Meatless Monday: Curry Spiced Noodles

Ly's adventures with Meatless Mondays have so far been successful...in fact she has even inspired some friends in the Richmond area to go veg! Earlier this week they came over and made Chili non Carne (aka vegetarian chili). Everyone seemed to enjoy it and Ly even tried a few bites. She still despises beans, but at least she willingly put some in her mouth. It's a step in the right direction.

curry spiced noodles

And as further evidence of her expanding horizons, for dinner the other day they had curry spiced noodles. The dish included mushrooms, red peppers, green peppers, and lots of other veggies that aren't particularly high on Ly's vegetables she'll eat list. And yup, Ly ate all of it. It wasn't bad. In fact if you want the recipe let us know. So for all of you wondering, yes progress has been made in the Ly eating vegetable department. Although tofu has yet to make an appearance on the menu.

Date Night

Last week for Date Night, Ly + Alan went to Dave and Busters. They had coupons for a bunch of free games so it was a nice inexpensive date night. It was an evening full of healthy competition (Alan kicked Ly's butt on air hockey like a dozen times...it was a fluke though and Ly being the nice person she is let him live it up), whack-a-mole, ticket earning, and lots of laughs.

Alan takes competition very seriously

Our winnings!

Throwback Thursday: Daddy Daughter Bonding @ Disneyland

Time: Spring Break 2003.

Who: Ly+Dad

Where: Disneyland

Why: Bonding Trip

For her first spring break from college, Ly decided to go home to San Diego - enjoy the beach, some much needed sunshine and hang out with some friends. While she did do those things, the best part of her break was the surprise her Dad (Rory) cooked up for. He took some time off from his hectic schedule and whisked her away to her favorite place - Disneyland - for a few days. At first one might think what a drag it would be for a 19 year old girl to go to Disneyland for more than one day with just her Dad...but it turned out to be a trip full of memories and laughter.

Some highlights included:

+ Riding the Mickey Mouse roller coaster at California Adventure (the one that goes upside down) like 8 times in a row before Rory's age caught up with him and he required a break...and riding the water raft ride and getting soaked a million times.

+ Eating at the Ariel's Princess dining place in California Adventure. Dining with Ariel and her friends was delicious - yummy (albeit slightly overpriced) and quite an adventure with the Princesses stopping to say hi...and at the end they served cotton candy with the check. Even though it was Rory's idea to eat there he insists that it was only because he was starving. Although the record should state that since this trip he has insisted that family eat there whenever they are at California Adventure.

+ Taking lots of character photos and walking on to most rides.

+ Buying and wearing light up Mickey Mouse ears to wear at the parades.

+ Getting a reserved dining seat during the Main Street Electrical Parade...it was perfect - no need to stake out seats for hours in advance for the parade and yummy food too.

Despite having to deal with Rory's desire/need to eat every 5 minutes, Ly and her dad had an amazing time. A daddy-daughter trip is a must for every daughter and her dad - no matter what age.

Weekend Wrap-up

Throwback Thursday: Rose Bowl Parade

Back in the day (aka 2005), Ly's Dad got the inside track on helping decorate/construct an official Rose Bowl Parade float. Not only was it awesome to decorate a float, but it even had pandas on it!! Can we say Heaven for Lyanna?!

Anyway, Ly's entire family went to decorate the float (minus Alan because well this was the pre-Alan days) along with some of our extended family. It took three days to decorate, working around the clock because you can't place flowers weeks in advance or they will die. Fun fact, did you know most flowers (and all the roses) have their own individual water source? Anyway. A majority of the float building took place in these massive outdoor tents - which wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't raining the entire time and butt cold. It was VERY wet (as in people were walking around with wet sneakers) and super cold - good thing Ly's experiences in Boston had already taught her the value of layered clothing. Upon arrival, everyone got assigned various jobs. Ly crossed her fingers that she'd get to work on the pandas and luckily she and Lily got assigned to put white carnations on one of the pandas. This particular task involved Ly being forced to climb miles into the air to reach a particular panda's head. Needless to say, the idea of getting to actually work on a panda proved to be the proper incentive and Ly conquered her fear of heights and scampered up the scaffolding. Luckily, Lily soon joined her and not wanting to be left out so did their Dad. Their mother, however, choose to keep both feet on the ground and went to work on the float sign instead. Everything on the float had to be made out of some sort of plant so she made letters out of beans. They turned out pretty cool. The worse part of the whole float building experience (besides the weather) was that Lily and Ly got sick and had to spend an entire day in bed at the hotel instead of scampering up scaffolding. They did get to watch some TV though, so that it made it better.

Ly pausing from her work of putting flowers on the pandas head.

The girls taking a quick break before they go back to putting more flowers on the float...and in case you were wondering, yes we were forced to wear those bright blue t-shirts.

Sisterly love.

Mom's awesome 'R' out of beans

Lily and Dad putting some last minute touches on the pandas butt.

New Years Eve. After being relieved of their float building duties, Ly and her family did what any normal person in their situation would do - they went to Disneyland. Yes they went to to the Happiest Place on Earth on the busiest day of the year with a certain nameless individual *cough Lynda cough* who may or may not get grumpy when in large crowds. The glorious weather continued and it rained as soon as they pulled into the Disney parking lot. So they went to the movies in Downtown Disney. After the movie ended the rain had let up a bit so the family made their way to Disneyland and rode a ton of rides. Art, a family friend, met up with them that evening and spent a majority of time trying to convince Ly to ride the Tower of Terror with no success. Everyone had a great time despite the crowd level and the weather. In fact, after collecting a number of stylish hats to wear while ringing in the New Year, they went back to the hotel a little after midnight and crashed - Lily and Ly were, after all, still sick.

Due to the lack of Disneyland photos, here is a picture of the Disney float for your enjoyment.

New Years Day. A morning loving male member of the family forced everyone awake at the crack of dawn to prepare to watch the parade. This made certain individuals a little bit grumpy seeing as how they already had reserved bleacher seats which was supposed to allow them to sleep in. Nevertheless, they traipsed out to their seats and sat in the freezing misty rain to wait for the parade to start. Fortuitously, the rain stopped as soon as the parade began and the sun even made a brief appearance. Ly loved seeing the float she had worked so hard on come down the street -- and especially enjoyed the moving pandas and the waterfalls on the float. All that hard work must have paid off because the panda float won the sweepstakes prize for best overall design and most beautiful float. Awesome! Although with pandas on the float, it was a sure winner =)

The family in front of the float after the parade. Please note the stylish Disney hat Lily is wearing in this photo.

Since the last post

Since the last post...Alan started school again studying embryology, physiology, and histology and has 4 tests on Friday. Yikes. Good thing he has been studying super hard and will be well prepared for it.

Since the last post...Ly+Alan had a fondue extravaganza with some friends. Homemade bread, veggies, fruits, donuts, dipped in chocolate and cheese...yum! The chocolate fountain even made a special appearance.

Since the last post...Ly has been working on some unfinished quilting projects in an effort to cross some things off her list of projects to complete.

Since the last post...Ly+Alan have had 2 date nights, so fun! On one they checked out the local two dollar movie theater which came complete with yummy popcorn and a live organ concert. On the other they tried dinner at a local bakery where they dined on salad and sandwiches.

Since the last post...Ly has been editing photos like crazy from their Disney Holiday Trip 2010.

Photo of the Moment

Taken on Epcot's Behind the Seeds Tour, Dec 2010

Family Goals

Happy 01.11.11!!!

In honor of a day full of ones here are a few of the Lee's Family goals for 2011.

1. To read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover as a family
2. Have weekly Family Home Evening
3. Continue Meatless Mondays (or at least one day a week)
4. Go to the gym 3-4 times a week
5. Try something new once a month
6. Have weekly date nights

What are your goals for 2011?

Sherbert Quilt

This quilt was completed for Alan's mentor who recently gave birth to her first child - a baby girl.

front of the quilt

close up of the quilting

close up of backing and binding.

This stacked coins style quilt was relatively easy to put together and randomly quilted in a stippling style. Ly loved working with the fabrics and had a blast making it. In fact, she has been contemplating making one for herself.

2010 wrap up

2010 is finally over and done with...and while it wasn't the best year on record (surgeries, near death experiences, moves, job hunts, etc.) it ended on a high note.

Alan had a long winter break from school so Ly + Alan got in the car and drove 12 hours south to Florida. Then they spent a glorious week at the Happiest Place on Earth aka Disney WORLD! It. Was. So. Much. Fun. The crowds were low, the magic was high and it was certainly worth every penny spent. They stayed on the park grounds, got free dining (and thereby ate at some fantastic restaurants) and partied quite hard - stayed in the parks from before rope drop (7 in the morning) 'til sometimes 3 in the morning. Highlights included: Being stuck on Big Thunder at 2 am on the top during the Lunar Eclipse, Riding Big Thunder 6 times in a row, Alan surprising Ly with light up mickey mouse ears, watching awesome fireworks shows, Riding Mission: Space multiple times in a row, Extra Magic Hours at Magic Kingdom 'til 3 am, Behind the Seeds Tour at Epcot, Toy Story Mania, and of course just enjoying some much needed time together.

the castle at night, covered in ice. So beautiful!

Standing in front of Toy Story Mania...an awesome ride and the best themed part of Hollywood Studios.

Just after Alan surprised Ly with light up mickey ears.

A mickey mouse tomato from the behind the seeds tour

On the teacups...Alan spun them so fast Ly couldn't walk straight

At the entrance of Magic Kingdom!!

After returning from their magical getaway, Ly+Alan still had a week of blissful time together before Alan had to return to school. The annual Christmas Eve Tree Hunt occurred, quite successfully with an end at, of all places, Home Depot. Next a bi-coastal tree decorating party occurred via skype...which was tons of fun. This year's new addition to the tree included a Wall-E ornament and a mickey mouse head purchased at Disney World. Christmas Day included opening presents via skype, a 3 course meal, and lots of relaxation. Thanks to skype, Ly+Alan were able to enjoy their first Christmas just the two of them AND got to spend time with their extended family.

The new Mickey Mouse Christmas Ornament

Wall-E! Only the best ornament ever =)

2010 Christmas Tree

On New Years Eve Ly + Alan bid a welcome farewell to 2010 from the comfort of their own home. A movie marathon, some yummy food, and work on a few projects allowed for a relaxing transition from 2010 to 2011...a million times better than last years hospital extravaganza.