Sunday, April 2, 2017

Kauai Adventures (Activities)

10:00 PM
We were in Kauai from March 18-March 26. 

Here's a summary and a few notes on the activities we did each day:

Saturday March 18: Travel Day

Today we drove from our home to Seattle, flew to San Francisco, then on to the airport in Lihu'e on Kauai. It was a long travel day, but we finally arrived to our hotel late that night.



Sunday March 19: Exploring

We took today to explore the island by car an by foot (we walked over 18 miles according to the app on my phone).

1: Po'ipu Shoreline Sandstone Hikes: We stayed at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Po'ipu on the South Side of the island. Near the hotel is the Po'ipu Shoreline Sandstone Hikes area, which is 4 miles round trip. The first thing we did today was to walk a good section of that hike. It was beautiful! 






We even saw a cool sacred/historic site. 





2. Driving. Our next adventure was to drive around the island from Po'ipu East and around to the North where the road ends. We stopped at several places along the way.

3. Kapa'a Stream & Kealia Beach: Our first stop on our Drive was a stop on the side of the road near Kapa'a Stream. From there we walked along the Ke Ala Hele Makalae Shared Use Path past Kealia Beach and to the end of the path. Beautiful and fun. We decided we would need to come back and rent bikes to ride this path later in the week. 







 This is at Pineapple Dump on the path. 


4. Waiakanaloa wet cave and Ke'e Beach: Our next stops were right at the end of the road. We parked and checked out the Waiakanaloa wet cave and Ke'e Beach. Here is the beginning of the 11 mile hike to the famed North shore Na Pali coast. (Which we want to attempt next trip) We even saw a protected Monk Seal at Ke'e Beach. It was pretty awesome.








5. Back to the hotel. After all the adventures, we headed back toward the hotel (we stopped for food on the way back).

Monday March 20

1. Driving. We started the day by driving around the island from Po'ipu West and around to the North where the road ends at the PoliHale State Park. 

2. Spouting Horn: We accidentally happened upon an awesome not to be missed, really cool blowhole: Spouting Horn Beach Park. It was "spouting" so high for the time of year! That was fun to watch!




3. Polihale State Park: This adventure was one of the reasons to rent a Jeep! The video I posted in this blog was from the drive to Polihale State Park. Here is another video of that drive: 


BEAUTIFUL beaches and we pretty much had them to ourselves! It was so nice to hang out here and walk around for a while. Lots of fun! Here are a few pics:





4. Waimea: We stopped in Waimea on the way back to get a Shave Ice and some Red Dirt shirts. 





5. Grand Hyatt: Back a the hotel there was entertainment going on in the Lobby area. So fun! 




Tuesday March 21

Sigh...this is the day Wes had to start going to classes for his conference. He had classes in the mornings from Tuesday 3/21-Friday 2/24. I spent my mornings either relaxing or walking around the hotel or swimming. It was relaxing, but really I could hardly wait for Wes to get done so we could play! :) 

1. Morning Walk: Both Wes and I woke up well before his 7am conference start time, so we started the morning walking around the Hotel.



2. Biking from Kapa'a: We went to Kapa'a where we rented Cruisers (bikes) from Hele On Kaua'i (Behind Ono family restaurant). They were SOOO nice and it was easy and really inexpensive to rent from them. Definitely recommend them!!! 





3. Snorkeling at Anini Beach: One of our FAVORITE things to do in Hawaii (or even California) is to snorkel. We will pull off the road and try just about any beach that looks reasonable. I forgot to bring my waterproof camera with me on this trip, so I only have pictures of Wes snorkeling, but trust me I did it too! Today we stopped at Anini Beach to snorkel for a while.

 That is Kilauea Lighthouse in the background there.


Wednesday March 22

1. Morning Alone: This morning as Wes was in conferences I walked around then went swimming at the pool.




2. Whale Watching Tour: That afternoon Wes and I went on a Whale Watching tour with Blue Dolphin Charters leaving from port in Ele'ele. We thought the 2 hour Whale Watching would be the perfect length for us and Wes loves watching for wild life. In fact, he's the one that found the Whale we found on our tour! Yes we saw Whales, no I did not get any pictures. I had terrible timing on that...





Thursday March 23

1. Swim at Hotel:  I got burned the first day on Kauai, so Wes bought me 2 different rash guards to wear. I had a hard time deciding what suit/rash guard to wear to the pool this morning... (Eventually I picked and went swimming)





 2. Po'ipu Beach Park: Snorkeling and Turtle watching (because one came up on shore). We spent some time here playing (with a whole lot of new friends at this busy spot).








3. Grand Hyatt Kaua'i Lu'au: That evening we went to the Lu'au at our hotel. the food was SOOOOO good and the entertainment was fantastic! It was a lot of fun and I would absolutely do it again! 






Here's a short video:


Friday March 24

Today we walked around beaches a lot and hung out at the pool, but we did do one BIG Splurge:

1. Heilcopter Ride: We splurged on a Helicopter ride through Blue Hawaiian Helicopters of Kauai. It was SOOOOOO worth the splurge. I must have taken like 400 pictures, but I will share just a few here. It was amazing! If you are going to splurge on something, it should be this. I think it was in the guidebook that I read that going to Kauai and NOT doing a Helicpoter ride is like going to Paris and avoiding the Eiffel Tower. Seriously, this is a great way to see the island-even the northern Na Pali coast! And here is a tip to save on it-reserve your flight online at the Blue Hawaiian website at least 5 days in advance and you can get the ride for $216.97 per person instead of $246.56 per person. (At least that is the prices as of the pricing and advanced deal as of writing this post on 4/2/17-check their website for the latest updates). Just a few pictures from our flight (and FYI, I did purchase the video of our full flight which is awesome and I cannot wait to share with my kids).

Waiting for flight

 In the helicopter right before take off.
 "Jurassic" falls
 Na Pali Coast




 Can you spot the Whale in the picture below? 
 Us again during flight
 After the flight

And a short video I took: 



Saturday March 25

Wes finished his conference Friday, so we had the whole day to spend together. We spent our day at a couple different beaches. 

1. Secret Beach: We made the somewhat difficult (but short) hike down to Secret beach this morning. It was formerly a nude beach but is thankfully not anymore. As with all the things we saw in Kauai, it was beautiful! And we had a blast hanging out there. Here's a video and a few pictures:












2. Kawailoa Bay at the Maha'ulepu Beaches: Wes snorkled here while I hung out on the beach (it was a little harsh waves for me). But what a great beach! Beautiful and not too busy. But it is a place you should have 4WD to get to, and you MUST be out by 6 pm. (If you decide to go there, get  The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook, Kauai Revealed, 10th Edition and read about it in detail on pgs 114-115). 







Sunday March 26

As with all great things, the fun had to come to an end. We spend today traveling from Kauai, to Honolulu to San Francisco to Seattle, THEN driving home a few hours from Seattle. We had to drive through snow...what a sad welcome home. 





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Aloha! Beckee's Deal with Kauai (Overview)

5:56 PM
Aloha!
One week ago today I got home from Hawaii's beautiful Garden Island, Kauai! 


Pre-Trip Prep Work

It was my first trip to Kauai and as you may know I am a researcher. I like to know what to expect from a new place. I like to plan ahead, but I am not one to plan every minute. I want to know what is there, get an idea of what I would like to do, where I would like to eat, etc, then once I get there (armed with the info), I play it by ear as I explore on my own. I usually research places online and buy a guidebook before I go. 
If you also like to plan from guidebooks, use this one:
(If you cannot see the picture, it is "The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook, Kauai Revealed, 10th Edition" by Andrew Doughty.)
I love this guidebook, It is the best. I have one for Oahu and for the Big Island as well. I highly recommend them! 
After reading this book, I knew that there was WAY more I wanted to do than I could possibly do in a week. So, before we left home, I marked the things I REALLY wanted to do:
AND the places where I wanted to eat:
Then during the trip, I took notes on the things I did and liked (so I can use my notes to plan my next Kauai trip):
I recommend doing something similar to organize your massive to do (or to eat) list.

A bit of background specifically about my trip to Kauai:

Why was I there and who was I with: The reason I had this awesome chance to go to Kauai was because my husband had a conference for Continuing Medical Education there. My kids were in school though, so I was only able to go with Wes because my awesome mom came to stay with the kids while we were gone! So, it was just me and my husband this time. (BUT I feel it is of note that this island is truly an island of adventures and is very family friendly. I cannot wait to bring our kids here some day!)

Transportation: I always research quite a bit for flights before I buy them. This time the best deal was through United (bought on their site was cheaper than using other travel site options). It was a good deal, but now that I have flown several different airlines between the Mainland and Hawaiian islands, I would pay a little more just to fly on Delta. There are so many things about their flights that are just more convenient-in seat plugs for phones, individual screens with free entertainment at each seat, and not so crazy about weight of luggage (Hawaiian airlines reweighed our bags at least 5 times even though we weren't close to the limits). United had "personal device entertainment" available on your own device IF you had downloaded their most updated app and IF you had an iPhone or an Android 4.3 or higher (except in reality it doesn't work with newer Androids as we learned on our flight) AND they did not have plugs for phones which was inconvenient since our flight info we were emailed indicated otherwise. Wes and I were ok with it and simply read books instead of the entertainment we had planned on, but if we had been flying with our kids and counting on the promised entertainment for them it would have been a nightmare! 

Also, I would definitely recommend renting a car while on Kauai. I would even consider renting a Jeep or SUV. Kauai has some wild roads that you will want to have 4WD to explore. (Check out the 36 second video below to see why you may want a Jeep) A friend of mine HIGHLY recommended that I rent a Jeep there so we did and it was totally worth it!


Lodging: Since Wes was going to a conference, there was a discounted rate to stay at the hotel where the conference was being held. We took advantage of that discount and stayed at the amazing Grand Hyatt. Here's a few pictures I took of the hotel (They are all from the back/beach side, most are views from my room):




Let me tell you, this hotel was amazing! It is fancy-there are several (pricey) restaurants, 5 acres of pools (FREE to guests), tons of shopping, and nice beach, etc, etc. I am fairly certain my kids would not want to leave the resort if we stayed here with them. But of course, you pay a price for the fancy hotel. Even the boat captain made a joke about staying at this hotel when we went on our whale watching cruise. It is for sure upper end accommodations, and we may not be able to stay here without the discount (or without careful planning and saving to do so). 

At this point, I do not have any advice as to where you might stay for a better deal since I only looked at the hotel where the conference was this time. I know lots of families stayed in vacation homes and they sounded more reasonably priced. I am sure if you plan ahead and do some research, you can find reasonably priced accommodations for your budget. 

So, now you know why I went, who I was with, where I stayed and how I got around. Activities and Food will need their own posts! Watch for those soon!
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Beckee's Deal with travel

4:07 PM
Wow. One of the main goals my husband and I have is to travel a lot. 
When he was in medical school and residency and we were absolutely at our poorest, we would talk about all our future travel plans. Well, now that we are through the L.O.N.G. educational road to being a doctor, we are finally able to realize many of our travel dreams. And it turns out we will be traveling a lot in the next few months. 

Obviously we all know that travel can be pretty spendy, but as you all know, even when I go on spendy vacations, I am always looking for great deals. I try to look for fun places and I LOVE free activities! :) 

Beckee's deal on this blog for the next few months will certainly be to share a little about my travels with you. I will try to let you know about any great deals I found or any travel splurges that were totally worth saving up for. 

One week ago today I returned from one of those amazing travel experiences with my husband (sans kids-thanks mom!). I will be sharing some fun things about that trip shortly! So, be on the lookout for some thought about Kaua'i (Spoiler-it is amazing)!  
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Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Beckees Deal with Utah Food Cravings!!

6:29 PM
One of my favorite things about going back home to visit Utah is the food options! 

Seriously, there are restaurants in Utah I dream about. In fact, just about everywhere I have lived or frequently visited has foods I crave. When I visit certain places, I literally have a mental food check list for the visit. I thought I might share my favorites here.
 (I tried to make this a Top five list, but couldn't narrow it down to that...)

Places that make it on my mental food craving list when I visit home:
  • Cafe Zupas: Multiple Locations. I cannot go to Utah without eating here. usually multiple times until the rest of the family is sick to death of it. I LOVE it. There are multiple locations as it is a chain, and it's not just in Utah. Try it if you get the chance. You won't regret it. I pretty much dream about the Lobster Bisque soup and the Nuts About Berries Salad! I'm drooling just thinking about it! YUM!  
  • Cafe Rio: Multiple locations. Oh.My.Goodness! Cafe Rio's Sweet Pork Barbacoa burrito served enchillada style-pretty much a perfect food! Made to order as you walk through the (likely to be long, but fairly fast moving) line. Do you prefer Salad? That's ok too because they have awesome Salads! 
  • CK Cummings: When I think of high quality chocolates and major treats, this is what I am thinking about! NOTHING compares to their Chocolate Covered (Fresh) Raspberries and Cherries. Oh.My.Gosh. HEAVEN! Their truffles are also amazing and their seafoam is one of my all time favorite treats in the world. Yummy. 
  • Yanni's Greek Express: 2761 S Highland Dr, Salt Lake City, UT 84106. This is a close to home favorite. My family is Greek and Yanni's is close to where I grew up. I LOVE the Yanni's special. It is huge! We order 2 of them and it is enough food for my family to share. Seriously! But, SO.GOOD! I haven't been there in a few years but it remains a top fave! (Yanni's does not have a website, but this site has a scanned in, but old-prices are higher now I think-menu.)
  • Crown Burger: Multiple Locations. I haven't eaten anything here I didn't like. If you want a greasy piece of high calorie heaven, make sure to try The Crown Burger! It is amazing. Their Greek food is awesome as well! My daughter orders their Greek Salad every time.
  • Granatos: Two Locations. This is actually an Italian store and deli. My Greek family buys ingredients here for our Greek foods, but we also love the Deli. It is like the best deli food ever. EVER. I always order a hard roll Feta and Tomato sandwich or Meatball sandwich. They have lots more than sandwiches though. Check out the menu here.
  • Smiths and/or Harmons: Weird, why does Beckee insist on visiting 2 grocery stores while at home in Utah? Doubly Weird, why are neither of them her favorite grocery store, the one where she worked in high school and college (Dan's)? Well, I will tell you why.  I have a very favorite, very specific soda, that I can only find sold in Utah at Smith's and Harmon's. Diet Code Red Mountain Dew. Yeah, I can get the full sugar version all over, but I don't drink sugary drinks and I LOVE Diet Code Red Mountain Dew. I literally buy all I can and load up the back of my Suburban with it when I visit. I am sure there is a surge in sales when I am in town. YUM...please tell me how I can get a local store to carry and sell this?!
  • The Happy Sumo: This is my families favorite Sushi place. We go to the one at the bottom of Cottonwood canyon. It is good, and has one unique roll that I love and I dream about, (Mango Mamma Roll, you can see it and their whole selection on their menu here). But honestly, as of my last Utah trip, it is on it's way to being replaced by my next pick... 
  • Ichiban Sushi: Last time we went to Utah, this gem was around the corner from our hotel, so we gave it a try. I will go back for the Lion roll alone, but there were SO.MANY. amazing things on this menu. I did not get to try near enough of them. And the fact I can order take out here...Golden! I cannot wait to visit again this summer! 
Other amazing Places you should not miss in Utah:
  • Nielsens frozen custard: Only missed my list because I am not a huge fan of ice cream or frozen yogurt. But I will tell you that if the craving does come, there is no other place I would want to go. This was also a date night staple for my neighborhood during high school. It is just that impressive. You will want to take a date here (if he or she likes frozen Custard). (Apparently there is a location in Layton as well, in case you are there...)
  • The Pie Pizzaria: Ask any student at the University of Utah (or any alumni) for the best pizza joint. They will likely send you to The Pie. And apparently since I moved they have opened lots of new locations (you used to have to go to the original by the U). HUGE pizzas, really good. Do not miss! (Only reason it's not on my personal must eat list is because I sadly cannot eat pizza these days.)
  • Old Spaghetti Factory: I know this is not exclusive to SLC, but it is SOOO good, and so worth the stop. It was another popular place for date nights as a high school and college student. Great food at a fun location in Trolley Square. Their fresh warm bread is amazing and I cannot resist their Garlic Mizithra pasta. Also, make sure you splurge on their Italian Cream Soda to drink. The drink is awesome as is the souvenir cup you get to take home! 
  • Arctic Circle: Only not on my must visit list because (Praise the Lord) there is one in Yakima!!!! YEAH! So, here's the deal on this fast food gem...FRY SAUCE! The best there is. I often stop there for a Lime Rickey (traditional grape flavored one, not this newfangled cherry version) and fries with fry sauce. On occasion I will get a burger (or a Gyro which they have and are surprisingly pretty good), but for me this place is all about the Lime Rickeys and Fry sauce.
  • Market Street Grill; Oh My Gosh. The first time I realized I might like seafood was when I ate at Market Street Grill as a young girl. It is not super cheap, but it is super good. If you want a nice meal and are willing to spend a little more, eat here. Do it! 
  • Brick Oven Pizza: When I went to BYU (for about a half a year), I ate here a lot. Because it is awesome. But the pizza was not what I went for-eat the Pasta bar buffet. It is SO good! Salad bar + pasta bar = perfection! It is not on my list because I rarely get to Provo, but there is a location in South Jordan now!! Which is where my in laws live, so that's basically awesome!!!
  • Salt Lake Greek Festival: If you happen to be in Salt Lake City near my birthday in September, DO NOT MISS the Salt Lake Greek Festival. You will not find better food (unless you can convince my mom and XiaXia to make you some)! This is the event I miss most every year, and the food I crave the most. It will be crowded, there will be lines, and you may not understand what everyone is saying (unless you speak Greek), but I promise it will be worth it. (Note, this year, 2017, the festival is Sept 9-11).
  • Granite Bakery: Looking for a sweet treat? Want some awesome rolls (that taste home made without making a mess of your kitchen)? Stop by Granite Bakery. (They also do cakes for special occasions, like weddings if you are looking for that sort of a thing)
  • So Cupcake: Do you like cupcakes? You will after you stop here...I am not much of a fan of cake, but I love frosting and occasionally have a craving for cupcakes. So, Cupcake was the first "cupcake bakery" I ever went to and I loved it. I try to stop in for a cupcake or two when I am in town. Try it for an excellent sweet treat!
  • Great Harvest Bread: Bread, lots of different kinds of amazing bread that you will dream about. Really. And that is not all they have-they serve Breakfasts, sandwiches for lunch and tasty desserts as well! Go.Here. (Look at this menu from the Holladay location to see what they have)
I KNOW there are lots of favorite spots I have left off this list...what are your favorites?! 
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Top Five Posts on this blog

2:58 PM

Blogger has a very nice stats page that it keeps for blog owners. On it I can see what the top posts are on this blog. 

I can look at top 5 of all time, of last month, of last week, and of the day. The top 5 of all time are clearly more likely to have only older posts on it, because they have had more time to accumulate views. But it still gives a good idea of what people are looking at on here. As to the monthly, weekly and daily stats. 

Here are my current top 5 viewed posts on Beckee's Deals.

Top five of all time (from May 2010 – March 2017):



1. closed Giveaway & Review: Skoy Cloths! Ends 12/30: Posted: 12/17/2010, Views: 14131, Comments: 95. What it is: A review and giveaway of Skoy cloths, which I was given to try, review, then to give away a set to someone. 

2. CeraVe Review and #Giveaway!! GREAT prize you could #win: Posted 11/26/2011, Views: 6814. Comments: 6. What it is: A Review and giveaway of CeraVe products which I was given to try, review, then give away a set to someone.

3. New School Years Resolutions: Van's foods and Plackers help out!: Posted: 9/27/2012, Views: 2319, Comments: 24. What is it: A review and giveaway of both Van's foods products and Plackers Dental Products which I was given to try, review, then give away a set of the same items I had received.

4. Lawn Battleship Review (+Amazon Gift Card #Giveaway): Posted: 3/22/2014, Views: 1750, Comments: 1. What is it: A review of my brother-in-laws game, Lawn Battleship. We test played it and reviewed it. Included with this review, I gave away an Amazon Gift card. 

5. #GM Monster Cereal + #Target Gift Card #Giveaway #MyBlogSpark: Posted: 11/24/2013, Views: 1054, Comments:16. What is it: A review and giveaway for General Mills Monster Cereals. 

What this tells me: If I want more comments and views, giveaways are key. I was already aware of that, but giveaways are also sometimes complicated and I haven't been doing them much, so lets see what is more recently viewed. (The most recent on this list is the one about Lawn Battleship which was posted 3 years ago)

Top five from the last month (Jan 30, 2017 – Feb 28, 2017): 



1. Beckee's Deal with Superbowl Food: Posted: 1/31/2017, Views: 265, Comments: 1. What is it: My thought on SuperBowl Food.

2. Ideas Please! Where would you take Five Kids on Vacation?: Posted: 1/31/17, Views: 220, Comments:1. What is it: Me begging for ideas for vacations with 5 kids (that are different from our norm).

3. Dinner Plans 1/23-1/29/2017: Posted: 1/24/17, Views: 201, Comments:0. What is it? My meal planning for the week of 1/23-1/29. It includes 2 favorite family recipes, "Haole" Haystacks and Sinigang. 

4. Universal Studios VIP Experience: Posted: 5/25/16, Views: 187, Comments: 0. What is it? My review of my family's experience with the VIP experience at Universal Studios. This was one of my favorite posts I have ever written so I am pleased to see in is something people are viewing! Truly it was an authentic experience and review of something I loved doing. Totally un-sponsored, just me being me...

5. Beckee's Deal with Christmas Presents: Posted: 1/2/17, Views: 186, Comments: 0. What is it? My description of our family's movement from "things" to "adventures" or "experiences" for Christmas. 

What this tells me: Well, I post different thing now as my focus has changed from posts on "deals" and giveaways, to more about what my personal "Deals" are. To me this list feels more like me being me. But I learn that my blog readers are interested in reviews of extraordinary, awesome experiences like the Universal Studios VIP post which is the oldest written post (that is still drawing interest this month). Food and vacation topics are the ones I am writing and you are viewing...

Top five from the last week (Feb 22, 2017 3:00 PM – Mar 1, 2017 2:00 PM): 

As expected, lots of repeats here, all the same as the last month, just a different order.

1.  Universal Studios VIP Experience: Posted: 5/25/16, Views: 40, Comments: 0. What is it? My review of my family's experience with the VIP experience at Universal Studios. This was one of my favorite posts I have ever written so I am pleased to see in is something people are viewing! Truly it was an authentic experience and review of something I loved doing. Totally un-sponsored, just me being me...

2.  Dinner Plans 1/23-1/29/2017: Posted: 1/24/17, Views: 40, Comments:0. What is it? My meal planning for the week of 1/23-1/29. It includes 2 favorite family recipes, "Haole" Haystacks and Sinigang. 

3. Beckee's Deal with Superbowl Food: Posted: 1/31/2017, Views: 39, Comments: 1. What is it: My thought on SuperBowl Food.

4. Beckee's Deal with Christmas Presents: Posted: 1/2/17, Views: 39, Comments: 0. What is it? My description of our family's movement from "things" to "adventures" or "experiences" for Christmas.

5. Ideas Please! Where would you take Five Kids on Vacation?: Posted: 1/31/17, Views: 39, Comments:1. What is it: Me begging for ideas for vacations with 5 kids (that are different from our norm).

Top Five from today (Feb 28, 2017 3:00 PM – Mar 1, 2017 2:00 PM): 



1. Beckee's Deal with "Top 5" Lists: Posted: 3/1/2017 (like an hour ago), Views: 18, Comments: 0. What is it? My explanation of why I love Top five lists, and an intro into this post. Clearly on this list because I just posted it right before my daily Beckee's Deals email went out. :)

2. Beckee's Deal with Superbowl Food: Posted: 1/31/2017, Views: 6, Comments: 1. What is it: My thought on SuperBowl Food.

3. Beckee's Deal with Christmas Presents: Posted: 1/2/17, Views: 6, Comments: 0. What is it? My description of our family's movement from "things" to "adventures" or "experiences" for Christmas.

4. Universal Studios VIP Experience: Posted: 5/25/16, Views: 6, Comments: 0. What is it? My review of my family's experience with the VIP experience at Universal Studios. This was one of my favorite posts I have ever written so I am pleased to see in is something people are viewing! Truly it was an authentic experience and review of something I loved doing. Totally un-sponsored, just me being me...

5. Dinner Plans 1/23-1/29/2017: Posted: 1/24/17, Views: 6, Comments:0. What is it? My meal planning for the week of 1/23-1/29. It includes 2 favorite family recipes, "Haole" Haystacks and Sinigang. 


What's the point? Not too much other than it is interesting to see stats on what is being views! It helps me know what to write about. 

But honestly, these are just stats, and I love to hear from you personally. So, if there are posts you particularly like, or topics you would like to see more of, PLEASE let me know!!!


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Beckee's Deal with "Top 5" Lists

1:25 PM
Admission: I love "Top five" or "Top whatever" lists. 



I love that they give me a concise check list of someones top favorite items of whatever category. I don't always agree with them, but I love to read them. AND I love to make them. Something I love about them is that they are ever evolving. They can change through time. Often when I try something new I say things to my husband like "Oh my gosh, this sushi roll is so good, it might be making it's way into my top 5!" New things can totally kick out the old favorites (sometimes). Other times, I have found that I am much more consistent in my opinions than I realized. 
Let me give you a funny example. I am obsessed Football, and since our family started playing Fantasy Football leagues every year, I have become an expert (in my own mind) on NFL football players. In 2014, one of my Fantasy Quarterbacks was not playing well (as far as my fantasy points were concerned). Whenever he blew it and cost me Fantasy points, I would get a little perturbed at him, but would say something like "He may suck out there today, but at least he wins in handsomeness."  I was taking some harassment at home and on Facebook for this comment, and one day my husband, Wes, said "I am surprised you think he is the most handsome QB, he's not who I would have expected you to choose. Who do you think the other handsome QB's are?" Challenge Accepted! The moment he asked, I began researching pictures of all the current QB's (not fair to just pick 5 without looking at all of them first). 
Then next day, I posted the following picture and comment on FB:
For anyone who has been waiting with bated breath, this is my top 5 most handsome NFL QB's right now (FYI-Brady narrowly misses my top 5 and Armour may never speak to me again...) 

Phillip Rivers
Colin Kaepernick
EJ Manuel
Matt Leinart
Matt Barkley

I took some crap for the inclusion of a 49er and the exclusion of a Seahawk (I live in Washington State). Also my son (aka #TomBradysBiggestFan) thought I was a MORON for excluding Brady (to be fair, I basically excluded him because I thought his looks were over rated). 

A couple weeks ago, one of my FB friends posted the following: 



I LOVE this stuff, so I reposted it and one of the Top 5 lists my husband posted for me to do was top five Best Looking QBs Now, in 2017. Again, Challenge Accepted! 

Here was my answer this time (In no particular order): 



So, Brady finally made it (to the great relief of #TomBradysBiggestFan) as well as Alex Smith. And the three that remained consistent were Phillip Rivers, Colin Kaepernick, and EJ Manuel.

Why do I bring this up today? Because thinking of Top 5 lists lately has made me wonder about my top posts on this blog. So, I am going to try, in the next post, to talk a little about the top posts on this blog, so far. It could be interesting information (for me at least, and hopefully for you as well).

More on that coming soon, in the mean time, feel free to stare at the pictures above of the handsome NFL QBs.
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Thursday, February 2, 2017

Foodie Finds in Yakima AKA When a self proclaimed foodie moved back to town...

10:24 AM
One of my favorite things about going back home to visit Utah is the food options! Seriously, there are restaurants in Utah I dream about. In fact, just about everywhere I have lived or frequently visited has foods I crave. When I visit certain places, I literally have a mental food check list for the visit. 
(Thanks "Oliver!" for expressing my feeling about food so well!)
Knowing my excitement for food, imagine how difficult it was for me to move to a small town where there were only a few food options. Don't get me wrong, Aberdeen has some excellent gems in there, but there is a limited supply. And honestly, in a small town, you can go to the place you crave during normal business hours and find a little sign that they are closed today for just about any reason from a family emergency to a good fishing day. 
Now, although Yakima is not a huge city, it is much bigger than Aberdeen, and as such, it has a lot more options for eating out. I know, I know, I am trying NOT to eat out, but maybe that is why all the good food is on my mind. There are local gems I am discovering as well as chains I am grateful to have close by (Arbys! Arctic Circle!). I thought I would share a few of these foodies fave places to have access to in Yakima! 
My Yakima Foodie Finds!
First up, a few sit down restaurants that as far as I know are local (these are mostly sit down restaurants that are maybe a little spendy. Perfect places for a special night out):
  • Zesta Cucina: This is one of my favorite place right now. I love, LOVE their Crab Cakes served over amazing risotto! Plus any restaurant that serves me warm bread with vinegar and oil on the table to start wins my heart! :) 
  • Kyoto Sushi and Japanese Steakhouse: AND this is my other favorite place. You can get sushi, kitchen items, or have them cook on the table for you (Or any combination of the three). I crave their crabmeat salad! YUMMY! There is something for everyone here.
  • Carousel French Cuisine: Wes and I happened upon this gem one night shortly after moving to Yakima. The building doesn't look like much and you could easily walk right past and never know it's there. But Oh my goodness! It is awesome food. Not cheap, but I loved it. I am excited to go back again sometime soon! (PS, this is the only French restaurant I have ever been to so it was extra special for me!)
  • Second Street Grill: This is more of a sports bar feel place with great food. Lots of options-huge menu, and for those that drink, there is seemingly unending alcoholic options (well, it seems that way to this non-drinker anyway). 
  • Xochimilco: Looking for some great Mexican food? This is my favorite place here for that (so far). Everything is really yummy here. I have tried the fajitas and one of the salads. Both were awesome!
  • Abby's Pizza: I am not sure if this one goes here or in the next category because they will deliver to your house, but they also have a restaurant you can eat at. All I know for sure is my kids LOVE their pizza and think it is the best! They also have lots of other menu items, so I can order something I can eat as well. 
  • Cowiche Canyon: OK, I almost didn't put this one here because they have BLOWN it with my husband to the point that he won't go there now. We go there for the appetizers mostly-they have the best Guacamole I have ever had that was not homemade. But out ultimate favorite item, the one that kept me going back was their Grilled Artichoke appetizer. It is Ah-mah-zing! BUT, even though it is still on their menu, the last two times we went there the server has very snottily told us they no longer serve it, at least for a while. UG. If they get that back, I might return. If you go there, the only Entree I ever eat is the Prawn and Avocado Salad, and my husband only likes their Roasted Prime Rib entree. 
And these may be chains/fast food (meaning multiple locations either locally or nationally), but I am so glad they are here:

  • MOD pizza: My families favorite food for sure in Yakima. The kids request MOD pizza almost every day. Here's the thing that's so awesome about it. You customize your pizza in a similar way to how you customize a sandwich as Subway. They grab a crust and you choose EVERYTHING from there, then they wood fire the pizza for your eating enjoyment. Now, I don't eat pizza (it sadly makes me sick), but they have a delightful option called a pizza salad. They wood fire up a crust which you can eat like bread sticks and make a salad fully customized by you, then serve the salad on the pizza crust. It is heavenly! This is a MUST try place in Yakima as far as I am concerned. Probably the first place I will take visitors when they come to Yakima! 
  • Jimmy Johns: National sandwich chain know for being really fast. Add to that how GOOD it is, and it is a family fave! 
  • Papa Johns: I admit that since we do not currently live in their delivery area, we have not utilized this option yet, but I LOVE that it is here!
  • Arbys: National chain famous for roast beef sandwiches. I have missed Arby's terribly. Yeah for a close one! 
  • Arctic Circle: A favorite fast food joint from high school. I would drive through and order a Lime Rickey and fries with fry sauce fairly often growing up. So glad to have one nearby for the first time in my adult life! My kids are finally discovering the joys of fry sauce!
  • Sonic Drive In: When we were trying to sell our house in Omaha, we would eat here during Happy Hour quite a lot. I absolutely love their Hot Dogs-Chicago Dogs, and New York Dogs are my faves. Add to that a fully customized drink and tots and this is a happy girl. 
There are some good treats here as well (but I am in search of more options for my sweet tooth):

  • Boehm's chocolates: I bought a bunch of local treats here for my brother's mission farewell (he lived in Utah and was called to serve his LDS mission HERE in Yakima!). Lots of yummy treats to choose from here.
  • Johnson's Orchard: I have only bought apples here, but I hear their pies and baked goods are amazing. I am afraid to try them as I am certain it will ruin all my weight loss goals...
Places on my MUST try list (based on recommendations:
  • Waffles Caffe: I have not had the pleasure of going here yet, but Wes went with one of our kids on a father/son date here for breakfast a couple weeks ago and they haven't stopped talking about it. So it is on the short list.
  • Creekside West: I have no clue why I have not been here yet since it is close to home, but I hear it is awesome. 
Any other places I need to add to my list or go check out in Yakima?
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