Sunday, February 21, 2016

Thorsblott & the Feast of The Sword & The Rose

Last night was one of our annual events called Thorsblott, except this year we decided to combined it with the Feast of The Sword & The Rose to celebrate the Birthdays of Lord Darksteel (Jordan), Lord Kalenar (David) and Regina Elsa and to feast for Thor in hopes of ending a cold winter. This event took place at Chadivus & David's home, which they have named Kalehalla. The vikings on the guest list included, of course, the Lords (Travis, Chad, David, Jackie, Jordan & myself), my brother Jeff, Chad's kids Richard, Elsa, Tori & the girl, Elsa's guy Phil, my friend Meisha and her fellow friend, Eldehelm.

 
(photo credit: David)



 Chadivus and David went to a local meat shop called Sniders. This is a family owned business that started in 1938 and is the best place to go if you are in need of raw meat.

 They purchased a 7 pound leg of lamb, a 10 pound pork butt and a 6 pound sirloin roast. Now that is a feast on its own! But everyone brought something to share. We had rolls, cookies, 7 layer dip, banana cream pie, & homemade clam dip and taco salad. It was great!

 Now, I failed last night. I was planning on taking pictures of the festivities buuuut didn't. So I will improve with what I have :D




  


To start off the night we had to take our first and most important shot of the night, Aquavit. 
 
"Linie Aquavit, produced from potatoes, is flavored with caraway, dill, aniseed, sweet fennel and coriander. Matured in Oloroso sherry casks, the oak gives this Norwegian aquavit a golden color and soft notes of vanilla, and the remaining hints of sherry provide a subtle sweetness. Oxidation softens the herbs and spices, contributing to a rounder, more mellow taste. The casks are then stored on the deck of a ship as it travels around the world. This voyage takes four and a half months, and during that time, thirty five countries are visited and the Equator is crossed twice. The great variations in temperature and humidity, along with the salty sea air and the constant movement of the ship, smooths and enhances the flavor. Every bottle of Linie Aquavit carries the details of its journey: you will find the date of departure from Norway, the date it returned after crossing the Equator twice, and the name of the ship." - Drinkupny.com/Linie-Aquavit







We first poured a shot to honor Odin, god of war & death, sky god and the god of wisdom and poetry, and then poured shots for the entire group.


 It had a hint of black licorice taste like Jager, which made me not like it. But it definitely was a shot that warmed you up really fast!







Meisha brought some Chaucer's Mead. It was actually really good! I tried some of it but didn't actually drink any. Now I am wishing I had.

 

 "The honey for this specialty dessert-style wine is produced in hives throughout the Sierras. It is composed of a blend of three types of honey: cotton– alfalfa, orange blossom and sage. Each type brings a unique quality to the blend and contributes to the overall complexity of the mead. Alfalfa is neutral in flavor but yields a dark, amber color. The orange blossom brings a floral bouquet to the nose of the wine. Toyon, an evergreen shrub also known as California Holly, is lighter in color than the alfalfa and helps to balance the blend." - Chaucerswine.com


 
 


My drink choice of the night was Black Velvet Toasted Caramel. I don't like whiskey, but this stuff is really good. It's sweet and goes down easy. Definitely one of my favorites now.








As the night went on, we played Cards Against Humanity, which is basically an adult version of Apples to Apples. It's amazing! If you haven't played it, you should. It's even better when your drinking :p 







Partial entertainment credit for the night has to go to Loki the chameleon and Spike the bearded dragon. Spike ALMOST pooped on me. It would have been a nightmare had he not been taken off my lap...because seeing him do his business was awful and stinky enough....




  Thanks to everyone that made it out! It was a great night! The next big gathering will probably be Saint Patties Day/Week, and you bet there will be an entry about it. :)

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Heart of Ice

 


Valentines Day! Some love it, some hate it. As kids, we always loved it. It was that time of year where we were able to have cool valentine boxes in class and exchange valentines and candy with our friends. As we get older, that excitement slowly turns into a love or hate relationship. 

You generally land in 1 of 4 categories:

 

1. You're in a relationship where you can celebrate the day with someone you love
 



 2. You are single and hate seeing anything about valentines because it reminds you that you are single.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3. You are in a relationship but don't think that a holiday created by a greeting card company should show how much you care about a person. Treat everyday like Valentines!
 

 
4. You are proud to be single and independent!
 
 
 
 
 
 
That being said, This  Valentines was awesome! We decided to go to the Ice Castles in Midway. 
 The Ice Castle concept was thought of in Alpine, Utah in the front yard of Brent Christensen when he was building one for his daughter. 
 
They normally begin the process in late November and it opens in late December. It's really cold but definitely worth seeing! 
They have multiple locations throughout the country:  Midway, UT, Eden Prairie, MN, Lincoln, NH, and for the first time this year they were also in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada! 
Check out their website here: Ice Castles
 
 
 
 
 
 
 On the actual day, we decided to go to La Puente, which is my favorite Mexican Restaurant. 
 
 
 
And after that, we decided to go see the new Deadpool movie at Brewvies!
 
If you've read my blog, or basically know anything about Utah. you know how lame we are with booze. So you can only guess that this place is popular. A movie theater where you can enjoy a beer or 2 during your movie. I unfortunalty was not able to have a beer because the line was waaaaaay to long! But oh well. 
 Luckily, I was smart and bought tickets ahead of time, because when we got there, it was sold out! 
 
This movie was pretty awesome! Yes, it is a "superhero" movie but it is rated R because he is an awesomely  inappropriate anti-hero. So don't take your kids to it! But  if you want to see a movie soon, you like superheros and you don't mind vulgarity, GO SEE DEADPOOL! 

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Zoo-per Bowl 2016



Hey guys! If you've read my other entries, you know all about how we let our animals at Utah's Hogle Zoo choose who they think will be the winner of the Super Bowl. If you haven't read the one I wrote last year, you can view it here ----->  Super Bowl 2015 Entry









We have a pretty good track record of picking the correct winner.  It originated with Eli, our male orangutan. 7/7 years he chose correct, which led to national coverage and even ESPN calling us for information on it. Eli unfortunately passed away and the honor was then given to Vulcan the lion. And did he choose right?! Yep! He sure did!  

 


 








Before Eli passed, he and his mate Eve were able to conceive a baby. Tuah is now15 months old and is the new predictor!


People around the world were waiting anxiously to see what the prediction for this year was.






Well, today was the day! And who did he choose?!

                                       
                                    


                  Do you think he can fill the shoes his daddy left?! I guess we will see on Sunday!

Check out the video link below of this cutie picking his team! :)

~~~~Tuah's First Superbowl Pick! ~~~~

Monday, February 1, 2016

Snow Miser's Revenge









Utah is classified as the greatest snow on earth. People come here just for our ski resorts, like Snowbird, Brighton, Solitude, Deer Valley and more. Hell, even our license plates say it!







But for the past couple of years, we have had quite the dry spell. This year though we did get snow! Which always follows with, people forgetting how to drive in it and accidents happening. I usually like the snow but hate driving in it. Luckily, our new car takes well in the snow with its All Wheel Drive. 




 


  One day it snowed so bad, it literally took me 3 hours to get to work, when normally it only takes me 30 minutes! I finally got to work and the zoo didn't even open! Well, I decided to wonder around and take some pictures of it since I didn't have to work.

 










Christmas was pretty awesome! I bought our very first Christmas tree. Now, I am definitely one of those people that like to do things a little different than the rest of the world. So, I bought a black Christmas tree!
It's nice because its black  and looks pretty, but when the lights are on it still looks like a normal tree, until you look closely! Element of surprise!

















                                                Of course the kitties had to help decorate :)




One of our annual traditions is going to see our friend Chadivus play in Tuba Christmas. They get together once a year and play a concert at Trolley Square.









It's fun to have traditions that you look forward to. Even better when you can support your friends!
















This year for Christmas was pretty great. I decided to try and make fudge for my co workers. It could have come out better but it was pretty tasty! I formed them in little Christmas tree cookie cutters for a little keepsake.











I got a killer deal on a knife block set for the boyfriend! It was normally $89, on sale for $39. AND I had gift cards! So basically I paid $3 out of pocket for a nice knife set! SCORE!

















The kitties even got a couple things from Santa in their stockings! Cat treats, Laser pen, toys, and even Cat Nog!






We hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year!!!!










H