A New Chapter...A NEW BLOG!

It's official....I think that this is the final post of the RICH and STACIE blog and all posts will now be at ....

http://growingupmeyer.blogspot.com/

Of course, there is still a Rich and Stacie, but our family is continuing to expand...so all our adventures will be at the new home!  Thanks for being part of our lives!

XOXO,

S&R

A weekend retreat...

A few months back...Rich and I decided that we need to plan for a 3-day weekend...no work, no phones, no internet...just US (Chukar too)!

So we headed out Saturday morning to Lake Quinault Lodge in Quinault, WA...both of us have always wanted to visit the Olympic National Forest and this was the first time we were able to go together.

Here is a picture of Rich and Chukar in Aberdeen...after lunch of Saturday!  The weather was beautiful all weekend and we were blessed witha great time!  A soul recharge! Much needed time together to collect ourselves after the past few months of craziness....

Saturday night...we arrived at the lodge and just relaxed and had a nice dinner.  So peaceful...no TV's, no cell phone reception, no internet...it was a small business owners dream come true!

On Sunday, we hiked up to see the World's Largest Spruce...on our way up, I had to hold up this tree so that Chukar and Rich could get through the trail ;)

Next up on the trail was this giant ROCK wall...the picture does not do it justice!

A cool like footpath along the way!

Bam, the TREE!  It was giantic...54 plus feet around!

This gives you a little more perspective of the size....

One final look before we headed out on our way!

Next stop on Sunday was the Pacific Ocean...and a beautiful Washington beach!  There was actually wonderful sand...amazing, for a Washington beach.

Our little poser...never one to miss a photo opportunity!

Ok, it's a little cliche...but come on, we were at the beach...and it was a MUST!

My BOYS! 

Just a cool shot of the beach...I can't believe how peaceful and serene it was!

On our way back, we took another little detour to visit the world's largest Sitka Spruce...

Holy smokes...it was large and in charge!

Monday morning, it was time to head home, but not before we enjoyed some more time on the deck at Lake Quinault Lodge!

Chukar was even able to get in a morning swim before we hit the road!

The awesome resort...definitely a great place to re-charge your batteries!

On our way home, we travelled the Lake Quinault Loop...a 2 hour detour around the lake...but well worth it!  Look at this awesome waterfall!

And, of course, my posing boys!

On the way our of the National Forest...we saw a herd of ELK...must have been about 30!

The weekend was coming to an end...but our batteries were recharged to 100%!  Now back to the real world and life as we know it...however, our positive outlooks have been regained and we know that great things await our family this year!

From Iowa, with Love!

It's been a while...but life has been nuts!
Last weekend (or the weekend before)...oops...

My mom and I hosted a BABY shower for my sister...and got to visit with her the ENTIRE weekend and help plan the move back to Seattle!
Yippee, she's coming home...

Of course, my camera was broken...so THIS is the picture that I have from the shower!

Jenn and I as the festivities began...

The weekend held lots of family time and dinners and breakfasts and more...and it's so nice to know that these will become a little more regular this summer when Jenn, Danny and Baby O'Malley move "home"!

A picture of the "Boness" ladies from dinner the last night...

And then one of Dad with his Girls!!!

Then, of course, the Girls with their boys!

It was such a fun weekend! Now to get back to work...I promise, I'll blog more soon!

New Month, New Healthy Meals!

A few months ago, Rich and I decided to learn from our experiences and to start trying to eat healtier...meals with less sodium, low-fat, but lots of flavor. We've struggled with this a little due to being busy with work and life, but have finally made the committment in March to get healthy! Our goal is 5-fold...5 home cooked dinners together each WEEK! I know, seems like a lot to ask, but with a little planning we think we can be successful!

This weekend we tried a couple new recipes and both turned out great! From sparkpeople.com, we made a Skillet Lasagna (with ground chicken and pesto). The flavors molded together very nicely and we were pleasantly surprised. It was even better as left-overs on Sunday for lunch.

Tonight for dinner, we made Chicken Marsala, Mashed Potatoes and sauteed brussel sprouts. I have always wanted to make chicken marsala at home and I think we nailed it. We improvished from a recipe at Allrecipes.com, and eliminated the half a stick of butter and excess salt. Very delicious and fits into our plan! Over the past few months, I have become a HUGE brussel sprout fan. I'm not sure what it is, but I could eat them multiple times a week!

Along with all this healthy eatting...I've also decided to get back into the groove at the gym. All these changes just help Rich and I have some quality time together cooking, plus, as an added bonus we will work on slimming down our mid sections! Double Bonus!

Now, if Chukar stopped counter surfing and trying to eat our delicious meals...then life would be perfect!

We are ready for spring at the Meyer house and have a fun month in store...lots of work to boot, a trip to Kennewick to celebrate Shawn's 21st birthday, Jenn & Danny coming to visit, and of course, March Madness!

The Bathroom Revamp!

The weekend project that lasted 2 weeks...but turned out exactly how we wanted. I'm not sure why, but it took about 2 days to complete 80% of the project and the remainder of the 2 weeks to finish up the last 20%. Details, details, details....they always take so much time. Plus, we are still looking for the perfect picture, wall decor, etc. for the bathroom too! For now, we are out of the gurest bathroom and back into ours! Very happy to have a working bathroom upstairs!

Saturday, February 11th, we started the project bright and earlier. First step, take out the old toilet! Chukar helped Rich and was such a sport during this.

Yippee, the toliet came out without a hitch!

It was time to start the ceiling painting...the fan had been replaced and we were cruizing along!

A weekend of painting...and then a few days deciding if we liked the paint...

The new mirror arrived on Wednesday the next week and Rich was making sure it fit in the space...since we still hadn't decided if we LOVED the paint yet!

We decided we liked the paint...and the mirror went up!

Wah-la! Final project...a little revamp and refresh!

The bathroom is so bright and cheerful now, plus, the toliet has a "slow" closing lid so it doesn't slam! I'm a happy girl!

Next house project TBD....for now, it's all about work! Happy Leap Day!

Meyer & Meyer Restaurant = AMAZING!

To celebrate Valentine's Day 2012 (our 6th edition)...we decided to do something we love doing (eating) and try something that we are working on (cooking together). A lot of thought went into this and of course, a lot of LOVE! For a few weeks we worked on our meal plan, decided the night and set the stage for this amazing evening...we even spruced ourselves us (YES, the manolos made an appearance).

Cocktail hour was set for 7 with dinner, dessert and dancing to follow!

A pre-shot of the table...nothing to fancy, just perfect for US! A nice bottle of wine, the fancy glasses, and candles!

An up close look at the MENU...my mouth is still watering at how amazing it all came together and how great it paired with our wine and cocktail selection!

Rich getting his "cook-on"!

A shot of the CREME BRULEE (pre-bake).

The cocktail hour began with a twist on an old favorite...the OLD-FASHIONED...but made with MEYER sparkling lemon (instead of soda).

And YES, they tasted as good as they looked!

First up, a spinach pomegranate salad tossed with a balsamic vinegarette (including walnuts, feta, sprouts and more love)!

The wine was decanting as we put the finishing touches on the main course!

Chukar could not be reached for comment...but wanted us to have a nice romantic night together!

ONE WORD = YUM!!!

The salad was ready and so were our bellies....

The steak "rested" as we enjoyed our salads and a nice relaxing evening....

With the steak and lobster, we decided on a creamed spinach (Rich was a little apprehensive - but he gave it the Meyer seal of approval)!

Plated and ready to enjoy!

Dinner is served!

After dinner, we relaxed for a bit and let the music take over!

To cap off the night...we ended with a delicious Champagne cocktail and dessert...

Did I mention that dessert was homemade Creme Brulee!

Wah-la...an amazing night! Chukar's face says it all! He was happy we stayed in...and ready to retire for the night!

I must say, I think we outdid ourselves!

PERFECTION...

Happy Valentine's Day to all you LOVERS out there!