Date Nights

I've always been told that once you get married its a good idea to have a date night once a week. I've always thought that was a pretty cheesy idea but now I've kinda changed my mind on the subject. We've never really scheduled date time just because of the normal excuses... we have school and work and church and blah blah blah blah.. we do spend a lot of time together but we aren't very good at taking a night to do something different. We have decided as of last night to start doing this at least once a week. We will keep you posted on how well we actually do. Last week we saw Avatar which was our first 3D movie, Cliff posted about that earlier and his thoughts on it are the same as mine.. last night we ate at a hole in the wall burger joint down our street called Humdingers. It was pretty good, the shakes are especially delicious. We also played Scattergories and Clifford totally cheated BUT I will just have to get past it :) .... We are soo competitive its ridiculous....there were raised voices.. nothing was thrown though and the cops weren't called on us...although there's always next time :)

Might as well call it MAGIC!

I don't know how our parents did it and I wish they would do it again. Nothing beats a home cooked meal which are few and far between at the Eiffler household. Between classes and our hectic work schedule you won't find our hand that busy in the kitchen. It's not that Brynn and I cannot cook or lack the instruments to cook but when I think about putting together a meal I just default to the same things I have for over six years; Ramen, Burritos, Pasta. Maybe I get fancy whip out the Forman and cook up some grilled cheese but if the food doesn't come from a box, bag, or restaurant counter it doesn't seem to make it on our table. As newlyweds i've read that the habits we form now will carry on when we have kids, I sure hope they love Oriental flavor. Time will what may come but we have been making more of an effort to cook (which led to that fantastic roast this Sunday that pushed Brynn over the edge into becoming a "flexatarian") and with a little more digging I think we will be able to find recipes that work for us and become staples so that our kids will one day yearn for a little bit of dad's mac and cheese and mom's coke salad. By the way, when do we lose the newlywed moniker...?

-Clifford

Alas the mighty Zornanus has fallen!

My bad luck continues. No matter the cool event that I procure whether from the dark recesses of my mind or the shady corners of the web I just can't seem to get a cool adventure off the ground. Whether it's "mystery" soda at Safeway, a free show at the planetarium, or finding scaries at the Deaf school I think I can claim that I am the king of misadventure. Alas there was no screening Gentleman Broncos last night as the woman in the turquoise raincoat informed us that the studio had canceled it at the last minute. Darn, darn, darn! We did end up going to the most exquisite restaurant (to at least try one time, a bit on the expensive side but well worth the experience) the Claim Jumper. After bypassing the twenty minute wait by choosing to eat outside (not to bad considering the massive space heaters hanging over the table). Their food for the most part is anything to get excited about but the dessert... simply fantastic! We ordered the I declair eclair which is a massive eclair filled with custard, situated on a brick of ice cream, and surrounded by a fortress of whipped cream. Only ten dollars it's well worth the price (you are basically buying a cake) and definitely it's something you need a small army help to finish.

Worst of all as I typed post this morning I wandered over to Wilco's website to get info about their show in February at the Schnitz. SOLD the heck OUT! Which makes this day already rate a one. Maybe I shouldn't have even gotten out of bed. What makes me even more bitter (which I am prone to become) is the fact that other shows aren't sold out thus raising the sentiment that those cities don't deserve such a precious band. My message to Canada and the Midwest... a plague on both your houses.

Sunday dinner

Food is the quickest way to my heart. Bar none. One of the things that i've grown to love is spending Sunday with friends and having food, drinks, and games. This is a tradition that dates back to the days of Vatican I (ps very excited for the Vatican's Thanksgiving, Brynn and I are totally there) and one that remains dear to my heart. Hanging out around the firepit, kicking back a few, and relaxing. The week lying ahead never mattered because you were guaranteed to always be in good company. Now that tradition is revived in some form as we make our rounds in the Maplewood Ward, eating and greeting, getting to know the other couples of the ward. Granted the dynamics are a bit different with the odd kid thrown in here and there, negotiating bed times and shoe off rules, but it's just as great. The setting is reminiscent of the traditional American Sunday dinner, though admittedly growing up in my home we didn't have one, it was always guaranteed that we would be home to spend time with family because Sunday was usually a day that our busy bee activities didn't intrude to lure us away from the hive. I am so happy that we are in Portland, surrounded by so many friends and making new ones.