He proposed.

And lucky, lucky me.  I get to hold on to those amazing million little moments, again and again and again.

Cooking -- with you, and for you.

I think I am one of the luckiest girls out there, as Manfriend loves to cook -- and he's a great one, at that.  On one of our earliest dates, he made me a delicious Thai-themed three-course meal, with pork spring rolls, red curry duck, and a medley of mango desserts.  I remember telling myself to wait at least a week to officially fall in love with him after that night's dinner!

Some of my favorite moments in our relationship involve us simply cooking together.  Whether it's a quick breakfast on lazy Sundays, or more elaborate recipes inspired by our foodie cravings du jour, I really love the time we spend in his (and sometimes my) kitchen.  Mind you, cooking was probably one of my least enjoyable activities before I met him -- and, admittedly, it still kind of is -- but he has been such a wonderful, patient, and humble teacher, that his enthusiasm for picking out the right spices and slicing and dicing vegetables just the right way has quietly transferred onto me over the past two years. 

Since living on my own, it has truly been a daunting task to force myself to cook for, well, myself.  To be quite honest, there are days where I am eyeing my stash of cookies and other assorted snacks and I come very, very close to qualifying them all as "dinner".  (Oh, the shame!) 

But I have also realized that the better I eat, the more energy and focus I have at work and at school.  This knowledge alone has really helped fuel my desire to eat healthy and be more careful about what I feed my body.  The fact that I am now paying my way towards a graduate degree has also reinforced my willingness to save money by cooking at home, versus eating out. 

So far, my repertoire mainly consists of chicken and vegetable soup and a variety of pastas.  I know, nothing to brag, but coming from someone who previously only knew how to make omelets and scrambled eggs, I'm excited to see what I can cook up next!

Someday, I'll find the right words.

The other night, I had a dream where I was standing at the edge of a precipice, the world stretched out far and wide and never-ending and everlasting below me.  And when I was presented with the choice to have it all, I chose him.


I was given the world, and all I wanted was him.  Yet somehow, I still can't find the right words to embody that feeling.

Embracing another New Year.

For 2012, I'll be living the life I always imagined -- waking up with the sun, going above and beyond at work, doing my best in school, wander around the city, traveling to others, spending time with my loved ones, kissing the man who has my heart, laughing with my girlfriends, making time for writing, reading every night before bed.

What more could anyone ever want?

Traveling Thursdays: Our time at Waka Shorea Resort, by the Balinese shore.

Manfriend and I spent a total of ten days in Bali, two of which we stayed at the Waka Shorea Resort.

An environmental sanctuary located on the shore of West Bali's National Park, the natural and aquatic surroundings made for an incredibly unique and memorable experience (heightened by the fact that we got ferried over by moonlight the first night we checked in). Secluded and isolated, guests can go hiking, diving, biking, or simply laze about by the beach or pool.

For a (slightly prissy) girl who has never been camping (yet), I surprisingly had an amazing time. The bungalows were rustic and charming - and I loved sighting various wild animals freely roaming about during various times of the day. This place isn't for everyone, I'm sure, but it's all about adjusting your expectations and having a sense of adventure: the resort is in the middle of the forest, after all!

But the moments that I have come to cherish the most, are now some of the most peaceful, wonderful memories I have taken back home with me from that beautiful island nation. From watching the sun slowly paint the skies and ocean water together, and eating all of our meals while we eavesdropped on the waves' conversations with the shore -- it is small little things like these that make any trip truly and entirely our own.



Tonight.

Tonight, my soul is emboldened with the knowledge that I will continue to move mountains.

But my heart is especially tender tonight, swelling; swelling with the realization that you will always, always do whatever you can to help me reach the highest ones.

via

The night you found me.

DC Eats: The Greenhouse at the Jefferson Hotel.

I was the lucky winner of a complimentary three-course meal at the recently renovated Jefferson Hotel, courtesy of my firm during this past holiday party's raffle. I brought along Manfriend as my guest, and we had a delightfully luxurious lunch at the beautifully decorated Greenhouse. From the relaxing and romantic atmosphere to the attentive wait staff and amazing food, it was a highly enjoyable (and totally unpretentious) dining experience! The habachi ceviche, quiche du jour, and scrambled eggs with caviar, especially, were simply excellent. I am foaming at the mouth just thinking about it.

The concierge, Chris, graciously took us on a tour of the beautiful property afterwards. We got to witness some behind-the-scenes preparations for the Plume's evening opening, as well as admire some of the luxurious suites available. There were so many great historical details, including Thomas Jefferson's words inscribed on the room's window panes, and some original manuscripts displayed in the lobby.

It was the most perfect way to spend a few quiet hours together on the last day of the year. I had no idea the hotel participated in this past Restaurant Week, but I highly recommend it as one of D.C.'s best kept-secrets and top dining gems.

And one of the best parts? No one rushed me while I took my time taking photos of, well, almost everything.

***

The Jefferson Hotel

http://www.jeffersondc.com/

1200 16th Street, NW

Washington D.C., DC 20036

(202) 448-2300

There's family, and then there's even more family.

I am getting ready to send this Christmas picture of my family to Manfriend's parents (the penguin was temporarily replacing our baby puppy Sparky), and I am starting to miss all of them tremendously.

My mommy, my daddy. His mom, his dad. My brothers, my dog. His sister, and her darling kids. I can't wait for them to all meet someday soon. Sometime this upcoming year, perhaps? I'm only writing this because the people over at Mervis Diamond Importers curiously sent me an intriguing little card in the mail today...

Um. What? Apparently, someone knows something I obviously don't know. I am slightly peeved that they've ingrained the reality of a proposal so much deeper into my head and heart now, because you totally know this is going to be the very first thought that will cross my mind when I wake up each and every single morning from now on.

...

No, but seriously. Why. Why would they do that to me?! Le sigh. In other news, I should probably make "keeping my nails pretty and lady-like" a number one priority in the next few months. Wouldn't want him to slip it on a grubby-looking finger now, would we?

Home is where the heart is.

With each loving, morning kiss received and given, I am continually reminded of how much I love and am loved by him. Our relationship continues to grow and deepen and is developing into something quite unique and amazing.

I am infinitely thankful.

...

He was away on business until this past Wednesday, and, whereas I was still living with my family whenever he was out of town on past trips, his absence was painfully felt much more stronger this time around, as I came home alone to an empty place each night.

The bed seemed to swallow me whole as I tried to fall asleep, reaching over to no one and nothing as I tossed and turned and yearned for him. Even the rainy, dreary weather seemed to be crying along with me at the time.

...


I am still trying to settle into these new quarters, transforming what's his and mine into what's ours, while carefully still maintaining our own personal identities and spaces... but in the midst of these transitions, there is also a certain sense of calmness to the chaos, safely enveloping everything in a soft, familiar comfort.

I want to build a home with this man, and in this home I want weekly fresh flowers in bright and beautiful colors. I want warm, delicious smells to greet every person walking through the door. I want this home, and the next, to harbor lots of love, laughter and memories with family and friends.

I want it all.


And I am working every day towards getting it.

Ice, ice, baby!

I spent the first 14 years of my life born and bred in Canada, but that doesn't mean I ever learned to love winter. Growing up, I had immeasurable amounts of fun playing in the snow, but that got old (and way too cold!) when I got older, of course. Nowadays, I can barely tolerate it when it is 40 degrees outside.

This past weekend, I temporarily pushed my dislike for freezing temperatures aside to attend ICE! at the Gaylord National Convention Center, where everything in the exhibit is made of -- take a wild guess here -- ice! It was a fantastic production, despite it being a cool nine degrees and having to walk around in these oversized blue parkas. Both Manfriend and I agree that this year's event was even better than the last, as we absolutely loved the Dr. Seuss' "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" theme!

If you will be in the DC area this Thanksgiving holiday, or have relatives or friends from out-of-town, I definitely suggest working in a trip!

If you're a bird, I'm a bird.

"It’s clear to me now that I have been moving toward you and you toward me for a long time. Though neither of us was aware of the other before we met, there was a kind of mindless certainty bumming blithely along beneath our ignorance that ensured we would come together. Like two solitary birds flying the great prairies by celestial reckoning, all of these years and lifetimes we have been moving toward one another."

The Bridges of Madison County, Robert James Waller

...

I am so grateful.

So grateful to have found the most perfect man for me, in this most unperfect world.

But it could also very well be that he found me.

Bad boys and blurred boundaries.

Late-night motorcycle ride around town with Manfriend this past Saturday, before he had to skip town for business this week.




My mother, usually a high-strung woman, gave me her blessing before he stole me away.

"Have fun, and hold on tight!"

And then, I shit you not, she started giggling like a little schoolgirl.

I guess I'm not the only one who feels silly and giddy around him...

Sometimes.

Sometimes, I tell myself not to be too happy, in case something horribly tragic happens, and the fall from this up high would hurt too much and crush me to the point of no reassembly.

I lie there, at night, studying the lines defining his face, listening to his breathing, feeling his heart beating while he sleeps. And I lie there, sometimes, wondering if I will be good enough of a mother to his children, someday. If I will be strong enough to remain by his side should he ever get very, very sick, down the line. If I will be resourceful enough to keep everything and everyone together, should disaster ever strike our family.

I lie here, wondering if I will still be able to be and give him my very best, even when I feel nothing else but my very worst.

But that's just sometimes. The rest of the time, I embrace it all and just shrug off these pessimistic little voices inside my head.

The world needs more love letters.

Manfriend has been called away on business at the last minute for the next few days. And the truth is, I yearn for him. I yearn, and burn for him tremendously.

A few days ago, he gifted me an old vial of the deepest, darkest blood-red ink and a fountain pen to go along with it. And I sat there, filled with joy, as I got myself acquainted with my new antiquated toy.

I have delayed writing to him my thoughts, not because they are not coming to me, but rather, because I am so particular about penmanship and calligraphy.

Every stroke, of every line, needs to be perfect so that every emotion can be beautifully preserved on paper.

That, and I am slightly strange enough to think that our curious little children will find our aged letters in the musty old attic someday, and I'd like for them to at least be able to make out most of my words to their father.

Trust me. Love will make you daydream about these sort of farfetched things...

The sweetest things.

You know what's sweet?

• Not having to be at work, or think about work, or do anything that even remotely reminds me of work, starting from tomorrow until July 1st.
  
  
• Visiting two entirely different countries, with two entirely different cultures, on two entirely different continents, in less than two weeks.

• Be totally inaccessible as my phone will not be working abroad. I was a little scared at first, seeing as how my Blackberry has practically become an extension of my physical self, but this will be a great time to leave everything and everyone I know here behind, and just really take the time to wholly focus on me, my family, and my loves. As free WiFi will be hard to come by, this will also mean no emails, no Facebook, no blogging. I can't wait to get back to the basics of just being!
  
  


• Le Manfriend put together a little care package pour moi for the unbearably long flights, including a neck pillow, ear plugs, eye mask, and antibacterial wipes (with moisturizing aloe, too, may I add). I AM THE LUCKIEST TO LOVE, AND BE LOVED BY HIM.

Yup. Super sweet. Now back to packing I go!

My Sweetheart Salad

Manfriend woke up at 5 a.m. on a rainy Sunday yesterday morning to run a 10-miler, and I wanted to do something nice for him, since I knew he had been training pretty relentlessly for this race and deserved a little extra TLC.

He has been waiting very patiently for me to cook something for him for a while now, and I decided that this past weekend was going to be the weekend I finally surprised him with something homemade by yours truly.

Except, after being on a strict no-carbs diet for the past few weeks, Manfriend already had his stomach set on pizza, and between my non-existent culinary skills and Pizza Hut's any size, any topping, any crust, any pizza for only $10 (which you can order online and have it delivered to your door in less than 30 mins), guess what we ended up having for dinner last night?

That didn't stop me from feeding him a healthy (and savory!) appetizer, though. I call it, "My Sweetheart Salad":

Ingredients:

spring mix of arugula, spinach, baby lettuces
(I picked up Nature's Promise Organic Spring Mix)
grape tomatoes
seedless red grapes
clementine
strawberries
slivered almonds
crumbled feta cheese
raspberry vinaigrette

Directions:

1. Peel clementine. 2. Wash all fruits and vegetables. 3. Slice clementine, strawberries, and grapes in halves or quarters.

6. In a mixing bowl, combine the spring mix, fruits, and grape tomatoes. 7. Lightly sprinkle the slivered almonds and feta cheese. 8. Top it all off with the raspberry vinaigrette according to taste!

Tip: This salad went wonderfully well with a glass of chilled pinot grigio, and you can have the leftover fruits for dessert. (I'll admit, it was a little strange pairing this all with pizza...but it definitely gave our taste buds an unpredictable little kick!)



And, despite the fact that making a salad doesn't technically count as "cooking", the main point is that Manfriend absolutely loved it, and that's all that matters!

Happy Monday!