I'm Sooooo Exciting

I saw this first on my cousin Allie's blog, and then when it showed up again on her sister Brooke's blog, I decided that I should go ahead and fill it out for myself. I figure it is just more proof of how truly exciting a person I am. The idea is that if you have done something you put it in bold, and if you haven't, then it remains regular text.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band ....at school (I would like to emphasize that I was IN the band, not OF the band)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland /world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (cross-stitching/quilting counts, right?)
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill (stupid over-developed sense of guilt...)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (does the moon count?)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community (does being in the general vicinity of an Amish community and seeing the hitching post at the gas station count? Not quite sure why you'd bring your horse-drawn wagon to the gas station, but there was a hitching post just the same...)
36. Taught yourself a new language (I'm totally counting my mission language)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing (Oh baby, have I gone rock climbing!)
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person (how have I not done this?)
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible (Don't let my seminary students know...but I gave up on the Old Testament in Exodus...)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (not yet, but knowing Justin, it is only a matter of time)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (again, how have I not done this?)
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day



So there you have it! Oh what fun it is to be me. Feel free to copy into your own blog if you feel so inclined (or if you are still having issues with your camera, Margaret...)

Justin decided to cook the turkey in pieces this year in order to avoid the over-cooked dried out turkey breast, which involved him hacking apart a 20 pound bird. (When you go grocery shopping the night before Thanksgiving, you can't expect there to be a lot of selection left...) Once he got the legs cut off, he realized that the remaining carcass bore an amazing resemblance to an alien's head...

New Year Resolved

This year when the new year rolled around, I actually set a goal. I determined that this year, my goal would be to ride 100 miles in the Sea Gull Century bike ride. This may have been a little presumptuous considering that I didn't even own a bike at that time, but nonetheless, that is the goal I set. I would like to announce that this weekend, I officially achieved my new year's resolution for 2008. I actually rode 100 miles on my bike yesterday, and the only snag in the day's adventure was that I forgot to bring any socks. I ended up buying some guy's extra pair of old socks for $5 bucks, only to find out they were selling socks inside. Oh well. Justin finished in 5 hours 12 minutes, and I finished some time after that. Here are the pictures:

Here we are in our matching spandex outfits, ready to start the ride. The lady taking the picture for us had to try three times before actually taking a picture. (It was kind of awkward after asking if they had any socks that I could buy, going back a few minutes later asking if they would take a picture for us...and then having to go back three times since it didn't actually take.

During the four hours Justin had to wait for me to finish, he had time to take this picture. He also had time to fall asleep on the concrete wall by the finish line, leading some to wonder if he was dead or alive.

I clearly wasn't there to snap a picture of Justin when he finished, but he was there waiting for me. (Notice the ugly black socks that I was wearing--bad idea for someone who doesn't have a tan to begin with.)

And I made it!!

All in all, it was a great ride. It was perfect weather, and a completely flat route, and I actually had a great time. I'm not enjoying myself quite as much today, however, because it hurts to sit, I can barely walk, and every muscle hurts, but at least I accomplished my goal!

Chuck Norris, Black Belt Patriot

So, I know that it's been a while since I used my blog as a place to publish my personal opinions on random topics, but I really couldn't pass this one up. We all know that Chuck Norris doesn't have a chin--he has another fist. And we know that his tears can cure cancer (if he had ever cried). And that before the boogey man goes to bed, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris. (If you didn't know any of these facts, look here.) I think sometime in the near future, Sean Hannity might start checking his closet for Chuck Norris as well. You may not be aware of this, but Chuck Norris, the great patriot that he is, has written a book entitled "Black Belt Patriotism" in which he outlines his common sense solutions to America's problems.

No. I am not joking. Truly, Chuck Norris has outlined a plan to return America to its greatness of previous generations. Some are referring to this as "a cultural manifesto on rebuilding America." He's not just keeping the Texas range safe anymore. If you're not intrigued yet, another review stated, "Norris does not disappoint in any respect, even in conveying plenty of personal stories as well, many told for the first time in this book, personal accounts with border agents and troops abroad to stories of American-heritage revisionism and his weekly work-out plan with his family's nutritional diet."

I think if our whole country followed the Chuck Norris' family diet, we'd be in better shape already. (Pun very much intended.)

This book was brought to my attention because the radio morning show I listen to on my way to work had him as a guest visitor. I think my whole day went better just knowing that Chuck Norris is out to save America. And while I think it's pretty hysterical that Chuck Norris is writing a political book and expects to be taken seriously, he actually made some pretty good points. Maybe a lifetime of rooting out evil on TV brings some sort of clarity otherwise only attainable by those with an education.

This post is an invitation to all, to share with me your love of either America, Chuck Norris, or entertainer-politician-authors in general. (And did you know that Chuck Norris is 68? Dang, he's in good shape for his age!)

Home Canning, Part III

After last's year's inaugural run of home canning, we learned a very important lesson--not all home canned goods are worth the effort. We were trying all sorts of crazy things like pickles, salsa, and spaghetti sauce, all of which we ended up throwing away. This year, we decided that we should just keep it simple.

On Saturday we went to the farmer's market in Old Towne Alexandria, and haggled our way to a great price on heirloom tomatoes and peaches. Okay, haggling might be a bit strong of a word. Really, we asked the farmer if we were to buy a whole box of peaches, if he'd give us a deal--and he said, "Sure. I'll give you 25 lbs. for $20 bucks." In case you haven't priced out peaches lately, that is a very good deal. (They were originally $2.29/lb) We did the same with the tomato dealer--we got 12.5 lbs of tomatoes for a steal!

So this year's canning went much smoother than last year. All we had to do was blanche, peel, and stuff in the can. Easy peasy!

We started by putting all the peaches in the fridge. It looked pretty cool, so I took a picture.

And here are our tomatoes. They look funny because they were grown to taste good (rather than ship well). We have been fully indoctrinated on the importance of buying locally grown food.

So Here I am about to put the peeled tomatoe into the bowl. (Note: I woke up and walked directly out into the kitchen for our canning adventure, so if I don't look quite as beautiful as usual, pray forgive.)

Then Justin took them from the bowl and put them in the cans. He wore his red shirt just in case he spilled. (He has maybe had a few tomato drips down his shirt recently.)


And now it's on to the peaches. Tip: If you cut an "X" into the peach or tomato before blanching, it makes it really easy to peel.

Peeling the peaches is fun to do, fun to do, to do, to do...

The tomatoes are done! But what happened to the 5th can? I swear we put 5 cans into the steam bath...

How sad! The bottom blew off the jar, so we lost 1/5 of our tomatoes.

But it turns out we had way more peaches than we anticipated.

All in all, we ended up with 4 jars of tomatoes and 13 jars of peaches, and it only took 3.5 hours from start to all cleaned up and blogged about. It should be a peachy winter!

European Adventure: Conclusion

So Spain was amazing! Here's what happened next:

We left Ronda and headed south and drove along the beach past Malaga to a little beach town called Torrox (close to Nerja). We didn't actually bring beach towels with us, so we showed up amidst the crowds of people with their beach chairs and chaise lounges, and set out our hand towels and sat down. Fortunately, we found a grassy area, so the hand towels were adequate (but it was pretty funny).

After a lovely afternoon at the Mediterranean, we drove up to Granada and went on a moonlit tour of El Alhambra. We didn't know what to expect, and were pretty much blown away at the intricate decorations on the walls and ceilings. A very impressive building. We stayed the night in Granada, woke up late the next morning and had a lovely breakfast (at noon) of churros dipped in hot chocolate pudding (good, but could have used WAY more sugar) and gazpacho. It turns out that I really like gazpacho--it really hits the spot on a hot day.

Justin doesn't count a vacation a vacation unless he's climbed there...so he found a random mountain called El Chorro, and we headed off the beaten path to find it. We expected it to be in the middle of nowhere, and thought it was more than likely that we'd have to sleep in the car. In fact, when we saw a sign for El Chorro right in front of a tiny dirt road, we assumed that was the turn off. We took our little Ford Fiesta off-roading a little ways before seeing a road down below and deciding that maybe we should try that instead. It turned out that El Chorro is actually a major Spanish tourist attraction, much like Zion National Park combined with Lake Powell. (There are huge limestone rock faces and a really deep reservoir in the middle of the desert.) It also turned out we didn't have to sleep in the car because there was a sweet resort called La Garganta that had lovely little apartementos for us to rent. We liked it so much we stayed two days. The first day we went climbing with our chain-smoking, f-bomb dropping climbing guide, Sergio (the highlight of the trip for Justin.) And the next day we spent swimming at the clean, beautiful, not-too-cold lake (the highlight of the trip for me). We were going to climb up to this little pathway built across the gorge at El Chorro, but I had a last-moment panic attack, so we didn't do it.

Instead, we drove back toward Rota to catch our flight--which we thought would be around 8pm the next night. We stopped in Jerez de la Fontana to sleep for the night. Fortunately for us, we woke up at nine that morning (an hour or two earlier than the rest of the trip...it turns out that in Spain, they stay up late!) and called the air-base, because the flight had been moved up to 11:25 am instead. We high-tailed it back to Rota with just enough time, only to find a sign at the car rental shop that said, "Back at 11:30." STRESS!! We started booking it (with all our stuff) onto the base to sign in, and then we'd worry about the rental car after that. Fortunately, a nice family in a minivan stopped and asked if we needed a ride, and they drove us to the terminal on the base. Once we were checked in, Justin ran back to the rental car place and returned the car, and then ran back. Let's just say he was kind of sweaty. :) But we made it on the flight, and got back Sunday night.

It was a perfect week adventure! Click here to see the pictures.

European Adventure, Days 2 and 3: Arcos and Ronda

So we actually made it to Spain! We sat at the terminal at Dover pretty much all day Monday, but for some reason, it didn´t seem that bad. There were a bunch of nice people there (some of whom had been waiting for 5 days to make it on a flight). We flew on a C5--which is a huge cargo plane. It was pretty awesome. The best part was that there was enough room to lie down on the floor and go to sleep.



We made it to Spain early Tuesday morning, rented a car, and headed out to the hill towns of Andalucia. We went to Arcos de la Frontera in the morning (a beautiful white-washed city built on the side of a cliff, with small winding roads similar to venice). Then we set off to the next little town, Ronda, and that´s about when we hit a wall. Not literally, although, driving in Spain where we don´t know what any of the traffic sign mean, it´s probably fortunate that we didn´t hit a wall. And that we´ve actually found our way to the places we want to go. Anyway, we were both about to fall asleep by the time we made it to Ronda...so we found a hotel and took a nap.



We spent the evening wandering around the beautiful little village, again white-washed and built on the side of a cliff with an impressive bridge across a gorge. Anyway, this afternoon we´re heading to Granada, and tomorrow we are going to do some rock climbing. So fun!

European Adventure, Day 1: Dover

Just to give you a little explanation of the entries that are to follow, Justin and I decided on Saturday night that we should just take the risk, and hop on a military "space-a" flight to Europe. The reason this is a little risky is because it is not uncommon for people to get over to Europe only to find there is no room on the flights coming back. This could be bad as we checked the prices for tickets heading back from Europe, and they were all about $2,000 each. So, you can see we are taking quite a gamble. Our original plan was to head to Italy, but reports of people getting stuck there were pretty high, so we changed our plans to go to Spain. And after a quick conversation with Cousin Ted about what to see in Spain, we both became very excited about our destination.

Day 1:
We were going to try to get up really early and make it to Dover AFB in time for the flight that was heading to Spain at 8:40 am. But let's be honest, Justin and I decided at 7 pm Saturday night to go to Europe, so we didn't exactly get to bed early, and we decided that we'd just aim for the 12:40 pm flight instead.

Here's what was supposed to happen next: We would leave our house at 8:00, drive two hours to get to Dover (Delaware) and hop on the flight to Spain at 12:40.

Here's what really happened: We left our apartment at about 8:55 am. We were cruising right along, an hour later than planned, but still plenty early for the 12:40 roll call. And then, at 9:43, our plans came to a screeching hault--or at least traffic did. Now, we all know that DC traffic isn't known for being kind and accommodating, but this was probably the worst traffic experience I can recall. You know things are bad when passengers are getting out and walking alongside their cars, and when the driver of the car in front of you gets out, grabs his deodorant, applies it and gets back in the car. It literally took us about four hours to go two miles. By living at 9 am we thought we'd for sure make the 12:40 flight, and if not, we thought that there'd be no way to miss the 4:20 pm flight later that afternoon. But...we did! (Actually, we arrived about 4 pm, only to find that the 4 pm flight was canceled.)

Anyway, it turns out that a tractor trailer somehow went over the edge of the Bay Bridge (the one bridge across Chesapeake Bay from Maryland heading toward the beaches of Delaware) so one side of the bridge was closed. And it is kind of a weird sight to see a huge truck in the bay, so there was plenty of rubber-necking.

Long story short, we ended up staying the night in Dover and actually had a great time. We watched the Olympics (which I LOVE), and screamed at the top of our lungs for the USA swimming relay team, and found an amazing little place for dinner. (Justin ate a 24 oz. steak. That is a lot of meat!!)

Now we're off to hang out at the terminal and hope for the best. If we don't get on the flight today, our European vacation may turn into a New England vacation...but here's hoping!

Happy Birthday America

So, these pictures probably won't look super patriotic (we have no pinwheels, tiaras or sparklers), but this was probably my favorite 4th of July in memory. Here's why:

1. We got to spend time with Ali and Jim
2. We did not capsize into the Charles despite the fact that Jim (though he be a certified helmsman) had never had anyone else in his boat, or sailed on a red wind day. I did get soaked with river splash, hoewever.
   
3. We got to break a Happy Birthday America pinata made by Jim. It turns out that Jim has been making a plethora of pinatas. (Although technically Will was the one to actually break it, we all benefited from the spoils.)
4. I was reminded how much I enjoy playing frisbee.
5. We wandered around Boston's Freedom Trail, felt the spirit of '76 and were filled with patriotism from the cradle of the revolution.
6. Watched the best failed western TV show pilot ever made.
7. Spent some time on a slightly chilly, uncrowded beach. (Although, it turns out that I did not get tan.)
8. The best fireworks show I have ever seen in my life...accompanied by the Boston Pops and Rascal Flats.
9. Besides one minor spot, we did not hit traffic the whole way home.
10. Did I mention hanging out with Ali and Jim?

It really was a fantastic weekend in Boston. Here are the pictures:

Look what Justin made!!

Well, as if Justin didn't already do everything, we can now officially add "artist" to his long list of qualifications. Believe it or not, he made this from scratch. Well, he didn't make the license plates, but he did cut them out and build and paint the backdrop. We got the idea for this about a year ago when we saw a similar work of art at the National Portrait Gallery.

Anyway, Justin decided that he could make one...and it turns out that he was right (which is good because the one at the Portrait Gallery cost $4,000). Besides the suggestion I gave him to actually plan which color of license plates he was buying (so that all of the Western United States didn't end up the same color) he did the whole thing himself. And it fits in so nicely with our vibrant red couches. Bravo, my love! (Watch out Dan Bradshaw--you're not the only "arteest" in the family now!)

Here's a better view...

And here it is when I used the flash...you can tell which license plates were really old because they didn't reflect...

Pretty sweet!!

Ride Like the Wind...

...the Black Wind, that is. You may or may not have been watching my g-chat tagline over the past two months, but it has basically been taking various forms of "I want a bike." And it turns out that I finally got one. I only crashed twice on my maiden voyage. The first time was kind of embarrassing because we had just made it to a pedestrian-heavy intersection in Old Towne Alexandria, and I kind of forgot that my foot was attached to the pedal. When I went to step down, it just tipped my bike over on top of me. Oops. I almost fell on top of a man walking by on the sidewalk. He was looking at me in shock (no doubt wondering why I all of a sudden tipped over). Anyway, I digress. The bike that I finally chose is called a "Vent Noir". That means black wind in French. So when I say I'm riding the black wind, I mean it.

Justin and I decided that we should bike for a cause, so we joined Booz Allen's Bike MS team (hence the sweet flaming jerseys). What that means is that we ride our bikes in the hopes that our friends and family will donate money to a good cause. I'm only about $200 short of my goal. And just think, if all of my friends were to contribute just a few dollars, I think I'd reach my fundraising goal in no time! If you are interested in being one of those friends who want to fund research to cure MS, please click here. All you have to do is type in Bethany Scott, and make a TAX DEDUCTABLE contribution. (Do you like how I'm using my blog as a fundraising forum? Anything for a cure! (Actually, my grandpa died of MS when I was two, so I actually have a reason for supporting this cause...)

This weekend we did a training ride out in Purcellville, Virginia. I decided not to put sunscreen on my arms. Big mistake. Now my legs are speckled, and my arms are red striped (there's a sweet line in the middle of my bicep where my sleeves were). Oh well. It was really fun. I rode 32.5 miles--my new personal record. And I'm in way less pain than I was last weekend after only 25 miles. Good times!

In other news, the prophet said to plant a garden, so that's what we did. And when I say "we", I mean Justin planted a garden, and I sat there and watched him, and then took some pictures. I was giving him a lot of praise for his good work, so I'm pretty sure I contributed to the successful beginnings of our summer salads. Here are the pictures:

Justin planting tomatoes.

Looking at me and planting tomatoes...

The finished product. We have, tomatoes, peppers, parsley, teragon, sage, thyme, broccoli, green onions, strawberries, romain lettuce, green lettuce, beans, chives, cilantro, oregano, mint, peppermint, basil, rosemary, a maple tree and a pine tree. Not bad for a tiny balcony!!!

Lord of the Flies

This weekend, Justin and I headed to the Shenandoahs for a little adventure in the mountains. It turned out to be a beautiful day, and when I say it was a beautiful day, I mean that I was wearing a t-shirt all day and wasn't cold.


We started the day by hauling up the mountain. Fortunately, Justin was carrying 50 pounds of climbing gear, which made it possible for me to keep up with him. Once we got to the top, instead of chilling with the scout troupe that was up there, we kept right on going in order to bushwack our way down to a hidden climbing area. I took some lovely pictures of the foliage (or lack thereof) and of Justin climbing.


Throughout the time Justin was climbing, there were little gnat-sized flies buzzing around...and they were very pesky, but I didn't think much of it. After Justin finished the route a couple of times, we made our way back up to the trail in order to find some easier stuff for me to climb. The climb we found ended up being a little harder than expected. I made it about three-fourths of the way, and then had to have Justin hoist me up. In my own words, "I had nothing left to give." We packed up our stuff, and hiked our way back to the summit where we tried (unsuccessfully) to capture the beauty of the day. Instead, we got a kind of lame self portrait in the sunset.


Anyway, it turns out that all those pesky little flies were doing more than just buzzing around. I realized when we got home, that I was being eaten alive!!! I've declared myself the Lord of the flies, since apparently, they LOVE my blood. Justin got a few bites here and there, but I got 22 bites on one leg, and 33 on the other. I look like I have leprosy!

The Clothing-Coordination Connection and Conference

I have discovered a simple truth. I am much more athletic when I'm fashionably clad than when I'm not. I was first made aware of this strange clothing-coordination connection two years ago when I started dabbling in tennis. The summer before moving to D.C. I spent a lot of time playing tennis with people in my ward, and I was never very good, until I bought my sweet tennis outfit. You know, a cute little skirt outfit that the pros wear. I'm not exaggerating, but my skills jumped significantly on occasions when I was wearing the outfit, and dropped back down again when I wasn't. I only bring this up because I have recently decided that I need some fashionable climbing/hiking clothing.

A couple of weekends ago, I went with my friends Katie D. and Roz and Justin to hike around Sugarloaf Mountain in Maryland. We had a great time--it was briskly cold, and actually snowed for part of the time we were hiking. The only down side to the experience was the number of colors that I was wearing. Note the outfit below: You don't see the full glory of my outfit in the picture, but when it got really cold, I was wearing about 6 different clashing colors. I had on Justin's green pants (I don't own any long pants that aren't jeans, so I had to borrow from my husband, which is clearly sick and wrong, but I will try to refrain from pontificating on the evils of a fashion industry who fails to actually sell clothing that fits a woman over a certain height...), my puffy red coat from the GAP (my sporty coat comes from the GAP because it's the only company that makes tall sized coats with sleeves long enough for my arms...), pink gloves, forest green wool socks, and white and lavender shoes. I'm pretty sure that I would be way better at climbing if I only had an appropriate outfit...And a word about Justin's hat--he couldn't find his beanie when we were leaving, so he just grabbed his biking hat, which is designed to fit under a helmet--in case you were wondering why Justin was wearing a swimming cap. But despite our current fashion-faux pas, we all had a lovely time in the great outdoors. (And, just so you know, I ordered some North Face pants when we got home. I know that I am ridiculous, but I guarantee I am more coordinated when I don't clash...and when I'm not wearing my husband's pants.)

In a totally unrelated note, Justin and I had a great time watching General Conference this weekend. It was a spiritual feast...and an artistic inspiration!


We may need to re-read Elder Child's talk when it comes out in the Ensign...I can't recall exactly what Justin was going for on the pinky-toe (that is Justin's foot, by the way), but we decided it looks like the family beaver. Every knows that every family needs a beaver.

Welcome Home!

I must say that one of the best things about being married is having our own home. Not that we own the apartment that we are currently living in, but at least we know that everything in the refrigerator belongs to us. (I can't tell you how many groceries I let go bad because I wasn't sure if it was mine or my roommates, so we both just let it sit there until it was rotten to a point that we knew no matter who had originally purchased it, neither of us would want it at that point.)

Before we flew out to Utah to get married, we spent the week painting, moving and unpacking (moving and unpacking were actually squeezed into the Saturday before we flew out for the wedding) so that we could return to a beautiful home. Now, a month later, with the TV securely mounted on the wall, I decided that we are officially settled in, and it was time for me to invite you all on a virtual tour of our new abode.

The first thing you will see when you come to our house (everyone is invited to visit!!) is the door. Actually, you will see the gate outside, and you'll have to call us to buzz you up. Ha! No missionaries will be trackting at our house. (Did anyone else hate those door buzzer things on their mission?) Anyway, I included this picture mostly because I wanted everyone to see our doormat. Apparently at this complex it is customary to have a doormat, so we have obliged.


When you walk in the door, this is the view you will see:


If you were to look to your right, you would find our laundry room, which I didn't actually take a picture of because I figured that nobody really wants to see our laundry room. But I'm sure you're all excited to see our bathroom...it is quite spacious, featuring dual vanities and a linen closet, two things that I did not have in my previous apartment. And I didn't even clean it up for the pictures. We are actually that tidy!!


Once you get over the excitement of our lovely bathroom, your eye will probably be caught by the bright red couches in the living room. These couches were my best purchase of 2006. They are comfy, and yet oh so stylish.


This is the perfect place to sit and watch our new sweet TV that Justin mounted all by himself. (We're pretty pleased with the fact that instead of buying a $500 mount and paying an extra $500 for someone to install it, Justin found a similar mount online for $160 and installed himself with no problem...HGTV here we come!) We haven't decided what to do with the cords yet, but I'm sure we'll figure something out. At least we can enjoy the architectural beauty of our fireplace and watch TV at the same time.


When we were choosing paint colors, we actually chose the whole color scheme based on a dishcloth we saw at Crate & Barrel. We really went out on a limb when we decided to paint the kitchen and dining areas Surfer Blue. It's definitely a bold statement. I like to think of it as an ode to our family members in Hawaii, and in the dead of Winter it reminds me of a swimming pool. Overall, I think it actually turned out really well. I especially like the contrast between the surfer blue in the dining area and the grasscloth green of the bedroom.


I also have to say that I married into some pretty sweet bedroom furniture!! (And Justin made the frames above the bed...mucho impressivo!)


You're probably thinking by now, what other amazing features can this apartment have? Well, the answer is a huge walk-in closet! I was particularly excited about this feature since my previous bedroom did not actually have a closet. I had to fit all of my clothes and shoes into a tiny armoire from IKEA. I don't know if you can tell by the picture, but we really maximized this space.


And last, but not least, we have a cute little balcony where Justin keeps his garden, and from which you can get a preview of the beautiful cherry blossoms below.



So that is our home!! We're excited for everyone to come see it in person! :)

Adventures in Home Canning, Part II

When you can pickles, you can't taste them right away. (It turns out that pickles are really just cucumbers.) You have to wait a couple of months so that the vinegar has time to work its magic. Justin and I decided that the time had finally come for us to try our home canning experiments. We started with the spaghetti sauce.

I was making stuffed pasta shells for dinner one night, and the recipe called for spaghetti sauce, so I decided to use one of our homemade cans. We had used the recipe from Barbara Kingsolver's book, the one that inspired all the domesticity in the first place. It turns out that while Kingsolver has written several good books, she doesn't really have a flare for writing recipes. The spaghetti sauce was nasty, and we dumped it all out.

Next we tried the pickles, with much the same result: it turned out they were nasty, and we dumped them all out.

After two disappointments already, we turned to the salsa without much hope. Even as we were canning it, we thought that there was a good chance we had chosen a terrible salsa recipe. The thing that clued us in to this was the apple cidar vinegar combined with 7 cloves of garlic. We were right. The salsa was terrible, and we dumped it out.

So what did we get out of more than 50 pounds of tomatoes and cucumbers? A mere 6 jars of tomatoes. Lessons learned: 1. Find a good recipe before you start canning. 2. Instead of canning, just go to the store and buy what you need.