Merry Christmas '06

I just used a gift card I got two Christmases ago. It was for $25 at Hollywood Video. That shows you how much we rent movies despite loving them a ton. Anyway, I didn't rent. I bought. Two for $20. I am now the proud and way too excited owner of Once and Bourne Ultimatum. If you haven't seen them, shame on you. I wag my finger in your general direction. They're #6 and #11 on my favorite movies list.

Yes, I have a list. And I'm not embarrassed to say that it's my top 250. In order. Yeah, I said it.

My Best Friend

I realize the following statement is rather simplistic, but the simple things are often the best.

I really like spending time with my husband.

This is us at Christmas (what gave it away?), but it's one of the only pictures of us around. Anyway, he's on spring break this week, so we get an entire week of hanging out. Sure, today I worked on the new MFK website (coming soon!) and Kaz spend a couple of hours napping, but we were in the same room and got to smile at each other all day. He's a blast to be with, and we honestly don't ever get tired of each other. It's actually never happened. I consider myself one lucky wife.

I really like spring break.

Maybe I'll Open a Window

It's a beautiful March day outside. Beautiful. A perfect 73 degrees, a breeze, it's a Saturday... guess where I am?

On the couch. Watching basketball. Still in my pajamas. People are coming over for dinner in two hours. I really should get going. Really.

I should stop complaining that I'm pale. Apparently the sun does come out sometimes.

Datsa Spicy Meat-uh-ballah

I know you've got your favorite Italian restaurant, and I am by no means trying to make you convert from your beloved Macaroni Grill or Olive Garden, but you should give Salvino a try. It's tough to spot from the road, peeking out from behind a muffler place and wedged between a sports bar and a Jackson Hewitt. Location aside, it's a pretty tasty place.

I'm not a food critic. I'm not here to break down the cleanliness (it was clean) and the wait staff (very friendly and attentive) and the wine list (I know the difference between red and white). I just like to talk about good food when I eat it. So here it is.

The classic bread and olive oil combo at the start was really good. Crusty but not break-a-tooth bread and nice, spicy deep green olive oil. We ordered the gnocchi to start, and it was awesome. Gnocchi are Italian potato dumpling pasta things. The right texture is difficult to achieve, but these spinach gnocchi were deliciously tender, baked in a cheese sauce with gorgonzola cheese. So unexpected but really good. The caesar salad was nice and simple, and the house salad at the other end of the table looked really fresh. Everyone at our table was pretty happy with the entrees. My mother-in-law and I definitely got the best thing on the menu. Actually, it was a daily special not on the menu (but they always have it... go figure) - lightly pan-fried sea scallops in a butter white wine sauce with creamy spinach and angel hair. Shut-up, people. It was delicious. And even though we all needed assistance getting out of the restaurant, we still got a piece of cake to share - a lemoncello cake filled with mascarpone cheese. You can't see me, but I'm totally shaking my head right now since THERE ARE NO WORDS. I'd go just for the cake.

A few bucks more per person than grilling macaroni or gardening for olives, but it's definitely worth trying. Salvino Cucina Italiana on Battleground Ave. in the Big Lots shopping center next to the Jackson Hewitt. Yeah, I know. I didn't think they had restaurants there either.

Point, Shoot, Eat

Well, folks, here's my first shot at dabbling in my own food photography. The pictures on my website were taken by the fantastically talented Lucy Clement, but she can't be at my house every day to take pictures of what I cook.

(I'm working on a new website by the way that will have my recipes complete with pictures. I'll keep you posted.)

So anyway, here's the first collection. I call it Pizza. That's a joke by the way.

Considering it's just a glorified point-and-shoot camera, I think they're okay! Are you hungry? If they don't make you hungry, they're not good enough. I need watering mouths, churning stomachs, perhaps even a moan or two. That's when I know my pictures have arrived.

Okay, I'll keep working on it.

A Melancholy Goodbye

I cancelled my subscription to Real Simple today.

This magazine has practically been my domestic lifeblood since I started receiving it a couple of years ago. All of the recipes and the product reviews and the lists of things to have in your pantry, closet, bathroom, and car trunk. Indispensable information.

But last week I realized something. I am no longer the targeted RS reader. I don't have an iPhone. I don't buy tea in decorative tins. I don't splurge on a $1200 handbag. I don't send Christmas cards (much less the $42 for a box of six kind). I don't tip my mail carrier $50 on National Post Office Day. I don't buy organic produce. I don't care about mixing modern furniture with beautiful antiques. I'm not an account executive or pottery thrower. I don't host spring tea parties for my girlfriends. I don't consider Crate&Barrel my "bargain" store. And I don't vacation in Botswana. For real. That's where RS told me to go on vacation.

I wear t-shirts. I watch college basketball on a non-plasma TV. I buy wine that costs less than ten dollars, and I keep it way longer than I should. I don't have texting on my cell phone. I sleep in non-matching pajamas. I haven't purchased a swimsuit in three years. I buy groceries at Walmart. I don't wear heels or wedges or espadrilles. I still use Lysol and Clorox to clean my house. I don't own a sundress. I don't give hostess gifts. I have taken one for-real vacation since my honeymoon, and I've been married five and a half years.

I just don't think I fit the mold anymore. In some ways, I like that. I'm unique and will no longer be influenced when RS tells me to spray my hair with color serum to preserve shine and vibrance. But then again, no longer being relevant feels like I'm the ugly step-sister. I'm invited to family functions, but no one will talk to me or compliment me on my outfit.

This is the end of an era. Like when Joey and Chandler didn't live together anymore. Sad but necessary. So goodbye, Real Simple. Thanks for trying to improve my life with $75 umbrellas and a life coach who taught me to prioritize my dreams. I'll miss you.

Open Mouth. Insert VERY LARGE Foot.

I stuck my foot in my mouth last night. BIG TIME.

I got a phone call at dinner (with the lovely almost Mr. and Mrs. Stagner), and the caller ID said Melody Watson. Kaz and I both looked at the name on the phone, shrugged, and Kaz answered. Apparently Melody wanted to talk to me. Here's how the conversation went...

Me: "Hello?"

Her: "Hi, Kendra! This is Melody Watson!"

M: Who the heck is Melody Watson? "Hi, Melody! How are you?"

H: "I'm great! Do you have a minute to talk?"

M: Talk about what? "Well, we actually have some friends over right now, but go ahead and give me the quick version to get us going!"

H: Well, you didn't have to answer the phone if you have friends over. [I'm just assuming that's what she thought because that's what I would've thought.] "Sure! I was just calling to see if Monday was still a good time for you?"

M: Umm, what? "Monday... Monday... let me check my planner!" Oh my goodness, I hope I have something written down in my planner to let me know who this person is. Sigh. Crap. Monday's blank. No clues. "Well, I think Monday should work. Umm... remind me why we're getting together?" [Yes, I really said that.]

H: "You wanted my help on your website! I'm the Squarespace consultant that worked with your mom?"

M: Holy cow, I'm a moron. "Ooooh! Melody! Oh my goodness, the name just didn't click. Yes, Monday is great!"

H: "Wow, you're good! That was really subtle. I had no idea you didn't know who I was!"

Okay, friends, I'm saving you some work. If you don't know the name on the caller ID, pretend you're not home and trust that the message left on the answering machine will give you a hint. Not everyone will be nice and friendly when you carry on a conversation not knowing who they are! Fortunately, Melody was.

Thanks, Melody. I'm glad we can start off our professional relationship with a little humor. And I will never forget your name again.

A Simple Sneeze

Yesterday, I was doing my laundry, and I sneezed. It was a good sneeze, one of those that gives your whole body warm chills. Warm chills? Is that like jumbo shrimp? Anyway, it was a good sneeze. It reminded me of the one episode of 3rd Rock from the Sun that I ever watched. Remember that show? The one about the family of aliens that come to earth to gather information? I'm not sure if that was the premise or not; like I said, I only ever saw one episode. The older daughter (or wife... I'm not sure) caught her first cold on earth and sneezed. The whole family violently reacted to nose explosion, and the dad/husband asked, "What was that!?!" The sneezing alien said, "I don't know... but I want another one."

So to recap: I sneezed a really good sneeze, thought about the 3rd Rock sneeze comment, and thought about all of the other things that were great the first time and have just lost their zing, possibly by no fault of their own.

Do you remember the first time you were tickled? The first slice of pizza you ever ate? Your first trip to the beach? Granted, all of those things probably happened when you were three years old, but cut me some slack.

Maybe you're good at living in the moment, but I'm not always. My challenge for myself is to look at things like they're happening for the first time. Even a good sneeze can be something special. So take a minute, appreciate whatever's happening, and... gezundheidt.

Canada Kendra

There's another Kendra Adachi.

She lives in Edmonton, Canada. She takes pictures and is friends with some guy named Tyler who likes to pose in his underwear. She's single and a cashier at the T-Bo. I don't know what that is exactly. Maybe a grocery store or Canada's version of Walgreens.

I honestly didn't think another Kendra Adachi existed. Maybe that's conceited, but I have good reason! My first name is fairly unique. My last name is really unique (at least in the US). The combination of the two (I thought) was singular. Now I find there's another one, taking pictures and money somewhere in Canada.

I wonder if she's nice. I wonder if she likes her mom. I wonder if she enjoys cooking and eating. I sort of want her to give Kendra Adachi a good name. Okay, that does sound conceited. It's her name, too. She can be whatever Kendra Adachi she wants to be. It got me thinking though, and isn't that what a blog is for?

We represent ourselves by what we do, but when we follow Christ, we represent Him even more. We should honor the name of Jesus and not do anything to lessen that name in any way. It's the greatest name there is, and I have the privilege of being a reflection of His love, an ambassador for Jesus, for the Savior of the world. His name is the only name that matters. Mine becomes less and less as His becomes more and more. I feel so relieved by that. That takes so much pressure off of me, off my need to prove the truth. Thank God that the truth isn't contigent on me or on my name.

I hope Canada Kendra loves Jesus.