Feedback

I was truly struggling tonight during class (Supervision & Leadership).  Tonight's lecture topic was Communication.  So we were discussing the roles we take on as the senders and receivers of messages, noise (anything that distorts messages) as well as the encoding and decoding of those messages.  Anyway, we also talked a lot about the concept of feedback and how its important for you to know whether or not your intended audience received and understood your message.  I do not know why (and won't begin to understand it either) but in the three times I tried to write "feedback," I wrote:

 feebdack

Three times.  Feebdack.

It must be one of those days.  WTF has a whole new meaning for me now.  

What the Feebdack.

Take Luck,

LP   

Happy Birthday, Ryan!

Happy 27th Birthday to my handsome Hubby, Ryan.  

Wishing you a wonderful day full of love and laughter.

You are a wonderful man, husband and daddy (to Brock and Sonny :)

Looking forward to sharing MANY more birthday's with you.

I sent him on a scavenger hunt around the house for his birthday presents last night... Muaahhahaha!

I love you, Ry.

You have a great sense of humor, smile, laugh and love of life.

You bring out the best in me, and I hope I do the same for you.

You are a hard worker, and passionate about all things you do.

Take Luck,
LP

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Sunday is our grocery shopping day.  While in the produce section, I caught a glance of the strawberries.  They looked absolutely delicious, so I put a container in the shopping cart.  Then I immediately decided to high-tail it back to the baking aisle and grab a bag of chocolate chips to make Chocolate Covered Strawberries.

Here is how I made these delicious Sunday-afternoon treats:

Rinse (and dry) a container of strawberries

Pour one heaping cup of chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl.

Heat for one minute, stir, and heat for another minute.

Dip and dunk each strawberry into the melted chocolate.

Put the chocolate covered strawberries on a wax paper covered cookie sheet.

Put them in the refrigerator (or freezer) so the chocolate will get hard.

Who doesn't love strawberries?

Who doesn't love chocolate?

"They go together like lamb and tuna fish... Or maybe you prefer, spaghetti and meatball?"

Enjoy!

Take Luck,

LP

Flashback Friday - The Proposal

Ryan proposed during a family vacation to Honolulu, Hawaii on July 26, 2009.  The plan was to hike to the summit of Diamond Head on Saturday, but we got the park too late to make the hike.  The weather was a little overcast that day, so the view would not have been as spectacular.  My parents, sister and Ryan were all a little letdown that we couldn’t make the hike, and I just wasn’t following.  I kept thinking, “Guys, it’s OK!  We can come back tomorrow!!”  Little did I know just what this adventure hike up to the summit would hold.  

With the help of my little sister, Rachel, Ryan had picked out a ring and planned the proposal a week before the trip.  On the car ride to Diamond Head on Sunday, Ryan told me (and very seriously I might add...) that there was something he wanted to discuss and change about our relationship, but didn't want to talk about it until after we had reached the summit and could trail behind the rest of the family.  Of course, I got nervous and racked my brain to try and figure out what he would want to change.  Were we moving too fast?  Was he unhappy or having second thoughts?  WHAT IS THE PROBLEM HERE, BUDDY?!  So, we headed up the crater… And I was leading the pack.  Everyone else says that I was mad and that I stormed up the mountain.  That’s not entirely true.  My main concern was getting up, and heading back down as soon as possible so Ryan and I could have this discussion.

I was so worried about what he might have to say that I wasn’t truly appreciating what we had just done and what we were looking out at.  But once we got to the top and were looking over the amazingly beautiful Waikiki Beach, Ryan got my attention and said, "I know what it is that I want to change about our relationship."  

He told me to close my eyes, and he got down on one knee to propose.  

My parents and little sister were able to witness it, as well as several other Hawaii tourists (including a humongous Samoan man who was giving Ryan two thumbs up in the background).  Of course (and obviously), I said YES!  I was so caught off guard that I thought I was going to fall over the railing.  Luckily, I didn’t.  Rachel helped Ryan pull it all off by carrying the ring and a bottle of champagne in a backpack that she carried up the crater.

It's safe to say it was a much more pleasant walk back down Diamond Head...

We were married just over a year later, on August 1, 2010.

It was an amazing day that I will never forget.  I am one lucky lady.

Take Luck,

LP

Presidents and Aqua Verde

To celebrate President's Day (and, ahem... not having to be at work...), Ryan and I went across the bay to Seattle with my parents to meet up with my sister, Rachel and her beau, Spencer.  We had lunch at Aqua Verde, an authentic Mexican restaurant right on the campus of UW (the University of Washington) and along side Union Bay.

When we first got there, several patrons were ordering food to-go, and I thought to myself, "This place is kind of dead..."  It sure didn't take long for the small(ish) room to fill up.  We ate our meal and went on our way.  While Mom, Ryan and I tried to squeeze through the throng of people coming in the front door (like idiots)... Dad, Rachel and Spencer noticed that thing called an exit door that lead to the outside and avoided the mosh pit.  All in all, it was great to see Rach  (and Spencer, too) for a little bit.

The gang after lunch

       Does this look like an ad for North Face, or what? :)

Some other pictures from the ferry ride over.

Can you tell someone (surely, not me) got a fancy new camera for Christmas and wants to take pictures of everything???... Is it that obvious? 

Leaving Bremerton

View of Manette from the ferry

Lazy sea lions and birds on a log...

Another ferry headed toward Bainbridge Island

Good view of Seattle

I liked the way the sun was peeking through the clouds

Almost there...!

And here we are, the lovebirds :)

Hoping you enjoyed your weekend.  I'm already looking forward to the next :)  Weatherman is forecasting some nasty winter weather for us the next few days... No complaints here!!!

Take Luck,

LP