TUBING IN TAHOE

At the end of January, we were able to take some youth from church up to Tahoe for a day of snow tubing and sledding! We ended up at Soda Springs in Truckee, and it was a beautiful day! The sun was shining, it wasn't too cold, and the hills were empty! After a few hours of riding the hill down, we took a break for lunch, and then headed back out in the late afternoon for a few final races. The youth had a wonderful time, and as a leader, I was enjoying it as much as them! We raced down, and up, trying to beat the magic carpet, and chose the fastest lanes for our final runs down. It was such a wonderful way to spend a Saturday, and I was definitely sore the next day, after spending hours lugging my tube up the hill! Derek & I will be coming here for a day of fun in the near future!

VALENTINE'S DAY SALMON

I have always, always, ALWAYS, loved Valentine's Day. There is something about pink glittery hearts that just make my heart pitter-patter! Besides decorating my home, I enjoy cooking a yummy and fancier dinner each year for Derek and I. This year, I wanted to incorporate salmon, because it's pink (duh!), and something we love, but don't eat quite enough. I oven roasted this salmon and served with grilled asparagus & crispy fingerling potatoes, for a yummy and light dinner. We kept the meal fairly light and simple, as to not interfere with our dark and rich dessert of Sees candy, and fresh berries with whipped cream. We enjoyed a wonderful Sunday together, and although Derek's pager was the third wheel (he was on-call all weekend), it tended to stay fairly quiet! We ended the night on the couch, cozied under blankets, a crackling fire, and "The Walking Dead". It was a wonderful low-key and lovely night!

NEW BEGINNINGS: PRESSING FORWARD WITH A STEADFASTNESS IN CHRIST

I have been serving in the YW organization at church for about six months. I love, love, LOVE the ladies I work with, and more importantly, these young women! They are truly remarkable. We have extremely talented girls, ranging from music & theater, to cheerleading & water polo. They are all extremely good students, and a few work part time at local businesses as well. To say we are lucky is a major understatement! For your New Beginnings, to welcome the incoming Beehives (young women who will turn 12 during the year), we wanted to focus on the 2016 Mutual Theme: Press Forward with a Steadfastness in Christ. We focused on an airline theme; staging the room like an airplane, serving in-flight snacks, and even dressing as flight attendants. The young women all participated in a skit, written by Alysha, about baggage. We all have baggage, ranging from gossiping to struggling with our testimonies. Each of the girls introduced a piece of baggage, and then focused on how a Young Women Value could help ease the burden of heavy baggage. It was a major hit! To end the night, the girls sang this gorgeous song (even better than this version!), and a delicious spread of treats. My friend Janelle, bakes & decorates the cutest sugar cookies, so we had her help us with the cookies for this event, and she pulled out all the stops! 

MY 10,000TH DAY OF LIFE

Earlier this week, my dear friend Kendra texted me with "Get ready for your 10,000th day birthday on Saturday!" It was almost a stroke of inspiration that she stumbled upon this piece of fun! Months ago, she and her husband were discussing how many days old they were. She of course turned to Google, and discovered that her 10,000th day was the following day! Fast forward a couple months, and she did the search again, only to find that our other mutual friend from childhood, Crystal, was about to celebrate her day! Either Kendra has psychic tenancies, or major vibes for us, but it was a wonderful text to receive! So, I'm baking a chocolate cake, and whipping up some frosting, because by golly, I've been alive 10,000 days, and I want to celebrate!

CHICKEN TACOS

I grew up on homemade ground beef and chicken tacos. Salsa & Tabasco basically run through my veins. It was, and still is, one of my favorite dinners. There is just something about a freshly fried & crispy shell, lightly salted and filled with everything good in life that makes me happy! Growing up with ample amounts of incredible Mexican food close by (Southern CA for the win!), and living in San Diego, a short 8 minute drive from Old Town, I definitely appreciate a good taco. When I read about a new fad, The Taco Cleanse, I thought I was dreaming! Although this taco isn't nearly close to being healthy or in this diet, it was still funny to read up on. I served these tacos with my first batch of homemade refried beans, which were fantastic! I used this recipe, and they definitely passed my challenging test. (I am really picky about my beans. Again, let's chalk it up to my refined Mexican Food palate). So, gear up for the Super Bowl with this taco spread. I guarantee your guests will be thrilled, whoever does win.

SACRAMENTO KINGS GAME

For Christmas, I like to gift Derek something fun he can do, rather than just something that will most likely sit around collecting dust. Since he has a really demanding job, his free time is really limited. In that free time, he is often logging patients, studying for boards, working on case presentations, reading journals, the list goes on and on. So, in order for him to ENJOY gifts, I tend to gift "experiences". This year, since living in a city with a professional basketball team, I gifted him Kings tickets. Not only was he excited to see the Kings play, but they were playing The Golden State Warriors! Derek is a HUGE fan of Steph Curry, and being able to see him and  Seth Curry & Raejon Rondo play against him was an even bigger treat. (Side Note: Derek LOVES college basketball. It is his favorite time of the year!) We had a great time cheering for the Kings, as we are loyal fans to our city. Although they lost, it was a great game with a constant back and forth. We had such a fun time, and I think more basketball games will be in our future!