One of my New Year’s Goals: To become a better photographer January is the perfect time to contemplate our goals for the New Year. Are they resolutions? Intentions? Goals? Call them what you will, but one way to enhance your life is to create a goal for yourself. I have some fun new ideas cooking for …
Great news! The infomercial for The Perfect Cooker is now playing on television in many markets across the country!** Here’s a little background… Back in July, I was contacted by a Toronto production company to see if I was interested in testing and working with a product that would be a great fit with the …
You do not have to look too deep in to the world of social media to see that everyone is publishing topics like the Top 5 Most Popular Posts ,The Nine Best Instagram Photos, The Best of This, The Best of That and even The Top Ten Dishes of 2015 (I did that). There is a very good reason for this. Reflection. As responsible bloggers, we need to reflect upon the work from the prior year in order to plan for and evaluate the next year’s editorial calendar.
However, my favorite part of the “Best of Post” is revisiting a topic that made people happy! My goal was to bring together a community of empty nesters to share their adventures. I am indeed the largest contributor, but there have been many Guest Adventurers who have written amazing articles and were willing to allow me to publish them! Thank you for that!
Christmas with our adult kids is different now. Not bad different, just different. Change is inevitable and as our children get older, they take on new interests and their Christmas wish lists have gotten much smaller. Visits to local, intriguing distilleries, trying new cocktail bars and great restaurants and going to the movies is now the order of the day. They prefer money over gifts. They check their emails and texts. They watch football and play in football fantasy leagues, have a boyfriend, a girlfriend and are quite competent in the kitchen. Times are different, but I like it.
No more assembling toys, taking bites of Christmas cookies and preparing for Santa’s arrival. I made the mistake of listening to a couple of Christmas albums that I used to listen to when they were young. These songs sung by Celine Dion and Harry Connick Jr. caused me to cry remembering those holidays from their childhood. Longing for those times from years ago, yet understanding that they are gone forever.
“First we eat, then we do everything else.” ~ M.F.K. Fisher
How to choose my top ten dishes of 2015 … It was tough!
How do you narrow down a very long list to just the top ten dishes of 2015? Honestly? It’s really not fair and damn near impossible to choose which meals we loved the most. I actually started with forty photos of the many photogenic and delicious bites Craig and I have enjoyed. Enticing, colorful, mostly savory dishes that I would pay to go back to eat once more (and probably again after that)!
Searching for and visiting new restaurants and vibrant local markets is an important part of travel. We are always on the hunt for what’s hip, what’s authentic and where the local foodies like to eat. From Los Angeles to Maine, Costa Rica to Hawaii, sprinkled with visits to major foodie cities in the United States, we have eaten some AMAZING dishes this year.
Knit beanies, Northface slickers, jeans, fashionable rainboots and Jack Purcells were the uniform of the day on a very rainy Sunday in downtown San Francisco. So where are all the twenty-somethings going for the best food I have had in quite a while? Sweet Maple.
An Exercise: 50 Reasons to Be Grateful Can you sit down and in ten minutes write down 50 things that make you happy or grateful? You have to do it quick, that is part of the “fun” or challenge. I was introduced to Dawn Landau, Tales From the Motherland from a blogger/friend of mine, …
Stars Wars Gingerbread Village at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel
One of six different gingerbread masterpieces and each devoted to one of the Star Wars Episodes 1 through VI.
Seattle Star Wars Mania –
Are you part of Star Wars mania? Our kids bought tickets months ago to see the new movie and I bet yours did too. Everywhere you look in social media, fans are dressing the part, acting the part and fully enjoying this Star Wars movie premiere. Here in Seattle we have cocktails named after characters, hashtags galore #maytheforksbewithyou and we even have an entire Gingerbread House display #SEAGingerbreadVillage devoted to Star Wars. Our daughter Alex (SeatownBites.com) always knows exactly what is fun to see and do in Seattle. So at her suggestion, I packed up my camera and dashed over to the Sheraton Seattle Hotel to see this Star Wars Gingerbread Village.
These three Tom Douglas restaurants Cantina Liña, Home Remedy and Tankasan offer some very creative Star Wars themed cocktails and appetizers. The restaurants are located within one block of the Cinerama, which is showing the movie. Super clever!
I am the first to admit that when traveling, I always thought that I preferred to stay in a luxury hotel instead of a condominium. After staying at the Hyatt Residence Club Maui, an outstanding oceanfront property on Kaanapali Beach – I have changed my mind forever.
Lovely Maui~
If you have never been to the island of Maui, please consider putting this destination at the top of your list! It is without a doubt one of the most beautiful, tropical resort destinations in the world. On this recent anniversary trip, we decided to try a few new adventures on an island where we have stayed many times. We visited new restaurants, tried new activities and stayed in a luxury condominium instead of a hotel.
As a savvy traveler who likes her upscale amenities, I never really believed that a condo could compete with the luxurious hotel accommodations that we have been accustomed. I was absolutely wrong. The Hyatt Residence Club Maui surpassed any expectations we could have imagined! Both Craig and I were blown away by the beauty, architectural design, amenities, incredible staff and warm welcome we received at this brand new property.
We were impressed by luxurious design features like elegant bathrooms, granite kitchen countertops, stainless steel appliances and the extra space (compared to a single hotel room) was so w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l as well. Even if you have no intention of cooking or preparing any meals, this property would still fulfill your needs! Additionally, no one is knocking at your door for turn down service or housekeeping and we appreciated this benefit of extra privacy in a condo.
Indulge me for a moment to tell a quick story and then listen to me rave a little about living in Seattle, our adopted city. But first… Although we intentionally made some very major changes in our lives by moving to Pasadena and then living in Seattle temporarily, interestingly enough, I feel kind of …
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