I forgot the camera :(

Nels and I went with a group to Kabuto's Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar. It was so cool! I loved how they cooked the food right in front with you. I was so mad that I forgot my camera. The chef did some pretty cool tricks. For one of the tricks he built a tower of onions and then filled it with water and oil (I think) and then lit it on fire. So steam and flames came out the top.

I tried Sushi for the first time! I am not a fish fan so I was pretty nervous. I tried the California Roll which has seaweed and a bunch of other stuff in it. I did not like that. I gagged it down though. I also tried tuna. Completely RAW. It was actually pretty good. I was very surprised. I tried shrimp and I didn't care for that either. It was fun to try new things.

4:30 a.m. on a Saturday Morning

Amazingly, Nels woke up to the sound of shattering glass and I woke up to Nels peeking through the blinds. I wondered why Nels was checking the weather at this time in the morning. But then Nels said, "there's fire!" I jumped to the window and saw the apartment clubhouse was on fire. The fire was just a bit smaller than in the picture above when we first saw it. Nels hurried and called 911...his first time doing so. Then he ran outside (still wearing his pj's!) to get a better look.

A police car arrived first within a minute. (The police show up first to make sure that there really is a fire.) When the fire was as big as in the picture above, Nels was outside talking to the police woman. He tried to let her into the clubhouse using his electronic key, but the security system had shut down all electronic access. A few seconds later, the maintenance guy showed up and let her into the clubhouse. They found a fire extinguisher, but it was no use.

Then, 3 fire trucks came shortly after with about 20 firemen. I stayed in the aparment and watched from the window. I took a couple of pictures which turned out helpful for the apartment managers and fire investigators. Nels was asked to give his written statement about what he saw, so he was involved in the whole thing until about 7 am. It was quite an event. The apartment managers were grateful that Nels called so quickly... the damage could've been much worse!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day was great. We didn't do anything really exciting. Nels was a sweetheart and made me pancakes with strawberries and bought me flowers. Then we decided to make these heart shaped rice crispie treats for friends and neighbors. Wow, it turned out to be quite the project, but it was fun doing it together. This is how they turned out, and they tasted pretty good too, if I do say so myself. Of course not all of them turned out so unfortunately Nels and I had to eat them. :)I found the idea from this site my sister Melissa recommended. So thank you!
Hope everyone had a fun and loving Valentine's.

Great Recipe

I had been looking for a good chicken taco soup and came across this one. It takes a little bit of time, but Nels and I both loved it. It's from Betty Crocker.

Tortilla Soup
6 corn tortillas (6 inch)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped (1/3 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium Anaheim, poblano or jalapeño chile, seeded, chopped
1 carton (32 oz) Progresso® reduced-sodium chicken broth (4 cups)
1 can (14.5 oz) Muir Glen® organic fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 teaspoon coarse (kosher or sea) salt
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 ripe medium avocado
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (2 oz)
Chopped fresh cilantro, if desired
1 lime, cut into wedges


1. Cut tortillas in half; cut halves into 1/4-inch strips. In 3-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook strips in oil, 1/3 at a time, until light brown and crisp. Remove from pan; drain on paper towels.


2. Heat oil remaining in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and chile; cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in broth, tomatoes and salt. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 15 minutes. Add chicken; heat until hot.

3. To serve, peel and pit avocado. Cut into 1-inch slices. Divide half of tortilla strips among 4 individual serving bowls. Ladle in soup. Top with avocado and cheese; garnish with remaining tortilla strips and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Makes 4 servings

Bangs

After looking online for haircuts, I decided that bangs would be a fun and different look for me. My haircut was inspired by the following pictures.

and me:

I'm still getting used to it, but I'm enjoying it so far.

Random Post

I started a full time job in December and so this is why I haven't posted for a while. Here's a few things that we've done.

A big project that I did for a Christmas present was typing all my recipes that I like, printing and laminating them and then making this recipe box.

Before:

After:
I gave it to Nels' sister Kierstin. I think she really liked it. Now I'm making one for myself.

After Christmas Nels' family came to visit us. We tried out a new restaurant called Cheeseburger in Paradise. It was a fun place to eat and the food was delicious. My favorite was the milkshakes made with Blue Bell ice cream. Mmmm good!

That's about all for now. I did cut my hair so I'll have to post pictures of that soon. Enjoy the cold weather!

Our Lucky Seventh Place to Live

We are finally going to get a house! A real house. No landlords, no loud or stinky neighbors, no more overpriced rent. We even got to choose the location, the flooring, the cabinetry, the bathroom layouts, and the exterior and floor plan. Yep, we're building it. Well, we're not; we wouldn't even know how to put up the first wall, but you know what we mean. So, hopefully, you'll check out the pictures below.

Below is the house that we'll build on the lot above. We will have this same layout (not flip-flopped).

This is a view of the entry way.

This is a view of the living room. BUT, imagine the ceiling being ten feet higher and 3 matching windows above the 3 shown here. That's how our house will be. Also, no sliding glass door; we like the normal glass door better.

Looking into the dining area from the living room. Perfect area to set out a huge game of Settlers or Carcassone or Ticket to Ride. Oh, and we'll eat there, too.

Whoever's cooking can watch the activity in the living room, so she (he?) won't feel left out.

We're not sure what color cabinetry/counter tops we want yet, so let us know your thoughts. (Stainless steel appliances are available, but we like the white best anyway.) Also, we'll have another window on that big empty wall in the corner.

Upstairs, there are 2 'so far' spare rooms (which share a bathroom) and a master bedroom with a vaulted ceiling, a master bath (with a garden tub, a stand-up shower, and TWO sinks).

These are the exterior color choices. The jury has yet to reach a final verdict in this department also, so tell us what you think.

We will be going with one of these brick colors, though.

This is our "cool-feel" color scheme. Cabinetry color may change. But, we only like the flooring colors shown in these two pictures.

This is our "warm-feel" color scheme.

Ok, now let us know what you think! We're expecting emails from all of you. Hopefully, you'll come visit us even if you don't get the colors you're hoping for. (We close June 15, so any moving help is appreciated.) Visiting reservations will be kept to a 'first come, first served' basis, well, unless you prefer the 'more the merrier' option. :)