Category Archives: friends

Feb27

Baconopolis

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Baconopolis

I claim to not be a bacon lover, but I think my taste buds, they are a changin’. It’s not that I don’t like it. I don’t like that it over powers whatever else you’re eating it with. Stand alone, I like it fine.

I accidentily came upon this Tom Douglas event, Baconopolis, and immediately thought of Case. So, she, Mark, Kevin and I indulged our inner pork this past Friday. We ate ten different bacon dishes. Ten. Some people might think you can never have too much bacon. I hate to tell you, we were all baconed out by dish number 8. It did take that long. But we did suck it up and eat all ten.

Salty-Crispy-Fun!

The Bacon Menu:

B.L.A.T.
Bacon Cured Whole Pig
Bacon Cornbread Muffin
Pork n’ Beans – Mark’s favorite
Bacon Explosion – mine and Case’s favorite
Elvis’ Favorite: Hot Peanut Butter, Banana and Bacon – Kevin’s favorite
Classic Carbonara
Bacon Fried Rice
Bacon Biscuit Sandwich with Gravy – a close second for me
Bacon Filled Doughnut with Maple Glaze and Bacon Salt – the overall winner of night

For the love of bacon!

Feb23

Go Canada, Go!

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Go Canada, Go!

Kevin, his friends Ravi and Karen and I hit up the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.  Talk about a once in a lifetime experience!  We were blessed with spectacular February weather (which was sadly why we didn’t get to see our Ski Cross event, see below post) and felt overwhelmed with goodwill and patriotism.  Mostly Canadian patriotism, but tons of energy nonetheless!

Several months prior, we had found a wonderful family to stay with (on CL).  They turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the trip.  So welcoming, generous and friendly.  It was like we had known them for years.  They had two boys, five and seven.  They all lived, breathed, played and watched non-stop hockey.  Not too surprising, as Canadians are koo koo for cocoa puffs for their hockey.  They quickly converted us into Olympic hockey fans and I shouldn’t admit this but I’m totally rooting for Canada to beat the US in the gold medal match.  It means so much more to them; “Go Canada, go!”

I’m having a really hard time putting into words the electric atmosphere that took over an entire city so I’m turning this post into a picture post; but even the pictures don’t do it justice.  During the day, it was camaraderie and strangers bonding over shared experiences.  At night, it was like New Years turned on repeat night after night.  Simply, Awesome.

The Olympic torch!

Watching the Canada v. Swiss hockey match in Robson Square with the Canadians.

Brodie and Rob celebrate the win!

Granville Street, packed with celebratory Canadians.

Kevin and me with Quatchy and Miga!

We saw a Latvia v. Czech Republic hockey match.

Canadians, full of pride, sing “Oh Canada” riding the sea bus to North Vancouver.

Karen and Ravi in front of the torch at night.

Kevin and me with the Inukshuk in Stanley Park.

Kevin, enjoying his Japadog! (We tried the Kobe beef and Ume- YUM!)

Jan5

Que Bueno

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Que Bueno

Happy 2010, friends!

My apologies for the furlough.  Its’ been a lot busy with little to write about.  Funny how that works.  Here’s the holiday re-cap:

For our two year anniversary, Kevin took me on a surprise overnight date! Poor Kevin, after last year (which was a super surprise – like I had no idea it was even happening surprise), I told him it’s expected now. He set the bar too high for himself. Lucky me, he loves surprising me even more than I love being surprised! This year, he arranged for us to soak in the pools and get a massage at Banya 5 and stay the night downtown. Yay!

In Spokane, were new traditions of horrible gingerbread house assembly – horrible because Auntie didn’t read the directions first…sneaking the candy was the best part anyway!  And old traditions at the Edburg’s Rockin’ Christmas Eve.  Christmas weekend flew by but I was lucky to get to visit with everyone I had hoped.

For New Years, the annual Brick House, Crock Pot Cookoff Party commenced in Lincoln City, Oregon.  Like walking off the plane in Honolulu, something about this crew gives me a perma-grin I can’t seem to shake.  I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate a great year, and ring in the new, than with these guys.  Well, except Kevin and I would have loved to surf! Stupid winter storm watch, flash flood, BS.  And, yup, my meatball subs with homemade marinara took first place in the crock pot cookoff.  Can I get a “Three-peat!”  Kevin tied with Ambrose for second with his mommy blog Orange Cranberry Bread Pudding!



Much love to you for the best 2010 has to offer. Already, it looks to be full of weddings and babies. I can’t wait!

Nov10

The Happiest Place on Earth

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The Happiest Place on Earth

We just got back from a super fun weekend in LA.  We went down to see the Huskies play UCLA – which was really just an excuse to go to Cali to visit Kevin’s friends (also Husky alums).  Holy smokes, these LA Dawg fans are no joke.  We ended up on a school bus (yes, you read me right, I said a school bus.  like for kindergarteners.) with 80 other Huskies, confident, happy, drinking our breakfast, crammed three to a seat with paralyzed knees from jamming them into the seat in front and no bathroom.  It didn’t matter.  We were headed to the Rose Bowl to beat the Weasel!  Fast forward three hours later…defeat.   A very sad game and long, traffic filled, bus ride home.



Thank goodness for Disneyland!  Where all your worries are left behind (nevermind that we went Friday and the game was on Saturday).  I haven’t been since the fifth grade and it was as magical as I remember.  We were blessed with Disneyland expert guides, free tickets, little to no lines (I guess a 30 minute wait constitutes ”no lines”) and a beautiful day.  We hit Space Mountain first, our Disney guides favorite, grabbed a fast pass and waited in the short line.  We ended up riding it three times, without cheating, in less than an hour which we are told could quite possibly put us in the Guinness Book of World Records.  That set the pace for the rest of the day.  Bouncing from ride to ride, park to park (California Adventure didn’t exist my last visit) and meeting our favorite characters.  They were slowly starting to put up Christmas decorations, which I LOVED.  We rode the “ride this ride last because you’ll crap your pants and nobody wants to walk around all day with crappy pants” ride – and did not crap our pants.  And got SOAKED at Splash Mountain.  We thought we were so smart by sitting in the middle.  The middle happens to have water spill over and soak you.  Not splash.  Soak.  My entire right leg, butt and shoe were soaked for hours…but it was my favorite!

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We had such a good time as big kids.  I can see why parents get so excited to take their little kids.  The kids were sooo happy.  They really were on cloud nine.  And so much fun for us to watch.  I thought often about Alli meeting all the Princesses and how much she would love all the rides.  When we go back, it might not be free (oh by the way, tickets are up to $97/day for a park hopper pass.  Yeah.  HOLY freakin’ CRAP!  Plus food and souveniers….enough to go broke.) but we now know to go mid-week in November to get your money’s worth!  If I had to wait 110 minutes for a ride, I’m pretty sure I would not be able to smile at the happiest place on earth.

Another magical weekend with awesome friends!  We’ll get ‘em next year, Dawgs!

Sep7

Family Ties

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Family Ties

My oldest and dearest family friend, JR, got married last weekend.  JR, his two brothers, my sister and I grew up together.  We spent countless summer days at the lake throwing squeeze-it bottles at each other (No, not squeezing the water out of them like squirt guns.  Throwing them.  Full of water.  At each other.), playing Dukes of Hazard in the basement and collecting ten plus pound bags of candy every Halloween until college (I’m almost serious – young face + free candy, hello?!).  We’re family.  Being the two oldest of the five, we kind of ruled.  Seeing him get married and re-connecting all of us (three in Spokane, one in LA and me in Seattle) was just like old times.

We had a blast.  Instead of throwing squeeze-it bottles, it was a bouquet – and yeah, I caught the sh$t out of it! (It actually got deflected, bounced off my face and I picked it up off the floor but who’s asking?)  Instead of Dukes of Hazard, we danced.  All night long.  Even my sister and parents were dancing – NEVER thought that would happen! And instead of pounds of candy, they get lots of presents and we were all dressed to the nines!

It’s crazy, getting older.  I love thinking back to all of the great times we had as kids and all the memories we shared with the Sugalski’s.  It makes me excited to have my own family and forcing our kids to be “instant” friends with our friends kids.  They’ll thank me later, I’m sure.  We’ll see if that whole bouquet catching tradition really works!  (Are you reading this Kevin?!)

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Aug5

Hobuck Sweet Hobuck

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Hobuck Sweet Hobuck

Found.  The perfect surf spot.

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Kevin, KMJ, BK and I had the best weekend at Hobuck in Neah Bay.  We were in search of our “go to” surf spot and we found it!  Hobuck Beach Resort, located on the Makah Indian Reservation, is a small camping area with a few cabins for rent.  It’s right on the ocean, and not too populated.  There was one point Kevin, BK and I had the whole ocean to ourselves.  And the waves…they were the best we’ve ever had in Washington.  We’re used to surfing in the white water waves of Westport, which doesn’t take too many skills.  At Hobuck there was no wind pushing us miles down the beach and the wave intervals were long enough that you weren’t getting pounded by ocean every three seconds.  We could actually get out past the break and surf.  In real waves!  We’re no Kelly Slater but it was the perfect venue for us to practice in good waves – not too big, not too small but juuust right. 

In addition to our awesome waves, we had great company in BK and KMJ.  It was a fun little getaway with lots of yummy food, a mean game of dominos and a couple of hikes.  Saturday we hiked out to Cape Flattery, the northwestern most point in the contiguous United States.  At the end of the trail, the lookout is of Tatoosh Island where you can often see whales, puffin, seal, sea otters and a lighthouse.  But we, saw nothing.  That dreaded marine layer hit again!  I am kind of getting sick of going to the ocean, leaving 90 degree weather, then a mile out from the ocean, the marine laP8010567yer strikes.  It has never ruined one of our trips but COME ON!  I’m beginning to wonder if the sun ever shines along the coast!  Sunday, before heading home, we hiked 3.3 miles into Shi Shi Beach.  It was a really pretty beach and touted as one of the Top Ten “Most Wild Beaches.” I’m not really sure what that means but it sounds cool.  I had read Shi Shi was known to be a good surfing spot.  I will stick with our private beach at Hobuck as there is no way I’m hiking six miles with my surf board.  I can hardly carry it too the beach as it is!

We loved everything about our weekend in Hobuck and definitely plan to go back once or maybe twice next year.  You should come too – Kevin offers free surf lessons!

Jun13

The Sweetest Thing

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The Sweetest Thing

Owen Raj Dhara was born, Thursday, June 11 at 7:06am.  He weighed so close to 8lbs the nurses were blowing on the scale to get that last tenth to click over to the 8.  I’m sure when she has time, D will share the whole story on her blog. 

Auntie Kel’s story is short and sweet.  Baby Owen is the sweetest little guy ever.  He has Mommy’s mouth but Daddy’s everything else.  His head is FULL of dark dark hair and he has great big, dramatic yawns that look just like Daddy’s.  It’s totally nuts to have another baby in the Brick House family -  D’s nutz!

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May28

Hau oli in Hawaii

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Hau oli in Hawaii

Kevin and I went to Hawaii to visit my friend Jaymes, his wife Viv and their new baby son, Carlos. Carlos Barlos – I’m not kidding. We had a wonderful time thanks to the Barlos family and our friends Landin and Missy (and even their dog Jobi) who kept us busy with fun activities all weekend long. Here’s a picture highlight – for all the pictures, go here.

 

We surfed every other morning. The waves were almost always perfect. The crowd was abundant.

We surfed every other morning. The waves were almost always perfect. The crowd was abundant.

We got a lot of beach time in!

We got a lot of beach time in!

Shave Ice at Aoki in the North Shore (Matsumoto's line was too long). They put ice creams in the bottom of their shave ice - yummy!

Shave Ice at Aoki's in the North Shore (Matsumoto's line was too long). Hawaiians put ice creams in the bottom of their shave ice - yummy!

We paddled (they kayaked) out to the Kaneohe Bay sand bar. It was like tailgating in the ocean - so fun!

We paddled (Landin, Missy & Jobi kayaked) out to Kaneohe Bay sand bar. It was like tailgating in the ocean!

Turkey fryer and game night (Kevi and I smoked them in Cranium!).

Turkey fryer-Q and game night (Kevi and I smoked them in Cranium!).

Jaymes, Viv and Carlos Barlos

Jaymes, Viv and Carlos Barlos

Diving with Landin and Missy at Koko Canyon and Turtle Cove.

Diving with Landin and Missy at Koko Canyon and Turtle Cove.

We ate so much good food! Knowing locals has it's perks! This was a sign at Ono's Hawaiin Food. Also tops, Teddy's burgers, malasadas from Leonard's and Big Kahuna's cheese balls.

We ate so much good food! Knowing locals has its perks! This was a sign at Ono Hawaiin Food. Also tops, Teddy's burgers, malasadas from Leonard's and Big Kahuna's cheese balls.

Like our trip to New York, it’s hard to put into words what a fantastic time we had. I think it says a lot about our friends. It really doesn’t matter what we do, as long as we’ve got good company. And Hawaii, Oahu especially, just makes me happy. The second I get off the plane I have a perma-grin on my face. I love the heat, the sun, the palm trees, the blue green ocean and all the happy memories. And I know it’s stupid, but where most people find Waikiki a total tourist trap, which it is, I love it. LOVE.IT. I love the energy, the beauty and the people watching…ooh boy, the people watching. I’m so thankful my friends aren’t spread out in places like Kansas and Iowa! I’d still visit…just not as happily :)

May27

Back Like Jordan

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Back Like Jordan

This trip, when faced with hanging with my friends v. dying scuba diving, I succumbed to the peer pressure , and shall I say, “grew a pair”…

After chickening out in Belize, where we had planned to dive, I kind of decided to “retire” from diving. If I was going to freak out every time I go and be more anxious about it than actually enjoy it, then what’s the point? That all changed this trip though as my friends Landin and Missy are both certified and were excited to hear we were too – we all had to dive together, of course! For three days I had wishy washed between diving and just taking the boat trip out. I felt like a total loser and I knew I’d be disappointed when they all came back to the boat with these great stories. Plus, I couldn’t leave Kevin sans a dive buddy. So, with some reassuring words from them all, I sucked it up and decided to join them.

I’m SO glad I did. We did two dives, the deepest we went down was 40 feet. It was considered an easy dive – and perfect for me to ease into after not having gone since October. Landin and Missy were super cute and geeked out over all the sea life we saw – little tiny critters that I wouldn’t have even noticed had they not pointed them out. On our first dive we got to hold an octopus. On the second dive we came across a sleeping sea turtle. Also on the second dive, Kevin had an eel swim into his BCD (dive vest). Our dive master freaked out and started frantically stripping Kevin until he saw the eel leave. Because Kevin and I are so not in the know about sea critters, we later found out that eels like to bite, especially when they’re scared. Kevin didn’t get bit and the eel didn’t really faze him because he had no idea such a cute little creature would want to hurt him. Now though, when Kevin relives the story, the eel has grown in size, had giant teeth and he’s lucky to be alive…go figure.

We had so much fun and it was a great dive to build up my confidence. I’m not sure when the next dive will be but it feels good to be out of retirement.

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