PassionRepublic Taiwan Trip

A friend of mine posted this link on their facebook.
It sums up life in Taiwan.
Night Markets. 'welcome to Taiwan' signs.
Train rides. Yellow ponchos at Taipei 101.
Xiao Long Bao (best dumplings). Hot Pots.
Gross Spiders. Sun Moon Lake. Aboriginal Cultural Center.
Luscious Mountains. High Speed Trains (never rode-too $$).
The Ocean. Street Food. Stinky Tofu. Cute Kids.
Scooter Rides. BING!! love Bing (ice dessert).

And of course cheen cheen wo! jkjk.

I was in a different realm while in Asia, I nearly missed out.
Can I rewind a year and start over?
What a beautiful country. I miss my students and Taiwanese friends.
I saw cheesy signs everywhere that said:
'Taiwan. Touch your Heart.'
Only now do I agree.

Perkins Reunion: one for three

This weekend: Perkins Reunion 2010

I'm excited to see these characters.

We'll be missing Lisa & Fam.

Warning: Saturday I'll be peacing out on the fun for an 18 mile run.
Every party needs a pooper, that's why you invited me!
Running a marathon is the worst idea ever:
tight muscles. blistered feet. throbbing knees. aching shoulders.
I'm invested and committed. But I HATE every minute of it!

Moses

FLASHBACK: Summer 2003

Heather Warren (Rodriguez) and I lived in Jackson Hole, WY.

We worked crazy hours at Round-Up/GAP/Ranch Shop.

...

One day, a customer broke this bobble-head billy goat. paid for it. left it.

I couldn't throw him away and superglue made him good as new.

To Heather's dismay,

'Moses' became a permanent fixture at our college apt for years.

...

(Have you seen the episode of friends where rachel brings home that ugly lamp and Monica HATES it?! Me=rachel. Moses=ugly lamp. Heather=Monica.)

...

On my drive out to DC in 2007, I 'accidentally' left Moses at Heather's apartment!

I forgot about him...until he found his way back this week.

Heather and Brandon are moving to North Carolina for more school.

I'm not sure who's making the rules here..

but I think that makes it my turn to babysit Moses.

Believe me, this joke is far from over!

Moses reminds me of the good ole days.

Remember the time I wouldn't help organize our room at Arnell?

You'd had enough and slid that mattress on top of me...and out of the way!

Can you believe we ever slept on used mattresses?

or lived anywhere without a washing machine?

or fought over cookie dough?

Aggie Basketball game. 2005 (above)

Heather Rose Warren Rodriguez.
I love this expecting-mother/wife/attorney/friend...

..and her motivation/drive/passion/loyalty/know-how.
With each passing year, I'm more grateful for lifetime friendships like these.

We've had our share of parties, 'family' dinners, mutual crushes/cat fights,

inside jokes, arguments, road trips, laughter and late night talks.
No matter how far we move or how long without seeing each other...
...our friendship continues to grow.

I'm so proud of you Heavier and B-Rod--

and I can't wait to meet your little one.

Little Rodriguez Baby Shower 2010

P.S. What Baby?!

I was cleaning through my Taiwan pile of papers last night.

Found this treasure.

My Taiwanese students were so candid.

They loved hearing stories about old 'American Boyfriends'.

Judy (age 14) got a few steps ahead of herself in my farewell card....

Sammy's

Ventured down to Provo this weekend.

Sammy's Cafe was a perfect venue for our after-party.

pie shakes. milkshakes. fruit shakes. cupcake shakes.

The raspberry lemonade cupcake shake sounded suspicious...

but it was delightful!

They chop up cupcakes from here and toss them in.

You must try it!

...

27 North 100 West

Provo, Utah

Mon-Thurs 11am-12am

Fri-Sat 11am-2am

...

Chicken Pad Thai

I'll always remember my first Thai cookbook.

Found it on sale for $4.99 my 2nd year of college

and I've been experimenting with recipes ever since.

My buddy, Cam Cope, is headed to school in Tempe..

So I invited him over for some homemade Pad Thai.
After some researching, I decided on the recipe below.

It knocked our socks off!

Chicken Pad Thai
Prep: 25 minutes Cook: 12 minutes
I used vinegar instead of rice vinegar. I couldn't find the chile with garlic so I used Asian sweet chile sauce and added about 1/8 tsp minced garlic. This meal is delicious!!!


Ingredients
8 ounces rice noodles (Vietnamese bahn pho or Thai sen-mee)
1/4 cup salted peanuts, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon grated lime peel
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
4-1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Asian chile sauce with garlic
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or turkey, cut into bite-sized strips
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
1/3 cup sliced green onion
2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro

Directions
1. Place noodles in a large bowl. Add enough hot tap water to cover; let stand for 10 to 15 minutes or until pliable but not soft. Drain well in a colander.
2. Meanwhile, for peanut topping, combine peanuts and lime peel; set aside.
3. In a small bowl combine fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and chile sauce; stir until smooth. Set aside.
4. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and garlic; cook and stir for 6 minutes until chicken is tender and no pink remains. Transfer to a bowl.
5. Add egg to the hot skillet and cook for 30 seconds. Turn egg with spatula and cook for 30 to 60 seconds more, just until set. Remove and chop egg; set aside.
6. In same skillet heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over high heat for 30 seconds. Add drained noodles and sprouts; stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add fish sauce mixture and chicken; cook 1 to 2 minutes more until heated through. Divide noodle mixture among four plates. Sprinkle each serving with egg and peanut topping. Garnish with green onion and cilantro. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts
Calories 565, Total Fat (g) 19,Saturated Fat (g) 3, Monounsaturated Fat (g) 8, Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 6,
Cholesterol (mg) 119, Sodium (mg) 945, Carbohydrate (g) 63, Total Sugar (g) 9, Fiber (g) 3, Protein (g) 34,

Reason. Season. Lifetime.

"Are they here for a reason, a season or a lifetime?" I ask myself this question nearly everyday. Keeping in touch with people has become my greatest strength. But most days it feels like my biggest weakness. 9 times out of 10, I intend to be a lifetime friend but that doesn't mean everyone is....I have to remind myself of that. I loved this article.

Love ya'll

TABS

Are Your Friends Here for a Reason, a Season, or a Lifetime?

Many of us are fortunate enough to have friends who are a consistent part of our lives throughout all our ups and downs. However, sometimes others we consider friends appear to enter, then depart from our lives for reasons we try to, but don't always, understand. This piece nicely explains the flow of people in and out of our lives.

It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend, and they are! They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part, or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered. And now it is time to move on.

Then people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They bring you an experience of peace, or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons: things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.

Lately.

Last month, Tanier visited from Vegas so we invited a few friends over for some Thai food.

We realized there was going to be TOO much food so...

our friends invited their friends, which made for a great evening.

A few weeks ago, I went to the coolest Indian wedding with this DC Heartthrob.

That henna tattoo was so tight.

Over July 4th, I went to LA to meet up with some friends.

My friend from high school, Brandon Oyler (BO or the Brow), picked me up from LAX. I'm pretty sure we drove through Compton as we tried to find my friends driving in from AZ. whoops!

Huntington Beach turned into a DC/Duck Reunion as we ran into all sorts of people that we knew. This darling girl, Emily, was in my duck beach house last month in North Carolina.

Small world.

The next 3 photos are friends we made in DC that we ran into on the beach.
Below is Rob & Meg Chatterton. Love them!

Above is our DC friend who now lives in UT but was in LA that weekend.

and finally we saw Christian, who was my neighbor in DC but now lives in Cali.

It was a great weekend for reminiscing.

Thanks for everything Cass and Kim! You need to visit Utah sometime!

The next weekend, I visited San Fran with some college friends.
Riding the dirty BART into the city.

Cute trolleys.

Fruit Market on the Pier.

Fisherman's Wharf.

Sea Lions.

Steep streets.

Charming buildings & shops.

Transamerica Pyramid.

Lombard Street=crookedest street in America.

Riding bikes around San Fran.

Golden Gate Bridge.

For Tanier: Classic Jump Shot.

These girls are friends of mine from USU, they are so wonderful.

We have so much fun laughing together. They speak nothing but praises of others and they truly inspire me to be a better person.

I LOVE them! (thanks for letting us crash with you Morg!)

Sausalito, a quaint town across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Lovely Ladies on the Pier.

Alcatraz view from the ferry.

San Fran Skyline.

'Painted Ladies' from Full House. TGIFriday was the best thing as a little girl!

Did you have a crush on Uncle Jesse? I did.

SF was sooo cold but it's amazing. Being in a big city makes me itch to live in one.

Good thing I'm committed to no longer being transient..

After visiting SF, we drove to Lake Tahoe (then back to SLC, by way of the NV desert).

Biggest, Bluest, Most Beautiful lake I've ever seen.

We took the most relaxing sailboat ride across the lake.

What a great trip. Thanks for organizing everything Tracy.

Now that I have Cali crossed off of my summer to-do list...

I plan to get serious about training for the Top of Utah marathon.

I'm weeks behind so no more distractions...

Busy mess

My life has been busy & wreckless but also lots of fun the last few months. Lots of things get lost in the shuffle. This old Silverstein poem portrays my thoughts exactly. Hopefully you can all relate:

Messy Room by Shel Silverstein
Whosever room this is should be ashamed! His underwear is hanging on the lamp. His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair, And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp. His workbook is wedged in the window, His sweater's been thrown on the floor. His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV, And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door. His books are all jammed in the closet, His vest has been left in the hall. A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed, And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.Whosever room this is should be ashamed! Donald or Robert or Willie or--Huh? You say it's mine? Oh, dear, I knew it looked familiar!

HAPPY 93rd PA!

My family was visiting my Grandpa last week for his Birthday. I wasn't able to go so I sent him an email, below is his response. I'm so tempted to fix his typos...

"Thank you for the happy birthday wish. We all missed you and the the joyous broad smile and cheerful greetings you present as our dream girl of lovliness so any visit is an ivitatio. LOVE ;;; Grandpa P //////////////////////////////"

Those backslashes!!! Is it possible he doesn't know how to backspace? He's adorable! I hope the Perkins clan had fun celebrating his BIRTHDAY in SPO-compton!