We're Back!

To my one dear reader, I apologize for my absence the past month.  We have been so busy visiting family and traveling that I haven't had the time to update regularly.  Our cruise to Mexico was worth it, though!  Check out some of my favorite pics from Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta:

It started raining in Puerto Vallarta while we were out on the boat around Los Arcos.  I loved how the rain and the clouds made the landscape look so dramatic and romantic. =)

Be back soon with more DIYs!

Welcome to 1995

I was helping my mom clean out a room in the house earlier today when I found a stack of continuous printer paper in a box.  WHOA FLASHBACK!  Remember all the fun things we would do with the perforated edges?  (or was it just me because I was lame like that?)

The discovery begs the question--why in the world have we saved this stack of paper for over ten years? We don't even have a printer to use it anymore.  Actually, as I type that, I have a premonition that the dead carcass of our old printer is probably hidden somewhere in the house, too.

So this is where my inability to throw anything away comes from....

My Depressingly Healthy Lunch

Bleeechhhh.  Rabbit food.  Why is getting older so much harder on the body?  Well, I guess I only have myself to blame for post-marriage, post-injury weight gain, but I am not appreciating this slower metabolism!  I have actually been trying to eat healthier since my exercise ability has been severely limited.  I used to cling to my eat-whatever-you-want-just-work-out plan, but unfortunately that just doesn't work right now, so I've had to resort to dieting.  Results are slow, but there has already been some evidence that it is working!  YAY!

I guess if I was really really hard core, I would also not be eating the bread with my salad (don't worry, I didn't butter it!), but I don't think I'm ready to sacrifice all carbs just yet!

I just had to complain somewhere about eating salads.  And maybe brag, too.  Once it pays off.  =)

Hiking in Bear Valley

I'm just realizing how un-cohesive this blog is compared to what I had originally intended, but OH WELL I did name it "totally eileen" (because "everything eileen" was already taken) so that I could just include whatever it was I wanted to ramble about.  Currently, there is actually a lot that I want to ramble about, but I don't think it would be best to do it on such a public space, so I will stick to slightly less private matters.  (sorry, stalkers, you'll have to find some other means of satisfying your curiosity--but please rest assured that I am doing well and am in good health =)

A couple weekends ago, we went hiking in Bear Valley.  Unfortunately, I couldn't hike as far as I thought I could before my knee started to really hurt, so I turned back down the trail on my own.  This gave me time to take some really soak in nature and I couldn't resist taking some high-quality pictures with my iPhone.  (saving for a new camera is actually a very long process!!)  When I was walking back down the trail, I felt a little bummed that my knee is still holding me back after all this time from doing things that I want to do.  I had a stick that Al had picked up for me to use as a walking staff, but I still found myself stopping to rest more frequently than I care to admit.  By the time I made it back to the beginning of the trail, I had stopped so often that the natural beauty around me had soothed my irritation, and I found that I felt really peaceful in the presence of funny looking trees and bright flowers.  And these are their pictures:

Not bad for our first California hike =)

Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and Market Bar in SF

Last Saturday, we spent a wonderful morning with my favorite sister in San Francisco! We went to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and then had brunch at Market Bar. I wasn’t overly impressed with the produce—the quality is pretty much the same as other farmers markets I visited and the price tended to be more expensive since this is a very touristy attraction. But there are lots and lots of yummy samples to try and the whole area is relatively clean! I have realized that I prefer touristy over the down and dirty of authenticity.

After strolling through the market and trying samples, we sat outside and had lunch at Market Bar. I personally did not think the food was that great—I had a rather mediocre omelet and we had to wait a really long time for our food. However, our server was really attentive and we had a good time relaxing and enjoying the morning (minus a couple minutes when three naked guys rode by on bikes, giving us tourists a San Francisco welcome).

On our way back to our car (yay, we found street parking!) we also walked through the open area where artists were selling prints, jewelry, and other touristy knick-knacks. I think those are also always fun to browse! 

This is another trip I would definitely do again. =)

The Many Faces of Al-bear

For the past two weeks, I have come home to my new bear dressed up in different outfits:

Toga Bear and Rock Star Bear

 

Lumberjack Bear and Incognito (?) Bear

He's so cute!!!! =)

My birthday surprise! =)

I came home yesterday to the biggest teddy bear ever--and I LOVE IT!  Al is such a sweetheart =)  Watch out though, Al, Clueless Bear might just take over your side of the bed.

Gifts from my mother-in-law

I love my mother-in-law.  She is my second mother and I have had the privilege of spending almost every holiday with her ever since Al and I started dating.  A great thing about my mother-in-law is that she has a certain way of doing things that will probably never change.  Once Al and I began to date seriously, I was lucky to begin to receive her famous Christmas presents--a box filled with clothes and shaving cream or other useful toiletry.

The best thing about these clothes is that (for Al) they are always too big (size L to XL), are cold weather items (fleece, sweaters, etc.), and, the most important characteristic of all--we have no idea when or where she purchased these items!  (possibly decades ago???? who knows???)

Anyways, after over 20 years of giving presents to two boys, Mom now has the opportunity of giving gifts to a girl--me!  Here are just a couple of my favorites through the years:

- a typical gift--warm fleece that is maybe a size too big.  This is about the most normal clothing item I've received.

- Sparkly green sweater

- sequined "party top" that has no shape--it really is a piece of fabric sewed at the ends like a pillow case (and hangs off of your body like one too)

- my new favorite!  a workout jacket and matching pants with ROSES!! =)  Where do you even buy these???

Not pictured: a jean skirt that was a children's size 12~  I'm so flattered, I wish I was that skinny but I could not even wrap the thing around my ribcage!

This is just a sampling of what has been in my box of goodies for the past few Christmases.  I'm not posting these up to make fun of them---I just love thinking of them because they always put a smile on my face when I think of how sweet my mother-in-law is and how she thinks of me and tries to get me stuff I would like!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Due to holiday travels and the like, I am a few posts behind what I had intended to write over the past two weeks.  So sorry if these are a little belated!

Al and I exchanged gifts last Monday before we went home for the holidays so that we wouldn't have to lug our presents all the way to Virginia just to lug them back.  I wanted to put up pictures because Al did such a nice job in the packaging!

First, he gave me an "Apple 1.0":

And then he gave me "Apple 2.0":

And I love it! =)  So I am now a Mac.  A Big Mac

I was also excited about my gift to Al, so here's a picture:

Step aside Rock Band, we're official now.

Al strikes again

I particularly like the bear grylls food web.

I was under the impression Al was studying...

another treat on my desktop today.

Christmas in December

I know that it is already December.  I see the Salvation Army collection buckets outside of Safeway.  Wal-Mart has converted its garden center into a Christmas warehouse.  There is a Christmas tree in the lobby of our apartment building and Christmas music is in the air.  All the signs that Christmas is just around the corner are all around me, but it still doesn't feel like the holiday season.

Why?  It was SUNNY and 63 degrees Fahrenheit today!  Haha, not that I'm complaining too much or anything--it just feels weird to think about all this Christmas stuff when I'm comfortably taking walks outside in the beautiful sunshine without a scarf or a hat.

So, just be jealous that the weather has been so nice here the past couple of days.  I think there may be some rain later this week...but it's still nothing compared to freezing temperatures and snow!  I will have to try harder to get in the Christmas spirit by bombarding myself with Christmas movies and treats.  I'm looking forward to two holiday get-togethers later this week, which I think will help with that!

Also, I really need to get started on my Christmas shopping!

Surprise Wallpaper

Maybe I'm too obsessed with North and South?  When I came home from work today, Al left this wonderful image on my desktop.  LOL

Move over Colin Firth, you are old news!

P.S. Al, you're still No. 1!!!!!

Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving was a busy day for the Hos!  We had a wonderful visit from the newly-engaged Dan and Yuan Yuan in the morning who were in town.  Again, congratulations to the adorable couple!  So meal number one consisted of pancakes with strawberries, turkey sausage, and balsamic-onion omelettes with salsa.  (sorry, breakfast, no more details about you because turkey dinner steals the show)

While I missed having a big Thanksgiving dinner with our families back home, I was still excited to cook a big meal here for (originally) two.  Then we more than doubled our size with the wonderful addition of three friends to our party.  Here is this year's menu--I was so ready to eat that only one picture is from me, but everything turned out just as awesome as it looks in the magazine pictures anyway (please note the totally serious tone of that statement).

The Recipes:

• Roasted Turkey Roulade

• Three-Mushroom Dressing with Prosciutto

• French's Green Bean Casserole

• Roasted Sweet Potato Spears with Bacon Vinaigrette

• Black Pepper Biscuits

• Wayne's Cranberry Sauce

• Pear, Apple, and Cranberry Crisp

 

 I've always liked the idea of a turkey roulade because I think it looks cool and fancy.  However, I'm not sure that stuffing a turkey breast really changes the flavors in anyway--I think next time if I don't want to do a whole turkey, I'd rather just roast a turkey breast and make the stuffing separately.  (I was a big fan of this sausage stuffing!)  Also, not pictured is the Jell-O that we had for dessert =P  I don't have a mold, but I basically made the same Jell-O mold that we used to make for holidays at my house (involving canned whole cranberry sauce, canned fruit, nuts, and red jell-o).

This is a terrible picture, but it is evidence of our meal. =)  Already looking forward to next year's Thanksgiving!!!

Needless to say, I am thankful for stretchy sweatpants with plenty of elastic.

Pranked

On Saturday morning, I open my eyes to a pretty gray and wet day.  As I'm trying to decide whether I'm still sleepy enough to fall back asleep, I ask Al (who is apparently just woke up and is lying there playing with his iphone) what time it is.  He tells me it is already noon.  Wow, I must have been really sleepy.

So I get up, brush my teeth, ask Al if he wants the leftover Thai food for lunch (he says yes), and I heat up everything in the microwave.  We sit down at the table, Al says grace, and we start to eat.  I pick up my phone to check messages, etc. when I see the time.  It is 9:30 AM!!!!

My mouth drops, Al is laughing, and I can't believe it took me so long to figure out the real time.

+1 for Al.

However, the result of his prank was no lunch when noon actually rolled around!

Now it's my turn to get him back.

Planet Granite Bloc Party

Rock climbing comp!  Planet Granite's Bloc Party Series Final was on Friday night.  Al climbed hard and we had a good time.  I mostly wanted the free t-shirt =P  It's been a long time since we've participated in a comp and I glad to be there even though my climbing still has a long way to go to get back to pre-injury shape.

Here are some pics!

From our grainy pictures, the gym looks deceptively empty.  It was actually REALLY crowded, but not completely annoying since comps always have such a great energy.  PG is starting to feel more familiar, but we still miss Sportrock!