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6.19.2012

father's day weekend


all of my family got into town this past weekend,
just in time to celebrate father's day.
we enjoyed a lovely evening filled with a delicious dinner, lots of talking and laughing, 
and best of all of the family being together (I missed all of my cousins). 
this week is going to be a pretty busy one, but I am excited to get to spend 
so much quality time with my grandparents and aunts and uncle. 
Happy Tuesday

6.15.2012

fresh squeezed limeade

        
  • Ingredients 
  • 1 1/2 cup lime juice (about 6 Persian limes)
  • 3/4 cup  granulated sugar
  • 3 cups water
  • Several sprigs of fresh mint

Juice all your limes. This is a little time consuming. 
In a small saucepan bring 1 cup of the water to a boil, slowly add the sugar. 
Once the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and let cool. 
Mix the sugar water, the rest of your water, and the lime juice together. 

Taste it for the sweet/sour balance. If it's too sweet, add a little more water.

Serve chilled with mint leaves. 

Enjoy! 

6.13.2012

Around New Orleans



Hi, Simply Us readers! I am Britt, and I blog over at The Magnolia PairI am 23 years old and just coming up on a year from working my first post college full time job. I moved from New Orleans, Louisiana to Birmingham, Alabama with my husband for his medical school education. We have been married for almost a year, July 16th we will celebrate our first anniversary!



So lets get to it. Around her town, New Orleans. 


How long have you lived in New Orleans? 
I have lived in Birmingham, Alabama for only 10 months, I moved to Birmingham with my husband so that he could pursue medical school. I have lived in New Orleans for 18 years, and Baton Rouge for 4 years. 


How about a little history lesson about New Orleans? 
I am going to focus on New Orleans since I am still learning about Birmingham, and don’t consider myself very knowledgeable about this city.

New Orleans is the birthplace of Jazz and has a lot of culture, music, food, and celebrations. Mardi Gras has been celebrated in New Orleans since the early 1700s.


What makes New Orleans unique?                                                                                            My town is unique in the way it welcomes people. There is something so different about arriving in New Orleans, than any other city. People will come out of the wood work to greet you and make sure they offer you a warm welcome. It’s very comforting to feel like the city wants you to be there. You won’t go home hungry and you’ll always be surrounded by happy spirited people.


Favorite Coffee Hangout? 
PJ'S Coffee House. Locally brewed coffee at it's finest. Make sure you order a Vanilla Velvet Ice for me! 


A list of favorite restaurants and what to order. 
Radosta's - Best PO' Boys in town! I order the shrimp or roast beef. 
Commander's Palace- The steak and turtle soup.
Camellia Grill- Definitely get the hamburger! 


Plan a day trip for us. What would be on the agenda?
I would have to say walking around the French quarter and Magazine street. Taking a river boat ride is a great evening activity if you’re there on a romantic getaway. Take a trip outside of the city and visit the swamp or visit Oak Alley Plantation. There are many low key things to do that are so fun.

Favorite place to go exploring?  

Magazine Street, there are so many shops, restaurants, and parks that are so fun to walk to. If I am feeling adventurous, then I'll definitely go visit some of the bayou/swamp areas and enjoy the beautiful cypress trees and wildlife. 


Favorite shops? 
The Pink Tulip: I am biased because I used to work there, but I love her clothing.
Hemline: Always have the prettiest casual and fancy dresses

Wish: Great place to find accessories! 


What is your favorite under $10 a person lunch spot?
That would have to be CafĂ© Maspero’s or Mother’s. Both restaurants are downtown in the French Quarter and are so delicious. This is your best place for deep southern food.


What would a typical date night look like? What do you do, where do you go, and where would you eat? 
Typical date would be dinner at Commander’s Palace, an early evening walking around the botanical gardens, and then head to the Bulldog to grab some locally brewed beverages. If you're feeling more adventurous, then Pat O' Briens in the French Quarter has an amazing piano bar! 

What if I have kids, where is a good place to bring them

New Orleans has a phenomenal Zoo, Aquarium, Children’s Museum, and D-Day Museum, and Art Museum. Some of my favorite field trips as a child included going to the Audubon zoo and the Children’s museum.


Favorite festival or yearly attraction(s)? 
Mardi Gras and Saints football season! Jazz Festival is incredible as well, but as far as spirit and pride of Louisiana, you will want to visit during Carnival or Saints season! 

What is your favorite hike or outdoor activity? 
Watching a derby race at the New Orleans fair grounds or having a picnic at City park! 



And lastly, since you grew up in the South, any favorite southern traditions? Southern tradition i mist enjoy are crawfish boils, Saints football, and Mardi Gras! My Mom can make a wicked Gumbo, and should be in the hall of fame for it. It is amazing, and as soon as I can catch her for a little while, I am going to get her to give me that recipe!


Wow, she made me really want to pack my bags and head to New Orleans. Thank you Britt for such a great around your town guide. To find out more about Britt and her wonderful blog head on over here.  Or find her on twitter,  and facebook


And if you ever want to showcase your town, please email me at katrinanbrooks@hotmail.com. 

6.12.2012

over the weekend


1. I made a delicious shrimp sandwich, in which I enjoyed it outside while basking in the sun.
  2.    I got to spend a little quality time with Bear.
 3. Fresh squeezed limeade.
4.  We made an ice cream run to the local BYU creamery. Highly recommended! 

6.08.2012

it's friday





I am super glad it’s Friday. Although we have nothing planned, well, 
let me rephrase that, I have nothing planned. I am excited to have a weekend 
to catch up on household chores, photo editing, and swinging in our hammock. 
Bear has lots of research/hanging out to do. He is one busy guy these days. 
And it happens to be that the weekends are his busiest days, which puts 
a real damper on enjoying each other on my days off. I know that if his days are 
filled up he is making progress. And progress is exactly what we want. 
So although I feel like most of the time my husband is off doing something 
without me, it makes me happy to know that he is making headway and we 
are one step closer to being finished with this grad school journey.

Have a great weekend everyone! 


6.05.2012

iced raspberry green tea

this last weekend was hot. as a matter of fact, it was a record breaking heat in Utah. any piece of clothing that touched my body was immediately taken off.  apologize to any of my neighbors who saw me strutting around my house in my underwear. I am normally a lover of the high temperatures, but this weekend was too much.  it could be because it went from cold, to extremely hot over night, and my poor body could not regulate the hotness. the one thing i do know is that you have to stay hydrated. so my big glass of cold iced raspberry green tea never left my side. i think we have gone through about 4 pitchers in a matter of two days. so i am here to share with all of you this simple drink recipe that just might save you from the heat.
Grab yourself a fun 36 ounce pitcher. A summer time color always makes for a good pick.
4 green tea bags
2 raspberry green tea bags
honey
boiled water

boil the water, mix in the honey (I normally use a tablespoon, but if you want your tea sweeter you can always add more), add in the tea bags.

let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
grab a large glass, fill with ice, pour the tea and enjoy!

you can experiment with all different tea flavors. Some of my favorites have been mango, blueberry, and raspberry. get creative, enjoy your iced tea, and have a lovely summer.

Moab, Ut


alright, here are some more photos from our stop in Moab. it's definitely a beautiful location. the rock formations and the bright shades of red and orange are surreal. my camera couldn't do the surroundings justice.

we had a great time hiking around and exploring some of the different locations right on the outskirts of Moab before heading over to Arches National Park. it started to get pretty windy once we got the park, so we spent a lot of time oohing and awing from the car. bear and i both agree that we need to go back and spend an entire weekend camping and hiking.

however, for the short time we did spend in Moab, it was great. a perfect and beautiful stop before heading into Colorado.

6.04.2012

hey, june


can you believe it… june is here already! this month happens to be one of my favorites. my birthday, bear and i’s anniversary, dinners outside enjoying the warm summer evenings, cooking with the fresh vegetables from our garden, these are all things that make me happy. i truly couldn’t be more excited that this month finally has arrived.
   
a lot of my greatest memories have taken place in the month of june. like the time when bear bbq’d up some delicious baby back ribs and we ate outside in the flicker of candlelight. although we were only two feet away from our neighbor’s air conditioner blasting out some awful noise, cars passing by on the busy street only a couple yards away, and the night sky cloudy and hazy because essentially we lived in a city, it was still wonderful. i felt content sitting in my back yard with the one i love. enjoying my house, my city, and my life.

this past year has been a rough one. moving has really knocked the ground from under me and I haven’t felt like i have been able to stand back up. of course some days are better then others. but since we waved our goodbyes to new jersey, life has thrown us for a ride. i realize everyone moves, and everyone goes through life changes. mine are no different than anyone else’s, no worse, and no need for sympathy. but i realize that for me, change is very hard. it’s hard to go the grocery store and not encounter crotchety old woman. i mean, who wouldn’t miss that? i have a running list of things that I miss about living in new jersey, and i could bore you with all the details, but I won't.  i will tell you the number one thing that i miss about life in the east is the feeling of contentment.

so with all that said, june is my month, a clean slate, a fresh start, a new year, a time to shine, whatever you want to call it. it’s my time to move past this year, be hopeful and excited about the future, and be content in the life i am living right at this very moment.  

6.03.2012

Photography Update


a new engagement session is up on my photography blog.  
Go check it out here. 

5.31.2012

sometimes you just need to take a road trip

we just got back from our joyous road trip. 
it was so nice to get out of town and free our mind of work and research. 
although the wind never seemed to die down (notice the picture with our hair blown back. two seconds after that picture was taken Bear's hat and sunglasses blew off his head and the wind gust was so hard that it was impossible to stand in one spot) we had so much fun together. 
we explored/hiked around Moab, visited and spent time with family, 
ate at some delicious restaurants, and celebrated Memorial Day in beautiful Colorado.
i have a lot more pictures to share with you all, but for now enjoy some of my phone pics.