One BIG kiss

I listen to Kiss 1061 every morning on my commute into work. Once a year they do an AMAZING 2 day broadcast from the Seattle Children's Hospital to raise money for the hospitals various foundations. You might think - eh it's another charity but I PROMISE you that if you listened to even 30 minutes of the broadcast at anytime you won't have dry eyes. They play real stories told by parents, family members, and the kids when they are well enough to speak - most of the times they are not... It really does tug at your heart to hear the struggles and the pain that many children have to go through but it's also inspiring to hear there positivity and hope.

I encourage you to listen in if you can at work KISS 106.1 Seattle LIVE and make a donation to the Children's Hospital, you can decide where you would specifically like your money to go as well.

Take a second and reach out today - think of the kids and families here at home that you could be helping...

Happy Birthday to my Fahmy!

I've been blogging for a few months now and I have yet to start my Birthday greetings. Today I will kick that tradition off w/ a special birthday greeting for my best friend, Miss Fahm.

Fahm and I met in the Spring of 2001 through a mutual friend. We became good friends right off the bat and it has only progressed from there. I have been blessed to have her in my life as we have both gone through many trials and tribulations. Everyone wants a friend in their lives that can see them at their best because of their assistance and also see them at their worst only to be there to help them. That is my Fahm. We have gone from midnight drives and 12 cup coffee sessions at Sharis to Happy Hours and discussing wedding ideas. Our aspirations of road trips to Vancouver have evolved to thoughts of roaming Paris. Sunday late nights at Polly's to early Sunday Brunchs. Car conversations... well no, those haven't changed at all... hahahha BUT our dark nights of worry and anger have transformed into clear bright assurance and happiness.

We've gone a long way in such a short amount of time. I look forward to what the rest of our lives have in stored and I'm ecstatic to have you by my side. Happy Birthday Fahm!

Street Skillet Food

FROM Street Skillet Food

What We Do

Our goal is to provide seasonally relevant, locally sourced and impeccably executed bistro style food up and down the west coast…...out of our air stream trailers

The Concept

We buy old Air stream Trailers, and outfit them so that they have a full commercial kitchen. We then go out to local office parks, events, farmers markets and provide impeccably executed and seasonably relevant bistro style food. Our market is people who really like food, and who appreciate food. Our goal is Seattle first, the west coast/world second

I love food. I also love telling everyone when I’ve found a great food provider. Skillet Street Food is A-MAZING! A coworker hit me to this upcoming business the other day. I was curious so I sent it around the office and found out that it’s a HUGE mobile success within my building. Everyday they are at a different location outside of Downtown Seattle. Lucky me, Friday they are across the street from me!

After looking through their website I discovered "bacon jam". I bought 2 containers online for pick up – DAMN that’s some good stuff. Also found out that you can order online before 10am to bypass the crazy lunch rush. I heard it was popular but I was not ready for the crowd when I crossed the street at 11.45am. There were about 10 ppl in front of us and within 5 minutes there were over 30 behind us! Even the Travelocity Gnome was out and about checking out the menu! All together we tried the poutine – eh, I’ve had better, the peanut butter chocolate parfait, french fries and their ing grace was their AMAZING burger - grass fed beef, cambazola, arugula, bacon jam, on a brioche *drools*

If your in the downtown area or just outside of downtown check out their schedule and I highly recommend it!

Jo Koy and his TING TING coming to Seattle!

One of my favorite comedians is coming home to perform next week!
Come see Jo Koy @ Parlor Live in Bellevue :)

Intro from Parlor Live.com:

If you are going to see one comedy performance live this year this should be the one! Born in Tacoma, Washington and recently named one of the "10 comics to watch" by Daily Variety, Jo Koy is the "it" comic on the national comedy circuit. Koy will have guests falling out of their seats with laughter in Parlor Live @ Lincoln Square Feb 26, 27 and 28. Koy received his highest honor after his performance on Jay Leno's Tonight Show, becoming one of a select few to ever receive a standing ovation.

Performance dates and times:
Thursday Feb 26, 2009 7:15PM
Friday Feb 27, 2009 7:15PM
Friday Feb 27, 2009 9:45PM
Saturday Feb 28, 2009 7PM
Saturday Feb 28, 2009 9:30PM
more info @ http://www.parlorlive.com/eventcalendar.htm

Happy Valentine's Day

Wishing everyone a happy day to you and all your loved ones.

HINT: For those in Seattle... Go to Trophy Cupcakes in Wallingford and enjoy the Valentine's day special: Chocolate cake w/ a raspberry ganache filling covered in raspberry frosting...! A-MAZING!

Trophy Cupcakes

Friday the 13th; one of three

An Article from Yahoo

If you fear Friday the 13th, then batten down the hatches. This week's unlucky day is the first of three this year.

The next Friday the 13th comes in March, followed by Nov. 13. Such a triple whammy comes around only every 11 years, said Thomas Fernsler, a math specialist at the University of Delaware who has studied the number 13 for more than 20 years.

By the numbers
Here are 13 more facts about the infamous day, courtesy of Fernsler and some of our own research:

1. The British Navy built a ship named Friday the 13th. On its maiden voyage, the vessel left dock on a Friday the 13th, and was never heard from again.

2. The ill-fated Apollo 13 launched at 13:13 CST on Apr. 11, 1970. The sum of the date's digits (4-11-70) is 13 (as in 4+1+1+7+0 = 13). And the explosion that crippled the spacecraft occurred on April 13 (not a Friday). The crew did make it back to Earth safely, however.

3. Many hospitals have no room 13, while some tall buildings skip the 13th floor.

4. Fear of Friday the 13th - one of the most popular myths in science - is called paraskavedekatriaphobia as well as friggatriskaidekaphobia. Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13.

5. Quarterback Dan Marino wore No. 13 throughout his career with the Miami Dolphins. Despite being a superb quarterback (some call him one of the best ever), he got to the Super Bowl just once, in 1985, and was trounced 38-16 by the San Francisco 49ers and Joe Montana (who wore No. 16 and won all four Super Bowls he played in).

6. Butch Cassidy, notorious American train and bank robber, was born on Friday, April 13, 1866.

7. Fidel Castro was born on Friday, Aug. 13, 1926.

8. President Franklin D. Roosevelt would not travel on the 13th day of any month and would never host 13 guests at a meal. Napoleon and Herbert Hoover were also triskaidekaphobic, with an abnormal fear of the number 13.

9. Superstitious diners in Paris can hire a quatorzieme, or professional 14th guest.

10. Mark Twain once was the 13th guest at a dinner party. A friend warned him not to go. "It was bad luck," Twain later told the friend. "They only had food for 12."

11. Woodrow Wilson considered 13 his lucky number, though his experience didn't support such faith. He arrived in Normandy, France on Friday, Dec. 13, 1918, for peace talks, only to return with a treaty he couldn't get Congress to sign. (The ship's crew wanted to dock the next day due to superstitions, Fernsler said.) He toured the United States to rally support for the treaty, and while traveling, suffered a near-fatal stroke.

12. The number 13 suffers from its position after 12, according to numerologists who consider the latter to be a complete number - 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles of Jesus, 12 days of Christmas and 12 eggs in a dozen.

13. The seals on the back of a dollar bill include 13 steps on the pyramid, 13 stars above the eagle's head, 13 war arrows in the eagle's claw and 13 leaves on the olive branch. So far there's been no evidence tying these long-ago design decisions to the present economic situation.

Origins of Friday the 13th
Where's all this superstition come from? Nobody knows for sure. But it may date back to Biblical times (the 13th guest at the Last Supper betrayed Jesus). By the Middle Ages, both Friday and 13 were considered bearers of bad fortune.

I am the Cure

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

The 16Th Annual Komen Puget Sound Race for the Cure! is coming on Sunday, June 7, 2009 at Qwest Field Walk with me, run with me ... to the finish line...to a world without breast cancer
Join us in our promise to end breast cancer forever by taking part in this celebration of life and health with your friends, family, co-workers and community!

For details click here

***If i get 20+ people to commit to doing this then I'll register my own team; my plan is to do the run in the morning then walk w/ the group afterwards. Your thoughts, feedback, encouragement, and support are all welcomed! Please consider doing this with me!

Farve retires... AGAIN

I was prepping my breakfast this morning and I heard over the CNN broadcast "Jets Farve to announce his retirement; again." He was an icon in Green Bay when he retired last year. Maybe just got stir crazy? or greedy who knows... nevertheless, his 08 season w/ the Jets was horrible; career high 22 interceptions? ouch... sad now he leaves w/ no fanfare and hype. I guess I'm still bitter from the 07 playoffs huh?

Click here for the story on ESPN.com

Friday – Day two in SF

Friday morning starts off a little on the slow side; perfect!

We hung around the house and watched ABDC – go Quest Crew – while eating some scrumptious sourdough toast w/ butter – YUM

After much discussion Kenji and I drove back into downtown via the scenic route and went through the city. We kinda went through the financial district, then Chinatown, and then Little Italy. We ended up at Ghirardelli Square and the waterfront.

We scooped out the Cable Car turn around then walked down the end of the Hyde Street Pier. I’ve never walked to this part of the waterfront but it was interesting to see lots of old ships, motors, and historic items on display. Seems like some others liked the area too as there were tons of seal lions and sea gulls hanging out…

We continued – um… south? And walked down to Pier 39 where there was lots of hustle and bustle. In most cities there are hot dog/pretzel carts, in SF on the waterfront you get seafood carts! Crab, shrimp, oysters in all kinda of styles, cocktail, on in the shell, fried, steamed. It was insane! Kenji gave in and devoured a 2 lbs crab… I watched for a bit bc I didn’t want to get my hands all gross but after 10 minutes I gave in… OMG bomb.com! So good *drools*

We continued our walk despite the food coma. We walked back to Ghiradelli Square to look around… I snagged some cupcakes from Kara’s Cupcakes. Highly recommend their Meyer Lemon filled – YUM.

It was already mid afternoon and we were still waiting for Charlene to fly in from YVR – she was delayed so we opted to kill some time… next stop was Lomabard Street. Now, I’ve been here a few times and it’s cool to look at but pics are lame… there is no angle on anywhere on the steps that give this street justice. I realize the only good pics are aerial shots! Nevertheless, we made the trek down the hill and back UP the hill.

Now I’m hungry so we head back over to Japan town to have some ramen @ Iroha. Eh it was ok; still prefer Boom Noodle's Tokyo ramen above all else.

Vincent had ventured downtown so w/ the Garmin in hand we set out on a journey to pick him up. With all the high buildings and small spaces I think it was a bit overwhelming bc the Garmin went psycho on us and started telling us to drive in circles “turn, left, left, left here. Right turn in 100 feet. Turn left”. WTH? So Garmin got shut down and replaced by Mai-Mai and her map! Which worked out well. HAH

Next stop, back to Daly City to see the rest off the fam! Headed to Tita Virgies and I finally got to meet the beautiful and ever so calm baby Bella. She was in a deep sleep and was woken up at least 5 times bc someone else wanted to hold her but she never cried… isn’t she cute!

The rest of the night was dedicated to the “not old and boring”. Nicole, Charlene, Kenji, NJ, and I had an overwhelming dinner @ HOPR – House of Prime Rib. We first came here 2 years ago for Raquel and Shawn’s rehearsal dinner. And Kenji and Charlene fell in love w/ the food. WOW – salad, sourdough bread, prime rib w/ your choice of creamed corn or spinach, and baked or mashed taters. Oh yeah… It’s all you can eat! Gag but still so damn good. Fun times, lots of chatter and catching up; good times!

We wanted to do some night scooping and pics but it started to rain again… no rain in SF for 2 months and we come and it pours?! What the hell! Anyways, NJ drove us across the Golden Gate to a place I thought was private and closed to the public… the Marin Headlands are a-freakin’ mazing! Pics didn’t come out all that great bc we were in a rush, in the mud, and in the rain… next time…

We drove back in to the city a saw how the richies do it in Pacific Heights and through the Marina? Can’t remember… food coma set in fast. Time to head home to sleep.

Day two – a food lovers success.

San Fran Day One

Kenji and I ventured down to SF this past weekend... please be patient as I take forever to upload pics and updates!

Here's Thursday rundown:

Arrived in SF @ 8.45am, snagged the rental and we were off on SF Adventure #2.

First stop: Filipino Breakfast @ Lucky Chances, Longsilog and Topsilog - nasty burps all day but still so YUM!

Left there to snag some snacks for later @ Raymond’s. Yeah for authentic San Fran Sourdough bread!

Headed into the city to shop on Haight Street. Went to some cool stores like Upper Playground (they just opened in Seattle on the Ave), TRUE, and Loyal Army. Two hours of walking around… why'd I seriously just bought a book?

After that we headed to Alamo Park to see the famous “Painted Ladies” – yes friends – it’s the Full House houses. Turns out it’s a frequented photo opt so we had to duck and dodge a few non-friendly photo takers just to get a picture!

Last trip we discovered Japan town and Sophie’s Crepes – Nutella, fresh strawberries, and vanilla ice cream *drools* so we had to go back! Hands down the best crepe's I've ever had.

Next stop, a few of my fav photo opt places in SF, The Palace of Fine Arts first.

After that we went down Crissy Field to Fort Point. I was freezing my ass off w/ a hoodie and my NorthFace jacket, why were there really a ton of surfers in the bay?! I thought that’s why Alcatraz was so gangsta – the water was to f’in cold for anyone?! It was surreal watching these guys wait for a wave and take off. I was lucky to catch a few shots...

Yeah, that's really Alcatraz in the background?! Ironic... yes!

After watching the surfers come way too close to the rocks a few times, we headed upwards to the actual Golden Gate bridge south viewpoint. I knew Kenji wanted to take some nice shots so I sucked it up and offered to walk on the bridge until the straight-away. OH SHIT! That was scary… traffic, buses, wind, and 200+ feet OVER the freezing water?! I was done in 10 minutes… But I can say I tried it!
It was already 5:45 at this point and we’d been up since 4am – I was exhausted and hungry again so we decided to get out of downtown and head to our resting place for the weekend in Daly City; on the way we detoured and drove the entire waterfront along Embarcadero.

Met up w/ Vincent and Katrina to play the food game for a bit. We ended up @ Kamameshi for dinner w/ Larissa. Unfortunately, baby Lucas and Miles were out for the evening and I’d have to wait to see them later.

Exhausted, I feel asleep on the couch trying to read an SF guide at 10:30.

hahahaha it was a good day one!

Jason Mraz on SNL

HUGE fan of Jason Mraz :) Enjoy!



Also check out his new song "Lucky" w/ Colbie Caillat :)