This was by far the most relaxing part of our vacation. It's always fun to go and see new things but it can also be very draining. I really enjoyed spending some time with my family and getting a chance to just breathe. My sisters and brother were still in school the week we came to visit so we didn't see a whole lot of them during the day. Most of the mornings I spent going on exercise walks with my mom and Zuzu, our very energetic Australian Shepherd mix.
My grandma and aunt wanted Shinsuke and I to make Japanese food and to have a game night. Since we make Japanese a lot at home Shinsuke wanted to make Korean food instead. I have never made Korean food before, so I was a little nervous. I decided I wanted to try and make bulgogi like from the restaurant Sam Hawk in Provo, UT. It's where my family often goes whenever they are visiting Utah. My Uncle Robbie first introduced us to it. There are other Korean restaurants in Provo, but I think Sam Hawk is the only one that serves bulgogi in the ssam style where you eat the beef in lettuce wraps with rice, ssam jang (a bean and chili paste), and other fillings as desired.
I found this awesome recipe that I think is pretty authentic on this blog . The writer of this blog is Korean and I think she got this recipe from her mother. It takes a little effort to make but it's worth it. The bulgogi turned out delicious and we were able to find the ssam jang at an Asian market, which made the lettuce wraps that much better. My mom and I also made a few other Korean side dishes to go in the lettuce wraps. Soybean Sprouts and Korean Braised Potatoes. Though, the potatoes didn't quite turn out. I think I might have boiled them too long which resulted in a sweet, salty, spicy mashed potatoes instead. Next time I won't boil them (it was a short cut anyway) and I will try and get my hands on malt syrup. We also tripled the recipe, so that might have thrown things off as well. Even with that small failure everything was still delicious and we had a great time. Many rounds of Wacky Six was played while devouring white chocolate chip chocolate cookies.
During our stay I was able to play a little bit of Skyward Sword, though I am far from finishing it. Maybe by the end of the year I will manage.
The last full day of our stay my parents took us to see The Hunger Games. Brian and Olivia stayed home from school and came with us as well. The movie was very well done and now Shinsuke likes The Hunger Games too. I don't think he will ever read the books, though. After the movie Shinsuke and Brian went with Papa to the salon so he could get started on Shinsuke's haircut. Mama took Olivia and me to Jo-Ann's to get fabric and yarn to make baby blankets. I don't know what I'm having yet so we got a bright blue, pastel green, and white fabric. For the blue fabric I got a white-blue-green-multi-colored yarn and a white-yellow-pink-multi-colored yarn for the green fabric. For the white we got a shimmery-white yarn since that is going to be the blanket for the baby's blessing. When I know whether it's a boy or girl we will go back and get more.
After the Jo-Ann's trip we grabbed some $1 hamburgers from Rally's and ate lunch back at the Salon. My mom and I got our hair done as well. By the time Papa had finished our hair it was already 4pm. For dinner my mom made a yummy breaded fish over bell peppers and tomatoes with lemon-garlic asparagus. We also made an easy chocolate cake with homemade frosting. If it's not obvious by now my family loves to cook delicious food and since we were visiting it was the perfect excuse to go all out.
Just one more note. My sisters are helping feed two of our neighbor's horses and her donkey. These three animals need special nutrition, I think because they were malnourished before our neighbor took them in. Right now she is in her last month of pregnancy, so it's a little difficult for her to bring them in and feed them. My sisters, mostly Tyla and Emma, go over everyday after school to help feed them. They took Shinsuke and I one day to help. It was fun being around all the different animals. I think Shinsuke's favorite was the fat cat.
The vacation seemed too short but it was very fun and relaxing. I am now enjoying making the baby blankets and I plan to make some for my friend who is pregnant too. She is a few months ahead of me and her baby shower is next month. She is having a girl, so I get to have fun making a pink and white blankets. I will post pictures when I have finished a few. My parents might be coming up next week with the kids since it's their spring vacation. I hope they can make it!
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