pasadena symphony

we were gifted tickets to the symphony last week.

a very cultured experience.

we relished being the only audience members in their 20's.




{pictures via russell's phone}

$1.93 date

a coupon came in the mail awhile ago {$18.50 value}. but this wasn't just any coupon.

this was a coupon to our favorite pizza place. Mamma's.

quite possibly the best thing that has ever happened to us.

yachting

where the shipwrecked scene of Gilligan's Island was filmed.




wish i were sunbathing too.

valentine's weekend

Russell & I have fun making holidays last longer than they should.

Birthdays.

Our Anniversary.

Christmas.

Valentines Day.

And maybe I should be more clear-it's really ME who likes making these lovey, mushy, fun, exciting holidays longer. {So glad Russell plays along}. But this year, I didn't even have to suggest stretching out this holiday, he did it all on his own! Love him.

Friday: came home from work to find a rose petal path to a candlelit dinner and a bouquet of gorgeous flowers!







Saturday: valentines breakfast for two.



Sunday: i think this was the day we completely over indulged on conversation hearts.

Monday: Heart shaped pancakes, pink milk and all.



After work we made the same thing we've made the past 4 Valentine's Days. We probably started this because we felt too poor to eat out or maybe we just felt like staying in. But it's a tradition that's stuck and hopefully always will.



Thanks for being my Valentine, Russell.

one ingredient ice cream

If you know me at all you know I'm kind of a health freak.

When it comes to cake, cookies, brownies, ice cream and really anything I know I'll have to run longer to burn off in the morning, I'm just not tempted to eat it.

So when I saw this recipe I thought I'd give it a try-because I needed to know if what she was saying was true-could it really be that good?

Click HERE!

You have to at least try this. I have fallen in love with it!

{This is also a great site for wifey's/mommy's who need great dinner ideas.}

January EAT: A Salad Resolution

I'm a little late on posting this but I blame the fact that I forgot to take pictures, so I had nothing incredibly worthwhile to post.

We went with salads last month {in light of the new year.}

Green Salads.

Pasta Salads.

Jello Salad.

{it was later brought to my attention that i forgot potato salad.}

This month's EAT is going t be sweet-if I can actually pull it off!

and I'll do better with the pictures

famous people

So normally the highlight of my day is usually something like coming home to find Russell fixing dinner, or him waiting at the door to sweep me off my feet.

But not today. Today I saw TWO famous people. TWO!

I was running an errand for my boss down at the Disney Concert Hall and as I'm walking to the door that leads to the ticket booth I see some people coming from the opposite side.

So you know how you watch a TV show and you feel like you really know the character: how they look, dress, personality, mannerisms etc. Well I see these two people and I think, 'Hey, I know them!' And it takes me a few seconds before I realize, oh no, I don't really know them, they're part of the cast of No Ordinary Family!

My favorite part: The dad walks through the door I'm now inches away from and totally does a double take and looks at ME! ME.

I'm pretty sure I had a really dumb look on my face.

A few steps behind him is his daughter on the show...who is surprisingly short {shorter than me, but I was in heels}.

I've only seen the show a few times but I think I'll watch the next few episodes to see what they were taping on the historic day I was inches away from famous people!

a cake top

I heard somewhere, or maybe my mom told me, that you're supposed to freeze the top of your wedding cake and eat it on your one year anniversary.

True?



Well, seeing how we've already celebrated three wedding anniversary's, I'd say we missed the boat on this one.



But never fail, my mom had graciously preserved our cake top in her freezer! We just never seemed to be with my parents or even in the same state on our anniversary so we figured now was as good of time as any.



When we cut the cake at our reception, Russell knew how I felt about cake in the face. {i possibly told him he'd sleep on the floor that night if he tried anything sneaky}. But I also believe that feeding each other the first bite symbolizes that you will always feed, love and provide for one another.

Sappy? Ya, I know.



But since this wasn't our wedding day, our even our anniversary, some one felt they had free reign to shove cake in the others face.




{and I may or may not have been the only one who still thought the cake tasted great}.

38 years later...

No need for fancy clothes, a limo or an overly priced dinner. That's not how my parents roll on their anniversary {well at least not this year}!



because they celebrated with US.



Growing up I knew anniversary's were special but I didn't fully understand them until I started having some of my own. This was such a fun night with my parents. We asked them all sorts of questions about their wedding day.

what they remembered.

what went wrong. {there's always something}

bridesmaids. groomsman.

the cake.

my dad's braces. ha.

my mom's dress.

But the best part was knowing that after 38 years of marriage my parents are still in love.

They've gone through a lot and gave up a lot of things for me and my brother-and I am so grateful for all of their sacrifices. They always pushed us to be our best and never told us they were too busy to help or talk. I can still remember my dad dressing up to interview me as Anne Frank in 5th grade...My mom driving me from soccer to ballet as I attempted to dry my hair in the car vent and eat the food she had ready for me...My dad quizzing me for every Chemistry test in high school because I couldn't let my best friend get a higher score than me...My mom proof-reading every paper I ever wrote and me getting so frustrated with every change I needed to make...My dad's voice from the sideline or press box of every single soccer game...The red light of my mom's video camera at every recital and the borderline too loud whistle from my dad...The arms that left me at college and the wise voices that told me I couldn't come home when I begged to leave...The support they gave me when Russell & I were sealed in the Portland Temple...and the love i feel from every phone call, text, email and note in the mail.

I only hope I can be as good of parents to my children as they will always be to me.

I love you.

Tumwater Falls

We always try to hit the falls whenever we're home. This place reminds me a lot of my childhood. We would always picnic here, play on the cement battleships and roll down the hill that I swear used to be three times the size it is now.

I even had my senior pictures taken here.

I love this place.




everything is green in washington