Love is in the air… and yes, I’m still around.

With it being Valentine’s Day today… thought it would be appropriate to post on my blog since my last one was for Christmas, ha-ha! I hate that it’s been this long between posts, but I’m ghost writing for other blogs (all different topics) and I’ve burned myself out. Being on the computer has been something I’ve been avoiding  when I do get some free time. Cooking has also been really boring and repetitive. I’ve been relying on Sunday food prep and eating the same thing until it runs out. Not very creative or blog-worthy.

I took a bunch of photos off my phone out of necessity. My phone stopped allowing me the ability to take photos because I ran out of memory space. So I decided to do a few little photo collages of things I never blogged about. I have to start somewhere when it’s been almost 2 months since I last posted.

First up… Happy Valentine’s Day. I honestly didn’t get very creative with decor… it just sort of snuck up on me after Christmas. I threw some hearts around and called it good. I did set the table for tonight’s dinner. Just a casual taco bowl night at home with my hubs.

Next up… a painting party. Friends invited Dan and I to their house to celebrate a birthday and to just hangout after the holidays. We had a blast. It was just like the painting/wine shops popping up all over town. Bring a group of friends, enjoy some cocktails and paint your face off while an instructor gives you some guidance. Everyone paints along with the instructor and you are free to take your painting in whatever direction you feel like. Dan, Carolyn and I decided to stick pretty close to the instructor… others chose different colors all together. The class lasted just over 2 hours and after several champagne and ciders (my opinion – way better than mimosas) – I was feeling very much like a professional artist, LOL. It did remind me of the hours and hours I spent painting in college and the all-nighter I once pulled creating 30 watercolors in a single night. I was not a fan of my watercolor class… but still managed to get an A-.

We were also invited to a soft opening of Oz Korean BBQ’s newest location in the area. Friends of friends got the invite due to their status on Yelp and we tagged along. We all had been to the other Sacramento location and this was a similar experience, only with more of a club like atmosphere and way better down-vented grills on each table.

We all ordered the $19.99 “All You Can Grill & Eat”  – the deal comes with unlimited choices of BBQ items, side dishes, wasabi salad and steamed white rice! I liked the sweet pork shoulder and sesame beef the best. We ordered a side of Shangchu lettuce to make wraps. We also ordered fried pot stickers, Young’s hot wings and fries from the appetizer list. I am NOT a fan of hot wings and these were incredible. I also may or may not have eaten 4 bowls of the wasabi salad. Our servers brought their “Ice Pearl” dessert  to the table for us to share. Shaved Ice, sweet red beans, condensed milk, seasonal fruits, and mochi. It was delicious!

In other news… I’ve been trying some new restaurants in midtown and downtown Sacramento. I opted to not take photos… but plan on going back for round 2 meals for some blogging fun!

I’ve definitely been keeping busy. I’m still on and off with dieting and workouts has been pretty sporadic… haven’t fully recovered from a horrible hamstring pull, so I’ve been babying that for months. I did just finish a 30-day water challenge… I upped my water intake to around 100 oz. a day. I was sticking pretty close to 64 and needed the additional motivation boost.

I have a few recipes flagged to make in the upcoming weeks. I’m hoping to carve out some “me” time to focus on the things I enjoy – this blog, cooking and taking photos do top my list. I feel like I have written this “Where has she been?” post several times over the past few years. I guess the good thing about having a blog… it’s always a safe place to land… and waiting patiently until you get back to it. Since I no longer share in an ad revenue partnership – there is way less pressure to blog and that is nice. I just miss my readers and sharing incredible experiences and delicious food.

Hope all is well with you guys… may your world be filled with lots of  tasty treats. Until next time…