My Week Off...

That's right, I took an entire week off from the grind! It was difficult, and I started to get some serious anxiety around Friday, but I survived. Here are a few highlights from my winter staycation...

Reindeer

Anyone who knows me, knows I heart animals. I almost cried when I saw killer whales this past summer. For the game two weeks ago, in honor of Christmas, we invited two beautiful three-year old Reindeer from Cougar Mountain Zoo to join us. They were awesome, despite their nervous poo on the sideline. I didn't get too close... apparently they like to bite. Yousa!

Mountains

I am a skier. I come from a long line of skiers. I strive to be as good as my uncles... they jump out of helicopters and ski uncharted territory. CRAZY but COOL. I convinced three boys to come skiing with me last week. They are terrific skiers so needless to say I had to keep up. My legs hurt for two days. Crystal Mountain is my home base. Stellar conditions and mostly sunny skies. We had an awesome day. I tried to talk sports and business with the boys... I think I did pretty good :)

Minestrone

My bff Jessica made me a deelish winter minestrone last year and I decided after a long day of skiing I needed to make it. Here is how to do it...

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 C chopped onion

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/4 C cubed, peeled, acorn or butternut squash

3/4 C diced zucchini

1/2 C chopped carrot

1/2 C diced fennel
1 C water

1 14 oc. can of chicken stock

5 tbl tomato paste

1/2 C uncooked ditalini pasta

2 1/2 C chopped swiss chard

1/2 C canned, rinsed, drained Great Northern beans

1/2 tsp pepper

Grated Asiago cheese to top

Heat oil in large pot and add onion, herbs and garlic. Saute until onion is just tender. Add squash, zucchini, carrot, fennel and saute until tender. Add water, stock and tomato paste, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add pasta and cook for 8 minutes. Add swiss chard and cook for 3 minutes. Add beans and cook for 2 minutes. Add pepper and salt to taste. Service with crusty bread and top with Asiago cheese. Yum.

Thanks universe for allowing me to take a deep breath and enjoy life a little more last week. Along with lots of me-time, lots of holiday gatherings, gift exchanges and sleep. Look forward to doing it again sometime...

They have arrived...

The Holiday's are officially here! This might be my most favorite time of year... and here are a few reasons why:

1. Cozy sweaters

2. Mint hot chocolate from Williams Sonoma

3. Snuggles with Lily girl (that would my chocolate lab)

4. Boots!

5. Thanksgiving and Christmas with not one, but with TWO families!

6. Christmas lights and jingle bells

7. The quiet after a snow storm

8. 24/7 "A Christmas Story" on TBS

9. Krumkake and Spritz cookies (holla fellow Norskies)

10. Holiday Parties galor!

11. Fires (thank god BF has a fire place or I would miss out on this one)

I love, love, love this time of year. Happy Holidays to anyone reading my little blogster.

Friend's T-Giving

Every year a big group of us get together to celebrate Thanksgiving a little early. I look forward this party every year, to not only spend time with some of my best friends, but to also enjoy the most delicious turkey ever... the deep fried kind.

This year was no exception. The spread was amazing and I ate way too much. Here are some of the highlights in photos... wish I could have stayed up till the wee hours with y'all but duty called at 7:00 am :)

Rauh and her darling Turkey cupcakes... in the background you can see the beautiful table Fitzy set.

My plate...

The Friends...

What's Your Favorite Condiment?

Mine is Mustard...

Kinda blurry but you get the picture. Happy Halloween!

And that's another...

Cougar. First. Down!

Well sort of that is... at least we held the #3 team in the country to under their game average of 56 points. Go Cougs!

Homecoming 2010 was a BLAST! I hadn't been back in over four years, and the BF in nearly nine!! So many upgrades to beautiful Pullman and the WSU campus. The CUB which was more like a cLub, is absolutely gorgeous! Complete with a Bar, Borders Books and fire places! Walking along the Mall, downtown Pullman, all the new buildings, the Rec Center (which you could pay $5 to shower = awesome when you are camping)... all look amazing!

It was so wonderful to be back and quite nostalgic reliving all the fun times in college. We hit up every bar... Shakers (will always be Shakers to me), the Coug (still hot, sweaty and no where to sit), and of course our old stomping grounds at Valhalla (along with Scott the old owner!). Drove by Kappas, which is still so beautiful. Had Sellas, a Pita Pit, D-Grind... all my old favs. We also visited the new Bookie, Crimson and Gray, and had to buy some Cougar Gold...

We shacked it up with the RinaCoffey's in the Lo Liner Coug Mobile. We had so much fun and had the perfect set up over in the RV lots and easy access to the stadium. Just like in college, we watched the first half and headed to the bars to get a table... And of course no Saturday night in Pullman is complete without a houseparty, shirtless freshman (boy) and a lost, very wasted boy looking for the next party... good times!

Cant wait to go back... wont be another four years this time. Go Cougs!

Ah Sookie Sookie Now...

I am a True Blood fan! I just love how ridiculous the show is and find it extremely entertaining. Let's just say its my new Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I miss you Buffy...

Those of you who watch the show, know that the story lines are based on the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris. Ive heard from several folks how great the books are, but since I don't really read in bulk, have had no interest. Why would I read about when I can watch it unfold every Sunday night on HBO... and the characters are H.O.T.

As a non-avid reader, I have really been trying to put myself out there and find a good read. They are hard to come by, and the last book that got me was none other than Twilight. Can you sense a theme? Yes, I enjoy reading about forbidden vamp love.

Anywho, I was at the airport on my way home from Boston and there happened to be a Borders Books. I took a chance and picked up the 4th book in the series. You know you aren't a reader when you realize the Dewey Decimal System is no longer in use and books are sorted by author and genre. Who knew!

So far.... SOOO GOOD! Its literally like watching the show in print. I would definitely be interested in reading the remainder of the series, which I find it catchy that all the books have "Dead" in the title. Here they are in order:

Dead Until Dark

Living Dead in Dallas

Club Dead

Dead to the World

Dead as a Doornail

Definitely Dead

All Together Dead

From Dead to Worse

Dead and Gone

Dead in the Family

Dead Reckoning

A Touch of Dead

And no, these are nothing like R.L. Stine books that 13 year-olds read :)

Happy reading!

Beantown 2010

I just love my annual (sometimes semi-annual) jaunts out to Boston to visit my dear friends the Mullins. This trip I got to bring along my "life partner" and fellow Lisa, Ms. Spry. We had a super fun and relaxing weekend, which included, but wasn't limited to the following occurrences...

- Crossed the borders of four states (NH, RI, MA, CT)

- Drank close to 30 different kinds of frosty bronsons including one with smashed pumpkin

- Did some damage on Newbury Street (#1 steel was the MK purse for sheez...)

- Ate my favorite chicken salad-salad at Stephanie's and enjoyed unsweetened iced tee

- Visited an 80's movie classic set, Mystic Pizza

- Ate breakfast at four different Dunkin D's, all equally delightful

- Got covered in Tucker hair

- Slept in the un-wed woman's room

- Saw at least two members of the Mullin family (love you Hobbs'!)

- Listened to Officer Lord try to tell us the East Coast is better in an absurd Boston accent

- Ate steak tips

- Ate at the Cherry Tree (yes, I even had onion rings - not smart decision making)

- Saw Phil, randomly

- Organized my receipts to annoy Sta :)

- Picked out which house I would live in on Summitt Street

- Ate the Sr. Account Executive Special as prepared by L. Spry

- Learned how to play Rummycube and won both times ;) Beginners luck...

- Left already planning the next trip out - hopefully Spring 2011 ;)

Thanks for all your hospitality and fun Mullins... one my most favorite traditions to visit what I consider my second home at this point.

And to my traveling partner, thanks for putting up with me despite my redonkulousness :)

Tutta Bella

Looking for some authentic Italian pizza without having to take the long flight to the Boot? Look no further, no matter where you live, Eastside, Seattle, Wallingford, there is a Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria near you.

I had my first Tutta experience this last weekend with a few gal pals and it didn't disappoint. Winner of the 2010 Pizza Today Indie Pizzeria of the Year, Tutta rewarded customers with one free pizza per table throughout the weekend.

We started dinner with an Insalata Di Salerno which came with fresh mozzarella balls, shaved fennel, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, basil topped with a dijon vinaigrette. It was so good! Perfect combination of garden favorites with fresh cheese and a tangy, creamy, but light dressing to top it off.

On to the pizza... we ordered three for four girls (they are thin).

1. Giovanni - OMG so good. Mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, prosciutto, shaved parmigiano, topped with fresh peppery arugula. This was my favorite.

2. Pino -Calabrian Salami (salami makes the world a better place doesn't it?) and fresh basil.

3. Regina Margherita - Basil and fresh mozzarella.

We of course had to get some gelato so went with a classic chocolate chip. Perfect way to complete the dinner.

I fell in love with this place, really. The pizza reminded me of Italy and they do it just like the Italians - thin, perfectly cooked, a bit of smokiness to it and all fresh ingredients. I give it a 4 out of 4 stars.

If you haven't tried this place you should and soon!

Tutta Bella

Happy Birthday BF!

You probably wont see this anytime soon, but thought you deserved a Birthday Blog shout out ;)

XO

My Summer 2010

So, I know Summer isn't technically over, but this next month is going to be so super crazy with my job, that I wanted to reflect back on MY summer (June and July 2010).

It was a great one full of trips, bucket list checking off, sunsets, birthday parties, weddings, friends and of course sporting events.


Thanks to all for making my summer super fun!

Goodbye Life Partner!

Dearest Life Partner aka Spry,

I'm so super sad you are heading back to SoCal and will miss many things about you, including, but not limited to the following:

1. Our engagement photo shoots

2. You being my date or roomie at events and weekend getaways

3. Spooky laughs

4. Goldie Hawn game

5. Screening your calls so I don't have to fulfill your business requests

6. Fulfilling your business requests

7. Attending church every few months :)

8. Trail Nugs

9. Watching you show your tee tas to strangers

10. Seeing you convince bouncers to let you in bars w/o a valid ID

Love you my friend. Call me with requests often, and visit when you can. Cannot wait until we take over Beantown in September.

xoxo

30

A very special (and belated) Happy 30th Birthday to two of my gals!

Snogs - Welcome to 30 little lady! Going on hmmm....21 years of friendship I think?

Rauhy - Happy Birthday girl! Cant wait to celebrate this weekend!

Love you both oodles and oodles!

I cant wait...

for this weekend! So many fun events...

Welcome BFFs Stass, Kev, Tuck and Peenie from Beantown!

Celebrate the soon-to-be Mr. and Mrs. Easterlin...

Eat at this place with the BF....

And work a little :)

Mahalo Maui!

I had the pleasure of spending an ENTIRE week in beautiful Maui with my best friend/BF. At the start of 2010 I wasnt expecting to get to go on TWO week-long vacays, so I feel pretty lucky that I got to visit "margaritaville" with the high school besties, and then be on "Island time" for nearly eight days. Needless to say, doing nada for a week was pretty awesome.

Just a few highlights from our trip... we did a lot of eating, drinking, and relaxing!

Tip: Bring a small/softshell cooler with you and stock it up with beers and booz so you dont have to pay $10 for a beer at the pool. If you buy one drink, you can use their branded cups. You just have to be sneaky. Do people already know this??

I hope to get back here again someday - what an amazing trip. Thanks BF!

Coo-coo for Coconuts!

I love ANYTHING with coconut. Sweet, savory, whatever, I will eat or drink it. These were no exception. I found them at an ABC Store in Lahaina (bascially a Hawaiian Fred Meyer). M&M should get a metal for these...

In other coconut news... I made up a drink in Hawaii that I just had to share.

What you'll need:

• Malibu Rum
• Soda Water
• Fresh Lime
• Ice

How to:
Mix 2 shots of Malibu rum with a 1.5 - 2 cups of soda water over ice. Add freshly squeezed lime juice from about a quarter of lime and drink up!

Refreshing, light and tropical! Enjoy.

Zippity Do Dah!

One of the funnest things I have ever done...

Click on below to check out the absurdness.

Jeremy plunging...

...and Marge plunging (file too big :)).

More to come on our amazing trip to Maui.

Aloha!

Speaking of...

A few weeks ago I spent a super fun weekend with the ladies in Chelan... I also learned about a fun new gadget from my friend Kris!

I had recently been searching for an IPOD speaker but couldnt find one that was of good quality AND within my budget. Krissy had this speaker below made by Altec Lansing and it worked great! Battery operated, it just plugs in to your IPOD and plays! It has great sound quality as well. It even came with a cute little case to protect it whislt traveling. The only downer is that it doesnt charge my pod...

It only cost me $30 on Amazon.com. It was on sale from around $40 or so. Pretty good if I do say so myself.

I highly recommend this little guy if you are traveling and want to make sure your pre-funk hotel tunes are taken care of.

Thanks Krissy!

In the words of Christopher Cross... Sailing... Take me away....

Back from a very relaxing (and what seemed to actually be long for once), wonderful weekend!

Friday Harbor 2010 was so much fun and I got to share it with all rookie visitors! Everything was as I left it nearly two years ago! Although a couple of new things have been added to the mix... like a flat screen TV at the house (welcome to the twenty-first century Giese family), a new video rental place, and a beautiful bench just off the ferry landing that is dedicated to my lovely grandparents Hans Otto and Borghild Giese.

The weather wasn't awesome, but we ate, drank, played a heated battle of boys against girls in catch phrase, went sailing with my fabulous uncle and saw some Canadians... whales that is! Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE wild life and I was dying to see some whales when we were out sailing and just as we were heading back, three transient Orcas (apparently they came from Canada) swam about 200 yards off the bow of the boat. They were amazing! I practically started crying I was so excited to see them. We also saw a raccoon, deer, a seal, a bear... oh wait, that was just Tar the 120+ lb dog! (Lily went on a warmer weekend getaway with her grandparents to Plain, WA).

Some of the foody highlights included drinks at an Island fav, Herbs, and a stop at the Hungry Clam. I would say the HC is up there with the finest Fish and Chips... the fries were amazing, tarter sauce totally yummy, cocktail sauce questionable... but they serve beer which is always a plus. I also think you can tell a lot by how good a restaurant's ranch dressing is. I was forced to have this because they didn't have blue cheese, and it was really good. Just like at Kappas!


Really great weekend, with geat company, lets just hope I get up there again before two years pass me by. Missed everyone who couldn't make it!

Return to Friday Harbor!

I am so super excited to finally be getting up to my family's summer home on Friday Island! I have not been up there in TWO YEARS! How sad... When I was a kid we would go up practically every other weekend!

Hopefully the weather will clear up a bit so we can bask in some sunshine.

Here's to...

1. A relaxing weekend with great friends

2. Sailing with Uncle Emil

3. The smell of the salty air

4. The sound of the ferry coming in

5. Fresh seafood and island ice cream

6. Lots of frosty bronsons and perhaps a few margs

7. A good game of catch phrase

8. Chillin' on the meadow

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Franz's BBQ

There is nothing I love more then my Dad's country ribs. YUM. He even makes his own sauce... they are awesome.

This Weekend...

I am going here....

To celebrate her.... (the little red head :))

Happy almost 30th DJ! Many of my most absurdly awesome college and life memories have you in them girl... looking forward to making many more the next 30!

Can't wait for sunshine, wine and good times with good friends! Here's to not falling asleep on the drive home.

Happy 35th Birthday Lily!

Happy birthday to my sweet, energetic, crazy-ass dog, Lily. I love this dog more than anything and can't imagine my world without her jumping on me in it ;) Even though she cant read blogs, I thought she still deserved a shout out.

Love you puppy!