T-shirt Quilt from Texas

I collect shoes and Kenley collects college t-shirts. He has a million!!! That is not an exaggeration. Several weeks ago, this quilt was delivered to my house so Kenley could pick it up on the way to his new digs in the great metropolis of Cedar City. It could be one of many quilts in his future.

Dickey's: A Review

Kenley J. was in town a couple of weeks ago and on his list of Utah food stops was the new (at least to our neck of the woods) Dickey's. Not really my typical eating establishment, but he loves BBQ and I'm always willing to try something new. Here's our take on this homestyle dining. We both really enjoyed the BBQ. I had a sandwich and I think KJ had a mixed meat plate. I was especially excited about the vanilla soft-serve cone that came with our meals. Truthfully, I don't think it's somewhere I will frequent, but Kenley thinks he will need at least one more visit. We'll see.

Envious?

Did I mention that I was in Las Vegas a few weeks ago for work? Did I mention that a tall, dark, and handsome man bought me dinner at ENVY? Did I mention the salmon was amazing and I might never be the same?

St. Cupcake

One of the sweetest (quite literally) gifts I received on my birthday was a box of cupcakes, 6 types of frostings and 6 sprinkle samples from Portland's St. Cupcake. Can I just say heaven in a box? I ADORED the mint buttercream frosting and nearly cried at the goodness that was the carrot cupcake. Kenley's sisters, Emery and Sidney, are so thoughtful. . . it must run in the family. Thank you, girls!

Hey, Kenley. . . .

Do you remember when we went to the BYU vs. Utah football game? That was fun.

Fall Voodoo is in the Air

Yesterday morning I found myself on another airplane--one that brought me back to Portland, a city I am loving more with each visit. The air has turned cool here and I realize that as much as I dread the coming winter months, the crispness of fall is the perfect compliment to the fresh Northwestern air. Speaking of crispness and the land of apples--I hope you've all spotted the season's most limited editions in your local grocery stores. Yes, my friends, the Honeycrisp APPLE has been spotted in grocery stores throughout the SL Valley and I'm MORE than happy to hand over my $1.99 per pound for their filling, sweet, and crispy goodness. They have become the personification of fall for my mouth. Each of my senses seems to be getting a good dose of the season. My skin is getting reaquainted with yarn. My feet are remembering what socks feel like. And my nose was recently reminded that the sweet combination of bread dough and a fat fryer make doughnuts--a traditional fall treat. Kenley took me to a famous Portland doughnuttery (that's my own technical term for it) yesterday--Voodoo. I had an apple fritter the size of my face and Kenley opted for the Captain Crunch covered goodness. It feels lovely to embrace autumn. It feels even better to be experiencing it with someone I love.

And so it goes. . . .

I feel like time passes so quickly. How is it possibly mid-September? Seriously, my life is flashing before my recently moisturized eyes. How am I spending my warp speed time you ask?

Well, I've recently become a fan of Project Runway. Tim and Heidi have filled a hole in my Thursday night heart and seem to be inspiring me to runway greatness one accessory at a time. I only wish I had watched the show when Veronica was around. Oh, we could have had some great workday conversations. . .

When I'm not watching Timmy, I like to fly to Portland for the weekend to enjoy a luscious breakfast treat from the Waffle Window. I had the Nuttella and Pear waffle with a joyous amount of freshly whipped cream. In case you're wondering, it was worth every stinkin' calorie!
Waffles are best shared with someone you love. Kenley likes to eat his whipped cream with his fingers. . .or did he drop his fork?
Here he is with all of his waffle window buddies. You can spot that O from a mile away.
After waffles, Kenley was so gracious as to drive me to the Barnhouse Boutique in Battleground. Please don't ask him about this experience. He will undoubtedly tell you the truth and I can guarantee it won't be gracious!
You can't visit Portland without making a detour to the Duckland southward--namely the hippie infested city of Eugene. I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. The farmer's market is one of the oldest in the country and was full of character, wonderful goods, and proved to be a smorgasbord (yes, I did have to look that up) of people. We were particularly infatuated with this tree/person. Incredible.

No trip to Eugene would be complete without attending an official Duck's sporting even in the rain. As big of a BYU fan as I am, I must admit that I was completely impressed by the faceoff between the Oregon Ducks and the Purdue Boilermakers. The whole experience of walking to Autzen Stadium and experiencing this cultural college phenomenon was exhilarating. It was unlike anything I have seen at a game in Provo. Very COOL. Kenley has made a Duck fan out of me--especially when those fine feathered friends are facing the arch nemesis Utes this weekend. GOOOOO DUCKS!

When I'm not vacationing, real life has been busy working on several custom albums, trying to keep up on everyday life--which feels good. Speaking of everyday life, I need to have my windshield wipers replaced. Is that something a 30ish woman can do by herself? I think I'll give it a try this weekend.

Rooster Dumpling

For months, I've been dying to go to one of Provo's up and coming new restaurants. Reviews for the Rooster Dumpling + Noodle Bar have been fantastic and so Kenley and I made plans to dine there while he was visiting. We had the restaurant to ourselves for a bit and enjoyed the modern and fun atmosphere. Of course, we forgot about asthetics just as soon as our food arrived! We sampled the Bulgolgi Beef and Veggies & Tofu dumplings. The bulgolgi was our favorite. For our main course we had the Chicken Curry Noodle Soup: grilled lemongrass chicken, pickled green chili oil, coconut curry broth. The piece de resistance was the Pok Fu Lam Village French Toast which I'm still smiling about (and working off). The food was so good, that the next night we called in an order to go of dumplings and dessert. I HIGHLY recommend it.