Proudest Moments

It's funny how a small thing can make you feel like you're finally grown up. I suppose getting married, or buying a home are milestones, but those decisions on its own aren't indicators of maturity. How many married people still act like kids? And buying a home? I find myself missing our little beach town apartment from time to time, having traded the freedom of dirty floors or knicks on the walls as renters to the constant maintenance and preservation of home ownership.

Making wontons has always been a family tradition. With the kitchen being an adult zone where real work was done not play, these little allowances meant a great deal. It was a time to share jokes, stories, and life lessons. With every swoosh of a spoon, every tuck, and pinch, "less filling", "more filling", it seemed like in those moments, our family was unbreakable, time would stand still, and the only people that existed or mattered were my dad, my mom, and my brother.

At 36 years old, I made wontons with my husband last week. We'd made them once before in our old apartment years ago when we were dating. The healthy recipe found online was bland and dry. But today, I found myself wanting to do something out of the ordinary. I didn't follow a recipe nor did I try to recall the exact ingredients my parents used. Instead, I allowed my senses to guide me to ingredients I was familiar with growing up, ginger, green onions, the sounds of sounds and smells make me smile as I'm dicing away. But wait, Dad would never put ginger in wontons. I added a bit of soy, some rice wine vinegar (just because), and generous portions of salt (a no no in a salt conscious family) plus frozen spinach, (totally unheard of), no shrimp (I didn't feel like it).

Somehow riffing on a family tradition became a parable for a bigger life realization, that as an adult, sometimes making decisions different from my parents might not just result in a better dumpling, but maybe a happier and more fulfilled life. It wasn't that the previous wontons were bad, but that is' okay to create something new, and there's chance that the result might be better than you could have ever imagined.

 As we were giving each other some ribbing on which ones looked better,  I realized that it's come full circle. As husband and wife, Eddie and I are not only remaking family traditions, we are starting our own. It's as if the scene in the movie shot to my family's kitchen in 1988 and flash forwarded to our kitchen in 2015. The main protagonist takes a moment of self-reflection as the camera pans in for the final close up. After scoring my breakfast at a 9, Eddie gave the wontons a 10. Yes, they were that good.

1/2lb ground turkey (don't use lean)
1 box frozen spinach
1 egg
3 stalks green onions
2 tbsp. diced ginger
1.5 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 pack of wonton skins (you can also use egg roll skins cut in 4)

Boil enough water to cover the dumplings. Add wontons. Be careful not to add too many at once as they stick. Use a ladle to separate wontons. Bring to boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Serve with hot chili sauce or soy sauce.

A Birthday in Seattle

Eddie's belated birthday celebration could not have gone better. Not only did we celebrate his big day, the trip also landed on our first wedding anniversary. While you can say we ate our way through Seattle, we also walked 4 miles a day (thanks fitbit). Our hotel was centrally located downtown so we were close to all of the attractions. My brother had generously bought Eddie tickets with really great seats to the Yankees game.

We surprised ourselves with the vast amounts of walking we did, staying out late, watching a couple of movies, Pitch Perfect 2 (not as good as the first one) and Poltergeist (not too scary), and even playing games at a local arcade. Despite the fact that this is my fourth visit to Seattle, it seemed like the first time in a lot of ways, since I had never done any of the tours. Celebrating our first anniversary on a trip together was icing on the cake. We shared so many laughs on this vacation and had the best time together. Can't wait for our next trip!

Day 1 - Lakeside Cemetery, Bruce Lee/Brandon Lee Gravesite, Top Pot Doughnuts. Blue C Sushi
Day 2 - Duck Tour, Dog in the Park, Blue C Sushi
Day 3 - Seattle Bites Tour, Mariners/Yankees Game

Do not attempt to adjust your screens. This is Eddie reading. (Top Pot Doughnuts)

A little nourishment after a 2.5 hour flight as we plan our trip.

We had a taxi take us to Lakeside Cemetary, just a 10 min cab ride.

1 Adult Ticket with Quaker please, a fun 90 min land and water excursion with  Captain Marty Graw.



Two hungry guys, Eddie and Neil, hoping Crumpets are filling breakfast food.

On our food tour on a cold and rainy day.

Our tour guide with 80% meat no filler sausage samples. That's Eddie on the right. Nice wrist action.



Maybe our best doughnut in Seattle, sugar dusted, warm, and chewy.

Eddie shaking the hand of the Orka as we bid farewell to Seaattle.

A Peakcock Run and Knotts Bery Farm

The day started at the Leo Carillo trails providing a challenging and interesting course with rolling hills, dirt, and pavement. Nearly a perfect run, practically no runners, cold weather, no sun, and surprises at every turn, 3 peacocks, and new trails we didn't know existed. Although it's easy to do our old routes, I felt intuitively that we really needed to try this place, and I am just so grateful to have this new path that has reinvigorated my Saturday morning runs.

When I got home that morning, another surprise - my hubby had planned a surprise getaway to Anaheim. So I booked a couple of tickets to Knotts Berry Farm, the only amusement park I have not been to in that area. So we probably should have gotten the fast pass in hindsight, because by the time we got there, lines were long for the most popular rides. Eddie did show me to rides that did not have lines, and we managed to hop on 4 rides, and play some games. Leaving around 7p, I wondered how I was able to close down the park when I was a kid. I did eat a Churro, which wasn't bad, Eddie was disappointed that they ran out of turkey legs. We give this place 3 out 5 stars. As Eddie says, Disney would never run out of turkey legs and pretzels with salt (twice he was out of luck)!

Well we're back, and I'm so glad to have hang out with my favorite person.

Eddie landed basketball in the hoop to win this hedge hog.

 

Scrambler was a level 3 out of 5 thrill ride, but it felt like a 5.

Our view as we awaited our thrill ride to start.

Still can't believe I saw peacocks on my run.

Chocolate + Running = Fun

We were completely impressed by the Hot Chocolate Run, We really couldn't think of anything that wasn't top notch. First, leading up to the race, Eddie didn't feel totally prepared, so it happened to work out perfectly since Eddie accidentally signed me up for the 5k and him for the 15k. Luckily they let us switch our registrations at no cost.

Pros
Gatorade at every hydration station and finish line, really nice touch since water just doesn't cut it at the end of a hilly race
Interesting snacks - Chocolate, Strawberry Marshmallows, Marshmallows - even if I can't see myself eating these while running, it made me smile
Enthusiastic volunteers - everyone at the expo and aid stations were super excited to cheer us on
Well organized - the most well organized race ever
No lines - From check in to gear check to food post race, the numerous volunteers and organization made it fast and efficient to get anything done, No lines for gear check! First time ever.
Port o potties - numerous in the beginning of the race and throughout the course
Swag bag - high quality sweatshirt plus they let us try some sizes on to make sure they fit with the ability to trade out sizes same day!
Food - the hot chocolate was hot and thick, I drank the chocolate ganache, because it was that good
Course - I was afraid of the hills originally, but they made the course interesting, and I loved the down hills especially after the 10k mark, just pure bliss.
Fun environment - great DJ and dance instructor leading the warm ups
Race times/Video postings - we got a kick of out seeing ourselves run across the finish line
Expo - cool vendors with great items to buy, like headbands and clip on carrying cases with plenty of drink and food samples
Overall - this is what all races should be like - full of energy, well run, with lots of great food

Con
Wish 5kers got a medal too - huge gold blinged out chocolate medal for 15kers only

We finished off our day with Mexican food and Chinese delivery. I sat in the Jacuzzi, and feel like I ran a half marathon. Thank you to my hubby for being my cheering section throughout this entire day. He missed out on a breakfast at the hotel to watch me finish. Glad we did this together hun. No more races for a while- it's in writing!

Our new Marshmallow Friend

Woke up at 5am, warmed up and ready to run.

How much fun is this? Marshmallow men hanging out.



Where's Eddie? I see you!



 

Greeted by Eddie and chocolate. What could be better? Banana, pretzals, ganaache, marshmallow, rice crispy treat, vanilla wafer, and hot chocolate.

Grateful in San Diego

The weekend started out with a gorgeous run from Solana Beach to Del Mar. Since the forecast said 90 degree temps, I was surprised by the cool morning. The ocean breeze was perfect. The best part the course was heading back with the ocean to my left and the train tracks to my right. I don't know how my coach and I ended up running 8 miles, but by the time we got back to Solana, I felt grateful. I list endless reasons why I love living in San Diego, but the morning run encapsulated so much of what it means to live out here.


There wasn't much time to dwell in my post run nirvana. A quick trip to Starbucks, and I was off to shop for our BBQ. With a cart stacked high with groceries, I headed home. Thanks to Eddie who has now won the title of Grill Master General, we dined on some delicious chicken drumsticks and hot dogs. I made a pasta salad and a white sangria. Having spent hours building patio furniture with our handy man this week, it was incredibly rewarding to share a relaxing day at home with friends. What can I say, my husband and I make a great team.

With our taxes behind us, Eddie and I went out for Mexican food. Even that was amazing followed by a 3 hour nap. What a weekend.


You can see the running path on the left of the train. It's on a cliff so you have panoramic views of the ocean.

A strawberry smoothie for breakfast. So good after a run! 

Eddie's little bundles of joy - twin nieces!  Guess they didn't mind the beard.

 

85 degrees, Not the Bakery

It's been darn right hot in San Diego this past weekend. Eddie is wiped out from our 10 mile race today due to the heat, which was way different from last year's race which was cool and overcast. We are pleased to report that this year was even better than last year's inaugural race.

Pros
Be a participant and a spectator at the same time, we were inspired by the top runners whizzing by
Gatorade at every station (real Gatorade and not watered down)
Plentiful water stations
Clean bathrooms at the race grounds
Talented bands
Energetic volunteers and race vibe
High quality tech shirt and medal
Cool swag we can purchase at the expo or prior
Discounted prices at the expo
Plentiful parking
No parking fee
10 mile is the perfect distance
Free beer
Post race food - love the halo tangerines! Bananas, pretzels, bottled water, bars.
Plenty of areas to stretch and enjoy the shade or sunshine

Cons
Limited food options post race (not that we would eat there anyways, but they only had gyros and fried food)

The day prior to our race, we stopped by the Lunar New Year Festival after our packet pick up. Not a lot to do for adults, but we ended up playing a game and winning a minion, followed by RV Trip, a movie Eddie had recorded for us with Dominos delivery. President's Day allots us one more day to recuperate. Seeing as Eddie is napping at the moment, we'll need it!

On Sunday, Eddie broke in our grill with chicken drumsticks that turned out perfect! It was charred on the outside and moist inside. I made jalapeno poppers for the first time, but since I took out all the seeds they weren't hot at all. The chicken turned out so well, we see many great grill meals in our future.

Lunar New Year Festival

The Year of the Ram

We did it again!

Juggling January - Superbowl Sunday and More

Sometimes it feels like we have one event after another. The month of January was a whirlwind. First, a trip to Las Vegas, where we finally ate at a buffet since we've always missed it for one reason for another. While the selection was good at Caesar's, I think I'd rather dine at a nice restaurant and avoid the lines. Upon our return, Eddie's birthday occurred the week of our work's national conference, which meant long days and nights and me staying at a hotel downtown while Eddie joined later. We had a productive week.

 

Prior to that week, we celebrated Eddie's birthday early. What's more fun than a night out at Applebee's? I feel like we've become true suburbanites. Eddie's birthday gift - a card and a clue, "East meets west in the emerald city", the box had two hats, the Seattle Mariners and the Yankees - both green for his upcoming St. Patrick's day trip. We're headed to Seattle in June for the game! Eddie is excited about his first trip to Safeco Field.

 

Following all of this was Superbowl Sunday. On the menu, wings, jalapeno poppers, fried pickles, mozzarella sticks, mortadella, cheese wrapped in pepperoni, pizza, chips and artichoke dip, guacamole, and salsa. The kicker is that all that was just for the two of us, which is okay by us. It was a tense game between the Patriots and Seahawks. Now, we're just recuperating from the previous events. Did I mention we're running a 10 mile race next weekend?

 



Ready for the game!

Ready to eat!