. t . t . t .

Wilco

2012-02-08T22:24:00.000-08:00

Last night we saw Wilco at the Paramount. It was incredible. We heard some rumor that they were banning smart phones, so we wimped out and left both our phones at home (we need to toughen up). I had to swipe a picture from the Wilco website to show you the awesome stage - those white swatches of fabric turned into an giant screen that gave a Jackson Pollock effect to everything they projected. Amazing!

No drugs, no swearing, no brawls, nothing. Taylor was baffled. As we made our way back to the car, he couldn't believe how slick the evening was. Cheap parking, showed up as they were just feeding people in, got great seats (everything was GA), and no weird drunk people.

His words: "I feel like I just went to an awesome rock concert with a venue full of laid-back REI customers."

They opened with "One Sunday Morning (Song for Jane Smiley's Boyfriend)" - absolutely beautiful.

Make and eat this. You'll thank us.

2012-02-02T20:14:00.000-08:00

Our new favorite homemade granola (it's different, but give it a chance!). We have another granola recipe we love, but this one is a lot healthier, takes half the time, and we like it better, too! I don't usually carry flaxseed or spelt flour in my pantry, but it cost maybe 85 cents to buy both in the bulk aisle at the grocery store.

3 c. rolled oats (not instant)
1 c. oat or spelt flour (I used spelt)
1 c. walnuts, chopped (or any other nut)
1/2 c. flaxseed
1/2 t. sea salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. cardamom
3/4 c. grapeseed oil
1/2-3/4 c. REAL maple syrup or agave nectar (I did some of each)
1 t. vanilla (I might try almond extract next time)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine dry ingredients and mix well.
In a small bowl, combine the oil, syrup (or agave), and extract. Whisk until combined.
Combine the wet and dry mixtures.
Spread evenly on the baking sheet, and bake until golden (ours took like 40 minutes).
Let the granola cool for a few minutes to get crisp, and then break into chunks.

You're welcome.

And a random picture, because I feel weird putting only words out there.

Blossoms outside the school this afternoon. In February?!

Last week's snow storm

2012-01-28T09:47:00.000-08:00

Rumors had been going around about a big snow storm hitting Seattle. Two Fridays ago Taylor and I were riding the bus home from work, and had this conversation:

Tally: "Wouldn't it be cool if it snowed so much that they canceled Church?"
Taylor: "No, because I like church."
Tally: "Well, yeah, church is great, but then you wouldn't have to go to all those meetings."
Taylor: "But we wouldn't have church, and I like going to church."
Tally: "Okay..."

Sure enough, at the end of Sacrament meeting that Sunday, they announced that they were closing the building and were sending everyone home. There was a very loud "YES!" from the congregation from a few kids, which was awesome. We braved the snowy drive home, and found that it had snowed enough while we were gone that we couldn't pull all the way into our driveway. We were too embarrassed to try pulling in again (we have very observant neighbors), so we just left it there. Way to go, Hyundai.

Monday morning we walked to the nearby hardware store to purchase a snow shovel and ice melt. The metal garden shovel from 1970 that we found in the shed just wasn't cutting it.

Tuesday + Wednesday our offices were closed (HOORAY!), but Taylor decided to put in 8-hour days of work from home, which meant I was bored out of my mind. I'd like to thank Netflix for putting all of Season One of Downton Abbey in their instant streaming (and Mom, for not changing her password).

In Seattle, it snows 6 inches and the entire city shuts down (they only have 30 plows - we didn't see one until Saturday).
In Salt Lake, it snows 2 feet, and they wonder why you're late for school.

Of course, my favorite thing is that Seattle people have top-of-the-line gear for snow, but they only get to use it once a year. There's 4 inches of snow on the sidewalks, and people are in their snowpants, Sorels, ice clamps, and cross-country skis. Pretty awesome.

2011: YEAR IN REVIEW.

2012-01-12T07:26:00.000-08:00

Our favorite pictures from 2011:

Cannon Beach, Oregon - January

Completely lost while cross-country skiing in Snoqualmie - February

Equally awkward on Valentine's Day - we're lucky we found each other. And we did eat more than a piece of steak.

Sisters at the top of the Space Needle - Molly Kate in February, Liz-a-Boo in March

The tulips came to Pike Place Market in April, and we ran the Wenatchee half marathon:

We got a new car in May (not pictured, so picture silver awesomeness).

My parents came to visit in May,

and Taylor's parents came to visit in June.

A week later the 39ers crammed into our little house, and it was heaven.

Taylor turned 30!

We flew to Newport, Rhode Island to celebrate with the Turner siblings!

We camped in July at the base of Mt. Rainier. Taylor forbid me to tell the full story on the blog, because it was a pretty crazy experience.

We hiked A LOT in August.

The Turners met up in the U.S. Virgin Islands in September:

We were the whitest people there. Thanks a lot, Seattle.

In October we caught the BYU game at Oregon State, and hung out in Portland with the Markanichs:

Taylor beat "P90x guy" - a true highlight of 2011.

By the end of October we had some incredible leaves around town!

Thanksgiving in Maple Valley:

The pie.

... and then home for Christmas to celebrate our 5th Anniversary (Temple + out to breakfast).

It keeps getting better!

*Picture from our actual wedding day in 2006 - we didn't get back in our wedding clothes and gallivant around Temple Square. Maybe next year.

christmas break

2012-01-10T08:34:00.000-08:00

Next Christmas I'll remember to take my camera home. I only have a handful of pictures from Christmas on my phone, and it's killing me because it was such a great break! I didn't even get shots of my mom's Santa tree this year (I hope you took some, Mom!).

blind boys of alabama . crismon's birthday . market street grill . fireworks in the backyard (that lorenzo tried to eat) . lots of visits to grandma lewis . shopping for our christmas feast with molly + mary at harmon's (white chocolate pecan bread!) . traditional oldroyd christmas adam mexican fiesta (we're not mexican) . nativity at grandpa t's (the baby jesus was born out of a purse) .

a private behind-the-scenes tour of the capitol building with my sister (she gets to work there!) . christmas eve dinner with the turners . the biggest cake you ever did see . wits and wagers with liz's new in-laws . church in a beautiful, silent chapel on christmas morning . elder oldroyd called from bora bora! . christmas morning breakfast casserole with mimi and papa . opening gifts .

day-after shopping (per taylor's request - what?!) . the nutcracker with mom + liz . breakfast with the 39ers . park city outlets (per taylor's request - seriously?!) . grandma lewis turned 91! . red iguana . celebrated our 5th anniversary! . ruth's diner for breakfast . caught up with the east high bunch in park city . eggs in the city with karen . reunited with my roommate linda . bombay house . the first home jazz game (thanks, uncle jim!) . warhorse . liz + keith made bisteeya (delicious!) in mom + dad's fancy new kitchen . lots of rounds of small world . hires big h . said good-bye to mom's santas .

Off to Salt Lake!

2011-12-21T15:32:00.000-08:00

Last night we enjoyed the Blind Boys of Alabama Christmas concert - the perfect way to spend our last night in Seattle!

We came home and took one last picture in front of our Christmas tree before we took it all down. Don't worry - our Christmas tree tipped over two weeks ago, and it's been leaning against the corner ever since.

We're not so great with the self-timer.

Salt Lake City, here we come!

Our mystery package from Kharkov, Ukraine.

2011-12-16T09:29:00.000-08:00

I received a notice in the mail from the post office saying that I had a package to pick up. The only information it gave me was a random Russian name and origin in Ukraine. It made me nervous because I don't regularly do business with former Soviet nations. We Googled the name and couldn't figure out what the package would be, so Taylor went with me to pick it up.

Well, for only $4.25 on eBay, I got this antique Christmas ornament. I thought it was coming from New Jersey or Florida, but it came all the way from Kharkov, Ukraine. Did I mention that Kharkov was Taylor's last area on his mission to Donetsk, Ukraine?

We've tried to fill our Christmas tree with ornaments that have stories or meaning behind them. I bid on this because it reminded me of my mother-in-law's spectacular all-mushroom Christmas tree. Well, with its Ukrainian roots, this little mushroom now has a little extra meaning!

Give Thanks

2011-11-26T11:29:00.000-08:00

We had a "Thanksgiving Sleepover" at Robin and Christian's beautiful new home in Maple Valley. We woke up to this:

Robin and I killed it (it helps when you have a huge gourmet kitchen to cook in). Thanksgiving is one giant game of coordination - what should go in the oven when, at what temperature, and can the turkey be done in time to roast the parsnips, or should we do the rolls first? It was an America's Test Kitchen Thanksgiving. Best stuffing I've ever had, and Ernie (our turkey) did us proud (though he took his sweet time).

And then there were the pies.

Taylor was determined to re-create his mother's German Chocolate Pie (Mary Anne's pies are legendary), which he did. All by himself.

I have a new favorite pie.

Robin's Cranberry Apple pie with Maple Pecan crumble was absolutely delicious.

A wonderful Thanksgiving. If you can't be with family, find friends as awesome as Robin and Christian.

lucky girl.

2011-11-13T17:02:00.000-08:00

Taylor, Thanksgiving 2010

Lots of lessons on gratitude in Church today, and I just can't stop thinking about how grateful I am for this cute boy. We've been through a lot together in the past 4.9 years, and I don't think I would have been able to get through any of it without him by my side to keep me going.

Oh, and how many times have I made him pose with food? Heaven knows why he still hangs around. Either he's out of his mind, or he just really likes my cooking.

You should all move to Seattle.

2011-11-08T10:22:00.000-08:00

You're all missing out on an incredible fall here!

Tay & I ran the "Pumpkin Push" 5K over Halloween weekend at Seward Park (pictured above). Seward Park is a peninsula that juts into Lake Washington.

Whole Foods set up an entire pumpkin patch at the finish line, so we spun the wheel to win or free pumpkins.

Guess which one Taylor won?

All done. We got to represent Taylor's office. Pretty cool.

Taylor is the athlete.

Here he is, about to pass "P90x guy." BAM!

I look awkward no matter what. In typical Tally fashion, I panicked with the cold and wore 2 shirts plus a jacket, and two pairs of pants.

We drove home along Lake Washington Boulevard.

Good times.

Three weeks ago(ish)...

2011-10-29T18:48:00.000-07:00

We drove down to Corvallis, Oregon to watch the BYU/Oregon State game with our friends Robin & Christian. These two recently got all grown-up and built a house an hour away from us, so we were dying to spend some time with these two. We spent the night in Portland searching for open food carts, exploring the tent city in Chinatown, perusing the endless aisles of books at Powell's, and devouring Voo Doo Doughnuts.

We then introduced Robin & Christian to Mother's - the best breakfast in Portland!

Oh, boys.

Then off to Cougartown!

(Jimmer was there! Poor guy, the only thing he has to do lately is go to every single BYU game and hang around Target in Provo.)

We sat behind the hippest woman of all time. Sadly, this was the only 10-second dance party I could capture (and it was a rather mild one).

Look who's in my house.

2011-10-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

There's something so fun about when your husband gets excited about a costume for like 5 years, finally caves and orders it online, and when it arrives, he immediately puts it on, and turns on the song "You're the Best Around" (at full volume) while attempting karate moves. I love this boy (he's a man, but "boy" seemed more appropriate here.).

Wax on, wax off.

Virgin Islands

2011-10-06T18:14:00.000-07:00

Taylor's parents do an incredible job planning vacations. Example: Taylor's mom coordinated a two-week excursion to Russia, Ukraine, and Paris, involving Russian and Ukrainian airlines and Russian visas, and somehow there was not one canceled flight, lost bag, bogus hotel, or scary moment (except when we got lost in Kiev looking for the Kiev temple - but that was Taylor's fault).

Onto the Virgin Islands.

We went right at the tail end of hurricane season, so it was dead. Here is the #1 beach in St. Thomas - Magen's Bay:

We were the only people on the beach the entire time (except for our favorite lifeguard and part-time masseuse, Jessi.).

If you're looking for swimsuit shots, you're not going to get any. It's not that kind of blog.

We chartered a catamaran to St. John, where we spent the day snorkeling with sea turtles and mantarays here:

We're glad the Turners claimed us - living in Seattle, we don't have a lot of tropical beach fashions.

If this store was open, maybe we would have looked the part.

The Virgin Islands are part of the United States, but you drive on the left side of the road (which provided a few entertaining moments).

There are iguanas everywhere, and they loved hanging out with us on the beach.
This one loved Uncle Amos the most.

We tried out the paddle-boards the last day.

And enjoyed the final sunset from our porch.

Heaven!

Thanks, Turners!

Back to real life.

2011-09-21T14:32:00.000-07:00

The Turner family gathered in the US Virgin Islands last week.

It was awesome.

More to come.

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-06T22:04:00.000-07:00

We got nosebleed tickets to the Seahawks game on Friday.
Nosebleed seats = an amazing view of the sunset over the bay and Olympic Mountains.

We've been "storing" our friends' piano for the past 6 months while they were living in Portland for a rotation. It was nerve-wracking to watch four guys haul the piano down our front steps. Thanks for the free piano, Baumans!

Mt. Baker

Taylor is 4 for 4 on picking awesome hikes. This weekend we hit the Central Cascades, near Mt. Baker, up to Lake Blanca.

Incredible! It literally GLOWS.

Oldroyd Girls

2011-08-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

The crew at Snoqualmie Falls.

For Grandma Mimi's 80th birthday, Mom gave her an "Oldroyd girls trip" to the Northwest. Mom, Liz, and Mimi came up two weeks ago for the weekend, and Taylor became an honorary Oldroyd woman.

Mom took us all on the Victoria Clipper from Seattle to Victoria, British Columbia.

I grew up idolizing this place - I had never been, but had seen countless pictures from all of my mom's and grandparents' visits to Butchart Gardens. It lived up to every expectation (even Taylor thought it was awesome). I bought a few packets of seeds - after touring the Gardens, you leave convinced that it can't be all that hard...

I loved catching up with Mimi, and hearing stories about Papa, their early years, and all about Great-Grandma Oldroyd. We stayed up late playing card games, ate some delicious meals around town, explored Seattle and Bellevue, and just had FUN.

Thanks for the trip... Dad.

Another great weekend.

2011-08-22T22:19:00.001-07:00

Running a little behind (this was two weeks ago). Oh well. August 13th was my 10-year high school reunion. I had no desire to go - is that weird? Instead of a trip to Utah, we took a day trip to the Olympic Peninsula.

Kolaloch Beach

Olympic National Forest

Did you know Washington has its own rainforest?

We hiked up to the old Quinault Cedar tree, and ran into some Russians. I made Taylor talk to them in Russian, so he asked if they would take our picture (in Russian). "No problem!" (said in a heavy Russian accent)

The best part of the trip?

That's right - a four-leaf clover in the middle of the rainforest.

best. saturday. EVER.

2011-08-09T20:28:00.000-07:00

We're trying to take advantage of the gorgeous summer weather while it lasts. Last weekend we camped; this weekend we did some trail running and picked some fresh raspberries.

It could have been a disaster.

2011-07-31T15:48:00.001-07:00

We went camping Friday night. Our first time with our own gear, just the two of us. We read about a campsite in Mt. Rainier National Park, packed the car the night before, and left straight from work on Friday afternoon.

We lugged our gear for two miles along the snow-free trail to Eagle's Roost. We had no idea we were that close to Mt. Rainier! We got there just in time for sunset.

We woke up early the next morning to Spray Falls (INCREDIBLE).

We then wandered up the mountain for another couple of hours until we were hiking in snow, and pretty darn close to the mountain.

Tay packed the night before, I packed the morning of, and somehow we both packed the same pajama shirt. Classic.

Camping with the person you love is awesome. No phones, no watches, no agenda. Heaven!

Mom to the rescue.

2011-07-26T21:43:00.000-07:00

My mom came up this weekend to help me out - one of those crazy things where one day we're on the phone, the next day she's sitting on my couch. We spent the weekend watching movies, drinking Diet Coke, playing all kinds of new games, and eating lots and lots of treats (her first trip to Trader Joe's!).

She lucked out with 80 degree weather - not a cloud in the sky!

Love you, Mom.

NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND

2011-07-11T15:26:00.000-07:00

Taylor and I jumped at the chance to visit Crismon and Lauren in Rhode Island. Molly Kate came down from New York, and the sibling circle was complete. Hooray for Skymiles and siblings who let you sleep on their air mattress - free trip!

I didn't take my camera, but I took my phone:

Waiting for "Water Fire" in Providence.

"Water Fire" - bonfires in the middle of the river that goes through Providence, RI.

Reject's Beach - next to Bailey's Beach, one of the most exclusive beaches in the United States (you have to be Vanderbilt, Astor, or Carnegie to get in)

Where the richest of the rich built their summer cottages on the Atlantic Ocean back in the Gilded Age.

Anyone have $17 million? It's for sale...

Homemade Magnolia Bakery banana pudding. We ate the whole bowl in less than 24 hours.

Molly Kate. We ate our fair share of ice cream on this trip.

Second Beach.

A wonderful trip - runs along the Cliff Walk, days at the beach, nights hanging out eating treats, playing games, and exploring Rhode Island. Heaven!

Newport sunset

2011-07-11T15:04:00.000-07:00

We spent the 4th of July in Newport, Rhode Island with Crismon, Lauren, and Molly (all of the Turner siblings together!). We got some pizzas, and had a picnic by the harbor, and waited for it to get dark enough for fireworks.

We were in for a treat.

All of these pictures are straight from our 10-year old Canon Elph. No editing whatsoever.

...and from the iPhone:

Birthday Boy.

2011-06-29T06:25:00.000-07:00

I did a little project inspired by Jordan Ferney to celebrate Taylor's 30th birthday (today!). Some of you participated, so this may help you better understand what you were doing!

I sent out several pieces of a puzzle for Taylor to put together. Each piece was sent to a family member or friend, who wrote a birthday message for Taylor on the back. Taylor then got a massive amount of green envelopes filled with notes from dear friends, and started putting the puzzle together:

Some of our favorites:

The amazing Bryan Drury. He probably drew that in 3 minutes.

Just a few more to go!

thirty.

2011-06-29T05:38:00.000-07:00

JEM

2011-06-26T23:10:00.000-07:00

In case anyone was wondering, Jem is back on TV.

Our friends recently moved into their new house, and invited us over for dinner + an episode of Jem. Taylor had never seen Jem. I think he's hooked, especially with the inspirational moral lesson taught at the conclusion of the episode:

June 20th

2011-06-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

On June 20th, at 7:30am, I found this:

At 5:45pm, Taylor kicked me out of the kitchen to do this:

Which resulted in this:

When there's only two of you, you kind of have to help out with your birthday song.

Best birthday ever. Taylor outdoes himself every year.

Recipe here.

M + J come to visit.

2011-06-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

Taylor's parents came to visit this past weekend. We explored the city, saw the incredible Kids Design Glass at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, took a day trip to Bellingham, and ate lots and lots of delicious goodies. It was so much fun to have Judd here on Father's Day!

The only time I took pictures was during our day trip to Bellingham. We got there via Chuckanut Drive, which goes along the coast with fantastic views of the San Juan Islands. My favorite stop was Clayton Beach - you have to hike down to it through a lush forest covered in moss and ferns (we thought we'd see little gnomes pop out around each corner). There we found dozens and dozens of pink and purple starfish, anemones, and giant crabs the size of a dinner plate (yum!).

This boy was in heaven.

Thanks for a wonderful weekend, Mary and Judd! You can come up and sleep on our air mattress anytime.

June Catch-up: Part I

2011-06-19T20:06:00.000-07:00

The first weekend in June was the big 39er reunion.
Last year was Yosemite. This year: SEATTLE!

Yep, 13 people in our little house! Three words: Costco and air mattresses.

We so busy having fun, we didn't take one picture. We relied on Tyler + Becca to be our photojournalists (click to link to their blog and get a full report of all the fun):

Taylor catching some rays with the women.

Taylor takes his grilling very seriously.

The chocolate-coated Twinkie we couldn't resist at the candy shop in Anacortes.

The full 39er crowd.

We were so sad to see everyone leave - they really are family to us. Next year... Wisconsin?

HOW DO YOU DO IT?

2011-05-28T13:44:00.000-07:00

My darling friend Maren Kinnersley Layton asked me to answer the question "How do you do it?" on her fantastic blog This Mare Eats Oats.

I just love Maren. We've been friends for years and years, ever since we were growing up in the Mt. Olympus 4th ward (that, sadly, no longer exists). I wanted to be like her so much, I tried running for her office at Skyline High. She now lives in California with her husband Ryan and daughter Leah.

Maren is incredible. Leah has Rett Syndrome - if you don't know what Rett Syndrome is, look it up, and you'll understand why Maren literally is SuperWoman. The challenges associated with Rett Syndrome are heartbreaking. Reading Maren's blog takes you through the highs and lows of the Laytons' life, and somehow (whether a high or a low), you always leave inspired and uplifted. For more inspiration, see her second blog Dear Little Leah.

Last year Maren asked the question "How do you do it?" to people in her life that had or were currently facing challenges and struggles in their lives. Their answers were incredible, and so moving. It was such a success that she did it again this year, and asked 9 new people to answer the same question, and has posted their responses throughout this past month.

I don't like writing about challenges on this blog, but that doesn't mean our life is all rainbows and hopscotch. I guess I just don't have the courage to talk about the hard stuff. Maybe that will change as I grow and mature more, but for now, I hope you'll forgive me for not putting it all out there. I hope what I had to say will be a little bit helpful to someone.

Anyway, take a peek at what I had to say here.

80.

2011-05-25T08:18:00.000-07:00

I know she checks this blog every day, so I want to say
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MIMI!

80 years - that's a lot of mornings making hot chocolate and toast!

I don't think it's possible for anyone to love their grandchildren more than you do. I think you went to every single concert I ever played in Utah. You even drove up to Rexburg a couple of times to hear me perform. I have so many memories making cookies and countless cups of hot cocoa in the old kitchen, sleeping over and giggling all night in the basement, spending hours on the water slide in the backyard, picking raspberries, making homemade jam, learning synchronized swimming moves, and almost always leaving your house with a kiss on the cheek (sometimes we'd try to see if we could escape without one).

You are so sensitive, and have such an incredible love and concern for every member of the family. You're always praising people, especially when they're not around. You're fearless - take countless trips to the Ranch while the boys shoot guns, let Papa ride his Harley, and you've walk around entire lakes in Brazil - you do it all!

Love you, Mimi!

Maaaaaam + Popsicle

2011-05-24T10:08:00.000-07:00

My parents came to visit about two weeks ago - heaven! Every time an Oldroyd visits we get lots and lots of sunshine in Seattle (they'll have to visit more often).

We spent a lot of time in the city, hit the Cheese Festival in Pike Place, went to the Seattle Temple, ate lots of delicious BBQ, ate fresh seafood in a fishing village, and explored some of the nearby islands.

Deception Pass/Whidbey Island:

We totally took that bridge and hung out on that beach behind us. Beautiful!

I love warning signs - it can be deadly.

Port Townsend:

I think the highlight for Dad was Uwajimaya, where we spent over $80 on Asian snacks and ramen. The lady at the cash register thought my Dad was awesome - "You buy lots of snacks! You hungry!"

Pot-sticker-flavored chips, prawn crackers (that had eyes!), jelly straws (straws full of Jell-O), canned rambutan (in honor of Elder Oldroyd)... if it was weird, we probably bought it.

There's an entire aisle of ramen, so Dad had each of us pick one for a taste contest on Sunday.

Dad reaching for more prawn crackers.

Dad won with this gem:

We didn't know what that white sauce was, but it was delicious!

We also tagged along with my mom on her last long training run for the Ogden Marathon. We were loving the flowers and blossoms in the Arboretum!

Thanks, Mom and Dad. As Elder Oldroyd would say, you are the bomb.com.

It's SPRING in Seattle

2011-05-16T18:14:00.000-07:00

I just dropped off my parents at the airport. We had a fantastic weekend:

We spent nearly $100 on Asian snacks, ate way too many Top Pot doughnuts and Le Panier macarons, put over 300 miles on our new car, ate delicious fresh seafood (except for Taylor), and saw nearly every inch of Seattle.

Windermere Cup

2011-05-09T16:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday was the 25th Annual Windermere Cup. We rode our bikes down the trail to the Montlake Cut, a canal of water between Lake Washington and Portage Bay. We cross over the cut every day to get to our house.

This is looking West off of the Montlake Bridge. Lake Washington is behind you, and Portage Bay is in front of you - home of the Seattle Yacht Club. If you keep going through Portage Bay, you'll end up in Lake Union, home to Sam Baldwin in Sleepless in Seattle.

We beat the crowd, and found a sweet spot near the finish line, with our legs dangling over the water.

It was here that we decided we would never own a dog. I don't care how cute your dog is - we don't want it breathing in our faces, wagging its tail against our backs and heads for over an hour.

Different age groups, schools, and neighborhoods competed until the culminating race (the actual Windermere Cup). The competing teams:

University of Washington
Cambridge
Stanford
Oklahoma (who knew Oklahoma had a a rowing team?)

UW won!

I guess UW has a stellar rowing program - they've been National champions for several years (every UW team won). Go Huskies!

Ode to Mom(s)

2011-05-07T08:24:00.000-07:00

I've decided lately that the Lord places people perfectly.

I'm amazed at how the trials I have faced, and am facing, line up perfectly with those of the two most wonderful women in my life. More on that another time, but for now...

Mom, I love you.
I love that you still do cartwheels.
I love that you will probably run until you have to have a leg amputated (and then you'll get a prosthetic leg and run 60 more marathons).
I love that no matter how many times I've bawled on the phone with you, by the end of every conversation you have me laughing.
I love that you completely get me (because I'm just like Dad).
I love watching you with Dad, and hope to have a relationship like yours in 30 years.

Mary, I love you.
I love hearing you whistle (and sing songs about gingerbread).
I love that you know exactly when to call and check in on me.
I love that nearly all of our conversations eventually turn to our mutual love for DesignMom, chocolate, and Trader Joe's.
I love you for raising the most perfect, Christlike person I have ever known (and letting me steal him).
I love your selfless nature. I don't think you've ever put yourself first - you're always worried about someone.

I am blessed.

Happy Mothers Day!

"We're just minimalists!"

2011-05-06T18:12:00.000-07:00

Last night I was browsing through some of my favorite blogs, when I came across one belonging to some old friends of ours. She had just finished decorating their bedroom, and was showing the results.

The room was perfect - beautiful rug, gorgeous bedside tables, a fantastic tufted headboard that was custom made, original artwork on the walls, draperies and pillows made from specialty fabric you can only get through a designer - something I would expect to see in House Beautiful (who knows, it very well might be!).

Taylor glanced over at the screen, and offered the token man comment:
"What is the purpose behind all of those pillows?"

We were mesmerized. It's like a real bedroom. We kept scrolling through the pictures and description, and finally I said, "Okay, let's compare this to our bedroom."

We both burst out laughing. And we couldn't stop - really - we were laughing so hard!

Here's our bedroom (click to enlarge):

- Blank walls (except for one wall that contains a spectacular quilt made by my mother-in-law that merits its own post)

- IKEA shades on the windows

- IKEA floor lamp

- An 8-drawer IKEA dresser with an alarm clock, iPod speakers, and a picture I haven't yet hung anywhere

- An old nightstand we found in the basement of this house that actually doesn't get used

- Bedding we've had since Day 1 of our marriage

After we finally calmed down, Taylor said, "Tal, we're just minimalists!"

Maybe we are just minimalists - or maybe we're holding out until we own a home, or maybe I'm too indecisive to make a decorating decision,

or maybe we're just cheap.

FLEET FOXES

2011-05-04T21:27:00.000-07:00

Last night we saw the Fleet Foxes at the Moore Theatre before they take off on tour.

They were amazing!

I love, love, love their sound - it's so different. It was incredible to hear them harmonize perfectly in tune live.

If you haven't heard the Fleet Foxes, check them out - we're hooked. Their new album came out yesterday.

Taylor still fantasizes about growing a beard and joining the band. I better start buying him some homeless-looking clothes.

FICTIONIST.

2011-04-28T22:30:00.000-07:00

Fictionist made it to the final 4!

If you haven't given them a 5-star rating or "liked" them on Facebook, get to it.

Stu + Jacob were Tay's roommates at the Y when we started dating. They have incredible talent, and are fantastic live performers. Show them some love to get them on the cover of Rolling Stone.

BAKING.

2011-04-27T20:35:00.000-07:00

Two recipes I have to share, because we're obsessed.

ARTISAN BREAD

My friend Lorri told me about Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day over a year ago, and I have been dying to try the recipes ever since. I finally got my copy from the Seattle Public Library. I love checking out cookbooks from the library - they're free, and I just write down the recipes I love.

This book is FANTASTIC.

You make a tub full of the most basic bread dough (only 4 ingredients: water+yeast+flour+salt), let it rise, refrigerate, and whenever you want to make a fancy, crusty loaf of bread, you cut out a chunk about the size of a grapefruit, shape it, let it rest 20 minutes, and then bake for 20-30 minutes.

Bonus: the dough lasts up to 2 weeks.

We've gone through 2 5-gallon-tub-fulls of dough in the past 3 weeks, and haven't had a loaf fail yet. We've made baguettes, ciabatta, baci rolls... crusty exterior, chewy interior... delicious! Give it a try - super easy, and who doesn't love fresh bread?

PALMIERS - "ELEPHANT EARS"

Last night we made Ina Garten's Palmiers/"Elephant Ears" out of some extra puff pastry.

EASIEST RECIPE EVER.

Here's the cinnamon version. We did just sugar, and they were delicious.

They'll look like this before you bake them:

And then:

Aren't they cute? I may have to make these for Valentines next year. I think they look more like hearts than ears.

Wenatchee + Leavenworth

2011-04-20T20:23:00.001-07:00

Left: Random Indian sign on Wenatchee Avenue that Taylor loved.
Right: The Bavarian beauty that is Leavenworth.

We ran the Wenatchee Half Marathon last Saturday. Yes, I downgraded. That's what happens when you're not able to train properly. Of course, I was convinced that I could force myself to run the full marathon up until the day before, when Taylor stepped in and made me switch. Thank heavens for Taylor - I think he wants to keep me around for a few more years.

When I switched, they gave me lucky #13. Not a good sign. I felt horrible, but it was a beautiful course along the river, and sunshine the entire time... and I had a cute boy next to me saying things like, "Wow, we're doing great!" Seeing the marathon mile markers (the course is two loops around the river) made me grateful I didn't force myself to run it.

On our way back to Seattle we stopped in Leavenworth - a place I've wanted to see for a long time. A person in our ward described Leavenworth as "Midway on crack," so we knew it had to be great. We were in heaven with some fresh bratwurst + Bavarian pretzels + fresh fudge.

We'll have to go back when the Nutcracker museum is open.
Taylor was really disappointed.

While we're on the topic of marathons, a shout-out to my Mom & Molly Kate.

Mom ran either her fourth or fifth Boston Marathon.

Molly Kate ran her first Boston Marathon, and still holds the Turner marathon record.

Not human.

Hooray for Blackberries and iPhones that make you feel like you're there with them!

Tay

2011-04-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

Molly sent me some pictures yesterday, and I melted when I saw this one of little Taylor. I love those chubby knees!

MARCH

2011-03-29T14:41:00.001-07:00

I'm ready for March to be over. Definitely the month of the "lamb and the lion" for me - high highs, and low lows (I'll use that as my excuse for the lack of bloggage).

So here's a look at the highs of March for T + T:

We discovered the neighborhood of Medina, where we'll hopefully buy our first house.

It'd be nice to finally be able to park our yacht in our backyard.

One of the houses had a float plane parked next to their garage. Nice people.

Pi Day at High 5 Pie with Robin + Christian.

Note: If you're advertising Pi Day at your pie shop, make sure you have enough pies.

Just a thought.

Pike Place has a nice roof of daffodils, and would you look at that weather?

We found our favorite sign in Pike Place Market.

My sister Liz came and stayed with us for a week. Good times.

I baked my first successful loaf of white bread - thank you, America's Test Kitchen.

This is in our backyard right now: 15 feet of fantastic blossoms.

And... I started a new job at the Seattle Symphony, working in their offices at Benaroya Hall, one block from Mr. Turner.

We ride the bus home together - it's pretty romantic.

Boredom Box

2011-03-28T15:11:00.000-07:00

This came in the mail on Saturday from Mary + Molly (my mother-in-law and sister-in-law).

Perfectly timed.

HEY.

2011-03-24T20:45:00.000-07:00

Space Needle (Saturday morning)

WE'RE HERE.

We've just been playing in the SUNSHINE and spent the past week with our latest houseguest, dear Liz-a-boo.

If the weather was always like this in Seattle, you would all move here.

Really, you would. You should see this place.

Links galore.

2011-03-04T08:41:00.000-08:00

Things I'm loving lately:

The latest Milly collection. And Kate Spade collection.

Why can't they make the dresses and skirts just a little bit longer?

I love this site: What Would Emma Pillsbury Wear?

This video made Taylor and I laugh so hard. Gotta love Tom Hanks:

"You look just like a Bratz doll!"

I really, really want Olivia Palermo's wardrobe.

Saw this picture on Design Mom. Max Wanger's site is awesome.

Have you seen this Pirate bedroom?

Yeah, that child will grow up to be normal. Or maybe it's that grown man's room?

See more of the room here.

If I had a million dollars, I would buy this, this, this, and this from Jonahan Adler.

It costs the same to rent this amazing house (below) in Normandy as it does to rent our yellow house in Seattle (and it's cheaper than our shoe box in Manhattan). Maybe we should move to France? More about this house here. Check out all her tours of this house - it's an incredible place.

We're making Beecher's famous Macaroni and Cheese for dinner on Sunday. I've been craving it ever since Molly and I tried it at Pike Place a month ago. Recipe here.

Wrong Number

2011-02-28T16:26:00.001-08:00

I get a lot of calls for some random woman - we'll call her Sarah. The calls are usually from adult men from Nevada.

Today, I started thinking about how many calls I get for her, so I thought I'd try Googling her name and my phone number.

Bad idea.

"Sarah" is a shemale & adult escort working in Las Vegas.

My brother-and-sister-in-law looked him/her up, I went to the same link, and it's definitely a man. To think about all the men who have called me over the past 3 years expecting to talk to Sarah... kind of disgusting.

Never-mind that my phone number is posted all over the internet attached to this fabulous individual.

Thanks, AT&T. And Nevada, oh how I miss you so...

HOME STRETCH.

2011-02-28T06:44:00.000-08:00

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22nd

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BROCCOLI AND LEEK BISQUE + STRAWBERRIES + FLATBREAD

BROCCOLI AND LEEK BISQUE

Recipe from Always in Season Jr. League of Salt Lake Cookbook, p.176

This soup was very easy, and very delicious. It tasted even better the next day. I used frozen broccoli (cheap!), and pureed the soup in the blender before serving.

1 c. sliced leeks (be sure to wash them in water to get all the sand out)

1 c. sliced mushrooms (we omitted this ingredient)

3 T. butter

3 T. flour

3 c. chicken broth

1 c. broccoli florets

1 c. light cream

1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Saute the leeks and mushrooms in the butter in a saucepan until tender. Stir in the flour, and cook until bubbly. Add the chicken broth. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly.

Add the broccoli. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the broccoli is tender. Stir in the cream. Add the cheese, stirring until melted, or sprinkle the cheese over individual servings.

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23rd

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MEATBALL CALZONES + SALAD + STRAWBERRIES

MEATBALL CALZONES

- Your favorite pizza dough recipe

- Ikea meatballs (cooked in oven at 450 for 15 minutes)

- Marinara sauce

- Fresh parsley (optional)

- Mozzarella + Parmesan cheese

- Egg wash (1 egg + 1 T. water, beat well)

Divide pizza dough into balls about the size of softballs. Roll out about 1/4" thick in a nice oval shape. Arrange meatballs, sauce, cheese, parsley on one half of the oval. Brush egg wash over edges and fold over dough to form a nice half-circle. Crimp edges with a fork, and brush calzone with egg wash. Cut 3 large vents on top of calzone.

Bake on pizza stone at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown. They'll leak all over the place, so I suggest putting parchment paper between the calzone and your pizza stone.

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24th

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CHICKEN + CREAMED SPINACH + ROASTED CARROTS

Baked some chicken in the oven with a little thyme and seasonings.

Roasted carrots a la Ina Garten, as seen in the February 14th post.

CREAMED SPINACH

Kind of made this one up, but it turned out pretty yummy!

WHITE SAUCE

3 T. butter

4 T. flour

1/2 t. salt

1 c. milk

Melt butter, whisk in flour + salt, and cook 2-3 minutes. Add milk gradually, stirring until smooth and thick.

SPINACH

2 T. butter

1 shallot, minced

1 bag frozen spinach (thawed + squeezed dry)

2 c. fresh spinach, roughly chopped

1/2 t. pepper

1/4 c. Parmesan

Saute shallot in the butter in a large skillet. Add the spinach, and cook until moisture evaporates. If it looks too dry, add a splash or two of water. Season with pepper. Add white sauce and Parmesan cheese to spinach, and stir until combined. We added a little mozzarella, too.

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25th

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SALT LAKE TORTELLINI SALAD + FRESH FRUIT

Recipe from the Favorites cookbook, p. 98

This is my new favorite pasta salad.

8 oz. cheese-filled tortellini, cooked + drained

1 c. broccoli florets (I use frozen, it works just fine)

4 oz. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

1 (13.75 oz) can quartered artichoke hearts

1 (6 oz) can black olives, drained + halved

1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans, rinsed + drained

1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed + drained

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 lb. sliced dry salami, cut into thin strips

1 (16 oz) bottle Bernstein's Cheese Garlic dressing (we use maybe a third of the bottle, which is plenty!)

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 avocado, sliced

Combine all ingredients in large bowl EXCEPT for the tomatoes and avocado. Refrigerate for several hours. Just before serving, stir in more dressing, and top with tomatoes and avocado.

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26th

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CHALLAH + INA'S CHALLAH FRENCH TOAST + CARAMELIZED BROWN BUTTER RICE KRISPIES

It was a very healthy day, obviously low-carb.

CHALLAH

Recipe from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.

This recipe is awesome. Be careful not to put too much egg wash on top, it will make the loaf burn. Keep your eye on it! Next time I might bake it a little lower in the oven.

INA'S CHALLAH FRENCH TOAST

French Toast recipe from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook or here.

I made the challah Friday afternoon, and Taylor surprised me and made the French toast all by himself that morning. I love this recipe - it is delicious! It has a little bit of orange zest in it. Challah bread makes all the difference (I just love saying "challah!").

CARAMELIZED BROWN BUTTER RICE KRISPIES

Recipe from The Essential New York Times Cookbook, on NYTimes website here.

Recipe also seen on Smitten Kitchen here.

We drove to Poulsbo for an indoor BBQ with my cousin Stephanie and her family, and brought these for dessert.

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27th

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SWEET POTATO POT PIES

Recipe from 101cookbooks.com here.

We have these a lot. They're delicious, and really easy!

Note: turning off oven and leaving pot pies inside while running to the Church to pick up your husband will result in slightly burnt puff pastry.

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28th
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HOMEMADE TORTILLA QUESADILLAS + BLACK BEAN SALSA
Homemade tortilla recipe via Gourmet Magazine here. We probably won't use lard, though. Sorry - I hear shortening is a great substitute.
Black Bean Salsa recipe from Favorites cookbook, p.145

Cumin is the secret to a great black bean salsa!

1 can black beans, drained + rinsed
8 oz. frozen corn
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro (we always omit this - can't stand cilantro)
2 T. chopped green onions
2 T. chopped red onions
1/4 c. fresh lime juice
2 T. vegetable oil
1 1/2 t. cumin
1/4 c. chopped ripe tomatoes, drained
salt + pepper

Build your awesome quesadilla (we use plain old cheddar), throw some shredded lettuce on top, a mound of black bean salsa, and some fresh avocado. Yum!

THE END!

READY.

2011-02-25T06:16:00.000-08:00

I think I'm ready for Spring.

On my morning run I noticed blossoms starting to pop out around the neighborhood. While walking back into the house, I took a look around our backyard and found all kinds of blossoms ready for Spring.

I feel like I've been stuck in a "winter funk" for the past three years as we've been moving around the country. It's been really hard for me to adjust with each move - to meet new people, figure out where I fit in, and find meaningful work that has something to do with the degrees I slaved so hard to earn. Opportunities have not come easily. Throughout the three years of not being heavily involved in teaching or performing, I built up a wall of self-doubt and insecurity. Now that we're stable, it's time to break through it, and the thought of doing that completely stresses me out.

When I saw these blossoms dusted with snow, nearly frozen, but ready to come out, I thought that that is just like my life right now. I know, totally cheesy, but it really struck me.

So here's to breaking out of the "winter funk" - anyone with me?

CHEF TAYLOR

2011-02-24T10:59:00.000-08:00

A couple of nights ago, I walked into the kitchen to see this:

Taylor's version of a double-boiler.

"What? I want some melted chocolate on top of my souffle!"

I think he has watched a few too many episodes of Chopped and Top Chef.

Me? I broke off a chunk of dark chocolate, slapped it on top of the souffle, and microwaved it.

MORE DELICIOUSNESS.

2011-02-21T17:21:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was quite the combination of highs and lows. That's all I'm going to say.
I strayed from the plan a little, but hey, that's life.

And you know what?
Life is good.

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FEBRUARY 16th
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LEFTOVER NIGHT

We had eaten all of our leftovers (okay, I ate all the leftovers for breakfast + lunch), so we made breakfast sandwiches. Yum!

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FEBRUARY 17th
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CHICKEN + WHEATBERRY SALAD
Supposed to be coconut crepes, but it seemed too dessert-ish to me that day.
Recipe from Cooking Light here.

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FEBRUARY 18th
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HOMEMADE GYROS + TZATZIKI
Our friends invited us out for Gyros at Fourno's, which was delicious! We were going to make our favorite homemade gyros the following week, so here's the recipe:

LAMB MARINADE
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. balsalmic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 t. marjoram (I've left this out before, and it works just fine)
1/8 t. thyme
1/8 t. rosemary
1/8 t. oregano

I buy boneless pieces of leg of lamb at the grocery store - really inexpensive (around $2.99 for one pound), and it's already cut into small pieces, so the meat cooks very quickly. Marinate the lamb for 1-2 hrs, then roast in oven at 400 degrees (basting occasionally) until cooked all the way through. Slice into smaller pieces.

TZATZIKI
1 c. plain yogurt (we used Greek yogurt - ha ha)
1/2 cucumber, peeled + seeded + shredded
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Find some awesome flatbread, and add lamb + thinly sliced red onion + feta cheese + lettuce + roasted tomatoes + your fabulous homemade tzatziki. Heaven.

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FEBRUARY 19th
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CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA + FLATBREAD + MANGO LASSI

I'm just realizing that we had a lot of meat this week. Whoops. Oh well.
We used Trader Joe's Masala sauce ($2.99), some chicken, and whipped up some Trader Joe's couscous ($1.99 for a box that will last you for months). Let chicken cook in the masala sauce, serve over couscous, heat up some flatbread, and you have a meal.

MANGO LASSI

1/2 c. of greek yogurt + frozen mango + agave nectar (to taste)

OR you can get some of this juice:
We're addicted. It is amazing. It's on sale, too (at least in Seattle)!

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FEBRUARY 20th
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BUTTERNUT SQUASH PASTA + BROWN BUTTER + FRIED SAGE
Recipe from Martha Stewart Everyday Food here.

Note: do not use a wooden spoon when pureeing squash in blender. Not that I tried to or anything.

BROWN BUTTER + FRIED SAGE
Heat up a skillet over medium to high heat. Add butter and sage leaves. Swirl until the starts to bubble and get a nutty scent. As soon as it starts to darken, remove from heat. Flip over sage leaves as necessary, and remove once they have darkened.

Drizzle brown butter + sage over pasta.

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FEBRUARY 21st
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OUT TO EAT + CHOCOLATE SOUFFLES

We cross-country skied around Mt. Catherine today. An entire mountain! If only we had known going into it that the loop was more than 10 miles long, 75% uphill, and ended going down an entire ski run - maybe we wouldn't have left our water + snacks in the car. Don't ever try to ski down a regular ski run in cross country skis. It just doesn't work. About halfway through we were starving, and stuck on the other side of a mountain in the middle of a blizzard. The only thing that kept us moving was the promise of Mexican food and homemade chocolate souffles (another Oldroyd classic).

Here's the chocolate souffle recipe from this picture.

1 T. sugar
1/2 c. Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. butter, softened
1 c. milk
1 t. vanilla
2 T. sugar
1/2 c. sugar
4 eggs, separated

Preheat to 350 degrees. Butter 6-cup souffle dish (or individual ramekins), and coat with 1 T. sugar.
Combine cocoa + flour in medium bowl. Add butter, blend well.
Scald milk in medium saucepan. Reduce heat, add cocoa mixture, beating with whisk until smooth & thick. Remove from heat, stir in 1/2 c. sugar and vanilla. Let cool.
Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each. Cool to room temperature.
Beat egg whites in large bowl until foamy. Gradually add remaining 2 T. sugar and beat until stiff. Stir small amount of whites into chocolate mixture, then carefully fold chocolate mixture into remaining whites.

Pour into prepared dish(es). Bake 6-cup souffle dish for 40-45 minutes, until fluffed (individual ramekins will be around 30 minutes or less).

Serve immediately with fresh raspberries and whipped cream.

I HEART CREME BRULEE

2011-02-15T18:29:00.000-08:00

Anyone see Jimmy Fallon last night? Fictionist is up for an amazing Rolling Stone competition, and you all need to check them out and cast your vote here.

We spent our Valentine evening cooking, watching Toy Story 3, and eating homemade creme brulee (and I can't for the life of me figure out how to add in all the fancy accents, so just pretend they're in there). O ur tradition for Valentine's Day is to make a new recipe together. It's cheaper than eating out, you don't have to pay a tip, and you don't have to find anywhere to park!

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VALENTINE'S DAY
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SIRLOIN STEAK + SCALLOPED POTATOES + STRAWBERRIES + CRÈME BRÛLÉE

Grandpa T gave us Omaha Steaks for Christmas - brilliant idea. We just oiled up a grill pan, seasoned them with salt + pepper, grilled away, and ate them plain, no sauce necessary.

SCALLOPED POTATOES
Recipe from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, p.142 (a must have)
Soooooooooooo delicious. We have a huge bush of thyme next to our back porch, and I can't believe how delicious thyme makes everything.

2 T. unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped fine
1 T. minced fresh thyme*
2 garlic cloves, minced*
1 1/4 t. salt*
1/4 t. pepper*
5 medium russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8" thick (use a mandoline if you have one!)
1 c. low-sodium chicken broth (we ran out, so I just used water!)
1 c. heavy cream
2 bay leaves
4 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
We added 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Melt butter in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, cook until soft. Stir in * ingredients, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the potatoes, broth, cream, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are almost tender (about 10 minutes).

Discard bay leaves. Transfer potatoes to an 8-inch square baking dish. Gently press potatoes into even layer, and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake until golden and bubbling, about 15-20 minutes.

CRÈME BRÛLÉE
Recipe from The Essential New York Times Cook Book. Recipe online here.

Taylor was in charge of picking a dessert, and he picked creme brulee! The recipe is really easy, and we just used our oven's broiler to get the sugar shell on top. I was expecting the recipe to not work out, because we accidentally turned off the oven mid-way through the cooking time, so they ended up taking 2 hrs. to cook! We quartered the recipe, so we ended up with only 3, and boy, that was a mistake. Not nearly enough!

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TUESDAY
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BLACK BEAN BBQ PIZZA

Easy recipe, especially for a day when you don't want to put in a lot of effort... which is every day, I guess.

Leftover frozen pizza dough
BBQ sauce
Can of black beans, rinsed and drained, dry
Can of diced tomatoes, rinsed, drained, dry
1 c. frozen corn, thawed
1/4 c. red onion, thinly sliced (I used a shallot, it's what we had)
Fresh cilantro (if you like it - we hate it!)
Cheese of your choice (we did some pepperjack, cheddar, and parmesan)

Other good toppings: fresh tomatoes, jicama, roasted red peppers, chicken...

Heat pizza stone in oven at 425 degrees. Roll out pizza dough onto parchment paper. Assemble pizza. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden and bubbly. Shred some lettuce to put on top, with a drizzle of ranch dressing and maybe a little lime juice.

WEEKEND

2011-02-14T10:00:00.000-08:00

The souffle worked! Why had I never made that recipe before? It was delicious, and so easy.

Here's the action shot Taylor took. It didn't come out picture-perfect on top, but the flavor was amazing!

For your enjoyment: the first time I made a souffle (I think this is 2001):

Oh, to be 18 again. I look like I'm ready to put my whole face into it. I really do get that excited about food, it's kind of sad.

Remember Snelgrove ice cream? Those were the days...

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FRIDAY

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I strayed from the plan.

A friend needed a meal, and I didn't want to subject her to squash + quinoa.

TORTELLINI SOUP + HOMEMADE FOCCACIA

TORTELLINI SOUP

from the Favorites Cookbook

1 lb. mild Italian sausage

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup water*

2 (13.5 oz) cans beef broth* (we used vegetable bouillon, worked great)

1/2 c. white wine or apple juice* (we had neither, so I just skipped this)

3 carrots*, sliced

1 (28 oz) can, crushed tomatoes*

1 t. dried basil*

1 t. dried oregano*

1 c. sliced zucchini*

4 T. fresh parsley, chopped*

8 oz. cheese tortellini (I bought a huge bag of tortellini at Costco for like $5 in December).

Brown sausage, drain fat, return to pot. Add chopped onion + garlic, cook until tender.

Add * ingredients. Simmer for 30 minutes (or longer). Add tortellini 5-10 minutes before serving and cook until tender, but not soggy (ours took forever to cook). Garnish with Parmesan cheese.

HOMEMADE FOCCACIA

From the Always in Season Jr. League of SLC cookbook (probably my favorite cookbook).

This recipe uses a pizza dough recipe with some modifications. It was very fast! The dough only needs to sit for 10 minutes, and you can pop it in the oven!

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

4 to 4 1/2 c. flour (divided)

2 envelopes fast-rising dry yeast

1 t. sugar

2 t. salt

1 1/2 T. olive oil

1 3/4 c. water

2 T. fresh chopped rosemary

Combine 3 cups flour + yeast + sugar + salt in large mixing bowl.

Heat water + olive oil to 125-130 degrees in small saucepan.

Stir water/oil into flour mixture, beat until smooth.

Add more flour, enough to make a soft but firm dough.

Knead on dough hook for 5 minutes.

Let rest, covered with plastic wrap, for 10 minutes.

Roll out or press onto well-oiled cookie sheet, about 3/4" thick. Press indentations into dough with fingers, and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with chopped fresh rosemary + sea salt, and crushed garlic (we opted out of the crushed garlic).

Bake @ 500 degrees for 10-14 minutes, until golden.

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SATURDAY

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KABOCHA SQUASH BOATS + QUINOA

Recipe from the amazing SproutedKitchen.com

This was really, really good. The hardest part of this recipe is cutting the squash open. You could substitute couscous for the quinoa, but quinoa is soooo delicious. That, and we just like saying "KEEN-WAAAA!!!" when we sit down to eat.

Usually I'm kind of uneasy about presenting Taylor with a giant segment of squash on his plate: "I'm sorry, but it is really healthy, and good for you, and I think it looks kind of tasty."

He loved it -- and not the fake be-a-polite-husband loved it -- he loved it, loved it. And I did, too.

The quinoa has pears, cardamom, lemon juice, and fresh basil in it. Eat with a spoon, and scoop up delicious bites of squash with every bite. We used agave nectar instead of honey, and didn't put in the spinach (we used it all in our lemon burrata pasta), but it didn't need it anyway. I would suggest adding some toasted walnuts on top, or maybe pine nuts.

Recipe link here. Sprouted Kitchen is a gorgeous website, and all the recipes are so healthy!

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SUNDAY

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Dinner with friends. Forgot to take pictures.

Kristen brought a delicious salad, Robin brought monkey bread for dessert.

PORK TENDERLOIN + WILD RICE + ROASTED CARROTS + FRUIT + BUNDT BREAD

AUNT AMY'S DELICIOUS PORK TENDERLOIN

Recipe from Favorites cookbook, p.166.

I don't know who Aunt Amy is, but it was delicious.

Email me if you want the recipe - I feel horrible posting the entire Favorites cookbook online.

WILD RICE

Bought one of those plastic tubs of Royal Select rice at the store... it lasts forever.

ROASTED CARROTS

Recipe from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. Ina, I love you.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel + chop 12 carrots diagonally, into 1 1/2" long pieces.

Toss in olive oil + salt + pepper + chopped Italian parsley

Spread out on cookie sheet.

Roast for 20 minutes, or until tender.

BUNDT BREAD

A recipe from my dear friend and roommate of 2 years, McKenzie.

This recipe has turned into an Oldroyd family staple.

The Bundt Bread recipe was one of my first blog posts, so I'll let you go back to yesteryear to retrieve the recipe.

Warning: it is baked in a stick of butter. Yum.

Recipe and ancient blog post here.

Caught up.

2011-02-10T08:32:00.000-08:00

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Monday

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ROASTED TOMATO SOUP + NO-RISE BREADSTICKS

If you have a can of diced tomatoes, you can make this soup. Roasting the tomatoes gives the soup an awesome flavor - something I learned from the Food Network.

ROASTED TOMATO SOUP

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil (divided)

salt + pepper

1 real carrot, peeled + diced*

1 yellow onion, diced*

2 cloves garlic, minced*

1 c. chicken broth^

1 bay leaf^

2 T. butter^

fresh basil

heavy cream

Preheat oven to 450 degrees, and drain the tomatoes well (save the juices!). Spread out tomatoes on cookie sheet (use parchment paper or foil for your own sanity), drizzle with 1/4 c. of olive oil, and season with salt + pepper. Roast tomatoes for 15 minutes or so (until caramelized).

While your tomatoes are roasting, put the remaining 1/4 c. of olive oil in a large pot over medium/low heat. Cook * ingredients until soft, then add caramelized tomatoes. Add ^ ingredients, and simmer for 20 minutes or so. Remove bay leaf, add basil + cream, and puree in food processor or blender until smooth. Garnish with fresh basil.

NO-RISE BREADSTICKS

Kind of a biscuit-y breadstick, but they're easy and quick (and delicious, because hello, they're baked in butter).

These bake at 450 degrees, so you can throw them in as soon as the tomatoes are done roasting.

1 1/2 c. flour*

2 t. sugar*

1 1/2 t. baking powder*

1/2 t. salt*

2/3 c. milk

3 T. butter, melted

Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in 11x14 pan (you could do this while you're roasting the tomatoes).

Combine *. Add milk until soft dough forms. Gently knead (you may need to add a little extra flour). Roll out to rectangle, and cut into 1" thick sticks. Coat sticks in butter, and arrange in pan. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Bake at 450 degrees until golden (14-18 min.).

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Tuesday

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LEMON + SPINACH + TOASTED ALMONDS + BURRATA CHEESE + PASTA

Recipe from Bon Appétit here.

This was delicious! I halved the recipe - it makes a ton (4 cups of spinach?!).

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Wednesday

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Hey, it's not a photography blog.

CREAMY PEAS + POTATOES

HEIRLOOM TOMATO CAPRESE SALAD + BURRATA CHEESE

Taylor talks about this peas + potatoes meal he grew up having all of the time - some kind of childhood memory. I need to figure out how his mom made it, but the recipe in the Favorites cookbook is pretty good. Here's the recipe halved:

CREAMY PEAS + POTATOES

I used Russet potatoes, because that's what we had (the recipe calls for new potatoes)

4-5 Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped (1" cubes)

1 1/2 c. frozen peas (we like lots of peas)

Boil potatoes until tender (but not so tender that they're falling apart), add peas the last 5 min.

3 T. butter*

3 T. flour*

1 1/2 c. milk

salt + white pepper (recipe calls for black, but white is awesome in this recipe)

dill (we didn't have any, so we put in 1/3 c. parmesan cheese instead)

Blend * in saucepan over low heat. Add milk, cook until thickened. Add salt + pepper and cheese. Stir in drained potatoes + peas, and serve.

HEIRLOOM TOMATO CAPRESE SALAD + BURRATA CHEESE

Taylor made this on the fly, and it was the best caprese salad I've ever had.

heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved (leftover Trader Joe's Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes)

fresh basil, torn into small pieces

burrata cheese (so creamy, so delicious, I am in love)

splash of balsalmic vinegar

salt + pepper

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Tonight (Thursday)

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CHEESE SOUFFLE + BROCCOLI + FRESH FRUIT

Recipe from Bon Appétit here.

The schedule calls for quiche, but I have tons of parmesan cheese I need to use up, and this recipe uses almost an entire cup. We've got a huge bag of frozen broccoli, so I'll steam up some of that, and chop up some fresh fruit. We'll see how it goes!

mas.

2011-02-08T11:17:00.000-08:00

Everyone go to Hue & Hum to check out my friend Cait's sweet "pay-what-you-wish" print offer. She is an incredible artist. I have my eye on several pieces. One day when I have saved all my pennies, I hope to commission a painting.

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February 5th:

Space Needle + Sushi @ Umi (Note: Happy Hour = Sushi for $4.50).

So... here's an easy meal we eat all of the time:

*Photo by Dr. Tyler "T-Bone" Johnson.

Roasted Vegetables + Couscous

A spin off of an improvised dish the 39er wives concocted in Yosemite.

Preheat oven at 425 degrees.

Peel & chop (about 1" pieces) some real carrots (not mini carrots!). Toss in olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Spread out on cookie sheet covered with foil or parchment paper, and roast for 15 minutes.

Toss some frozen green beans and corn in olive oil, season, and add to cookie sheet in oven. 5 minutes later, add some cherry or grape tomatoes (optional). Periodically toss to prevent burning. Roast until carrots and beans are tender.

You can make this with whatever vegetables you have around. Ina Garten made me fall in love with roasted carrots. Roasted cauliflower and parsnips are also amazing, but they can be expensive. Toss all the vegetables together, season with some fresh herbs like thyme, if you have any you need to use up, and serve over prepared couscous or quinoa. Serve with some fresh fruit (or smoothies!).

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February 6th:

Dinner with Taylor's Great Aunt + Uncle and cousins thrice removed (or something like that).

We didn't have to cook, but here's our new favorite recipe that we made a couple of weeks ago.

Oh my gosh, we love this recipe. Really - LOVE.

The color of the beets makes these tarts very dramatic and beautiful. And delicious. Your husband will think you slaved all day cooking him a fancy meal, when it really only took 20 minutes.

Beet + Cheddar + Apple Tarts

Recipe from Martha Stewart Everyday Food.

*Photo from Martha Stewart Everyday Food

We love beets. Don't be afraid of beets! They're delicious, especially when paired with apples!

Puff pastry can be expensive, but if you have a Trader Joe's nearby, it's half the price. These are so delicious, and very, very healthy. We devoured these last time. Make a green salad, and you're good to go.

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I'm sorry for the crazy eating out, family dinners - I should have started this week, not last week, but oh well!

Here's February's calendar, to give you an idea of what's ahead.

I'll post specific recipes as the days come.

If you have any questions/rants/complaints/requests, go ahead and leave a comment.

Homemade Mozzarella!

2011-02-08T09:52:00.000-08:00

*Far right: burrata cheese. Think fresh mozzarella, but a little sweeter, with cream inside. Don't try it, because then you'll get addicted, and it's a very expensive addiction.

February 4th:

HOMEMADE MOZZARELLA + PIZZA

Molly & I spent the morning wandering Pike Place Market eating more than our share of samples, most of them cheese. We love cheese. When I found this recipe, I knew I had to try it, and with Molly coming up, it was the perfect time.

HOMEMADE MOZZARELLA

Recipe from local lemons.

Start with a gallon of organic whole milk, as close to the farm as you can get. We had a half gallon of Trader Joe's organic milk, and half a gallon of milk from a local Seattle farm, Twin Brooks Creamery. They sell it at the market around the corner. I love that the milk comes in glass bottles. When you open up the bottle, you can smell its creaminess. We sat there smelling the milk (we're cool like that).

You'll need vegetable rennet, which you can buy online. We found it at the Pike Place Creamery in liquid form. You'll also need citric acid, which you can get in the bulk spice/scoop-your-own aisle at Whole Foods, or in mega-bulk at Costco (or Orson Gygi for Utahns).

That's it.

Okay, and salt.

Dissolve 1/4 t. of the vegetable rennet into 1/4 c. cold water, and set aside.

Pour the milk and 1 1/2 t. of citric acid into a stainless steel pot (you're going to use a sharp knife), with the burner on low. Warm the milk to 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the milk from the heat, and add the rennet/water mixture. Stir constantly for 30 seconds, and then let the milk sit still for 3 minutes. At this point, Molly and I were both staring at the pot, wondering if this was even going to work.

Now take a large, sharp knife and cut a grid all the way down to the bottom of the pan, about 1" squares. The curds and the whey have now separated! "Whoa! We did it!"

Take a slotted spoon, and carefully transfer the curds to a large glass bowl, leaving the whey in the pot. Try to drain as much of the whey as possible out of the glass bowl, leaving only the curds, by pressing down on the curds. Microwave the curds on high for 1 minute, then squeeze out the whey. Repeat at 30 seconds if necessary. Be careful not to over-microwave!

Gently knead the cheese together, adding salt along the way (we thought we over-salted the cheese, but it turns out we didn't add enough, so be very, very generous!). Drain the whey as you go, and gently knead until the cheese comes together into a soft mound.

Presto!

For troubleshooting, go to local lemons.

This made two very large mounds of mozzarella, about $10 worth at the grocery store.

HOMEMADE PIZZA

(the fanciest pizza I've ever made)

For Christmas, we sent Molly to a pizza-making class at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York. We were excited for her to come visit and show us all that she had learned!

Heat pizza stone in oven at 450 degrees (or whatever temperature your pizza dough requires).

Roll out dough onto parchment paper. We cheated and bought ready-made pizza dough at Trader Joe's for $0.99. The Favorites cookbook has a great pizza dough recipe.

SAUCE

Can of whole tomatoes. Squeeze out as much juice as you can, smash the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and spread on unbaked pizza crust. I loved this idea - really simple & flavorful.

TOPPINGS

Caramelized onions, heirloom tomatoes, burrata cheese, and homemade mozzarella.

Sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden and cheese is bubbling.

Tear up some fresh basil to garnish the pizza. This was an important thing Molly taught me. Don't bake the pizza with basil already on it - it will kill the flavor. Good to know.

Cost (we indulged):

Pizza dough: $0.99

Can of whole tomatoes: $2.50 (we bought fancy Italian tomatoes, but any cheap can would be just as good)

Onion: $0.30

Heirloom tomatoes: $2.99 for a big basket of them (Trader Joe's)

Burrata cheese: $6.00 (Delicious and expensive. After hearing Molly talk about it, I had to try it!).

Fresh basil: $2.99 for a huge plastic box that will last all month (Trader Joe's)

Gallon of organic milk: $5

Vegetable rennet: $7.99

Citric acid: $0.75

Total cost of meal: $26.52.

Definitely an indulgence. Keep in mind that half of that went to making mozzarella cheese. It would definitely be easier (and cheaper) to buy your own fresh mozzarella, but making it is a lot more fun!

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catch-up ~ ketchup ~ catsup

2011-02-08T08:11:00.000-08:00

February 1st:

EGGS IN TOMATO SAUCE + CHEESY POLENTA + SPINACH + FRUIT + CHOCOLATE CRACKLES

Before you make a main dish using eggs, be sure to have more than one egg in your refrigerator. I wasn't thinking, and ate 3 eggs for lunch... so we ended up having to split one poached egg. Classic Tally.

EGGS IN TOMATO SAUCE + SPINACH

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen here. Very easy.

I don't have a food processor - a blender works perfectly.

Make sure the egg yolk is runny, because we didn't (whoops).

CHEESY POLENTA

As seen on Food Network here.

We halved the recipe, and still had waaaay too much.

Use leftover polenta to make polenta crostini another day. Delicious.

FRUIT

Oranges + HoneyCrisp Apples

CHOCOLATE CRACKLES
Recipe from Bakerella + Martha Stewart
If you can, use some quality chocolate. It makes a big difference
! Valrhona is my
favorite, but I have to save up to buy it.

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February 2nd:

TERIYAKI PORK CHOPS + MANGO/CUCUMBER SALSA + WILD RICE + FRUIT

TERIYAKI PORK CHOPS
Season, brown on both sides in skillet, then simmer in teriyaki sauce + 1/4 c. water. Cover the skillet, simmer for 5-10 minutes. I used Veri Veri Teriyaki Sauce.

MANGO + CUCUMBER SALSA
Finely dice a mango, half of a
seeded cucumber, and as much red onion as you like. Season with salt and pepper and a little lime juice. Spoon over pork chops.

We have one of those giant tubs of wild rice - they last forever. Use vegetable stock/bouillon if you like more flavor.

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February 3rd:

BAKED POTATO SOUP

We went out to dinner to welcome Molly to Seattle. Thanks, Dad Turner, for sending Molly up with some "eat-out" money.

Molly and I DID make some soup for a friend, so here you go:
BAKED POTATO SOUP
Recipe from the infamous Favorites cookbook. We eat this soup all of the time in the winter.
Serves 4.

3 T. butter
1 c. finely chopped onion
2 T. flour
14.5 oz. can chicken broth (we do 1.5 cups of vegetable broth)
4 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes*
1/2 t. salt*
1/4 t. white pepper*
1/4 t. black pepper*
1 t. dried basil*
1/2 t. garlic salt*
1 c. half + half (I rarely have this - use milk or cream, whatever you have)

Melt butter. Add onion and saute for 2 minutes.
Sprinkle flour over onions, cook 5 minutes, stirring often. Gradually add broth.
Add * ingredients.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add half + half; heat through.
Garnish like you would a baked potato.
Eat.

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More to come, including how to make your own mozzarella.

hue & hum

2011-02-08T05:23:00.000-08:00

We had an amazing weekend, but back to real life now.

Prepare for recipe overload.

Until then, go to my darling friend Caitlin Connolly's blog Hue & Hum.

She is an artist (Hue), her husband (Hum) is a rock star in the band Fictionist. They're both rock stars, really. She posts her latest paintings and craft projects, he posts awesome songs you can download for free (with a new release coming on Valentine's Day). Hum will be in the March issue of Rolling Stone. Just saying.

You'll covet their talent, style, her hair, and their adorable dog, Albus.

Anyway, starting this morning, Cait is selling prints of these two works:

Left: "Lover-tine"

Right: "Friend-tine"

What is so awesome about this is that you pay whatever you want for these.

Seriously, it's up to you. $5 or $500. or $5,000.

When Cait told me she was doing this, I knew I had to spread the word to all you hip people out there. Original, local artwork, and you pay whatever you can afford. Brilliant.

Go to Hue & Hum and get inspired!

All play, no blog.

2011-02-04T09:10:00.000-08:00

Molly Kate is here.

We're headed to a Valentino trunk show, then Pike Place, then Piroshkies with Taylor...

...and then we're making homemade mozzarella.

Party time.

I'll get you a full week of recipes, I promise.

It may have to wait until Monday.

Here we go!

2011-02-01T12:12:00.000-08:00

Even though yesterday was January 31st, it was still Monday, so here's the first meal:

Crispy Chicken Thighs

Cook with salt + pepper, olive oil non-stick spray.

Weigh down with a heavy pot to get the skin extra crispy (cook skin side down first).

Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes

Slice into wedges, toss in olive oil with a pinch of sea salt and fresh rosemary (from our backyard. Thank you, landlord!).

Bake @ 400 degrees until tender. We made our own fry sauces with whatever was in the fridge.

Puree of Peas + Watercress

Recipe here.

Amazingly easy and sooo delicious - you'll never know it's frozen peas!

The most expensive ingredient was the watercress, which was a little hard to find, so I ended up having to pay $2.99 when I finally found it. Chicken thighs were super cheap ($2.40 for 3 large thighs - ha ha, that sounds funny). Potatoes were like $0.50.

Prep.

2011-01-31T13:05:00.000-08:00

More than half of those tabs are for desserts!

I'm making lists over here, getting ready for this project. Molly Kate gave us this cookbook for Christmas - she even had it signed by the author (a perk of living in NYC!).

It's amazing. A lot of recipes for February will be coming from here.

I just went over January's finances, and for the first time in 4 years, I was under budget on groceries.

Miracles happen.

I feel like we ate really well in January, so I am feeling more confident about this project. Your enthusiasm helps, too!

February's Budget: $250 (for all food groceries)

Wivery

2011-01-28T11:22:00.000-08:00

Pike's Market

Around 4:00 every night, I wander like a zombie in the kitchen, stumped.

What am I going to make for dinner?

We may no longer be newlyweds, but I struggle with this nearly every week. I try to plan - at the beginning of the month I print out a calendar and map-out meals for each day. But then those days come, and I think, I don't feel like making that!

Cue: hopeless staring into the fridge and web-browsing for ideas, usually resulting in an extra trip to the store or impromptu German pancakes.

I've had this conversation probably half-a-dozen times in the past month:

"What do you make for dinner every night?"

"What do YOU make for dinner every night?"

"Well, what are you making tonight?"

"I don't know."

"I don't know either!"

As a result, I've probably gone over-budget every single month of our marriage - not in my "miscellaneous/personal" category, but in the "grocery" category. I love buying groceries. Of course, it doesn't help that there is the most adorable specialty foods market around the corner.

I love to cook, that's not the issue. It's the planning ahead that I struggle with.

So... the month of February will bring you a month of Turner dinners on this blog, all sticking to a very modest budget. We don't eat a ton of meat, so that helps cut down cost. I'll try to include recipes and cost, if that's helpful.

Any input on what the budget should be? I was thinking $200 for the month ($50/week)?

12 weeks to go.

2011-01-24T09:51:00.001-08:00

We registered for a new race this morning. It feels so good to be doing long runs again.

Wenatchee Marathon, here we come!

Help.

2011-01-19T15:52:00.000-08:00

You're all creative, classy people.

Help me.

This is our front room.

It needs help.

But here's the thing: I am the cheapest person alive (okay, besides Taylor - and I say that with all the love and admiration I can muster). Our style is modern/casual/Martha Stewart/mid-century/minimalist/clean/bright colors mixed with neutrals/Ihavenoidea. The white rocking chair is our pride and joy - our Christmas present from Taylor's parents, and our first piece of real designer furniture (thank you!).

This room needs life infused into it. We need a rug - solid or a bold print? Probably a side table and lamp? Pillows? Should I rearrange the furniture? Can I do it all under $100?

The front door is opposite the fireplace, right next to the couch. Against the wall you don't see is an upright piano (we're storing it for someone -- lucky us!).

Help.

Random. But what else do you expect?

2011-01-19T06:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday a woman in my ward brought me some fresh eggs from her family's 4 chickens. I won the eggs at a Relief Society auction last Fall, where I used all my service points on this one item. The people at my table thought I was pretty dumb, but I thought it was the coooooolest item up for bid.

She even packaged them. Much cooler than the "fresh eggs" at the market.

And they made for a delicious dinner.

This gem came in the mail today:

For only $9.95, you get the healing power of Jesus.

Pretty good deal, if you ask me.

3 items off of the bucket list.

2011-01-05T11:19:00.000-08:00

When Taylor saw that the Utah Jazz were coming to play the Portland Trailblazers, it was a done deal. We were going. It's only a 3-hour drive, and thanks to Taylor's parents (and their Marriott points), we had a free stay. Our anniversary conveniently fell on the same weekend.

We explored freezing Portland for one day, and drove the Oregon coast the next day (wow!). This was our first trip with just T & T (okay, we've gone to Park City and St. George).

Bucket List items:

Portland (check)

Oregon Coast (check)

Tillamook Factory (check)

We were both in heaven.

Traveling with just your spouse is kind of awesome.

Wedding kick.

2011-01-04T09:15:00.000-08:00

Crismon (Taylor's brother) and Lauren got married in September, and I realized I never shared the wedding with you.

It was the perfect wedding, not to mention the most perfect wedding dress.

BBQ. Chocolate table. Thai lanterns.

Enough said.

Lauren has flawless taste. I was lucky enough to work with Lauren for her mom's business, Julie Prince Flowers, over the summer and had such a blast watching those two create the most incredible weddings. It was so much fun to be around them while they brainstormed for Lauren's wedding, and to see it all come together!

My friend Ryan Hinman was the videographer, and recently sent me a short version of the DVD we watched over Christmas break. Enjoy the footage:

Crismon and Lauren's Front Yard Wedding from Ryan Hinman Films on Vimeo.

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 !

2010-12-29T10:08:00.001-08:00

Happy Anniversary to us.

4 years, and this boy still makes me giddy.

Cheesy, but it's our anniversary, and our blog.

It only took me 4 years to get our official photos from the photographer.

Huzzah.

O Tannenbaum

2010-12-15T10:16:00.001-08:00

Lately I've been stressed over a lot of things. Again I am having to remind myself that you can't plan your life. There are so many things I feel that I am ready to do right now, but haven't happened, no matter how much effort I put into them.

I spend a lot of time sitting by the Christmas tree at night, which has proven to be a wonderful de-stress-or. There's something about a lit-up Christmas tree that makes you forget your troubles.

Our tree has no theme. We have several matroyshkas, carved wooden Russian people we got at a Moscow market, a whale, robot, sun, birds, roulette table, the space needle, two Lady Libertys, a bear, penguin, kite, fish, and the traditional pickle ornament. And some Ts, too.

Every ornament means something or came from someone we love. Maybe that's why the tree is such a calming influence.

Gift Idea

2010-12-13T09:00:00.001-08:00

If you're still looking for Christmas gift ideas, I have a suggestion.

My cousin Marshall McDonald is an incredible composer/arranger. He has released at least 10 albums, containing beautiful arrangements of hymns and original compositions. He even wrote a Suite about the Spanish Trail that was recorded by the China Philharmonic.

This past summer, Marsh invited me to be part of his latest album, This is the Christ, which was released about a month ago. The pieces on this album are inspired by the paintings of Carl Bloch about Jesus Christ. Before we recorded each piece, Marshall showed us the painting that inspired the composition. It was an incredible experience hearing it all come together.

I played his arrangement O Come, O Come, Emmanuel last night at a Stake devotional, and tons of people wanted to know where the arrangement came from. I thought, "Hey, I should put in a plug for Marshall on the blog!"

I'm taking a risk, as we're giving this to at least half a dozen people in our family for Christmas, but I don't think they read this blog, so we're probably safe.

You can purchase the album here, or it is also available on iTunes. Take a listen - you might hear some viola solos on tracks 6 and 12...

The Christmas Dreams album is also wonderful if you're looking for something more Christmas-y (you might get some viola on that one, too!).

Perry Como

2010-12-06T06:11:00.000-08:00

When I was in high school, I fell in love with Perry Como.

Not only a great singer, but a great person.

My mom had listened to Perry for years, and apparently my Grandma Dorothy was a huge fan. I borrowed Greatest Hits, Volume I from my mom, and it stayed in my car for at least a full year.

My best friend Cate and I cruised around town, blasting Perry over and over again. We even had some of the songs choreographed (the dashboard became the xylophone).

Favorite songs?

"Papa Loves Mambo"

"Magic Moments"

"Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes"

"Catch a Falling Star"

"Round and Round"

"Hot Diggity"

"Hoop-de-Doo"

To give you an idea, the lyrics to "Hoop-Dee-Doo" go as follows:

Hoop-Dee-Doo, Hoop-Dee-Doo,

I hear a polka, and my troubles are through.

Hoop-Dee-Doo, Hoop-Dee-Dee,

This kind of music is like heaven to me.

We loved Perry enough to start an unofficial fan club. Cate and I were co-Presidents. I made some screen-printed t-shirts in my Graphics class Senior year. They were awesome. The front had a stick figure of an old man with a driving cap and cane, and the back listed our favorite song titles (unfortunately, the shirts looked like I had screen-printed them myself).

[maybe this is why I made the "Unique People" page in the yearbook]

We decided to wear them to school on the same day.

(The last time I had done this was a friend was with Morgan Doll in 2nd grade. We wore our neon green t-shirts, rolled up acid denim shorts, and rolled-down neon pink socks with white keds... and matching black-and-white checkered scrunchies.)

A few days later, my friend Doug came up to me and said, "Tally, I'm so sorry. Perry Como died two days ago."

Cate and I looked at each other. "Two days ago?! The day we wore our Perry Como shirts?"

Did we KILL Perry Como?

The other day I caught myself singing along to "Christmas Bells" while waiting at the deli counter, when the four-foot-tall 80-year-old woman in front of me turned around, and looked at me in disbelief. "YOU know this song?"

The reason I bring all of this up is that I found a new Perry Como song this morning, titled "Seattle" - ! If any of you need a pick-me-up, I've compiled an abbreviated Perry Como playlist in the right-hand column of this blog. I hope you love Perry as much as I do!

T

2010-11-30T23:10:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving.

Turner

Turkey

Trot

Ten Pound

Turkey for

Two.

Twinners.

It kept snowing.

2010-11-23T19:42:00.000-08:00

It only snowed 3-4 inches where we live, but that was enough to close Taylor's office downtown! Last night thousands of people were trapped on the freeway for over 6 hours. Seattle has maybe 2 or 3 snowplows, so the city pretty much shuts down.

We spent the day "snowed in" - although Taylor still worked... in his pajamas.

I walked to the market to get some Thanksgiving necessities, only to find that a 70-something couple had cross-country skiied to the grocery store. They were wandering around the Metropolitan Market with their skis and poles in their cart!

It's snowing.

2010-11-22T07:46:00.000-08:00

Enough snow to change all the bus routes this morning?
According to one person in our ward, "When it snows in Seattle, it's like the Apocalypse."

Uncle Tom

2010-11-18T20:14:00.000-08:00

"Mas'r, if you was sick, or in trouble, or dying, and I could save ye, I'd give ye my heart's blood; and if taking every drop of blood in this poor old body would save your precious soul, I'd give 'em freely, as the Lord gave his for me." (p.407)

I finished Uncle Tom's Cabin last night. It's beautiful, and not at all what I was expecting from an abolitionist novel. A close friend of mine once told me that reading this book changed her Dad's life. It definitely has changed the way I see certain things, and really made me think a lot more about Christ and His example (again, not what I was expecting from an abolitionist novel).

Have you ever read a book that made you gasp, laugh, and cry out loud while reading it?

Sense & Sensibility, 2009
Little Women, 2008

The other Washington

2010-11-09T20:02:00.000-08:00

Just got back from our nation's capitol

with these two ("Maaaam" + "Lez").

So glad we caught the tail end of a gorgeous East Coast Fall!

We flew out for my cousin Ann's wedding. I ended up being the florist (yikes). It was an interesting experience figuring out how to order flowers on the other side of the country. I was so grateful to have my mom and sister Liz there to help (and a cousin with flawless taste!).

We were cheap tourists for Halloween.

2010-11-01T06:26:00.000-07:00

Saturday it rained.

I know, you were all wondering.

Parking in downtown Seattle is ridiculous. There is no free parking anywhere, anytime. So we parked near the Space Needle, paid $8 to hold our spot for 2 hours, and ran around town like mad.

First stop: Space Needle. Taylor has been dying to go.

We were too cheap to go to the top (since we spent 25% of our monthly entertainment budget on parking).

We got our Frank Gehry fix at the Experience Music Project.

Again, too cheap to go in, but we enjoyed the lobby.

Strolled through the rain to Top Pot Doughnuts. Our Sunday School teacher compared the Book of Isaiah to a Top Pot Doughnut last week, so we knew they had to be good.

We were not too cheap to enjoy their awesome doughnuts and hot chocolate.

Hit up the Russian bakery at Pike Place Market for some piroshkies.

A new favorite food for me, and a new lunch break haunt for Taylor!

And then we rode the MONORAIL back to our car. Taylor was really excited about it.

Time for a makeover. I swear I'm wearing makeup, but I look like a boy.

"It rains nine months out of the year in Seattle!"

2010-10-29T09:58:00.000-07:00

Wednesday it was blue skies and sunshine all day (and I hear Utah got dumped on). With all the rain/drizzle we get here, there are millions of trees.

Millions of trees = an incredible fall.

The leaves are absolutely gorgeous right now, so I had to explore the Arboretum.

No editing necessary.

I love the reflection in the puddle.

We love Seattle!

Hello.

2010-10-14T16:51:00.000-07:00

We are Seattle-ans (?) Seattlites? Seahawks?

This is Taylor standing on Taylor Street.

This is Taylor on his first day of work.

No, he does not work for Louis Vuitton, but he works on the 19th floor of the tower on top of that curved pedestal (Google "Rainier Tower" to see some cool pictures). I just hope it doesn't topple over one day.

We live in a little yellow house.

I don't want to brag, but we have a full-size refrigerator.

And a bedroom.

Two, actually.

That means we can house visitors...

Thus ends the Spring and Summer of Uncertainty.

2010-09-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

We're moving...

... to Seattle!

Facebook

2010-09-21T13:37:00.000-07:00

So Taylor and I mock Facebook a lot. Hourly status updates, people posting pictures they took of themselves, and lots of weird groups.

But it is kind of amazing, too.

Last night a Tahitian girl added my sister Liz as a friend, and posted all kinds of photos of my brother, who is serving as a missionary there. We got a little teary, seeing his big smile and a video of him learning to play the ukulele.

Couldn't get the video off of Facebook, but here's a snapshot from it.

People think he's in paradise serving in Tahiti, but he's had to learn 2 languages, and has only had native companions (no English), the most recent of which hated Americans. He locked Robby out of the apartment on his third day in the area, repeatedly criticized his French, stomped on his Book of Mormon, and, eventually, beat him up. To quote him, "If I wasn't a missionary, you'd be dead in the ocean." Luckily, the issues were resolved, the Elder was sent home Friday, and now Robby has a new companion.

Still, this picture was taken on Saturday and we were able to see it yesterday. Amazing.

Thank you, Facebook.

Our summer.

2010-09-14T09:46:00.000-07:00

Summer is over.

We have survived nearly 4 months of unemployment (see above picture to get a better understanding of how we felt all summer). Not recommended.

We made some important decisions yesterday, which will lead to more important decisions.

We also found out this weekend that Taylor's dream job does exist - and there's an opening.

Stay tuned.

update

2010-08-21T15:11:00.000-07:00

Alive.

Future: Blank.

T & T: Calm (most days) and waiting.

2007

2010-07-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

Some random Sunday morning - Provo, 2007. Look at that bare apartment!

At least we had a plant.

What were my complaints in 2007? Too much for Taylor to study, too much for me to practice, too many orchestra students, too many gigs, too many drives between Provo and Salt Lake, groceries were too expensive, and we were living in the lap of luxury in a $650/month apartment.

The only things we owned were a bed, computer, an IKEA desk, 2 guitars, and a viola.

Alright, and a fully-stocked kitchen.

What more do you need in life?

Added bonus: We never got medical bills in the mail.

Oh gosh, life was so good then.

It helps me to think back on the earlier times in our marriage when life sometimes seemed so expensive and uncertain, and realize, "Those were great days! We learned so much together, and had such a good time!" It feels good to look back on things and think, "We thought things would never work out, but those struggles pointed us to where we needed to go."

I could say the same for 2008 and 2009 (and hopefully 2010).

lately

2010-06-30T15:04:00.000-07:00

Tally had a birthday.

We went to Yosemite with the 39ers. The "39ers" are Taylor's close friends from growing up and several years of rooming together at BYU in (you guessed it) King Henry, Apartment 39. Back then there were 6. Now there are spouses and children, for a grand total of 15 (including two baby Elizas). We had waaaaay too much fun. Becca described the trip perfectly.

We had Salad Fest (a 39er tradition).

This trip was greatly needed - a welcome break from the job search. Yosemite is unbelievably gorgeous.

We climbed Half Dome!

Yosemite, we love thee.

Taylor had a birthday. We had a midnight celebration, and spent his entire birthday driving home for 14+ hours.

Speaking of the 14-hour drive, Tonopah, Nevada merits its own post.

2010-06-04T08:20:00.000-07:00

I've had the link on the sidebar of our blog for about a year.

If you haven't seen the blog Unhappy Hipsters, you're missing out.

Instant pick-me-up.

Turner Update:

Still in Salt Lake with family. Another interview for Taylor today (yay!). Enjoying the awkward responses people give you when they find out you're unemployed.

Running a race tomorrow, and making homemade Cafe Habana corn today (still missing New York).

Last week in New York

2010-05-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

Mr. Mac just arrived in Salt Lake, and I'm finally able to look at all our pictures from our last week in New York.

Saying good-bye to our Nursery buddies. They love Taylor (and bubbles).

Mom @ Coney Island.

Little Italy with Mom & Dad Turner (right after this we ran into Hurley from LOST).

Top of the Rock - the BEST view of the City. Worth every penny.

For $12 you can have a boat all to yourselves for an hour on the Lake in Central Park. Again, worth every penny.

Our "Bucket List" for our last week in New York (and we did them all!):

Pretzel croissants and hot chocolate at City Bakery, a last visit to Economy Candy, Cafe Habana, Shake Shack, Top of the Rock, Junior's Cheesecake, Little Italy, Jazz @ Lincoln Center (thanks, Dad Turner), NYC Ballet, Stand4 toasted marshmallow shakes, morning run along the Hudson to Battery Park, Cones on Bleecker (3 times), MoMA, the Met, Central Park.

Oh, and we hid the Dom Perignon somewhere in our apartment.

2010-05-26T14:40:00.000-07:00

New York, we miss you so (well, one of us does).

and after all that, they make you wear a purple dress.

2010-05-16T12:46:00.000-07:00

Taylor graduated from NYU on Friday, and we were lucky enough to have both sets of parents and Liz-a-Boo here to party with/feed us.

Here's our favorite NYU Violet, now an official Legum Magister (LLM):

So proud of this boy for working and studying so hard to memorize the tax code and know all about 501(c)(3) exemptions.

We had an amazing week - the combination of family, finishing school/finals, and Spring in New York was perfection.

We leave Tuesday. I get depressed and teary just thinking about it.

Greenwich Street

2010-05-09T17:17:00.000-07:00

Saw this on my Friday afternoon stroll to the meatpacking district, 10 minutes up the street from our place.

New York, I love thee.

How a billionaire says "thank you"

2010-05-07T06:24:00.000-07:00

It's a horribly long story that I'm sure my family is sick of, so I'll spare you the agony...

... but a few weeks ago a woman called my store wanting to order 900 wine/water/champagne glasses. Yep, 900 (300 of each style). $18 per glass. And she needed them in less than a week. Ah, billionaires. Actually, this woman was the billionaire's designer/slave. Thank heavens she was sweet and very organized!

Okay, so 900 glasses. We had 40 in stock. Corporate had less than 300 in stock. We had less than 100 total in all our New York stores. Somehow it was my job (and mine alone) to find all 900. 900! 14+ hours of phone calls later, contacting over 25 Anthropologies from Carlsbad to Houston, 900 were ordered.

Then 40% of them broke in transit, so I had to order 40% of 900, and ensure they were delivered to the event (in another state) within 48 hours.

Total Cost: over $20,000. I don't think billionaires are aware that you can rent glasses for events. If only I got commission.

I didn't hear about any more disasters, so I assumed no news was good news.

On Wednesday, my last day at Anthropologie, I was enjoying my last 5 minutes of employment when the designer called. She was so sweet and gracious, and wanted to send a thank you gift. I gave her my address, and she promised to have it "messengered" to our apartment within 24 hours.

Billionaires don't mail things. They hire someone to personally deliver it to you.

Taylor and I spent Wednesday night trying to think what billionaires send to people for thank you gifts. Gift certificate to Le Bernadin? Tickets to the Met? Gold bars?

Thursday afternoon we found out:

She would have the gift wrapped at Kates Paperie. They don't just wrap at Kate's - they pleat the wrapping. At $6/sheet, there were at least 4 sheets of wrapping paper used! Plus boxes, plus wrapping fees... crazy.

Vintage 2000 Dom Perignon, complete with 4 coupe champagne glasses from the order. We were laughing so hard. Mormons love their champagne!

Just in time for our graduation party! WOO HOO!

reflections

2010-05-06T13:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my last day at Anthropologie, which means I have absolutely nothing to do this weekend but say good-bye to New York City.

I do not want to talk about it.

This morning I hit the MoMA. Taylor and I bought memberships last fall, which means we can go whenever for free. Yeah, we're cool.

I love going to museums by myself. I'm like my Dad - I'm constantly worried about taking up other people's time, moving too fast or too slow, forcing them to do something they're not interested in. I'd rather spare myself the stress and guilt and go alone.

The MoMA is one of my favorite museums in New York. The building is amazing, the collections are phenomenal. If only it wasn't so jammed all the time. Why were so many people there on a Thursday morning?!

Maria Abramovic was there, part of her "The Artist is Present" work. You can view it live here (during museum hours). A little eerie, but I like how she involves the visitors at the museum and makes them part of the work. If I had known the world wide web would be seeing my legs live, I would have worn long pants.

William Kentridge's exhibit is awesome. The Metropolitan Opera is currently doing his artistic interpretation of Shostakovich's The Nose, which I am dying to see.

Henri Cartier-Bresson. It took all my discipline to not buy the book of the exhibit. "Tally, you do not have income. You're moving in less than two weeks. You don't even have a coffee table!" Google > Image Henri Cartier-Bresson, and you'll see why.

Isn't the MoMA building cool? I love how it caught the reflection of the buildings across the street. I'm really into reflections of buildings on buildings lately.

Big shout out to our little 11-year-old Canon Elph - fits in the purse, works like a dream.

Building the Future

2010-05-02T16:03:00.000-07:00

We run past this sign just about every morning.

Ironically, it's about 50 feet from where Taylor got slammed and nearly killed in August. Okay, I'm being dramatic, but you know the story.

Anyway.

April came, and went.

What a month: Boston, culinary school, Spring in New York, ordering 900 wine glasses...

We'll talk about April another time.

3 minutes ago:

Sunday = Recovery

One final down, four more to go. Graduation in Yankee Stadium with Alec Baldwin a week from Wednesday, and Convocation in Madison Square Garden a week from Friday. Then it's back to Utah to pick up our furniture and belongings.

And then... we have no idea. Really.

Family

2010-03-30T06:09:00.000-07:00

It all started Saturday the 20th, when we ran into my 3 beautiful cousins on the Brooklyn Bridge. Destiny!

Do you think we're related?

My parents came into town the 22nd.

Dad took us to his pal Jerry Seinfeld's $14 million garage on the Upper West Side. It has an elevator that takes the cars down below street level, where he has parking space for 5 cars.

Yes, my Dad is part Native American, and no, I didn't get a speck of that skin tone.

Taylor's family came into town the 25th, to celebrate Judd's 60th birthday.

Yesterday Mary & I took the Macaron class at the Institute of Culinary Education.

Four hours dedicated to one amazing cookie.

I hate to brag, but our cookies turned out better than the instructor's. :)

This class was my Christmas gift from my Mom.

(best idea EVER - wish you could have been there, Mom)

Now we enter the season of finals, job search, and big decisions (hence the new blog header).

Which means a blog break.

See you in May.

200th Post.

2010-03-21T14:00:00.000-07:00

Why am I kind of embarrassed about that?

As promised, Taylor will now have his "100" moment.

He is dang SMART.
He is absolutely, unequivocally obedient.
He is sentimental.
He doesn’t require anything more than good company to entertain him.
He’s a peaceful person. He has an air of calm and peace about him, which is greatly appreciated (and needed).
Sunday is his favorite day of the week, making Sunday nights really depressing for him.
While celebrating his birthday with his family in California, Taylor’s parents asked Taylor if there was anything special he wanted to do that day (Sunday) for his birthday. His request was that they stay for all 3 hours of Church. I would claim the Sunday travel exemption and beg for ice cream.
His dream job would be a combination of law, literature, religion, philanthropy, and employee benefits, and tax-exemption. Anyone know of any openings?
He considered getting a PhD to become a law/literature professor. 6 years vs. 1 year of East Coast tuition...
He spent almost an entire night at the Salt Lake City airport waiting to pick up Indonesian delegates who ended up being detained in California for international security reasons.
He is one of the world’s foremost experts on religious freedom in Kazakhstan.
He has a terrible fear for needles, syringes, and large amounts of blood, and is known for fainting in medical environments, or the like.
He is always in-the-know when it comes to current events.
He made me love NPR.
He has a great memory for sports, and can tell you all the funny nicknames of even the most obscure NBA and NCAA basketball players.
He is extremely loyal to the Utah Jazz, especially their Eastern European players.
His loyalty to the Jazz is surpassed only by his loyalty to the BYU Cougars.
His loyalty to the BYU Cougars is surpassed only by his loyalty to his wife (I think).
Yet he, and I quote, “will never cheer for the U.”
March is a religious month for him: March Madness, and the Spring of Uncertainty.
He won a cash prize in law school for getting the highest grade in his Federal Indian Law class. Had he found his niche?
Taylor… innocent Taylor… was once busted for playing hooky in high school.
His first job was a dishwasher at The Five Alls, a fancy restaurant in Salt Lake. He won’t tell me why, but he refuses to eat there ever again.
Taylor ran the Hamptons Half Marathon with a broken arm in two places.
He walked home from the hospital twice, after both surgeries on his wrist.
When he broke his right wrist, he was forced to write with his left hand, and somehow his handwriting was more legible.
He is a classically trained pianist and guitarist.
He won a YooHoo Chocolate Milk steering wheel cover from a bottle cap, which he proudly displayed in his beloved Saturn.
He LOVES music. He would make a superior music critic/blogger.
He has a beautiful voice. For our first anniversary he recorded a Ben Harper song for me, with Taylor on the guitar and vocals. It is such a treasure!
He lived in the middle of downtown Moscow in an apartment by himself for 2 months.
He loves all things Russia, especially Russians. He considers them the most fascinating/hilarious people.
He always cheers for the Russians, regardless of the sport or opponent (I think he really does believe Plushenko's medal is platinum).
He still practices his Russian.
He does a great Cockney accent, though when he uses it he tends to sound mentally challenged.
Sunday naps are very important to him (in fact, he’s taking one as I write this).
He painted the exterior the JC Penney in Elko, Nevada with his brother. The job resulted in a fantastic paint spill all over the parking lot. If they haven’t repaved, it’s still visible.
He has a place for everything.
He is a routine man. I can predict when he’ll open specific drawers, pour himself a drink, review his “to do” list, set his alarm…
He reads the same two Utah Jazz blogs every morning while eating his breakfast.
He takes really good care of everything we own.
He is handsome. He has great eyes/eyelashes.
He fit my five requirements: Taller than me, weighs more than me, able to lift me, smarter than me, and smells good.
Taylor smells like flowers. I’m not kidding, or trying to be weird – he really does. Whenever I comment on this, he tells me that I smell like cuts of meat.
He could never be a vegetarian – though I’ve thrown in a couple of “vegetarian weeks” that he hasn’t noticed.
He lets me take pictures of him at the dinner table.
He taught me that it’s okay to turn down dessert: “If I make brownies, would you eat some?” “No.”
He is a closet snacker. He could probably eat an entire tub of Trader Joe’s vanilla bean wafers in one sitting if he didn’t have the distraction of study.
He is by far the best story-teller/book reader in our ward. The kids in Nursery swarm to him, and have started taking on his mannerisms (he counts to 3 before turning the page, and then gets really excited when the new page is in view – “Whoooaaa!!!”).
He’s really good at reading moods and somehow knows exactly how to respond.
He only gets mad at bikes and dogs (and the BYU cougars when they’re losing).
Living in New York has turned Taylor off to dogs completely (Lorenzo excluded).
He’s a really good driver – you should have seen him dominate Broadway at 3:00 PM on a Saturday!
He has locked himself out of our apartment a couple of times here in New York. J
He dreams of living in a small town, with a lot of property and low stress. Yesterday he wanted to move to Zion National Park.
He is a sack lunch man. Working in an office where the partners went out to lunch every day was really hard on him. He ended up coming home for lunch every other day.
He is prudent, and taught me how to budget. We’ve had a monthly “financial night” and steady budget for our entire marriage.
He is determined to never own a pair of ankle socks.
He strongly dislikes shopping (unless we’re at REI or Kirkhams).
When we are shopping for something specific for him, I have to remember to allot triple the amount of time. He has to be absolutely sure that it’s what he needs before he’ll buy anything. A wonderful trait to have.
It took me a year to convince him he needed a second pair of running shorts.
It took me two years to figure out that I just need to buy him what he needs without asking (regardless, he’ll always say “I don’t need anything.”).
He made me LOVE running (and boy, he had to put up with a wimpy wife when we were first married).
When he talks, his thoughts or reasons are often bulleted. Example: “A., Shake Shack is relatively inexpensive, compared to other New York burgers. B., It’s reliable, and always, delicious. C., The concretes are soooo good.”
He loves mountains – our first date was in the mountains, we first held hands in the mountains, we got engaged on a mountain…
He has the gift of speech.
He is comfortable with silence.
I’ve never heard him say anything negative or critical about anyone.
He doesn’t like seeing a movie more than once: “I already know what happens – why would I see it again?” (I am the exact opposite - I have watched the same movie twice in one sitting).
He doesn’t feel the need to travel to places where he’s already been.
He gives really thoughtful gifts.
He takes the time to appreciate beautiful things, whether works of man or nature.
He has good taste in literature.
He’s very careful with what he reads and watches.
He knows how to work really, really hard.
He is teaching me what it means to be bold as I watch him near graduation and go through the job hunt again.
He is really good at remembering to send thank-you notes.
He breaks into song at random times, even in super fancy restaurants.
While serving a mission in Ukraine, Taylor was known as “Elder Nephi.” I hope that doesn't mean they tied him up periodically...
He’s not afraid of being adventurous in the kitchen (hence our Moroccan experiment that ended up making our entire abode smell like curry and turmeric for a week and a half).
Sometimes when he’s talking about something serious, he adjusts his glasses.
He’s really good at making mixes. We have several dozen compilations he’s put together in our iTunes. Who needs iTunes Genius when you have Taylor around?
He gets excited about nerdy things with me, like Finnish films or upcoming Philharmonic concerts.
He never misses my performances.
He is a man’s man, and is the epitome of low maintenance.
He makes me feel feminine in a way that I don’t feel high-maintenance, whiney, or demanding, but complementary to him.
He sees a need and does it without asking. Countless days I’ve come home to see the laundry done, the bathroom sparkling clean, groceries purchased, or dinner in the oven.
When he dances his feet stay planted, his arms are bent with his hands next to his shoulders, and his hips are all that moves. Amazing.
Oh, and he has to bite his lower lip when he dances. Don’t know why.
He probably watches HGTV as much as he watches ESPN.
Many conversations at dinner start with, “So I was watching this couple on House Hunters…”
Sometimes he contemplates growing a beard, dropping out of school, and joining the Fleet Foxes.
Most of his dreams involve growing a beard.
He never puts himself first.
He makes sure that I feel like I’m part of every decision he makes.
He involves the Lord in every decision he makes.
He's never "too busy" to do anything.
He doesn’t have an appetite for validation or praise, and is quick to direct the validation or praise to someone or something other than himself.
He has a strong relationship with his parents, and wants more than anything to make them proud.
Being around him makes me want to be a better person. I love you, Taylor!

Lately

2010-03-19T12:11:00.000-07:00

It's 70 degrees outside. Heaven. I was whistling the whole way home from work.

Until I saw this. Corner of 10th St. and 5th Avenue.

If only it was the first time.

Dogs in purses,

dogs being carried,

dogs in strollers,

dogs in push-carts...

Don't dogs have legs? FOUR of them?

Please, help me understand.

Let Spring Break begin!

2010-03-15T16:01:00.000-07:00

Guess where we went today?

See her crown?
Yeah. Been there.

...and now we're on our way to Brooklyn to see this...

Check Fictionist out here.

SPRING!

2010-03-08T10:44:00.000-08:00

It's 60 DEGREES OUTSIDE.

The sun is out.

I didn't have to wear a coat on my way home from work (maybe I didn't wear stockings either).

Restaurants are seating people outside.

People smile when you pass them on the sidewalk (well, some of them).

I passed this ice cream truck on 5th Avenue on my way home. And didn't stop. Will-power.

These orchids were finally blooming (my Christmas present: "Taylor's Flower of the Month Club").

And now to the Upper West Side to observe Suzuki violin lessons for the rest of the afternoon!

Miscellaneous:

Try this recipe. We had it for dinner last night - - - Caramelized Carrot Risotto
The talk of the week has been updated. Sorry about last week.

Getting Around

2010-03-03T09:30:00.000-08:00

When you live in New York, you walk. A lot. I absolutely love this part about living here. Walking home is my favorite thing to do - you get to see the City (and it's FREE! Round-trip subway rides are nearly $5!). Taylor makes fun of me because no matter how far away we are from our abode, I'll propose walking home. One time I walked home from FAO Schwartz, 49 blocks north and 3 blocks east of home.

As a result, we've started noticing some changes in our waistlines. Taylor's pants looked (and still look) like a weight loss success story. Our families grew concerned that we were starving ourselves, which was definitely not the case. With lack of freezer space, we were eating less meat and zero ice cream, but that was about the only difference.

Ah, but we were walking.

So a couple of weeks ago I had a big walking day, though nothing too out of the ordinary. I'd say a day like this comes every three weeks or so.

So here you go:

Distance estimates courtesy of mapmyrun.com

To Trader Joes & back: 2.83 miles (carrying 10+ lbs. of groceries on the way home)

Post Office, Library, Dry Cleaners: 1.43 miles

To Whole Foods on Bowery & back: 2.31 miles (carrying 25+ lbs. of groceries on the way home)

To work & back: 2.47 miles

Total Distance: 9.04 miles, 12.54 miles if you include the morning run.

Weekend.

2010-03-01T15:48:00.000-08:00

Blizzard + recovery
"Tsunami"
Taylor had 2 interviews in Washington D.C., and another this morning.
Tally enjoyed a "girls night" and tried Mario Batali's Otto Pizzeria (sorry, Mario - not great)
Woke up at 6:30 Saturday morning and made the trek to the Manhattan Temple, only to find it closed for cleaning.
Saw GIL SHAHAM play the Barber Violin Concerto with the New York Philharmonic. In Taylor's words: "He looked like a little school boy dancing around up there!" It was phenomenal. I have sat here for 5 minutes trying to put it into words, but can't. I'll leave it there. A performance I will always remember, that's for sure.
Stuart Weitzman shoes in Nursery on Sunday. No, not me. An 18-month-old. Why are these tikes always better dressed than us?! Some Sundays the Nursery room looks like a Burberry ad campaign! In the words of our music leader Annie, "I feel like I'm in a Martha Stewart photo shoot."
Broadway Man is working on a new number - Frankie Valli meets helium meets gospel meets ADHD...

meanwhile...

2010-02-27T13:51:00.001-08:00

My parents are in Hawaii, waiting for a tsunami to hit. Luckily they're on a high floor in their hotel, so they get to wait it out with lots of Diet Coke and no power.

Talk about contrast in weather!