tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87128346514898104772024-03-14T00:09:01.940-07:00orange violetstilletos, sneakers and everything in between.orangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730035541309073410noreply@blogger.comBlogger331125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712834651489810477.post-59505692394229242792012-11-12T12:16:00.001-08:002012-11-12T12:22:51.900-08:00A Save Thanksgiving Pledge<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">What does it really
mean to save Thanksgiving? In order to bring Thanksgiving into focus, a few
things need to happen. Below I have created my Save Thanksgiving
pledge. I humbly ask you to join me and join the movement.</span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Until November 23
will refrain from</span></strong></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Christmas shopping</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Christmas décor</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Singing along to
holiday music no matter how catchy Mariah Carrey may be</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Drinking from
Starbucks red cups (In the interest of full disclosure, I have already broken
this, twice. In my defense, I was traveling and didn’t bring my reusable cup
with me)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Reading Christmas
themed publications or internet features (this includes the amazing looking
Real Simple that was just delivered to my <span style="background: white; color: #990000;"><span style="color: black;">house</span></span>)<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Up until November
23 I will</span></strong></span></div>
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Shout from the
rooftops how awesome Thanksgiving is</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Use my voice on
social media to share stories and recipes related to Thanksgiving all tagged
#SaveThanksgiving</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Be grateful for the
blessings in my life. And let the people in my life know that I am
thankful for them.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Volunteer my time<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Notable exceptions</span></strong></span></div>
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">With family all over
the country, travel plans needs to be made well in advance. I’m personally
going to start talking about this with my family really soon. You can
#SaveThanksgiving and <span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: black;">still </span></span>book
an airline ticket.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Concert tickets.
Jingle Bell Bash, The Nutcracker, these need to be bought in advance. You
can #SaveThanksgiving and make plans before to attend these types of events
(after Thanksgiving, of course).</span></span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Violet in <a href="http://www.onlineshoes.com/womens-corso-como-adma-black-florence-p_id275802" target="_blank"><span style="color: purple;">Corso Como Adma</span></a></span></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14342611180353116691noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712834651489810477.post-19557421501689864262012-11-02T08:49:00.003-07:002012-11-02T08:49:19.847-07:00It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I saw my first Christmas commercial before Halloween. Christmas
has tried its best to take-over Thanksgiving and now it has its sights set on Halloween.
Halloween is a pretty awesome holiday filled with pumpkins, adorable kids in
costumes and, of course, candy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While it
may be hard to make a broader moral argument about the importance of Halloween
in our lives, it’s what happens in October.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And I’m doing my best to if not live in the moment be close to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Rather than take away from ghosts and goblins of Halloween I
held off on the turkey and ‘taters talk until after. Today, I once again take
up the banner to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-Thanksgiving/162311960531658" target="_blank">Save Thanksgiving</a>. For the next three weeks, all you will hear
from me is Thanksgiving – the food, the family and everything I have to be
grateful for this year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9kSNQgt56Qs/UJMJN9W_BaI/AAAAAAAAAG4/6pMV4hL-uU0/s1600/IMG_3791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9kSNQgt56Qs/UJMJN9W_BaI/AAAAAAAAAG4/6pMV4hL-uU0/s640/IMG_3791.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><a href="http://orangeviolet.blogspot.com/2011/11/save-thanksgiving-by-violet.html" target="_blank">Thanksgiving</a> is a great holiday. At a time when budgets are
tight and our differences, political or otherwise tear us apart, I can’t think
of anything better thing to do than gather those you love around you, share a
meal and give thanks for what you have.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Once the turkey has been picked over and the pumpkin pie
consumed, then and only then will I discuss Santa and stockings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I encourage all of you to do the same. Give Thanksgiving the
due it deserves. Take a few weeks to pause before life gets hectic and give
thanks for the blessings in your life. And for Pete’s sake, #SaveThanksgiving.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Violet in <a href="http://www.onlineshoes.com/womens-sperry-top-sider-brooks-black-patent-p_id247500?source=igodigital&" target="_blank">Sperry gold flats<o:p></o:p></a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14342611180353116691noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712834651489810477.post-22776356963772284902012-10-18T13:39:00.000-07:002012-10-18T13:39:16.046-07:00Ma Kai<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">For several years now, </span><a href="http://marinationmobile.com/ma-kai"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Marination Mobile</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> has been making a name for itself on the Seattle food truck scene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I first tried it at the </span><a href="http://orangeviolet.blogspot.com/2010/01/mobile-chow-down-part-two-by-violet.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Mobile Chow Down Part 2</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">. For a long time, I was afraid of their SPAM slider but a soon saw the </span><a href="http://orangeviolet.blogspot.com/2011/05/in-new-york-by-violet.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">error of my ways</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> when they opened the non-mobile </span><a href="http://marinationmobile.com/ma-kai"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Marination Station</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And now Marination has arrived in West Seattle with </span><a href="http://marinationmobile.com/ma-kai"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Marination Ma Kai</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> It's r</span>ight on Alki where the water taxi lands and you can rent yourself a stand up paddle board or a kayak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Marination Ma Kai brings everything you can get from the truck and some new options as well, including breakfast items and shave ice (I looked it up, it's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shave_ice" target="_blank">shave ice, not shaved</a> so this is not just a typo/my typical grammar fail).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Never one to pass up a SPAM slider JP and I made sure to hit the place up on its sunny opening weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">First off, I appreciate spelling out exactly what Ma Kai means right off the bat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you for answering my question before I even had a chance to ask.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WkhaN8T7wTo/UHiykf7pQ0I/AAAAAAAAAF4/z1hWZycW3nw/s1600/Mai+Kai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" nea="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WkhaN8T7wTo/UHiykf7pQ0I/AAAAAAAAAF4/z1hWZycW3nw/s640/Mai+Kai.jpg" width="640" /></a></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Second, on this beautiful sunny Saturday, you realize what an amazing location they have which includes a beautiful view of downtown Seattle and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating (which is missing from Marination Station). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mx4lXhV339E/UHiynNs2hSI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/vB5-S_8HhQ0/s1600/photo+(12).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" nea="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mx4lXhV339E/UHiynNs2hSI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/vB5-S_8HhQ0/s640/photo+(12).JPG" width="640" /></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ordering seemed to take a little while because the people ahead of us were Marination rookies, asking a lot of questions about what was what and specialty orders for the kids they had in tow. Despite this extra time, I was patient because first, welcome to the Marination fan club, second even if you order tacos without the jalapenos, kudos for exposing your kid to this, third it was nowhere near as long as we waited at the Mobile Chow Down.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jykA8kWN49s/UHiymKp2DYI/AAAAAAAAAGI/Pmfm4tCFzbg/s1600/photo+(11).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" nea="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jykA8kWN49s/UHiymKp2DYI/AAAAAAAAAGI/Pmfm4tCFzbg/s640/photo+(11).JPG" width="640" /></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I was tempted by the kimchi fried rice but I could not resist the power of the SPAM slider and I didn’t think I could really take on both since I had a cupcake for breakfast and I would later have queso and guacamole for dinner (it was a fat kid weekend, what do you want from me?!). So I got an Aloha (kalua pork) and SPAM slider.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>JP got three tacos, one kalbi beef, miso ginger chicken and spicy pork and one Aloha slider for him too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ERujyxn1nkg/UHiyoAY8CAI/AAAAAAAAAGY/wkomZy88_1Q/s1600/Sliders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" nea="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ERujyxn1nkg/UHiyoAY8CAI/AAAAAAAAAGY/wkomZy88_1Q/s640/Sliders.jpg" width="640" /></a></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CbsYEbqmKHQ/UHiyqxjg5uI/AAAAAAAAAGg/aE2VjLVQY3M/s1600/Tacos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" nea="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CbsYEbqmKHQ/UHiyqxjg5uI/AAAAAAAAAGg/aE2VjLVQY3M/s640/Tacos.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I’m very happy to report that everything that made me fall in love with Marination has easily crossed Elliot Bay to West Seattle. With these great island flavors, sweet location and shave ice this summer, I don’t think that we will see short wait times for very much longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-roQxPMLf5KA/UHiylVcvaqI/AAAAAAAAAGA/3nEh1LzfVAg/s1600/photo+(10).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" nea="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-roQxPMLf5KA/UHiylVcvaqI/AAAAAAAAAGA/3nEh1LzfVAg/s640/photo+(10).JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Violet in my customized Duck Nike ID sneakers</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14342611180353116691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712834651489810477.post-1017839704727684692012-10-12T16:09:00.001-07:002012-10-12T16:09:14.563-07:00Good Stuff<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I don’t know about you but I tend to suck at follow through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m really good with coming up with ideas, grand plans and master schemes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole making it happen thing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s a different story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I tend to be excited at the beginning and a few weeks down the road I let something slip because I’m busy or I just don’t feel like doing it right now. Then it all goes to hell. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel guilty, beat myself up and get back on the bandwagon or come up with a new master plan and start the same process all over again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See: working out, eating healthy, spending more time with friends, calling my family, pretty much every New Year’s resolution ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KqnMCIxpJNM/UHigPQ7thwI/AAAAAAAAAFg/zWxGho6jt9c/s1600/Clever+Bottle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" nea="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KqnMCIxpJNM/UHigPQ7thwI/AAAAAAAAAFg/zWxGho6jt9c/s640/Clever+Bottle.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">When this blog first<a href="http://orangeviolet.blogspot.com/2009_03_01_archive.html" target="_blank"> started</a>, I wasn’t even here. Orange and her friend started it as a way to compare their married and single lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the original violet wasn’t so into the idea any more, I gladly stepped in to <a href="http://orangeviolet.blogspot.com/2009/09/inside-actors-studio-by-violet.html" target="_blank">lend my voice</a>. And it was fun. I loved sharing the <a href="http://orangeviolet.blogspot.com/2011/01/well-always-sort-of-have-paris-by.html" target="_blank">stories </a>of what was going on <a href="http://orangeviolet.blogspot.com/2009/11/in-loving-memory-by-violet.html" target="_blank">in my life</a>, meals I was <a href="http://orangeviolet.blogspot.com/2011/01/at-bacons-alter-by-violet.html" target="_blank">making</a> and <a href="http://orangeviolet.blogspot.com/2010/05/highlights-and-lowlights-new-york.html" target="_blank">places</a> I was going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And I did ok by myself for a while, letting that enthusiasm carry me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Things went pretty sideways when I really started planning the wedding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 2012, I’ve barely logged one post per month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But lately I’ve been taking pictures of things, thinking of posts some even getting so far as half written but they never really seemed to find their way here. So I’m going to take that as a sign that it’s time to come back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mk1L_Wa6B0M/UHigRkPeM5I/AAAAAAAAAFo/DLnk2o6ECJw/s1600/Cupcake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" nea="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mk1L_Wa6B0M/UHigRkPeM5I/AAAAAAAAAFo/DLnk2o6ECJw/s640/Cupcake.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So what am I saying?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s going to be good stuff here. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hang in there with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Violet in <a href="http://www.onlineshoes.com/womens-corso-como-adma-black-florence-p_id275802" target="_blank">Corso Como Adma</a></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14342611180353116691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712834651489810477.post-21240098318935796252012-08-27T12:34:00.001-07:002012-08-27T12:34:14.945-07:00When the Cat is Away by Violet <!--StartFragment--><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What’s a girl to do? While there are a great many things that Joseph and I see eye to eye on but there are a few particular food quirks that we each have. Joseph only like potatoes in fry or chip form, he dislikes peanut butter and frankly most baked goods outside of cookies. The thought of scrambled eggs makes my stomach turn and I like my fruit fresh or fermented (no pies, jams or jellies of any kind).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This means we’ve learned to cook somewhere in the middle ground, taking into account each of our unique tastes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Every once in a while, Joseph goes out of town for a few days and I’m left with the prospect of cooking dinner for one. Typically this usually means making <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151790607540013&set=a.10151355590075013.813803.511605012&type=3&theater" target="_blank">a vat of mashed potatoes</a> and finding meats and veggies to accompany them. But after a bit of a perfect storm, not only was Joe out of town for the weekend but he had been out of town for work a few days before and during that time I had satisfied my mashed potato craving for the next few months (Thanksgiving isn’t too far away right?).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fW15QsiybrA/UDrJFfpG-ZI/AAAAAAAAAEw/e7OEOVyieVk/s1600/Orange+Violet+Blog+(3+of+21).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fW15QsiybrA/UDrJFfpG-ZI/AAAAAAAAAEw/e7OEOVyieVk/s640/Orange+Violet+Blog+(3+of+21).jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And wine. Of course lots of win.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So I started rolling through my recipes to see what might catch my eye, baked potato soup, veggie pizza, asparagus and shrimp, <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/08/tomato-and-corn-pie/" target="_blank">tomato and corn pie</a>, mac and cheese, eggplant parmesan…wait…tomato and corn pie? Bright summer flavors all wrapped up in a delicious biscuit like crust? Done.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qYZSbGj1vOA/UDrJHmx4yYI/AAAAAAAAAFI/Qdiih39V_tk/s1600/Orange+Violet+Blog+(6+of+21).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qYZSbGj1vOA/UDrJHmx4yYI/AAAAAAAAAFI/Qdiih39V_tk/s640/Orange+Violet+Blog+(6+of+21).jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is a gem that I found through <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/" target="_blank">Smitten Kitchen</a> and made for one of our <a href="http://orangeviolet.blogspot.com/2011/06/by-popular-demand-by-violet.html" target="_blank">Kentucky Derby parties</a> a few years back. I remembered it as being a little labor intensive (because frankly you have to make the dough and roll that bad boy out) but worth the effort.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Adapted, barely, from Gourmet’s adaptation of Laurie Colwin’s and James Beard’s versions<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>2 cups all-purpose flour<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>1 tablespoon baking powder<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>1 3/4 teaspoons salt, divided<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>3/4 stick (6 tablespoons or 3 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus 2 teaspoons melted<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>3/4 cup whole milk<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>1/3 cup mayonnaise<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>1 3/4 pounds beefsteak tomatoes<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>1 1/2 cups corn (from about 3 ears), coarsely chopped by hand or lightly puréed in a food processor, divided<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>2 tablespoons finely chopped basil, divided (skipped this, no harm was done)<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>1 tablespoon finely chopped chives, divided<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>7ounces coarsely grated sharp Cheddar (1 3/4 cups), divided<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 3/4 tsp salt in a bowl, then blend in cold butter (3/4 stick) with your fingertips or a pastry blender until it resembles coarse meal. Add milk, stirring until mixture just forms dough, and then gather into a ball.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Divide dough in half and roll out one piece on a well-floured counter into a 12-inch round (1/8 inch thick). Either fold the round gently in quarters, lift it into a 9-inch pie plate and gently unfold and center it or, if you’re using the plastic warp method, remove top sheet of plastic wrap, then lift dough using bottom sheet of plastic wrap and invert into pie plate. Pat the dough in with your fingers trim any overhang.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. If your kitchen is excessively warm put the second half of the dough in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. Whisk together mayonnaise and lemon juice.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Cut an X in bottom of each tomato and blanch in a large pot of boiling water 10 seconds. Immediately transfer with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to cool. Peel tomatoes, then slice crosswise 1/4 inch thick and, if desired, gently remove seeds and extra juices. Arrange half of tomatoes in crust, overlapping, and sprinkle with half of corn, one tablespoon basil, 1/2 tablespoon chives, 1/ 2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and one cup of grated cheese. Repeat layering with remaining tomatoes, corn, basil, chives, salt, and pepper. Pour lemon mayonnaise over filling and sprinkle with remaining cheese.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Roll out remaining piece of dough into a 12-inch round in same manner, then fit over filling, folding overhang under edge of bottom crust and pinching edge to seal. </i></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3x1y3DSLTlQ/UDrJCGcILrI/AAAAAAAAAEg/YwJjKO0SyFM/s1600/Orange+Violet+Blog+(1+of+21).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3x1y3DSLTlQ/UDrJCGcILrI/AAAAAAAAAEg/YwJjKO0SyFM/s640/Orange+Violet+Blog+(1+of+21).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Cut 4 steam vents in top crust and brush crust with melted butter (2 teaspoons). Bake pie until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes, and then cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UJFb9jcrMSU/UDrJEggKeAI/AAAAAAAAAEo/Qe_3dRtN9ZA/s1600/Orange+Violet+Blog+(2+of+21).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UJFb9jcrMSU/UDrJEggKeAI/AAAAAAAAAEo/Qe_3dRtN9ZA/s640/Orange+Violet+Blog+(2+of+21).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I skipped blanching the tomatoes and peeling them because I remember from the last time that step was a lot of work and I didn’t really see what the heck was the point. I did end up with a puddle at the bottom of the pie when I pulled it out of the oven. But the bottom crust wasn’t really much worse for the wear. If you want to take that step on then, by all means.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YkWFPeM8mAk/UDrJG2yIZwI/AAAAAAAAAFA/8BpAIjRnT6g/s1600/Orange+Violet+Blog+(5+of+21).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YkWFPeM8mAk/UDrJG2yIZwI/AAAAAAAAAFA/8BpAIjRnT6g/s640/Orange+Violet+Blog+(5+of+21).jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I also know that a lot of people get nervous about dealing with dough. This one is pretty cooperative. It comes together really easily and isn’t hard to work with. So don’t let it freak you out.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ksSm_eDM4xo/UDrJIeRakrI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/aY2dadBwf48/s1600/Orange+Violet+Blog+(7+of+21).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ksSm_eDM4xo/UDrJIeRakrI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/aY2dadBwf48/s640/Orange+Violet+Blog+(7+of+21).jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Highly recommend making this if your neighbor just came over and dropped off more tomatoes from their garden . It also feels like you should try out your best southern accent while eating this pie, ya’ll.</span><br />
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14342611180353116691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712834651489810477.post-60328979540620008902012-08-22T20:36:00.001-07:002012-08-22T20:36:36.882-07:00IT'S-IT
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the dog days of summer, cold treats become a pretty big
deal. If I heard the ice cream man right now, pretty sure I would run him down
for an Astro Pop or those orange and red swirl popsicles (the internet is telling me those are called <a href="http://www.popsicle.com/product/detail/107852/firecracker">Firecrackers</a> and <a href="http://www.popsicle.com/product/detail/107848/big-stick-cherry-pineapple">Big Sticks</a> but that just can’t be right). And I’m a girl who loves a
<a href="http://www.klondikebar.com/#Choco">Chaco Taco</a> too but really when you get right down to it, if there’s an <a href="http://www.itsiticecream.com/" target="_blank">IT’S-IT</a>
in play it’s pretty much over for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KlnZm4Y2jVU/UDWjmWqBxzI/AAAAAAAAAD4/agH0mgKIc8U/s1600/photo-18.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KlnZm4Y2jVU/UDWjmWqBxzI/AAAAAAAAAD4/agH0mgKIc8U/s640/photo-18.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now, for those of you who didn’t grow up in California, I’ll
need to explain just exactly what an IT’S-IT is. The original version is a
scoop of ice cream between two oatmeal cookies covered in dark chocolate. And
when I say oatmeal cookies, I don’t mean those terrible oatmeal and raisin
cookies like you find at Safeway, these are much closer to graham cracker crust
in cookie form. What really make them great is that they are so dense they can
stand up to the moisture of the ice cream even as it melts. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vonzGMjYbys/UDWjoWuKkwI/AAAAAAAAAEA/mrq5Ute06Qw/s1600/photo-19.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vonzGMjYbys/UDWjoWuKkwI/AAAAAAAAAEA/mrq5Ute06Qw/s640/photo-19.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Biting into one is
the perfect mix of chocolate, ice cream and crunchy cookie. They <a href="http://www.itsiticecream.com/order/products.cfm#1" target="_blank">also come in</a>
mint (the thought is overwhelming), chocolate and cappuccino. But I have never
seen these flavors in the wild.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gpsMNvKA1eQ/UDWjrwZtmeI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/3HltqQP2YmU/s1600/photo-21.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gpsMNvKA1eQ/UDWjrwZtmeI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/3HltqQP2YmU/s640/photo-21.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">They were <a href="http://www.itsiticecream.com/history/" target="_blank">invited in San Francisco</a>, sold at the Playland by
the Beach. When it was torn down in the 1970s they build a factory out near the San Francisco airport (which is in Burlingame, not too far from where JP grew up but he doesn’t like
IT’S-IT. Yeah, I don’t know either). If you are driving up from the south you can
see it from the freeway.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I had never seen one outside of California until
recently. I few weeks back I spotted a box on the top shelf in the freezer
section at Safeway. At first I thought it was a mirage and kept on shopping. Then the other day at Target, there they were again so the box of three
came home with me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Who puts three ice cream sandwiches in a box? IT’S-IT does.
Because they have been making these delicious treats since the 1920s and, frankly, you take what you can get.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I remembered back when JP and I went to hear <a href="http://www.anthonybourdain.net/" target="_blank">Anthony Bourdain </a>and <a href="http://www.mariobatali.com/" target="_blank">Mario Batali </a>speak. An audience member asked the chefs what did
they eat at their wedding? Batali said, man we kept it simple, a taco truck and
a cooler full of IT’S-IT. Sounds perfect to me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14342611180353116691noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712834651489810477.post-2089361316224263682012-07-10T18:12:00.001-07:002012-07-10T18:12:21.509-07:00Guess who's back? Back again. By Violet<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">How is it possible that it’s been so long since I’ve
written? There have been a few things
going on – mostly JP and I were planning a wedding. There will be plenty more
on that once the pictures come in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One of the advantages of working for the company that I do
is that after seven years you get a six week paid
sabbatical.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mine just so happened to
line up our wedding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still have
more about week and a half left to go. And I’m beginning to wonder just what I’ve been
doing with my time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So in order to catch you up and make myself feel better here’s a little look at what’s been going on over the
last few weeks….</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZkT78B9N9P0/T_zLXWpPTzI/AAAAAAAAABc/qrCipwhK1OI/s1600/Bachelorette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZkT78B9N9P0/T_zLXWpPTzI/AAAAAAAAABc/qrCipwhK1OI/s640/Bachelorette.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">So much reality TV. Team Jef with One F</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2EVC2x5hpMc/T_zLa1JkqmI/AAAAAAAAABk/C586uRu8xwQ/s1600/Chips+and+guac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2EVC2x5hpMc/T_zLa1JkqmI/AAAAAAAAABk/C586uRu8xwQ/s640/Chips+and+guac.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">An awesome bachelorette party with wine, chips and guacamole </span><br />
<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FHejtg_zFJ8/T_zMMfLSqdI/AAAAAAAAADM/Zi8B9-q5oFA/s1600/Wine+tasting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FHejtg_zFJ8/T_zMMfLSqdI/AAAAAAAAADM/Zi8B9-q5oFA/s640/Wine+tasting.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">Did I say there was wine? Because there was. So. Much. Wine.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ihCdkHVO6E0/T_zL49tSQuI/AAAAAAAAACs/u_bwhZ9f2zo/s1600/Meatballs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ihCdkHVO6E0/T_zL49tSQuI/AAAAAAAAACs/u_bwhZ9f2zo/s640/Meatballs.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">Made some excellent meatballs</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zJC05R0JkCQ/T_zLeIv3uPI/AAAAAAAAABs/wbMGLNzANlI/s1600/Clean+Plate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zJC05R0JkCQ/T_zLeIv3uPI/AAAAAAAAABs/wbMGLNzANlI/s640/Clean+Plate.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">Which JP and I made short work of</span><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rt67JT66bgA/T_zMBq4LGcI/AAAAAAAAAC8/NRzGmGw_8jA/s1600/Sunny+Alki+jog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rt67JT66bgA/T_zMBq4LGcI/AAAAAAAAAC8/NRzGmGw_8jA/s640/Sunny+Alki+jog.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">A couple runs on Alki</span><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-72gOyT7ZMzU/T_zLkA9xWgI/AAAAAAAAAB0/3mD2T5F304o/s1600/Foggy+Alki+jog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-72gOyT7ZMzU/T_zLkA9xWgI/AAAAAAAAAB0/3mD2T5F304o/s640/Foggy+Alki+jog.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">With varying weather</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oZAyQri0c-M/T_zLrg8_nEI/AAAAAAAAACE/_fnC2FE0XHw/s1600/Honest+Tea+and+Run.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oZAyQri0c-M/T_zLrg8_nEI/AAAAAAAAACE/_fnC2FE0XHw/s640/Honest+Tea+and+Run.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">A whole lot of reading thanks to my Aunt Susan<br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2WIZlFIHFKg/T_zL15WwmVI/AAAAAAAAACk/LEOy_DLRHUY/s1600/mashed+potatoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2WIZlFIHFKg/T_zL15WwmVI/AAAAAAAAACk/LEOy_DLRHUY/s640/mashed+potatoes.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">Joseph went out of town so I made a giant batch of mashed potatoes. Really giant. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LNohgkxauVE/T_zL0tMWmYI/AAAAAAAAACU/nKIr4mGDXE0/s1600/Mac+and+cheese.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LNohgkxauVE/T_zL0tMWmYI/AAAAAAAAACU/nKIr4mGDXE0/s640/Mac+and+cheese.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">I discovered the best <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/281007/macaroni-and-cheese">Mac and Cheese recipe ever</a>.<br /> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XHziJogwjB4/T_zL1QktKoI/AAAAAAAAACc/cCg4WMkwpWo/s1600/margarita+machine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XHziJogwjB4/T_zL1QktKoI/AAAAAAAAACc/cCg4WMkwpWo/s640/margarita+machine.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">The margarita machine from my bridal shower (thanks, Liz!)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-th6lfxk-zEg/T_zL9vNPHII/AAAAAAAAAC0/AdIjN9TdqPM/s1600/Sangria+Maui.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-th6lfxk-zEg/T_zL9vNPHII/AAAAAAAAAC0/AdIjN9TdqPM/s640/Sangria+Maui.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">Sangria from the honeymoon in Maui</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GxtyNEYHe3w/T_zMMxs8ISI/AAAAAAAAADU/8zY_fliMzgg/s1600/Yogurtland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GxtyNEYHe3w/T_zMMxs8ISI/AAAAAAAAADU/8zY_fliMzgg/s640/Yogurtland.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">With a little side of Yogurtland</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ku2zZ55512I/T_zLq8C_kgI/AAAAAAAAAB8/PQTuTHnDh6s/s1600/Here+comes+the+bride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ku2zZ55512I/T_zLq8C_kgI/AAAAAAAAAB8/PQTuTHnDh6s/s640/Here+comes+the+bride.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Some wedding DIY because I did get married </span><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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Violet in Reef flip flops</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14342611180353116691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712834651489810477.post-10057525180037064252012-04-15T18:51:00.002-07:002012-04-16T12:53:54.345-07:00Roasted Chickpeas<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A few weeks ago I was in Portland for a friend’s bachelorette party. Besides the astonishing feeling that this would be me soon enough, we had a wonderful time dancing and drinking champagne. But a funny thing happened on the way to the party. We enjoyed and amazing dinner at Davis Street Tavern which included spicy fried chickpeas.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Now, I’m a fan of the chickpea, or garbanzo bean if you want to get all fancy with it (Speaking of which didn’t it blow your mind a little bit when you realized they were the same thing?). These little guys are great in salad and who doesn’t love some hummus. But these spicy friend chickpeas were to die for. And I suddenly thought, I bet I could make these. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Since the flavor was in my brain I quickly <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/claire-robinson/spicy-baked-chickpeas-recipe/index.html" style="text-indent: 0px !important;" target="_blank">attempted a Food Network recipe</a>. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I was so excited but you know what I got? Mushy chickpeas. The flavor was good but I felt like the oven need to be hotter and the little guys needed to be on for longer. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So I did what any self-respecting cook would do, I took to Facebook. My future mother-in-law came to the rescue with these simple instructions: <i style="text-indent: 0px !important;">Be sure to rinse canned beans and make sure they are DRY. Then mix with a little evoo (2T per 1. 15oz can) add 6-10 garlic cloves minced, and any seasoning chili power s&p cumin, red pepper whatever you want. Bake at 450 for 35-45 min. They also need to be single layer. Stir occasionally. Good luck.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The chickpeas were great. They had a nice crunch to them, mimicking the fried ones I’d had before. The problem came with the fresh garlic. Because it was in there for so long it just got burnt to a crisp and didn’t really stick to the chickpeas (maybe it wasn’t minced fine enough).</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So I bought more chickpeas and gave the same basic recipe a whirl with granulated garlic a good bit more salt and I added cumin, paprika and red pepper flakes to bump up the spice. I put t hem in for 45 minutes shaking them up every 15. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13px;">The resulting batch is nothing short of delicious. I can’t stop eating them. Thanks Dee Dee!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">Violet in <a href="http://www.onlineshoes.com/womens-ugg-australia-cozy-knit-chocolate-p_id187481" style="color: purple; text-decoration: none;">UGG Cozy Knit slippers </a></span></span></div>violethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13990392394749447150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712834651489810477.post-40482493592203703642012-03-19T21:17:00.001-07:002012-03-20T12:57:46.599-07:00Irish Car Bomb Jell-o Shots by Violet<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">You read that right. Clearly this is what Saint Patrick’s Day has been missing. JP found <a href="http://www.endlesssimmer.com/2012/03/02/booze-bites-irish-car-bomb-jell-o-shots/" target="_blank">this recipe on Endlesss Simmer</a> and we knew that we needed to bring it to the party. </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M0tQqYMsHqk/T2jhDzJX2PI/AAAAAAAABhA/9G3btb-BiRI/s1600/_MG_3681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M0tQqYMsHqk/T2jhDzJX2PI/AAAAAAAABhA/9G3btb-BiRI/s640/_MG_3681.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This is doubled from the original and it made a full 9 x 12 pan of them.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ingredients</span></div>
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<li><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">32 oz. Guinness Stout beer, divided use</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">10 envelopes of Knox gelatin, divided use</span></li>
<li><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">6 oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">6 oz. Jameson Irish Whiskey</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></li>
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</font><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Instructions</span><br />
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</font><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Lightly mold with non-stick spray and then gently wipe away any excess. Only a very small amount is needed.</span><br />
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</font><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Pour 24 oz. of Guinness into a shallow dish, making sure to pour gently to cause as little head as possible, then sprinkle 8 envelopes of gelatin on top. Set aside and allow gelatin to bloom for two minutes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XCFRozsFrtc/T2gBx8aqV-I/AAAAAAAABgI/ezJ6bz5-peg/s1600/_MG_3654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XCFRozsFrtc/T2gBx8aqV-I/AAAAAAAABgI/ezJ6bz5-peg/s640/_MG_3654.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Transfer mixture to the saucepan and heat over lowest setting until gelatin bloom melts and no lumps are visible, mixture will resemble syrup. Transfer mixture to a heat proof bowl and combine with remaining Guinness . To layer the Jell-o shot, split Guinness mixture in half. Using one half pour mixture into form a quarter of the way up.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4sa3og2JiA4/T2gB4roeXpI/AAAAAAAABgQ/pRZnOlLhMog/s1600/_MG_3661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4sa3og2JiA4/T2gB4roeXpI/AAAAAAAABgQ/pRZnOlLhMog/s640/_MG_3661.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Chill for 5-10 minutes until solidified.</span></div>
<br />In the meantime, pour Baileys and whiskey into a bowl and sprinkle remaining envelope of gelatin on top. Set aside for gelatin to bloom for two minutes.<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Transfer Bailey’s-whiskey mixture to a saucepan and heat over lowest setting. Drop one to two ice cubes into mixture to cool. Pour mixture on top of Guinness layer and chill for 5-10 minutes.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SXfnpxv_RXI/T2gCApoBQ_I/AAAAAAAABgY/RaCt19KVAsQ/s1600/_MG_3669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SXfnpxv_RXI/T2gCApoBQ_I/AAAAAAAABgY/RaCt19KVAsQ/s640/_MG_3669.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /><div>
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</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Pour remaining half of Guinness mixture on top of Bailey’s and whiskey layer.</span><br /><br /><div>
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</font><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">To remove, press finger into center of Jell-o shot and using an offset spatula or butter knife gently pop out Jell-o shot.</span><br /><br /><div>
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</font><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Notes</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></font><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">To prevent the mixtures from solidifying while waiting for layers, gently stir mixture every now and again.</span><br /><div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Shots can be made 1 day in advance.</span></div>
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</font><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">That first note turns out to be very important because I missed it and my second layer of Guinness totally solidified and when I went to pour it on top, it ended up looking like grape jelly. </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VYl_cgs8OtI/T2gCFtlZufI/AAAAAAAABgg/bLGUCeCvgK8/s1600/_MG_3675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VYl_cgs8OtI/T2gCFtlZufI/AAAAAAAABgg/bLGUCeCvgK8/s640/_MG_3675.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If I were going to do it again, I would double the already doubled amount of the Bailey’s/Jameson layer and cut back on the Guinness layer. I might also think about adding some sugar or whipped cream topping to the shots. </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FJVGW56X5Sk/T2gCLdxmm5I/AAAAAAAABgo/7GGUeg5OIWg/s1600/_MG_3679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FJVGW56X5Sk/T2gCLdxmm5I/AAAAAAAABgo/7GGUeg5OIWg/s640/_MG_3679.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">While I know goes against what the car bomb shot is all about however, the color, size and shape suggested to everyone (me included) that this was a sweet dessert like concoction. And I think something about the gelatin gave the Guinness a more bitter taste. Making me think the next time I try these I’ll will just tip the scales in that direction. Or maybe I’ll just make <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/recipe?id=9036047" target="_blank">Guinness cupcakes with Bailey’s frosting</a> and shut up about it.</span><br /><br /><div>
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<a href="http://www.onlineshoes.com/womens-born-waverly-sauro-full-grain-p_id229763"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: purple;">Violet in Born Waverly Sauor Full Grain</span></span></a> </div>
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violethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13990392394749447150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712834651489810477.post-83687370243289968992012-03-14T20:49:00.000-07:002012-03-15T09:54:47.163-07:00Deep in the Heart of Texas by Violet<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I’m back from Austin and South by Southwest Interactive. After an action packed few
days I thought I would come back and give an update on how I did with my
goals. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Eat at a taco truck.</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">
Check</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Drink a margarita</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">.
Check (bonus because it has a glowing ice cube)</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Buy some cowboy boots</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">.
This didn’t happen. As badly as I wanted to I didn’t get myself to a boot
shop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Walk around the UT campus</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">. I
drove by it a couple times but I didn’t manage to get out of the car. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Friday Night Lights Tour</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">. The
only thing I saw was the Landing Strip which is awesomely near the
airport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Go for a couple runs</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">.
Nope. I brought my running shoes and everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">So what exactly does this say about me? I
prioritize food and booze. <a href="http://www.orangeviolet.blogspot.com/2011/09/city-by-bay.html" target="_blank">I think we know that before</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">More than anything it means that I have
unfinished business. I’m going to have to go back. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">Here are a couple other highlights from my trip</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">My badge, so official </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;">Cake pops made by our Austin office</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Getting my learning on with <a href="http://caseorganic.com/" target="_blank">Amber Case</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">Violet in <a href="http://www.onlineshoes.com/womens-frye-campus-14l-saddle-montana-p_id17433" style="color: purple; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: purple;">Frye Campus 14L boots in Saddle Montana</span></a> </span></span></div>violethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13990392394749447150noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712834651489810477.post-43728910782061907922012-03-02T17:06:00.004-08:002012-03-02T17:06:51.197-08:00Don't mess with...<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Not be a braggart but I’m going to Austin next week to <a href="http://sxsw.com/">SXSW </a>for work. Like I said <a href="http://orangeviolet.blogspot.com/2011/10/chocolopolis-by-violet.html">sometimes my job does not suck</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Now just to be clear, I’m not going to the music part of the festival, I’m going to <a href="http://sxsw.com/interactive">Interactive</a> which is the nerdy part. And this is considered work since I will be supporting my agency’s efforts there as well as attend talks and report back to my team. It ain’t all fun and games.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">However, I’ve wanted to go to Austin for some time now and I’m pretty excited about the prospect of spending time there. While business travel rarely affords you the luxury of exploring your surroundings there are a few items on my to-do list. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Eat at a taco truck.</strong> It’s not like we don’t have these here in Seattle or even where I grew up in California. I’m just going to go ahead and assume that Austin knows what they are doing in this respect. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Drink a margarita</strong>. See above. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Buy some cowboy boots</strong>. I’ve never been especially a country girl but cowboy boots seem like something every girl should have in her wardrobe. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Walk around the UT campus</strong>. For reasons unexplained I have a soft spot in my heart of the University of Texas. Maybe it’s the longhorns, maybe it’s the burnt orange, I really just don’t know. I won’t be too far from campus and it would be great to walk around and see the place. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Friday Night Lights Tour</strong>. Since this is my second all-time favorite TV show, I’d love to see a few of the spots where they filmed. <a href="http://fns.tumblr.com/">Apparently, it’s not heard to do</a>. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Go for a couple runs</strong>. We are getting down to it in terms of the wedding and after I took a week off, it’s really time to get back in the exercise groove. My friend and coworker told me she would pack her running shoes too so we can hold each other accountable. If we get in two over the five days I will be a happy camper. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This might be more than is humanly possible, especially since I’m in sessions all day every day but it’s good to have goals right? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Violet in <a href="http://www.onlineshoes.com/womens-frye-campus-14l-saddle-montana-p_id17433"><span style="color: purple;">Frye Campus 14L boots in Saddle Montana</span></a> (my fake cowboy boots)</span><br />
<a name='more'></a>violethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13990392394749447150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712834651489810477.post-44349569502846141962012-02-12T10:49:00.000-08:002012-02-12T11:10:33.327-08:00True Confessions of a Sorority Girl<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">It’s true. I was in a sorority. I’ve never been ashamed of that fact. I wore my letters proudly </span>around the campus of the University of Oregon where the largest social group was hippie. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">And, sure, when you step back and look at the whole thing objectively it sounds a bit odd. You join a group whom overnight you are supposed to refer to as your sisters? They give you a bunch of rules and codes to live by many of which are secret? You have to attend a whole slew of events, including but not limited to chapter meetings, social events, service projects and many more meetings? Oh and you are supposed to pay for this pleasure? </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">But you know what? Worth it. So totally and utterly worth it. Many of the people I’m friends with today are my sorority sisters (two of whom will be in my upcoming wedding) and we just have the best time when we are together. We did in college and we do now. Just as then, we get dressed up, sing songs and laugh until our sides hurt. We tell the same stories over and over again and they never get old.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">This past weekend a big group of us went down to Eugene for our chapter’s alumni weekend. Right before we left I found a CD that contained a bunch of photos from our years in college (yes, I am so old I went to college before digital cameras). And a fit of excitement I posted them to Facebook. The ensuing comments were so funny I was sitting at my kitchen table with tears streaming down my face. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">The weekend was full of good times and heart-warming memories – we went through stacks of photos, toured the house, went wine tasting, met current members and hit the college bars for old time’s sake.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">While it was a little bittersweet because come Monday morning, I had to go back to work as a soon-to-be 30 year old instead of back to class as a 20 year old. But the sweet, was that I did get to do all this once and that so many of these wonderful and amazing women are still in my life. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">To the alumnae of Kappa Delta, thank you for making my college years so incredibly special. I will carry the memories and tell the stories until the day I die. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">To the current women of Kappa Delta, thank you for welcoming us back with open arms. I’m already looking forward to next year. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #292929;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Violet </span></span>violethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13990392394749447150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712834651489810477.post-26469598648249358672011-12-19T21:26:00.000-08:002011-12-20T11:06:30.922-08:00It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Violet<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">I am feeling the Christmas spirit this year. Christmas isn’t necessarily my favorite holiday, some people, like Orange who used to grace these pages, spend all year looking forward to it and will play carols in July. Me, personally, my favorite holidays are the Fourth of July, Halloween and, of course, <a href="http://orangeviolet.blogspot.com/2011/11/save-thanksgiving-by-violet.html">Thanksgiving</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">But this year, I’m feeling the joy. I’m singing carols, baking and shopping all with a spring in my step. Maybe it’s because I helped <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-Thanksgiving/162311960531658">Save Thanksgiving</a>. Maybe it’s because JP and I are hosting Christmas at our place in Seattle this year. Whatever the case, I have visions of sugar plums dancing in my head and I don’t even know what those are. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Building on the festive feeling, JP and I hosted a holiday get-together. As friends from all parts of our lives arrived to eat, drink and be merry, I was struck by a familiar feeling. It was a feeling of thanksgiving. I was once again reminded at how good life can be. That in the darkest time of the year so many other things can shine bright. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Here are just a sample of the wonderfully hilarious photos from the photobooth JP set up at the party. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">I hope that you and yours are enjoying the season as much as I am. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Violet in <a href="http://www.stevemadden.com/Item.aspx?id=58273&np=136">Steve Madden Traisie black pumps</a> </span></span></div>violethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13990392394749447150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712834651489810477.post-39961637421629152562011-12-14T21:02:00.000-08:002011-12-14T21:02:37.176-08:00Yeah, it's about Bras by violet<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I had some trouble writing this post. Talking about your underwear in public (even with a small group of people) is pretty intimate, especially when some in the crowd are male, relatives and coworkers. But the story I want to tell you </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">has me feeling empowered, so this is a post about bras, but not the sexy hot kind. This is about the logistics and tactics, not style and execution. If thought of hearing about my bra makes you uncomfortable then go ahead and skip this one. I won’t be mad at you. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">JP had found a deal for a fitting and a store credit on Gilt Group for <a href="http://bellefleurlingerie.com/home/">Bellefluer Lingerie </a>in Fremont. Truth be told, I didn’t think very much about my bra size. I’ve been wearing the same size since high school. While I wasn’t ever dazzled by the effects it didn’t feel like a huge issue. Sure it felt like no matter which t-shirt bra or full-coverage style I tried you could still see the line of the top of the cup through my shirt. And I used to get frustrated at movies where the heroine would take off her white oxford shirt to reveal a black lace bra that never seemed to show through. I just thought these were problems all women had. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Now, I had been “fit” a few years ago at the dominate lingerie chain store but really they just told me to keep wearing the size I had been wearing. I’ve had friends who have worked <a href="http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/womens-bras-fit">on get fit campaigns</a>. I watched <a href="http://www.oprah.com/style/Os-Bra-Intervention">Oprah</a>. But it just didn’t seem like something I needed to worry about. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Then the gal at Bellefluer had me try on a completely different size (in case you are curious it was a larger cup, smaller band). Something just clicked over in my head and I was like, oh yeah, that’s what this is supposed to feel like. I’ve learned that the vast majority of the support should come from the band and not your straps. Ladies if you are living in strap-support land, get out now. I’m telling you. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Since taking advantage of the store credit it’s been like a whole new world. I can wear almost any of the new bras under almost anything without them showing through the top. I’m learning about how to care for my fancy new goods, all with a whole new appreciation for what goes under my clothes. Thank you Bellefluer. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.onlineshoes.com/womens-born-waverly-sauro-full-grain-p_id229763" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Violet in Born Waverly Sauor Full Grain</span></a></span></div>violethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13990392394749447150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712834651489810477.post-3553752655849049292011-12-07T21:49:00.001-08:002011-12-14T21:03:27.167-08:005 Years by Violet<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">It’s a little hard to believe but JP and I have been together for five years. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Since this is going to be our last dating anniversary that we will celebrate before we get married in June, we thought we’d do it up a little bit. So we made reservations at a fancy restaurant, booked a hotel room downtown and decided to make a day out of it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bwc5_7FGj24/TuBRlbTcYRI/AAAAAAAABaE/3l5Xvh1lObE/s1600/Sparkling+Wine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bwc5_7FGj24/TuBRlbTcYRI/AAAAAAAABaE/3l5Xvh1lObE/s640/Sparkling+Wine.jpg" width="454" /></span></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">That morning we woke up early and headed up to Fremont where we tried a coffee shop recommended by a coworker of JP’s and then did a little bit of shopping. Since we finished up around 11:45 we thought we’d see what <a href="http://www.paseoseattle.com/">Paseo</a> looked like. As we did a drive by there were only a couple people in line so JP threw me out of the car with some cash and yelled, order me a Midnight Cuban. The deal is the line at Paseo can get out of control, so when you see it with only a few people you can’t even wait to find a parking spot. It’s a good thing that JP acted fast because right after me, the line started to snake down the street.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Now, I’ve heard a lot about this mythical sandwich place and when you hear as much about a place, it becomes a challenge to meet those expectations. But Paseo is one of those places that live up to the hype. Seriously one of the best sandwiches I have ever had.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">After lunch we went over to Crate & Barrel to try and fill out our registry and actually made some really good progress.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">We then checked into <a href="http://www.paseoseattle.com/">Hotel 1000 </a>and of course enjoyed the complementary glass of champagne during check in. Our hotel room was pretty sweet - felt like a high roller. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4T8VVMoKl4E/TuBRmwV6VMI/AAAAAAAABac/5WNqQ8MXRbE/s1600/Hotel+1000+Room+w+Kate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="404" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4T8VVMoKl4E/TuBRmwV6VMI/AAAAAAAABac/5WNqQ8MXRbE/s640/Hotel+1000+Room+w+Kate.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Since it was a special occasion I thought I would really do it up and get my hair and makeup done for the evening as well. So I braved the rainy weather for my appointment at <a href="http://swinkstylebar.com/">Swink</a>. I was really pleased with the results. I do a little beauty pageant in the photos but my hair fell a little bit over the night. I also liked the shade of red lipstick so much I ended up buying it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UWVCwbnVj5c/TuBRmYXuUoI/AAAAAAAABaU/wDhzoJwi4mI/s1600/Kate+%2526+Joseph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UWVCwbnVj5c/TuBRmYXuUoI/AAAAAAAABaU/wDhzoJwi4mI/s640/Kate+%2526+Joseph.jpg" width="426" /></span></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">We were in a little bit of a pickle since Oregon was playing Stanford in a matchup of the PAC 12 titans that night. JP being the understanding future husband that he is understood my desire to watch at least the vast majority of the game. So we watched the first half in our room while we got ready. Then took advantage of the free drink from the hotel in the bar while watching the 3rd quarter. Luckily my beloved Ducks had the game firmly in hand by the time we left for our 8:30 dinner reservations.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Dinner at <a href="http://michaelmina.net/restaurants/locations/rnwa.php">RN74</a> including many highlights. But I think the best part was the beignets with salted caramel butterscotch. </span>It’s a great place for a romantic dinner with your significant other. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Now here’s where I get sappy. JP, it’s been an amazing five years filled with all kinds of adventure. I can’t wait to marry you. </span></span></div>violethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13990392394749447150noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712834651489810477.post-52680875906771685152011-11-08T17:26:00.000-08:002011-12-14T21:04:13.745-08:00Working from Home by Violet<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My company’s offices in Bellevue are currently being remodeled. And I am without an office. I have a temporary and shared space in the office two days a week but the other three days a week I’m on my own working from home until February. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve never been very good a working from home. There’s something about being at the office that keeps me honest. And I find the presence of my TV, refrigerator and bed incredibly distracting. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Since I’m going to be working for home for quite a long stretch, I thought I better figure out some ways to help me be more productive. Here’s my plan of attack:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Go to the Gym</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I’ve been on the morning workout train for the last few weeks now and I want to keep the momentum going. I’m going to keep getting up early and get the gym time in before I start the work day. Get my day started in a healthy and energizing way. This will help me not be tempted to cut out early to hit the gym at the end of the day. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Get Ready</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It’s very tempting to stay in my pjs all day. Putting on a pair of pants really helps put me in business mode. I’m less likely to lay around on the couch all day if I actually went to the trouble of putting make up on. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">No TV</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My addiction to TV is BAD. If I even turn it on to watch the Today show in the morning, my whole day is shot. By resisting the urge in the morning, I can get a lot more done. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A Space to Work </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I’ve taken over JP’s office for the next few months, he's being really nice about the whole thing. Having a space, away from the TV, removes some (not all) of the distractions. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So far, I’ve had two days working from home and I would say it’s just going OK. While the tricks I really help in the morning the afternoons seem to be when the distractions come in – laundry, errands, starting dinner. It also doesn’t help that I’m trying to start a movement to <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-Thanksgiving/162311960531658?sk=wall">Save Thanksgiving</a>. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Does anyone have any working from home advice? Help me get more productive? </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Violet in <a href="http://www.onlineshoes.com/womens-ugg-australia-cozy-knit-chocolate-p_id187481">UGG Cozy Knit slippers </a>(What? I said I would put pants and makeup on but shoes?)</span>violethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13990392394749447150noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712834651489810477.post-59349199608703993002011-11-04T12:03:00.000-07:002011-12-14T21:04:55.306-08:00Save Thanksgiving by VioletI’m starting a movement to save Thanksgiving. <br />
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I should clarify, Thanksgiving isn’t in any real danger, it is still on the calendar. As many people have bemoaned (and I am one of them), Christmas seems to start earlier and earlier every year. In fact this year, people starting talking Christmas the day after Halloween. The. Day. After. <br />
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I see that as an affront to one of the greatest holidays there is - Thanksgiving. There are many reasons why I think this is a great holiday; here are just some of the reasons why. <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Concept</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It is a day to give thanks. It’s a time to stop and recognize all the wonderful things we have in our lives. A day to count your blessings. A day to be around friends and family and say, you have made my life better. Not with an extravagant gift but with the simple act of sharing a meal together. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Execution</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thanksgiving is all about the food, in a tradition as old as the campfire, we gather those we love around us and break bread together. Every family does it a little bit differently but the general ingredients are there, a turkey and all the trimmings. I have yet to meet a person who isn’t psyched about a Thanksgiving meal. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Stress Level</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As holidays go, Thanksgiving is pretty low pressure. Sure you have to cook a big meal and there’s likely some travel involved but really on the scale of things that’s not so bad. There are no crowds to fight at the mall. No stress about a long list of people to buy gifts for, no serious wallop to your bank account. Sure there might be some fear of messing up the turkey but in comparison to Christmas that’s nothing. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Non-Denominational</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thanksgiving is a holiday free from religion. Religious holiday are great but then tend to come with baggage. It sure makes it easier to celebrate when you can invite everyone to the table. Everyone can get behind giving thanks, eating a giant meal and taking a nap. If you can’t then, clearly something is wrong with you. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My point it, Thanksgiving is a great holiday. And I think it’s getting the shaft. Christmas is sucking up all the oxygen. At a time when budgets are tight and people are on the streets protesting corporate greed, I can’t think of anything better thing to do than gather those you love around you, share a meal and give thanks for what you do have. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In order to save Thanksgiving, I’m not paying Christmas any attention until November 25. For the next month, I’m going to talk about how excited I am for turkey, football and spending time with my family. And not about shopping malls, deals, Santa Clause or any such thing. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I encourage all of you to do the same. Give Thanksgiving the due it deserves. Take a few weeks to pause before life gets hectic and give thanks for the blessings in your life. And for Pete’s sake, #SaveThanksgiving. </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.onlineshoes.com/womens-born-waverly-sauro-full-grain-p_id229763"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Violet in Born Waverly Sauor Full Grain</span></a>violethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13990392394749447150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712834651489810477.post-89854632968542716282011-11-01T21:40:00.000-07:002011-12-14T21:05:18.712-08:00Goodbye to a Seattle Landmark by Violet<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Seattle is losing a landmark - the Alaskan Way Viaduct is coming down. We are at the beginning of the process of replacing this aging and ugly elevated highway with the best view in town. Here in Seattle it’s been an epic battle over how to replace it, multiple votes, council meetings and court cases. No one really seems to agree on anything other than it need to be replaced. But we are forging ahead with a deep-bore tunnel which means that we are saying goodbye to the old girl.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Demo getting started</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The first day it closed the city let people walk on it without traffic before tearing it down. Since this is a roadway that JP and I take just about every day it seemed like something we needed to check out. </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BOKn1xGhid4/TrDFmNg6TDI/AAAAAAAABXY/OGROtMF9AaY/s1600/IMG_3743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="480" ida="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BOKn1xGhid4/TrDFmNg6TDI/AAAAAAAABXY/OGROtMF9AaY/s640/IMG_3743.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In classic Seattle style, it was raining pretty hard for the Viaduct’s last day. It was pretty easy to spot where to go since there were more than a few other people who wanted to say their goodbyes as well. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_ryBjvHz1x8/TrDFive98JI/AAAAAAAABXQ/x6M0zcPQab8/s1600/IMG_3742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="640" ida="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_ryBjvHz1x8/TrDFive98JI/AAAAAAAABXQ/x6M0zcPQab8/s640/IMG_3742.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We trucked up on the onramp and got as close as we could to the big machinery already starting demo.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zny7zbsf7H4/TrDF-2c2cUI/AAAAAAAABYA/klHDFloaBBk/s1600/IMG_3767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="480" ida="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zny7zbsf7H4/TrDF-2c2cUI/AAAAAAAABYA/klHDFloaBBk/s640/IMG_3767.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I have to say it was a pretty neat experience to walk on a roadway that I have driven too many times to count. It’s a way different view. </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d0Qf4Pj8UG4/TrDFoKgXMyI/AAAAAAAABXg/2Q9FbK_u3VY/s1600/IMG_3746.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="640" ida="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d0Qf4Pj8UG4/TrDFoKgXMyI/AAAAAAAABXg/2Q9FbK_u3VY/s640/IMG_3746.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Even though the Viaduct is pretty ugly it was hard not to get a little bit nostalgic for the thing. It has clearly found its way into the hearts of a great many Seattleites. </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V-g_yao3g0c/TrDFvqNO_eI/AAAAAAAABXo/jA3KN8vXnuk/s1600/IMG_3764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="640" ida="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V-g_yao3g0c/TrDFvqNO_eI/AAAAAAAABXo/jA3KN8vXnuk/s640/IMG_3764.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BOKn1xGhid4/TrDFmNg6TDI/AAAAAAAABXY/OGROtMF9AaY/s1600/IMG_3743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I was especially grateful to the city for allowing us the opportunity to give the Viaduct a walking goodbye. And, the best part, the opportunity to take a little piece of it home. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">JP with his piece to take home</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Violet in <a href="http://www.onlineshoes.com/womens-saucony-jazz-nylon-suede-pf_id4983">Saucony Jazz - Red/White</a></span><br />
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Becuase it really is one of my favorite places on Earth. And just look at how happy it makes me<br />
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Violet in Oregon rain bootsviolethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13990392394749447150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712834651489810477.post-18259739422309504382011-10-25T17:37:00.000-07:002011-10-26T11:25:40.098-07:00Chocolopolis by VioletAs I have noted there are <a href="http://orangeviolet.blogspot.com/2009/10/walk-in-park-by-violet.html">certain parts</a> of my job that don’t suck. I encountered one of those moments when my lovely and talented friend/coworker <a href="http://blogs.waggeneredstrom.com/work-shoe-blisters/author/mmanazir/">Meg</a> invited me to a chocolate tasting at <a href="http://www.chocolopolis.com/">Chocolopolis</a>. I didn’t have to think about that one for too long. <br />
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Chocolopolis is an adorable store on the top of Queen Anne Hill. They offer tons of different kinds of artisan chocolate from all over the world and add some of their own special creation as well. <br />
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In preparation for the holidays they invite some of us corporate types in to taste some of their chocolate. </div>
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I arrived a little bit early - probably because I could barely contain my excitement about this event. This actually turned out to be a blessing. Because I found this great book about some French woman who became a chocolatier (I would give you a link to the book but I’ve completely forgotten the title and a Google search proved fruitless). But there was an entire chapter on tasting chocolate – tips and how to approach it. This proved valuable as we went into the chocolate tasting. </div>
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Lauren, the owner, ran us through an extensive chocolate tasting that spread over all the bean producing regions. It was incredibly interesting to taste chocolate like you would wine. Really focus on the experience rather than shoving down your face as fast as humanly possible (I don’t do that. I don’t know what you are talking about).</div>
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I learned that while I love dark chocolate, I don’t love 100% cocoa which they have in the store and is one of their most popular bars. I also learned of the existence of one of the most delicious drinks I have ever encountered – the peanut butter hot chocolate. It pretty much tastes like a melted peanut butter cup. I’m going back for another one of those soon. </div>
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If you are looking to get your chocolate fix or a unique gift, I highly recommend checking this place out. Tell Lauren and the crew I said hello. <br />
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Violet in <a href="http://www.onlineshoes.com/womens-frye-campus-14l-saddle-montana-p_id17433"><span style="color: purple;">Frye Campus 14L boots in Saddle Montana</span></a>violethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13990392394749447150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712834651489810477.post-8047596221582743392011-10-13T13:09:00.000-07:002011-10-13T13:09:13.589-07:00We tried to get breakfast by violetWe tried to get breakfast last Sunday morning. JP and I used to go out to breakfast a lot more than we do now. We used to gather large groups of people after crazy nights out drinking. We used to start our explorations of different neighborhoods with the breakfast joint. But for whatever reason we haven’t been going to breakfast out as much. Blame it on trying to be healthy, blame it on not going drinking as out as much. <br />
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So Sunday morning we attempted to get breakfast a <a href="http://www.skilletstreetfood.com/">Skillet</a>. Skillet and I met <a href="http://orangeviolet.blogspot.com/2009/10/chowin-down-by-violet.html">before at the Mobile Chow Down</a> a few years back. They recently opened up a non-portable location in Capitol Hill this Spring. We’ve been meaning to check it out but the place is always packed. <br />
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Now at 11:00 am on a Sunday morning with grumbling stomachs it seemed like risky business trying to get in. We were told the wait would be a half an hour which didn’t seem terrible, especially considering it wasn’t raining outside. <br />
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Plus it gave us time to people watch. I’m currently putting the pieces together to replicate this girl’s look. So far, I have the shoes. <br />
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The wait turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Because at 11:30 it is socially expectable to order lunch. It wasn’t that the breakfast didn’t look good, corn cakes, pork belly, hash and waffles all looked tempting. It’s just that the burger with the bacon jam was just sitting there on the lunch side of the menu, calling out to me. <br />
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JP apparently heard the siren’s call as well because he went for lunch as well – the fried chicken sandwich with a side of poutine. It was enough gray and fries to probably kill a lesser person. <br />
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I hope the person who invited this is living a happy life in Canada for wherever this craziness came from because it is decadence at its best. <br />
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And while we didn’t accomplish our goal of getting breakfast, we certainly stuffed ourselves full of deliciousness which really, isn’t that the point of breakfast anyway? <br />
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Violet in Frye Campus 14L boots in Saddle Montana<br />
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</div>violethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13990392394749447150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712834651489810477.post-74364492465820940162011-10-11T22:00:00.000-07:002011-10-12T15:54:40.570-07:00Unexpected Moments by violet<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Obviously since <a href="http://orangeviolet.blogspot.com/2011/01/well-always-sort-of-have-paris-by.html">getting engaged</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, I’ve started to look at weddings a little bit differently. After making a few decisions about our own wedding, JP and I attended two wedding on back to back weekends last month. Something struck me about these weddings. As a guest, my favorite moments from each wedding were unplanned and unexpected.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lauren (along with <a href="http://orangeviolet.blogspot.com/2010/09/two-down-four-to-go-part-2.html">Erin who got married last summer)</a> is one of my oldest friends. We grew up two doors down from each other. We used to play dress up in her driveway and swim in her pool. We were once matching ballerinas for Halloween. We lost Lauren’s mom to ALS when we were in high school. And clearly a wedding is a time when many of us were thinking about Anita. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Isn't she a stunner?</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At Lauren’s wedding, her dad, Tom, gave an incredibly touching and moving toast. Not only did it honor Lauren’s mom but it also celebrated Lauren and her new husband Rob is such a joyful way. There was not a dry eye in the house and it’s the only time I’ve ever seen anyone get a standing ovation from a wedding toast. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Father of the Bride is in the middle (that's my pops on the right)</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, Sarah is a friend of JP’s from college. her and Danny had a large wedding packed with a lot of their friends. As the night wore on these friends found their way to the dance floor and right about the height of the dance party, the DJ sent the crowd into a frenzy with Regulators. I should tell you most of these kids were not straight out of Compton but clearly many of us had grown up respecting the high art of gangster rap. Which is how a group of 20-30 of us ended up on the dance floor SCREAMING all the words along with Nate Dog and Warren G. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was a clear black night...</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was the highlight of wedding.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...2-1-3 will regulate</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lauren couldn’t have known what her dad was going to say. I don’t think Sarah told the DJ to play Regulators. These things just happened. Plenty of time and effort went into other, amazing parts of these events. All of which were appreciated and helped make them wonderful. But what made them unique and what I’m going to remember years from now are things neither bride had any control over.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s a good reminder as JP and I start jumping back into wedding planning. Make thoughtful decisions and make it your own but also allow the space for the unexpected to happen. Much like life.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just had to include Lauren and Rob's cake. Too cute right?</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Violet in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jessica-Simpson-Womens-Pump/dp/B0029XFE5M">Jessica Simpson "Jessica" pump in ivory patent</a></span>violethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13990392394749447150noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712834651489810477.post-69508255958528246392011-10-03T20:29:00.000-07:002011-10-03T20:30:01.117-07:00Fall TV<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Since I am a self-professed <a href="http://orangeviolet.blogspot.com/2010/06/summer-tv-addict-by-violet.html">TV addict</a> who has recently cut cable, I thought now would be as good a time as any to give you my first impressions of some of new shows this fall.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.nbc.com/whitney/">Whitney</a>. I wanted to like this show. A comedy written by and starring a woman, that should be a train I could get on. But it disappoints on all fronts. The relationship jokes feel tired. Men and women want different things, so that’s funny! I don’t really expect a character drawn like Whitney’s – supposedly unconventional and unwilling to conform - to care about half the stuff the address. I turned it off half way through the second episode. I. Turned. It. Off. My verdict: Don’t waste your time. Instead watch her much more promising writing vehicle…</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/2_broke_girls/">Two Broke Girls</a>. While it might not be totally consistent, the cupcake business plot line seems trite at this point (isn’t that what New York needs, another cupcake business) and I’m not sure how they are going to pull a whole series out of the theme, at least it feel fresh and funny. Kat Dennings is all around pretty awesome. My verdict: Giving it a few more episodes.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.nbc.com/the-playboy-club/">Playboy Club</a>. Note to Eddie Cibrian, you are dashing, good looking and man, can you wear a suit. But STOP talking like you are Don Draper. You’re not. And the Playboy Club is certainly no Mad Men. My verdict: Might watch one more but not banking on it.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/pan-am">Pan Am</a>. Another show guilty of grasping at the Mad Men straws but at least this felt like more of a fresh angle than the Playboy Club. Think there’s more potential here. Really I think I just want one of those sweet vintage Pan Am bags. My verdict: Giving it a few more episodes</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.fox.com/programming/shows/?sh=new-girl">The New Girl</a>. Zoey Deschanel is the cutest, most whimsical thing you have ever seen! She’s manic pixie dream girl incarnate! She wears funny hats! She sings! She knits hats! Which would all be super annoying if it wasn’t devastatingly true and utterly charming. It’s also pretty funny when she bounces off the male roommates, who are much more grounded in reality. My verdict: Giving it the season.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.nbc.com/up-all-night/">Up All Night</a>. I’m not a new parent but I certainly feel like I can related to what the characters on Up All Night are going through. Will Arnett can read the phone book for all I care. And I thought last week’s back story on Maya Rudolph’s character was hilarious, complete with <a href="http://www.nbc.com/up-all-night/video/avas-music-video/1358065/">90s R&B video</a> and everything. My verdict: Giving it the season.</span></div>
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<u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Old Shows I Can Hardly Contain My Excitement About</span></u></div>
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">How I Met Your Mother</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Happy Endings – This is my new Friday Night Lights and The Wire. I’m telling everyone I know to watch this show. Other than Modern Family and HIMYM, it’s the most consistent in terms of LOLs per episode. Plus it’s on right after Modern Family, so just don’t change the station. Ah-MAH-zing.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Modern Family</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Community</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Parks & Recreation </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The League</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Parenthood</span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Violet in <a href="http://www.onlineshoes.com/womens-jessica-simpson-cody-rug-brown-leather-p_id166430" style="color: purple; text-decoration: none;">Jessica Simpson Cody</a>, brown, leather flats with brass toe buckle</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
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</span>violethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13990392394749447150noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712834651489810477.post-51965452541305024452011-09-29T21:09:00.000-07:002011-09-29T21:09:33.106-07:00City by the BayWe bookended our recent trip to northern California with two weddings, but I’m going to give you the middle. Not because the weddings weren't beautiful and a ton of fun because they both were. Because it was all too much for one post so I had to divvy it up somehow and this way seemed to make sense. <br />
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So without further ado I give you the highlights from our trip to San Francisco. <br />
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- Filbert Steps down from Coit Tower. If I had what I’m sure would need to be a whole lot of money, I’d want to live there.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9iiz4l_ANFE/ToU-PoI_3-I/AAAAAAAABTk/Y9EUCXAsFX0/s1600/SF_Vacation_Sept_2011-25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9iiz4l_ANFE/ToU-PoI_3-I/AAAAAAAABTk/Y9EUCXAsFX0/s640/SF_Vacation_Sept_2011-25.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
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Though I’m still sore form the climb.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iTWs6vLEi_Q/ToU8eRUmQaI/AAAAAAAABSw/w4WyDu0KmMc/s1600/SF_Vacation_Sept_2011-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iTWs6vLEi_Q/ToU8eRUmQaI/AAAAAAAABSw/w4WyDu0KmMc/s640/SF_Vacation_Sept_2011-11.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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- Hayes Valley. Actually now that I mention it, I could live there too. Cute shops, restaurants and bars. <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v4c4O2gIyok/ToU9JMtlzHI/AAAAAAAABTQ/okijS3cR2VI/s1600/SF_Vacation_Sept_2011-57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v4c4O2gIyok/ToU9JMtlzHI/AAAAAAAABTQ/okijS3cR2VI/s640/SF_Vacation_Sept_2011-57.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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- <a href="http://fattedcalf.com/">Fatted Calf</a>. Pork Happy Hour on Wednesday night, they break down a pig in front of you and you can take cuts home with you. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q5jrCvAQy0k/ToU9UnT9YOI/AAAAAAAABTU/w8aRq06sqek/s1600/SF_Vacation_Sept_2011-66.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q5jrCvAQy0k/ToU9UnT9YOI/AAAAAAAABTU/w8aRq06sqek/s640/SF_Vacation_Sept_2011-66.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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- Our bike tour of Napa <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l1izTLf-3Q8/ToU8_cf8HII/AAAAAAAABTI/dZoLKAsoFz0/s1600/SF_Vacation_Sept_2011-46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l1izTLf-3Q8/ToU8_cf8HII/AAAAAAAABTI/dZoLKAsoFz0/s640/SF_Vacation_Sept_2011-46.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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- Delicious burgers <a href="http://gotts.com/">Gott’s Roadside </a><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RVyPC8BJt5M/ToU8zgzv3rI/AAAAAAAABTA/_rlcEHNxlV4/s1600/SF_Vacation_Sept_2011-34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RVyPC8BJt5M/ToU8zgzv3rI/AAAAAAAABTA/_rlcEHNxlV4/s640/SF_Vacation_Sept_2011-34.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
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- The <a href="http://www.oxbowpublicmarket.com/">Oxbow Market</a> getting supplies for a bread and cheese picnice to go with our Napa wine<br />
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- Mexican food in the Mission <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0JwrpmEaAuM/ToU9E-atMWI/AAAAAAAABTM/_CCbfd3-roQ/s1600/SF_Vacation_Sept_2011-53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0JwrpmEaAuM/ToU9E-atMWI/AAAAAAAABTM/_CCbfd3-roQ/s640/SF_Vacation_Sept_2011-53.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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- Drinks at <a href="http://www.clifthotel.com/en-us/#/explore/?id=/clift-san-francisco-redwood-room/">Clift Hotel’s Redwood Room </a><br />
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- <a href="http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/">The Ferry Building</a>: Blue Bottle Coffee, Il Cane Rosso plus the <a href="http://tacolicioussf.com/">Tacolicious</a> and <a href="http://www.namusf.com/">Namu</a> trucks<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CkDdQA5nPq0/ToU9d8CdtmI/AAAAAAAABTY/FYDA219IICI/s1600/SF_Vacation_Sept_2011-75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CkDdQA5nPq0/ToU9d8CdtmI/AAAAAAAABTY/FYDA219IICI/s640/SF_Vacation_Sept_2011-75.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
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(Have you noticed how happy I look in all these food pictures? Yeah, there's a trend.)</div>
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- So. Much. Coffee.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aBkA17ZVNSE/ToU8v7zqTdI/AAAAAAAABS8/Z9E6Ya6WE48/s1600/SF_Vacation_Sept_2011-31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aBkA17ZVNSE/ToU8v7zqTdI/AAAAAAAABS8/Z9E6Ya6WE48/s640/SF_Vacation_Sept_2011-31.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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- A truly decadent lunch at <a href="http://www.wayfaretavern.com/">Wayfare Tavern</a> (thanks to Nicki and Chris)<br />
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- Finding Joe the perfect Giants hat our last night in town<br />
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As usual the City by the Bay didn’t disappoint. Can’t wait to get back, there’s already a growing list of what we didn’t see. Or eat.<br />
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Violet in Sperry Top Sidersviolethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13990392394749447150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8712834651489810477.post-25919737176524513882011-09-29T16:54:00.000-07:002011-11-18T15:35:24.821-08:00More Loving MemoriesTwo years ago, I lost a good friend of mine. The world lost an amazing person. She would have been 30. Would have been. <br />
What I’ve noticed is that over time, I feel Hannah’s absence more acutely. Every once in a while I will get the urge to call her, tell her something funny and just catch up on life. When this happens, I lose her all over again. <br />
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Instead I dip into my suitcase full of memories – jumping on our dorm room beds signing Rascal Flats at the top of our lungs, her giving me a ride home from my 21st birthday dinner and long phone conversations. And then I daydream about what she might be doing now or what she might say or what advice she would give me. It’s imperfect but it’s all I’ve got. And for those of us who have lost those that we love, it’s all any of us have.<br />
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The one thing I know for sure, Hannah would tell me to cheer up, be grateful for my life and enjoy it. So my darling, I will do just that. <br />
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Violet in <a href="http://www.onlineshoes.com/womens-born-adele-black-full-grain-p_id157728">Born Adele flats</a>violethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13990392394749447150noreply@blogger.com2