courtney jade’s blog

My journey to Costa Rica began late last night. I should preface this entry by informing you that this is my first time out of the country, and the main reason I’m going is because I was hired to shoot a destination wedding. This is my first (hopefully of many) destination weddings, and I couldn’t be more excited about it!

I finished packing my things when I got home from work last night. I was waiting to recieve my FABULOUS new Epiphanie camera bag, and thank goodness it showed up in time!! It’s even more amazing than I imagined, but I’ll blog more about that specifically soon. So I finished packing, gave my Quincey about a bazillion kisses and headrubs and told him how much I love him and how much I’ll miss him while I’m gone. Mark helped me pack my suitcases into the car, and away we went.

Checking in was a cinch, I only had one checked bag, and we got there plenty early. My flight was scheduled to leave Portland at 11:55pm, but they notified me while checking in that it was running almost 2 hours behind. Good thing for the 4 hour layover I was supposed to have in Houston! Whew, no worries there, I would have plenty of time, delay or not.

Mark and I went over to Stanford’s for some dinner before I left. We made it in time for happy hour, and it was yummy! I even got a chocolate sundae Mmmmm. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Stanford’s, but they make their own chocolate sauce for the sundaes, and it’s to die for, just FYI

Mark walked me to the security checkpoint and kissed me goodbye. I didn’t cry like I thought I would, but I had to tell myself that everything would be fine and I wouldn’t die, and I’d see him soon. I don’t know why, but ever since my trip to Hawaii a few years back when they had to re-install an entire new engine on our plane, I absolutely HATE flying alone. It’s awful. So anyways, I was trying to focus on the good things, and the excitement, and it worked.

The security line was about a mile long, which i was fairly surprised about since it was about midnight after all. Thankfully I was in no rush, so going with the flow was not stressful. I finally passed security, and then had to wait another 2 hours to board the plane. At this point I was extremely exhausted! Working all day, trying to finish everything up before I left for a week, then coming home, packing, double checking, saying goodbyes to Quincey and Mark, I was just spent. Thankfully I had a window seat (my favorite!). However un-thankfully, someone was sitting in MY seat… so awkward. I look at him, look at the isle number and seat letters, and ask him if he’s in the correct seat. Luckily a flight attendant came to my rescue and butted in, telling him his seat was on the isle. Whew, awkwardness mostly avoided.

The guy who sat in the middle seat next to me decided it would be grand to introduce himself, and shake my hand. He proceeded to call me “sweetheart” (which for some reason I really love when people just assume that I’m a nice, sweet person, so I really don’t mind it at all, it’s almost comforting), and then spit out his chew into a coke bottle. Yummy.

I tried to sleep, but didn’t really get much rest. I’ve never been able to sleep on planes, just can’t get comfortable enough, and my neck always ends up killing me. Since the flight was delayed, they comped the DirectTV and Showtime movies, so I put on The Blindside. I fell in and out of sleep most of the way. Waking up sometimes to the man who was sitting next to me being gone, and by the end of the flight I didn’t recognize him at all… I wondered if he’d switched seats with someone? But it had to be him, I was probably delusional.

We reached Houston, and everyone is eager to get off of the plane. I think the majority of us had connecting flights, and luckily there was a flight attendant standing right outside directing people. My gate had changed, so it was a good thing I asked where I was going! It was about 7:30am Houston time at this point, and after what seemed like a very long walk, I found my gate. It was nice to be up and walking though, so I didn’t mind it. Plus I still had about 2 hours before my flight. I grabbed a strawberry smoothie, and a chicken sandwich. I wasn’t really hungry, but figured I should eat something since I wasn’t feeling too hot.

Can I just say, the Houston airport is, well, ghetto. The carpet at my gate was absolutely disgusting, there were crumbs/food smears all over the seats/walls, it smelled stale, and there was just an overall feel of contamination. Mark wouldn’t have even sat down. Good thing my layover was chopped in half on the way there… now as for on the way back, I’m looking at a 7 hour layover… ugh. That will be interesting!

They checked our passports again, and we were able to board the plane. Of course, I get to my assigned seat, and someone is sitting in it!!! Seriously!? No luck this time, and I didn’t have the energy to question it, so I just sat down next to them, in the isle… which I have decided I dislike very much! I was also really bummed because I wanted to get some video of us landing in Costa Rica out the window… if I would have thought of this right when I got to the seats I would have mentioned something, but being so tired, I just spaced it until about 20 minutes after I sat down. Too late. Sad panda.

The flight was about 3 hours but seemed to take forever. I really couldn’t sleep this time, people were constantly walking by, so if my head was leaned towards the isle, I was getting bashed over and over, and there was a little boy, about 9 sitting next to me, so i didn’t want to creep him out and lean my head the other way either… so I tried leaning my head on the seat in front of me. That worked for about 3 minutes until the lady sitting in it decided that she couldn’t get comfortable, and wouldn’t stop moving, therefore making my head a bashing board for the seat. Awesome. The flight seemed to take forever, as did the landing, but finally, eventually, we made it

The pilot announced that we would be using the “Air Stairs” in both the front and the back of the plane. Since I was sitting about 4 rows from the back, this was good news for me… but what are “Air Stairs”??

OMG!!! I always wanted to enter/exit a plane using the stairs!!! It seems so exciting and old school! I walked off feeling like I was really on an awesome trip… I know it sounds silly, but it’s one of those things I always see in movies, and always wondered what kind of places you go or planes you ride in that you get to do it!

When I walked out, the 95 degree humid air was a breath of freshness! The plane was freezing, so it felt SO good. As we piled off of the plane, and walked over to the airport, I wish I would have taken out my camera. Everything was outdoors. The main airport area was covered, but still open to the outside, which was awesome. I immediately knew that this place would be different. We had to snake through the roped area to get to the check-in point where they checked your passport, and took the paper you filled out on the plane stating your reason for visiting, etc. The lady didn’t like my pink passport cover, and made me take it off.

Once I was through there, I could see the luggage claiming area just off to the right, but since it hadn’t started moving yet, I went over to the travel guide’s desk. I had no idea how I was going to get to Tamarindo at this point. I flew into Liberia which is about an hour away from Tamarindo, and I figured there must be a shuttle or something I could take into town. So I asked him how I was to get to Tamarindo, and he asked me “Well do you have a reservation?”… “umm no…” I said “My friend booked the condo, and she got here a few days ago, I’m just meeting up with them.” He proceeded to tell me that usually when you make a reservation, someone is here to pick you up from wherever you are staying, but since that wasn’t the case for me, and I was unaware that I needed a reservation to get on the shuttle, he informed me that a Taxi to Tamarindo would be $81 American Dollars. My jaw dropped for a second, and then I just said “ok, if that’s what it is, that’s what it is”. I mean, honestly what am I going to do?! Right? He looked at me, and I think he felt a little bad, as obviously I was by myself, a girl, and completely confused about everything… he pulled one of his co-workers over and they rattled back and forth in Spanish for a minute. Then he gave me a brochure, and told me that if I can get on the shuttle, it would be $18 American dollars.

I was completely relieved!!! Whew! Still a bit confused, as they were being a little discreet about telling me this information, but I took the brochure and walked over to the baggage claiming area. I hate waiting for baggage. It’s almost like waiting to hear the winining lotto numbers…. will my bag come? Did it make it?? What will I do if it doesn’t roll out on the conveyor belt? But finally, eventually, it did. I looked behind me and the line to get your passport checked was CRAZY long! I must have made it in awesome time and avoided the crowd Sweet.

I walk over to “customs”, aka the 2 people standing at a desk/podium like thing in between baggage and the travel guide desk, and pull out my other paper that I filled out on the plane. He looked at it as I prepared to lift my bags up onto the table “No need, go on” he said. He didn’t even look in my bags? That was weird! I guess they just trust that what you write is the truth. This is truly a different place.

So I move on, walking back outside into a huge crowd. I feel like I’m at an award show walking down the red carpet… there are people holding signs, taxi drivers shouting at you “need a ride!?”, “You come with me!”, and “over here, I take you!”. It was quite overwhelming. I kept looking around, hoping that I’d see my name on one of those signs, but knowing that that was impossible. I looked for Jaimee, but she wasn’t there. Yep, definitely should have thought this part of the trip out MUCH better. So I walk past the crowd and look at the brochure I was given. “I need to find the Tamarindo Shuttle” I say to myself and turn around, bounce up on my tip-toes, and start looking for the people with the shirts with the same logo, like the woman inside told me to do.

One of the gentlemen from another car service overheard me, and shouted “TAMARINDO SHUTTLE?!” and looked over the crowd. He shouted it again, and finally found the guy. He came back to me and directed me over to where the Tamarindo Shuttle was. HOW NICE?! Seriously, I was so thankful for him. He didn’t have to do that at all. He could have very well told me to come with him, etc. Insert sigh of relief.

I get to the Tamarindo Shuttle driver, and he looks at me, then looks at his list. I’m not on the list. He asks me if one of those names is mine, in very broken English. “No” I say “I don’t have a reservation”. He looks at me again, then down, then at me again. At this point I’m completely confused. “Can I come on the shuttle?” I ask. “Yes, it’s ok” He says. “You put your bags over there?”. I thought he wanted me to put my bags in the car and come back out and wait with him. Confused I say “No, I go with my bags.” “Yes,” he says “we take them over there, you wait for 5 more people”. “Ok” I said. And he took my larger bag for me and lead me to the shuttle bus. It was back behind about 3 rows of other buses, and on the way back I had a thought- “What if he’s taking me back there to kill me!?!?” But of course he wasn’t, and he loaded my bags onto the shuttle that read “Tamarindo Shuttle” on the side. I was refreshed by the air conditioning he had left running in the shuttle, because by this point I was totally getting warm. I wasn’t dressed for 95 degree weather by any means, and it was getting hot.

“You wait here” he said “ok, thank you!!” I said with a smile. Whew, I’m on the shuttle, all I have to do now is wait.
I still had no idea where in Tamarindo this shuttle would take me, but I had the name and number of the condo Jaimee gave to me, so hopefully I’d be able to find it. This adventure was exhausting.

After about a half hour, the driver comes back and apologizes to me for the wait. “Solo yo?” I ask. “No, haha” he says, and moves the shuttle much closer to the crowd of people. Six other people have their luggage tossed on, and board the bus. Four older women who actually sat directly in front of me on the plane, a teenage boy, and an older gentleman. The guys load their luggage into the back of the bus, close to where I was seated. I didn’t want to lose sight of my luggage for one second. The “trust no one” motto was my leading sense being in a foreign country, alone, and not sure of where I was going, or how I was getting there.

Apparently there aren’t many laws when it comes to driving, because they piled the luggage up in the back completely covering the back window. Oh well. I saw another young guy outside talking to the guys loading the luggage. He seemed to be asking about the price, then proceeded to board and sit across from me. They asked him exactly where he was going, and he responded “Tamarindo, other than that I don’t really know”. I laughed and said “don’t worry, I don’t really know where I’m going either!”. We chatted, and it was nice not to feel so alone, knowing that he was on just as much of an adventure as I was. We were finally off, after about another 30-45 minutes of waiting.

So- the reason that everyone was being so weird about the shuttle? Well, apparently if you don’t have a reservation, it’s the law that you HAVE to take a Taxi. I guess they can make whatever laws they want here? Lol. Anyways, enough people had pity on me, and i was able to sneak onto the shuttle, whew! What a relief!

“Just wait, these roads are crazy, and the drivers are even crazier here, i don’t think they have any laws” the boy said. He said he’d been here once before, and that he was meeting up with his sister here in a few days to surf. We chatted a bit, mostly about how crazy it was to see all of the little houses/shacks, and about everything outside. There were cattle, horses, more fences made out of random sticks & stumps than I could count, fields, trees, natives, people sitting on their porch drinking tea, people working in their yards, kids riding horses bareback, clothes hung on a line… everything you see in those national geographic shows. It was a little surreal, and completely solidified that we were in a third world country.

About halfway there, we stopped for gas. Then a little bit after that we stopped again at some random check-point where another driver from the same company was waiting. He came n and announced some “Playa” (beach). But that was all he said. Between he and our driver, no one could figure out if they were supposed to get off here or not. So no one did and we kept going…. until about a block later when the younger teenage boy realized that that was his ride, so the ride caught up with us and he got off.

We finally reach Tamarindo, and it’s adorable. Everything here reminds me of Hawaii, only more spread out, and probably much more poor. We drop off the elder man at the Best Western hotel (the prettiest best western i’ve ever seen), and continue on. I spot the beach for the first time, and it’s gorgeous! The boy tells me that there are mini crocodiles in the river off of the ocean, cool!!!

We finally reach the condos that I’m staying at, and I recognize them from the pictures on the website. “I think this is me!” I say, surprised that he drove me all the way straight here! And relieved. He unloads my luggage, and I pay him, $20. They don’t give change here, and I wouldn’tve wanted it anyways. I thank him again, and someone who was doing lawn work comes up to me and helps me with  my luggage. The driver tells him which condo number I’m in, and he directs me to follow him. To my surprise, we go to an elevator!! These condos are literally sooo classy! I’ve never stayed anywhere so nice, and it’s funny because it’s right in the middle of what looks like a poorer area. But here, it is the Beverly Hills of the city apparently. We get to the door, knock, and nothing. Of course, right? Communication is so sparse here. My phone doesn’t work, and even if it did, it would cost me a dollar a minute to use it, so it’s off. I have no way of getting a hold of anyone here with the exception of email, so i tell the guy it’s ok, I’ll wait here. Relieved just to be here! I sit down and take out my laptop, hoping to connect to one of the networks so I could at least email Mark and my family to let them know I made it here ok, but I can’t get a connection and the networks that are available al require passwords. So I decide to change into a skirt to cool off. I’m slick, and I put the skirt over my pants, then took them off. Don’t want to be a creeper!!!

The guy sees me still waiting and tells me to come back down to go to the office. So I get all of my luggage together and do just that. The guy at the gate says that I have to wait for them to come back. “ok” I say “that’s fine”.

“well what are you going to do?” they ask.
“i don’t know, wait i suppose” I say. At this point, I’m just happy I’m here, safe, alive, and in the right place. Waiting is fine, just give me some shade. They talk in spanish, and I hear them discussing if they think I should get the key to the room or not. Two more maintenance people come up and they’re now all discussing it. Eventually they tell me that I can go down to the main office and see what they say. “ok” I said, “that’s great!”. I smiled at them, and they tell me I can leave my luggage there while I go. “No thank you, I’d like to stay with it” I say. “Ok that’s fine” they say. I felt a little bad because I didn’t want to hurt their feelings, everyone was being so nice to me! But I can’t risk it, and I’ll have more peace of mind knowing it’s with me. So the guy walks me down there with my bag and we find the lady. She asks me my name and who i’m staying with and eventually gives me the maid’s key to get inside. YESSSSSS!!! I think, I can lay downnnn!!!!

I get inside finally, and Diana is there, but she was sleeping. “courtney?” she says. “Oh hi!” I say, and explain what just happened. I guess they went zip-lining earlier and she wasn’t feeling so good. The other girls get back soon, and start getting ready for the wedding rehearsal & dinner. I put my stuff in the room and collapse on the bed, exhausted. I finally get the internet to work, and email everyone letting them know I’m ok, and I got to talk to Mark online for a bit too. I miss him so much.

Jaimee was supposed to come back to get me for the dinner at 6pm, but it’s now 7:34… I don’t think she’s coming. Kind of bummed because I got up, re-did my hair and make up and changed and everything… and i’m hungry. Oh well, I think I might just go back to sleep… it’s weird not having cell phones here. Go with the flow I guess

I’ll take more photos tomorrow, but here are a couple from today Enjoy!

Bags packed & ready to go- PDX airport. Goodbye Portland!

At the Houston Airport, waiting. I had my camera battery charging, and my laptop plugged in, using both outlets. There were TONS of outlets and even a “Cell phone charging station” at the gate… yet some lady comes over to me, looks at the plugs, literally her face was about 5 feet away from the outlet, and asks “are you using both of those??” …. uhhh… yes.

Made it on the Tamarindo Shuttle!

and it’s me! In one piece! in Central America!! Please excuse the haggardness, and lack of Photoshop and make-up.

Out the window on the ride to Tamarindo…

And one of the inside

And the view from the balcony in Diana & my room… did I mention this condo has THREE balconies!? All with ocean views! Props go to Jaimee for finding us such an amazing place for such a good deal!!!

Tomorrow is the wedding, and I’m super excited!!! I know that we’ll get some amazing photos, and I can’t wait to spend some time on the beach Until later <3

Yesterday my bestie Ben, and his sister Jenna introduced me to what is now my favorite restaurant in all of Portland: Jade Teahouse & Patisserie

Located in the adorable Sellwood neighborhood, off of 13th and SE Lexington, is a beautiful green building. One of the reasons it was love at first site was the design of everything. From the moment you spot the place driving by, to the second you walk through the door, it’s beautiful. The colors, the lighting, the furniture, even the fonts on the menu board create such an upclass, yet homey feel. You can tell that everything has been carefully thought out and cared for with a whole heart. These people want you to feel comforable!!

The atmosphere is completely beautiful and warm. There’s a peace about it, and there are fun little details everywhere. Just look at the rack of loose leaf teas!

And the menu, oh, the menu!!! Mark and I have a hard time finding a place with food that we both LOVE. Sure, there are places that he loves, and I like, or visa versa… but this place is the perfect fit! They have menu items that are more traditional or basic (but still completely flavorful and delicious), and also items for the more adventurous tongue, and everything in between. I don’t know anyone who couldn’t find something here that they didn’t absolutely love.
They have a huge variety of asian influenced dishes, as well as baguette sandwiches, soups, and delicous baked goods! The head chef pours her heart and soul into every single dish that’s prepared, and you can tell 100%. Everything tastes and looks like it was specially prepared just for you. The people are extremely friendly, and go above and beyond the norm to tell you about the cuisine, even recommending things! All of the ingredients are fresh, and though I’ve only been there twice now, it seems as though they make most everything from scratch! They have a bakery downstairs where the head chef (who apparently studied the art of french baking for a time in France [i think, can't remember exactly what our server said about this.. but I know she studied it over in Europe for a time]) prepares delicious baked cookies, macaroons, and other tastey treats!
I could go on and on all day, but I’ll let the photos speak for themselves

Mark’s Thai Iced Tea & my fresh squeezed strawberry lemonade

A few cute shots of my markie <3

Our delicious food!!!

Hands down, best Pho I’ve ever eaten. Mmmmmm so good

And of course, we had to have dessert!!! Jenna was raving about their traditional cake that they make! It’s green due to the banana peels that they use in it, and it tastes like a light vanilla. The cake is moist and fluffy, and the buttercream is smooth and creamy. There’s a surprise crunchy layer in the middle of some sort of flaky pastry, and white chocolate shavings on top To. Die. For. And not too sweet either!

We also tried this traditional sesame ball treat, which I forget the name of! It was awesome!! It was like a rice/bread doughnut-like ball that was crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and it was filled with some sort of yummy almond paste and coconut. Then it comes with a sweet glazey honey caramel sauce (I think that’s what it was… it was all so delicious and went so fast I can’t be positive!).

Seriously. Best. Restaraunt. EVER. I’m officially in love, and SO excited to find a place that Mark and I are both totally blown away by! I can’t wait to go back, and I was just there 2 hours ago!!

Until we meet again Jade… <3

One of my all-time favorite bloggers that I follow does a “10 things i love Sunday” post every week, and I adore it! So I’ve taken her idea and run with it, because it’s something I look forward to reading on her blog, and also it inspires me! I also think that in general, it’s good to focus on the good in life, so what better way to do that than to stop, think, and share some of the things that I love about life, or just love in general with all of you?

Here are ten things i’m loving this week…

one.
Hostess cupcakes! I know, it’s completely horrible and they are awful for you, but for some reason, I’m totally addicted! <3
I bought 2 boxes at the store today because they were on sale! Good thing one of my goals this year isn’t to lose weight, haha! Here are a couple “hostess cupcakes” that I made last year for valentine’s day…

two.
Romance. Romantic gestures. Particularly boys who do out-of-the-ordinary, sweet, creative things for their girls. Something about that just gets me every time. Whether it’s in a magazine, book, movie, advertisement, a friend’s story, etc. I just can’t help but get butterflys in my tummy. Absolutely adorable.

This painting is done by my favorite artist- Kurt Halsey. He used a photo of Mark and I as inspiration. One of the most precious things in my life <3

three.
A&W cream soda. Completely delicious, and completely bad for me. Yummy!

four.
HGTV! I have been totally addicted to this channel for about the past 2 months. I used to watch it a lot before, but now, from the time i get home, to the time I go to bed, it’s on. And I love it!! Can’t get enough! They have so many crafty ideas and projects, plus there is so much to learn about renting/buying/owning! Loves it!

five.
Bangs. Straight bangs particularly. It’s probably because it’s been completely dark and gloomy here lately. Rain, darkness, gloom, cold, wind, snow, darkness…. it all equals blah! But for some reason, it also reminds me of London… which is somewhere that I hope to travel to someday, but from what I hear it’s dark and rains a lot there… although I could be completely wrong. Anyways, yes, loving the straight bangs!

six.
Cupcake flavored foods! It’s funny how things become “popular” and then everyone jumps on the bandwagon. This week I’ve discovered and purchased Cupcake flavored Magic Shell, and Cupcake Pebbles cereal. I love both! So weird, but so fun!

seven.
Goals. As the first week of the new year, everyone is making lists of goals and aspirations, and everyone seems so positive about life! I just love it. I’m such a list-maker and goal oriented person that it’s hard when other people don’t “get” that, but this time of year, it’s almost like everyone is on the same page. It’s quite refreshing! Not to mention, I have my very own list, which is exciting

eight.
Blogging! I have been doing such a good job at blogging every day! Even though today is only day five, I already feel like it’s part of my daily routine. It encourages me to not only write and connect with you all every day, but also challenges me to think more creatively, and makes me more productive! I can’t wait to start shooting again so I have more photos to post on here for you all.

nine.
Sunshine. It’s dark when I leave for work, and dark when I get home. It’s even dark out during the day on the weekends. This has made it extremely challenging to play with my new camera, since my main light source is natural/available light. It’s been quite discouraging, and I cannot wait for the days to be longer and the sun to come out more! Oh sunshine, I love you so much, please visit again soon!!!

ten.
Laptops. I finally got my laptop, and it’s been SO nice to have! Not only can I now work on the go, but I can watch movies in bed, surf the web anywhere in the house, and just be more mobile in general. Such a luxury, but I love it!!!

Well, it’s time for bed, my puppy keeps scratching my arm because he’s ready to go cuddle up
What is one thing you’re loving this week!?

*all photos not by me were found on weheartit.com

Mark is the light of my life, and my other half. He is the most special person to me in the entire world, and without him, I would be lost in this journey called life.

That being said, I really wanted to get him something special for our 5 year anniversary this past July. If you know Mark, than you know he is nearly impossible to buy presents for. I go through this at least 3 times a year (Birthday, Christmas, & Anniversary). After 5 years I have learned not to buy him clothes- as they probably won’t fit correctly, and so he won’t wear them. [6' 4" and thin is far from the "normal" cut on most clothes, and about as far from "big & tall". God forbid anything be too baggy, we just won't have that ] I guess growing up with a personal seamstress (his grandmother) has left him spoiled- so clothes are generally out.

He is also a minimalist- which you would know if you ever come over to our apartment. He doesn’t like “things” or “knick-nacks” (with the very rare exception of a few collectibles he keeps), so nice little things that I would, and could, spend a fortune on gathering for him will just stress him out. He likes things simple, clean, and un-cluttered (boy did he know what he was getting into 5 years ago wanting to be with me!!!!).

Over the past 5 years I’ve gotten him a speaker system for his computer, a new monitor, cologne, lots and lots of clothes (some which he hasn’t worn once, and others he just wore so my feelings wouldn’t be hurt), a nice messenger bag for when he bikes, lots of little snacks I know he loves, and an assortment of other things I can’t think of at the moment. My feelings aren’t hurt by any of this, it’s just part of who he is, and to be honest- I love that about him. His clean, simple and un-cluttered gives balance to my organized chaos.

So when our anniversary came up this year, I was at a loss of what to get him. He usually just tells me what he wants these days, and I give him the money for it because I have no idea where to get it, or what to get (Usually some part for his computer or something… I wouldn’t dare try to surprise him with the right whatever-it-is in that realm… too many chances to get it wrong). But this ruins the fun for me of gift giving. I want him to be surprised. I love that anticipation, knowing I got him something he’s going to absolutely LOVE, and seeing his face when he figures out what it is. He says it’s no big deal to him, but it is to me, so the plotting and planning must continue!!!

I was talking to my good friend Tonja, and she suggested we “go do” something together. A wonderful idea! We don’t get out of the house together much to go on explorations or do fun activities. Our schedules just recently (and FINALLY) adjusted so that we have the same days off, allowing such fun things to be planned. I thought this was the perfect idea. If you know Mark, you know that his favorite food in the entire world is Sushi. I’ve never seen him more excited to eat than when we go out for Sushi- Infact for his last birthday, all he wanted, and my gift to him, was to eat sushi for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. By the end of the day, he was a very happy birthday boy, and I had spent more money on Sushi than I dreamed possible for one person.

*Note- I don’t like sushi. I know, horrible. I want to like it, I really do!! It’s so beautiful and when I see it it looks so delicious, but for some reason I cannot stand the taste. I don’t like the kelp, or seaweed or whatever it is. People tell me they can’t taste it, but it’s ALL i taste. I also don’t like crab, or raw fish… or most anything else. But I do like other Japanese dishes (preferably the cooked ones) so I get those when we go out.

So I decided that it would be fun, and a great gift to him, to take Sushi making lessons together!!! I was so very excited about it, and very excited to give it to him. He acted happy when he received the gift certificates, but the class was scheduled almost a month away. I knew though, that once we actually went, he would love it. So I took the “acted happy” for then, and just waited.

We went to Miso Magic, and our instructor was Noriko. She is just a doll!! So sweet and fun, she made our time at class extremely educational, and enjoyable. I give her the highest of all recommendations, and if anyone is looking to learn how to make delicious Japanese or Thai food, she has a wealth of knowledge and lots of good secrets!

It turned out that we were the only ones who’d signed up for our class (usually she allows up to 8 people), so we ended up getting our own private session! The lesson was held at her beautiful house in SE Portland, in her gorgeous kitchen. To my delight, we got to sit right next to a huge window! (mmmmm natural light!!!).

We started off making the sticky rice. Mark had to microwave the vinegar mixture, and then we poured it into the rice and mixed it in.

Once that was done, we let it set. Noriko then, pulled out something…….. well…. let’s just say I took a deep breath, smiled, and dug in….

Yes. Those are dead, dried, very large sardines.
We had to crack them open and take out their bones and guts. (This was for the home made Miso Soup)

Then, into the pot they went.
To say the least, Mark was VERY proud of me.

Next we had to prepare the mushrooms.

These were dried mushrooms that needed to soak a bit, but once they did, they bloomed like beautiful delicious flowers
And a little pic of Mark that I thought was cute

Onto cooking the eggs! I always wondered how this style of eggs were made… and I’ve come to find out that it take a lot of talent to make them look pretty! This is a pic of the “egg station” I worked at.

SO basically you make very thin layers of egg, wait for it to cook, and then fold it in 3′s. You do this 3 times to get a nice fluffy “egg roll”. (Sorry, i don’t know what else to call it!) But we were given the challenge of having to fold the egg using chopsticks, which, unless used with the most grace, will easily tear your thin egg layer. Needless to say, we tried our best, and they were still delicious!

I love that photo of Mark & Noriko! She’s soooo cute!! And has a great smile

Then we set up to make our rolls!

mmmmm can you resist that beautiful Avocado?! I can’t!!!

Our first rolls! (Mark on top, mine on the bottom.)

I do have to say, they looked QUITE delicious!

More fun sushi making…

And our finished rolls, all lined up, ready to be eaten!!!

Noriko cut the remaining ingredients up and mixed everything in the rice. It was a great leftover dish (A few lunches for Mark), and it made me feel good that we weren’t wasting anything!

Then we cut our rolls…

And plated them. This was my favorite part. Probably because I love making art, and this was like one big art project for me!!!

Once everything was ready, we sat down and had a nice lunch in her beautiful living room! I didn’t get any final shots of the Miso soup, but it was really good (If only I didn’t know about the sardines! That was in my head the entire time, lol)

We even had TONS of leftovers!

All-in-all, it was an afternoon very well spent! Mark told me (during, and after) that it was “seriously such a cool gift”. I knew (and hoped) that he would enjoy it as much as he did. He is an artist just like me, and his appreciation for Japanese culture, and Sushi, and Food in itself is very very deep. He LOVES to learn things, especially things that end with a yummy reward!

So in the end, my gift was a winner.

Now what to get him for his birthday…… and the journey continues….

<3