Here we go again. I think I just made a "Game of Thrones" reference. It's still on my watch list so no spoilers. But this blog isn't about my watch list...it's about my winter list! Tune in to the next section for rules on how this works.
So....if you haven't read my other blogs (which you should) here's how they work. While going through my Semi Quarter Life Crisis of 2018 I became more boring than usual. I decided that instead of wasting my life away on my phone, that I would create a list of things to accomplished by the end of summer (this case winter). As you can tell I continued on for the whole year. I made a list of activities, one for every day. I had to do one of them each day and if I doubled up only one of them could count. This kept me from having one super epic day and still being boring the rest. Once I had locked in an activity I wasn't allowed to go back and change it to a different day. Pretty straight forward. Plenty of wiggle room for rules to change. I apologize for getting this out several weeks after winter has technically started. Never too late to catch up!!!
December 21, 2018- Watch ACF
Off to a fantastic start. ACF stands for "A Christmas Fantasy" parade at The Disneyland Resort. This is by far my favorite Disney parade and one of the few things I still find magical at the resort. Obviously if you are reading this now you realize that ACF has already ended for the year. If you really want to be dedicated and follow along I'm sure you can find it on Youtube. Just kidding I found it for you: ACF CLICK HERE. My favorite parts include the ballerina and the fat snowmen. I tend to cry every time I see the snowmen. Literal happy tears...every time. My personal favorite is Bert with the green floppy hat and droopy nose. You know I'll be sure to include pics! He tends to be my phone background the entire holiday season.
December 22, 2018- Wear Winter Wear at Work
Well....if you get this one you get it. If you don't you don't. Trust that I was cold and that it happened. An equivalent could be wearing a nice warm fuzzy coat or sweater. With giant 80s puff sleeves. Those are a must.
December 23, 2018- Watch Elf
"Elf" with Will Ferrell is one of my favorite Christmas movies. I remember seeing it with my friend McKenna in theaters and afterwards her dad dumping an entire bucket of popcorn on us. I try to watch it every year at least once to get me in the Christmas mood. "Thanks Mr. Narwhal!"
December 24, 2018- Xmas Eve Apps
Christmas Eve is even better than Christmas Day for me! It is made for feasting. Our tradition of Christmas Eve appetizer feasting I believe began in 2001 in Hawaii. The appetizers have continued on usually including a cheese board, frozen foods, and whatever yummies we can find. I am usually in charge of picking out the cheese and crackers. Trader Joe's helps with that along with MouseHaus cheese shipped from Wisconsin.
December 25, 2018- Christmas Tamales
Slightly less exciting than appetizers but still pretty yummy. Christmas Day is reserved for tamales. I had yet to learn how to make my own, so Northgate Market and Costco help me out. If you are back up in Oregon try "Los Amigos Burritos" tamales in Florence. They started us out on this tradition and these California ones will never be the same.
December 26, 2018- Wear Ugg Slippers
Ugg Slippers are real outdoor shoes!!! They are marketed as such and have fat outdoor soles. Every time I wear them I get snarky comments on how I wore my pajamas out or how ugly they are. Y'all just don't understand the comfort and warmth without having to cram your feet into boots!
December 27, 2018- Never found any notes on this one....did this day exist?
December 28, 2018- Winery by Packing House
I love both wine and the Packing House. For those who don't know the Packing House, I like to describe it as a hipster type food court with non typical restaurants and a central eating area. If you don't know what wine is...well we have bigger problems. When I was at the Packing House eating during the fall I noticed a new winery open next to it!! My friend Laura and I decided to try it. Over all delicious but a bit pricy. Definitely good for a treat.
December 29, 2018- Cook Chard
I went through a phase where I ate a lot of leafy chard. Usually rainbow chard, occasionally Swiss chard. I would describe it kind of as a mix between lettuce and kale. I chop up the stems and cook it in an oiled frying pan. It kind of looks like rainbow celery at that point. Near the end I add the leaves and season with salt. Instant dinner. Since then I've eaten a bit too much of it and I no longer crave it, but I would recommend it!!!
December 30, 2018- Get Hot Pot
Ever since moving to California, hot pot has been one of my favorite foods. To my non food cultured friends I describe it as "Asian Fondue". You pick a broth, make your dipping sauce, and cook anything from meats, to fish balls, to veggies, to noodles, multiple types of tofu, and eggs. I love when Eric's (the boyfriend, if you are reading this and are a stranger) friends get together and bless my stomach with delicious homemade hotpot. They are the best cooks!!! Here you can see some of the tofu, veggies, spam, and sauce.
December 31, 2018- NYE Kiss
When I was younger I always dreamt of having someone to kiss on New Year's Eve. I always saw it in the movies and waited for the year that my turn would come. It now helps that I always celebrate my New Year's at an Airbnb with my boyfriend's friends (the same hot pot ones). They throw a huge themed party every year. This year's theme was "Party Like It's 1999": aka 90s theme. They go all out with games and foods and celebrations. We are always having so much fun that we almost miss the countdown but I was determined to get a kiss in this year. To participate in this one feel free to kiss whoever is closest including friends, pets, or strangers. You have my permission. Check out our sweet 90s outfits. Pics or it didn't happen.
January 1, 2019- Get Dim Sum
Oh good. The year I'm currently typing in is 2020 and now I still have a reason to write 2019 like I have been wanting to all year long. Dim Sum was another epic feast for New Years recovery. As I had to do with my last meal, I also have a definition to white-ify dim sum. I would describe this one as "Asian tapas": lots of small little things to share. It was apparently so delicious that I forgot to take any pictures.
January 2, 2019- Eat a Blood Orange
I love oranges (except for plain naval ones). Winter is the perfect season for citrus and I decided that blood oranges seemed very wintery. I ate my first blood orange on my college semester abroad in Zambia (that's in Africa) and was not warned that it was anything out of the ordinary. I'm sure you can imagine my surprise as all of a sudden my hands looks like they were covered in blood (it was an especially juicy one). This one was a little less juicy and I came prepared. It was equally delicious.
January 3, 2019- Wear Puff Coat
Going to college in Spokane, WA I am definitely ready for the cold and snow. I have a large collection of puffy coats. I, however, have become a baby when it comes to the cold. As soon as it it reaches low 60s then I'm ready for the winter coats to come out.
January 4, 2019- New Years Resolution
Hmmm would be super fun if I could remember what my resolution last year was. Maybe less phone games like this year. Pick a day to really focus on your resolution this winter. If my resolution had anything to do with taking more pictures of my dog then I did great this day! Say "hi" to Sushi pug.
January 5, 2019- Put Money Into Savings
I try my best to be able to put money into savings as often as I can. Living alone in Southern California it's not always possible. If I am ever going to afford a house then I need to do as much of this as I can. I believe you can do it too! I was traveling in San Diego this weekend so I did some of the easy ones these few days.
January 6, 2019- Try Lavender Oil
I have several oil diffusers and humidifiers. Lavender and peppermint are my favorite ones to use, but I always want to look for new ones to try. Apparently lavender was a winter scent in my 2019 mind. You can find good prices on humidifiers and oils on Amazon. Just be careful of using tea tree oils if you have pets! It can be poisonous for them.
January 7, 2019- Take Down Xmas Decorations
I always wait until Three Wise Men's Day to take down my Christmas decorations. If you read my fall blog you will see how the wise men travel through my apartment to get to the nativity. Once they have finally arrived during the first week of January I let them stay for a day and then finally can take my decorations down and move on to the post holiday season. By that point I'm always very ready for them to be gone!
January 8, 2019- Try a New Tea (Sleepytime Peach)
Tea has always been my favorite. I'm not much of a coffee drinker but always love finding new teas. This year I got a whole box full of new Celestial teas. I had heard of their "Sleepytime" tea but never knew it came in so many flavors! This time I tried the peach flavor. My favorites have been the honey, lavender, and jasmine green. Here's a picture of my super sweet tea mug.
Here is where my winter will be a bit less achievable. I was fortunate to have a family trip to Hawaii, which was wonderful, but very un-wintery. If you happen to be on Oahu, any time of year, be sure to try these things!
Tea has always been my favorite. I'm not much of a coffee drinker but always love finding new teas. This year I got a whole box full of new Celestial teas. I had heard of their "Sleepytime" tea but never knew it came in so many flavors! This time I tried the peach flavor. My favorites have been the honey, lavender, and jasmine green. Here's a picture of my super sweet tea mug.
January 9, 2019- Use a Flashlight
This seems like a very winter thing to do. I feel like when I was younger I used a lot more flashlights than I do now a days. I always keep one by my bed just in case. Hopefully your flashlight use is very exciting.
January 10, 2019- Eat Cookies
Believe it or not I'm not a huge sweets fan. I grew up LOVING chocolate and sweets but then worked at an ice cream shop for a few years in highschool. This completely turned me away from sweets for years. This doesn't mean I'm an exclusively healthy eater or anything. I still love savory treats. I'm slowly finding my way back to some sweet treats. Cookies seem like a very winter thing as well. These cookies still don't have chocolate, but its a start!
January 11, 2019- Full Body Lotion
Winter time is always super dry. No one wants to be scaly and cracked! I have tons of lotions from Target, Bath and Body Works, Victoria's Secret, etc. My favorites are the cocoa butter lotions. Find your favorite and make sure you lather up.
January 12, 2019- Wear Jeans
This one will probably be a lot easier for you than it is for me. I hate wearing jeans. I would rather be in leggings or a dress every day. I actually didn't start wearing jeans until 3rd grade. Before then it was all leggings. So basically I am reverting back to my 8 year old self. Here's a picture of me rocking them anyways. I vowed never again after my phone fell out of my back pocket into the (thankfully clean) toilet. Somehow it survived!
January 13, 2019- Holiday Ice Cream
Costco has a great four pack of holiday flavored ice cream...ok technically gelato. They were taking up too much room in my freezer so I decided to finish the Pumpkin Pie flavored one. I love all things pumpkin flavored and wish it was a year round thing.
January 14, 2019- Wear Fuzzy Socks
Back when I was growing up in Oregon, we would always go Black Friday shopping at the Fred Meyer store for the fuzzy sock sale. I ended up with TONS of fuzzy socks which I still wear during cold winter nights. These pink ones are my favorite.
January 15, 2019- Eat Chick-Fil-A Breakfast
I first discovered Chick-fil-a when I lived at least a plane ride away from one. I would eat the delicious nuggets when I flew through Orland or Minneapolis. When I moved to California I found out that I lived within walking distance of one. Surprisingly this hasn't been a problem and I limit myself to usually around once a year. I do like to get their breakfast every once in a while.
Here is where my winter will be a bit less achievable. I was fortunate to have a family trip to Hawaii, which was wonderful, but very un-wintery. If you happen to be on Oahu, any time of year, be sure to try these things!
January 16, 2019- Go to Ala Moana
Ala Moana is the largest open air mall in the U.S. and right next to my favorite Ala Moana beach. I actually lived on Oahu for a summer so was able to explore quite a bit of the island back in 2012. While I was there I worked part time at the Abercrombie and Fitch at the mall. For this trip I flew in a couple of days before my family so I would be able to explore on my own. My first stop when I moved to Hawaii was to the mall for ramen at Shiyrokiya, so that's exactly what I took myself to do this time. I got my food, walked around the mall, and went to my favorite beach. It was perfect.
January 17, 2019- Eat a Loco Moco
Loco Moco's are delicious meals of rice with a hamburger patty, gravy, fried egg, and obviously a side of Mac salad. I met up with my friend Jon who lives in Hawaii to go to Rainbow Drive In for lunch. It was delicious and obviously was followed up by a trip to the beach. Not a bad day.
January 18, 2019- Go to UHM
My summer in Hawaii I took a few summer courses at University of Hawaii- Manoa campus. I had walked around the previous day but when my parents finally arrived I wanted to show them where I had spent all of my mornings. It is a beautiful campus with gardens, unique buildings, and tons of delicious food. Here are some of my favorite spots.
January 19, 2019- Eat Shave Ice
Shave Ice is a staple in Hawaii. My personal favorite is Waiola in Honolulu area. By this point in the trip Eric had finally arrived completing our group. We went straight to a hike up Diamond Head crater followed up by delicious shave ice to cool down.
January 20, 2019- Wear a Flower
The flowers in Hawaii are absolutely beautiful. We were lucky enough to spend two nights at Aulani Resort and were greeted by flower leis. Had to take a picture with the Boss Man wearing mine.
January 21, 2019- Eat Spam Musubi
For those of you who don't like Spam, you are seriously missing out. Not only does Aulani have delicious musubis, but they are also shaped like boss man. Check it out!
January 22, 2019- Eat Pineapple
My mom's must do on our trip was to visit the Dole Pineapple Plantation. She loves dole whip so we were all sure to get a giant cone. I even wore my pineapple dress for the occasion!
January 23, 2019- Eat Mochi
Mochi is another one of my favorite Hawaiian treats. I had gotten Bubbie's Mochi a few days earlier but also got mochi at the Polynesian Cultural Center. We had a great day exploring and got to eat at the giant buffet. It wasn't mochi ice cream but it was still delicious.
January 24, 2019- See a Turtle
This was one that I was worried wouldn't happen. We had been scouting the coast all week and even were staying at Turtle Bay. Finally on our second to last day we were able to find a beach that had not only one but two turtles! Here's one of them.
January 25, 2019- Eat Poke
I had pre-made this list before my trip with tasks to be accomplished. The turtles being such a specific event threw off my poke schedule. No poke was consumed on the 25th but it was eaten about five different days during the trip, so I'd say that's close enough. Here are some of my favorites.
January 26- 2019- Watch Bachelor
Eventually vacation had to end. It was back to California winters. "The Bachelor" is one of my favorite TV shows and my house is the watch spot. All the girls come over and trash tv, gossip, and wine. Sushi was very glad that we were home.
January 27, 2019- Make Cheesy Potatoes
Meal prep and grocery shopping can be hard. Coming back to a house, post-vacation, without food on stock can lead to some creative cooking. A staple for whenever I am out of food is that I usually have some form of cheese and potatoes. Here is my microwave masterpiece.
January 28, 2019- Wear Jewelry
I'm not a huge jewelry wearer but every so often I will make the effort. Here is both a ring and my mysterious earrings. I am still trying to remember who gave me these beautiful Italian glass earrings. If it's you, thank you!!!!
January 29, 2019- Wear Heeled Boots
Boots are a winter thing, right? These boots made an appearance, (with jeans!!) to my friend Courtney Hart's show up in LA. I don't venture up there often but this was worth it. She is an amazing singer and you should check out her music!!! Check out here website: HERE
January 30, 2019- Get a Medicine Ball
The Medicine Ball is one of my favorite hidden menu drinks from Starbucks. It helps anytime I'm feeling sick or have any sort of sore throat or voice issues. According to the website it is "Jade Citrus Mint Green Tea, Peach Tranquility Herbal Tea, hot water, steamed lemonade, and just a hint of honey." It's perfect for a cold, sicky winter day.
January 31, 2019- Stargaze
The cold, clear nights of winter are often best for stargazing and the perfect time to see my favorite constellation: Orion. The lights and smog from living near such a big city don't make for ideal stargazing but this night was as clear as can be. I gathered my warm coat, star finder app, and a slightly confused pug, and headed outside.
February 1, 2019- Homemade Burgers and Fries
Homemade burgers and fries always used to be such a treat. I feel like it was usually after church on Saturday nights, we would decide that we were so hungry that we had to stop at the store on the way home and pick up the ingredients to make them asap. The burgers were always eaten first because we just couldn't wait for the fries to be done! This time was a team effort with Eric. He thought we were weirdos for just eating our burgers with cheese and nothing else, so I sent him to the store for ingredients and this is what we ended up with. Enjoy our burger photo shoot.
February 2, 2019- Skype
Skype seems like a very winter thing. It's too cold to go out and socialize and it gets dark way too early. Facetime=same thing. Lots of thanks to Karen for helping me figure out my outfit for my first Chinese New Year dinner. I was nervous.
February 3, 2019- Super Bowl Party
Both Sushi and I were invited to a Super Bowl party at our friend Jneil's house. Sushi got to play with her friend Pepper the French Bulldog. It would have been a lot better if the Rams had won, just like how this year it would have been a lot better if the Packers would have made it all the way. It's still fun to eat and celebrate at least. The dogs had a lot of fun.
February 4, 2019- Get Ramen
Here is the first of two ramen days. I had forgotten that I had made plans to get ramen as my daily task in a few days. So this day I made a delicious bowl of Top Ramen. Mmmm yay for budget dinner. I could have at least added tofu. You can do better!
February 5, 2019- First Fail....
There were a few days that I just wasn't up to a task. I will include the full list of tasks skipped at the end.
February 6, 2019- Wear Mittens
It never really gets cold enough to snow here in Southern California but I am a big baby and my hands still get cold sometimes! Technically these are gloves but you gotta do what you gotta do. These are my car gloves which always live in the glove box.
February 7, 2019- Celebrate Black History Month
As most of you know (or now have no excuse not to) February is Black History Month. Though I am obviously not of African Heritage I do appreciate all sorts of history and learning about other cultures. I decided to end my day with "The Final Tour". This is the story of our first African-American president, Barrack Obama. And yes I still get Netflix on DVD. Move your judgement on to the next day or my blurry iPhone pics.
February 8, 2019- Get Ramen: Take 2
Ok this time I got better ramen! This is from my favorite local Fullerton restaurant: What's Up Men. It looks like I got spicy Aka ramen. It also looks like I ate half of it before remembering to take a picture. It was just that good!
February 9, 2019- 24 Hour Late Night Restaurant
I love to eat, especially in the middle of the night. Late night restaurants are my jam....if I decide to stay up late enough to enjoy them. In this case it was Leo's Taco Truck in LA after a late night out with Eric's cousins. I must have been so hungry that I forgot to take any pictures! I'm sure you can use your imagination to picture the neon lights and greasy tacos of 3am downtown.
February 10, 2019- Watch Dumplin'
"Dumplin'" is my new favorite Netflix original. It tells the story of teenage beauty pageants and Dolly Parton music. I can't imagine anything better than that. It is based off a book (still on my reading list) and was the perfect way to spend a cold winter weekend.
February 11, 2019- Get a Massage
It was a bit of a stretch but I was sore at work and got my neck and shoulders worked on by one of my work athletic trainers. I was fortunate enough that my favorite trainer happened to be in that day who seems to be the only one who can fix my tired neck. Someday I'll be bougie enough to go to the fancy spa for weekly massages. Wouldn't that be the life.
February 12, 2019- Heating Blanket
I've been using this heating blanket more here in California than I ever did living in the snow in Washington. Sushi is a huge fan of it too. For a normally very crazy pug, this heating blanket seems to always calm her down. She will stretch herself out so the blanket touches as much of her tummy as possible. And yes mother, I turn it off and put it away before going to bed. Don't want to burn the house down!
February 13, 2019- Live in the Moment
This was a task that I wasn't 100% sure how to define. I can be a big planner and have tasks I know I need to complete and want to get them done as quickly as possible. Sometimes for me it is important to remind myself to relax and let moments happen. This normally occurs when I'm trying to complete something on my phone, that isn't necessarily urgent, and someone happens to be in the room wanting to talk and catch up. For this specific time I was eating lunch when I saw a friend of mine from the costuming department at work. I had been working on my phone, with plans to go back downstairs and catch up on some reading, but I decided to stay and listen to what had been going on with her. It's super important to put the phones down every once in a while and have actual human connections!
February 14, 2019- Vtines Date
Happy Valentines Day!! Or Single's Awareness Day (SAD) if that's what you choose to celebrate. For those choosing SAD I recommend getting a bottle of rose, Costco pack of Dino nuggets, and watching your favorite Jurassic Park. This was a favorite of mine back in the day. This year I got a lovely Valentine's date at an Italian restaurant with wine and flowers. This was followed by Boba. I planned a romantic date full with his favorite movie, heart shaped arranged candles, and his favorite restaurant. But that was the next day, so for this purpose doesn't count. I just wanted to brag about it!
February 15, 2019- Bake
Ok I guess I can brag about this part. I love to cook but am an awful baker. Neither Eric or I (as mentioned above) are a huge fan of sweets but I tried to find a treat we would both tolerate. I decided on peanut butter cookies. My friend Madison is a much better baker so I made her come help me. She was appalled by my lack of baking skills. I thought the cookies still turned out delicious.
February 16, 2019- Brunch
If you ask me, brunch is by far the most superior meal of the day. It is even better if mimosas are involved and an all you can eat buffet. One out of two for those odds is still pretty good as this brunch was at a baby shower for my friend Chelsea (as featured in Fall Blog: Hang out with Chelsea and Matt). There were mimosas! And technically I guess it was free so that's even better than a buffet.
February 17, 2019- Lazy...Next
February 18, 2019- Chicken and Rice Bake
One of my favorite recipes that my mom used to make for dinner was her chicken and rice bake. It is a mixture of drumsticks, cream of mushroom soup, rice, and various other ingredients. I realized it had probably been over a decade since I had eaten it, so I decided to cook it for myself. I'm not a huge fan of buying and cooking chicken but it was the perfect winter dinner. Here's the recipe including tips from Grandma!
February 19, 2019- Make Frozen Appetizers
As I mentioned earlier this is part of my Xmas Eve tradition. However, I usually can't eat the entire box of each variety of said appetizers so I get to snack on them throughout the rest of the season! Tonight's frozen appetizers were the delicious Target brand "Chicken and Cheese Taquitos"!!! I don't remember much of them so I must not have been impressed. Part of the fun is trying new ones every year!
February 20, 2019- Açaí Bowls
Get ready for the most delicious açaí bowls you have ever seen. Blue Bowl is now a chain throughout Southern California and is extremely delicious. You can see my original visit featured in my Fall Blog: Hang out with Chelsea and Matt. They are very popular as you can see. I finally found parking and remembered my favorites from last time. I skip the regular bases and just get matcha and charcoal. My favorite toppings include strawberries, bananas, nut butter, honey, and more matcha. I highly recommend it for anyone in the area.
February 21, 2019- Late Night Del Taco
Ever since moving to California I have been a huge Del Taco fan. I always carry their coupons in my work bag in case I am craving a cheap buy 1 get 1 free burrito on my way home. When I first started working at Disney and had a lot of night shifts I would get Del Taco far too often. I have become a less frequent visitor but still it tempts me on my rare late night out. This time I had come from an exclusive and cold Cast Member scavenger hunt at Disney California Adventure, which involved penguin running and being tied to my friend Madison's parents. This was all with the knowledge that I had to work early the next morning. I deserved a late night (12:15 soooo late) treat for being such a good friend. I treated myself to a burrito eaten from the comfort of my bed. Hopefully your situation is slightly different but equally tasty.
February 22, 2019- Still recovering from last nights adventures...but happy National Margarita Day!!!
February 23, 2019- Clean Hallway (Partial)
I always have one section of my house where I throw all my junk. Growing up it was the cave under my desk. Now it is the hallway by my bathroom. I have anything from Sushi's leftover toys to half clean clothes to last year's birthday presents to things to eventually get rid of. I made the piles of things to get rid of and then piled right back up into the hallway. A year later they are still there. Oops...come help me clean!
February 24, 2019- Try a New Potato Recipe
I tried making scalloped potatoes with far too many potatoes and not enough sauce. Next time I will spread them out more and add more cheese. More cheese is never a bad thing!
February 25, 2019- Get a New Calendar
I would recommend doing this one earlier in the year. I like doing the Shutterfly "Make Your Own" calendar with memories from the year before. This year Eric was nice and made one for me. It finally came in the mail!!
February 26, 2019- Two Saucy Broads
Two Saucy Broads is pizza place down the street from my house that I've always wanted to try. It felt like a typical pizza parlor inside which had some nostalgia factors. The pizza was slightly overpriced as pizza typically is but it was tasty and I enjoyed the garlic knots we ordered beforehand. Plus it had the Wisconsin Badger's Basketball game on so it must be a good place.
February 27, 2019- Finish Darcy Trilogy
For those of you who don't know me, I absolutely love all things Pride and Prejudice. I allow myself to read it once a year but am always craving more. I have started searching for spin offs and stories from other character's point of view. I found the "A Novel of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman" trilogy and immediately bought them all. The first book takes place pre leaving for London, the second is a completely new story of what Darcy did in the time in-between, and the third is meeting at Lady Catherines and on. It is obvious that the author spent a lot of time researching novels of this time period and does a good job capturing the characters and events. It however feels a bit forced in the stylized time period and doesn't read quite as easily as the original. Once you get used to her style they are still quite enjoyable. Please send me any of your favorite spin of movies and book suggestions!!
February 28, 2019- Shamrock Shake
March is approaching! I usually am not a huge fan of McDonald's but have to make my yearly trip for a Shamrock Shake. I used to eat (drink?) far to many of these when I was younger. If you have never tried one you are beyond missing out. Call first to see if they have them! I already can't wait for mine this year.
March 1, 2019- New Poke Restaurant
I love poke. It is probably one of my favorite foods. If you haven't heard of poke....are you living under a rock? I describe poke as deconstructed sushi. Think fish and rice and yummy stuff all in a bowl. Fun story about the first time I tried poke. It was the summer I lived in Hawaii and my friend Nick took me to this really good authentic poke place. I was terrified of it. I picked at my rice and eventually took it "to go". Once he left I took my raw fish and cooked it in a pan on the stove. I have since come to my senses and never have tried to do such a barbaric thing again. My typical poke go to is Pokinometry in Anaheim. I could eat there just about every day. I decided to branch out and try one of the various other poke places that have popped up all over the area. I drove out of my way to go to Poke Express over by Cal State Fullerton. I will never stray from Pokinometry again. It was much pricier than Pokinometry and gave you far less fish. It didn't even taste as good. The one thing I will give it props for is having extra fun toppings like pineapple and edamame. So moral of the story...just go try Pokinometry.
March 2, 2019- Wear Something Sparkly
Something about sparkles always makes me happy and wintery feeling. It just wouldn't feel right to wear sequins in summer. I decided that it was warm enough and wore sparkly sandals....ok a bit summery but still fun. I also carried my shimmery pink clutch. The occasion was my friend Tiffany's engagement party! It was a lot of fun and her wedding is next month already!!! Congrats to Tiffany and Brock <3
I love poke. It is probably one of my favorite foods. If you haven't heard of poke....are you living under a rock? I describe poke as deconstructed sushi. Think fish and rice and yummy stuff all in a bowl. Fun story about the first time I tried poke. It was the summer I lived in Hawaii and my friend Nick took me to this really good authentic poke place. I was terrified of it. I picked at my rice and eventually took it "to go". Once he left I took my raw fish and cooked it in a pan on the stove. I have since come to my senses and never have tried to do such a barbaric thing again. My typical poke go to is Pokinometry in Anaheim. I could eat there just about every day. I decided to branch out and try one of the various other poke places that have popped up all over the area. I drove out of my way to go to Poke Express over by Cal State Fullerton. I will never stray from Pokinometry again. It was much pricier than Pokinometry and gave you far less fish. It didn't even taste as good. The one thing I will give it props for is having extra fun toppings like pineapple and edamame. So moral of the story...just go try Pokinometry.
March 2, 2019- Wear Something Sparkly
Something about sparkles always makes me happy and wintery feeling. It just wouldn't feel right to wear sequins in summer. I decided that it was warm enough and wore sparkly sandals....ok a bit summery but still fun. I also carried my shimmery pink clutch. The occasion was my friend Tiffany's engagement party! It was a lot of fun and her wedding is next month already!!! Congrats to Tiffany and Brock <3
March 3, 2019- Watch Frozen
Did you know Frozen technically takes place during the summer? "Woohoo real howler in July". It still has a feeling of a winter movie. Probably all that snow. I guess it's important to brush up on my Frozen facts every now and again. I usually fall asleep shortly after "Let it Go".
March 4, 2019- Use Crock Pot
If you don't have a crock pot, I am always surprised how inexpensive they are, so you should be able to find a good deal on one! I always have to stop myself from buying them in multiple different sizes. What I really want is an instant pot...but what I have is a great big giant crock, so you get a great big winter crock pot meal. I decided to make pulled pork to turn into sandwiches, tacos, etc for the week's meal prep. I have done fancier marinated pulled pork before but today I just wanted a plain salty pork. I got the pork loin from Spouts, salted it up, and threw it in the pot for a few hours. Eventually I will get some better meat shredders than just forks but for now it is a super easy meal!
March 5, 2019- Celebrate Mardi Gras
Happy Fat Tuesday! Celebrate with your favorite cajun foods, King Cake, outfits and beads of purple/green/gold, or just go take a trip to New Orleans. Someday I will. This year was not that that year. This year was the year for boxed jambalaya! Beggars can't be choosers when they are pressed for time. It turned out pretty mediocre. Show me how you can do better!
March 6, 2019- Give Up Something For Lent
For those unfamiliar with Lent, it is the season preparing for Easter. There are many little rules and quirks such as no meat Fridays, extra church, days of fasting, and you are supposed to give something up that is difficult for you and makes you a better person. I have given up things such as frozen dinners for breakfast, limited my cheese intake to once time a day (that was by far the hardest), chocolate (no longer difficult), and this season: phone games. I enjoy phone games and some of them are indeed educational and challenging for my brain. I do acknowledge that I waste a lot of time playing them. So this meant weeks of no Candy Crush, sudoku, Animal Crossing, Pokemon Go, word search, Hole.io, bricks, Yahtzee, and whatever the hot game of the time was. I let daily Brain Games and Crosswords stay as those aren't exactly fun. I force myself to do those daily to keep my brain sharp. I recommend them for anyone who feels their post school brain turning to mush.
March 7, 2019- Take a Bath
My apartment doesn't have the most luxurious bathtub but my shower tub used by primarily me is better than nothing. It's much more hygienic than the bathtub in the college dorms. It's safe to say that I went on a very long bath drought during college. I decided after a long week to use one of my fancy bath bombs that I had gotten for Christmas. This is the bath that has come to be known as the "pee bath". No, I did not pee in the tub but I feel like there should have been a little bit more thought behind the scenes on the production of this bath bomb. While Caribbean Crush sounds nice and relaxing, it turns into soaking in a tub that looks like a mix between Mello Yellow and urine. I made sure to take plenty of pictures so you could enjoy it as much as I did.
March 8, 2019- Nothing???
March 9, 2019- Brewery
I decided to do rare and exciting thing of driving up to LA. I met up with Eric and some of his friends to go to a new brewery. It was a giant open warehouse which was pretty cold during the winter but it helped with my problem of not being able to pick out an outfit since I just kept my coat on the entire time! I am picky with my beers and choose the one that no one else in my group would ever dream of ordering. The fruity beer on tap wasn't working so I went for my second favorite: the salty beer. It was indeed salty and delicious and no one else liked it even a little bit.
March 10 & 11, 2019- Busy being lazy and taking care of a pug who didn't feel too good.
March 12, 2019- Eat a Shrimp Ring & Doggy Play Date
I doubled up to make up for my days of laziness. Sushi hadn't been feeling too good but she made a full recovery in time to go have a play date with her best girl friend Phoebe. Since then Phoebe has moved and Sushi is super sad but they had one last super cute dog park date together. I also decided it was time to eat the delicious shrimp ring I had bought for Christmas Eve. A shrimp ring is usually a staple of the appetizer dinner you have now heard so much about. I ended up being too full to eat my shrimpies so I saved them for now(they were frozen).
March 13, 2019- Get Cheesecake
Is cheesecake a winter food for everyone else? I associate it with winter because cheesecake is my dad's January birthday choice dessert. My mom has a delicious recipe that she stole from a fancy restaurant. My cheesecake was in the form of someone (probably my baker friend Madison) plopping me some leftover smushed cheesecake into a Tupperware. Now doesn't this look appetizing... I hope that you either have a delicious recipe or a Cheesecake Factory nearby.
March 14, 2019- Celebrate Pi Day
Pi Day is one of my favorite silly holidays. 3/14 = 3.14 = Pi = Pie. My typical celebrate involves a chicken pot pie for dinner and a key lime pie for dessert. I have tried multiple different key lime pie recipes and have not found one I love. Do you have a favorite? Send it my way so I can try it this year.
March 15, 2019- Nothing...finishing strong
March 16 & 17, 2019- Celebrate St. Patrick's
Since St. Patrick's Day is my favorite holiday, it got two days of celebration. Not only is green my favorite color but according to my 23andme I am 15.1% Irish. This means all the kisses and no pinches for me! I am a firm believer that everyone must wear as much green as possible. Since St. Patrick's was on a Sunday we tried to go out on Saturday night to celebrate....well all the Irish Pubs in L.A. were closed in preparation for the next day. We finally found Limericks Tavern which was open and serving some sort of St. Patricks special. Somehow no pictures were taken of this adventure. I was probably too tired and grumpy. I did make delicious mashed potatoes the following day though. A true St. P's special.
March 18, 2019- Play Unstable Unicorns & Go To Souplantation
Once again doubling up for a strong finish. For those unfamiliar I will explain both of these things. Unstable Unicorns is obviously a game. It is a very difficult game to explain but once you get it it becomes quite simple. There are multiple cards including basic unicorns, unicorns with powers, cards telling you to do things, and cards changing the rules. The main goal is to collect a certain number of unicorns while everyone else is trying to do the same. My favorites are the narwhal cards which are indeed unicorns of the sea. Souplantation is an all you can eat restaurant starting with a giant salad bar and followed by all the soups, pizza, pasta, corn bread, potatoes, and soft serve ice cream that you can cram into your body. I usually overdo it on the salad and then try as many of the soups as possible. I can always manage to squeeze in a bit of soft serve at the end but then do a bit of waddling to the car.
March 19, 2019- Oops
Way to end my season strong. But here is the list of everything else super fun that I should have done on all of my lazy days:
- Go To the Library
- Winter Photo Shoot
- Soup of the Day
- Make Martinis
- Make Pot Roast
- Visit a Museum
- Wear a Onesie
- Watch a Play
- Use Mermaid Blanket
- Buy a Fancy Cheese
If you're still here then thanks for sticking with me so long. This blog was a bit more blah than some of my others but Winter is my least favorite season. It's important to make the most of it and try to do as many fun things as possible or at least take as many vacations as possible. The late posting of this blog is thanks to my many jobs and endless days of work but there is still time to enjoy and do as many as you can! I promise (oh great now I actually have to be prompt) that Spring will be more timely and once I make a promise I won't break it. Ok now get out there and buy a fancy cheese!
<3 HH
