Achieving Your Life Mission

I saw this book in Deseret Book's mail advertisement a couple months ago and decided to check it out from the library. Although nothing Wright says is really new to me, he presented the same old stuff in a new light.

My favorite part is the exercises at the end of each chapter. Sometimes I feel like I don't know how to go about change in my life, but the exercises gave me direction and a renewed sense of purpose. I also loved the numerous quotes and guidance from the prophets and apostles. I was sorry to return it to the library, but hopefully I'll find it under the tree in a few weeks. :)

Bang Bang Chicken and Shrimp @ Cheesecake Factory!

We'll make this a quick recommendation, since pretty much anything you order from Cheesecake Factory is bound to be 100% amazing. We went there in San Antonio today for my birthday lunch. Ty and I always share lunch since the portions are huge, and we can't go to C.F. without having cheesecake (its pretty much a sin in our house).

So, we ordered the Bang Bang Chicken and Shrimp. Description: A Spicy Thai Dish with the Flavors of Curry, Peanut, Chile and Coconut. Sautéed with Vegetables and Served over Steamed White Rice. See below.

Seriously. 100% yumminess.

It was scrum-didlee-umptious. We also had the Wild Blueberry White Chocolate Cheesecake. Also 100% amazing. I don't understand why it has to be so far away! Ok, so I actually do, but I wish I could live closer to one :P

Have you ever had a piece of cheesecake here and not like it? I didn't think so.

So there you have it! Another dish to try at Cheesecake Factory!

Love,

changes

Alright...so 2009 is almost over and our little book club is a bit dusty. So I'm making an executive decision and changing the focus of the blog. Just make it a platform to share stuff you think is cool. Then there's no pressure to read anything and there's no deadlines.

First Quarter Book

Now that Makamae's wedding is over and no one has expressed an opinion either way, I'll pick The Hunger Games for our first book of 2009. Hopefully it's not a dud. So ya'll have till the end of March to get this one read.

New Book

I'm picking the next book we're reading and I'm having a hard time deciding. What do you guys think?

• Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri-- a collection of fictional short stories about Indian (like from India- not Native Americans) immigrants
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins-- a young adult science fiction story of survival
• The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale-- a young adult fantasy book about a princess who is betrayed and must hide her identity to survive until she can reclaim the crown
• Dying for Chocolate by Diane Mott Davidson-- a culinary mystery

HUGE FAT FAIL

Okay...so I am a failure. There is no way I'm going to finish The Host in time. And I don't know if I'll ever finish it. I have to return it to the library in about a week and a half. I still have like 1000 pages left to read. Alright- not 1000, but it sure feels that way. Maybe the next book we read should be shorter.

Just an Observation

Its funny because as I was reading the blog during work (yeah that's bad, but when people aren't calling in there's really not much to do), I notice that you guys do a lot of "food reviews". I don't know why but it just cracks me up. Like you guys should be like critics for restaurants or for people to go out the the restaurant...if that's the case I can do it too!

So I went to Kabuki the other night. Its a sushi place (go figure look at the name). Its one of the restaurants located in the middle of the "high roller/big balla" mall aka Victoria Gardens. Its funny because any sushi place I go to I compare it to Happy Sumo. Anyways back to Kabuki....

The place is pretty neat, but I do have to say it isn't a very spacious place. The ironic thing about this place is that its owned by Koreans, who would've thought? Anyways..it has the asian inspired, but the ceiling is what tripped me out. Its like different, I guess you could say heights, but yeah pretty Modern looking place. But like you go to a place for atmosphere...well I don't. I'm all about the food of course, and that's all that matters.

So sushi selection I would say is like any other sushi place. You know pick whatever from the bar. I do have to say that Happy Sumo had more different types of rolls, but this place is like any normal sushi place. You know have the regulars...like a spicey tuna roll, spider roll. I am a little disappointed because they don't have any signature rolls. I think that's what makes the sushi place "memorable", like you can't get that role unlesss you go to that certain place, you know what I'm saying??? Yeah anyways there's nothing real special. But since its in an "expensive" area they'll always have business.

Straight to the food. Now for appetizers, the give you complimentary edamame, which I freakin' love, I could snack on those things forever...ugh...anyways I've become a fan of soft-shell crap and so I always get a spider role. Its sooooo good, and then I had a regular Cali roll. Then I shared a plate of ribs, and its the type of ribs that asians use....I forget what they're called, but yeah that. It was pretty good, it had that charred taste to it, like it was barbequed. MmmMMMm. Then for desert there was mochiko. It was ice cream balls surronded by this rice flourish type of dough. I love mochiko, especially when Dad makes it or Lola (my grandma).

The service was pretty good. All the workers or majority of them are asian, so for the most part they're courteous and on top of their tables getting food and what not. Its funny because the server looked like she was 12, lol Like our cousin de ette... or Lois is her name.

So overall as a "rating" its okay, but really you can cut better deals with sushi somewhere else with the same amount of quality and such, but on the other hand, I didn't pay for it :p