After work we had made John open his presents. He got his annual Star Trek ornament, Star Trek series blu-ray, Mr Potato Head Star Trek figures (Spock & Uhura), a belt and 3 blu-rays, including The Hunger Games.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
John's Twin Birthday
John turned 51 today. He shares a birthday with his brother, Ralph. John was born on Ralph's 11th birthday in 1962. I'm sure he was "thrilled" to get a baby brother on his birthday!! John's mom took us out to dinner to celebrate the birthdays together (Ralph/JoAnn, Sam/John/Audrey & Joan). We went to Mustard Seed and had a great time!
After work we had made John open his presents. He got his annual Star Trek ornament, Star Trek series blu-ray, Mr Potato Head Star Trek figures (Spock & Uhura), a belt and 3 blu-rays, including The Hunger Games.
After work we had made John open his presents. He got his annual Star Trek ornament, Star Trek series blu-ray, Mr Potato Head Star Trek figures (Spock & Uhura), a belt and 3 blu-rays, including The Hunger Games.
Monday, November 25, 2013
25th Anniversary
Today was our 25th wedding anniversary. Cannot believe that we've been married for a quarter of a century! Time is going quickly and boy do we look young! We were married in the Seattle Temple on November 25, 1988. That year we had Thanksgiving dinner at my Grandma Whisler's house, got stuck in a snowbank on the way out of town, drove over to Seattle on Thursday night, got married on Friday and then drove back to Spokane for the reception on Saturday. (And then John and I drove back to Seattle on Sunday morning to fly out to Hawaii for our honeymoon).
I was into Precious Moments figurines when we got married. Below is the one I bought to commemorate our wedding in 1988 and the one I bought for our 25th Anniversary in 2014.
To celebrate, we went to dinner at the Wolf Lodge Inn. John ordered the huckleberry ribs and I had a steak. They brought out a special dessert for celebrations - looked like a baked potato! Ice cream, cocoa powder and whipped cream. We did not know they were bringing out a complimentary dessert, so I had ordered the chocolate cake also. We brought most of it home for Audrey to help me finish, but did finish the ice cream baked potato before leaving. A very nice anniversary dinner with my sweetie!
1988
2014
To celebrate, we went to dinner at the Wolf Lodge Inn. John ordered the huckleberry ribs and I had a steak. They brought out a special dessert for celebrations - looked like a baked potato! Ice cream, cocoa powder and whipped cream. We did not know they were bringing out a complimentary dessert, so I had ordered the chocolate cake also. We brought most of it home for Audrey to help me finish, but did finish the ice cream baked potato before leaving. A very nice anniversary dinner with my sweetie!
Saturday, November 23, 2013
John's Birthday Movie & Dinner
Today we celebrated John's birthday. He'll be 51 in a couple days, but since going to movies is a fun Saturday event - we decided to sneak it in a few days early. The birthday boy either was teasing us or had a hard time choosing which movie to go to. Finally he told us he had picked "Thor". Since I had not watched the first Thor movie, Audrey said it was mandatory that I watched it before seeing the second Thor movie. So we woke up really early this morning and watched it, then cleaned the house, and then headed downtown to see Thor. It was great! And Audrey was correct, I did need to see the first movie so I was thoroughly caught up with the plot. I like how the Marvel movies throw in action and humor. And I do enjoy the Stan Lee cameos.
Since we had popcorn during the movie, we were not ready for the celebration meal until later. So after doing some errands, we went to Casa de Oro for dinner. Always good service and quick seating. Thanks John for giving us an excuse for a movie and dinner!
Since we had popcorn during the movie, we were not ready for the celebration meal until later. So after doing some errands, we went to Casa de Oro for dinner. Always good service and quick seating. Thanks John for giving us an excuse for a movie and dinner!
Friday, November 22, 2013
Party Night
John and I had a packed but very fun Friday evening. First, I went to a going away party for one of my co-workers (Nancy HR). It started at 5pm on the far north end of town, so I just headed up there after I got off work. We met at Twigg's and had appetizers and socialized. Nancy had been with Safeway for 26 years, so tough for her to say goodbye. I'm glad I went.
While I was at that event, John was home making appetizers for a party we were invited to. Started at 6pm, so I knew we would be fashionably late. John did a great job. Made Turkey Pesto Appetizer Bites and BLT roll ups. I lost track of time, so was later than I expected meeting up with John at our house and then heading up to the Freedland's. It was a birthday celebration for Scott Freedland and John Dubois. Quite a few couples from church were in attendance. We played Pictionary on a white board with words created by the group (that was unique!) and then played a couple rounds of "Mafia" - I'm not very good at that game! A big topic of discussion was BYUtv's Studio C. We have never watched, but sounds like we need to pull it up online to check it out.
Turkey Pesto Appetizer Bites
Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry sheets, thawed
Turkey, thin sliced
Provolone cheese, sliced
Pesto
Cherry tomatoes
Fresh basil leaves
Thaw the puff pastry sheets according to the package directions (takes about 45 minutes). Unroll the sheet onto a lightly floured work surface, then us a pizza cutter to cut the pastry into 36 small squares. Bake the little squares on a parchment paper lined baking sheet in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 12-14 minutes. Once the pastry squares are baked and cooled, open each square so you have a top and bottom piece (like a sandwich). Spread a layer of pesto on the bottom, add the turkey, provolone and then the top layer. Finish the mini sandwich with fresh basil, a cherry tomato and a toothpick to hold it together.
BLT Roll Ups
10 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 & 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 cup shredded lettuce
4 burrito sized flour tortillas
In a medium bowl, mix softened cream cheese and mayonnaise until fully combined. Add bacon, cherry tomatoes and lettuce. Stir gently until all ingredients are mixed well into the filling. Spread a quarter of the iflling onto each tortilla and roll up tightly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. Slice into 1/2 inch slices before serving.
While I was at that event, John was home making appetizers for a party we were invited to. Started at 6pm, so I knew we would be fashionably late. John did a great job. Made Turkey Pesto Appetizer Bites and BLT roll ups. I lost track of time, so was later than I expected meeting up with John at our house and then heading up to the Freedland's. It was a birthday celebration for Scott Freedland and John Dubois. Quite a few couples from church were in attendance. We played Pictionary on a white board with words created by the group (that was unique!) and then played a couple rounds of "Mafia" - I'm not very good at that game! A big topic of discussion was BYUtv's Studio C. We have never watched, but sounds like we need to pull it up online to check it out.
Turkey Pesto Appetizer Bites
Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry sheets, thawed
Turkey, thin sliced
Provolone cheese, sliced
Pesto
Cherry tomatoes
Fresh basil leaves
Thaw the puff pastry sheets according to the package directions (takes about 45 minutes). Unroll the sheet onto a lightly floured work surface, then us a pizza cutter to cut the pastry into 36 small squares. Bake the little squares on a parchment paper lined baking sheet in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 12-14 minutes. Once the pastry squares are baked and cooled, open each square so you have a top and bottom piece (like a sandwich). Spread a layer of pesto on the bottom, add the turkey, provolone and then the top layer. Finish the mini sandwich with fresh basil, a cherry tomato and a toothpick to hold it together.
BLT Roll Ups
10 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 & 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 cup shredded lettuce
4 burrito sized flour tortillas
In a medium bowl, mix softened cream cheese and mayonnaise until fully combined. Add bacon, cherry tomatoes and lettuce. Stir gently until all ingredients are mixed well into the filling. Spread a quarter of the iflling onto each tortilla and roll up tightly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. Slice into 1/2 inch slices before serving.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Green Slime Jello
This was awesome!
GREEN SLIME JELLO
2 small packages (3 oz each) Cook and Serve lemon pudding
1 large package (6 oz) green jello
First make the lemon pudding in a large pot according to the package directions. (Adding the sugar, egg yolks and water as directed). Set aside. Mix the jello with 2 cups boiling water, stirring until dissolved. Add 1 and 1/2 cups cold water and stir. Add the jello to the lemon pudding (in the large pot) and whisk until smooth. Pour into a 9x13 dish and let set in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Serve with whipped cream if desired.
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Vocal Point
We purchased tickets to the Vocal Point concert that was being held at the North Idaho College campus in Coeur d'Alene. Mom had just shared a Friends discount at a newly opened hotel in CDA, so we decided to make a mini-vacation out of the event.
We checked into the Springhill Suites on Seltice Way and went up to get settled into our room. The hotel had a modern feel, but reminiscent of style and coloring from the 60's. I believe when we checked in it had only been open a month or two. Here is our hotel room. Normally $129/night, the deal mom shared with us ended up being $85 including taxes.
We headed to downtown Coeur d'Alene for dinner at Tito's Italian Grill. The food was delicious - John ordered chicken fettuccine, I ordered lasagna and Audrey had their Spaghetti Pomodor. We were too full to order dessert, so we headed to the small shops to walk off the calories before the show.
The concert started at 7pm so we headed over to North Idaho College. The premier seats were gone when I ordered tickets, but was able to get the deluxe seats, so had assigned seating. They also had general seating so we kind of stayed out of the way of those standing in line for those since our seats were waiting for us. Except for the lady sitting next to me pulling our her cell phone to text during the entire concert (acting like a teenager, not an adult...) we had a wonderful time. I really enjoyed the a cappella sounds from this 9 member male group. They sang an assortment of songs, new and old, funny and serious and were very entertaining. Fun time and fun "vacation" for us!
We checked into the Springhill Suites on Seltice Way and went up to get settled into our room. The hotel had a modern feel, but reminiscent of style and coloring from the 60's. I believe when we checked in it had only been open a month or two. Here is our hotel room. Normally $129/night, the deal mom shared with us ended up being $85 including taxes.
We headed to downtown Coeur d'Alene for dinner at Tito's Italian Grill. The food was delicious - John ordered chicken fettuccine, I ordered lasagna and Audrey had their Spaghetti Pomodor. We were too full to order dessert, so we headed to the small shops to walk off the calories before the show.
The concert started at 7pm so we headed over to North Idaho College. The premier seats were gone when I ordered tickets, but was able to get the deluxe seats, so had assigned seating. They also had general seating so we kind of stayed out of the way of those standing in line for those since our seats were waiting for us. Except for the lady sitting next to me pulling our her cell phone to text during the entire concert (acting like a teenager, not an adult...) we had a wonderful time. I really enjoyed the a cappella sounds from this 9 member male group. They sang an assortment of songs, new and old, funny and serious and were very entertaining. Fun time and fun "vacation" for us!
Saturday, November 9, 2013
MAC
Today Audrey and I went to the Museum of Art and Culture. She could earn extra credit for one of her art/design classes if she attended and wrote up a paper. We found the displays they had today very interesting. They had an area with local Northwest history that I believe is a permanent display, but they had the different exhibits that are only on display for a short time. We enjoyed the paintings and sculptures in the art display, but both of us were fascinated with the display in the main area. It was called SpoMa: Spokane Modern Architecture. "The 25-year period between 1948 and 1973 saw an unrivaled burst of architectural creativity in Spokane - greater than that of anywhere else in the Pacific Northwest. Trained by Walter Gropius, schooled in Europe, wooed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and determined to push the design envelope, Spokane's mid-century architects changed the face of the city and received national recognition for their efforts". The display showed buildings such as the Civic Theatre (1967), the US Courthouse (1967), the Pence Union Building EWU (1971), Parkade Parking Garage (1967) and the Spokane International Airport (1965).
Above picture, lower right, is the Spokane International Airport (1965). The quote from one of the placards: "A joint venture between Warren Heylman and Bill Trogdon, the Spokane International Airport project was comprehensive in its scope, consisting of master planning, air field work, and design of the passenger terminal building. And it was a resounding success. In "A Reason for Pride," a six-page feature published in the June 1965 Air West magazine, West Coast Airlines president Nick Bez cited the "magnificent new airport facilities" and noted the "progressiveness" of the area. "Spokane International Airport is a big league establishment," he wrote. "It is impressive."
Above picture, lower left, shows Eero Saarinen Tulip Chairs (1957) and Eero Saarinen Round Dining Table (1956).
After the museum, we went to Chili's for lunch and got the 2/$20 special. We each ordered an entree and shared an appetizer. We ordered the Margherita Flat bread and will definitely be having that again (Monterey jack cheese, mozzarella, garlic aioli, fresh tomatoes, cilantro-ranch pesto).
Above picture, lower right, is the Spokane International Airport (1965). The quote from one of the placards: "A joint venture between Warren Heylman and Bill Trogdon, the Spokane International Airport project was comprehensive in its scope, consisting of master planning, air field work, and design of the passenger terminal building. And it was a resounding success. In "A Reason for Pride," a six-page feature published in the June 1965 Air West magazine, West Coast Airlines president Nick Bez cited the "magnificent new airport facilities" and noted the "progressiveness" of the area. "Spokane International Airport is a big league establishment," he wrote. "It is impressive."
Above picture, lower left, shows Eero Saarinen Tulip Chairs (1957) and Eero Saarinen Round Dining Table (1956).
After the museum, we went to Chili's for lunch and got the 2/$20 special. We each ordered an entree and shared an appetizer. We ordered the Margherita Flat bread and will definitely be having that again (Monterey jack cheese, mozzarella, garlic aioli, fresh tomatoes, cilantro-ranch pesto).
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