Benz Birthday Weekend Cooking Challenge '10

... affectionately called the BBWCC. 

This year's themes: Americana, Italian, and Asian. I'll just let the photos do the talking. 

What would a family get-together be without some family photos???

Stef and the roving helper, J.Bird, prepare the Italian decorations! 

 Mustaches and all!  

Perfecto presentation!

Brief interruption from cooking to enjoy one of our favorite spots, Crater Lake! 

This family photo will have some new additions next year as Elizabeth and Justin welcome a new babe, and Joe finally marries Sara. ;) 

 Stef, Mom, and a seemingly fake background ...

 OK. Back to the kitchen with the master chef--and winner of the '10 Golden Spoon trophy--Nana B. (Big Poppi would be hurt if I didn't mention his fantastic contributions from the grill.)

 We'll just call her the Asian Sensation. 

 Salvaged Chinese New Year decos. 

 No trip is complete without family board games, right???

Can't wait for the next Benz Birthday Weekend Cooking Challenge.  

Before going any further ...

... I really must introduce the new man o' my life: Taylor.

When and where did he come from, you ask? (Wait, is it too presumptuous to think "you" six followers are still reading my blog after the LONG hiatus?) Well, anyway, just in case you're sticking around, let me take you back to Allison's bachelorette party.

It was a gorgeous Portland summer day, and we hit up wine country in a big way. I met two of Allison's friends whom she knew from her previous long-term boyfriend (see, it's important to keep the good friends, even if the boyfriend changes). These girls and I sort of hit it off in a strictly platonic way, and by the end of the evening, we were anxiously awaiting Allison's wedding so we could all get together again.

Well, at the wedding, I met these ladies' hubbies, and immediately they decided I just had to meet their buddy, Taylor. Not thinking much of it, I was surprised when my phone rang a few days later and it was one of the husbands. He was calling to set up a barbecue including Taylor and me. It was an interesting third meeting of these new friends plus a blind date of sorts. Quite the set-up.

I should rewind and tell you I had finally gotten to that point in my life where I was extremely happy alone. I was determined to dedicate myself to my job, school, friends, and family until graduation. That was my plan, but like I should already know by now, plans just don't work out, right?

Taylor impressed me right off the bat. He was interesting and interested. He seemed like such a genuine guy, and I ended up giving him my number. When I got home that night, Mariel asked for details and wondered if he'd call. I remember saying, "Well, he called me right away so I had his number, but I didn't save it, and I don't plan on texting him. If he's interested, he'll contact me." Before I crawled into bed, he had texted me to say he enjoyed meeting me and hoped we could get together sometime soon.

He had to go out of town that next weekend, but he called me on his way back. He asked if I was up for dinner, but he thought the weather was too gorgeous to be inside, so first we went on a mini-hike in Forest Park. I can't neglect to mention he had raced in a triathlon that morning, yet he still wanted to go on a "hike." After that, we went to a brewery and enjoyed dinner on a patio and probably one of the last great sunsets of the Indian summer we were experiencing in Portland.

I remember feeling like we had such a mature and meaningful conversation on that first date. I managed to find out he was incredibly modest. How? Well, he said he did well in his triathlon, and when I later asked how he placed he said second. Not too shabby, I'd say.

There's your teaser about Taylor. Don't fret. You'll be reading more. I am so thankful we met, and I can't wait for all the adventures to come as we've already embarked on quite a handful up to this point.

Wedding central

I know I'll be going a bit out-of-order in my big summer-to-winter recap, but I just had to post some photos from the weddings of my high school best friend, Allison, and my college bestie, Emily. 

Allison and Andy were married Sept. 4 at Royal Oaks Country Club in Vancouver.

Emily and Greg were married Oct. 2 in Port Townsend, Washington. 

Both brides were simply stunning. Both weddings were perfect. Both of my bridesmaid dresses were strapless, and oh how I wished each had straps! Let's just say I should have had additional alterations made. Both couples are happy and healthy, and I couldn't be more thrilled for two of my favorite ladies in the whole world. 

I fought hard to get that bouquet at Al's wedding ... 

 Blondie's leading ladies ... 

 Shoot! Quite blurry, but I had to show a shot of that bustle! Great dress! 

 Fantastic location on the Olympic Peninsula for Em and Dirt's wedding ... 

 My partner down the aisle, Connor, and me ... 

 

The whole crew!

Resolution No. 1: Blog more

I can make a list of excuses as to why I have been on such a hiatus from blogging, but I won't. (Can I briefly mention my overabundance of graduate school credits, time spent on and off the court with the basketball team, and dare I note the new beau?)

I will, however, share a link to The Busy Girls, a side project I started for my Book Marketing class. This was my attempt to get a separate blog up and running. I'm going to be doing an internship with my professor from that class, and I think part of his plan is to set aside time for me to sit and write, which means, yes, I might actually be able to ... write ... more! Yahoo.

Although my mind is scattered, and I want to crawl into bed, I just had to jot a couple lines on this first day of 2011, a year I plan to blog it up a bit more than years past.

The next item on my list of things to blog about is a giant recap from September until now!!! Eeek. So much to discuss!

Happy New Year, y'all!

Season's Greetings from J.D., me, the most awesome roomie ever, and her pride and joy, Smokey the Bandit. 

Serendipitous sabbatical

Much has transpired between that last post and now. I feel the need to do a mondo update, and I will. I promise.

Here's what I'll gab about:
- Arnica internship in the bag
- College hoops recruiting ... and the people I met or reminisced with along the way
- BBWCC '10 ('nuff said)
- Austin in August
- Blondie getting married
- Warrior Dash and subsequent weekend extravaganza

Whoop! That's a lot o' stuff.

I'll ramble more when I can include photos.

The troops report Wednesday, and I couldn't be more excited to begin the journey that is Coach Kate Part II.

Cheers!

The fine art of multitasking

July is a busy month for basketball coaches. Much of the month is spent on the road and in gyms, evaluating players and trying to put together teams for the future. I've been to tournaments in Oregon City, Seattle, and next week I'm going to San Diego. 

In-between recruiting and office work, I've been putting in what hours I can at Arnica. I'll elaborate when I have more time, but it's been a rewarding experience. I've come in contact with some interesting people, read some life-changing work, and assisted with cookbook-related projects as much as possible. 

Here's a pic from a food photo shoot. The name of the cookbook is Luscious (all about Oregon fruit and its growers), and it's set to hit shelves in November. (My friend Katy--the editorial assistant who helped me get the internship--is in the blue shades.)

Recipe for success

Drum-roll please ...

Well, I did it. One year down and one to go!

I'd be lying if I said the past two months weren't a couple of the toughest I've been through. On top of the emotional turmoil, I took 13 credits this spring. I thought things in the office would slow down a bit after season, but it turns out we conducted workouts in the mornings and in the afternoons. That schedule coupled with my night classes meant long hours. I'm not saying that to complain. I'm just stating a fact.

Basketball-wise, we had an extraordinary spring. The girls improved beyond my expectations, and I finally felt like I made a difference and had a positive effect on the team through coaching. I'm anxious for fall term to roll around with school and basketball because I have a year of experience under my belt, and I am starting to feel like I know what I'm doing. ;)

It's hard to imagine what life will bring this year. I have mixed feelings. It's exciting and scary. I'm out of my comfort zone in an indescribable way. Living day-to-day is a focus of mine, but for someone who loves looking forward to milestones, not being able to see a certain someone waiting for me at the end of this journey is tough to swallow.

I didn't begin this post with any intention of writing the past three bleak paragraphs, but that's what came out. :-/ Let's just call that a random tangent and get back to the point of this post: I've been invited to intern at a local cookbook publishing company! Yesssss! (There's that standard exclamation point and usual tone of this blog that was missing!)

It's called Arnica Publishing & Creative Services. My responsibilities will be varied and open. I can contribute to any area of the press I'm interested in including--but not limited to--editorial, marketing, and sales. The best part is that this job will be combining my passions for writing and cooking. How great, huh?

I had chills when I read the company's collective vision and mission statement. Let me share a bit with you, and I'm sure you'll understand why: "The name, Arnica Publishing, is derived from the plant, Arnica Montana, a small, but powerful flower that promotes physical healing in the body and is often used for relief of pain--it is used as a healing balm. Our name is representative of our original collective vision: 'helping to heal the world through the power of the written word, one reader at a time.'"

I think it's safe to say I'm in the right place at the right time. Talk about serendipity.

The fine folks at Arnica sent me home with two of their cookbooks and three recipes to test for their upcoming release. It's a cookbook called Luscious and it'll be out in the fall. The boss said just cook and take notes. We'll adjust the recipe accordingly. I already bought all of the necessary ingredients, and I'll be reimbursed by the company. This has got to be the coolest job yet!

In addition to Arnica, I'm going to be working on my new blog/website. I won't release too many details, but I can say I'm going to actually tell people about it, unlike this blog that was originally just meant to be my virtual diary. (Nice tease, huh? I learned that in the news biz.)

So, here's a toast to summer, no school for almost four months, and the chance at outstanding professional experience and growth! Cheers!