Journey Undefined: inspiration

Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts

Saturday
Happy 70th Birthday Daddio, wherever you are. The 11th has been a weird day for the last two years now. I spent a lot of he day relaxing and reflecting. I of course bought my second blues song as my own tradition to honor my dad on his birthday. I explored many options, but I again went with his favorite, Muddy Waters, "I Love The Life I Live, I Live The Life I Love." For some reason it just seemed fitting. In the evening, my mom, Sue and Dick B., Rachel and I all went to a sushi dinner and then dessert to "celebrate."

Saturday
It's my birthday week(!) -- yes week; I am one of the people (are you?) -- which called for a little early birthday celebration with friends, and cookie cake of course. How do you like to celebrate?Really it was the time that made the most sense to get together with the group for festivities, and it was perfect. Lauren brought her annual homemade and decorated cookie cake. This year I got a very pretty unicorn and "#Tracy;" it was amazing, per usual. Anna and Jenna came to for us to potluck on all of our favorite goodies: spicy noodles, guac, (vegan) deviled eggs, the works. Even DJ and Shane popped by later so we got to hang out with her before they are a family of free later this week. And some of Brenden's work peeps came over too. It was the perfect night of celebration.

Saturday
Have you ever had a facial? Well I just had my first one, thanks to a gift card from AW. It was magical. Strange, but magical. I don't know if I had a noticeable difference to get one again soon, but the massage-iness of it made me so relaxed. What do you think of facials?

Then I went test driving cars with Sarah. We tested all the SUVs. Not really, but really. Honda, Mazda, Subaru, Volkswagen, Toyota. Woah is me, decisions are hard. I want to start my own car company where I can put components from every car maker together and create my true dream car. But since that isn't really happening wish me luck, I may have narrowed it down from 6 to 5 haha. Progress...even if it is slow.

Sunday
#SushiSunday. Have you noticed a trend beginning to form? This time Rachel came over and we feasted. I have had a whole weeks worth of practice and skill building, so I went all out. We had eel, tuna, roe, seaweed salad, rice balls, the works. Of course it was just a delicious as before. Maybe better even because I am learning how to spread/place the rice rather then pack it on.

Saturday
Saturday was for friends. Shockingly, Jeff V. came over and we used up the last of my sushi supplies making some more delicious rolls. I either had too much rice or too many sushi fillings so I had to keep stocking up on one or the other. Today, I ran out of both at the same time, and so I am going to try to give sushi a break. We will see how long I can hold out. At least a week...hopefully. What is your guess?

Saturday
It was another snowy and icy Saturday, which called for doing absolutely nothing. I slept and binge watched Chuck (yet again) and worked on my puzzle. Do you have any show that you can just watch over and over and still love so much?

Sunday
The Lauren's and I have now deemed Sunday, Sushi Sunday. Yass (!), could life get any better?! We gathered at my house and then shopped for sushi making ingredients because we made our own sushi!! Really we made our own feast because we got so much food. We made spicy ramen, and we made sticky rice in my new rice cooker. Brenden got it for me for Christmas/Hanukkah and I am obsessed. It is super easy to use and it even plays twinkle, twinkle little star for me. Once all our ingredients were prepped, we got to rolling. We made so much sushi that I was almost, almost over it. But I'm sure I'll be researching "how to's" on DIY sushi rolls in no time. Do you have a favorite sushi roll? Do you have any tips on at-home sushi?

Saturday
We had a snow day. But it was a weekend snow day, which to me was a little bit of a waste but also kind of nice to have no pressure of making the most of the free day. I spent it watching Chuck and working on my Beauty and the Beast Puzzle now that I have my puzzle mat(!).

Saturday
It's New Year's Eve. That wonderful time of year when there is so much excitement and optimism and...pressure! Pressure to do something special, epic, meaningful. Phew. I have found that when I stay true to me I have the best time. Do you agree? What is your favorite way to spend NYE? Do you have a perfect dream NYE? Although my ultimate NYE dream is to watch the ball drop live in Times Square, I found myself enjoying a calm day and evening with my love and some friends. The morning was spent having brunch with my mom, Rachel, and Adam. Like usual we stuffed ourselves like turkeys, but it's the last day of the year so there were no regrets (not that there would have been on any other day). Then I spent the day tidying up, relaxing, and preparing myself for the night. Since my typical bedtime is equivalent to an 8 year old, staying up until midnight is a hard task for me. But watching the ball drop (even if it is only on tv) is a must. It simply is not NYE without it. When Brenden got home from work we went over to Mark and Sarah's house were we spent the evening with eating (drinking?) pudding booze (genius), playing games, and counting down to midnight. Oh, and happy last night of Hanukkah!

Saturday
Merry Christmas Eve day and happy first night of Hanukah!! This is a week filled with holiday and celebration, and today was just the beginning. How did you spend your first night of Hanukkah/Christmas eve? I spent my day cooking all the things and prepping for a first night of Hanukah gathering with my mom, Rachel, Adam and kiddo, and Brenden. I made eggs in biscuits; I tried my hand at scotch eggs; I whipped up another batch of latkes, and I made one giant cookie for santa, of course. When everyone got to the apartment I was super proud of getting everything looking nice and prepped and super excited to have everyone together. We lit the menorah and ate all the fried food, plus some yummy chicken and salad that Rachel and my mom brought. Then we taught Mariel how to gamble (I mean play dreidel) before she even enters kindergarten, and ate all the chocolate gelt our tummies could handle. We of course exchanged a few presents: Brenden got a record player and Pentatonix vinyl; I got a puzzle, Spanish rosetta stone, a sticker, and some chocolate; my mom got a panda calendar, and Mariel got awesome ninja turtle hand-knitted gloves. It was a lovely start to the festivities to come.

Saturday
Maryland's first official snow day (read: ice day) has come. My car was dropped off to get worked on last night, and because of layer of ice coating everything, I didn't want to ask anyone to go out of their way to help me get it when it was ready today. Therefore I was part voluntarily, part involuntarily trapped inside for a true snow day. All was well as I watched listened to the snow and ice fall. I spent the some of the day cleaning the house, but mostly wrapping presents and making envelopes for the holidays cards Brenden and I are planning to send out.

Saturday
Today was a day for brunch with family. My mom, Rachel, Adam and a kiddo, and I all met at Duesenberg's for a most scrumptious brunch. Because it was me and Rachel together we pretty much got all the things, and we have already agreed to go back to try the few things we didn't taste today. Where do you like to brunch? Do you have a brunch go to dish? I usually stick with the breakfast sandwich on a bagel. But today I spiced it up and tried Duesenberg's "New York Style Breakfast Sandwich," which had pastrami added to it and was served on an english muffin. Oh and of course I got some turkey sausage on the side. It was quite indulgent. We also got a gazillion and three appetizers to share because like I said, it's me and Rachel. And I pretty much ate all of the kiddos pancakes. So good. Everything tasted great, but the best part was spending time with some family I haven't seen as often.

Sunday
Because my love of all things food has taken over completely since my ability to exercise has declined, I spent the evening watching "In Search of Israeli Cuisine." Thanks to Becky, I got a free ticket to see this documentary showing. It was interesting to hear how people define Israeli food. Apart from gaining some interesting factoid, I left the film wanting to go back to Israel to try every food shown.

Monday
'Tis the season. Brenden and I got our Christmas tree today. Like last year we got a cute little table topper and I can't wait to decorate it. And, there was a balloon purchased. An ugly sweater balloon to be exact. So much excitement.

Gift card design from Whole Foods, can't get enough of the Hanukah love.

Saturday

Another successful recipe from Molly on the Range. Oh man, I'm obsessed. Have you made any of her recipes yet? If not, jump on it! Or let me know, which recipes/cookbooks are you fixating over? I want to try those too. On the menu from her cookbook this week was her hummus with beef. And boy was it good. Any time you see me know, I plan to have a bowl of hummus on hand.

Saturday

This week was a bit opposite the previous. With Thanksgiving behind us, I spent my day with nothing to do, which is just what I wanted. I got in a big dose of R&R as I laid on the couch binging Netflix and relishing in some Thanksgiving leftovers.

Sunday
There was no Black Friday shopping for me, but Sunday called for getting all those sales and pre-cyber Monday deals online. I went a little crazy but it made me so happy. Retail therapy, it's a gift and a curse (to quote Monk). And in the evening Brenden and I started Gilmore Girls. Eek!

Monday
After a morning of running around, my momma and I enjoyed a most delicious lunch at Cava. I'm obsessed with this place.

Tuesday

I had another evening with not much to do. I spent it with a trip to the gym followed by a night of the last season of How I Met Your Mother.

Wednesday

Today was filled with exciting things. Brenden and I are officially going to Seattle and Alaska in March. We got our plane tickets and are super pumped about the trip. Let the planing beginning. For dinner I met up with with Rachel and Heather Dixon (!!) at NalleyFresh. It was so wonderful to get to see these to and spend some time catching up and talking about enjoyable things.

Thursday

We are working to make ourselves better, which meant Brenden and I took our trip to the gym together. Quality time together and quality accomplishments make us feel good -- sometimes sore but oh so good.

Friday
'Tis the season. Tonight was my first holiday party of the month. It was the gym holiday party and it was lovely. It is always fun to talk to the people I see during my hour of misery each week. It's hard to make conversation at 5:30 am when I'm trying to catch my breath, so to get to talk and learn a little more about each others lives is very nice. Plus the food, drink and music are always on point.

How was your week? What were some of your daily highlights? Did you get to relax in the week between Thanksgiving and winter holiday happenings? What does you holiday party schedule look like?

Saturday

Thanksgiving prep has begun. Brenden and I are officially hosting Thanksgiving and we have a lot to do. Today involved shopping for dining-ware and decorations. Luckily Lauren and Anna met up with me because decisions are not my friend. How are you decorating for the Holiday? Plus it was fun seeing Lauren and Anna. After stocking up, Lauren came to hang out at my apartment where we made Thanksgiving banners and other decorations, and ordered in some sushi. We are right on track.

Sunday
Thanksgiving prep continued. I made some roasted pumpkin seeds and bought most of the ingredients we will be needing for the night. I also took the time to relax before anxiety really kicks in.

Monday
Geri stopped down for the evening before getting her train down to FL. We had a family girls night out with Rachel and my momma. We got sushi and talked about all the things. It was fun to enjoy my family together.

Tuesday

More Thanksgiving prep. Brenden and I cleaned up and made room for our makeshift table of ten. We set it nice and pretty and I prepped some more pumpkin seeds. What are you making for Thanksgiving?

Wednesday

Guess what. We prepped for Thanksgiving some more. Do you notice a trend for the week? Tonight was focused around food prep. We got the deviled eggs ready, the stuffing prepped, the dips made and the turkey buttered.

Thursday

Happy Thanksgiving! The day has come and all of our hard work paid off. I was so happy to see all of my family and have them over to my apartment (most for he first time). I was great to catch up and spend time together. We don't get together often enough. All of the food turned out great, and I was super proud of my cheese plate and decorations. Brenden's turkey (with my assistance) was perfectly juicy and flavorful. I was happy with my cheese plate, and everyone else's dishes were too good to stop eating. What was your favorite part of Thanksgiving?

Saturday

Another weekend filled with NYC adventures for the books. Our first stop was The Met where we wander around the exhibits and caught up on life. My favorite was the furniture and the different sculptures we saw throughout. When we were museumed out for the day we headed to food stop number one -- The Meatball Shop. I was super excited to try this place with it's highly customizable menu. And while I was disappointed that there was pork mixed into a lot of the options I was hoping to try, I was happy to still get an amazing meal out of it. The meatballs were full of flavor, and as I said, I was in love with all of the variations I could make. #decisionmakersworstproblems. But really, genius idea. We finished the night relaxing with movies back home.

Sunday
Day two of NYC equaled more museums and more food. I mean do you know me, what else is there?! We made our way down to Battery Park to check out the Museum of Jewish Heritage before indulging at Lox Café (the real motivation for coming). It was amazing. I can't say enough good things about the café. But first the Museum. Unfortunately the first floor exhibit was closed when we went, but what did see was very interesting. My favorite was the mahjong exhibit. Then there was lox. Lox Five Ways to be exact. Heaven, I was in heaven. Geri and I split this and it was perfect. There was so much food, but of course we managed to eat it all. The types of lox were unique and flavorful. My favorite was the Pastrami Lox followed by Sake Ginger Lox. Geri's favorite was the Grapefruit & Gn Lox. But really, if you like lox, there was no going wrong. Everything was good flavor and good quality. I can't recommend it enough -- and no, I was not endorsed, I just really, really like lox, and food in general.

After eating like queens we decided we need to walk of all the bagels we stacked our lox on. We walked by the waterfront for a bit and took in the gorgeous views. The sun as beginning to set and the kids playing in the park with the war rippling behind them with the Statue Of Liberty in background made for the perfect scene. It was relaxing and beautiful and made me really take in and be thankful for the moment. Our last stop of the day is a true hidden gem -- The Skyscraper Museum. It happened to be directly across from the Museum of Jewish Heritage and I am totally enamored with it. It wasn't huge but it was filled with history about the skyscrapers of NYC and information about skyscrapers around the world. The main exhibit was about NYC skyscrapers between 1874-1900. Did you know a building that was 10 stories tall used to be considered a skyscraper? In NYC today, that seems so small. If you like skyscrapers or architecture, and you are in the area, it is a definite must see! What is your favorite museum in NYC?

Saturday

It was a very merry, magical Harry Potter evening. Lauren hosted a Harry Potter Party (eek!). Are you surprised? It was so magnificent though, or should I say magical. She really went all out. There were Herbology, Potions, and Divination stations; the Great Hall; Diagon Alley and Honeydukes. And even an "out of order" bathroom with Moaning Mertle. Her decoration really were on point. Plus we had surprise guest appearances from Professor Trelawny and Headmaster Dumbledore. And, of course the food and friends were perfect. It was great hanging out and spending a night pretending we were in a world of magic.

Saturday

So excited for another cooking date with Rachel R. This time we made something from my new cookbook, Molly on the Range. #obsessed. As I was reading this book, every recipe was "the first one I wanted to make." I finally decided on trying the guyere mac and cheese with caramelized onions. I was pumped that Rachel was down to make it with me. It was pretty simple to make and so rich in flavor. The texture was perfect and all the ingredients really complimented one another. This wasn't your traditional mac and cheese, but more an upscale, adult-feeling-comfort-food-mac-and-cheese. Brenden actually said this was his favorite mac and cheese ever. For dessert, Rachel and I took on the challenge of making candy apples. And boy was it a challenge. Burns aside, in the end they turned out fairly well, but I think it will be a long, long time before we tackle those again.

Sunday
It's that time of year -- my Annual Pumpkin Carving Party time of year time! And per usual, it was fabulous, and the pumpkins turned out superbly. We dressed up, well Lauren and I did, and Anna grabbed my tutu for the photo opps., which looked amazing on her. I was "raining men" before changing into my elephant onsie when it came time for pumpkin carving, and Lauren was The Little Mermaid in her onsie. Did you dress up? What were you? What were your favorite costumes this year? (I gotta say, Donald Trumps hair definitely made it into my top 5 favorite).

Saturday

The road trip continued to Ohio. After a quick morning breakfast made by Marie, Lauren and I headed to Cleveland. Did you know Cleveland was just named Forbes "Hottest City Right Now"? I heard that on the radio the other day, and look at us, ahead of the times. Our first stop was the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. We spent most of our I'm there oogling and oggling over famous outfits and instruments. After that, we explored the Westside Market where I was able to buy all the sweets just before they closed, got a few pics in front of "A Christmas Story House," and took advantage of a Cleveland wall crawl opportunity. Dinner was at Townhall, which we both fell in love with -- Lauren because it was vegan, me because it was delicious, both because of the chill atmosphere and old school board games (!) they had available for us to play as we dined. Have you ever been to Cleveland? What were some of your favorite sports? Once we were full we skirted off to Marietta for some Miki time before I quickly passed out.

Saturday

Saturday was a day for friends. First stop was to see Jeff and Katrina's new townhouse. It was so lovely and I am totally jealous of all of the space and set-up they have. I had a good time catching up with them, eating all of their good homemade treats and meeting their friends. After, I got to see Anna and Lauren, as they came to my house to hang out since Anna was in town. We took a trip down memory lane as we laughed at old year book photos and also caught up on life.

A little late but here we go...

Saturday

I had my first Hawaiian food experience, well sort of. Does it count if I was in first grade and can't remember it and probably only ate nuggets and tots at the "camps" my parents put me in as they toured around with the adults? Didn't think so. I finally gave in and went to A Taste of Aloha that Jeff V. has been bugging me to go to with him for months. And I'm a little mad I didn't give in sooner, but that is our relationship. It was all so good. Of course I got enough to feed a small army. This time I went with the chicken teriyaki musubi and a Hawaiian influenced burger. Oh, man, give me all the things. Have you ever tried Hawaiian food? What is your favorite? I am dying to try the poke.

Saturday

Saturday was a do nothing day. Nothing. I sat at home pretty much all day, trying to recover my hip and tidy the apartment = laundry, dishes, and movies that make me laugh. The evening got really exciting, as I went to dinner at Red Robin with my mom and Brenden. It was actually quite lovely, and after a hard day of nothing, we feasted. I got pretzels and onion rings and a ramen burger. It was actually pretty good, too. Fun Fact: Did you know Brenden took me to Red Robin as our first date. It was a humorous (looking back on it) disaster.

Sunday
Happy Rosh Hashanah evening. For the second year in a row (that makes it tradition *wink, wink*), I was grateful to be welcomed into my friend Stephanie's hope and celebrate with her family. It was my mom and Brenden with her parents, husband and children. And, it was lovely. I love making new traditions and new friends and it was heartwarming to again feel so welcomed by her family. I enjoyed sharing in conversation, food, and laughter as we brought in the new year. And I hope (read: can't wait, it is a tradition, after all) to do it again next year.

Monday
Happy Rosh Hashanah. Even though I didn't do anything particularly Rosh Hashanah-y, I did spend the entire day with Brenden, and I couldn't have asked for a better way to start the new year. We (read I, while Brenden laid in the hammock reading off ingredients and directions) made cookies. Chocolate coconut chip macadamia nut cookies to be exact -- what a mouthful, literally. We went to the gym. I was able to run on the treadmill for thirty minutes, with walking in between, and Brenden did the weights. We finally experienced Fogo De Chao. And, we finished the evening with snuggles on the couch as I "forced" Brenden to try to catch up on htgawm. I told you that is my new obsession, right. And yes I am already caught up to real time episodes. But, how did you celebrate the new year? Was it sweet with lot's of apples and honey? That might be my favorite part.

Tuesday
Stuffing. Good stuffing. Homemade stuffing. Challah stuffing. Flavor-packed stuffing. With apples and onions and cranberries and sage. Hot and steamy stuffing. With crispy edges and soft warm insides. So good. That is it.

Journey Undefined

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