the search continues

This past weekend, I headed to Boise to shop for a wedding dress. My mom, my soon-to-be sister, and my best friend accompanied me on the search. It was definitely fun to try on all the dresses. There were several that I liked pieces of, but wanted to change certain elements. We left empty handed. I really hope I find one soon! It's the only wedding item left that I need to secure... I did manage to get some other productive wedding items taken care of while in town. My brother and I tasted wedding cakes (DELICIOUS!), then picked out the flavors and design for mine. I also secured help from Bliss Events for my wedding planning (not much left there), design and coordination. I'm sure I mentioned this earlier, but wedding planning is almost a full time job. I'm excited to get some professional help in this department ;)

birthdays

Yesterday was my birthday. The big 29. I can't believe it really. Last week someone asked me how old I was and I said "27", thought about it then remembered I was really 28 and about to be 29. I think I may have stopped keeping track at 25 :) I got to work a short day on my birthday, just from 7am till noon. My coworkers insisted on singing to me at lunch time. How sweet. It was so nice to be finished early! Ben took me shopping this year for my present. I chose to buy a bunch of new workout clothes for my latest workout obsession: CrossFit. Then we went to dinner at wine bar in Richland called Katya's. I had this amazingly cheesy eggplant italian dish and Ben had a steak (M.O.M would be so proud as she insists that we all eat steak whenever we go out for dinner). Dinner was delicious and so was the wine! We finished with chocolate cake and ice cream in true birthday style. It was a great day :)

a recipe to share

One of the best things about my work schedule is that I only work three 12 hr days a week. That leaves me with a lot of free time to pursue other interests... such as cooking :) A year ago, Ben & I stumbled upon the most delightful cookbook at Lowe's while we were shopping for paint colors. The book is from Cuisine at Home and we have yet to find a bad recipe! Since our first book purchase, our collection has seriously expanded. I went to their website and bought 6 more! They are a magazine style so they don't take up much room, and each recipe includes a picture of the dish and great step-by-step instructions. The main dishes even have a suggestion for a side dish, complete with pic and instructions on the same page. I highly recommend these cookbooks to anyone with a desire to discover new recipes with impressive presentation that are delicious and easy to make. We recently discovered THE BEST halibut recipe ever so I just had to share.

PARMESAN-CRUSTED HALIBUT

calories: 221

makes 4 servings

total time: 20 minutes

ingredients:

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 TBSP lemon zest

8 tsp purchased basil pesto

4 halibut fillets, 4 oz each and about 1 inch thick

instructions:

-preheat oven to 450 and coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray

-combine panko, parmesan, and lemon zest in a bowl. spread 2 tsp pesto on top of each fillet and arrange on prepared baking sheet. press panko mixture onto pesto side of fillets and lightly coat with nonstick spray

-roast fillets until crumbs are golden and flesh flakes with a fork (10-12 minutes)

ENJOY!!!

my new job as wedding planner extraordinaire

Wedding planning has become my side job, and so far that is working out well. It gives me plenty to do on my days off! We chose our date first: November 24, 2012. That was easy because we needed it to be after harvest next fall for Ben's work schedule so we could get married and go on our honeymoon right after. Several family members are teachers, and since the wedding is the Saturday after Thanksgiving, people will have time off. Also, we both love Fall. The most incredible part about our "date" is that it is also my parents' wedding anniversary. They have an amazing relationship and we are lucky to have such a great example of love to look up to. We were able to choose our venue while in Boise after New Years, and picked the Linen Building... fell in love with it at first sight, and it is ideal since the ceremony will be upstairs in the art gallery, and the reception will be on the main floor reception center. I have always dreamed of a wedding reception with a live band, and ever since college, I've wanted that band to be The Fabulous Kingpins. Lucky for me, they were available so I booked them. Can't wait to dance the night away, and maybe play a tambourine! There is so much left to do. We are narrowing down a menu for the caterer and trying to figure out what wine to bring for a taste of our new Washington roots in Idaho. Yesterday Ben and I went to look at tuxedos. We found exactly what we were looking for and had them booked within an hour. The style and color won't even be available till August, so glad we don't need them till November! My man will look sharp :) Can't wait to marry him!!!

let me catch you up!

Wow, can't believe I haven't blogged for 2 years! Let me catch you all up...

the rest of 2010 went by so quickly as Ben & I decided to move out of our rental house and buy our first home! We scoured the tri-cities looking at more than 30 homes, and finally found the right one when we decided to buy "for now" instead of buy "for forever". We ended up with a brand new home in a nice subdivision in west Pasco... 3 bedrooms, 2 bath, 2000 square ft with a large backyard for our pup. We moved in 2 days before Christmas, just in time to celebrate! Then headed off to Idaho to visit family and start off 2011 in style snowboarding @ Tamarack with friends.

2011 continued to be a wonderful year. Both of us loving our jobs and making new friends, 2 of which got married in the summer and we were blessed to attend their weddings and celebrate with them. In November of 2011 something exciting happened for us :) Ben popped the question and I said YES! We were able to celebrate this new chapter in our lives with several trips this winter including traveling to San Diego for a Boise State football game, and spending 10 days on the beaches of Maui. We then joined our families for Christmas and started off 2012 by celebrating New Years in Fairfield, Idaho playing in the snow. Later in January we flew to Arizona with my mom to spend a weekend with the grandparents. It was nice to be in golfing weather again! February was wonderful this year as it was our first Valentine's day engaged!!! Unfortunately I was working, but Ben sent 2 dozen tulips to work. He really brightens my days! In March, my sister was able to come visit us for a week for spring break. We went wedding dress shopping in Seattle with 2 of my other bridesmaids (Claire and Bre) and then spent the week catching up. It was great to have her in town!

Planning a wedding has been exciting and eye-opening. I had no idea how much needed to be done! Luckily, my brother, who also got engaged last November, and my soon-to-be sister Stacia have been planning their wedding as well. It has been great to share the experience and bounce ideas of one another :) Their wedding is in June at Brundage Mountain. It's going to be gorgeous and I can't wait to celebrate their love!!! On another note, my best friend Heather just got engaged also! Love is in the air :) We are all so lucky!

Happy Birthday to ME!

I love my boyfriend :) He left work early to come home and have a romantic dinner ready for me on my birthday. So sweet! Then he got me this! I am soooo very excited about my brand new road bike! Thanks babe!

my legs are killin me! I went for a 20 mile bike ride today with some girls from work on a borrowed bike in side winds that almost blew me over! pretty sure I need to get back into the gym :) Since I've moved to WA, I've been a little lazy...

In other news, my wine rack arrived and Ben hung it up for me yesterday. I love it! It was my bday present to myself. Tomorrow's the big 27....