They are called Gomoku no Moto

Last week, like a good little Japanese girl I had to eat my mochi. It brings good luck for the new year and it is a family tradition. The only thing problem was that I didn't have any homemade mochi (which I have always had when I was in Utah or if my parents come and visit) so off to the Asian market I went. I quickly found the mochi, (I could tell it was the display because of all the other unprepared Asians swarming around it.) As I was walking around the store, I decided I wanted some other Asian comfort food. During the holidays, my dad usually will make 'gunny sacks'. They are seasoned fried bean curd that looks like a little sack that you can stuff with rice and prepared veggies (from a can) I walked down the aisle that it should have been on and looked all over. I could find the gunny sacks, but not the veggies. This is where I do not represent the Japanese people very well. I had no idea what the veggies were called, or what they actually were. So I decided to phone my dad and ask him. (he knows everything right?) Wrong. We both sat there trying to remember what it was called while I wandered aimlessly through out the rest of the store. By the end of the conversation, I was no closer to finding the missing veggies and my dad had displayed that he is no better of a Japanese person either! (but it was nice because we could laugh about it and give each other a hard time) My dad had decided that he would bring me a couple of cans (he knew where they were located in his local Asian Market in Utah) up in March when they visit next and I was happy with that.
But what came in the mail today? A sweet little care package filled with all sorts of delicious Japanese goodies, including Gunny sacks (which for future reference are called Inarizushi no Moto, seasoned fried bean curd) and veggies (called Gomoku no Moto, prepared vegatables)! Also in the pack are some ginger cookies, wafers, Mochi, some Botan rice candy and, of course, fortune cookies (my favorite. Where else can you get a great bit of advice from a dessert!) Thanks, Dad and Mom for the wonderful care pack. It just makes smile to see all the great treats! It also makes me hungry, off to cook....

Goodbye old friend

(Not a picture of ours, but it looked like this)

Last week my father decided to sell their 1988 motor home. This had been the motor home we have taken all of our 'family' vacations in for the last 22 years. I remember all the trips we took in it:
Montana about a million times
Bear Lake about a billion times
St. George every Easter for about 5 years
California (Redwood Forest and a different time to Disneyland/Seaworld)
Oregon Coast
Washington
Idaho
South Dakota to see Mt. Rushmore
And everywhere in between.
It has been a great member of the family and will be missed, but it was time to let someone else have the fun in it. Since we have all grown up, my parents only used it once every year so it was more of a money pit than a savings like before.
I always remember the gas fill ups where my mom and me would go and raid the ice cream section of the convenient store. She would always buy my dad a cup of ice and pull the Nilla wafers out of the cupboard to help him stay awake for the rest of the rides. During my mom's shift, which usually included the straightest part of the road trip, we would sing oldies and make each other laugh while my dad would take a rest. (He would nap until either we would wake him up with our laughter or the rumble strips on the side of the road would jostle him awake.) All my happy road trip memories were in that motor home. Thanks for all the good time, old friend, you will be missed.

It was 42 years ago today

My parents have been married a whopping 42 years today! This is the point where I should talk about how they have inspired me (which they have) and say how their love is stronger today than it was 42 years ago (which would be an assumption because I wasn't there 42 years ago), but I am just an outsider looking in on their relationship.
All I can say is that they have taught me a lot about marriages. Like while 'love' is great to get you through the good times, you have to at least 'like' the person a lot in a marriage to get you through the bad. They have never taken their 'love' too seriously and by that I mean they aren't for PDAs and very often in serious situations their response is to crack a joke. (this is also why I have very few pictures of them just smiling, but instead they mostly look like this.) If love is important, laughter has to be almost just as important. I love to hear them giggle when I call them only to find them in the car, on a ride back from an impromptu Wendover trip to go gambling. (they act like two high school kids that just got busted for sluffing school.) And that brings me to another thing they have taught me: you have to keep having adventures, even if it is just a trip to the store, always make the trip entertaining.
Their relationship isn't a fairytale, but is more real and true than most out there. And while they have bickered and fought along the way, there is no doubt in my mind that they were made for each other and love each other very much! Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad!

Craziness in the pack!

When we were out a few weeks ago we stopped at Trolley Square to eat lunch at Rodizio Grill. It was so good, if you get a chance you should definitely try it. Afterwards it was serious meat-hangover, but it was so worth it. After lunch we went shopping at the few stores left at poor Trolley Square.  My dad found these goggles in a store so he bought them. Of course, we all had to try them on.  Good times!  We were laughing so hard.  Love the pictures!