Weddings and such

I'm not generally a fan of weddings. I can't really put my finger on why other than they are almost always over the top and, well, boring for me.

Two weddings stand out as not being the case.

The first was Mr & Mrs. Braspir's kid - Jesus we'll call him - getting married. Their ceremony was 5 minutes AT THE MOST, and then they had a feast of BBQ viddles. One big ass party after the ceremony. It was perfect.

And then of course this happened...

 I don't try to explain what BigBro did, but my word he made me laugh all the time.

This past weekend's trip to NY was all about my oldest nephew's wedding. We adore his new wife and are so happy to welcome her into our family. I'm not sure she really understands what she's gotten herself into...but she didn't run from the altar screaming.

This wedding was probably the best...wedding...ever in my book. For a different reason than the one above.

For starters, this wedding gave me an excuse to go to NY. They get big kudos for that. The wedding was at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and my goodness was it beautiful.

 

The ceremony was relatively short and to the point. I didn't realize my new niece was Jewish so was somewhat taken back by a Rabi coming in to perform the service. He was hilarious and kept the nuptials moving along and entertaining.

After the ceremony they had a cocktail hour. Open bar...and The Wraspirtini. Two deadly combinations for me.  I didn't know the Wraspirtini existed at first. My other niece, bless her, filled me in on them. So it's her fault I had 5.

Ahem....

Anyhow, the cocktail hour had appetizers that included lobster, crab, oysters, shrimp and all sorts of salads and fried goodies. The music played and it was a good time.  Thankfully I found the lovely couple and forced them to take a photo or two with me.

My oldest nephew...all growd up now. Note: I do not have a Wraspirtini in my hand yet. That would be a rum and coke.

The new niece and the oldest nephew.

 I figured it was a good time to snap a photo of the MomUnit and I along with St. Louis SIL - mother of the groom.  

Once inside to start the actual reception, they had a HUGE dance party. The Nephew and Newest Niece came bee-boppin in to 80's music...I'm not quite sure they were alive yet when this music was popular, but whatever.

There were more Wraspirtini's...and then this happened...

That would be the niece who introduced me to the Wraspirtini.  See how much we look alike...?

Anyhow, back to the wedding.  After some dancing, we sat and had the salad course. Then more dancing and then dinner about an hour and a half later. Our options were filet mignon (yes please!) or Seabass. The food was out of this world. I must say. The meat was cooked perfectly and was so tender and delicious.

After the dinner course, you guessed it more dancing. Then macaroons, then dancing, then a small dessert of grilled pineapple, ice cream and chocolate, then dancing, THEN the cake.

By then, the MomUnit and I were two sheets to the wind so we opted to take a cab back to the hotel.  It was just after 11:00PM I think...and we were beat.

Of course snagged these pre-wedding photos from the Niece.  Such a beautiful location for photos for such a great family.

Welcome to the family KIM JAM...you're one of us now.

I Wanna Be a Part of It, New York, New York

Oh Frank...he had such a great voice. And now I'm sure you are all singing that song.

ahem.

So our trip to NY started on Thursday, Aug 14. We were up at the butt crack of dawn for our 7am flight. We flew Virgin America and kids, if you haven't flown Virgin America, give it a try. They were amazing. The flight crew was, astonishingly, happy to be serving us. The cabin environment is unlike anything I've seen. I kinda felt like I was in a dance club. Purple and pink lighting. It was amazing. But the best part for me was, you can order your drinks "online" - if you will. Each seat has a touch screen on the seat in front of them for viewing movies, etc. AND for ordering food or drink. I seriously heart them.

We landed at JFK in a different terminal than mom, so after much debate and not really knowing what was where, mom took a taxi to the hotel, as did we. We all pulled up at the same time. Crazy.

After a short problem with our reservation - they thought we didn't have one - we got to our room. Room 205. Turns out it's the EXACT room we stayed in during our last trip to NY. What are the odds? I think we should get a plaque that says, "The Wraspir Suite" on it.

We dumped our belongings, freshened ourselves up a bit and hopped in a cab for The Dubliner. The bride and groom was having a post rehearsal dinner celebration.  This joint was hoppin for a Thursday night. Which, frankly, I'd expect in almost any joint in NY. That city is always alive and awake.

Its not a great photo, but my niece Sarah (also in the wedding) was there too and we got a chance to get caught up over some libations.

We stayed long enough to greet the natives, have a couple of bites of the yummy viddles they had there and a drink or two. We were all pretty much exhausted so we turned in "early".

The next day, Friday, we had a limited amount of time to do/see things since we had the wedding that night. So being the logistical queen that I am, I suggested we go to Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty and then up to Chelsea Market for lunch.

Once at Battery Park, Blueberry felt the Statue wasn't close enough for her liking, so we hopped on the Staten Island Ferry for a closer view.

What a riot that is. It fells much like what I assume cows feel like, or any animal, when they're being herded. Squish everyone together and every starts moving forward as one giant person.

If you look closely Mom and Seattle SIL are in that crowd.

The trip over and back was about an hour - give or take, and it was a perfect day for this journey. The weather was beautiful and the people didn't annoy me nearly as  much as I expected them to.

The MomUnit, Seattle SIL and Blueberry on the Staten Island Ferry.

Staten Island Ferry, Statue of Liberty, Manhattan and the coast guard all in one photo. Not sure why the coast guard escorts the ferry back and forth, but there they were.

What a skyline!

Once done with that adventure, we hopped in a cab (we did that a lot) to Chelsea Market. Packed with people would be an understatement. Still, it's a fun place to see if you've not been to NY and since I'm a Food Network fan I kinda feel like it's a must.

We went our separate ways for lunch - mostly. The MomUnit wanted a lobster roll and the rest of us wanted Thai. So the MomUnit was to come and find us. We were stalking a table full of old ladies waiting for them to leave. When they got up, Blueberry pounced. Another lady and her family tried to pounce too, but Blueberry put on her NY panties and would have none of that. Though admittedly she felt slightly guilty - as all good North Westerners would. I, however, figure when in Rome...or in the case NY do what they'd do and not feel guilty at all.

I'm no fan of tofu and I swear they put all the tofu in the world in our pad thai. Blech. Being the picky eater that apparently I am...I picked it all out. Blech times two.

We walked the market for another hour or so and got a chance to see all that there was. I would love to live in that area and shop there. So many amazing things that are completely over-priced. But in my fantasy world IF I could live in that area, PRICE would not be a problem.

We stopped for not only doughnuts, but gelato too. I figured I'm on vacation and should be allowed both treats. No guilt here.

After our stroll through the market and the up above garden stroll, we headed back to get ready for the wedding. More on the wedding later. Suffice it to say, I got a wee bit drunk thanks to these:

A Wraspirtini!!!

A Few Things About NY

This past trip to NY was my third time to the big apple. I love the place, but would never want to live there. I may fantasize about it  now and then, the livelihood of the town is just so addicting.  That being said, I've learned a few thing about New York and New Yorkers and proved my theories this trip.

1. Taxi drivers are actually quite good drivers.  They're scarier than hell to ride in, but considering how many cabs are in NY and how few accidents you see. Those guys (and gals I'm sure) really know how to drive. The key is, they ALL drive the same. It's like a choreographed dance. One wrong step and BLAM!

2. Honking isn't because they're pissed. Well, sometimes it is. For example, when a pedestrian crosses against the light and causes a driver to slow down. That horn? Yah, they mean business. Otherwise, the honking is really about awareness. It's saying, "Hey I'm here, don't move over." Being a person who stresses when someone else is driving, I find in NY I just accept that my life is in the hands of skilled drivers.

3. NYers really aren't rude. They are just busy people who need to get where they're going. Each NYer I interacted with was pleasant and helpful. Even the employees in what I think would be the WORST place to work, any store in Time Square.

4. NY is alive. No matter what time of night or day, or where you are, there's something happening. The city breathes. If you want quiet time, fuggedaboutit.

5. I could never imagine saying these words while in NY, "I'm bored."

6. Nor could I ever imagine anyone ever saying, "I'm hungry but there's nothing to eat."

I need to spend more time in NY, but I think it's safe to say it's a city that I love to visit. I've done most of the big touristy stuff now. It'd be nice to spend some quality time strolling through the different parts of the city, starting in Greenwich Village.

I'll be posting more about the trip through this week. I've got much to say...and unlike NYers, I won't have an accent.

Dinner en Blanc

Last Saturday I got to experience something I never thought I would, and didn't even know I wanted to.

The Pantry Goat had invited me to join her in this flash mob which is the dinner en blanc. I was hesitate to at first because I'm not a fan of going to a gathering where I know no one - the Pantry Goat was the hostess so she'd be busy.  I'm shy you see.

No really, I am.

Anyhow, now that you've stopped laughing.

Diner en blanc started in Paris. The story goes that young Parisian man wanted to have an intimate dinner with his friends. He asked them all to bring something and to wear all white so they could recognize each other from the crowds of Paris.  It's grown significantly since that first dinner. It's international now.

What is it? Well it's a flash mob dinner. The participants all arrive at a secret place, set up tables and dinner wear, and feast. It does take some significant planning though. The table host - in this case the Pantry Goat - has to gather guests, figure out who's bringing what, be sure to strong arm all the guest to make sure they wear white from head to toe.

The location of the dinner isn't disclosed until a couple of hours before. That in and of itself is difficult for a planner like me.

This year the dinner was held on Pier 62 on Seattle's waterfront. The view from there is dreamy.  It was a beautiful night and perfect for a flash mob dinner.

I received notification at 3pm where we'd be dining. I was bringing flank steak for the dinner. I threw them on the grill and got the rest of my stuff together.

I took off to Seattle - horrible traffic - and hooked up with a friend of the Pantry Goat's to carpool.  We had a slight miscommunication and this friend thought we'd be walking to the location. Easily a mile or more. Which would normally be fine but I had 4 folding chairs, a bag of meat and two bottles of wine and wearing flip flops. No way I was walking. A couple of his friends were at our drop off location and they offered to drive us down.

Phew.

At 5:45 pm we all met at the waterfront "staging" area. At 6pm sharp notification was given and in 15 minutes time we had tables set up, set with all white dishes, and dinner being served. It was fascinating.

I'm so glad I went and totally plan on going next year. It was truly a riot to see all these people in white - 500 this year - all having a grand time.

At 9:30 sharp we all walk off the pier - flash mob done.

Can you believe I wore white? I wore white for 5 hours and didn't get a single thing on me...amazing.

S.O.S

Let me first say, I am not a baker. Never have been. And most likely never will be. Maybe.

Sure, I can bake cookies, cakes, cupcakes, etc. Those are easy. But when it comes to cooking any type of bread product - biscuits, bread etc - I have a huge blocking something, I don't know what.

The DadUnit used to make these amazing biscuits.  I used to love being home at Christmas time because it was almost guaranteed that we'd do biscuits and gravy for Christmas morning breakfast. I'd often be in the kitchen with the DadUnit, but really not paying much attention.

The DadUnits biscuit recipe is one that he adopted during his time in Iran.  A group of women put together this cookbook and in it - on page 103 - is the famous biscuit recipe.

I'm not even really sure what other recipes my live in this cookbook, because the only one I ever cared about was that one, well-used recipe on page 103.

When the DadUnit died, mom asked me what, if any, of the DadUnit's cookbooks did I want. I knew immediately I had to have the book from Iran. I was going to take on the ownership of THE recipe for the biscuits.  The DadUnit's legacy of the world's best biscuits can live on in me.

Oh so I thought.

I've made these biscuits a couple of time. The first was in the April before the DadUnit passed away. Bigbro, Seattle SIL and I were all down in Tucson to celebrate the DadUnit's birthday. For Easter dinner I decided to make these biscuits.

What I made, instead, were small, over-cooked hockey pucks.

Undeterred I made them one more time. I had a hankering one morning for biscuits and I made a batch. They were underwhelming to say the least. They were flat, flour-y tasting and so not the DadUnit's biscuits.

Today I decided I wanted S.O.S for dinner. S.O.S was a dinner the MomUnit and Father #1 used to make. I don't have very many memories of having it with the DadUnit, but I'm sure we did. My memories are of my early life with Father #1.

What's S.O.S? It's a military meal, from what I understand. It's essentially hamburger gravy and you would put it over toast. I prefer biscuits.

Enter tonight's dinner. Instead of buying biscuits, I decide to make the DadUnit's biscuits. Surely I can make these like he did. Maybe.

Suffice it to say, they were no where near the DadUnit's biscuits. They were a biscuit fail, in my opinion.

Not only did they not rise - which is probably because I flattened the dough too much before cutting it - but they have that flour-y taste to them. They kinda tasted like flour and a little bit of salt.

I am not giving up. There's another recipe just below the biscuit recipe that could be the one the DadUnit used. I have to admit I have never really been sure which of the two recipe's he used. I assumed it was this one because it's where the most "mess" is on the page. Maybe the next time I'll try the other.

It didn't however, stop me from eating them. I just didn't eat as many.

That's the Night That the Light's Went Out in Redmond

Sooo last night, in case you're not following my every move on FB, a bunch of us 3Day girls got together to get caught up with a 3day friend of out of state.

We ate fabulous food.

We laughed until our sides hurt and we were crying.

We drank some wine.

 

Which may explain why we thought everything was so funny.

So after a fabulous dinner and some wine, I wanted to take some photos of this group of ladies. Our hostess' husband was responsible for taking the photo(s). Trying to get this group of ladies to stay still and smile for one simple photo is like herding cats.

Don't believe me?

I give you exhibit 1-7

 

So after all that, I finally make it home at/around 10:30. Princess Lori and I carpooled and as we got closer to my house we realized everything was super dark. All the lights were out.

I pulled into my complex and realized there was no way I was going to be able to get into the garage with Sparky...AND therefore no way to get into the house.

Guess who didn't have a house key with her?

That's right! This girl!

A couple of years ago I locked myself out and made a bunch of keys. I hid two and handed the others out to trustworthy family members.

Over the years, the two I "hid" have been "borrowed" to give to misc people and therefore never replaced.

As Princess Lori stood outside trying to decide where I was going to sleep last night, the lights came on.

I promptly went inside and put one of the keys in my wallet and hid the other.

Now the key will be to have my wallet with me and/or remember where I hid the key. Too bad there isn't an app for that.

Too many classes

I really need to use my calendar more when I'm signing up for online scrapbook classes. I need to pay attention to when the classes are actually taking place. If I had done that, I wouldn't be taking 6 classes at the same time. Ugh.

I realize these are online classes and I realize these aren't for "grades".  But I figure I'm paying for them for a reason and I'm going to take full advantage of these classes. Which means, actually doing the assignments.

Not too surprising, I'm behind. Or I was.

Today I got caught up. I finally finished the European Vacation hybrid (12x12 pages with project life pages) and could not focus on other things.

The other problem with taking so many classes is I have almost no photos, so....I have to dig deep for photos and/or use some of the thousand photos of the cats.

The classes I'm taking are:
1. Grammar Free Journaling - techniques to journal quickly and without much effort
2. Process - I'm a bit baffled by this class. I was hoping it would help me with a work-flow process for scrapbooking. I'm not really finding that, nor am I learning anything new.
3. Stash Busters II - Yah, really need this class to work through my stash
4. iPhone Photography
5 Inspired Scrapbooking - a Year long class. Ugh.

First let's talk about the year long class. What the hell was I thinking? I've done ONE layout...I think. I want to do the other layouts, but am lacking photos for them. Must remedy this. If you know me, you'd better expect photos to be taken of you soon.

Now let's talk about the iPhone Photography class. Not really scrapbooking but photography. And frankly, there's not been anything in this class I didn't already know. So I've been somewhat lazy in taking photos.

I did however, snap this photo for the "change your view point" lesson. I got down on the ground and shot this of Lucy in the tunnel.

The class I focused on most today was Grammar Free Journaling. I wasn't really sure what to expect of this class and have found I'm enjoying what it's teaching. Essentially it's teaching a quick and easy way to journal. My previous journaling was the easiest of all...I hardly did it. I stopped journaling because I figured I'd not be handing down these albums to anyone so why bother.

And then the European trip happened and I figured I probably have a story to tell. My life is important and there is a story there even if no one will be reading it. It satisfies my need to feel like I'm leaving a mark on this world. Delusional? Maybe.

So the first lesson was journaling with a list. Easy.

I drove around last weekend and took photos of all the places I had lived since college. It was a perfect opportunity to "list" out where I lived.

I should also say, that I often will try to use one layout to cover TWO classes. This particular layout I also used for the Process class I'm taking. It covered the "several photos, one story" assignment.

The next assignment for Grammar Free Journaling was a "comparative list". I had had an idea for a long time with regards to Blueberry and I. We're so opposite in so many ways and yet we're best friends. Sometimes I just shake my head in how it's possible.  I'm so glad it is.

The next assignment for this class was "quiz" journaling. The who, what, when, where, why idea.  I used my favorite 3Day photo of last year. I love these ladies more than anything and felt I really needed to highly them and all that is the 3Day.

The last assignment was used for two classes again. The Grammar Free Class had an assignment for a "one sentence" journaling. The other class I'm taking is Stash Busters II.

BeagleBabe and I had taken the first version of this class several months ago and loved it. So when the second iteration of this class came up, we jumped on the opportunity to use up our stash.

The first assignment was to "cluster" photos and layer using odd numbers in embellishments. I'm finding I really want to layer, but I really am not very good at it. This layout took me almost 2 hours, which is a lot for me.

The second assignment for Stash busters was to put photos in a grid. Easy. I used my monthly photos - like book club, dinner club, any other interesting photos. I'm really happy the way it turned out and have received a lot of comments in the class gallery.

And lastly, I choose a photo of Lucy to do for the most recent assignment for the Process class.  The assignment was to use triangles in a layout. I'm really not sure how this is "process" but whatever, I went with it.

I am happy with all of the pages I did today. I'm also happy with the amount of "stash" I used today. I love that I have so much stuff just hanging around that I can simply grab and put something together.