Time for an Update

I've been BAD! I'm sorry dear Blog, for not being better about writing...As February rolls around, I know this posting is long past due. So here goes!

We've enjoyed the summer-like weather at home this month, with only a few days of travel to northern California for work! The rest of the month we relaxed, barbequed, lounged in the sun, harvested from our citrus trees, planted poppies, went jogging and generally had a good time (mostly on the weekends, of course)!

My new favorite dish - I am eating it now as a matter of fact - is grilled chicken salad. My recipe:

One grilled chicken breast, chopped

Sliced celery

Dried cranberries

Shaved almonds

Just enough mustard and/or horseradish mayo to hold things together

Pepper

MMmmmmmm... This is yummy on a sandwich, in a tortilla, or all alone!

Below are some pictures from the last few weeks. Enjoy!

Lazy Sleeping Pat

Hungry for dinner and feeling a bit too lazy to cook one night when Greg was out of town, I put together the most colorful dinner I've had in a long time. Maybe ever! This is my rainbow dinner. Do Blueberries count as the blue or the purple?

This is probably less than a quarter of the fruit we ended up getting from our trees this year. There are still lemons out there ripening! We thought this to be a pretty good haul considering the trees were neglected for a while before we arrived last spring.

Now, let me just say that both of the dinners below tasted very good. The funny part (to me anyway) is that I made one and Greg made the other....can you tell the difference?

I was shocked to see blossoms on our nectarine tree the first weekend in January. It's apparently quite happy with the "spring" so far.

It still has a few leaves it never dropped over the winter!

Here's a lucky photo Greg snapped with his new iPhone 4. It's an awesome phone, obviously :)

Happy New Year!!

We are enjoying our first week home together in a long time, and a great start to 2011 so far. Our trip to Mexico was fabulous - very relaxing, interesting, and the perfect combination of sun, water, lounging, food, exploration and great company. Check out my mom's blog for pictures (I'm feeling lazy, and I love the ones she posted!) http://2010latinamericaadventures.blogspot.com/ Be sure to look beyond the first page for 2010 posts - we had a few great days before the New Year as well!

The two weeks leading up to our Mexico trip, Greg and I traveled a LOT. We had a wonderful visit to Gainesville, FL to attend Greg's brother Chris's graduation from University of Florida. We enjoyed several great meals, an awesome nature walk where we saw birds, turtles, alligators and snakes, and some quality time with the Brink side of the family before the holiday. Congratulations, Chris!!

We went straight to Oregon from Florida, where we FINALLY got to share our "Ninja Christmas" secret. My brother Isaac has been living and working in Africa for the past couple of years, and flew in to make a surprise appearance for Christmas. We helped coordinate the arrangements, and Isaac was at the airport waiting when my parents and Carlos arrived to pick Greg and me up. We were making our way to the baggage claim area when Isaac walked up and said something like, "the car's going to be pretty crowded." There was shock, laughter, tears, hugs, and a very whole, happy family leaving the airport that night. The car was crowded, but we didn't mind.

From the airport, we drove to Lebanon for a great visit with my Grandpa Dick, before returning to The Dalles on the 20th. We then had most of a work week - a very busy work week - in The Dalles, only broken up by a few relaxing nights at home, and one fun night out with my friends Hailey and Sierra (and the boys, too). We drove to Pendleton for Christmas Eve, and Christmas morning celebrations. What fun!

Now we are back to the grind, taking stock of where we are and where we want to be and go in 2011. Neither of us really made New Year's Resolutions, but we each have a few things in mind that might make us more happy/healthy/fulfilled/productive. We feel pretty lucky together already, and hope to continue with the the health and happiness (see, I DO know how to spell it) we were blessed with in 2010.

Happy New Year everyone!! Ha. I typed that during a huge yawn. It must be 2:00 on a Friday afternoon, huh?

:)