Yoroshiku Date

For our "Friday Night Date Night," Michael and I decided to try something new to keep things interesting. We wanted to have something we don't normally have and decided on ramen. We headed to the Wallingford neighborhood to Yoroshiku for a traditional northern Japanese meal and it did not disappoint!



To start we ordered some drinks, sake and beer for Michael, a french red wine for me, and some pickled veggies. Then we got some yakitori (grilled meat skewers) which were delicious.


From top to bottom: Mochi wrapped in bacon, tsukune, pork belly, and beef. Yumm! I loved the mochi one the best, just because it was so interesting in its texture.

For our entree Michael had the Modern Yaki(soba), and I got the ramen. Both were delicious!



If you're ever in Wallingford, this is a must-go! The food and service was exceptional, and we loved the authentic experience.

What's a meal without dessert though, right? For some reason, on our drive over, we parked in front of this place that served fresh made churros, and I couldn't help myself.


Hope you all are enjoying your weekend :)

Red Mind, Red Velvet

My mind as of this moment is red. Not Taylor swift red, head-achy red where I close my eyes and see red. Ow. Perhaps it's due to gluing my eyes to screens: phone screen, laptop screen, work computer screen, kindle screen, tv screens then repeat. Not to self, keep eyes away from screens if possible.

On the topic of red, belove is a photo of a red velvet cake I devoured on Friday night with Michael and his friend Matt. It was delicious, but I've realized that I've been eating a tad too many desserts! But it was our first time at Kingfish Cafe, which did not disappoint. I don't normally eat southern food, so it was definitely amazing letting loose with some chicken wings, fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, and some collard greens. My mouth is still salivating and that's a lot of chicken I ate in one night.


My weekend was pretty productive writing-wise. I hammered away on my second draft that I feel very burnt out today and my mind is somewhat a mush. It's really crazy how not much of the first draft is kept in the second. It's like writing a new story, but not, since it's just rewriting the clearer version of the original story. Does that make sense? Perhaps not since my brain is red achy.

Oh yeah, and that Seahawks won their championship game which is pretty cool. Not really into football, but it's nice to see work and the city decked out in blue and green.

Hoping you all have a good Monday that isn't so red :P

Writing is a marathon.

Volunteer Park during my run on Wednesday.
I always wonder when it'll be done. I can make timelines and set deadlines as long as I want, but it's the matter of getting it done. How many drafts will it take until I know it's complete?

I'm about a fourth done with the second draft of Manuscript #2, but even now I can already tell that there will be a need for a third draft. So I wonder, how many drafts will it take? From the several books and writing blogs I've read, it averages around four to nine drafts, but really, it's difffernet for everyone. I can only hope I'm in the lower spectrum of the range. But boy am I getting worn out and completely fatigued. I feel like although I keep going, the end is never in sight...

So I'm writing this post to lift my spirits. Writing is a marathon, Michelle. And from the experiences of running half-marathons, I should know that the middle of the run is the worst part. So, think of this writing part of the journey as the middle of a run. It sucks like hell, but the only option is to keep going. Not only that, the beauty of writing is in the attempt, for one cannot succeed without trying. I just need to remind myself that. I truly enjoy the story I'm writing. I love the characters I have created. I gotta keep going.

Sometimes I wonder if I will ever be a published author. But then I remind myself that it doesn't matter if I'm published. And it doesn't matter if my novel isn't finished this year. What matters is that I keep working at it because I can't imagine my life without writing. Yesterday I finished yet another journal. I'm definitely over 20 completed journals, that's for sure. So doesn't that tell me something?

I just can't seem to stop writing.

Monday mani's and pedi's and good-bye's

The weekend went by too quickly. Monday I woke up slightly bummed that my sisters would be leaving in the evening. It's strange living away from my mom and sisters when they've been around me my whole life...

For brunch we went to Coastal Kitchen, which turned out to be a hit. I love that place! Gingerbread waffle with orange butter, marionberry jam on whole wheat toast, fresh cut fruit, spicy hashbrowns, and awesome veggie stuffed omelettes. Yummm.

Afterwards we went to get mani's and pedi's, which was a treat for me, since I don't normally do that kind of thing. Most of my leisure money is spent on books, coffee, and wine :P So it was really kind of my eldest sister to take us out.

Then we went back to my apartment to relax, read, and catch up on some tv shows. I'm currently obsessed with HBO's "Girls." Then the time came where I had to take them to the airport, which was a major bummer for me to go back home to the empty apartment. However, Michael did return late that night. So now the apartment isn't too quiet.

It was a very great weekend overall, which kind of makes it difficult to get back into the groove of  a routine. Not to mention exercising and eating well after all of the deliciousness the past weekend! Luckily, the weather will be nice this week so I really don't have any excuses to get a few runs in!

Staple and Fancy Sunday

At Kerry Park to see the skyline. Kind of horrible and windy photo, but it's the only one we have together.
On Sunday we took it very easy. I made breakfast for my sisters (gluten-free pancakes with agave, eggs, and sliced oranges) and then we all kind of just started reading in the living room.

Once the afternoon hit, we got ready and headed to Kerry Park in Queen Anne to the see skyline. Afterwards, I took my sisters to see the Ballard neighborhood. We had some wine and snacks at Portalis before heading to Staple and Fancy for our reservation.

Mac n' Cheese at Portalis
Veal pot pie at Portalis
Staple and Fancy was one of the first restaurants that Michael took me to. Ever since I've met him, we've gone three times, but this fourth time around was with my sisters, but all thanks to Michael of course, who paid for our meal even though he wasn't able to be there with us.

The cool thing at Staple and Fancy is that you have a choice of not ordering and simply letting the kitchen take care of you. We opted for that choice, so every dish that came to our table was a fun surprise (so forgive me, I don't know what they all are). The dinner was split into four courses: appetizers, pasta dish, the main, and then dessert.

Appetizers:

That's mackeral on top
Soup, though I forgot what kind it was :/ It was very delicious though!
Mozzarella 
White fish with blood orange and olives
Dungeness Crab fritter with aioli
Caesar Salad
Some type of delicious meat with pomegranates and a wine reduction
Pasta Dish:

Spicy potato gnocchi with clams
Main:

An amazingly delicate trout fish with cucumber and radish salad on top
Not sure what the meat was, but it tasted super tender and savory with the onion puree, roasted potatoes and carrots.
Dessert:

Cheesecake with huckleberries 
Coconut cake topped with gelato.
It was a great way to spend our relaxing Sunday. My two sisters have already been to Seattle before, so since there wasn't much sight seeing left to do. The trip was more of an exploration of food in Seattle. Or at least, my favorite places to eat and drink :)

Surprise Flowers and Sisters

My spirits were increasingly better Friday then they were Thursday. Then it turned out even better at work when I was called up to the receptionist desk. Turned out Michael had ordered flowers to be delivered to me. I've received flowers before, but I never had them delivered which was such a sweet gesture. Jeez I miss him! Can't wait for him to come back home!



Then at work the big boss took us out to lunch at Seastar, which was great seeing as I've been snacking all week instead of eating meals (since I absolutely suck at cooking). I had a crab bisque and scallops with truffles, yummmm.

For the evening I went to Purple after work for some wine and snacks with a dear co-worker and friend which set off the weekend right.

Then Saturday afternoon, my sisters arrived right when the windstorm hit. But it all turned out fine. We went to get lunch at Din Tai Fung in Bellevue for some dumplings then I took them to Bottlehouse.

(Taken from my sister's Instagram)
Olives, three cheeses, and wine at BH
Truffles at BH
After we headed home and got some delicious baked cookies at Hello Robin and rented "I Give It a Year," which was hilarious and my second time watching it!
Matcha green tea cookie, Macklesmore, Classic chocolate chip, Whole wheat chocolate chip with sea salt, and Habenero chocolate chip!
Then we went to my fave speakeasy, Knee High Stocking Co. for some cocktails and their absolutely amazing tots (that I forgot to take a picture of)!
"Midnight in the Garden"
Tune in to my blog tomorrow to see how my sisters and I spent Sunday in Ballard!
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