On wheels....

TRYING THEM ON!

THE FALL OF THE NINJA, AFTER 10 YEARS. OUCH!!

HER: Warmer days.... Happier days!
Spring is here! and we are EXCITED!!!
Outside activities. Along with these activities come the challenges! And we are up for them!

What I decided to call... The Margarita Effect...

HER: Going through some pictures from our trip to Florida... I discovered a picture slide scene created unintentionally, I rather think... Waiting for the guys to finish their Margaritas after having some ourselves....

1. Carrie and I acting cool... while waiting for Brian and Frank.
2. Carrie and I looking at who knows what....???
3. Carrie and I posing for the Camera... (after realizing that Frank had been taking some pictures).
4. Tired of waiting, Carrie decides to eat my ears...

How silly am I??? ...I thought that was funny...

Random quotes that I like to live by every day....

HER: "The only way to experience truth directly is to look within, to observe oneself. All our lives we have been accustomed to look outward. We have always been interested in what is happening outside, what others are doing. We have rarely if ever tried to examine ourselves, our own mental and physical structure, our own actions, our own reality. Therefore we remain unknown to ourselves. We do not know how harmful this ignorance is, how much we remain the slaves of forces within ourselves of which we are unaware ." -S.N.

"Life is all about the ability to control each of its aspects. Without control, there’s no power. Sometimes, it is not easy as it may seem, by the facts that we’re constantly exposed to an enormous amount of psychological stress and we’re easily influenced by our emotions and feelings. In fact, we’re only human beings. This is somehow my way thinking and living..."

"People smile when they’re happy, but they don’t realize that the act of smiling also makes us happy. In fact, smiling is simple, effortless and contagious. So why don't we just smile too?"

"Be fearless, but act with fear. When you act out of fear your decisions are not logical, but emotional. If you need to win, then you will lose. If you’re praying to win then you are fearful of losing. The best mentally is that of pure detachment."

"Cooperation is the key to success. Winning the trust and support of the others is through the complete identification with them. To accomplish identification you must not set yourself apart from the crowd, but remain one of the people in the crowd. It is not enough to be for the people; you must be of the people."

"Be open mind and avoid appearing rigid and dogmatic. A person that holds to the same position regardless of the situation is not as effective and successful as one that demonstrates a degree of flexibility."

"Enthusiasm is contagious. The more excited and passionate you are, the more exited people will become."

“Silence itself is a powerful form of communication. It’s easy to think of silence as being neutral. But the absence of a positive message can sometimes be as damaging as the presence of a negative one”

"There’s an undeniable fact about human nature that says: what you focus on is what you will move toward and for. Clear your mind, focus only on the outcome."

“Life is all about challenge. Whether it’s a battle of the mind or of the flesh, remember that all battles are first waged within the mind; it is there where you win or lose and then the outcome is manifested into the material world. Competition is competition, attack the mind of your opponent and you will divide him against himself and then he will fall before you, without a single touch.”
"Whenever possible do the unexpected and give no warning. Deception and surprise are key principles to confuse people. By acting without a pattern you throw them off balance."

"Confidence is extremely important in almost every aspect of our lives. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you look like or what you are wearing - as long as you are self-confident the world is yours..."

Throwing axes...

HER: I like to think of myself as a laid back but competitive person. Since I was raised in a city, my opportunities to be surrounded by nature were quite limited. We had to plan a special trip to escape from the busy - crazy - fun - bright- noisy city. Time went by and I discovered how much I love the great outdoors and all the magnificent sights and wonderful things you can do out there. There is so much to do!!!! And I am one of those people that wants to do it all and guarantees liking it all, while recommending everything as a must-try, at least once. Hiking, biking, rock climbing, fishing, shooting, skiing, surfing, sandboarding...... You name it!

Recently, I found myself trying something unsual that I have never heard before, but that I must recommend! It was so much fun, even though I wasn't very good at it (in other words.... I SUCKED!) But no hard feelings about it. Just an unending list of excuses that I could name off as I type: too cold.... my fingers were about to fall off.... first timer.... never seen anyone doing it before.... I am from the city.... have seen but never touch an axe... I am a girl and girls dont throw AXES.... "Axes?" you must be wondering.... and it is correct... after cutting some wood at a maple syrup festival that Frank and I went to. We discovered a game. All I can say it resembled a rustic dart board, with a rounded piece of wood, that had been nailed to a tree. You found yourself standing 20 feet from the target, throwing an axe. Some of you might be familiar with this activity, but I have never seen that in my life!!!!

Fascinated by this challenge, I decided to give it a try. I failed to get my axes to stick INTO the wood, but somehow I managed to throw the axe in such an ackward way that it landed perfectly ON TOP of the rounded wood..... How did I manage to do that....?!

On the other hand.... Frank insisted it was his first time too, but he managed to master the game. 5 of the 6 axes that were given to us found their target in perfectly lined order on the piece of wood.... How did he manage do that????

The interesting point of this is that the very same question is asked... but two different answers were given...

Dating Frank has been so much fun! He wants to do it all as well. I know I am guaranteed an amazingly awesome time, full of laughter and stories every time we get together.

.....I'd like to think he is like the my male version but even better.....

HIM: In all fairness to my small hometown, throwing axes is not a common occurrence. There will be few people "familiar" with the activity... It's not something we do on Saturday nights while waiting for the cows to come home, or anything like that. That being said, thowing axes seems to me to be very easy. =)

Vanessa and I have the same taste in activities, food, philosophy, history, and thought, so when she says that she is a female version of me, that's pretty accurate. She's wrong about the "better" part, but she is so much fun. We have a great time, as you can see from our blog.

The update is coming......

HER: We have been running all over the place since this site went up.
More info soon! Stay tuned! You don't wanna miss out!

HIM: Ya, we have been busy in matters of work, house and heart. There is a lot of good content coming soon! So, don't forget to check back often!

Tuesday NIGHTS!

HER: AHA! It is not what you are thinking.... (dirty minds could lead to dirty thoughts....VERY SNEAKY).

Tuesday Nights were started a week ago actually. As we enjoy dining and wine... we decided to create a night of casual dining. In other words, a sandwich night with the wine of our choice.
It works out great, since Tuesdays are my days off. I get to pick the ingredients and we confection the sandwich together.

Last week's sandwich consisted of a grilled portobello mushroom wrapped in turkey pastrami and lorraine cheese with a homemade garlic-mozzarella-basil focaccia bread. It was great! The wine that we chose was a riesling from California.....

Last night (since it is after midnight as I type this), as another Tuesday night, we had special guests. Carrie Chastain (Friends with Frank since infancy, who I recently bonded with since we went to Florida) and Brian (Frank's cousin from Florida, who I met over the holidays). "THE PUAS" together again....

The sandwich: a potato-rosemary loaf with a basil tapenade spread (anchovies, capers, kalamata olives, garlic, roasted bell-peppers, parmesan, pepper), cajun roast beef, baby swiss and mozzarella.
The wine: Gewurtstraminer from Oliver.
The company: AWESOME!!

As always, there is nothing better than having great friends over for dinner. Laughs, talks and some wine -- EVEN BETTER! What happens at Frank's stays at Frank's......... ;)

Blogalicious...

HIM: Welcome to our place! Stop in to hear the latest of Vanessa and Frank's adventures! Skiing, wineries, restaurants, laser tag, swimming, chatting, cooking, and anything else you can think of... Count on pictures and stories from our travels, as well as the premium commentary you've come to expect from us. =) We look forward to your visits!