A Year of Dates: January

When I asked Patrick what he wanted for Christmas, there wasn't too much on his list.  He is the epitome of a minimalist and will only buy or keep what he absolutely needs.  I didn't want to give him something that would just get put on the shelf and forgotten. I had to get creative... Since we love date nights so much, I planned a special outing for each month.  To keep track of and remember our dates after, I made a little scrapbook. Each page lists what we will be doing for the month and has a blank space for a photo or two.  We had our first date earlier this week and I think it is safe to say the gift is a hit!

Patrick played Charlie Baker in his high school production of  "The Foreigner."  (How I wish I could find a recording of his performance!)  "The Foreigner" is an all-time favorite play of mine.  I first saw it during my summer interning at the Taproot Theatre Company in Seattle.  I laughed so hard I was literally in tears!  I knew seeing Hale Centre Theatre's production would be a fun way to kick off our year.

A peak inside our scrapbook. (The "Before.")

The completed January page.

HCT's production of "The Foreigner" was delightful. While all the cast members were wonderful, our favorites were two of my theatre friends, Bryan and Oran. If the show didn't close tomorrow I'd be tempted to go again!

Texas 2014

Here is a photo summary of our trip to Texas.

Patrick and his mom, Eddi.

I am obsessed with all the beautiful murals they have in Texas!  It seemed that each little town we drove through had at least one.  I wanted to stop and take photos of them all!

In case my shirt isn't enough of a clue, I am partial to bright colors.  It was fun to wander through the town checking out all the art galleries and cute stores.  There were so many pieces of art I wish I could have purchased and taken home with me.

Mandi and Patrick in 80 years or so.

We had a tasty New Year's Eve luncheon at Reata.  

We exchanged gifts with Patrick's family during our stay.  We were given tennis rackets. (Thank you!) I am glad we didn't take any action shots because I need lots of practice first!

My favorite activity during our time in Alpine was a morning hike. It was hard believe it was January because we were outside in only t-shirts and jackets.  Our trip definitely was a nice break from the snow.

Patrick's dad is the women's basketball coach at Sul Ross. We were able to catch a game. Twinner t-shirts!

Another nice mom and son photo.

I don't have photo documentation, but two of the biggest highlights from the trip were
*Meeting Patrick's good friend Rudy (heard some funny stories!)
and
*Watching videotapes of Patrick playing peewee soccer and performing in high school plays.
(I would have been crushin' on Patrick even back then. Sooo cute!)

Santa Fe

Patrick and I just got home from a week long trip to Texas to visit his parents and brother.  We drove.  We figured in total we spent apx. 42 hours  in the car.  We're thinking it might be awhile be for we take another long roadtrip.  To make the long drive bearable, we stocked up on audio books, good food and snacks, and made sure to stay the night in interesting places.  I am pretty much obsessed with adobe homes and southwestern artwork, so I was happy to spend our first night in Santa Fe.  And as any musical theatre nerd would, I made sure to play the song "Santa Fe" from Newsies as we entered the city.

By the time we got to Santa Fe, most of the shops downtown were closed. We still wandered around a bit and then had a delicious dinner at Zia Diner.

Isn't this church just beautiful? We walked around it in the evening but I really wanted to see it in the daylight so Patrick drove by it for me on our way out of town the next morning.

This was my second time in Santa Fe.  Both times were very short overnight visits.  There is so much to see. I hope I can get back again soon for a proper visit!

Sibling Sushi Date

Garrett is quite the cook.

For Christmas, Patrick and I gave him a sushi making kit.

It had a book with recipes, an instructional DVD, a rolling mat, a rice spoon, and chopsticks.

For some extra inspiration to get him started, I took him to lunch at Osaka Sushi in Tooele. 

It was my first time eating there and I was impressed.  The sushi was great but so were the prices.

I am already making plans to go with my mom next time I am out in Erda for a visit.

So ready to eat.

Austin looking overwhelmed by the amount of sushi we order. All rolls were 50% off.
We couldn't help ourselves!

The Caterpillar Roll (top left) was my favorite of the day!
Can't wait to see what awesome sushi Garrett whips up!