Age ain't nothin' but a number

My birthday came and went, and I told myself I was going to celebrate with some "New Year's Resolutions," including writing and reading more. We'll see how that pans out...

We had a jam-packed weekend right before my actual birthday (see prior posts), so I wasn't expecting much on my actual birthday, but of course I was wrong. 

A few highlights (you know how I love bulleted lists!):

• My co-workers made sure everyone knew it was my special day, by gifting me a pretty tulip bouquet and a delicious red velvet cake. 
• T gifted me a beautiful Mexican-inspired dress for our honeymoon.
• I saved many great cards and packages from friends and family to open on my birthday morning. Loved this. 
• We moved our typical "First Sunday Family Dinner" to Monday, and my mom worked all day creating our wedding menu (to an absolute T!) so we could try out a few wines to pair on our Big Day. I have to say, this was so much fun. It was like our own little wine tasting evening, something our family has never done together. 

Thanks to friends and family near and far for making my 28th the best one yet. 

My dear friend Liz stopped by my office to drop of a wonderful assortment of gifts. She included this book she found at the Goodwill...or maybe it was a thrift shop. Regardless, it's a homemade bridal shower book from the 1950s--as in someone made this book for a friend. It is outrageously awesome. I should write a whole post just about this. What a treasure. It even has pages in the back with hand-written lists of gifts the bride received and from whom.

My mom said nothing turned out the way she wanted it to, but you could have fooled us.

Spoiler alert: We are doing breakfast for dinner at our wedding. I can't wait. 

My mom said we'll have to wait and see just how much better the caterer's presentation of the various dishes will be...but I highly doubt it. I have so much to learn from my mom in the kitchen. She's just a marvel. 

Betty and Martha back at it

When I was in college, my friend Allison would come visit me every MLK Jr., Weekend. She'd come visit me in the summertime, too. Since we met during high school and bonded over fights with our moms and our love of Starbucks, we felt oh so grown up and independent being on our own in COLLEGE.

We would always plan our cooking adventures, too, trying our hand at cooking, although neither of us really knew what we were doing. We called ourselves Betty and Martha in the kitchen. 

Now, we're really all grown up, ten years removed from high school, and still planning meals together. Though we don't get to cook in the same kitchen all that often, we love discussing meal plans and sharing tips and tricks. 

What a long introduction to the story I'm really trying to tell...

Allison knows how much I love to cook. Allison knows how much I love surprises. During a time when I should be cooking and surprising Allison (she is pregnant--due with my friend niece in June!), she planned a birthday cooking surprise for me! 

We took a "Cozy Weekend Brunch" themed class the day before my birthday a couple weeks ago, and can I just tell you, it almost made me cry. What an absolutely perfect plan. She encompassed all the things I love: spending time with her, cooking, BRUNCH, and hanging out in the Pearl downtown (of course we had to have some therapy time over lattes before our course).

Thank you, Allison. You're such a gem. You've been the best friend to me for thirteen years now. You know me very well, and your thoughtfulness is a such a blessing.

Our teacher--she was just great! I learned a lot of tips and tricks.

Focused determination on the mixing.

Here I stand...preparing to just a MEAT GRINDER for the first time.

Ah...so this is how you make pork sausage. Good workout, ladies.

More focus. Get it, Al! Show that crepe who's boss.

Our first nibble...a cheesy scone.

How cute is she? So cute. Such a good mommy-to-be.

Do you want to know what we're talking about? I'm telling her how her knife skills demonstration and also the "adding alcohol to a hot pan" portion of the class really applied to me. I don't need to remind y'all about the infamous trip to ER or the flaming Thanksgiving whiskey carrots, do I?

Inspecting the greatness.

I found out the chef is a bride-to-be, too. I asked her opinion on some cook- and bake-ware. We bonded. Can you tell?

My mouth is watering all over again. This is a brioche French toast. Very low-cal. Um. Right. 

And then we ate! The complete menu included these apple-stuffed crepes, a sweet potato hash, the pork sausage, and the French toast. The pear mimosa was a nice treat. Sorry yours had to be non-alcoholic, Al. ;)

Everybody’s workin’ for the weekend

I literally counted the minutes until 5 p.m. Friday night. We compiled a rather huge itinerary for the weekend, and I just couldn’t wait to get the party started.

Here’s a quick rundown:

• Friday: Quick bite at our neighborhood pizza joint and off to SE Portland to see one of our favorite musicians, Tyrone Wells, at the Aladdin

• Saturday a.m.: My favorite studio workout class with Schady and Stina followed by pedis and lunch at Baker & Spice—sooo relaxing and much-needed (thanks, girlies!)

• Saturday early afternoon: Packed in a quick run through my favorite shops in my old ‘hood, Multnomah Village…followed by two renditions of Supermarket Sweep at my go-to grocers...and then a beat-the-clock unpacking of said goods, quick clean of the condo, and about five loads of laundry

• Saturday p.m.: The wedding of Michelle and Matt (photos and recap below!)

• Sunday a.m.: Long run on the Wildwood Trail with good friends and a big ol’ breakfast at one of our standbys, Industrial Café

• Sunday early afternoon: The best surprise ever! Cooking class with one of my nearest and dearest friends (***not to worry, this will get a post of its own!)

• Sunday p.m.: Long, *long* overdue movie date night with friends—Taylor had been wanting to see Zero Dark Thirty since it came out, and we’ve tried and failed so many times…since this guy works so many hours during the week and weekend, I am so glad we were able to fit this in.

No matter how hard I tried to fit it all in, though, I failed on two accounts. Taylor’s mom swept through town while I was away from the house Sunday, and none of the church times at either church we attend matched up with the breaks in our plans. I know, I know. That shouldn’t be an excuse.

I am thankful for the jam-packed weekend, which provided a delightful preface to an above average Monday.

---

I'm writing this recap (finally!) on March 17. Matt and Michelle have been married for two weeks, and we already received a thank you note from them...yet I'm just now blogging.

Taylor met Matt at Linfield. Matt played basketball, while Taylor tossed around the pigskin. After graduation, the fellas backpacked around Europe together, and they even lived together a bit post-grad.

I believe the story goes that Matt met Michelle through church friends. They had a somewhat on-again-off-again relationship before getting engaged just three months prior to their wedding. You may recall me mentioning how a wedding back in October was our last hurrah before our Big Day. But, Matt and Michelle surprised us with their short engagement.

They got married in a barn at a golf course here not far from where we live. Michelle spends time at her family's ranch, and Matt's a big golfer, so they liked the perfect combination factor (country meets country club) the wedding venue provided.

You could really feel the love at this coral and gray/rustic elegance wedding. I especially liked how overwhelmingly Christ-centered this couple's ceremony was--the perfect start to a lifelong union.

Congratulations to the happy couple, assuredly refreshed and rejuvenated after a honeymoon in Hawaii!

I'm still trying to figure out settings on my new camera. Surprise, surprise, huh? This could take a while...

Many of T's buddies were groomsmen...a good-looking crew.

Michelle looked absolutely gorgeous. I'd only met her once before the wedding, and she told me she picked a dress hse never would have imaged herself in. It was super sparkly with a fluttery (not the right word) bottom-half. Wow. I can't describe gowns very well. 

Cupcakes instead of cake...and you can bet I sampled almost all of them!

Site for the ceremony and reception.

Cute guest book idea--pick a post card and write a message to the new Mr. and Mrs. I chose a Central Oregon card from Taylor and me as Sunriver holds many memories for the newlyweds as it does for us!

Don’t call me busy (please)

I know my url is busybenz, and some might say I’m a very busy girl. But, I like to think I lead a full life versus a busy life.

I must credit this subtle change in thinking and speaking to a family friend, Pastor Jack’s wife Beve.

“Oh Beve,” I said last Easter. “How do you do it all? You’re so busy.”

“I like to think I live a very full life,” she responded. “I think to say ‘I’m busy’ misleads people to think I don’t have time for them.”

I know I didn’t capture that verbatim, but nevertheless, the sentiment really stuck with me.

Yes. I like to pack a lot into a day. Perhaps too much. Between waking up at 5 to hit the gym or run, preparing lunches for T and me, working eight hours, meeting up with my mom for Zumba or another quick workout in the evening, and insisting on cooking dinner every night…not much time is left in the day to relax, read, craft, work on my hobbies, respond to personal correspondence, etc. etc. etc. Those are the things I love, and I yearn for the weekends when I can carve out time to unwind. 

Sometimes I know I’m too rigid. I like my routine, and I have a hard time busting myself out of it. It keeps me organized and sane. We don’t spend much money on the weekdays because I buy the groceries on the weekend. I don’t have to think about what we’re having for dinner because of my weekly meal plan. And, mind you, we’re in the midst of winter and the height of Tax Season. Summer is a different story. We’d rather be outside than inside, even on week nights, and barbecues trump any kind of meal-planned dinner. (So maybe I'm just describing "Hibernation Kate" here?)

And now, I’m rambling. The point of this post is about to get lost. I think what it needs now is a great big…

BUT.

But I hope I don’t appear…sound…come off as…too concerned with these things to help a friend, enjoy a spontaneous happy hour, or take a one-hour phone call from a long-distance companion. This is what matters in life. Moments and memories.

One time my friend Em said to me, “In ten years, are you going to remember all those work emails you’re trying to answer or…”

I can’t even remember now what it was I was worrying about. Whatever it was certainly outweighed all those work emails. I'm not even at that job anymore. And, I work with words, people. No one has ever died from a copy emergency (at least not that I'm aware of). 

I started writing this post days ago, and I am just now picking up where I left off. I'm not sure if I have anything else to add. Mainly, I wanted to hammer home the sentiment that I am thankful for my FULL life..my filled-to-the-brim life...not my busy life. Despite how I'm always blazing at one million miles per hour, I do have time. 

There's always time for the events, phone calls, coffee talks, spontaneous reasons for cakes needing to be baked at 11 p.m., and other worthwhile memories. Everything else will be forgotten.

Thank you, oh six blog readers, for indulging me in my stream of consciousness. 

So much to celebrate

After New Year's comes and goes, and reality sets in that there just isn't a Spring Break for adults, the winter months and accompanying dreary weather can make a Portland girl glum.

But, February rolls around, a little glimmer of sunshine with all its celebratory occasions. 

We traveled down to Albany to deliver some birthday cheer to Taylor's mom in early February, and Taylor's birthday rolled around later that week.

Just by happenstance, the Fly-Fishing Film Tour hit Portland the night of Taylor's birthday. Following a 24-hour business trip to Denver and heading into work straight off the plane, chowing down on some eastside Mexican food and hustling in to the Bagdad Theater for a cold beer and his favorite annual event proved to be just what this birthday boy wanted. That, and an uninterrupted day of inspired fishing at the coast the next day--a birthday gift to himself.

This is NOT a picture-perfect pie. I'm actually pretty embarrassed by its looks, but Taylor was pretty surprised as I've never made a pie for him on my own. When he came home and saw it on the kitchen counter he thought at first it was from my mom, but he said the lattice just wasn't her style. Ha! I whipped it up super fast and didn't even wait for the store-bought dough (don't tell my mom!) to defrost. Talk about lazy!

Not to be outdone, Valentine's Day quickly approached. It's always a favorite day of mine--mostly because of vivid childhood Valentine memories. I love all holidays, but this love-filled day reminds me of lipstick hearts on the bathroom mirrors, pink milk in our cereal, special gifts on the breakfast table, and heart-shaped sandwiches in our red and pink-themed lunches. It was my mom's favorite holiday, long before it became oh-so commercialized.

I wanted to make this year extra special, so I decided to make Valentines for all of our neighbors, my co-workers, and Taylor's work. I tried to plan ahead and make some cookie dough and a batch of blondies in the nights leading up to V-Day, but in true Kate fashion, I was scrambling at the eleventh hour on Valentine's Eve. I think they turned out OK...not half as nice as anything my sisters would craft, but pretty all right for my semi-homemade craftiness. And, we even had a couple of notes from our neighbors later that day. Just trying to be a part of my new life and work communities, you know?

As for us, Taylor and me aren't huge fans of the forced romanticism of the holiday, but he did surprise me with a lovely bouquet, a bottle of vino, and my favorite--a sweet greeting card. We went to Whole Foods for a fiesta dinner and a long stroll around the store. We came home for some Thursday night hoops action, and I fell asleep reading before 10. Super romantic, I know. Just perfect for us, actually.

I'm not sure what the second half of February will bring, but I'm sure it'll be full of quick adventures, hearty wintertime meals, and delightful glimpses of spring. Happy belated Heart Day, friends.

Under construction...

I'm working on a new template for my blog, so please stay tuned.

And now, we're off to celebrate--today is Taylor's birthday!!!

The Lagreids' last hurrah

Twenty-thirteen most definitely is The Year of the Baby. 

We are so blessed to have some very close and wonderful friends expecting their first bundles of joy this year. Emily and her husband Greg will be kicking off the trend in less than 30 days when their little lady is set to make her grand entrance into the world. I'm crossing my fingers she comes on my birthday, but I know she'll come when she's good and ready.

This past weekend, Em and Greg had plans to hit the Oregon Coast for one last getaway, and they were so nice to invite us for Saturday night. To say we were thrilled about this invitation is a huge understatement. We haven't seen the Lagreids since they came down and told us we were going to be friend auntie and uncle, so we literally counted the days all week long.

Taylor had to work Saturday morning, so we headed down late-afternoon, just in time to catch the most beautiful sunset. It did not seem like February Saturday--the weather was just spectacular. We enjoyed lots of time with Luca (AKA Dogger, AKA Digger, AKA Tank), a supreme steak dinner, a few cocktails, several duets, some dominoes, and lots of lounge time and catching up with our dear friends. Taylor and Greg hit the links Sunday morning, while Emily and I walked into town for coffee and a little trolling the shops. We caught up on everything and everyone, read through a stack of magazines, and enjoyed many-a-walk on the beach. 

I must also mention 2013 marks Em's and my 10-year friend anniversary. Neither of us can believe it has been that long since we were neighbors in the dorms. And, yes, we love recounting all our old dorm stories to the guys. If only I had some dining hall biscuits, hashbrowns, and honey butter to gift to this pregnant lady! 

We have no doubt the Lagreids will be more than fantastic parents. We're saying lots of prayers for Emily's last month of pregnancy and anxiously waiting to get that call that their daughter has arrived. 

Thanks for your hospitality and friendship, E and G. We love you! 

Cheers to that baby on the way!

Luca getting work done.

Just throwing this out there...three months from today we'll be Mr. and Mrs.!

Reunited, and it feels so good.

Someone's a little excited about those steaks!

T-bones for everyone!

A fancy feast...ha ha haaa.

My favorite part of the evening...

The cute beachfront casa. Goodbye Manzanita! Hope to see you soon!