Monday, March 14, 2011

The Greatest Thing Ever Happened

That's quite the auspicious title isn't it.... but so true!!!

Saturday afternoon, after the retreat (which was awesome by the way - I'll post on it later...) I was at home with my husband when I mentioned something that one of my cousins had told me.....there was a new Russian store that opened in Draper, Utah.

This is epic.

Seriously.

While Portland, OR has a nice Russian population, and therefore grocery stores to support that, Utah is a bit lacking. The one we did find in Salt Lake kinda stunk. We couldn't get bread, pelmeni, chocolates, tea, really anything. So we hopped in the car, and decided to immediately check out the new store in Draper.

428 E 12300 S Draper, UT 84020-9503 US

This place is AWESOME!!! They have tea (chai), chocolates, bread, kielbasa, cookies, cheese, just so many good things! I'll admit - Lance and I went a little bit overboard. We were like two kids in a chocolate factory (which incidentally we've been to the Russian chocolate factory - twice). If we saw it was remotely close to something we remembered, then we bought it. If it was shiny... we bought it. We got a little carried away, but it was just so exciting. Finally! A Russian store that carries Russian food that we actually like and would definitely get.

We picked up some pelmeni  - which is a Russian meat filled pasta that Lance is an EXPERT at cooking. Of course some chocolates, cheese, kielbasa, mayonnaise, kinder eggs, and the best chamomile tea in the world. So so so happy about this.....


We're going back on Wednesday.... :)


Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Juice > Chocolate Milk

Ok, now I know that chocolate is a serious contender in quenching my thirst, but nowadays, juice is number one. While I still love love regular milk and water, sometime juice is simply.... divine.

And thanks to some good friends, we have found the best American juice out there. Now, I say American, because Russian juice is so so so good. Just imagine a nice box of juice that is more puree than watered down and sugar filled - basically just pure delicious juice. And what will really blow your brain is strawberry juice. Yes, it exists, and yes, it is wonderful! There were months when all I wanted to have in Russia was bread, cheese and strawberry juice. Not the best staple, but certainly the tastiest.



And when i came back from Russia, it was a mad search to try and find some sort of alternative - nothing too sugary, watered down, carbonated or what have you. Just plain straight up juice.

Introducing: Bolthouse Farms. Thick, fantastic, good for you juice. They have so many varieties, but right I'm having a love affair with Mango Lemonade. Now I know most of you have enjoyed flavored lemonades at restaurants and I'm not exception, but this is the real deal. Not just regular lemonade with flavored syrup squirted in. It's fantastic. It's..... well, you HAVE to try it. I won't be offended if you don't like it, but I just don't see how that is even possible.

Mango Lemonade - Nectar of the Gods, and my latest find.



Monday, March 7, 2011

Well, as always life gets a little crazy and I neglect to write all about it. It hasn't been overly busy, just lots to deal with.

I work at a jewelry store (they pay me to play with diamonds....not too shabby), and there have been lots of goings on there - sales, end of year (our fiscal year ends in March) sales, and of course, the big inventory of the year. Now, when I say inventory, I mean that we have to count EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF JEWELRY!!, and in a store that's a fairly good size, that means lots and lots to account for. It usually takes a couple of hours, and this year was no different. Now, I'm not saying that I hate inventory, because oddly, I really don't mind it, but it always seems to sneak up on me.... I know it coming.... then.... BAM!!! It's here. Catches me off guard when I am busying working with clients, helping out in the store and just doing my job in general.

Then of course is what I've been major focusing on for the past year - the retreat. I don't know if you know this, but I'm a board member on a non-profit charitable organization called Evergreen. It's been around for nine years now, and while I haven't sat on the board that long, its definitely a new experience for me. Sometimes its maddening how we have to keep going back and forth on issues and where we want to focus our efforts and where we want to contribute, but when I look at what we accomplish, I'm very proud to be a small part of it. We've given to the Christmas Box House, donated hygiene kits to various disaster relief aids, send doctors and medicine to Haiti, helped out with Hurricane Katrina, given blankets to the Huntsman Cancer Hospital, teddy bears to terminally ill children, and lots and lots of other things.

What I'm getting at, is that each year, we hold a retreat. It acts as a fundraising event for the foundation, as well as helping all the members (who are all the women in my extended family over the age of 14) to have a chance to get together. We have speakers, guests, crafts, humanitarian projects, good food, and of course insanely great company. My family is awesome - really wonderful inspiring women, who even though they are often older than me, there is a lot to learn from them.

And this year, it's my family's turn to host the retreat, get things organized and come up with a theme. We decided we wanted a kick-butt kind of retreat - the kind where we hope all the women leaving empowered and uplifted. So we're calling it "Women of Strength." oh, and the best part..... we're focusing on superheroes!! :) I'm so excited!! We are helping (hopefully) the ladies realize that they are already super heroes and need to stop living as their secret identities. I mean, Clark Kent is a great guy, but he's also kind of a dork, and then BAM!!! He's Superman - and way confident and well..... super. :) We have Bam! Pow! Whoosh! signs all over for decorations, and I've drawn a comic book cover to have on the notebooks we are providing for notes, and well, I just hope it goes off as well as we have planned. My husband says we've planned way too much, but that it's like when you are going to give a talk in church, or give a lesson - you always plan more than what you actually use.

Did I mention that it's this weekend? Well, it is..... hence the rush and running around to make sure we have done our very best to make it a memorable and uplifting weekend for all who can attend. Wish us luck! Maybe I'll post pictures afterwards..... :)

Anyway, just saying that's why I haven't been super good about keeping up with this, but I'll get better. I keep following all those cute blogs out there and hoping I get as good as you guys.

And by the way -  YOU ARE ALL SUPER HEROES!!! BAM! POW! ZOINKS! GADZOOKS! YOWEE!