Fun-filled Friday!

We have been talking a lot about dreams at work lately.  At a leadership gathering recently we were fortunate enough to have Matthew Kelly, the author of Dream Manager, do a motivational speech.  He asked us many times to question, "What is your dream for 2012?".  One of the things that truly fulfills my life are my family and friends.  I am surrounded by some of the most amazing people in the world.!  In 2011 I have not made enough time to cultivate these relationships and my dream for 2012 is to let my family and friends know how much I love them!

In the last few weeks I have been living my 2012 dream and have gotten together with some family and friends who I have not seen in a loooonnnnggg time!  Yesterday was one of those days.
After getting up at 4am, turning in my final paper for the quarter, and catching up on work emails and projects, I headed off to Seattle to meet my friend David B.  He chose a local coffee shop called Voxx (http://voxxseattle.com/) to hang out and catch up.  The coffee was super yummy, but the company was inspiring, comforting and full of positive energy and laughter!  For those of us fortunate enough to be friends with David, we are so incredibly blessed!!

I arrived home late afternoon and then it was off to Gig Harbor with hubby to our dear friends the Lehosky's.  They cooked the most incredible coconut shrimp, roasted butternut squash with blue cheese and pecan's and Dan's homemade "This is how I have always eaten my salad" salad.  I loved catching up in the kitchen while they cooked and laughing our butts off the whole evening!  One comment that Dan made when I talked about my dream for 2012 was to be "intentional" when making plans with family and friends.  It's one things to say you are going to get together, but how is it different when you intentionally get together?  It's the difference between saying and doing.  Love it!!

Hubby realizes also that we have not seen a few of our other friends in awhile.  He got on the horn to rally his buddies to show up and support our friend Red who is the new owner of Red's Valley Pub (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Reds-Valley-Pub/313241512024839?ref=ts) in the dome district in Tacoma, WA.  Red has been a bartender for many years at local, successful bars in Tacoma.  This year he realized his dream by purchasing his own bar and he has made it his own.  It was fun to see our friends gathered around drinking and laughing and supporting his dream!  For those of you in the area, head in for a pint!

All in all, yesterday was an incredibly full day of catching up and living my dream.

What is your dream for 2012????

Mt. Rainier Putting On a Show

This has nothing to do with shopping, but this is what I saw on the way to work yesterday.  AMAZING!!!!  I love my life!!!!!!!!!!

My hubby and I got married in Mineral, WA on my Dad and Step-Mom's property which looks out at Mt. Rainier.  We had hoped to have a view of the Mountain, but the fact that it stopped raining just a few hours before the ceremony and that we actually had blue skies and sunshine were enough for me.

The Heavens did open up again late that night when we finally headed off to Wellspring Spa in Ashford, WA to spend our first night as a married couple (http://www.wellspringspa.com/).  Wellspring is locally owned and one-of-a-kind.  All of the cabins are super cozy!  We stayed in the Turiya guestroom which has a back patio that looks out into a calming garden and pond.  I remember being able to hear the rain....it RAINED like I had not heard it rain in a loooooong time, but it was so incredibly peaceful after such an amazing day celebrating our marriage with family and friends.

We talk about going back to Wellspring and just need to book it for a wonderful weekend away on Mt. Rainier.

Jake's Bar and Bistro, Steilacoom, WA

I was just starting my post about Jake's Bar & Bistro in Steilacoom, WA when hubby started reading me a horribly sad story in the News Tribune about Jake's closing down.  The News Tribune tells one story (http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/12/13/1944220/jakes-in-steilacoom-another-economic.html) and Jake's website tells another (http://jakesbarandbistro.com/).  When I began my post I wanted to talk about how important it is to support local businesses, but if what Jake says on his website is true, the new "Tiki" bar going in in Jake's place is not one I will be supporting.

Jake's was fun!  Jake's had an amazing sunset view from their deck.  Jake's had great microbrew beer on tap and local Washington and Oregon wines on their bar menu.  Jake's has great food!

I have fond memories of dinners with hubby in the bar and on the deck during summer, my friend Holly and me sneaking a cold drink and a much coveted breeze on a very hot summer's day...as well as having dinner with my Washington, California and Germany family to celebrate their visit in 2009.  

The closing of Jake's will come as a huge surprise to a lot of people.... We will miss it!

:(

Tacoma Boys---shop local in Tacoma, Puyallup and Lakewood

As a child I remember loading up in the car with Mom to go to Tacoma Boys.  She would pick up buckets of berries to freeze or make into jam.  She would pick up flats of green beans and asparagus as well as buckets of corn and peas to blanch and freeze.  This is one of the ways Mom stocked our freezer for the year.

I didn't think much of Tacoma Boys until I moved back to WA in 2006 and found one on South Hill in Puyallup.  It is open 24 hours per day and has an amazing selection of fresh produce, meats, seafood, cheese, wine and beer.  And there is always that special something you didn't know you were coming for, but found anyway.  I mean, please, who can resist their homemade tortilla chips and salsa?  www.tacomaboys.com
They sell a ton of locally made products including jams, jerky, wine, beer and even their TB locally canned fruits just to name a few.  It's a great place to get items to make gift baskets strictly from local goodies.

One of the things I love to do is stop in on my way home...I always gain new inspiration to cook dinner!  PLUS everyone who works there is so friendly!  This is also one of the best places to purchase local Washington wines as well as Washington and Oregon made microbrews.

There are three locations to serve you: 6th Ave off Hwy 16, South Hill Puyallup as you turn to go to Costco off of 9th onto 39th and in Lakewood it is known as H&L produce on the corner of Lakewood Drive and 74th. A word of warning at the H&L location: because they are located in a shopping area with a freestanding wine shop and fish market, you won't be able to get these items at H&L.

Thinking about what to make for your holiday dinner?  Trying to decide how to find something unique to stuff stockings with?  This is your store!!

Happy Shopping!
Kirty

Dreaming of Maui

This year in May, after almost two years of wedded bliss, hubby and I flew to Maui to celebrate our honeymoon and relax in the sunshine for 10 days.  We stayed in one of my favorite condos (http://www.aliiresorts.com/sugar_beach_resort.htm), which meant we mostly got to cook for ourselves, which saved us a ton of money.  But when we did eat out, we ate local.  We even had time to attend a fundraising event and see my wonderful Maui family!

First you must call Ali'i Resorts (http://www.aliiresorts.com/) and speak with Terri when you want to book your accommodations on Maui.  She took great care of us and was able to answer a ton of questions before we booked.  We stayed in condo #418 at Sugar Beach Resort in Kiehi which I've noticed has recently been remodeled.  I would definitely stay in this unit again!

Not long after arriving, we were sitting on our balcony enjoying the waves crashing on the beach and reading Maui travel magazines.  Hubby says, "Hey look...a beer festival!"  If you know my husband you know he loves microbrew beers.  The price was not cheap but we justified it by noting that it was for charity...haha!  One of the featured brewers was Maui Brewing Company (http://www.mauibrewingco.com), which is located north of Lahaina in Kapalua.  The day we visited the brewery we met some of the nicest people.  Their IPA fell flat, but the rest of the beer is quite refreshing and they have the coolest bar length icy coaster where you can set your beer to keep it cold.  On the way back to the condo we stopped at Aloha Mixed Plate (http://www.alohamixedplate.com) and ate some fresh Kalua pig.  The portions are huge!  Plenty for two people to share or take your leftovers back to the condo and have them for lunch the next day.

We did most of our shopping at Foodland in Kihei, which is locally owned.  I will confess that we made one exception and stopped at Costco for some staples.  We, again, met the nicest people while shopping and even got some produce advice from the employees.  One of my favorite sections was where they sell the poke and sushi.  It was inexpensive and absolutely delicious!  I could eat it for every meal....and on some days it felt like we did.

Other notable local establishments we found were: South Shore Tiki Lounge (http://www.southshoretikilounge.com) and Sansei Sushi Restaurant (http://www.sanseihawaii.com/).  We made an attempt to go to Koiso Sushi Bar one night, but unfortunately you need reservations so we were turned away.  The place is small, but was packed! Oh well...next time.

Hubby did his share of snorkeling.  We went to Big Beach, Nukuele point at Ahihi Kinau Natural Area Reserve as well as Wilea beach and Napili.  On the way to Big Beach we found some amazing food trucks parked in what seemed to be classified as "the middle of nowhere".  Both were selling their rendition of fish tacos so we bought at both.  Each was completely different, yet both were our favorites!  Jawz Tacos Big Beach was one food truck and the other was Makena Grill.  No websites, sorry.

By far our most favorite place to celebrate our honeymoon was at Mama's Fish House (http://www.mamasfishhouse.com/).  We had received a gift certificate from my parents who suggested we go at lunch to get the most for our dollar. The view from our table was similar to this photo:

Ahhhh!  Add a fruity cocktail, a warm breeze and some local Hawaiian music and you will feel like you are there.  We started with the ceviche, which is some of the best I've ever had.  Hubby had a seared sesame and ginger crusted Ahi Tuna and I had the stuffed Mahi Mahi.  Needless to say, we were stuffed and enjoyed every bite!

Back to raising money for charity!  If you are ever in Maui in May, you need to attend the Maui Brewer's Festival.  Unlike local brewfests in the Puget Sound, at this festival they feed you tapas/ small plates from local restaurants all over Maui.  The food is free with admission and pairs great with the many beers you get to sample.  Bring your beach chair and set up before you head out to taste.  The amphitheater fills up quickly.  The music was an amazing addition to the event!  All of the artists were local or had grown up in Maui and had flown in to support the event.  Description from the website (http://www.mauiarts.org/special_events.html): 26 breweries from Hawai‘i and around the country poured 54 distinct craft beers and imports (offering something for everyone) and 16 Maui restaurants and caterers served up scrumptious pupu. Guests got into the groove with music by Kanoa, Louis & The Megas, Kanekoa and Off Tomorrow.  The highlight of the night for me was noticing that we were sitting behind my cousin Bill.  After hugs and introductions he moved his beach chair back and joined us.

We packed every minute of our ten days in Maui including seeing the sunrise at Haleakala, relaxing on the beach soaking up the sunshine, walking on the beach, driving to Hana, window shopping in Paia, spending time with my cousins and even doing an early drive up the northwest coast after being turned back by a road block on our first attempt at Haleakala.

My cousin thanked us for coming and supporting Maui and the local businesses.  We arrived not long after the Tsunami had devastated Japan and May is a traditional time for the Japanese to pack the resorts, restaurants and beaches in Maui.  Unfortunately for the locals the Japanese were not traveling, but we felt fortunate to have Maui to ourselves.

Aloha!

Date Night--Gig Harbor, WA

We try to do date night once a week.  Sometimes we aren't able to, but the fun of having date night is that hubby and I get focused time to reconnect.  In the spirit of eating locally and supporting local businesses I made a plan for us to head to Gig Harbor last night.  


I grew up in Gig Harbor and am always amazed at how much it has grown and changed.  The problem historically is that the restaurants have not been very exciting.  True, there is the old stand-by, Tides Tavern, which was the first place I went after turning 21, because it seemed to be the place to go!  Once the excitement of "21" wore off, I realized that it's a solid, waterfront bar with great beer choices and a perfect, traditional bar menu.  It would be my Cheers if I lived in Gig Harbor.


But hey....we're not here to talk about the Tides Tavern.  We are here to talk about 7 Seas Brewery, Morso Wine Bar and JW.


The first thing I did yesterday was get on Yelp and look for new restaurants in Gig Harbor.  JW was the first one to pop up.  I perused their menu, which at first glance seemed interesting.  I then looked at their wine menu and saw that they had some local Washington wines, which pleased me.  Nothing like locals supporting locals.  I called the number, left a message and a few hours later received a friendly call back and a reservation for 7:30pm.  

Our first stop of the night was 7 Seas Brewery (http://www.7seasbrewing.com/).  We drink their beer at the Swiss and have seen them featured at a few local brew festivals.  My brother Mikey is especially fond of them and keeps telling us we have to go.  I'm not sure what I expected, but when we pulled up, I noticed that there were a lot of people outside in the tented area.  My first thought was, "Smoking section".  Then we walked into the tap room and realized that the people sitting outside freezing couldn't fit in the tap room because it was wall-to-wall people.


For those of you who grew up in Gig Harbor...you used to not be able to go anywhere without seeing people you knew.  Now, not so much...although during the time we were there, I did recognize a few people, but was not sure if they would remember me.  


Hubby ordered a Ballz Deep IPA and I ordered a couple of 1/2 liter growlers for white elephant gifts for a holiday party this weekend.  We were situated in the corner next to the bathroom when someone turned the bathroom light on and there I finally saw my brother's artwork.

He had mentioned that he pinstriped a bunch of growlers for the tap room...Cool!
Anyway, our recommendation is to not show up at the 7 Seas tap room on a payday-Friday.  We had fun people watching, but the place is tiny and we would definitely pick a summer night to go or at least a different night of the week.  The growlers make great gifts and I'll definitely be buying more for holiday gifts.


We decided to head to Anthony's to pass some time in the bar before heading to JW.  We were having trouble finding parking near Anthony's so we turned around, came back down Peacock Hill and there on the right hand side was a sign for Morso Wine Bar (http://morsowinebar.com/home.html).  We decided to venture in and are glad we did.  


They were having a sold-out concert last night, but I assured one of the owners that we would be heading to JW for dinner and only wanted to have a glass of wine.  He smiled and seated us.  We both ordered Washington wines (I had Seven Hills and Hubby had Milbrandt).  The service was amazing and the menu had some incredibly yummy looking items.  We will definitely be back! Steven Lynn, one of the owners, made sure we were on the email list to hear more about special food and wine events they do each year.  


Last stop: JW.  JW(http://www.jwgigharbor.com/#!) is located in the same parking lot as the Gig Harbor Maritime Museum, right across from where the shell of Il Bistro sits (boo!).  ***Please, please, please make reservations so that you aren't disappointed when you show up and the dining room is full.***  

We pulled in early, but they had our table ready.  Jason Winniford and his brother Jarett were both working the restaurant and are incredibly friendly!  Jason brought a sample of an Argentina Malbec to the table along with the dinner specials.  Hubby and I looked at the wine menu long and hard and settled on a 2008 Cuvee Lucia Sangiovese from Andrew Will winery (http://www.andrewwill.com/index.html).  The menu listed the grapes from Red Mountain, WA, so we knew we were in for a treat.  Even better, Jason explained that the winery is on Vashon Island and is touted as one of the best wineries in the state. 

We started with the Honey Almond Prawns, which are in a honey-mayo sauce with crushed almonds.  Yum!  If I were eating bread I would have sopped up the sauce...instead I watched hubby do this.  


For main course hubby chose the flat iron steak and I had the wild boar bourguignon.  Both were delicious!  The flat iron steak was cooked perfectly and the wild boar, which I had never had before, was done in a pot roast style and was rich, warm and perfect for a winter meal.  
For dessert we had traditional creme brulee, which was spot on.  


Overall, date night was a HUGE success!!!  We drank local and we ate local...which is the goal.


Have a great weekend!


Cheers,
Kirty

Fiestaware--made in the USA

I have two dear friends from New Mexico who got me hooked on Fiestaware.  I knew that when I bought my first house I was going to have my own Fiestaware.  There is something about mismatching the colors and the weight of the dishes that makes me feel happy.  Every dinner party I host, I serve in my Fiestaware.  Every party I attend, I try to bring two to three pieces.  There are always a couple of people who ask what it is and where I got it.

My dear hubby was the one who clued me in to the fact that it was made in the USA.  I remember distinctly having a conversation while doing our wedding registry when he said, "I definitely want more Fiestaware.  I love that it is made in the USA".  Up until that point I had not even thought about where it was made.   

I originally purchased my Fiestaware dishes at http://www.fiestafactorydirect.com.  (Part of our wedding registry was with Macy's, which is not a local company and I would not buy my dishes there now).  On the http://www.fiestafactorydirect.com there are specials going on for holiday shopping as well as free ground shipping on purchases of $99 or more.

Imagine eating off Made in the USA dishes every day?  Ok,,, I'm off to get a cup of coffee in my favorite green Fiestaware mug.  Mmmmm coffee!!