Out of things to say

Due to a lack of exciting events, I'll just post an older picture of me or two... why not? By way of explanation, this first one is of me in a dress. That's why I'm crying... because I'm in a dress.













...And another picture of me not looking too happy:













And last, who here had some of these little guys? Yes, even my 16 year old sister (at the time) and my twin brother Mikey were the proud owners of cabbage patch kids. (I'd say I was the most justified, don't you think?).

Thai curry recipe

I've had several people recently ask me for my recipe for red pineapple curry.  I just figured I'd post the description of how I make it on here for all to see at once.  It looks wordy, but it's one of the easiest things you can make once you have the ingredients. Also, all amounts can vary to taste... I just give amounts to give you a starting point option.

 

1 large or 1 1/2 to 2 small cans coconut milk (I like Arroy-D or Chakaoh... you can buy in asian stores for around .89 per can, or grocery stores for $2+)
2 T. red curry paste (I like Arroy-D or Mae Ploy... again - at an asian store for under $2 that supplies you with probably more than 10 recipes worth of curry paste.  The Arroy-D version is a little milder than the other)
1 T. olive or canola oil
2 chicken breasts
1/2 onion, chopped to desired size
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped to desired size
brown sugar (or white works too) -- 2-3 T. depending on how sweet you like it
2 T. fish sauce (optional)
fresh basil... maybe a small handful (very inexpensive at an asian market)
1/2 or more can pineapple tidbits
cashews

 

Heat oil in sauce pan. add curry paste and stir fry for about a minute to release the flavor, then add the coconut milk.  Mix in to blend the curry paste and coconut milk into a curry sauce.  When it's boiling, cut the chicken into the sauce (I use scissors to cut in thin strips right into the sauce, but you can cut in pieces or however you like it).  Add onions and bell pepper.  Add sugar.  Keep on soft boil until chicken is cooked.  Add basil and cashews and cook 1 or 2 more minutes and remove from heat. Add pineapple (I hear you can add some of the juice too but I haven't done this).  Serve over rice.  (Throughout the process you can add more of the paste or milk or anything else until it gets to the flavor you like).

Blessings and Curses

So, with my roommate Connie and I both working for the same company and thus being laid off soon, and our roommate Jen leaving church today to find someone had broken her window to steal her bag including money, phone, ID, etc., we are reminding our fourth and final roommate to be very careful.  But along with the financial curses that have come our way I realize these experiences are also bringing with it many blessings.  I'm already beginning to see how much my friends and family are looking out for me... and I already feel increased compassion for all who suffer in this and any other way.  And somehow I'm finding myself looking at this position that I'm in (as scary as it can be at times) as a good thing.  Maybe I've lost it.  And I'm sure to have sketchy moments from time to time where I'll label this a great curse, but I know there are lessons to be learned in all that we go through in life, and that Heavenly Father blesses us and takes care of our needs as long as we are doing our best in life.  I'm grateful for that faith.

Shocker

So, yeah... I go to work on Tuesday... It's a busy day. I'm worried about how I'm going to get everything done before I have to leave at 3:30. I open an e-mail at 9:30 from our president in our New York office and proceed to read about how everyone in our SLC office (that's me) is losing their jobs sometime within the next 2 months because they're closing the office and moving our work to the Dallas, TX office. Shocker. It blind-sided all 40 of us in our office. No forewarning or anything. Just an e-mail to give us the keys to the street. It felt pretty surreal the first couple days, but reality is now setting in... for better or worse. :) All in all, I feel pretty confident that things will work out for the best in the end. I'm grateful for my faith that the people in our office will be taken care of... I have a feeling that most if not all will be glad it happened (in time anyway). I worry for those with families or other rough economic situations. For me, I just have a mortgage... It may take sacrifices in some regards, but all will be well in time. I'm hoping by January 1st of 2010 I'll look back and say... "Hmmm. I'm actually glad that happened". Till then though... strange times. If anyone knows of any great jobs out there, I'm in the market.

I Can Fly! ... (Tandem)... Kind of?

I've lived in Salt Lake nearly all my life. The point of the mountain is right next door, and it is world renowned for great, consistent paragliding. ...And yet I've never taken the opportunity to go? Yeah, that's not right. Well, today I took that opportunity and flew with it. My friends/roommates Connie & Cherissa joined me in the adventure, and I checked off another item on my 150 list.

Check out the pics and videos (there are a lot... it was just so cool):









Me getting ready:





























The action video of me taking off below:


























































Below: Cherissa on her flight

















































The next video is a great one of Connie... I don't think that's the traditional way of getting the tandem rider ready to go, but somehow it worked.

















Ta dah!!! (the end)

SURPRISE!

Imagine every spot on the street you can see from my house completely lined with cars.
Imagine my mom a week before her 70th birthday showing up to my house expecting a small "family dinner" and finding 90 unexpected friends and family members.
Imagine the planning and logistics of this party and more especially the gift given being a central part of my life for months, and I couldn't even mention anything about it on my blog in case my mom saw.

Last Sunday was the celebration of my mom's 70th birthday. I was more surprised than she when I realized that the secret of her party had been kept... no one gave it up (though we heard stories that night of a few who caught themselves just in time).

This is the day my sister and I had been waiting for-- not for the party itself, but to present my mom with this special gift we had been working on for months.

So, to begin: Here's the picture as the "SURPRISE" was yelled out














(my nephew Alex was a little traumatized by all the people in the house so he hid out in my room after this for much of the night... there were moments I wanted to do this as well. It was crazy. :)


And here's some of the food we enjoyed:













































Since my mom's birthday gift was the central part of the evening, here's the story behind it:

Last July my sister called me with an idea for my mom's birthday: we (meaning she) would make a quilt put together of squares contributed by many of my mom's friends and family. The squares people submitted could contain a simple quilting block, pictures, memories, quotes, or messages to my mom. I handled the logistics -- the inviting, collecting, etc, while Val did the creative part--the piecing together and quilting. Sadly we couldn't include ALL of her friends in the quilt as my mom is a very social person and knows far too many to include everyone, and I didn't have all her friends e-mail addresses. But we got a good sampling. We did end up with 70 squares representing her 70 years to this point.

The following pictures show her reactions as she opens the gift















Above is the "I'm just overwhelmed at how many people are here" reaction.















I guess we were having a good time.

And the gift is: (drum roll)...















(above) Getting a little emotional (not unexpected from my mom) as she realizes how many people have participated and what was done for her.















Finally realizing... "Why am I crying? This is a good thing."















Everyone else wants to see, too... They helped make it, after all.
















The quilt looked awesome. Val and the 69 others involved did an amazing job to create the gift of a lifetime... literally. Celebrating the central moments and many of the central people in my mom's life.















Alex loved the quilt too... but I don't think he quite understood the concept as we were folding it up. (No, Alex... it may look like one but it's not a Hammock)

And at the end of the evening we went bowling. (just can't get my mom away from those video games ;)











Happy Birthday, mom.

When Fall comes to New England...

Goal #27: Visit Maine in the Autumn. Check.




















Above: Nubble Lighthouse: Cape Neddick, ME















(This picture taken from the tower at Mount Auburn cemetary)

Several of my friends have moved to Boston over the past 5 years. Two remain, and I finally bought a ticket to visit them and the region of the United States that I have been most passionate about seeing. The result: A sudden understanding of why people are drawn to the area. It's beautiful! ...A city of history, education, sports, museums, beauty and good people. Though it's a big city it doesn't feel as crazy as New York or LA. There is an endless supply of places to visit and things to see, and it only leaves you wanting more. If my work allowed for a leave of absence (which it doesn't), I would probably move out for a few months next year. I guess I'll settle for a week-long visit again... hopefully next fall. It was the perfect time to go.

Dre (Andrea) and Shells (Shelly) took time out of their packed lives to spend the weekend with me. We went to Salem, Walden, Mount Auburn, saw some of the Head of the Charles rowing competition, and went to Trader Joe's (sure, it's a grocery store, but when I don't have one where I live it becomes my own idea of a good tourist trap). I saw all but one the main sites on the famous FreedomTrail in Boston (but didn't have my camera) and also went to Concord on my own.




















Shelly, Andrea, and I in front of (though you can't tell) the Boston LDS temple




















A slightly better picture of the temple















Dre and I in Salem with the customary Sox fan in the background
















Me at the Head of the Charles rowing competition















Walden Pond. I voted this my favorite spot of the year.

















I joined up with a couple new friends yesterday. Christie is Andrea's wedding photographer who was out here taking Dre's bridal pics, and I was reaquainted with Jen whom I had originally met when we both lived in Sugarhouse. We went to a beach town in Maine (Ogunquit) and another beachtown in Massachusetts (Rockport). The drive was amazing. The autumn colors were breathtaking, and we topped it off with a great lunch at a waterfront restaurant.





















At the beach in Rockport, MA

Thanks to Dre and Shells for taking me around and giving me a place to stay on a very comfortable air mattress. It was a fantastic and refreshing vacation.