Lots to Catch Up On

My oh my it's been a busy week!  My trip to Minneapolis was very fun.  We attended a vendor appreciation cocktail hour on Wednesday night where Cleo engaged the marketing director for our client and I had a chance to contribute to their conversation and showcase my strong interpersonal communication skills.  On Thursday, the day of the actual event, myself and the other girl did a great job setting up all three booths while Cleo took a phone call from a vendor.  The event was great- the three products at my booth were all delicious, although the people tasting them liked my least favorite flavor the best.  To celebrate, after we had broken down the three booths, Cleo treated us to dinner at McCormack and Schmick- one of my favorite restaurants.  Sam took me there for my birthday last year, and I had the most amazing stuffed prawns of my life.  They do such great seafood and steaks and while some of their items are expensive, you can also find some reasonably priced salads and chicken dishes on their menu.

Cleo and I landed at LAX and drove back to Orange County around noon on Friday.  After getting up at 2:15 AM PST I was absolutely exhausted!  I tried my best to stay awake so that I could manage my sleep schedule and get my body back on time.  Unfortunately, doing laundry and dishes and cleaning the house only took me 4 hours and by 5pm I found myself nodding off in the easy chair by the sliding glass door.  I remember my mom calling me because my phone was vibrating in my lap and her ringtone was playing, but I was so completely exhausted I didn't even bother to open my eyes, made a mental note to call her later, and went back to sleep.

When I woke up at 7:45, my phone battery had died and it wouldn't charge.  What the heck?!  Sam came home a little after 8 and he drove us to our favorite Mexican take out restaurant, El Torro Bravo.  We settled down to watch some Hell's Kitchen on Hulu (a website that streams TV shows and movies) and enjoy our lovely carnitas, a pork tamale, and a sample of their carne asada. 

Saturday morning, Sam and I slept in and enjoyed his first golden weekend of this rotation.  I had to go into the Apple Store where they replaced my phone for some malfunction, but I was home in time for Carrie's arrival.  She came down from Manhattan Beach to celebrate her birthday with Sam and I per tradition.  We wanted to take her down to Stone Brewery, but the wait was going to be ridiculous and Carrie wasn't sure she'd love the menu.  Sam invited his co-intern Sohrab to meet us at Houston's (a place the three of us all enjoy) to celebrate her birthday.  The four of us had a great time, and everyone appreciated Sohrab's sense of humor and quick wit.  

Happy Birthday, Carrie!

Sunday, we ventured to the beach to meet up with Ryan and spend a few hours lying out in the sun before Carrie had to head back up to Los Angeles.  After walking her out, Sam and I headed to the grocery store to pick up supplies for the week.  In my family, Sunday night was the night for family dinner.  We did a lot of dinners with Nonna and Papa Santi on Sunday nights, which was always a treat, and I miss getting together to discuss the highs and lows of the week with my family.  In honor of all the Hell's Kitchen we've been watching and the contestants' lacking ability to make risotto, I decided to give a Gourmet Mushroom Risotto recipe from All Recipes a chance.  I think in hindsight I wouldn't use 2 pounds of mushrooms, they were a little bit overwhelming for me and I like mushrooms. Also, the color of the risotto was pretty dark compared to the picture.  I think that might have been from all the mushroom liquid incorporated into the risotto at the end.  I plan on going a bit lighter on the juice next time.  

Our awesome Sunday night dinner: risotto & asparagus by Gianna, Chicken by Sam, wine by Ferrari Carano.

And then, even better than our great food, Sam
treated me to a break and he did the dishes!