We love sushi. Both of us. It’s definitely on the top of our favorite foods. It was actually the one thing I craved when we were in South Africa. Fresh sushi. 
We have some awesome friends who are fellow sushi fanatics, and they actually know how to make it! So on Sunday they came over and we had a sushi party. Made from scratch.
Smoked salmon.. crab.. shrimp.. avocados.. sticky rice.. cream cheese.. caviar.. seaweed..
Oh la la.
My birthday was on the 10th, and my family loves birthdays. We seriously do. It’s an event, a celebration.. time to be together and have fun.. do things we don’t normally do. My family really went all out for me and it made me feel so loved.
They know how much I adore cupcakes.. so that was the theme. And spring. Tulips.. hyacinths.
The name places were real tulips in miniature pots. The “dirt” was chocolate bunches. I probably ate a 1/4 of my dirt before dessert.
We played Yahtzee. I got second! And I never even got a yahtzee. And here’s where the Parrot comes in. See him on my dad’s back? His name is Tarzan.
He’s not very smart. He dances though. Makes you laugh like a fool cuz it looks so funny and cute. He’s a show off.
Like I said, they know my love for cupcakes. Check out the wrapping paper! Its just edible.
My cake. My littlest sister made it.. isn’t is beautiful?
All these pictures are iPhone.. as I forgot my camera at home. I’m starting to realize I do that a lot. =/ Anyway.. I had such a wonderful party with my amazing family.. I hope you all are blessed to have a family who loves you like mine does me.
Keep calm and have a cupcake!
-beth
my best party animal buddy had her 22 birthday last week and had a marvelous masquerade party!
putting the candles on the cake..
john made his signature espresso drinks. =}
absolutely delicious food: shiskabobs, coconut rice and salad.
we played a hilarious take on hot potato. we set the camera on timer and passed the camera around the circle. you had to hold the camera facing you as in a self portrait and then pass it on to the next person. the person that the timer went off on and subsequently took a photo of had to share an embarrassing moment!
happy 22nd to one of my best friends in the world. i don’t know what i would do without you. <3
-beth
if you’ve been following my blog for very long you will know that i have an affair with cupcakes. i love cupcakes so incredibly much. i just can’t resist them somehow. okay, okay i can. sometimes. when i have to. but double cupcakes with chocolate (aka red velvet) top it with a thick cream cheese frosting and its irresistible! mmm! makes my mouth water just thinking a bout them…
my friend who is a fellow cupcake fanatic bought me this beautiful cupcake the other night.. =}
oh and did i mention chocolate truffles? i take them like they are vitamin C. {i tend to exaggerate, i know}. that hard shell on the outside with creamy meltedness on the inside.. mmmmm. my sister loves buying little chocolate truffles for me and the other day she gave me this. its a frog! how adorable is that? and it was flavored with raspberry.. yum.
so.. what are your favorite types of dessert?
-beth
.. he throws it in the lake!
well, thankfully mine didn’t turn out quite like the bear in the book: When a Bear Bakes a Cake. that was one of my favorite children’s books growing up and i just couldn’t resist. =}
almond poppyseed bundt cake. it’s one of my favorite cakes.. which is nice because its one of the only ones i can really make. i’m definitely more of a chef than a baker but maybe someday i’ll expand my kitchen horizons. the cake was delicious by the way! with an orange glaze.. yummy.
ps. the last photo is also my my photo of the day so there won’t be a separate post for that today.
what are your favorite things to make in the kitchen?
-beth
i have a love affair with cupcakes. they are completely irresistible for me. my mom knows this.. and often buys me beautifully delicious cupcakes from the target bakery. they are SO good. this one was a carmel apple. and it had cinnamon in it somewhere. it was delightful. in all ways cupcakes. what is your favorite little treat from the bakery? or elsewhere?
-beth
john’s sister ruth and brand new husband mahlon are moving to new york. so far away. right now. they stopped in on their way home from their honeymoon on monday night and i kept dragging out the actual goodbye. so today me and john and sam met them at the sandwich shop for one last lunch together before they left.
i’m still not liking the idea of getting used to life with them so far away. i didn’t want to think about it.. but now i don’t really have that luxury anymore. cuz they’re gone. that’s how life is, i know. letting people go as they move on to new paths and dreams and directions in life. and we can’t hold on. my mom always told me to hold people with open fingers.
and here’s the cute newlywed couple. =}
and here’s one of us. =}
How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard. ~From the movie Annie
i love you guys. and i’ll miss you more than you know. have an awesome new life in new york with all the best.
-beth
this was my lunch today. basil rice, steamed squash and zucchini topped with guacamole and homemade pico de gallo, with a few delicious leaves of spinach. i could literally get addicted to this meal.
i love eating healthy. and i love how it makes me feel. and yes. i love how it tastes. i don’t understand why people think healthy food tastes bad. maybe the same reason i think unhealthy food tastes bad. okay, okay. most of it.
and since i’m trying to stimulate your taste buds, i thought i’d throw in a photo i took of my salad yesterday. its crisp romaine lettuce, spinach, chopped advocadoes, my homemade pico, chicken sautéed with no oil topped with some crunched up tortilla chips and yogurt salad dressing. it was so delicious.
so! did i make you hungry?
-beth
delicious fresh salmon.. grilled with lemon by sam. so so so yummy.
ruth’s bachlorette party.. with a spa theme. manis and pedis and facial masks and yummy treats and music and candles..
the sunrise, our first of our trip.. beautifully streaking across the sky on ruth and mahlon’s wedding day.. =}
we came to this park to see if we could spot manatee. apparently it was a good place to catch sight of them. well. we didn’t see a single one. but we got quite the comedy show from the pelicans!
this guy was absolutely determined to get some free fish from the fisherman. they weren’t so impressed. but he wouldn’t give up.
it was a beautiful trip. so peaceful and relaxing.. so much time to be with friends. and i like florida now. and no, i didn’t want to leave. =} -beth
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October’s week photo theme was food photography. Ay yi yi. I had fun.
So without further ado, I hope you ate lunch or this might be a tad painful. 
Here’s my day #1. We went to eat at Joel’s Asian Grill. I had sushi for the 2nd time ever in my life and this time I loved it. No, really. I did.
And because the food was so delightful, I had to have two pictures from day #1.
Bethy’s day #1 – what better way to knock off the week than with PIZZA?
Day #2 – lunch at panera. (a FREE you pick two from our rewards card! yes, we do go that often)
Bethy’s Day #2- I lusted after this little snack of hers. Like Fall food-onified. Yeah I just made that up.
Day #3- I had a fundraising party and for a snack we had artichoke pizza. It was SO good.
Bethy’s Day #3 – FRO-YO!
Day #4 – pumpkin soup. ahh.
Bethy’s Day #4 – this meal makes my stomach growl
Day #5 – Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory “Apple Pie” covered apple. It makes my taste buds soar.
Bethy’s Day #5 – her yummy looking lunch. with pepsi, of course.
Day #6 – Baingan Bharta – eggplant curry. It was so so yummy. I’ve been on this craze for Indian food lately. I always loved Indian food but I realized last week that I’d made it twice and we’d gone to our Indian restaurant once, all in one week.
Bethy’s Day #6 – I’m a sucker for rice and oh my.. this just looks so delicious to me.
Day #7 – My lunch at Field of Greens
And since it was the last day, I had to do two again.
Bethy’s Day #7 – Her deliciously beautiful meal for her boyfriend’s birthday.
So.. if that didn’t make you hungry, I don’t know what would.
