As of yesterday, in 19 weeks, Ryan and I will really be getting married! Last weekend we finally decided on a place to celebrate: The Cannery in Newport Beach, California. We love Newport! I think it was on the top of our list of potential places to marry even before we were engaged. We try to spend at least a week in Newport Beach, renting a beach house, every summer.
We're really starting to get excited for our wedding! It's not going to be what you typically see. We'll be having a very brief ceremony in the morning on the beach, just with our family and wedding party, before the beach gets crowded. Then we'll probably go swimming, maybe play some frisbee, and barbecue throughout the afternoon. How many brides do you know of who actually go in the ocean on their wedding day?! That evening, we'll celebrate our marriage with a slightly larger group of family and friends on the deck at The Cannery. We'll start the evening with drinks and appetizers and then have what we hope will be a nice dinner, surrounded by our family and close friends, with the beautiful ocean breeze in our hair. No dancing, no hooplah, it's just not our style! Then, we'll end the night back at the beach house with whoever still has the energy for an after party!
What's next on our to-do list? Finalize the contract for our venue, book a beach house, and finish our registry! Fun stuff! Can't believe it's only 19 weeks away!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Portabello Mushroom Burgers
Ryan and I are so lucky to live literally caddy-corner from a farmer's market! We can see the booths from our window! Every Saturday, the parking lot in front of the movie theater fills up with booths from local farmers selling all kinds of things from fruits and veggies to honey to organic meats to flowers to fresh breads... delicious! While browsing there yesterday I spotted some gorgeous giant portabello mushrooms and thought "burgers"! Then I saw some beautiful sweet onions and knew those would be great on top of the mushrooms and then I saw some yummy looking fresh loaves of bread and thought "buns"! So I made a meal of mushroom burgers topped with sauteed onions, melted mozzarella, and slices of the bread toasted with olive oil, and sides of roasted potatoes and corn. Delicious!
I got this portabello mushroom recipe from my dear friend Courtny! She said when she made it, she totally thought of me and had to give it to me right away. I'm glad she did too because it's delicious! You can use it to make mushroom burgers like I did or serve it like a traditional burger with lettuce, tomato, etc.
4 portabello mushroom tops
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
4 slices cheese
Mix vinegar, olive oil, oregano, basil, and garlic in a dish. Arrange mushroom tops in a shallow dish and pour mixture over mushroom tops. Marinate at room temp for 15 min, turning mushrooms twice. Reserve the marinade for basting. Then grill mushrooms over med-high heat, 5-8 min on each side, basting regularly with the marinade. In the last 2 min add cheese and let it melt. Yum!
I should have taken pictures!
I got this portabello mushroom recipe from my dear friend Courtny! She said when she made it, she totally thought of me and had to give it to me right away. I'm glad she did too because it's delicious! You can use it to make mushroom burgers like I did or serve it like a traditional burger with lettuce, tomato, etc.
4 portabello mushroom tops
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
4 slices cheese
Mix vinegar, olive oil, oregano, basil, and garlic in a dish. Arrange mushroom tops in a shallow dish and pour mixture over mushroom tops. Marinate at room temp for 15 min, turning mushrooms twice. Reserve the marinade for basting. Then grill mushrooms over med-high heat, 5-8 min on each side, basting regularly with the marinade. In the last 2 min add cheese and let it melt. Yum!
I should have taken pictures!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
One month into my job...
and I'm still having a good time! Yes, I am a paper-pusher, but I really don't know of a lot of jobs that don't involve pushing paper! Although the first couple of days were crazy, the next couple of weeks were pretty slow since half of the staff I work for was away at a major endangered species conference in Saudi Arabia. I feel like it gave me time to adjust and learn a lot of the procedures for everything I now have to do in a hurry. It also gave me time to make friends! It took awhile for me to make friends at my last job because I kind of worked on my own and worked with people who were twice my age for the most part because of where my office was located. Now I have friends to eat lunch with, go to happy hour with after work, and even do stuff on the weekends. Last weekend I joined my friends Ashley and Rakelle, and Rakelle's friend Ann for a Cherry Blossom Bike Tour led by the DC Park Rangers. I rode my bike from our apartment through Arlington, down the Potomac River, and over the Arlington Memorial Bridge into DC to meet the tour group behind the Jefferson Memorial. At every stop, we'd pull our bikes into a shady area and the rangers would give us a little talk about the area we were in, share some history, some interesting facts, talk about the geography, etc. They were so full of information! From the Jefferson Memorial, we cruised along the Tidal Basin, by the cherry blossoms, to the Lincoln Memorial for our first stop. Then, we went across the front of the Lincoln Memorial which was actually a very cool experience with our line of 40 bikes all ringing their bells, along the Potomac to the Old Boat House at the Georgetown waterfront. From there, we went through Foggy Bottom to the Department of the Interior which is the office that oversees the Park Rangers. We learned an interesting fact here: did you know the DC Park Rangers are ranked higher than the Secret Service? The Presidential motorcade does not officially begin until you see the Park Ranger's motorcycle. We then pedaled over to the World War II Memorial and stopped on top of a large dirt lot right next to it that I'd never noticed before. That used to be the water pump. Water pump? Right where the memorials are? Yup! It all used to be under water. The Potomac used to be a whole lot wider and the rolling hill which now appear to be park of the landscape were once levees to hold the water back. At our next stop, the Washington Monument, we learned that the monument was supposed to be built at a 90 degree angle between the White House and the Capitol but it's off by quite a few yards because it would have sunk and leaned over. The Rangers pointed out a little nub that looks like a tiny replica of the Washington Monument, called Jefferson's Pier, marks the spot that was once an actual pier and the spot where the Washington Monument was intended to be erected. We then cut through hordes of tourists as we crossed the National Mall to the Smithsonian Castle. This was the only stop on the tour that wasn't an area managed by the Park Rangers, but everyone loved the Smithsonian! It brings so much life and culture to our capital! Our final stop was just a few blocks down, in front of the American Indian Museum, where they wrapped up our 3-hour tour. At the end, we all decided we LOVE Park Rangers! They're historians, preservationists, and nature-lovers all rolled into one! If you like to ride bikes, when you visit, we'll have to go on a Ranger-led tour! It was a fantastic way to spend a beautiful afternoon learning, sight-seeing, and getting exercise with good company. I highly recommend it!
My view as I pedaled into the city!
Aren't the cherry blossoms a beautiful shade of pink?!
I love our tulips! These were obviously planted, but they spring up in the most random places all over this area.
Ashley and me having a blast on the tour!
My view as I pedaled into the city!
Aren't the cherry blossoms a beautiful shade of pink?!
I love our tulips! These were obviously planted, but they spring up in the most random places all over this area.
Ashley and me having a blast on the tour!
Sunday, April 4, 2010
"For Boston, For Boston"
A few months ago, our friend Jeff posted an excited facebook status update that was something like, "just got tickets to see Dropkick Murphy's in Boston in March". When I saw this update, I immediately turned to Ryan and said something like, "Jeff and Jacque are going to see Dropkick the weekend before St. Patrick's Day in Boston!" and that's how we crashed Jeff and Jacque's weekend in Boston with our friends Kevin and Jessica.
The weekend before St. Patty's Day, Ryan and I worked half days and then drove up to Connecticut to stay the night with Jeff and Jacque at their cute new apartment. Ryan already wants to go back to Connecticut to he can shop at the Diary Store which was already closed by the time we arrived and not yet open when we left the next morning. Saturday morning, we drove to Boston in the pouring rain and arrived just in time for a tour of the Samuel Adams Brewery.
Yeah... only in his dreams!
Can you see the glimmer in his eye? This is the look of pure joy in anticipation of free beer samples!
Yes, that's beer in my hand. Cherish this image; it is rare. Did I like it? Nope... it all tastes like beer to me!
After the tour, we checked-in to our hotels and it was still pouring rain so we waited for Kevin and Jessica to arrive from California before we headed out. That evening we literally braved a monsoon. Umbrellas were being flipped inside out more often than they were protecting us from the rain and the wind was blowing so hard in some places it became difficult to breathe! After a brief adventure on Boston's public transportation system, we made it to Faneuil Hall where Ryan enjoyed a seafood platter appetizer. We then headed over to the Union Oyster House, the oldest restaurant in America for some drinks and a delicious dinner.
Since we were already out in the monsoon, we decided to venture a little further based on the recommendations of our friend Ryan, a Boston native, to Mike's Pastry, Inc., for a cannoli. We were so grateful we heeded his advice! They are to die for! I'm definitely looking forward to having one of those again!!
The next morning we decided to skip breakfast because we knew we were going to have a huge lunch at Eagle's Deli. If you watch "Man vs. Food" you will remember that in the Boston episode, Adam's challenge was a 5 pound burger with 5 pounds of fries and a pickle... well, Ryan and Kevin decided to take on the 2 pound burger and 2 pounds of fries challenge, which was still ginormous!
Ryan and Kevin had the Cowabunga. I was excited to see the Nick Lachey!
Ummm... yeah... that's like a whole cow.
Bottom's up!
Ryan, Jessica, and Kevin.
Jeff, Jacque, and me. Go green!
That afternoon, we decided to try to avoid the rain as much as possible so we toured the USS Constitution, the oldest U.S. Navy commissioned vessel still afloat and the accompanying museum. We're all a little nerdy, so we really enjoyed learning about the history of the ship and the history of Boston's shipyards.
The U.S.S. Constitution.
This is for Dani... want to cook in this kitchen?!
This is where the Captain slept...
And this is how the sailors slept!
We decided to stay indoors after we left the museum, so we headed over to the neighborhood near Fenway Park where the Dropkick Murphy's were playing at the House of Blues. We had a little bit of time before the show began, so we went bowling at Lucky Strike and ate a restaurant that is actually on the field at Fenway.
You can't see much, but it's Fenway field...
The show that night was awesome! Sorry, no pics... I didn't feel like carrying my camera. Jessica and I watched the show from the balcony while Jeff and Jacque watched from the edge of the floor and Ryan and Kevin got a little beaten up, and did a little beating up, in the mosh pit. Overall, the trip was fantastic! Hopefully, the next time we go to Boston, the weather will be better so we can see more of the sights. We'll definitely go back again! Thank you Jacque and Jeff for letting us crash your weekend!!
The weekend before St. Patty's Day, Ryan and I worked half days and then drove up to Connecticut to stay the night with Jeff and Jacque at their cute new apartment. Ryan already wants to go back to Connecticut to he can shop at the Diary Store which was already closed by the time we arrived and not yet open when we left the next morning. Saturday morning, we drove to Boston in the pouring rain and arrived just in time for a tour of the Samuel Adams Brewery.
Yeah... only in his dreams!
Can you see the glimmer in his eye? This is the look of pure joy in anticipation of free beer samples!
Yes, that's beer in my hand. Cherish this image; it is rare. Did I like it? Nope... it all tastes like beer to me!
After the tour, we checked-in to our hotels and it was still pouring rain so we waited for Kevin and Jessica to arrive from California before we headed out. That evening we literally braved a monsoon. Umbrellas were being flipped inside out more often than they were protecting us from the rain and the wind was blowing so hard in some places it became difficult to breathe! After a brief adventure on Boston's public transportation system, we made it to Faneuil Hall where Ryan enjoyed a seafood platter appetizer. We then headed over to the Union Oyster House, the oldest restaurant in America for some drinks and a delicious dinner.
Since we were already out in the monsoon, we decided to venture a little further based on the recommendations of our friend Ryan, a Boston native, to Mike's Pastry, Inc., for a cannoli. We were so grateful we heeded his advice! They are to die for! I'm definitely looking forward to having one of those again!!
The next morning we decided to skip breakfast because we knew we were going to have a huge lunch at Eagle's Deli. If you watch "Man vs. Food" you will remember that in the Boston episode, Adam's challenge was a 5 pound burger with 5 pounds of fries and a pickle... well, Ryan and Kevin decided to take on the 2 pound burger and 2 pounds of fries challenge, which was still ginormous!
Ryan and Kevin had the Cowabunga. I was excited to see the Nick Lachey!
Ummm... yeah... that's like a whole cow.
Bottom's up!
Ryan, Jessica, and Kevin.
Jeff, Jacque, and me. Go green!
That afternoon, we decided to try to avoid the rain as much as possible so we toured the USS Constitution, the oldest U.S. Navy commissioned vessel still afloat and the accompanying museum. We're all a little nerdy, so we really enjoyed learning about the history of the ship and the history of Boston's shipyards.
The U.S.S. Constitution.
This is for Dani... want to cook in this kitchen?!
This is where the Captain slept...
And this is how the sailors slept!
We decided to stay indoors after we left the museum, so we headed over to the neighborhood near Fenway Park where the Dropkick Murphy's were playing at the House of Blues. We had a little bit of time before the show began, so we went bowling at Lucky Strike and ate a restaurant that is actually on the field at Fenway.
You can't see much, but it's Fenway field...
The show that night was awesome! Sorry, no pics... I didn't feel like carrying my camera. Jessica and I watched the show from the balcony while Jeff and Jacque watched from the edge of the floor and Ryan and Kevin got a little beaten up, and did a little beating up, in the mosh pit. Overall, the trip was fantastic! Hopefully, the next time we go to Boston, the weather will be better so we can see more of the sights. We'll definitely go back again! Thank you Jacque and Jeff for letting us crash your weekend!!
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