These are a few of my favorite things!

You must! must! Read this blog. I stumbled upon it this week and have read almost the entire blog (start to finish). The author Nie used to be known for having one of the top lifestyle blogs, until she and her husband were in a tragic airplane crash. Her story of survival, trying to return to her prior life (she suffered burns on 80% of her body, her husband 30%), and style of writing is just captivating.

Nienie Dialogues

While trying to wean myself off of HGTV and the Canadian accent I stumbled upon a new guilty pleasure: Trading Spouses. It is best trashy, "oh my god" television you can get during the day. I know it's really old and nothing new but I just discovering it in reruns on CMT and I can't get enough. I seriously plan the rest of my day around it's two hour block. In case you don't watch, the premise is two families switch a member (usually the mom) and check out if the grass is greener on the other side. Craziness ensue. Here is a clip of probably the most infamous episode.



And see it is also highly educational (see prior post). I now know what a "God Warrior" is...it's kind of scary.

Um...I'm kind of bored.

Well it only took four weeks, but I am now officially bored. I knew that I must have reached that milestone yesterday, when I begged and pleaded with Michael to let me tag along with him for some errands. The destination...Home Depot... and I just sat in the car. But on the upside we did decide to stop by Ben & Jerry's for dinner. That's right ice cream for dinner. Ever child's dream and my reality.

I tried one of their new flavors, Milk and Cookies. TO DIE FOR...Flavor description: Vanilla Ice Cream with a Chocolate Cookie Swirl, Chocolate Chip & Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

And now that I have hit the four week mark of my hermit lifestyle, I also had to give up one of my favorite things. HGTV. You see most of my favorite shows are all based out of Canada (not all episodes, just most). I love "Property Virgins," but it has had a very strange side effect...I am developing a Canadian accent. I know super odd, but strangely true. Michael thinks it's funny. But since I am not moving to Canada any time soon, I must enjoy my shows in moderation. Which has led me to one of my other favorite daytime dramas...Trading Spouses.

It's hilarious! It blows my mind how different families can be across the country AND how many families have no clue that they are going to be put into usually a very AWKWARD situation. AND the show is highly educational. I mean just today I learned all about eating a strictly kosher diet (two dishwashers, two sets of dishes and flatware), that there are NO kosher stores in Kentucky, AND how to "tree" a raccoon. All that in just one hour! I mean top that...I bet you didn't learn that much at work today.

Happy Birthday to me!

So I hit a little bit of a milestone yesterday, I turned 25! Well not really, but you are only as old as you feel right...

Michael surprised me with a dinner date out! He wouldn't tell me where we were going or what we were eating, just some of the most random clues.

1. It may be a little warm inside
2. We would be eating 8-10 courses

Warning right now, this post is a bit picture heavy. But if there is nothing I love more than eating, it's looking at pictures of food. Enjoy!

Being the sneak that I am (Hi my name is Lacey and I am a snooper) I tried my best to try and figure out where we were going...but I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived at this doorway.

You can't see it, but the gold plaque on the door talks about the EXTREMELY strict dress code. I love it!

After carefully navigating the stairs down we were in a small entryway, where you had to switch your shoes for these snazzy numbers.

Unfortunately I was stuck in Das Boot for the evening, so no slippers for me.

Now this restaurant is TINY, like seriously only seats 20 people a night. Your seats are wooden blocks that lift up to store your jacket, purse, cell phone, etc. Another little detail I just loved was how you were under no circumstances allowed to use your cell phone (even to check a text). A businessman seated next to us took his out to check an email, and the geisha like waitress hurried over and explained he would have to leave the restaurant or put his phone away. Apparently the chef will not serve you if a phone is present. Strict, but I like it. It made the experience feel special and it added to the atmosphere to not have to hear someone on their phone.

The menu is separated into two sections: English and Japanese. Michael had already planned on us doing the multi-course dinner known as kaiseki ryoori. It would consist of 8-10 courses at the chef's discretion. We did get to select one of the courses and we upgraded our sashimi selection to an assorted mix and some toro (fatty tuna).

Because I was still awestruck I didn't take a picture of the first course, but it was one of our favorites. We started with mussels in a richly flavored rice wine broth enhanced with pieces of ginger and garlic. Great, but it did take a little bit of a learning curve to navigate the mussels with chopsticks.

Second Course

Starting from the top left: fresh shrimp with avocado in a soy bean sauce, salmon, asparagus with an egg and lemon sauce (kind of like hollandaise), and a crab, jellyfish, seaweed mixture. AMAZING. We also went with kind of an adventurous drink. We figured when in Rome...eat something highly toxic and poisonous. Thus, we ordered their Blowfish-infused hot sake. The sake literally had the fin of the infamous poison fish floating in the pot. It was interesting...kind of like fishy sake (but better tasting than it sounds). Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture. I was still kind of in awe of the place.

Third Course

Michael and I were then served our sashimi. Three words...To Die For! We've eaten sushi everywhere and this was by far the best quality and unique selection (Spanish Mackerel, Salmon, Giant Sea Clam, Scallop, Snapper, Boston Mackerel, Stripe Jack) we have ever had. I am now a huge fan of the Boston Mackerel and Snapper. And the Toro didn't disappoint. Melting in your mouth. That weird green banana thing in the middle was pretty cool. It was the fresh wasabi. You could grate a little more off if you choose to.

Fourth Course

Next, we had a fresh prawn wrapped in seaweed before it was quickly fried. The condiments on the side were green tea sea salt and another pepper of some kind (I don't remember). It was fried perfectly...crisp on the outside and still juicy inside. The presentation looked much better when they first presented it to us. Michael and I were so into the food that we both started eating before I could take a picture.

Fifth Course

This was a selection of fresh veggies with a light vinaigrette and a scallop. It was a nice time to have something a little lighter.

Sixth Course

This was really cool because one of the geisha like ladies cooked it right at the table. It consisted of shrimp, scallop, mushrooms, and beef served with ponzu and different types of grated radish to flavor the ponzu.

Seventh Course

More sashimi! This time around we had yellowtail, tuna, and more stripe jack. At this point Michael was also having fun with the geisha. They were so exact in everything. Constantly topping off your glass and keeping everything orderly. For example, he moved the direction of the glass kettle for my wine and turned the black marble placement askew. At the conclusion of the course they immediately corrected it. It was kind of funny how OCD they were about the order.

Eighth Course

Chilean Sea Bass for me, Orange Roughy for Michael. Mine was perfect, but Michael thought his was just okay. Neither of us had ever had orange roughy, so we don't know if it was the preparation or if it's just not a fish for us.

Ninth Course

This was the soba noodle course. I selected seaweed with mine and Michael picked fresh mushroom. We both really enjoyed it. Down to me drinking my broth after the waitress stated it was perfectly acceptable.

Tenth and Final Course

Amazing! I am sooo going to try and replicate this at home. It was a fresh grape granita with a Grand Marnier drizzle. Be prepared if visiting the L & M home to have some sort of attempt at this in the near future.

It was by far one of the best dining experiences we have ever had! Michael and I have eaten at some of the top restaurants in the country, but the experience at Makoto is unparalleled. I highly recommend it and couldn't give it enough praises.

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You Michael! It was one of the best birthdays ever! AND highly different from prior birthdays (I didn't wake up with sore feet and a cloudy head the next morning). I guess we are all grown up!

And thank you too, to all of my family and friends. Your gifts and well wishes was amazing!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I hate when random people ruin pictures

One more thing...Happy St. Patrick's Day.
This year I am forgoing the usual green beer (sigh) I guess I am an adult. Although drinking and crutches don't mix very well.

Here's to the days of college and green beer, getting to the Swamp nice and early for the free t-shirt, great friends and the table they snatched....and matching your eye shadow to your outfit. Cheers!

These are a few of my favorite things!

While on my six-week vacation (Michael's words, not mine) I have had a lot of time randomly searching the Internet. And so, drum roll please....I present to you a few of my favorite things this week!

Love, Love, Love this music video. I think I want the CD. It's so upbeat and reminds me of my FAVORITE show that I can't wait to return, "Glee."

She & Him - In The Sun
I wonder if I would look that cool dancing with a hulu hoop...

My go-to movie candy is Reese Pieces. When I saw the commercial for these, I just knew I had to try them. I wonder if Wegman's carries them. They have to, they carry everything.

I have also spent a ton of time shopping online (Michael don't worry, just virtual) and did you know that Lilly Pulitzer has a new print debuting called Alberta Gator. I wonder what type of buyers they are trying to attract...
To bad the print is only available in a skort. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED skorts and I wore them probably every other day...when I was nine. I think these will go in my virtual basket instead.

If you look really close, you can see little alligators.

Isn't the back of this dress adorable? The description is hilarious: "This dress is all about the back. Business in the front, party in the back."

Better than Disney...

I took a little break last week blogging to entertain our first house guest...my mom! Although Michael will probably say it was because he was out of town for much of the visit and couldn't nag me to death.

For most of the visit, my mom and I took it easy. You see, it is very difficult to get yourself ready and out the door with only one functioning leg and a 50lb. boot on the other. But I did take my mom to one spot I knew she would just love...Wegmans.


And after wandering around the store for just under 2 hours (me in one of those motorized scooters that move ridiculously slow) my mom sighs, and exclaims "This is better than Disney!" Now if you don't live in the area, you probably asking yourself what is this Wegmans? In short, it's a grocery store...but it's not just any grocery. It has EVERYTHING.


Two restaurants (including a fresh seafood one), a bakery that rivals the finest restaurant, sushi bar, hundreds of different cheeses, wine cellar, an organic section as large as most other groceries. You name it, they have it. Of the ten days my mom was here, we went pretty much every other day.

We also went and saw Alice in Wonderland in 3-D. I was pleasantly surprised. Don't get me wrong, I was super excited about the movie, the 3-D, not so much. Last time Michael and I spend the day at the Smithsonian we saw a movie on sardine migration (yes, thrilling I know) and the 3-D was kind of annoying. The glasses were awkward and if you didn't look straight on, it was kind of blurry. My mom and I loved the movie, Michael mixed reaction.

And so, I begin my first week at home without my mom's help. I miss her already...

On a Bed of Roses...

"To prop your foot: A Bed of Roses!"

This was the note that accompanied a great little care package I received from my lovely in-laws. And a box with all of this:


And all my good good karma tricks (always spitting my gum out into a trash can, picking pennies up only when heads up, etc.) must have paid off....this was also delivered...

Aren't they just gorgeous! My lovely bosses sent it. It's so funny what a difference a year makes. This time last year I was HATING my job. Well, I guess not the job, just the management. Right now, I love everything about my work. A great team that truly supports each other and amazing clients I enjoy working with every day.

And since I seem to be picture posting happy today, here is a picture of my snazzy new accessory. "Das Booooot" as Michael and I love to call it.

Yes, that is my Gator Snuggie

I get to wear this monstrous thing for the next few weeks. I HATE IT! It's super awkward and very heavy. Das Boot also has this odd air pump system. It's kind of like the old Nike Pump shoes. I did receive permission from Dr. Michael (my husband, and no he didn't run out and get his medical degree, he just acts like it) to not wear it when I am just laying around. The hardest part is sleeping with it on. Like I said before it's HEAVY. I compare it to wearing your roller blades or ski boot to bed. But I guess if that's the only complaint I have, my life isn't that bad.

For now, I am starting to plan my first big outing. Friday I am Michael's date to....(drum roll please)....

The Regional First Robotics Competition! Wahooooo! I kid, I kid...I am actually very excited to get out of the house and cheer on Michael's team. He has been volunteering and mentoring a local high school group. But it doesn't sound promising. Michael says he will be just happy if the robot runs.

It's a Beautiful Day...

The skies so blue, brilliant pops of green grass sprouting from the snow, the air crisp and cool as it rushes through the sunroof...somebody woke up on the right side of the bed...NO, I just got to leave the house today!

Michael escorted me to the doctor's office today for a follow-up. I had prepared myself for the worst. Big purple bruises, swelling, you name it, but miraculously my bruising was faint, swelling minimal, and my doctor was ready for me to get out of the "cast" and into a weird air-pressure boot. Still I have to keep my stitches and no walking, but a huge improvement. I return next week with my mom.

This whole surgery thing has really made me realize that my little stubborn streak may need to be worked on a bit. My doctor believes my speedy recovery is due to the fact that I truly followed his orders and rested. I didn't allow any weight on it and kept my foot at an incline whenever possible. BUT what I forgot to tell him is...if Michael wasn't here making me follow his orders I would have been out and about by Saturday morning. I am ashamed to admit that as soon as Michael left on Sunday for a few short errands, I attempted to do a load of laundry. BIG MISTAKE. It took me over 30 minutes to get the short distance to our laundry room and by then I was drenched in sweat and exhausted. Michael was not very happy...

But on a lighter note, these are a few simple things that are making me happy right now.

Girl Scout's "Lemonades" Cookies

Especially after working your way into the kitchen on crutches and finding the box hidden by your husband

The Blog:
Jordan Ferney's "Oh Happy Day!"
http://jordanferney.blogspot.com/
I have seriously read this blog almost from beginning to end

Planning a fabulous vacation to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary
although nothing is going to top our honeymoon in the Cook Islands...if you squint real hard you can see Michael way out