a straight line. What's with that?



Our friends Brock and Layla brought over white eggs to add to the mix. We used McCormick's food dye in regular and neon colors which we mixed using recipes from a blog I found, added to 2 TBS white vinegar and 1 cup just boiled water in mason jars.



Then we used electrical tape to cut out designs using pinking shears, scissors, and exacto blades. After the tape was cut we applied them to eggs making sure the tape was burnished on really well (lesson learned since my first attempt the tape fell right off), and dipped them into our first colors.



Dry on a baking rack, on a paper towel lined baking sheet.



Pull the tape off, add more tape if you want multiple colors with overlapping and dip again! Here are the beauties we came up with.










These two are my favorite :)



Sunday I decided to get out our silver bunnies and alabaster eggs to go on our Easter table. We had Steve, Kelly and Miles over for dinner and I wanted to bring out the china for the occasion.





Dan made a lovely roasted chickens (sorry no photo) with a light sauce of olive oil, lemon juice, orange juice, garlic and herbs instead of gravy.



He also slaved away making funeral potatoes, which are always a family tradition, but with a twist of garlic and rosemary. They were wonderful! And of course no Easter dinner would be complete without rolls. The house was covered in flour as he made Sylvia Butterfield's Oat roll recipe.




Steve and Kelly brought over an excellent asparagus tart and carrot cake cupcakes complete with hand formed marzipan carrots.




I'd never really had carrot cake before so I was pleasantly surprised. I thought it was excellent! Everything really was so good, I was very full.

But what made the day even better was, of course, remembering our Savior Jesus Christ, His sacrifice and the miracle of His resurrection allowing me the opportunity to live with Him and my family for eternity. I loved that LDS General Conference, which happens twice a year, was on Easter. It was a wonderful time to hear from our Prophet and other leaders of our church.