Making things from scratch that you usually just buy

My wife Sarah and I have been getting in to cooking, like many young married couples do. Lately we discovered making croutons and chips at home! We always have a little extra bread laying around, so croutons are a perfect use of starting-to-harden cracked wheat sour dough bread. That's Sarah's specialty...she cuts them up, adds olive oil and Italian spices, then broils them in the oven. They taste amazing...absolutely no comparison with store bought!

 We also were left with quite a few extra corn tortillas after a big fajita making housewarming party, and decided to come up with a use for them. I found some recipe's online, and realized it's pretty easy! Just chop up the tortillas (I use a pizza cutter), lay them flat on a cookie sheet, spray both sides with cooking spray, top off with some cayenne pepper, salt, and paprika, and cook 'em at 450 until their done! They seem healthier than most chips, and taste great! Plus, there's no bag of chips laying around the house to tempt you (I stopped buying chips about a year ago because I can't control myself). When you want them, you just make them!

Plants Vs Zombies

I'm not much of a gamer... I swear. I was happier watching my brothers beat Final Fantasy VII and Starcraft and all the classics, rather than try and get past level one myself. But! I admit I have a new game love: Plants vs Zombies!


Does that picture look ridiculous? That because it is.... a ridiculous amount of fun!!!!! I was very skeptical when Kevin showed me the game on our Xoom Tablet. I didn't think I'd give it an entire minute. Three days of planting pea lobbing plants and sunflowers to kill oncoming undead attackers later, I finally beat the adventure mode. Phew!!! I couldn't think about anything else until I did. So addictive! But I think it activates a part of my brain, the intelligent strategy creating war game lobe of the brain that doesn't get activated very often in daily life. Whatever the reason, this video game makes me so happy!!!!!!!

It's available in the iOS AppStore or the Amazon AppStore on Android. Go kill some Zombies!!!

The way your mouth feels drinking coffee after a spicy breakfast

OK I know this one is really specific, but it really does make me happy. For example, I made spicy omelette's for breakfast yesterday (eggs, onions, peppers, pepper jack cheese, and habanero sausage). It was delicious, and left that subtle burn in my mouth; not overpowering, but there. For some reason, I just love drinking coffee after eating a breakfast like that. My mouth is still tingly and full of flavor, and the coffee just blends in with a weirdly satisfying mixture. Maybe it's because it reminds me of fun brunches, like on the beach in El Salvador with my sister, or my honeymoon with Sarah. Or maybe it's just awesome on its own. Or both.

Beach Volleyball

Thanks to my friend Chris, I've recently been getting back into volleyball. I haven't played much since high school, and very little on the beach, but it has been awesome. There's something satisfying and zen about getting a great workout with your toes in the sand. The pace of the game is great too...it's laid back and chill, but still upbeat and energetic during long rallies. I'm definitely planning on keeping this one up. The fact that we play at night under the lights means that I can get a good day's work in, and still play. No tan under the lights though...oh well!

Mimosas

Yesterday was my birthday. And my husband spoiled me rotten; it was the sweetest day ever! I could add every single one of the many many loving gestures and sweet gifts and treats we enjoyed on the 14th to this blog. But... that would be a really really really long post, and this is meant to be simple, enjoyable, and to the point, which, well, makes me happy. So... I've chosen the mimosa.
Mimosa, a mixture of orange juice and sparkling white wine. I love that it can be a glass of oj and a splash of champagne, or a splash of oj in a flute of champagne, and both are called "mimosas"! I love saying the name, mih mOH sahz. And I loooooove that my husband made fresh squeezed orange juice and pulled out a nice champagne to start my 24th birthday morning. Mimosas, oddly enough, remind me both of my wedding day and Christmas at my dad's house. Odd, I know.

A Triumph Story

This blog is all about fun, but I want to pause for a moment to highlight something that is prevalent in our society although largely unnoticed, and keeps many people from experiencing the simple and fundamental rights and joys that most of us enjoy and take for granted.

Last night I attended the Coalition To Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST)'s annual Gala where I was reminded of the horrors of slavery and human trafficking that are happening both in my very neighborhood, and around the world. The courageous stories of trafficking survivors are helping to fight this illegal and inhumane industry, through government action and community awareness. An estimated 10-30 million (!!) people are enslaved today worldwide. Read and watch about some of these stories at the CAST web site, or at the CNN Freedom Project, and consider giving to CAST to support their efforts. Though these stories start with years of sadness and abuse, they illustrate the importance and joy of freedom, which we take for granted every day. Seeing a former slave reveling in the freedom to do seemingly simple things like work for an honest days pay, have a place to live, and sit in traffic in her own car brings a lot of joy to my heart.

A good coffee mug

One thing that really makes me happy is a good coffee mug. There's nothing like drinking strong, dark coffee out of a fun mug to start your day off right. My current mug was the idea for this blog. It was a wedding present from my now grandmother-in-law, Ernie. It's from Blue Spruce Pottery in Bend, OR.

Also in the background of the picture, is my old coffee mug. The back of it says "Oh Boy!" :-).

My work coffee mug is a fun one too. It may be a little girly with the hearts, but it's impossible to drink out of without smiling!