Mmmm... Tasty!

At the beginning of the summer I purchased a cropshare from a local organic farm (Bell Organic) with my co-worker Sharla. This entitled us to 18 weeks of vegetables and 12 weeks of fresh fruits. I figured I spend money on fresh vegetables and fruit anyway, why not get some premium super fresh produce, support local business, and broaden my horizons and try some new veggies all at once?

For me this proved to be a good investment--having fresh vegetables and fruit in your fridge all the time is something I've definitely become accustomed to. We get everything from spring mix lettuce, cabbage, carrots, garlic, kale, swiss chard, onions, green onions, basil, cilantro, beet greens, tomatoes, potatoes, squash, cucumber, watermelon, peaches, nectarines, etc. Sounds good doesn't it?

As a result I've been trying to use up vegetables by finding new recipes. My favorite recipe site is allrecipes.com and that's where I found my new favorite dish: Black Bean and Couscous Salad. It tastes so summery and fresh and is delicious with chicken. Try it out for yourself!

Black Bean and Couscous Salad

• 1 cup uncooked couscous


• 1 1/4 cups chicken broth


• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil


• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice


• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar


• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin


• 8 green onions, chopped


• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped


• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro


• 1 cup frozen corn kernals, thawed


• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained


• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring chicken broth to a boil in a 2 qt or larger sauce pan and stir in the couscous. Cover the pot and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes

In a large bowl whisk together olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, and cumin. Add green onions, red pepper, cilantro, corn and beans and toss to coat.

Fluff the couscous well, breaking up any chunks. Add to the bowl with the vegetables and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at once or refridgerate until ready to serve.

Ta-da! Doesn't that sound easy and delicious? I like to add chicken to this recipe to make it more of a main dish and sometimes I throw in other veggies I have on hand as well. Enjoy!

China Trip

I went to China again with work at the beginning of August and this time I went all by myself. It was a good trip and I have such great co-workers over there. All things considered there were no major travel problems... except for the fact that I had to take a ferry from Hong Kong to Macau, go through Macau customs, take a taxi from the ferry port in Macau to the Gongbei border crossing, walk across a bridge to China, go through China customs, and take a taxi to the BDEA apartment... on the first night. Yeah, that was an adventure but luckily it all worked out and the rest of the trip went well.

Below are some photos from the trip (in no particular order)...

View from the balcony of the BD Asia apartment in

the morning. Not so bad, eh?

Some of the random climbing holds at this outdoor

climbing wall in Zhuhai. So random...

Me climbing and my co-worker Sam belaying me. We started garnering quite the crowd.

From L to R: Sam, Me, Stone (the owner of the climbing wall), and William

This is the type of high speed ferry we take from Hong Kong to

Zhuhai. It's a 70 minute ride across the Pearl River Delta

and can be pretty choppy.

A view of the Hong Kong skyline from the Kowloon side.

This is along the shore by the BD Asia apartment

in Zhuhai on my way to the ferry.

My co-worker Alice and her husband Fool at the beach

Alice and I at the beach. (Alice is the coolest!)

We had to buy my swimming suit from this little shack

at the beach because I hadn't brought one with me. It

was definitely on the small side but I made it work... I

wasn't going to miss my chance to swim in the South China Sea!

Alice, me, and Fool. Fool is a car salesman and considering he

rarely talks to English speakers his English was quite good. He LOVED

that I drove a Jeep and told me lot's about cars in China.

His comment when he saw this photo was "I look so strong."

He was totally kidding and it was hilarious.

Little villas on the mountainside by the beach. The sand at the beach

was really more like clay, the water was super warm, and the waves

weren't very strong. It was a nice way to spend a Saturday! (especially because

we had some tasty seafood and got massages after :))

That's right, I'm laughing while trying to climb. (at BD Asia's

climbing wall) Mostly because I know I'm a crappy climber and William

was taking photos. Haha.

This was the street I walked along every morning

to get picked up by the BD van. It is so beautiful and green!

These are some of my co-workers that came to dinner

with me and suprised me with a birthday cake! They

are so nice and very smart. From L to R: Ariel, Lisa,

and Alice. Alice even gave me a very pretty Pashmina scarf

that was made in her hometown. It's pink and gold and I LOVE it.

The aforementioned cake. Yummy. All the fresh

fruit on top was so delicious. They had me take home the

leftovers and eat them for breakfast the next day.

The whole crew at the hot pot restaurant. From L to R: Lisa,

Ariel, me, Alice, William, and Sam.

This is Chinese Hot Pot. The best way to describe it is that

it's kind of like fondue. They have a hot stone in the center that

stays warm for up to 4 hours. The water surrounding the stone is split into

two sides so you can have one filled with hot spices and the other

filled with mild. We cooked potatoes, tofu, lettuce, yams, mushrooms, beef

lamb, noodles, and all sorts of stuff in there. SOOO good.

Friday night after work I went out with some co-workers and we

played pool and then I watched them play Mah-jong (it's like a

really complicated version of dominoes). Lot's of fun.

The trip was great but it's always nice to come home!

This One Time When I Went Climbing...

Ok, so in case you didn't already know my co-workers are all uber fit athletic dudes. Not in your typical American sports of baseball and football, although I have no doubt they would excel at those as well, instead they choose the path less traveled. Or should I say the rock less traveled... hmmm...

Anyway, just a few weeks ago two of them were kind enough to take me and two of my other female co-workers climbing. I was slightly nervous as I hadn't climbed outside since high school (yikes!) but I was stoked nonetheless. The route they chose is called Steort's Ridge (picture below). It's a super mellow 5.6 route but it's pretty fun because it's 3 pitches and you get to repel down.

My running joke as of late is that I hope that some of my co-workers hardcore-ness will rub off on me and I think this is just the start of it. Following are some photos but be warned, climbing photos never seem to be that good or make anyone look attractive, just sayin'...

Talena and I taking a rest at one of the anchors Bob built.

I know it looks like I'm gingerly touching the rock but don't worry, I crushed it.

Check it out, that's me up high and Talena down low.

Sharla taking in the lovely view of Big Cottonwood Canyon

From left to right: Bob, Talena, Me. This was at the bottom of the third pitch.

We climbed that arete above Bob. So cool.

I can't wait to do it again!

The More Funner Summer...

In my last post I briefly mentioned my plans for a "more funner summer"... all grammatical errors aside I know this intrigues you so here's the 411....

Since moving to UT I have been somewhat of a social hermit. My social circle has consisted of my parents, the Watkins, and my co-workers. I'll be the first to admit these are some high quality people but there's something to be said for having some friends your own (relative) age. A few weekends ago, my favorite ex-New Yorkers who now live in SLC told me about an impromtu trip to Moab and invited me to come along. I'm never one to pass up on some red dirt and arches so I packed my bags (and tents, and camp chairs, and headlamp, etc...) and joined for a weekend of good company and warm weather. Needless to say, the trip did not disappoint and on our return to the North we began making a "to do" list of sorts for the summer. Here's a small taste of what we've planned:

• Drive-In Movie


• Baseball Game


• Diamond Fork Hot Pots


• Yellowstone or Yosemite Trip


• Havasupai Trip


• Hiking


• Camping


• Fishing


• Visit Antelope Island


• Rodeo


• etc.

That's not even half the list... I view it as a foolproof way to get the most possible fun into every spare minute with no "what should we do this weekend?" crap. Good news is, so far it's working. This weekend we went to the Drive-In movies and saw Super 8(ok I only saw about two thirds of it because I fell asleep) and we went to a Bees game that lasted 12 innings. After the baseball game there were fireworks. That's right fireworks weren't even on our list and we got to see them, it was like an unexpected 2 for 1 bonus. What an awesome weekend. The next one can't come soon enough...

xoxo

Retired Glamor Shot...

BrittBritt and I in Kennebunkport, Maine.

New England suits us well, no?

Oh Right, I Have A Blog!

Hi friends!

Wow, it seems I forgot or got extremely lazybecause I didn't blog for well over a year. I'll be the first to admit how extrememly pathetic that is. Good news is I'm alive!... in case you were wondering.

This blog is in some MAJOR need of updating... I don't live in California anymore. That was sooo 2010 :) I feel like I've come full circle spending time on both coasts now that I'm back to the lovely Beehive state. I really loved Volcom and miss so many of my California friends but I'm pretty darn happy with my decision to move back. Here's the top ten things I love about being back in Utah (in no particular order):

10. Driving. I really like driving, especially with gas prices that are cheaper than California
9. Skiing in the winter as much as I want/can afford
8. Sunday dinners with my grandparents
7. My awesome job!
6. Neilsons Frozen Custard... need I say more?
5. Living with the Watkins
4. Limitless options for great three-day weekend trips within driving distance (Moab, Jackson Hole, Las Vegas, Zions, Lake Powell, etc.)
3. Everything is cheaper here than it was in NYC and CA
2. The mountains. I LOVE the mountains.
1. Spending more time with my family!

Being back is great. I'm looking forward to my "More Funner Summer" (explaination to come in a future post) so stay tunned for more info!

xo!

Moving?

Many of you have probably already heard but let me confirm the murmurings... I'm moving. No exclamation point because moving cross-country is terribly annoying. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. So far I've shipped 9 boxes plus one for my bike and don't forget I still have what will fit in my luggage too.

I threw/gave away bucket loads of stuff, pushed two 45 Wall-luggage-carts full of boxes too and from FedEx(thank you Carly for your assistance), cleared out my Manhattan Mini-Storage unit, sold my bed frame and mattress on craigslist, rolled my massive dresser on the aforementioned luggage cart to my sisters apartment, and much more... you get the picture. Thank heavens I'm pretty much done.

Leaving New York City is hard to do. When you go elsewhere and ask for brunch suggestions people name chain restaurants (tsk, tsk!). Your $20 mani/pedi now becomes $40. All those great winter coats and boots you own get shoved to the back of your closet because you actually drive places rather than walk. I will definitely miss the city.

But in case you couldn't tell, I am excited to move. I'll be working in Costa Mesa, California for Volcom. I'm glad I made a good enough impression during my internship that they wanted me back! I'll be living with my best friend Tori (yay!). After a few years of the constant roommate shuffle, it'll be nice to settle in with such a gem :) I'll keep my natural blonde-ness for a bit longer... New York's lack of sunshine was dulling the locks. Best of all Southern California is COMPLETELY different than NYC. You can't even compare the two... beach/broadway? surf bums/guido's?... see, they are just too different. I think I'm lucky, getting a taste of two of the best places the 50 states has to offer. So take care NYC and as my man Jay-Z says "On to the next one..."

xoxo
WDM

Sidenote: California visitors are SOOOO welcome!

It's official...

So today I am exactly twenty-two years and four months old. Unimportant I know, but I'm "studying" for my last final EVER and procrastination is a given at this point.

XOXO

I'm Famous!

Okay, so maybe you've heard of the hit movie twilight. (If you haven't, you live under a rock) Well a couple of witty New Yorkers decided to spoof it--Mormon style. I was lucky enough to be called on for my acting expertise, or maybe just because I have blonde hair. (no lie) Click here to see it in all its glory.

Twilight Years from Tom on Vimeo.

BTW-In case you are wondering, I do have a line. I'm the girl on the bleachers who says "That's Edward. Don't bother." Obviously a line of HUGE importance to the movie.

Enjoy!

Best Bike Shop in NYC!

Today I slept in until 11AM. It felt wonderful :) Before you go thinking I'm crazy. lazy, and otherwise useless let me tell you that I am officially in my last semester of college (woo-hoo!), volleyball is now over (we took second in the region... go tigers!), and it's so close to Thanksgiving that I can almost taste the turkey. Mmmm! So after getting up, eating a delicious honeycrisp apple and doing the rest of my obligatory morning activities like brushing my teeth and checking my email, I went on a bike ride. I rode up the west side path and ran into my friend John around 50th street then kept on trucking to my final destination: the park! After trading the safe pavement of the path for the streets my rear derailleur started giving me some issues. Ugghhh... I tried to fix it myself but with no luck. (What can I say, I'm a novice) So I pulled out my iphone to see if there was a bike shop nearby. Luckily, one was less than a 2 blocks away. The guy was a bike GENIUS. He fixed my bike in no time. And by fixed I mean cleaned and lubed my gears, fixed my derailleur, made the shifting wire shorter, and tweaked a bunch of other stuff so fast I didn't even know what he was doing. My bike feels better than it did when it was new. Check it out yourself here! Happy riding!

xoxo

Guilty Pleasure...

I'm watching Gossip Girl right now. The scandalous lives of New York's elite never disappoint. Love it!

Retired Glamour Shot...

Ocean's never saw two gals more enthused for 80's night!

Fellow lovers of GG...

Folks,

Many of you probably know that Gossip Girl is one of my favorite shows(Blaire and I could rule the world with our collection of headbands). Really though, it's the only show I make time to watch these days. My friends Rae and Jam introduced me to this witty column written every Tuesday by writers from New York Magazine's online edition that assigns point values to different parts of the previous nights episode. It's sarcastic and funny and commends things true to New York and rips apart the unrealistic pieces of the plot. An entertaining read... if I do say so myself. You can find it here. Enjoy!

XOXO
WM

Snow!?!

I got a text from a friend back in the UT earlier this week who shares my love of precipitation in the form of snow. He just wanted to tell me that the mountains got their first light dusting of the season. Could it be true? Yes, don't worry I checked. Now let's cross our fingers that there's a lot more to come because I want to ski over Thanksgiving Break!

Thank You Utah... (and my Mom)

I am a member of the Snow Club at FIT. Granted, they could have come up with a better name but the club is legit. We go on a week long trip to Colorado every year and then take two East Coast weekend trips as well. Needless to say, it's loads of fun. A large portion of the costs are covered by the schools student association but we do have to raise some money too. Our preferred method of fund raising is through bake sales. Coming from Utah, I never thought these things would really make money because you could just go home and your mom probably had something delicious waiting at home. Not the case in NY. The students and faculty at FIT can't get enough. No lie. Especially if the goods are home made.

Every bake sale I make something to contribute. This time around I went with this fab Snickerdoodle recipe from Allrecipes.com. People LOVED them. I made enough to bring to the volleyball girls too and they got devoured in no time. Every time people are shocked that they are made from scratch and that they aren't deformed, burned, or otherwise unappealing. I contribute my ability to cook/bake to growing up in Utah(and my mom) where you were always making something to bring to school or a church activity and items made from a box or bought from the store just weren't acceptable.

Now if only I could make money off of this skill....

xoxo

Empire State of Mind...

California was GREAT this summer so making the move back to NYC for another semester was less than thrilling. But leave it to New York (and all my friends in NY) to pull out all the stops and make me never want to leave again!*

First weekend back I went to New Hampshire with 43 of my closest friends... okay so maybe I didn't know all of them before the trip but we totally bonded. May I say New Hampshire is beautiful? We even took a little drive into Maine which did not disappoint.

Those of us that took the day trip to Kennebunkport, Maine. The seafood there was to die for!

Sean, Dave, David, Sara, and I doing a little skit for the Talent, a.k.a. No Talent show.

Carly took me to a Yankees game for my birthday. Don't worry, we were definitely in handicap designated seats. Best mistake ever made. The seats are cushy and you have loads of leg room. That night D. Jeter tied Lou Gehrig for number of hits as a Yankee, the crowd went WILD! The best part was the two middle-aged men from Connecticut that were sitting next to us and would answer all of our baseball questions and tell us trivia.

The matchy-matchiness of our outfits was NOT planned. Guess that just means we both have great taste :)

I swear, the big screen at the Stadium puts HD to shame. Makes you want to watch the whole game on the screen rather than what's right in front of you on the field.

Went to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs the other night (midnight showing... it's how we roll) and it was so cute. Love the 3D glasses, thank you Disney.


Had a piece of Banana cake for Teenie's 24th birthday. New York bakeries really are delicious (nutritious, not so much)


Have been riding my bike around NY. So far, Central Park is my favorite place. (No cars=less chance of me getting mangled... it's a win win)

I'm playing volleyball at FIT again this year. Although it takes up most nights and weekends it is so worth it. The girls are AMAZING and fun, we are currently undefeated, and I get to play my favorite sport. I love it!

Thank you NY!

BTW-If you didn't catch it already, the title of my posts is from one of Jay-Z's new songs (featuring Alicia Keys) from his album the Blueprint 3. I view it as the unofficial anthem of New York. You should check it out here.

*Tori, I know you are going to read this and be bummed... not to worry, CA still holds a fond place in my heart as well.

Ride For The Cause...

Dear readers,

Recently I decided to participate in Bike MS New York City. This race funds research to find a cure for multiple sclerosis. Riding a bike seemed a simple enough way for me to contribute to the common cause so I jumped at the chance. All participants are required to raise 100 dollars in donations. If you'd like to help by making a donation on my behalf please visit http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/NYNBikeEvents?px=7031839&pg=personal&fr_id=11030&et=xJJfov59Lx0rwPeetfkC7w..&s_tafId=106134 .

I will be riding with the Goldman Sachs team with my sisters Carly and Hayley. Feel free to track our progress on race day!

Thank you!

P.S. If you would like more information about the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, how proceeds from Bike MS are used, or the other ways you can get involved please visit msnyc.org.

A Bike to Call My Own...

I bought a road bike. Life couldn't get any better... seriously. (unless there was some way I could forgo the whole getting used to the bike saddle)

Here's the beauty...
I've already taken her on some significant spins around Weber County so now she's being boxed and shipped to NY. Bring on the city streets!

xoxo

BTW-I always wear a helmet... don't you worry

Deron v. Floyd...

Lately, I've taken up an interest in cycling. In fact, by the end of this week I may even have a skinny-tired ride to call my own. This new interest has lead me to use my free time (which I've had a lot of lately) to research and read up on anything and everything bike related. This lead me to stumble on the gem of a blog Bike Snob NYC. One of the more recent posts highlighted a publicity event for the upcoming Tour of Utah race held at Utah's own Miller Sports Park earlier this August. The event was a challenge between Floyd Landis, winner of the Tour de France (controversially), and the Utah Jazz point guard Deron Williams.

The contest consisted of a 2.2 mile bike race followed by a three-point shooting contest. Williams beat Landis in both events. Here's Williams in his classy Utah Jazz spandex get-up.
Hands down Williams wins the challenge. He makes bikers look hard core with all of his tatoos and facial hair, he didn't get caught doping, and he beat a pro cycler as a mere novice. Oh wait, did I mention Williams was given a one minute head start? My bad....

xoxo

Summer Times...

So I'm not gonna lie, I've had a FABULOUS summer! It has been so good that I haven't even had time to post for... well, forever. I've spent considerable time on a beach, on a bike, with Miss Tori, eating frozen yogurt, 80's dancing, singing at the top of my lungs to my favorite Beyonce songs, interning at Volcom, eating dollar taco's on the balboa penninsula, and much more. Here are a few photos chronicling my favorite days of summer!

Miss Tori herself!
(Yes Tori, I stole this from your blog... we have virtually no pictures of
ourselves in normal (read: non-80's) attire)

At the US Surf Open in Huntington Beach.
Sun, surfers, and good company. It doesn't get much better.

With the Volcom folks at Taco Tuesday. Do yourself a favor
and hit up Great Mex next time you are in Newport.

Interns on the beach!

I loved living in California! Cross your fingers and I may move back come January...

xoxo