Gourmet Getaways - Cuban in L.A. and Pakistani in Arizona

     Given that we are eating out regularly this summer, a restaurant really has to WOW us in order to be considered "blog worthy."  If I tried to blog about everything we ate, you would get bored and I would develop a serious case of carpal tunnel syndrome from typing every waking hour of the day.  Of course, I make exceptions for the best meals we eat - if you recall, just a couple of days ago I posted about Lemonade a delightful, mouthwatering wonder that we found in L.A. (Side note - I plan on making strawberry rhubarb lemonade today because our L.A. find was such an inspiration - will let you know how that goes).  Anyway, I wanted to tell you about two delicious places we recently ate that were quite different, but also amazing.  If you ever visit L.A. or Phoenix, it is worth going out of your way for these meals!

Cuban in Los Angeles - Portos Bakery and Cafe

Mariquitas (Plantain Chips) with Mojo (garlic sauce)

     Every time we told someone in L.A. that we were there for a few weeks they always asked where we were staying.  We told them we chose to stay in a hotel central to the many spread out events we had while there – Downey, CA.  Many people looked at us with a shameful, pitying glance suggesting we made a terrible mistake, perhaps thinking we should have asked for their advice on where to stay; however, in my mind we made an excellent choice!  Not only were we central to events, and have a two room suite (important given the amount of boxes we had to store), we also enjoyed two movies at a theater only one block away, AND we stumbled upon an incredible, unexpected culinary paradise right next to our hotel.  Now let me tell you about THIS gourmet getaway!

     We ventured into Portos Bakery and Cafe one afternoon simply to find out what they had.  We were greeted with beautiful cakes, a variety of sandwiches and salads, a complete espresso bar, fresh pastries including guava strudels, mango turnovers, fresh croissants, and Cuban delicacies.  There was an entire section of the store dedicated to cakes, the long, glass pastry shelves lined both counters of the cafe and there was, without fail, always a line of eager customers.  We had entered a world of Cuban culinary cuisine and we would venture back to this place at least 4, maybe 5 times, during our stay.

Horchata Espresso

      From the pastries to the breakfast sandwiches to the horchata beverages and lunch sandwiches - nothing failed to satisfy our hunger.  Some highlights to get your mouth watering are below.

      It was mid-day and we hadn't planned on eating - just  wanted to check out the menu - but we couldn't resist.  

We left with:

• a horchata smoothie - horchata is a traditional Mexican drink (but also made in a variety of ways in other countries) that is very rich and creamy - often made with ground rice, vanilla and cinnamon
• a rellenito sugar coated plantain stuffed with black beans (it doesn't look appetizing at first but it is jaw dropping delicious)
• mariquitas (plantain chips) with a side of Cuban garlic dipping sauce (mojo) - I just can't get enough of my bananas!  

  

  Rellenitos (photo pulled from website)

  
  
      In future trips we stopped in for breakfast, lunch and dinner, trying items on the menu such as:   

Machacha Wrap (photo from Portos website)

 
 
 
 

• Machacha Wrap (egg, roasted pork, cheese, tomatoes, peppers and onions in the best tortilla I have ever tasted)
  
• Chorizo and Egg Omelet Sandwich on Cuban Bread
• Caprese Sandwiches
• Torta de Pollo (chicken, goat cheese and black bean sandwich)
• House Salad with Mango Vinaigrette
• Horchata Espressos

Chorizo and Egg Omelet Sandwich

  We unfortunately were unable to try the  cakes, because splitting a whole cake between two people is just wrong.  I imagine they are delicious given the droves of people that left the store with boxes upon boxes of cakes, plus, this is how the bakery and cafe originated.  When the Porto family emigrated to CA from Cuba in the 1960's, Rosa Porto began selling cakes out of their home to make ends meet.  Being the amazing baker she apparently was, she slowly developed a strong customer base and later opened Portos Bakery and Cafe, which now has three locations in California.  You can read the whole story here (which is quite interesting), and see the menu.  If you are ever in Los Angeles, you must try this place!
  
Pakistani Cuisine in Phoenix - Curry Corner 

     We made another amazing find in Phoenix after watching an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.  As the show came on, I thought outloud, "I wonder what places this show covers that are in Phoenix?"  Sure enough, Curry Corner was featured on that very episode!  It was destiny!

Bass Pro Shops Photo Shoot (note the hat Lucas is holding)

     We had a late event the following day so Lucas had made plans to go to a Bass Pro Shops in the morning to get a trucker hat since truck stops had proven to not have the right kind.  The Bass Pro Shops was about 30 miles from where we were staying, and there was a brewery in the same area that Lucas had his eye on.  Just our luck, Curry Corner was in the same general area so it was easy to tack on to our plans for the day.
    After an amazing trip to Bass Pro Shops (more later) our stomachs began growling.  We decided to hit Curry Corner before getting Lucas' growler filled - partly because of our very talkative stomachs, and partly because we were concerned a growler full of beer wouldn't hold up in the heat of the car when we stopped for lunch.  This stop at Curry Corner was one of the best detours we have ever made.

Cheese and Garlic Naan

     The restaurant itself is tucked away in the corner of a strip mall and doesn't scream "amazing eating establishment" as you pull into the parking lot.  This was a perfect example of the old saying, "Don't judge a book by it's cover."  We were seated quickly once inside, we beat the lunch rush apparently, and the service was wonderful.  We quickly ordered cheese naan and garlic naan since we had watched how it was made on DD&D the night before.  I took one bite and am pretty sure I said something along the lines of "Oh my Lord, this is the BEST naan I have ever tasted."  The satisfaction didn't stop there.
     Lucas ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala and I ordered the Tandoori Chicken Tikka which was also featured on the show the night prior. Both dishes were overwhelmingly delicious and were very generous portions (enough to have for dinner as well)!  I would not do the meals justice by trying to explain what spices and herbs were included in each one.  I wish I had that kind of palette, but alas, I do not.  I suggest watching the clip on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives since we ordered those dishes (with the exception of the goat dish).

Tandori Chicken Tikka

     Next time you are in Phoenix, make the trip to Curry Corner, even if it is out of the way.  Look how happy Lucas was enjoying his meal!!

    

Oh The Places We've Gone

So far, the Peel the Love truck - and the Carmalts - have visited some wonderful places along the West Coast of the United States, and now, the very hot desert.  Below is just a peek into the views we have had, the scenery we have seen, and the adventure that this trip has been thus far!

Life on the Open Road

 

Seattle, WA

Visits with Family! - Hannah and Ben (Clara and Baby Ezra) - A Highlight of the Trip!

 

Talented Singers outside Pikes Place!

The Space Needle

Pikes Place Market

 

 

 

Oregon (Bend and Crater Lake)

The Oregon Trail (I was excited - I caulked the wagon and floated across. The river crossing was a success!)

Mt. Hood

Crater Lake - A highlight of the trip!

Drake Park in Bend, OR

Our B&B in Bend, OR

A Hop Room - We spent a fair amount of time in breweries in Bend

California

Goodbye Oregon, Hello California!

Manhattan Beach

Dinner with the Walraths - Good food and Great company!

Lunch with the Burrills - they braved the heat to see us! - Definitely a fun afternoon!

 and now we are in Phoenix, AZ.

  

I will post another round of photos from our time in Phoenix, Houston and Des Moines!  Be on the look out in August for those photos!!

Peelin' the Traveling Love!

Lemonade L.A. - a.k.a. Leah's Dream Lunch Spot

We managed to make it to the beach!

     When on the road you manage to eat out a lot…well, always.  In Boulder, we never went out to eat – partly because we try to eat healthy, and partly because we were poor grad students (mostly the latter).  Anyway, now all we do is eat out which has certainly shocked our systems.  Hence, when we find healthy, delicious options for food, we are fine with returning to the same establishment multiple times in one week (hence why we enrolled in the My Panera rewards program).

     Fortunately, after visiting Dole Headquarters while in L.A. we stumbled upon a nice neighborhood with a glorified outdoor shopping area and a sign for a restaurant that simply read, “lemonade.”  We were unfamiliar with this place, but an ice cold lemonade sounded delightful.  Certain they would have lemonade we ventured in to give it a try, despite our uncertainty of what the food would be like.   We came to find, simply put, it was divine.  I had walked into my eating habit heaven and I was floored with wonderful, albeit many, choices.  Read on.

     As far as I know, lemonade is only in California and there are limited locations; however, in our short time there we managed to visit two locations: Westlake Village and Manhattan Beach.  When we arrived at the restaurant in Westlake Village, I was flustered by the choices, deciphering between market options, sandwiches, braises, soups, etc. and the school cafeteria-esque way in which you placed your order. Plus, the menu posted behind the counter is no help since it doesn't list all the options.  Luckily, since we went out of our way to Manhattan Beach in order to enjoy lemonade again, I made sure to check the menu online ahead of time and our second time there I ordered like a champ.

This is only half of the amazing market portion options!

    Now you are wondering why I love this place.  I like to pick at different things when I eat.  A bite of this, a bit of that, a taste here, a forkful there, bites from others’ plates – you get the idea.  I am the annoying person that can never decide what they want, asks everyone else what they plan to order, and then make sure everyone is willing to share part of their meal with me.  My best friend and former roommate Amy was the first to point out my quirky eating habits, and made me realize how often I pull out leftovers, take a bite out of each of them and put them back.  What can I say, I have a hard time making decisions.  In addition to "picking" I also love salads with all sorts of toppings and flavor combinations.  Picture side items such as three bean salads or roasted veggie quinoa salads or cold noodle salads or leafy green salads or roasted vegetable salads with bulgur.  Let’s put it this way, the Whole Foods salad bars excite me more than I can explain because they have countless little salad like options. 

From Left to right: Broccoli, Ricotta and Champagne Vinaigrette - Brussels sprouts, red flame grapes, pistachio, parmesan - Orecchiette, asparagus, perlini mozzarella, sorrel - Pineapple chicken, green beans, coconut, apple jerk dressing

     Anyway, to my point, at lemonade the first thing you can order are portions from the market.  There are about 15 - 20 different choices of salads / sides to choose from and you can order 1 – 6 portions. You can get 1 to go with a sandwich, soup or braise, or you can get 4 or 5 portions for a filling lunch and still have enough leftover for dinner.  The options were endless, but all were healthy, flavorful and catered to my “picking” and undecisive eating habits.  This place allowed me to eat about 4 different side salads as my meal.  It was like I had walked into a culinary heaven that was made for me.

Clockwise: Crunchy cabbage, sunflower seeds, black bean vinaigrette - Brussels sprouts, red flame grapes, pistachio, parmesan - Italian chop vegetables, garbanzo, gruyere - Soba noodle, kimchi marinated vegetables, toasted peanuts - Watermelon radish, ahi tuna, snap peas, black sesame, ginger

Blueberry Mint and Cucumber Mint Lemonade

    Don’t worry, it gets better.  Remember, we entered this gourmet dream because of the appeal of a large glass of lemonade and boy, were our expecations exceeded.  They not only had old-fashioned lemonade they had the most flavorful and refreshing lemonade flavors I have ever tasted.  Better than 5 cent roadside lemonade from an eight year old, too.  We tried blueberry mint lemonade, pineapple cardamom lemonade and our favorite for it’s refreshing and soothing taste - cucumber mint lemonade. They also served a blood orange lemonade, watermelon rosemary lemonade, spinach pineapple lemonade, guava limeade and arnold palmers. 

    On our first trip we both had two sides along with a sandwich for me and a miso short rib braise for Lucas.  We both loved our meals and were determined to find other locations where we could have this again, knowing we would not be as far north as Westlake Village againi.  However, on the second trip in, we both stuck to what was the most delicious part of our first meals - portions from the market.  We loaded up on a bit of this and a bit of that, and were able to stretch the deliciousness through both lunch and dinner.  Mmmmmmm Mmmmmmm.  We loved every bite of our meals, and we didn’t even venture into the white truffle mac and cheese and the plentiful, mouthwatering dessert options.  

Dinner with the Walrath Clan!

     I may argue lemonade could be ranked in the top three for the best meals on the trip thus far… and don’t worry, we have been eating quite well.  Best meal definitely goes to a homemade meal with the Walraths - cousins on my Mom's side that live in L.A.  This included a homemade meal that included a reunion with family, a beautiful view, many items fresh from the Walrath garden, a trip in Bruce's VW Bus and homemade hot fudge...nothing can top that (which reminds me, I need to blog about that)!! Second best goes to a splurge we made for a delicious meal in Bend, OR and lemonade may win for the #3 spot.  We loved it and I kept saying how we needed something like lemonade in Boulder because it would be a hit!

     As we venture into Arizona (and as I sit on the side of I-10, in the middle of nowhere, in the heat of the desert, with a blown tire and the closest mobile tire replacement company 80 miles away) I am beginning to think about what types of infused lemonade we can attempt to make while we are in Arizona for the next two week.  Weather forecast is calling for 118 degrees on Saturday, so my guess is we will yet again be craving a tall, ice-cold lemonade.  Will keep you posted if we can recreate something as wonderful as what we had in L.A!

 On a side note - we saw this truck as we left L.A. and headed to AZ.  It is hard to tell, but if you look closely you can see that person is hauling a dog and multiple goats, among other things...

 

Dole Banana Pineapple Coconut Smoothies

     As mentioned previously, over the course of the summer I will shed some light on the six recipes we make from our truck regularly.  We rotate recipes depending on the ingredients we have on the truck, how long our event may be, and the time of day we will be serving food.

     Let me introduce you to the Dole Banana Pineapple Coconut Smoothie.  This gem is not only refreshing, but it is easy to make and requires limited kitchen utensils, which means a faster clean up (something we value highly nowadays).  Our appreciation for dishwashers has sky rocketed since joining this tour, and we LOVE when we find a kitchen that allows us to use their industrial washing machines.  Talk about a time saver.

Making Smoothies in the Hotel

     Although we have been making the Dole Banana Pineapple Coconut smoothie recipe every week since we began the tour, I can honestly say we have now perfected the recipe to make a cold, refreshing, and all around satisfying smoothie.  With a few slight adjustments, without changing any ingredients or ratios, we have figured out the best way to make this smoothie thick, cold, creamy and absolutely delicious every time.  This was important for us to perfect now, especially since the temps are only going to shoot up from this point forward.  We enjoy this so much, we also make it when we are off the clock - and have tried some variations as well!  Nope, not sick of smoothies or bananas yet!

     If you need some motivation to try this one at home, I can tell you that our consumers appreciate this smoothie and express their satisfaction with comments such as, “This is so refreshing!” or “I love the tropical flavors!” or “I just love that it is cold!”  So give it a try and you will be pleasantly impressed with the magic that can happen with four simple ingredients.

Ingredients:

Just blend with ice!

•  2 ripe Dole Bananas, (peeled and frozen prior to using in smoothie – ripe bananas work well too, but the frozen bananas enhance the flavor and provide extra creaminess!
•  2 C Dole Pineapple, drained (you could use fresh pineapple, or buy a can of pineapple chunks in 100% pineapple juice, drain the pineapple juice and use the canned pineapple in the smoothie (we like to drink the pineapple juice drained from the can over some ice…mmmm mmmmm).
• 1 C Vanilla Almond Coconut Almond Breeze (if you can’t find the Vanilla Almond Coconut, look for the Almond Coconut, or use Vanilla or Original AND if you stop by the Peel the Love truck we can give you a coupon for $1.50 off)!
• 1 C ice
• If you like coconut, add some toasted coconut, but it is tasty without it!

 Directions (this is the best part)

1. Place all ingredients in a blender.  Blend.  Serve cold.

     How we perfected the recipe:

1.     Draining the canned pineapple makes a world of difference.  It makes a thicker, creamier smoothie and brings out the banana flavor rather than tending to be more pineapple flavored.

2.     Peel and freeze bananas ahead of time – but do not freeze with the peel on!  The frozen bananas not only make the smoothie colder, but it also makes it thicker as well!

3.     If you make too much, you can place the blender in the freezer, then give it another quick blend before your second serving.  This keeps it cold and fresh!

One other note:

Since we use the Almond Breeze almond milk in the recipe, this delicious and healthy treat is dairy free, soy free, lactose free, gluten free, vegan, peanut free and very nutritious!  Using unsweetened almond milk will also reduce the calorie count (which isn’t terribly high to begin with)!  

Happy Smoothie Making and Peel the Love!

On Dreams...

It definitely is true that you dream about things you surround yourself with each day.  For the first couple weeks of this tour, we have had plenty of dreams about our food truck and of course some bananas!

A few mornings we wake to stories such as these:

1. Lucas woke up in our San Francisco Suite at the Mill B&B in Bend, OR and was convinced we were in fact sleeping in the back of our food truck.  I suppose that will happen to us a fair amount this summer since we will be hotel hopping weekly (and sometimes every couple of days).

2. Another dream of Luke’s included us parking our food truck along a building, not in a nice parallel parking fashion, but rather scraping and grinding our way into a parking spot so the whole side of the truck was flush against the wall.  Thank goodness the beautiful banana man graphic wasn’t damaged, but he refused to move the truck for fear we would peel the graphic right off!

3. A week ago I had a brilliant dream that I think had to do with banana obstacle courses or some sort of military banana test, but unfortunately, that one has slipped my mind.  Grrrrrr…I hate it when that happens!

4. In Sacramento, I had a dream in which we faced a terrible problem!  We were driving to our event and were loading in the truck, but as we approached the field where we were setting up, the road ended and we stopped at a cliff that dropped down to the event below.  We clearly couldn’t drive our food truck over the cliff like every other person did to attend the event (What?!?!) and we had to find a solution to this problem!  Luckily, I found a semi-lift that we could use, but it was packed with cardboard boxes and another truck!  How could we use this apparatus if it was already being used, and how would we set up for the event in time?!?! Oh no!!  I then proceeded to call essentially every person I have ever worked with during my office time at AMG because as event people, they clearly would have the answer to this cliff dilemma!

5.  My favorite dream so far combines a space shuttle launch video I watched with the third graders I taught this past spring, and the highlight of this summer….bananas!  My dream went something like this…

I was watching a live feed of a space shuttle launch and was thrilled to be showing a group of people how the video was showing the speed and altitude of the space shuttle.    This part of the dream coincides nicely with that video I watched with the students during my student teaching…but THEN…

…the video showed the boosters or rockets falling off the space shuttle, and a parachute floating to the ground.  Low and behold, THIS GUY, Mr. Reggae Banana (pictured right) was riding the parachute to the ground.  The parachute was a giant blue and hot pink fabric (oddly similar to our food truck) and this banana man was rocking out to some Calypso as he made his way back to earth from space. 

I feel as though I floated alongside him for a while, concerned about his safe landing (maybe because we have been moving bananas around and hearing how careful you need to be with them because they are so fragile during growth, harvesting, and distribution)…but that part is a bit hazy. 

Feel free to interpret any of the above as you see fit.  All I can think of is that we are constantly touching, tasting, seeing, and smelling bananas – thus our banana dreams…

The Mascots!

Since the beginning of our travels we have acquired a few things for the truck.  As you may have read here, our first addition was a pair of bikes to use when the truck is less than convenient for traveling around a city.

We also have managed to gather some mascots to keep us company in the cab.  I am pleased to introduce you to the other two members of our crew: Mr. Al Mond and Mr. Bobby Banana.

When the truck is in motion they struggle to sit up straight, and we plan on belting them with some velcro tape.  Regardless, they are valued members of the crew.

Al yells at Bobby for his inability to sit up on car rides

This inflatable Bobby also made his way onto the truck, but we keep him in the back because he is literally larger than life.  On the plus side, when the truck is not in motion he stands on his own!  However, we worry about how he will hold up in heat, and I can't say we appreciate him in the same way we appreciate our co-captains Al and Bobby. (Side note - since writing this post, our inflatable Bobby has disappeared.  We think we accidentally gave him away at a Boys and Girls Club in Sacramento.  I am sure he is happy wherever he is though)!!



At Blue Diamond Almonds, someone also managed to sneak this sign onto the truck.  I like to display this when we are on the road, but we put it away when we are at events.  We don't want people figuring out the obvious, we are nuts!

The SAC

The SAC

Peel the Love at Blue Diamond Almonds Headquarters

Inside the Offices of Blue Diamond

     Well, I was planning on writing a little bit about the highlights of each location, which is why this post will be short.  We worked the majority of our time in Sacramento, and on our day off in the city we thought we would check out Old Sacramento.  We followed some bumpy bike paths from the hotel to Old Sacramento and it was nothing to write home about, although it was fun to see in a teensy-weensy sort-of kind-of enjoyable kinda way.  We did find a bike shop in Old Sacramento where we bought some helmets, so in the long run, Sacramento could save our lives.  Another highlight was that  I finally got a fix for the Vietnamese / Thai I had been craving since Seattle when we ate at a place called Wayside Noodles which was absolutely delicious (thanks to Lyla at Hilton Garden Inn for the recommendation).  Then we quickly made our way back to the hotel to sit poolside for the remainder of the day.

Blue Diamond Almonds Galore!

     In a nut shell (no pun intended), the best thing about The Sac was the nuts.  I am talking about Blue Diamond Almonds of course!  The people at headquarters were super friendly and appreciative of the Peel the Love tour stopping by their campus.  The headquarter buildings were beautiful brick buildings just outside of downtown, and one man from the company let us take some delicious and healthy snacks for the road!!  There are so many flavors of Blue Diamond Almonds that I didn’t realize existed!  We keep these close by on the truck and are excited to try each flavor.  I am sure we will have had our fill of almonds by the time we finish the tour in September, but I am okay with it because they are delicious!!  See ya later (or not) Sacramento!!

Appreciation

Since being on the road for a very short amount of time, I have come to appreciate many people more than I ever did before.

1.    People in the food industry

a.     It is not easy making mass amounts of food, making sure everything is clean, wearing gloves all day in 100+ degree heat, and making people happy!  It definitely can be exhausting, but every food vendor we have met at the festivals has been a delight.  They probably don’t ever eat the food they are selling because they got sick of it months ago, but they sure do their best to make sure their customers are happy.  On that note, I still love bananas and smoothies and I eat them outside of work hours!

2.    ALL people working at hotels

a.     People that work in hotels are sent from God.  They make so many things about our life easier, especially after a long day giving out samples.  From asking them daily if we have received packages, to leaving random kitchen supplies soaking in our bathtub that they have to clean around, to asking the restaurant to let us use their dishwashers to clean some blenders…they are ALWAYS so accommodating.  People are crazy and needy (ourselves included), but the staff at the many hotels where we have stayed are always so friendly!  I suppose it could be that our truck is always a great first impression when we check in and we are always telling people to “Peel the Love.”  Truly, we would be lost without friendly hotel staff dealing with questions such as “Do you have electrical outlets in the light poles outside?” or “Do you have a hose we can borrow to wash our 26’ truck?” or “Can we use your restaurant to wash our dishes?”  You get the point.  Typically they do not know the answers, but they are always helpful in getting an answer for us!...And yes, from time to time we provide them with a smoothie leftover from an event.

3.    Truck drivers

a.     Back in the day, in my pre-trucker years, I used to get annoyed with large trucks that slightly drifted over the line.  I also thought some big rig drivers were crazy with how quickly they were driving or how close they were cutting it when changing lanes in front of someone.  Now, all those feelings are gone.  I am only in a 26 foot truck, so I can only imagine what it must be like in an 18-wheeler, but it is tough driving those trucks!  Especially when you are used to a car.  

Our food truck is about the width of a driving lane, so any slight drift puts you over the line and we are trying our best!  Likewise, people always cut trucks off and pass at inopportune times when you need to get over.  Clearly smaller cars feel the need to get in front of what they perceive as your tremendous, slow and lumbering behind, but I have learned that patience is a virtue when it comes to trucks.  As for the changing of lanes?  The side mirrors make it quite clear when you are cutting someone off; however, a trucker I spoke to in Seattle made a good point.

“You’re a big rig now and everyone else is a little rig.  You want to get over?  Just throw on that blinker and F* ‘em.  You are BIG and you will win every time.”

Now that is the trucker attitude.  Thanks Aaron from Oregon!

4.    My AMAZING Husband

a.     Don’t get me wrong.  I appreciated Lucas before we left on this trip, but that appreciation has sky rocketed since Memorial Day.  He keeps me sane, he keeps things in perspective, and he can make everything fun and far more entertaining than anyone I have ever met.  Before we left and when we decided to take this job many people asked, “You are going to work together all summer?  What will that do to your relationship?”  We even looked at eachother and thought, “Can we handle doing this together all summer?  Will we kill eachother?”

The other day at Panera, the cashier asked us if we were "twinning"  I guess that is a thing now.

The reality is that this job has done nothing but made our relationship stronger and made me realize how much I do appreciate Lucas for everything he is.  We are having a blast, and I am pretty sure if I had to be on this adventure with anyone else, I would have killed them by now…or they would have killed me.  The Carmalts are going strong, having so much fun in the process and can not wait to tell this story for years to come.  What a great way to spend a second year of marriage!!

Other things I appreciate:

• Dishwashers
• Air Conditioned Cars (and the "zip" of a car accelerating)
• Parking Luke's Honda Fit
• 15 gallon gas tanks (versus 50)
• Food processors
• Rearview Mirrors
• Home cooked food
• Choosing an outfit in the morning
• Driving on any road I choose (see GPS pic)

Peeling the Love (for Lucas and So Many People)