Tangent Tuesday

by Koko on March 26, 2013 · 3 comments

1. I’m bringing back Tangent Tuesday after a comment from Q, “Why don’t you do Tangent Tuesday anymore?” I said, “I don’t know, I guess I just let it go. That’s sweet that you noticed and missed it.” Q’s reply, “Well I invented it, so I think it should be brought back.” Awww I see, so here goes. Starting with this gem of me around age 8. I can’t get over that awkward toothless smile. Precious.

2. What does spring in Alaska look like? Well I thought the cold weather was over and winter laughed at me and said “Not too fast.” This week we’ve had nice weather (20′s) and then bitterly cold weather (-20s) all in one day. I’ll wake up and see 9 degrees and in two hours it will be -15 again. Yup. But in a couple weeks, the temps will finally rise for good and we have something called break-up where the snow melts and turns into slush for about a week and then a week later it will begin to melt away. So basically the snow will melt just as Q and I head south!

3. We went to one of Fairbank’s most famous tourist attractions last weekend: Ice Alaska, a world-renowned ice sculpting competition. They have all the enormous ice sculptures on display for a month after the competition and I have to say, it was extremely impressive. These things are 12 feet high, have perfect detail and are all ice! I said to Q, “I can’t wait until our future kids see this!” And he said, “You really want to fly up to Fairbanks with our kids in the middle of the winter?” So… TBD.

ice1

4. Q’s mom is super thoughtful and sends us gift baskets for all the major holidays. For Easter this year, we got our best package yet, including personalized baskets. I am pushing all my candy off on Q until post-wedding!

5. Speaking of wedding, holy moly, 2.5 weeks to go!!!! I’m not stressed, just excited! There is a lot to get done, little things like finalizing our what-should-have-been-150-people-and-is-now-180-people guest list and tables, perfecting song choices and drink selections, and day-of clothing choices. Oh and this is what happens when you leave town for 3.5 weeks and have all of your wedding gifts sent to your apartment in Alaska. And the kind neighbor who lives below you offers to keep the packages in her apartment. And as package after package begin to arrive, she doesn’t complain and continues to stack the packages 6 feet high in her tiny apartment until we come home. Yes, she is a saint. I made her cookies and a cake.

6. I’m thinking of going back to my doughnut making days and trying these out from How Sweet Eats. Oh right, AFTER the wedding I’ll be making chocolate covered deliciousness for Q!

So Tangent Tuesday, welcome back, I’ve missed you!

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Around Here

by Koko on March 12, 2013 · 2 comments

in Tangent Tuesday, Weekend

Wedding flower tests and planning. This has by far been my favorite part of the process. Who doesn’t love looking and smelling beautiful flowers? The two on the right are wedding day mock ups and the ones on the left were a little gift from my favorite people in the whole world, Holly Flora. I am SO excited for what they are going to look like on the big day, I can hardly wait!

flowers

I started my Masters today! It is exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. I can’t believe I’m going back to school after being out for so long, but it’s so fun to learn about something I love doing. Life is a little crazy at the moment since in the next 6 weeks, I will be working on my Masters, getting married and possibly moving… but I can’t complain. When it rains, it pours and I am so excited for this next chapter in Q and my lives!

school This is how my classes are in an online forum, it’s a totally different way to learn. Oh and apparently graduate school is serious business seeing as I have 200 pages of reading per class a week!

Some recent, fun food:

Mussels and linguine at Chez Stanley

Sugarfish sashimi

Mom’s homemade chocolate chip cookies

Food truck lunch on La Brea Blvd in LA. I guess every Saturday a dozen or so food trucks show up and crowds gather around to eat. It was so fun to wander through the trucks with my mom and pick different spots to each eat at.

While going through some old photos for a wedding project, I came across this gem. This was seriously the last time I skied, around age 8. I think I’ve always been a beach girl over the snow!

And the stringing of the cranes continues…. #kandqgetmarried in 4.5 weeks!! Thanks for all the love after my not-so-fun gum surgery. Almost all the pain is gone and I can sort-of eat normally again. I am SO excited to head back to Alaska on Friday and see Q again after 3.5 weeks apart! The temperature has been playing games with me and after 2 weeks of 30 degree weather, has decided to go back into the -10′s! Just my luck!

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Tangent Tuesday

by Koko on July 17, 2012 · 2 comments

in Alaska, Army, Baking, Cookies, Tangent Tuesday

1. Trying to move over my collection of various Tivo’d TV shows in LA to Alaska is becoming a problem. I got this text from Q last night:

This is going to be our first living together challenge I have a feeling…

2. I have no idea what sort of wedding I want. No clue where to begin looking for a dress. Vague ideas about food and decor. But I do know one thing for certain: I want these flowers. I can’t get enough of fresh peonies.

3. I’ve been moving past my usual breakfast of oats this last week. My routine-loving self needed a quicker breakfast a few mornings and I opted for eggs and avocado. And I liked it.

4. And then the next day I added black beans and bread. This could become a habit.

5. When I was in Alaska I was lucky enough to go to Q’s bronze star ceremony. Let me tell you, I get prouder and prouder of this guy every single day. It was so special for me to be able to be there (even if he thought it wasn’t that big of a deal) and I’m looking forward to attending lots more of these when I’m there. I always feel a little left out when there are ceremonies and things that I can’t go to. Reason #1000 that I’m excited to be moving.

6. This homemade ice cream thing makes it really hard not to eat dessert every night. This week my mom made up some fresh vanilla bean. And then topped it with fresh strawberry sauce and berries. Could it be any more tempting?

7. Oh and the fact that she had homemade sables cooling when I got home from work yesterday. She is a temptress.

Why is all I can think about dessert now that I’m trying not to have it? Mental games!

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Tangent Tuesday

by Koko on June 26, 2012 · 2 comments

in Clothes/Shoes/Bags, Fashion, Tangent Tuesday

1. Have I talked about how obsessed Q is with coffee yet? He has more coffee props than anyone I know. I’m talking French Press, pour over, two kettles, a burr grinder, multiple different filters and he just ordered a new coffee maker (Breville YouBrew Drip). My mom recently introduced him to Short Cake, this incredible coffee shop in the Farmer’s Market where they make the BEST cup of coffee. Q studied their method which involves weighing the beans, pouring water into a cylinder, warming cups before pouring and a whole lot more “coffee stuff” that I don’t understand. This morning I got this picture:

This photo encompasses Q’s perfect coffee morning. His new kettle (Hario Buono Drip Kettle) with the thin spout, weighing his beans, his Q mug. This is reason #120566 that I love him.

2. Reason #120567 that I love him? He knows how I love having a TON of pillows on the bed. Like 10 pillows. I don’t know how it started, but my bed has always been basically half pillow/half comforter. I like to just lay back into a bed of pillows. Q usually has 2 pillows on his bed, one for me and one for him. It’s been a change for me. On Friday when he got back to Alaska and I got this photo:

This man knows me so well and loves me so much that he is willing to pillow up that bed. Oh and yes that is Minnie Mouse pillow case in the back that I’ve had since I was 4. You call it old, I call it vintage.

3. Today felt like a Mexican food day. For lunch we had chipotle cheese quesadillas by Gaby and for dinner I made myself a little breakfast for dinner special (corn tortilla, Mexican cheese, egg whites, black beans, salsa, avocado, salt and pepper).

4. I’ve recently been trying to walk 10,000 steps a day. It’s a challenge a few friends and I have been trying and it has been way harder than I expected. I thought I was active until I put on a pedometer, but every day I struggle to push to 10,000. It’s been eye opening and I seriously encourage you to put a pedometer on to see your step count. The bonus is that by walking 10,000 a day you burn a pound a week (I’ll take it!). 10,000 steps a day = 500 calories a day. 500 calories a day x 7 days = 3500 calories / 1 pound a week.