Change

I've noticed that a lot of people around me are dealing with changes right now whether they be big or small. We’re all just trying to figure things out. Who we are? What do we want to do with our lives? Are we where we want to be? What are our goals? How far off are we? What do we need to do to get there? How close are we to it? What are we willing to do to get there?

All those questions are floating around. Some are more top of mind for some than for others. Regardless though, it’s there.

And so I wish for strength for all of us that we’d keep pushing forward. I wish for patience that we can be diligent and keep working hard until we get there. I wish for resilience, that we do not give up at the first sign of a let-down. I wish for peace as our minds have a tendency to drift further than we do. I wish for hope as we keep dreaming those big dreams. I wish for healing as we pick ourselves up time and time again. And I wish for love, that we may each find our place in this world.

Thanksgiving feast - take 2!

As if one feast two days prior wasn't enough, the girls got together to celebrate our thankfulness! Our first one ever, it's definitely a tradition in the making! Everyone brought loads of yummy goodness and I think everyone also left with at least another meal or two :) A&S made the wonderful turkey (1st time ever - kudos!). T made bacon, onion, garlic mac & cheese. R made mashed taters with homemade gravy. D got fancy and made this proscuitto stuffing. S made pumpkin pie (I am now a pumpkin pie lover bc of her). K made this delightful ham and I approve cuz I'm not a big ham eater. L made a green bean casserole and yours truly made brown sugar walnut crispy candied yams! MmMmMmMmmmm! I think that's enough turkey and feasting for now... haha. And we polished it all off with beers, wine and Cranium!

Happy Thanksgiving!

There's so much to be thankful for - and it shouldn't just be today where we acknowledge it. If I listed everything I was thankful for and why, you guys would definitely unsub from my blog =p But it's today where we go all out about it and FEAST! It's one of my favorite holidays of the year where my fam gets together to enjoy each others company and the amazing food that our hands have worked to prepare! <33

Clay pot rice

Baby sis is home and she made the fam clay pot rice! Soooo yummmyyyyy! xoxo

Shoeboxes for the little ones

I got to partake in the packing of shoeboxes this year with the teens at our church. Our goal was to put together 80 shoeboxes to be sent to kids in third world countries ranging from 2-14. We ended up with 76! Soooo closeeee! It was definitely great bonding time as we wrapped shoeboxes and picked age appropriate gifts. A few even got competitive with their wrapping skills =p

Go Sistaz

I was digging around and found a pic of us from 2008. Oh, the good times <3

Tanpopo

What a wonderful lunch and ketchup date with Miss L :) I'm definitely glad we made it happen despite all the craziness in our lives. From juggling full school loads to part-time jobs, it only happens with real friends who make an honest effort. Great seeing you L <3

Inkblot test

I created my second piece of coffee art today! And yes, it was by accident again. I was so excited that it was different from my first design (a <3) that I had to ask the lady to let me take a photo of it. Embarassing, yes, but it was worth it! She giggled, I giggled, and then we both laughed. It was cute. Then after the hype was all over, I polled a few people and got new perspectives on what this might be...so have a look and let me know!

Ladies, let's do some damage!

It was another night of stuffing our faces with delish food. I might be talking like I'm complaining, but the fatty inside of me loved it! Everyone brought a dish and got super intimidated after seeing everything laid out. How were we going to handle all that food?? Luckily that did not seem to be a problem at all as dinner got under way. L & P brought their own versions of spinach & artichoke dip. S & H made a yummy sangria. K made cashew basil chicken - another successful recipe from Steamy Kitchen! R dug into her roots and made chicken adobo. It was bomb! And we discovered it was uh-MAZING with A's garlic mashed potatoes! Homegirl was putting a beating to those potatoes in the kitchen til K & R did an intervention :-p D made a roasted shitake mushroom risoto that was off the chain and had people fighting for leftovers! And last but not least, yours truly made asparagus with garlic and eggs over easy on top. It must be a sign when everyone got seconds/thirds and still continued to grub on even though we were full. To relieve some of that guilt, we worked it all off with Taboo. And what's a dinner without dessert? We topped off the X course meal (because I lost count) with some slow churned pumpkin ice cream. Yuh-Um!

 

 

 <3 good times

Coffee art for 11.11.11

I created my first piece of coffee art today (and it was by accident!). I was so happy and excited that I had to ask the women to let me take a photo of it before she took it with her. And as she was walking away, she said now she felt bad for drinking it since I had made it so pretty. I'm really not sure how I did it, but it's definitely something I want to work on and get great at! So I guess that was my piece of magic for 11.11.11

Tostones con Queso

So YUMMYYY! It's been probably a month (too long in my opinion) since I've been here and I missed it dearly! Is it weird if I've thought about it in my sleep too? =p

In any case, I tried this new way of eating plantains today - with cheez! YUM! And it's even more delish with their special secret sauce. Left me walking around with a hummy garlic breath =p

Take me for a ride

I saw so many people on bikes today it made me want to hop on mine and go for a swing like the good ol' times.

Holla if u can read Chinese

I can tell by the picture and the exclamation mark where this is going, but my Chinese skills are nowhere near being able to decipher this message. Help! I'll give you a dolla!

A feast fit for a king

Fellowship time is the best. Everyone brought a dish and what was supposed to be a simple dinner turned into a FEAST! Miss J made her first ever pulled pork. Uncle S. brought this really yummy cocktail appetizer that his wife made. YK brought chicken katsu. J brought some delish hot choc mix with marshmallows to go on top. H brought some delish spare ribs that I couldn't keep my fork away from. And to top off a perfect meal, K and I brought tiramisu and mochi (two flavas - mango & strawberry!). What up?!! I think I ate more tonight than I have in a longgggg time :D

Making a killing with my onion breath

I think I was asking for onion breath today. I'm trying my creative hand at making sammies. If I had to rate the one I made today, I'd say it was alright. I made a roast beef sammie on toasted wheat with lite mayo, avo and red onions. Unfortunately, it was just too salty for me and left me running for water. We'll try again next time!

Shecky's!

It was indeed a girls night out tonight! A few of us ladies got together to get our freebie madness on at Fort Mason :) and we came out of it with a bag loaded with goodies. From always useful hair ties to body deodorant towelettes, they had us covered. Great find S!

Chicken tikki masala

It's already great hanging out with friends but throw in some food and it becomes AWESOME! Thanks to H, I now know how to make chicken tikki masala. It's been awhile since I've cooked but I managed! :) and we topped off a super delish dinner with cupcakes from L!