Going Coastal

This weekend's weather beckoned us out to Bodega Bay - a small town on the Pacific Coast that is becoming a favorite spot of ours.

We arrived in the late afternoon, and were surprised to find only a slight breeze - quite different from the strong winds encountered during our past visits.

It allowed us to spend the perfect amount of time reveling in the wondrous views, enveloped in the scent of the ocean that filled the air, reflecting on God and the grandeur of His creation, and enjoying an amazing sunset.

Love Is...

...returning from a weekend away to wonderful aromas filling our home.

I was only at home for one day between my business trip last week and leaving for Chicago this past Saturday morning for an additional four days away. I tried to make up for it after my first trip with a little present for my hubby - the cookbook stand that he's been wanting for for some time now.

Mark appreciated the gesture, and to test it out, randomly opened one of our cookbooks to a Salmon and Dill Quiche recipe. He noticed how excited I was about the recipe, which is why it was baking in the oven I got back late on Tuesday night. That, along with a delicious Ham and Cheese Feullete.

What a yummy, yummy dinner. Thank you, honey!

Seven Wonderful Years

Our favorite wedding photo, taken by our dear friend and amazing photographer, Orlando.

I can hardly believe that seven years have passed since our wedding day, which I will always remember as the best day of my life. Last night, as we celebrated, we watched and re-watched our wedding video, so thankful that a family friend had thought to bring their camera with to document a few moments of our day. It brought back a flood of memories -- Leslie's beautiful voice as she sang at the ceremony -- walking down the aisle with my Dad -- the warm laughter of the whole room as Orlando worked to perfect the photograph of us cutting the cake -- Daniel as an eleven-year-old, strutting in front of the camera -- Mark's mom's laughter filling the air during Mark's toast.

God has blessed us again and again over the years, and I couldn't have asked Him for a more wonderful husband.

Mark, thank you for your endless love and support. Thank you for understanding the demands of my job that take me away so often - I miss you tonight. Thank you for the beautiful meals that you lovingly prepared for me this weekend -- the seared tuna and avocado sandwiches with sweet potato fries were amazing, the grilled shrimp and sauteed spinach were delicious, and the crab and shrimp stuffed salmon with hollandaise sauce was Out Of This World. You have a way of making me feel so incredibly special. I can't wait to watch our future unfold and look forward to the many years to come. Happy Anniversary, honey. I love you!

Quality Friday: Every Day is a Celebration

We love our new home. Although the boxes are not quite unpacked, we feel settled and content here, and can't get enough of our surroundings. The scenery - endless miles of rolling hills, lush green trees and breathtaking views - will never grow old. And our new town has a great downtown area with cute shops and fun restaurants, so different from the area we left.

Seems like every chance we get, we're hopping in the car to explore the area around us. Its been much easier to do so given my light travel schedule the past two weeks, and that Mark no longer works on weekends (yay!).

Last Saturday afternoon, with me in a celebratory mood after a good, long, training run, we decided to head towards the neighboring town of Guerneville, and found ourselves at the world famous Korbel Vinyards for champagne tasting and a delicious lunch at the Korbel Delicatessen.

The view was amazing,

the champagne - thoroughly enjoyable,

and we brought home our fair share for future indulgence.

Wasting no time, we opened a bottle that evening, enjoying it with a decadent meal of smoked salmon, served on crackers with red onion and capers, and fine cheese. And like so many moments during these past weeks, we've found ourselves toasting and celebrating life.

Hope that you have had cause to celebrate recently! Cheers to you this Quality Friday!

Quality Friday: Calm Before the Storm

On Monday and Tuesday, we took a break from the craziness of our lives and enjoy a short little trip to Monterey Bay. I had to do a little bit of work there, and love that Mark had both days off to join me on the drive down California's famous Coastal Highway.

We enjoyed some lovely meals, got a chance to walk around Monterey's wharf, and especially appreciated this ocean view from our hotel room.


That, and the fact that the room was tidy and neat, quite unlike the disaster zone that our home has become. Why, you ask? What has taken over our lives, and turned our apartment upside down?

If you answered "Because You're Moving", then you guessed correctly! Seems that we can't resist the opportunity to pick up and move more often than we say put:)

Funny think because I actually hate moving. HATE IT. But as much as I fought the notion with every fiber of my being, I couldn't deny that this move will make a great deal of sense. Mark will only have to travel 10 minutes to school each day, rather than the hour plus (80 miles round trip) commute that he suffered through last year. Imagine the gas that we'll be saving!

Yes, my commute to the airport(s) will take a little longer than they do now, but the reality is that only make the trip once or twice a week, not every day. Plus, I drive a company car with my fuel paid for. The rest of the time I work from home.

In addition to the gas savings, our rent will decrease significantly, another huge bonus. We'll be living nearer to the coast in the heart of Sonoma wine country, in a cute town, with bookstores. Which is significant because we currently have to drive 15 miles to a Borders or Barnes and Noble, since our town only has an adult bookstore. Classy. But I digress.....

Right now, I may or may not be starting to panic about Just How MUCH needs to get done before we move TOMORROW. Which is why I'm going to take a deep breath and remind myself of the peaceful ocean view we enjoyed just a few days ago.

Happy Quality Friday! Back to work I go:)

Wonder-ful

Over the thirteen years that I've know my husband, my appreciation for music had grown exponentially. One of the things that impressed me the most when we started dating was that his love for music encompassed so many different genres, generations and artists. From Michael Jackson to the Bee Gees, Nat King Cole to A Tribe Called Quest, Porgie and Bess to Bach and Mozart, he loves it all.

At the top of a long list of list favorites, though, is an artist who inspires Mark above any other single musician. Since he was a young boy, Mark has respected and been in awe of Stevie Wonder - for his brilliant chord progressions, his musical genius, his memorable voice. And a few weekends ago, Mark and I had the privilege of hearing him perform live.

What we expected when we bought our lawn tickets at the Shoreline Amphitheatre, was a venue much like Chicago's beloved Ravinia. Similar, yes, but not exactly the same. We were able to pack some picnic treats, but found that wine was not allowed to be carried into the venue (although bottles were available for purchase). And we were pleasantly surprised that the lawn seating afforded an actual view of the stage, with the grass area sloping upward behind the pavilion. Amazingly, people lined up neatly in rows, staking claim to small patches of ground with a great amount of order. Also notable was the diversity of the crowd - Stevie Wonder's fans spanned every age group and ethnicity.

Our view of the stage.

When the music started, I was captivated. I don't think I stopped smiling the entire night. I was thrilled to know most of the words to Stevie's songs, and like everyone around us, sang along from the bottom of my heart. Songs like I Just Called To Say I Love You, which my Dad used to sing to me as a little girl and years later was the father-daughter dance at our wedding. Classics like My Cherie Amor and favorites like Knocks Me Off My Feet.

And every so often, I'd steal a glance at Mark, and my heart would soar. He was smiling with contentment, too. I knew just how much being there meant to him. I'll never forget when the opening chords of Visions began playing. It was the one song, above all, that Mark wanted to hear, and the look of sheer happiness on his face, the glistening of tears in his eyes, will forever be etched in my memory.

We danced. We laughed. We sang. We leaned in close and soaked in every single moment.

It was an amazing night and when the last song was playing, we didn't want it to end. Yes, it truly was a concert of a lifetime.

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I know its been a long time since my last post - work and marathon training have been keeping me busy (to say the least) - but I'm happy to report that I have a week free of travel ahead of me! I'm hoping to do a little bit of catching up....

Quality Friday: Sleep - It Does a Body Good

Since early April, I have found myself working much longer hours, sometimes tearing myself away from my computer after 8 or 9pm at night. Working from home can be challenging, because it is difficult to create boundaries between work-life and home-life when there is no physical difference between where they take place. My "office" is the couch. My relaxation spot is also the couch. I can effectively keep working and allow myself to think I'm relaxing without even realizing in.

When it does occur to me that the balance in my life has been severely tilted towards work, I find myself getting frustrated and looking for more things to "do" to physically force myself away from work. Case in point, I signed up for a marathon. Don't get me wrong - I'm very excited to be training, and am thrilled to be doing it for a great cause. Still, part of my reasoning for doing so was a bit flawed.

One reason for a marathon training program? Having something else to do will force me to stop working earlier in the evenings so that I can "do something for myself". The reality? Now I have one more (hugely time-consuming) activity to try to fit into an already crammed work and travel schedule. My solution lately? Stay awake longer. Well, who needs sleep anyway?

Me, I'm learning.

Last Monday night, as Mark and I were sitting on the couch enjoying our evening before my whirlwind week of travel, I found myself mentally working down the list of things I needed to get done before I left. I picked up my computer to check into my flight. Mark asked me to please put it down and please try to spend some time with him - we were in the middle of a conversation, and it was obvious that I was barely listening. Worse, I found myself getting increasingly frustrated that he was still talking to me when I clearly had so much to do and was obviously already tired. I could feel my pulse racing until as we started to argue, and finally I snapped at him.

I immediately found myself fighting back tears, as I buried my face in Mark's shoulder. Why can't I just get it all done? I cried. I'm exhausted, and obviously have not figured out how to manage my time. I have so much to do, and don't understand why I have to have a limit. I don't want to be limited. You know I hate it when I feel like I can't do something, and right now I'm pretty sure I'm not doing anything well, I sobbed to him.

Lovingly, my husband comforted me. He reminded me that I needed to be a little easier on myself, get more rest and put less pressure on myself. He told me that how much he appreciated me and promised to be more understanding and less demanding of my time. He said all the right things and was an absolute Saint.

Fast-forward to 11:30 pm Thursday night, when again, I was a completely exhausted wreck, having traveled to Seattle and then LA in the previous 2 days. Barely surviving on less that 4 hours of sleep per night, I still forced myself to get up early that morning to run at the hotel gym. Intermittently, I was crabby and snapping at Mark, then falling asleep on him, as we tried to talk on the phone for the first time that day.

Finally, he begged me to just go to bed already. When I complained that I needed to get up early to run, he told me that I was bing ridiculous and reminded me that I desperately needed sleep. Please sleep, he pleaded. Just catch up - you'll feel so much better. Don't set your alarm until you ACTUALLY need to get up tomorrow.

Thank God for his persistence, and that I had the sense to listen. Immediately, I crawled into bed, and surprised myself by waking up ahead of my alarm, well rested.

My day on Friday was wonderful. Amazingly, I am a much calmer and happier person when I get enough sleep:) I truly believe that just one night of solid shut-eye made the entire difference for my weekend. Instead of going into it exhausted, I was well rested and de-stressed. On both Friday and Saturday nights, I followed suit, going to bed early and waking up feeling wonderful, able to truly enjoy (and focus on) the time that Mark and I shared together.

I hope that this is a new leaf that I'm turning over. Away with the crabby, unbalanced person that I've been. Here's to Sleep - a key component in my quest towards balance and proper boundaries in my life!

Adventures in Pasta

Last weekend brought with it a new adventure in cooking - one that Mark and I took on together for Date Night on Saturday. Mark suggested that we finally break open a Christmas gift from eons ago (seriously, I think it was a gift from me to him before we got married!) and make individualized ravioli, from scratch!

The beauty of this idea is that Mark and I generally have very different food cravings. For example, pizza night usually involves two separate pies - a meat lovers with extra cheese for Mark, and a veggie option for me (not that I don't like meat, I just LOVE spinach and onions and peppers and mushrooms). So we picked our fillings and set out to make the pasta.

Amazingly, the dough is quite easy to mix, using only a few ingredients. Each serving contains 2 oz. semolina, 1 1/2 -2 oz. bread flour, 1 egg, 1 t vegetable oil and a pinch of salt (water is optional if the dough gets too dry).



After kneeding and letting the dough sit for 15 minutes, we then prepared it for the pasta maker, ensuring it was well floured on both sides.


The trick to making good dough is to pass it through the flat rollers multiple times to continue to kneed the dough. The knob at the top has numbered settings ranging from 7 to 1 (thick to thin).

After each pass through, more flour is dusted on the dough. The knob setting is then stepped down, to make the dough increasingly thinner. We ended on setting 5, deciding that ravioli that is too thin would not hold the filling very well.

Meanwhile, on the stove our fillings were cooking. Mark chose a spicy Italian sausage mixture, which he used both in his ravioli and in his sauce. I opted for spinach, garlic and mushrooms with fresh mozzarella for my filling.


Once the dough was rolled to our desired thinness, we cut it to fit width of the ravioli plate, added our fillings to half the dough strip, and folded the remaining over, pressing the edges well. Was this the correct approach? Not quite sure, but since our manual no longer exists and the on-line version was lacking specific instructions, we improvised.


Admittedly, this rolling and cutting of the ravioli squares was nowhere near perfect in our multiple attempts. Adding the filling was tricky - it can't be too warm (mistake #1) or too thickly spread (mistakes #2-4) as these both cause the ravioli to ooze and not remain intact as it is rolled through the cutting plates.

Alas, here is what we ended up with. Not very evenly stuffed, but perhaps next time, with more practice. :)

After 4 leisurely hours of playing with dough, Mark perfecting our sauces (Fresh basil is key here, friends. And lots of it.) and "experimenting" with the pasta maker our ravioli finally made it to water that had been boiling on the stove for a good hour in preparation. The bottle of wine we consumed along the way certainly added to the fun of the evening!


The final result? One of the most fulfilling and enjoyable pasta dishes we've ever had, and an experience that we'll look back on fondly for years to come.


Buon appetito!

Quality Friday: Celebrating Together Time

Busy season is upon us again, and the past few weeks have been filled with challenges as Mark and I learn to re-adjust to the lives we've chosen.

From Thanksgiving to mid-January, I had a nice long hiatus from extended travel for work. And from mid-December to mid-January, Mark enjoyed his long winter break from classes.

I think we got so used to the time together that we let ourselves forget that the change in schedule was only for a short season.

For me, the travel began again in the week preceding my trip to Morocco. Then, I spent last week in San Diego. Next week I'll be in Vancouver. And the list continues.

For Mark, starting his spring semester has meant auditions, adjusting work schedules, and re-learning the art of Study After Midnight.

Suffice it to say, we've struggled to balance our own responsibilities with the dedication and time needed to nurture our marriage. Sadly, at times we have found ourselves resorting to communicating in frustration and anger, rather than love.

Thankfully, it wasn't to late to re-dedicate ourselves to joyously celebrate in the physical time we spend together while continuing to learn how to best love one another when we're apart.

Celebrating our birthdays (29 and 31!) together with a delicious Japanese dinner at Yoshi's....

...followed by a few more birthday drinks at the Sheba Lounge.

Happy Quality Friday (weekend)!

quality friday: just being here

earlier this week, i was pretty sure that my quality friday post was going to be about how i've finally (after years of saying i intended to do so) starting to pay closer attention to politics and the upcoming presidential elections. i've watched recent debates, followed the results of the first caucus and primary, and have found myself stopping to listen to cnn updates and polls regularly. i'm learning a lot.

but then thursday night happened, and with it my perspective for the week changed, too.

i was in the middle of making dinner, when i got a phone call from mark at work. he was calling from his cell phone rather, which in unusual, and the first words out of his mouth were "honey, i've had a little accident."

in an effort to not be overly descriptive (which is also why this post has no photos), let's just say that i learned that he had just cut his finger while cleaning a deli meat slicer. it was bleeding badly and had been doing so for about 10 minutes, during which constant pressure had been applied but was doing very little to stop it.

within a few moments, i was in my car, talking to our healthcare provider's nurse hotline as i hurried to get to him. thankfully, but the time i got there 20 minutes later, the wound had started to clot. and although my stomach turned when i saw it, we both realized that it could have been much worse. MUCH worse. thank God he didn't loose his finger.

although mark was able to drive himself home thursday night and chose not go to the emergency room, i was still thankful to be able to be there. SO thankful. what if i had been traveling, as i so often am on a thursday night? what if i was hearing the story from a city far away? i would have felt awful and completely helpless.

instead, i was able to clean and dress the wound at home, give mark pain medicine when the shock started to wear off, and on friday, was here to go with him to the doctor and hold his hand as they gave him a tetanus shot and applied a chemical cautery to the area. mark was tough and kept it together through the whole experience (although the look on his face told me it was much worse than he had expected), thoroughly impressing me with his tolerance for pain. afterwards, the doctor said that he had never cauterized a finger without local anesthesia. i take back everything i've ever said about my husband not being able to handle being hurt.

truth is, i'm sure mark could have taken care of himself and done it all without me being there.

but i'm glad that he didn't have to. thankful that i was nearby. grateful that God was watching over him, and making sure i was home so i could be there for him, too.

its beginning to feel a lot like christmas

christmas concerts...

let me tell you how proud i was to be sitting in the audience listening to my husband perform!

...flurries in the air...

i can't believe how dirty my camera lens was! still, i love this photo of us - isn't mark handsome in his tux?

...even the desserts had a light dusting!

this weekend brought mark's choral concerts on friday and saturday nights. when he mentioned that he needed to bring treats for intermissions, i quickly jumped (again) at the chance to bake.

for those of you who enjoy rich (and i mean rich), chocolate-y desserts, try this brownie recipe. its perfect for every season, any occasion.

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outrageous brownies

from the barefoot contessa cookbook

1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 extra-large eggs (i used 7 large eggs, instead)
3 tablespoons instant coffee granules
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups chopped walnuts (optional - i left these out, since mark doesn't enjoy nuts in his brownies)

preheat oven to 350 degrees. butter and flour a 12 x 18 x 1-inch baking sheet. [ i used a 11 x 15-inch baking dish for thicker brownies, and increased the cooking time by ~ 10 minutes. to butter the dish, i recommend using the foil wrappers from sticks of butter. these work perfectly, and can be saved for future use by folding and storing in your refrigerator in a plastic baggie.]

melt together the butter, 1 pound of chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water.


allow to cool slightly. in a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee granules, vanilla, and sugar. stir in the warm chocolate mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.

in a medium bowl, sift together 1 cup of flour, the baking powder, and salt. add to the cooled chocolate mixture.

toss the walnuts (optional) and 12 ounces of chocolate chips in a medium bowl with 1/4 cup of flour, then add them to the chocolate batter. pour into the baking sheet.

bake for 20 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven shelf to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. bake for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Do Not Overbake! allow to cool thoroughly, refrigerate (very important for them to be cold when cutting!), and cut.

dust with powdered sugar and serve on a party platter, as picture above, or my favorite way to enjoy these delicious treats is to re-heat and serve with french vanilla ice-cream.

seafood extravaganza

this was the feast that mark prepared for us on saturday night, when i returned home from a few days in los angeles!




mark recently made friends with the owner of a local seafood market, and was so excited to try their many recommendations, that he decided to create a seafood-sampler meal. the menu included grilled oysters topped with a garlic butter sauce, two types of fish, and lobster [the owner liked mark so much, that he threw in a lobster for free!]. it was quite a treat, and a wonderful way to welcome me home.

i was reminded, again, of how amazing it is to have a husband that loves to cook. he manages to make fantastic meals with what appears to take no effort at all - a skill that i will never quite understand and will likely never possess. all i have to do is sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor.

i'm a lucky girl, i tell you!

six years!

on saturday, mark and i celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary. it was a beautiful day, and we enjoyed looking back on the years that have passed. as we do every year, we reminisced on about our wedding day - our favorite memories, the people that shared it with us, and how we have been blessed with a love for each other continues to grow with each passing day.

kate enjoying the flowers

we began celebrating early on the 29th. my flight home from calgary was delayed, getting me home just after midnight on friday night/saturday morning. mark welcomed me with a dozen roses and a bottle of chilled champagne, ready for us to enjoy in our wedding flutes.

the day was spent relaxing together and enjoying each other's company. we headed into san francisco for a late dinner farallon, an amazing restaurant with an underwater design that pairs well with the "coastal cuisine" menu. the meal was absolutely delicious - from the dungeness crab bisque that we started with, to the caviar that we shared, to the oysters and steamed crab that we had so been looking forward to. we were not at all disappointed. we even had room to enjoy the dessert creations of the pastry chef. we left that evening completely satisfied, and purchased chef mark franz' cookbook containing all the restaurant's secrets.

it was exactly what we we looking for, and definitely the perfect place for us to celebrate six wonderful year.

quality friday: giving thanks

this week started with some worry and concern. as we do around the beginning of every month, we organized ourselves by scheduling bill payments and reviewing our finances, and at that point began to fully realize the impact of mark not having yet found a job.

the search has been a tough one. mark's intent to focus on finishing his degree has led to quite a full school schedule for the fall along with the realization that daytime classes narrow his work options considerably.

as we talked and worked through the various scenarios and options, we were struck by the reality that God has always faithfully provided for us, and that we truly have so much to be thankful for. we have our health, as does our family, we have a beautiful home to live in, many wonderful friends, and we truly aren't in need of anything.

so we made sure to remember our blessings with each meal that we shared this week - something that i'm ashamed to say, we don't always do. and as we took turns giving thanks to God for all that He has done in our lives, we found ourselves more fully reassured that, once again, all would be well. it always is.

today we have just one more thing to be thankful for. yesterday, in a matter of hours, mark found his first job! though a search of job postings on his school's website, and found a prep chef position available at a local catering company. he quickly called them, had an interview within two hours, and came home with his first assignment this saturday - a wedding in napa!

mark is thrilled for the opportunity to use his culinary skills again, and for the flexible schedule that this job has to offer. and we are, again, thankful for God's constant hand in our lives.