tomboy

I love having a little boy.

I grew up as a little girl, surrounded by boys. I have an older brother and we were baby-sat by a woman with 4 boys.

I had mud fights, injured myself trying sweet bike tricks, swam in a pond every summer that I don't even know if it was sanitary (lol), went fishing daily, played baseball, played cops and robbers on our bikes, had rotten apple fights in the apple orchard, and many other amazing memories.

Having a little boy has allowed me to relive some of those wonderful moments as an adult. I wouldn't trade in a single bug, snake, frog, or any other creepy crawly creature my son has brought me, for a barbie. No way. :)

chef jeff...

Passion.
That overwhelming need to do something, to feel something, to create something.
Something that makes you want to work harder, to accomplish more, to learn more...
Something that makes you feel alive.

Robbie and I are blessed we have found that in photography and videography...among many many other things.

The funny thing about passion is once you have felt it, you look for it all over the place.
When you are passionate about one thing - it seems to spill over into other parts of your life as well.

A friend of ours started introducing us to other people he knew - who were also very passionate about things in their lives. We have all been chatting and getting to know each other the past couple of months and last week we received an invitation from one of the couples for a dinner party at their home.

We all began to arrive and the conversations began to flow - teaching, yoga, graphic design, film, cooking, photography & videography, marketing, music, organic food, psychology, politics, art, philosophy, and much more...

Then. The food started.

I have been in awe of Jeff's cooking via facebook posts and posts on his lovely blog, Eaterie Food. And a few weeks ago, Robbie attended one of Jeff's cooking demos, which Jeff sent me home a delicious sampling, since I was unable to attend (I was of course busy editing photos..lol).

But nothing....and I seriously mean NOTHING could have prepared me for how amazing Jeff's menu was going to be for this dinner party. He went all out.

Appetizers/Hors D’Oeuvers
Charcuterie Platter
Liguria Salami
Tuscano Salami
Veneto Salami
Spicy Capicollo
Soppressata di Calabria
Cheese Platter
Bourbon Bacon Jam
White Wine and Rosemary Pickled Portobella’s
Egg Salad cups
Crab Salad Cups
Cucumber with Herbed Cheese

Dinner
First Course
• Spring Ceviche with Shrimp, Avocado, and Cucumber

Second Course
• Arugula, Grilled Peach and Mozzarella Salad with a Balsamic Honey Dressing

Third Course
• Caramelized Carrot and Ginger Soup

Fourth Course
• Spring Pea and Bacon Risotto with Braised Pea Tendrils

Main Course
• Sesame-Ginger Beef/Tofu and Shiitake Kebabs in Citrus Hoisin Glaze

Dessert
• Avocado Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis, Crème’ Anglaise and Fresh Mint Ice Cream

Here are the photos to show this amazing-ness - I wish I could reach through the screen and eat every single one of them again. YUM.

I don't think I could pick a favorite, even if you tried to make me. Each one was perfect. Oh, and I almost forgot - a few glasses of some wonderful white wine to go along with it all.

Every once in awhile, I would stop in the kitchen to see how Jeff was doing and he had the BIGGEST smile on his face. He was having a darn blast. Not only preparing the food, but hearing us enjoy the experience. And talk about fresh....as I was sitting at their dining room table chatting away, I looked out the window and saw Jeff cutting herbs for the dishes right there as he was making them.

So cool. This was his passion and we all were witnessing it and experiencing it all at the same time.

I cannot thank Jeff and Leslie enough for putting this together, for welcoming us in their home, and for sharing their amazing talent of making food that I may not be able to pronounce, but I sure can enjoy. ;)

It was one of my favorite "adult nights" in a long time.

THANK YOU! :) Pizza party at our house next time, Robbie and I have already decided there is no way we are going to try and compete with that. lol

hello june!

what we've been up to:

a lot of photos being taken.

a lot of photos being edited.

a lot of hot head burrito being eaten.

a lot of sun - and crazy storms.

a lot of gardening.

a lot of baseball.

which = a lot of fun.

i love summer. reminds me of so many great childhood memories. hope our kiddo has as many as i have. trying hard to make that happen for him.

hope everyone is enjoying the sun. anytime you get sick of the heat, just remember how sick you were of the snow and ice. it works for me every time. :)

happy june ya'll. it has arrived.

absolutely nothing...

4.27.11 - this doesn't happen very often - me relaxing on the couch. but after about 5 late nights in a row, it was a must. we watched the movie - Never Let Me Go. ignore the dirty window and empty photo frames. spring cleaning has yet to happen at our house and the photo frames have been empty since they were hung in january. such as life. :)
"Sitting next to you doing absolutely nothing, means absolutely everything to me."
- Unknown

A few things that made me happy today.
1. The 5 minutes the sun was actually out today.
2. Coconut creamer in my coffee...yum. Who'da thunk it?
3. Seeing my kiddo in his baseball uniform for the first time this year. His pants are about 3 sizes too big. LOL Must fix this or he will be having some major issues during a game.
4. Thinking about my big bro coming home to visit. He will be here Friday and I can't wait. He lives in South Carolina and I haven't seen him in 2 years. So excited.
5. Cuddling with Mr. Garrett on the couch. So comfy. So cozy. So perfect. Nothing like it.

A good day...
Amber

another earth...

4.26.11 / 365 - so glad the rain stayed away this evening so i could go outside. it was just what i needed. robbie and i attacked each other with the leaf blower. good times...and i found this quote, which i love.
"Great minds discuss ideas;
Average minds discuss events;
small minds discuss people."
- Eleanor Roosevelt

For those of you who don't know my husband, Rob (or Robbie as everyone knew him in high school), he is obsessed with movies. I mean crazy obsessed. So, I always get notified by him when a new trailer comes out. I was pretty excited when he shared this one with me the other night. (Just a note: you can stop the music that is currently playing by scrolling to the bottom of the page and hitting the pause button.)



I love the entire concept and idea behind it. Space amazes me. I can't tell you how many conversations my friends and I have had about space. You start to really think about it all, and it almost overwhelms you. So cool.

We were also thrilled to see that they used the song "That Home" by The Cinematic Orchestra. We have loved this song for quite some time and knew it would be perfect in a movie. It works so well in the trailer. I hope they used it in the movie as well. Here is a video for the song so you can hear all of it...good stuff.



And here is another favorite of ours...



Hoping for more sunny days ahead.
Amber