Thrill Seeking

In my opinion, a little adventure is a necessary part of life. Wikipedia defines an adventure as : "an exciting or unusual experience; it may also be a bold, usually risky undertaking, with an uncertain outcome." Without a sense of adventure life can get boring, mundane, predictable.  A little bit of adrenaline is good for the soul.  It keeps you on your toes.  It keeps you truly living.

That said, there are many ways that one can have an adventure and get the thrill that they are seeking.  As for Mark, he takes the use of the term "adventure" very literally; usually translating to some sort of outdoor expedition. This is definitely an interpretation of adventure that I can get on board with and Mark and I have had lots of great adventures together: ski trips, exploring the Chanel Islands and most recently an Oregon adventure weekend of kayak clamming and waterfall hiking.

Dogs like adventure too.

 

While this type of adventure is awesome and enjoyable, personally, I like to live a life were I can relish in more "everyday adventures."  That was really the whole point of this blog, to track my new adventure of moving across the country on my own and all the sub-adventures that came along with it.  As you may have noticed, the blog has not seen a lot of activity lately.  And it's not because I haven't wanted to write, it's because nothing in my life (aside from the above Mark-ventures) has seemed particularly blog worthy.  What once used to be my LA adventure has become standard. Predictable. Low risk.  The opposite of the Wiki definition above...

Now I know what you are thinking, "Girl!  Get your booty out and do something!  You live in the second biggest city in the nation!"  Sure.  Makes sense.  The real issue is, that I don't want to. Though a bit mundane, I'm content going to the same restaurants with the same friends. Settling into a routine of yoga, hiking, and beach biking.  Sure there are more things I have yet to do in LA, but now that I really understand the whole "LA scene" they don't seem as exciting or unpredictable.  I like my Santa Monica bubble and I prefer to live life repeating things I enjoy instead of experiencing things I'm not really into just to say I've done it.  Lately, my biggest adventures have been in my kitchen which, while enjoyable, are truly safe and thrill less for anyone but me. But if you are interested, you can check out my monthly featured recipes for Cosmo's Spicy Ranch here.

So, where do we go from here?  Is the blog dead? Have I transformed from an active, outgoing, adventure seeker to a passive yogi with a food and wine fetish?  Not a chance (but I do love yoga, food, and wine).  Even though I'm loving my life and routine in Santa Monica, I would be lying if I said I wasn't restless.  I am.  And after having my first Kardashian sighting and feeling my first earthquake in the past month (both more underwhelming then I thought they would be, hence why they do not have their own blog posts) I feel like my LA to-do list is about done.  Or that I'm at least done with it, I'm there. I'm settled. This place is no longer foreign and unique. And once I've completed one challenge, I need to find another.  I thrive off taking risks, embarking on new challenges, and enjoying the ride along the way. So, I guess what I'm saying is that I'm ready for a new adventure. A big one.  Stay tuned folks, I promise it's about to get good :)

Mental gymnastics.

I've been struggling with yoga lately. It's definitely my preferred workout of choice, but I'm just not getting out of it what I used to.  I was initially so drawn to yoga because I felt like it did a lot for both my mental and physical health, but recently, going to yoga has seemed like more of an obligation and has felt more stressful to me than relaxing. Probably because I have been so crazy busy this fall... but despite that, I have been trying to sprinkle in some other ways to maintain both my mental and physical health. Here is a look at how I have been trying to keep a balance over the last few months and find time to enjoy the fall (which apparently means random 90 degree days in November here...).

MENTAL HEALTH: Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
As we speak, I am sitting on the couch drinking a glass of wine. And I skipped yoga today. It was rainy, chilly, and I was in a bad mood. The traffic getting to yoga and parking would have been terrible and I wanted nothing more than to feel cozy and cook some comfort food. Shocking I know, that cooking and eating mac and cheese relaxes me. But I needed it tonight. There is just something about dancing around your kitchen, listening to music, and making-up an ingenious culinary creation.  That's right, totally made this up and I am super proud of it.  (The recipe is at the bottom of the blog post for those who are interested.) Then of course, putting on fuzzy socks and eating a bowl of the stuff is pretty divine too.

PHYSICAL HEALTH: Heroes of Hope 5K
As many of you probably know from Facebook, I ran a 5k last Sunday with some girls from my sorority Alumni group to benefit brain tumor research. It was a great day to run on the beach, a bit warm, but really beautiful. This was actually quite a big accomplishment for me. Since breaking my ankle 4 years ago and getting hardware to repair it, I have really struggled to run like I used to. I have had a lot of problems with leg pain and sciatica and have been really frustrated and annoyed with myself and my body.  It was really great to balance running with yoga to train for this and I really focused on not pushing myself too hard, too fast (my main problem post-new ankle). I'm proud to say that I ran the entire 5k in 29:16. My goal was to run it in 30 minutes, so I was spot on. The best part is that I feel great and more pain free than I have felt after running in a really long time.  And all of my wonder friends and family almost doubled my fundraising goal for the race. THANK YOU to everyone that donated.  It means so much to me and of course to those who will benefit from the research that is being funded at all the major hospitals in the LA area.

This adolescent bear is quite proud of me.

Off the Wagon...

Hi. I'm Taylor, and I'm a Target-holic. The last time I had shopped was in December back in Iowa.  It was a quick trip, very under control.  My sister and I were putting some finishing touches on Christmas gifts. I didn't really choose to stop shopping at Target, it just kinda happened. See, there is no Target in Santa Monica. There is no Target in Venice, West LA, Marina Del Rey, Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Westwood, Beverly Hills... there is no Target that is remotely close to me and my job.  It is one of the top things that I dislike about living here.

The closest Targets are in Culver City, there are allegedly 3 of them (selfish hoarders) according to Google maps though I can only account for two in my mind. Distance wise, Culver City is not far from me, but it requires a trip on either the 405 freeway or the 10 freeway and during peak hours, this is a nightmare.  I could plan to go on a Saturday morning or something, but I usually end up sleeping in, going to yoga, and enjoying relaxing and fun weekend time in Santa Monica.

So, due to distance and travel time, my relationship with Target had to end.  It's been a challenge for sure, but I've figured out where to buy things that I would usually get at Target around Santa Monica. The combination of the grocery store, Walgreen's, Bed Bath & Beyond, and the hardware store pretty much take care of it.  Four stops in a day can be super annoying, but it's better than the 405 at rush hour.

After semi-making peace with my Target-free life, I saw an opportunity yesterday, and I took full advantage.  Yesterday, my boss, one of our research assistants and I went down to the San Diego VA to hold a focus group and collect data for our new research project.  My boss lives south of me in Manhattan Beach, so we met at her house and went to San Diego from there. On the way back, it struck me. I was away from the Westside, and making my way home would be the perfect opportunity to shop at Target.  My excitement turned to elation when my boss informed me that there was a Target right in Manhattan Beach. Boom. Game on.

You can take the girl outta the Midwest...

but you can't take the Midwest cooking style out of the girl.  That was blatantly evident at my Super Bowl party last Sunday.  Just to set the stage a bit, let me remind you that I really like football and I really like food.  I particularly enjoy an opportunity to combine them both.  In the past this has led to endevors such as this:

Super Bowl '09 Cardinals v Steelers
Created with the lovely and talented Alison Clark

This year I decided that instead of focusing my efforts on one awesome dish, I would create many dishes, all with an ample aura of awesomeness...

Soooooo I may have gotten super excited and over-cooked for my party... oops?  It wouldn't have been such a bad thing except for the fact that everything I cooked was laden with cheese, carbs and spicyness; definitely not anything you could or should eat for a week straight.  Paula Dean chooses butter, I choose cheese.  Note for the future: people in California have more dietary preferences and healthier eating habits than people in the Midwest.  Again, not such a bad thing except for the fact that it left me with nearly 2 lbs of mac and cheese...

So let's recap.  I'm going to assume that everyone knows how the Super Bowl turned out and knows the major game highlights.  I'm also going to assume that if you don't know, you probably don't care.  Thus, all I will say about the game it that it was watched at my house on my new TV.  The patio bar was stocked with fun beverages and a great time was had by myself and my lovely friends, both new and old, who also helped contribute to the buffet with delicious (and healthier) dishes like salmon and fresh guac.

My ridiculously unhealthy and fairly monochromatic spread was as follows:

Buffalo Chicken Tartlets

Seacrest Sausage Balls
(sigh, don't ask.  The name in Kendall's fault...)

Beer-battered Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese

Mom's Taco Dip
(Sorry, I forgot to take a pic.  This is an old pic from a
tailgating attempt at Northwestern Game.  It usually looks better...) 

All of these tasty delights (save for the taco dip, that's a Sale family secret) can be recreated in your own kitchen with the ridiculously easy steps enclosed below. Note: I don't measure, I'm sorry.  I'll try to do my best to give amounts when I can but when in doubt, just start adding a little and then adding more to taste.

Pinned Up

I have a new obsession.  Well, new to me because many people I know have been doing this for ages. 

Yep, it got me.  I thought I would just take a peek, check it out to see what was going on, pick up some new recipes to cook, keep a low profile.  Oh no.  I'm in this thing.  I'm pinning like a mad women.  I had to force myself to go to bed the other night and was nearly late to work today.  This could be a serious set back to getting out and experiencing LA....  

Bedroom for One

One of the biggest decisions I made when moving out to LA was about my living situation.  Aside from deciding where I was going to live, I was also deciding between living alone and living with roommates.  After weighing the pros and cons and realizing that no matter what choice I made, there were going to be days that I would regret it, as you all probably know, I decided to take the plunge and live alone.

After three months in my current living situation I feel like I have had enough time to settle in and that I can now assess the situation with clear eyes and officially say that I LOVE LIVING ALONE!!!  Seriously, I can watch whatever I want on the TV, I don't have to share the bathroom and there is soooooo much room in the fridge!  Seriously- look at all the Lean Cuisines I can have!

And there is still sooooo much more room!  I have seriously never regretted my choice for even a second though there are a few tiny things that make me miss having another person around the house...

Baby it's cold outside.

That's right, I said it.  It's in the 50s and I am freezing!  I could turn on my heater, but I don't want to because I feel like I should be better at this.  I just moved from Chicago where this would be a perfect fall day!  Gnat says this means that I'm assimilating- I say I'm getting soft.  Is feeling cold in mild weather on my Angeleno check list???

Regardless, since I was feeling chilly I decided that today would be the perfect day to cook my favorite Chicken Curry Soup from college.  This soup would appear about once a week or so in The Grill in the UMC where I worked.  When it was there, I would eat it regardless of what I had brought for lunch (or get it and save it if I had already eaten... or eat it anyway...).  For my graduation present from CU, Jan, one of the women I work with managed to snag the recipe for me.  It apparently took some effort to get the chef to release the recipe and because of this I'm going to keep it a secret.  I will post pictures of cooking it though.

Finished product, delish!

Soooo, the recipe is meant to be sold in a cafeteria-like atmosphere, and therefore, it makes 6 gallons.  I quarter it to make 1.5 gallons, which is still a lot.  Hopefully I can share some with my neighbors to try and make friends with them :)  Otherwise I guess I'm just eating it until January...ish...

Oh heeeeyyyyy Fall!

I LOVE FALL!

GC Pumpkin Carving 2009

The changing leaves, bonfires, football, scarves, boots, sweaters, comfort food- everything!  Unfortunately for me, Fall isn't really a "thing" here in California.  It's been sunny and in the 70s or 80s everyday with some cooler temps at night that are just lacking that crisp fall smell.

A weekend trip to St. Louis for the wedding of two of my favorite teacher pals, Kristen and Chris, was just the ticket to get into the fall spirit.  I stepped of the plane into the heart of fall.  Even the wedding was complete with gorgeous fall touches and a jar of apple butter for a favor: