YEAR 25

With my 25th birthday quickly approaching I thought it would be great to layout things I want to accomplish this upcoming year. Last year was a great year for me with a lot of life changing events and moments. I find it much easier to be motivated when I have a goal in mind. I enjoy doing predetermined tasks and reaching goals I set for myself. The following list is not set in stone and items will be added throughout the year.

1. Finish painting all the rooms in my house- 2 bedrooms, 1 office, and 2 bathrooms

2. Read more! At least one book a month. Make time to sit and relax and continually educated myself.

3. Saving account total $X

4. Plant a garden in my backyard. Build a 12'x5'x16" garden box, fill with local organic soil, plant organic seeds, and harvest the vegetables when they are ready. This will help me to be self sustaining and save money

5. Plant trees!

6. Work out at least 4 times week for a minimum of one hour each visit to the gym

7. Take a digital photography class at the local community college or camera store

8. Make one new girl friend this year

9. Show Damien I love him every day. Do sweet random acts of kindesss.

10. See the world I live in. Travel to at least 3 different states this year.

11. See Cathleen in person. Enjoy a day talking and getting to know each other more. I have wanted to do this for over 10 years and am so glad that she is in my life again.

12. Plant flower bulbs in my yard. That way I can enjoy flowers every year

13. Ride my bike! To work, to the store, for fun, with friends, for excercise, etc. Better than being stuck in a car and it's better on the body and the environment.

14. Give presentations! This will help improve my public speaking skills and increase my confidence.

15. Lose weight and tone. Numbers 6 and 13 should help me with this goal.

16. Dance with Damien outside under the stars when we are all alone even if there is no music playing

17. Bake vegan deserts and cook vegan meals for family and friends!

18. Run a 5K

VEGAN COCONUT CAKE

Need I say more? I made this lovely vegan two layer coconut cake from scratch. It was a two day process but totally worth the time. Much to my suprise (after previously failed attempts) I created quite possibly the most fluffy, light, not too sweet coconut frosting. As for the cake it was incredibly moist yet still had a certain level of lightness to it.

I have purchased many single pieces of this cake at bakeries and restaurants for around $5 a slice. An entire cake at the store runs on average $60. Are you thinking what I am thinking? Sunny's bakery??? lol.

Damien and I brought it to work to share with people and everyone who tried it said it was amazing and people keep asking the both of us when another cake will be brought to work. What a compliment! Of course when I made it we ended up bring part to work, eating a little bit, throwing half of it away since there is no way we can eat that much cake. My co-workers are anxiously awaiting the arrival of another coconut cake!

SWEET LEMON

Damien and I went on our first official date to Sweet Lemon and have been going at least once a week since then (sometimes more if they have coconut cake!) Thank you Sweet Lemon for your delicious and healthy vegan food!

Phoung and Minh you inspire Damien and me- 22 years together and happy as ever! You travel the world supporting causes and advocating on issues you hold near and dear to your heart. You spend time and resources on the homeless of Portland by serving your vegan meals and spending time getting to know the individuals you serve. You promote being green and vegan as a way of life.

I love your "homestyle" restaurant as you put it and how each time I walk through your door I am greeted so warmly with "HI SUNNY!" Each customer of yours means so much to you and you pay attention and remember them. Your green and yellow walls remind me of my own colorful home even with the same color choices. I appreciate your willingness to make the "Sunny Special" versions of each dish. Each time I bring in a friend you make them feel as though you have known them for years.

Sunny's top choices: Pad Thai, Nobel Noodles, Divine Thai Wrap, supreme salad rolls, heavenly kabob, coconut cake, very berry cake, peach cake

Damien's top choices: Guru Island, Glory Rice, supreme salad rolls, dancing drumsticks, coconut cake, very berry cake, peach cake

If you haven't done so please go experience their wonderful dishes. Vegans, vegetarians, and meat eaters alike can all appreciate the flavors and textures of Phoungs dishes. They are located in the Bethany Village near Walgreens and QFC. Tell them Sunny sent you!

YEAR 24...

Wow year 24 of my life was amazing! So many life changing events and memorable moments. Below are a few of the highlights.

1. Purchased a house!
2. Travel outside of the state alone
3. Presented at a national conference in Washington DC
4. Had my heart broken (a 4 year old can change your life is ways inconceivable)
5. Fell in love!
5. Got to know my sister Lindsey a lot more
6. Gained much needed confidence and developed a strong sense of self
7. Reconnected with my sister Misty
8. Went to a car lot all by myself and purchased my car
9. Not positive- was rear ended and had someone hit my car and run off both while at work.
10. Painted my house- it now has a "Sunny" personality
11. I grew grass from seed in my yard and it looks awesome!
12. Went to Arizona for the first time- I saw the Grand Canyon and went to Sedona! -Thanks Damien
13. Saw Ray LaMontagne in concert with Damien and Lindsey- His songs speak to my heart
14. Marked year 5 for me working at the homeless shelter
15. Met the Governor of Oregon- he recognized me for the work I did with the summer food program in Washington County. I had my picture taken and had a one on one chat.
16. Met the coolest neighbors- Marcos, Gillianne, and Inari. I have great fun spending time with them!
17. I reconnected with my sweet cousin Cathleen after 10 year apart. I love you Cat!
18. Saw Avenue Q on stage at the Keller Auditorium

YOU ARE THE BEST THING

Damien- this song will always remind me of you! You are the best thing to ever happen to me and I love you...more!

Baby, it's been a long day, baby. Things ain't been going my way you know i need you here you clear my mind all the time. And baby the way you move me, it's crazy. It's like you see right through me and you make it easier. Believe me, you don't even have to try.

oh, because you are the best thing. You are the best thing to ever happened to me.

Baby, we've come a long way and baby. You know i hope and i pray that you believe me, when i say this love will never fade away.

Oh, because you are the best thing. You're the best thing to ever happened to me.

Both of us have known love before. To come on up promising like the spring and walk on out the door. Our words are strong and our hearts are kind. Let me tell you just exactly what's on my mind.

Oh, because you are the best thing. You're the best thing to ever happened to me.

WORKING OUT- LOVE IT, HATE IT

Damien and I have been going to the gym for over a month now. I must say having a workout partner has made all the differnce in the world. We have been very consistant about going to the gym, whether it be in the morning or after work we go on average four times a week. YAY us!

As someone who enjoys multi-tasking and continually being busy I find doing cardio machines quite difficult. I enjoy the workout and the health benefits but an hour on the eliptical or the bike, or the tredmill becomes extremely boring. Typically I have a magazine or book in hand to help pass the time. Others listen to their ipods, as much as I love my ipod and bring it everywhere with me blasting music through earbuds into my head gives me a pouding headache- call me crazy but how could it not! I would watch the TV's they have installed in the celine however there are only 2 stations on- one sports (no thanks!) though it does have captions, and the other is CNN. The CNN station usually covers very intersting stories which I would love to read/hear about however there is no sound and no captions! Totally lame! This morning they grilled the AIG executives on the bonuses (from the stimulus money aka out tax payer's dollars!) distributed to themselves and other top employees- don't even get me started with that. Back to my original thought I will do cardio if I am next to Damien and have something to read but only because I know it's "good for me".

So what you may ask do I enjoy doing at the gym? Classes, I love participating in the classes! Mainly because I am what some would call a "social butterfly" and classes allow me to interact with others. Secondly because the workout is continually changing. Third because it allows me time to relfect, relax, and think. It's so nice to have an hour where I don't have to worry about work, my house, money, etc. Yoga is incredible and helps with strength and flexibility. When I begin the class I can tell my body is kinda stiff from sitting at my desk all day long but when I am done every muscel is relaxed and I can easily bend over and touch the floor. My other love at the gym bodyworks! This hour long class set to peppy uses light weights to tone the body. I always walk away from that class feeling very good about myself. It's important to do a balance of the boring cardio with the fun strength building classes. The third class I have recently joined is Latin Impact. Talk about a fun way to do cardio. This hour long class teaches fast past latin dance moves. What a hoot. The instructor really makes the class what is, she is friendly, outgoing, and hillarious. I think I burn more calories laughing in that class than I do dancing. I would recommend this class to anyone who is looking for a fun new way to exercise.

So to recap- cardio machines are boring, cardio and strength classes rock. I love working out and especially enjoy working out with Damien. Ultimate goal to look cute in my summer dresses and feel good about myself!

DAY FOR AN IRISH GIRL

May you always have walls for the winds,
a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,
laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,
and all your heart might desire.

I always enjoy today as I am a fair skin, red-head irish girl whose grandfather was born in Ireland. Today I thought I would continue on my quest to find new and delicious vegan recipes. I searched my Vegetarian Times magazines, searched online, and browsed through my cookbooks for the perfect irish meal. At the end of the day I found two recipes that I combined to make a twist on a traditional Irish Stew. It was amazing! Definitely one of the most delicious meals I have ever made. It was simple and included carrots, celery, potatoes, mushrooms, kale, barley, water, soysauce, and yeast extract. I cooked the stew down in a pot on the stove and then transferred it to a glass baking dish. I covered the entire dish with homemade mashed potatoes and baked the dish for 25 minutes. The result was an amazing, perfectly cooked dinner for two.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

AN OFFICIAL BLOGGER NOW

I want to start by thanking Miss Hayley for introducing me to the world of blogging. What a wonderful way to keep in touch with friends and family members and share what is going on in my life. I plan on using this blog to stay in touch with those I am close to- my mama, sisters, cousins, friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc. With work and home life being so busy I am finding it increasingly more difficult to find time to write emails to everyone I want to keep in touch with. Myspace and facebook seems so juvenile now as it is all about silly survey's and who wants to be your friend. I have been searching for something more meaningful and personal and this seems appropriate for where I am in my life right now.

I have recently re-discovered the world of Vegan cooking after my wonderful cousin Cathleen surprised me with a gift of a vegan cookbook. I have been a little homemaker lately trying new recipes and new foods and creating wonderful dishes for myself and Damien. After one to many trips to Sweet Lemon for coconut cake I thought I would give Vegan baking a try. Much to my (and Damiens) surprise my cooking and baking is actually quiet yummy. Damien laughs as he says to me "who knew you were such an amazing chef!?" I will post pictures and maybe if you're lucky the secret recipes I come up with :) Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading my blog and learning more about the life that is Sunny!