Wicked!

For Christmas, Toren's parents surprised us with tickets to the musical Wicked. I was SO excited. I had seen it once with my mom in Seattle, and I couldn't wait to see it again! Last Saturday was the big day. Unfortunately, Toren wasn't feeling very well at all. He'd been battling the flu all week. I forced him to go anyway (it's a once in a lifetime opportunity, after all). Needless to say, it was worth it. The music was great, the actors were amazing, and the set was incredible!

Most of you probably know that Wicked is the untold story of the Wizard of Oz. We learn who the wicked witches of the East and West really are. We learn about how the monkeys were made to fly. We learn the origin of the sparkly red shoes, the tin man, the lion and the scarecrow. It's a really clever story and it fits in perfectly with the Wizard of Oz. I'd recommend it to anyone.

After the play we enjoyed a lunch at a Parisian restaurant. It was an experience and the food was pretty good, though probably not worth going to again.

My Family is Moving to Hong Kong!!!

When things started looking sour for Washington Mutual, my dad saw it as an opportunity for a possible career change.  So he started looking for interesting opportunities...and landed one in Hong Kong!  He's now doing market research for Coca Cola -- focusing on the SE Asian district.  He's been there for a couple weeks now and so far he's loving the change.

My mom and John will join my dad, but not until August.  They're slightly nervous to be living in a completely new country and to be so far away from home, but they're also completely excited about the adventures and experiences they'll have.

In December, Coca Cola flew the three of them out to get a feel for what living in Hong Kong would be like.  The pictures below are from that trip.

  Hong Kong is like the Manhattan of Asia.

They even call this Times Square.

The building where my dad now works.

A pretty view of downtown (complete with smog).

The south side of the island is much more rural.

Toren and I have already started saving for a Hong Kong vacation!!  That's the part we're most exited about!

When Mommy Comes to Town...

With Laura and David off at school and my dad in Hong Kong (post coming soon), John and my mom find themselves without much to do on the weekends. So, this weekend, we invited them down for a little visit. After they arrived Friday night we went to Izzy's Pizza Buffet (mmmmm!) and then my mom took me grocery shopping. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for my mom's ability to spoil us! This is what our kitchen looked like after we came home.

Saturday my mom and I spent some time at the mall and Costco (just imagine what my cupboards looked like after that), while the boys stayed home to play Rock Band on the Wii and play with the dog.
That evening, we went to eat at the Claim Jumper, and then we parted our separate ways to go home. And today, Toren and I have been eating like kings! It's been wonderful to enjoy a little life of luxury...and the fact that I won't need to go to the store for a month! Thanks SOOO MUCH mom!! We love you!!!!

The Beagle Meetup

We had a fairly exciting weekend, well Saturday. It was the first Saturday in a long time that Toren and I both had off work. And, it was Baxter's birthday, too! We decided to take him to the Beagle Meetup. I heard about the Meetup one time when Baxter and I were at the dog park. Basically, each month Beagle owners bring their Beagles to one dog park and let them run wild! Saturday was our first Beagle Meetup experience. Baxter absolutely LOVED it! He was going crazy! He spent most of the time leading a pack of about 4 or 5 all around the park at full speed. We realized it was time to go home about 45 minutes later when Baxter collapsed in the middle of the park absolutely exhausted. He slept the rest of the day...and most of Sunday too.

Isn't it funny to see all the Beagles sniffing around?

What a happy birthday!

Meeting the newest arrival.
Just playing around.

Post Meetup Bath. Can you tell Bax is ticked? He hates baths.

This video is short, but it gives you an idea of how fun the Beagle Meetup was. Yes, Baxter is the loud one.

The Whirley Pop

A couple Christmas's ago my grandparents got Toren and me a Whirley Pop.  

I've been lugging it around from place to place since then but I haven't taken the time to use it...until last night.  Boy do I regret not using it before!!  It just a matter of about 2 minutes Toren and I had movie-style Popcorn to enjoy while lounging around.  It was so delicious!!  It came with a popcorn recipe book and I already have plans to whip up some gourmet popcorn this week.  I can't wait!

Bread Makin'

My grandma gave me a bread machine for Christmas and, as soon as we moved into our new apartment, the bread making began.   I think I've already made about 6 loaves of bread in 2 and a half weeks!  I have to test out all the recipes and variations so I know which ones are my favorite.  I've also made good use of the timer feature, so I have warm, fresh bread when I get home from work or wake up in the morning. I absolutely love it!  Thanks Nana!!

Baxter's Redemption

Toren said the video I posted made Baxter look like a wuss, so I'm posting this one to redeem Baxter's doghood (at least the first half of the video should).