Friday Flashback: Hawaii Part I

Hawaii, the big island, is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Everything you've heard about it is true, and then some. Good food, good people, amazing views.

Two years ago in April we got the chance to vacation in Hawaii. It was the best vacation I've ever taken. My favorite part was snorkeling. We bought two sets of snorkeling gear at Walmart and spent most of our time under water. It never got tiring (just a little chilly). One day we will certainly make our way back there again.

Well, a picture is worth a thousand words, so to recapture our experience, here are some noteworthy photos of our trip.

Hawaiian juice trio

Seaside dinner at sunset

top of Mauna Kea

Life after volcanic eruption

Sea turtle

horseback riding in Waipio Valley

Waipio Valley shoreline

Friday Flashback: Reunions

We are getting so excited about our upcoming trip. Our college friend Scott is getting married in one week! I'm ecstatic for him and his fiancee. I'm also excited for a reunion of college friends. It's been so long since we have gotten together, as most of us are living in different corners of the U.S.

We've had many adventures together. Just 5 years ago in March, 2007, we visited the Big Apple.

Looked for oysters and wireless in Boston...success!

Saw the cold and magnificent Niagara Falls.

Fall of 2007, we took a road trip to Atlanta, hot and hard to navigate, but we cooled down with some Yo La Tengo.

And Chinese restaurant calamari.

At that time my kitty was a young lad. Now look at him :)

Left: 2008 Right: 2012

The last time we all saw each other was 3 1/2 years ago in beautiful Charleston.

Magnolia Plantation

In one week, we'll get to see everybody...Jen, Josh, Scott, Dave...again. I can hardly wait to see what other adventures we will have together in the future--now with Scott's new bride!

But before then, a power hot yoga week to make sure my dress for the wedding will fit. Wish me luck!

Friday Flashback: First Date

My husband and I met during our sophomore year, in January, some time before the super bowl. Bill invited me to watch the super bowl with some of his friends. Even though it was not very personal, we always talk about it as if it was our first date, and recount the hilarity involving a couch sawed in half and put back together.

I don't know if we'll get to watch the super bowl this year, but I'm sure glad we watched that one back in our sophomore year. <3

Speaking of first dates and love, have you sent out your valentines yet? Whether it's a facebook message, e-card, or old-fashioned snail-mail, it's a good excuse to reconnect with old friends. Our friends have scattered across the country since college (we were guilty of moving to Alaska), so I want to take this chance to say "I'm thinking of you!"

I found this adorable heart shaped hairpin pattern on pinterest, and easy pouch pattern on Lion Brand Yarn. It's an easy project to use up your scrap yarn and show your besties that they mean the world to you!

Friday Flashback: Animal Tracks

A week of light snow in Upstate New York has been really exciting. It set the mood for our snowboarding day we've planned with Bill's sister. I've never snowboarded on the east coast, and it's kind of different, especially because most of the snow was machine made. Bill's sister never skied before, so she took lessons and really made some impressive progress. We all left exhausted, having had the best of times, with bruises to show for it. Afterwards, we had some hot cocoa and eggnog. Dumplings for dinner.

Doesn't this picture make you want a cup of hot cocoa or tea?

The morning of the first snow, I took some pictures around the area and got some interesting duck track pictures. So I thought I could have a round up of animal tracks we've seen and photographed so far. Most of them were in Alaska, as you would imagine.

Matanuska Glacier State Park, Alaska, Winter 2009, Moose Tracks

Denali State Park, Alaska, Summer 2009, Bear Track

Denali State Park, Alaska, Summer 2009, Wolf Track

Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, Summer 2010, Caribou Track

New York State, Winter 2012, Mallard Duck Tracks

Some ducks walked all the way across the pond.

We saw some pretty awesome animals in the wild during our stay in Alaska. If you ever considered taking a trip to Alaska, you should do it.

Maybe we'll get to add a few more to the list in the future. Perhaps a kangaroo or a koala?

Friday Flashback: Knitted Christmas Gifts

Christmas is soon upon us, which means...presents! (And baby Jesus). Every year I get the urge to knit something. Sometimes, the project turns out nice enough to give away and I have one gift idea taken care of.

Two years ago, I started learning how to knit sweaters. I still need more practice, but the first one didn't turn out bad at all. I gave the knitted vest to my mom.

Then I got bold and decided to tackle a sweater. With sleeves.

The knitting part actually went pretty quickly. What took me the longest were blocking and sewing. I have no patience for sewing but maybe one day I'll appreciate it more.

And it fits! I love it when things just work out. Not all my projects do. They're hidden in the closet.

This year I finally finished a cape I was knitting. Not quite good enough to be a present, but plenty nice for myself. 

I like seed stitch; it makes the fabric look more substantial.

In addition, I knitted Bill an afghan. He's pretty excited to have another afghan to go with the one his grandma gave him. His dream is to have an afghan for every room. Be careful what you wish for! ~.^

Did you make any holiday presents this year? If so, do share! Merry Christmas everyone!

Friday Flashback: Snow!

It snowed yesterday! But it mostly melted overnight and iced over. Still, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a white Christmas. 

A quick look at our past years' albums reveals that we didn't cook very much the weeks leading up to Christmas. Instead, we did a lot of snow sports. Needless to say, we got a lot of snow in Alaska. So naturally we spent a lot of time in the snow. The first year Bill got his snowboard, he tried it out in our driveway. 

Thumbs up for not falling

Then he dragged me to the practice hill in Hatcher Pass. Dragged because I was terrified of going fast, but I didn't want my fears to get the best of me. I'm determined to improve, but I will to do it at my own pace, which is very very slowly.

Going so slow, it looks like I'm just standing there

After a couple seasons of learning, I still prefer going back-country snowboarding, despite the effort of walking up and the risk of avalanches. Why? Well, it's much nicer to fall on a bed of soft snow!

Hatcher Pass, Alaska

Actually in between snowboarding and cross-country skiing, we did learn how to make pizzas three years ago a few weeks before Christmas. We were so proud of ourselves. Even though it was misshapen, we devoured it with delight. Now we make pretty good looking (and tasty!) pizzas, but the first one was still special.

Mushroom and Spinach Pizza

Last year, we also visited our friends at the Musk Ox Farm a week before Christmas. Check back if you want to see pictures of some cute musk oxen!

Friday Flashback: Making Christmas Cookies

This time two years ago, we were busy making Christmas cookies for our family. Because we lived so far away, we had to make it early enough for airmail. This year, we can just bring the cookies to them! There weren't many pictures of the finished product because we were so exhausted after making 20 batches of cookies. At the end, I vowed I would never make Christmas cookies again. But as the time gets closer, I'm getting tempted again, especially after looking at some wonderful pictures at I Am Baker.

Reindeer or moose? We prefer moose

Some honey drizzling action

The kitchen overflowed.

Will you be making any Christmas cookies this year?

Friday Flashback: Moose!

For the past three years, we didn't always get to have Thanksgiving together because Bill was working in the Arctic. When he was off around a week or two before the holiday, we'd compensate by doing lots of outdoor activities together. Of course, we had to be bundled up in Alaska.

Hatcher Pass, Alaska

See those cabins there? MythBusters apparently tested cabin fever there.

Coincidentally, they also busted a myth about moose in the same episode. Rupert first met this moose a week before Thanksgiving three years ago. This picture is for my mom who hasn't seen Rupert for four months. One more month, mom!

There were three different ones, if you look closely, just hanging out in our yard and grazing. My coworkers and I sometimes joked that they were my cubemates (I telecommute).

Then Rupert met another moose last year. Or maybe one of the little ones had grown up?

Hello Moose!

Sometimes they licked our car for salt, like deer.

And they left tracks like these in the snow. It's amazing how they stay on top of the snow, being such heavy creatures.

Keep your eyes open. Sometimes they would appear on the side of the road.

Beautiful day in June

Unfortunately, I never got to cook moose, so this is not a cooking post. But I hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Friday Flashback: First Alaskan Winter

It's hard to believe we've been married for three years. After the honeymoon, I moved into the Alaskan cabin Bill prepared for us, with my cat Rupert. This dream cabin has a spiral staircase and huge windows.

Rupert misses his spiral staircase

We lived fifteen minutes from the mountain pass. The mountains were already covered with snow by the first of November.

We had just gotten a bright and shiny casserole as a wedding gift and I was eager to use it to make something comforting. I decided to make chicken dumplings. I don't even remember what recipe I used, but it warmed us up.

The first cake I baked in this kitchen was a lemon cake with cream cheese icing. I love cake. I think we finished that in three days.

To work that all off, we went cross-country skiing just fifteen minutes from our cabin. Classic cross-country is pretty easy to pick up. Even I learned how to enjoy it.

Rolling hills were advanced for my level

Perhaps we will find some good cross-country spots this winter. We'll certainly be having lots of dumplings and cake! Next time I'll bookmark the recipes and share it with you. What recipes do you like to make when it's getting cold out?

Chinese dumplings