Boise Greek Food Festival

I always used to go to the Santa Barbara Greek Festival, so it only made sense to go to the Boise Greek Food Festival this year.  I had actually been once before while visiting here seven years ago.  It is held at the Greek Orthodox Church.  This was the 36th year they held it!  They had some music to listen to and dancing to watch or participate in while you ate.  They also had a dessert house!  I dragged my friend Lauren along, because we both love to eat until we are stuffed!

]My lunch was pastitsio (noodles, meat sauce, bechamel sauce) and spanakopita (spinach and cheese in filo dough).  The spanakopita was amazingly delicious!

My dessert came with a Greek flag on top...what's inside??

Kourambiethes (powdered sugar covered cookies) and melomakarona (cookies dipped in honey with crushed walnuts on top)

I truly hope as the years go on that they expand their Greek food selections.  There are just so many options!  Do you have a favorite Greek food?

I Own Guinea Pigs!

For those of you who don't know, I have been a vet tech since moving to Idaho.  We see all types of animals at the hospital I work at.  One day, I just fell in love with a trio of guinea pigs that came in.  The owners told me they came from a local rescue, and I just knew I needed to get some of my own.

In March, I adopted Jack.  He was about 7 months old and just had the sweetest face!  After I got Jack and did some research, I learned that "an only guinea is a lonely guinea".  So, I needed to find Jack a friend.  While he was being boarded at the rescue in May, I had the woman watching him find him a friend.  Lenny was a little under a year old, and a perfect companion for Jack.  They are my two little cuties, and I am so glad I own them!

Jack hiding under a blanket!

A nice close of up Jack LOL

Hunter likes to sit on a chair and watch the guinea pigs play.  I think he secretly wants to join them, but just doesn't know how to be gentle.

Another close up of Jack because I just think he is so photogenic!

Jack and Lenny in their deluxe accommodations.

Jack and Lenny in their swimming pool for run around time.

Lenny poking his head out of his hiding spot.  He is still really shy, and spends a lot of time under there.

Have you ever owned an "exotic pet" before?

It's Time to Start Blogging Again / Big Life Changes

Last year was a rough year for me, and I didn't even know how to write a blog post about it.

On February 22, 2016, my dad passed away.  It was the worst thing that has ever happened to me in my life. My dad and I used to spend a lot of time together, and I definitely miss him every single day.  Time has eased that a bit, but I know my life will never be the same again.

This is a picture of my dad, a bag of his favorite candy (Skittles), his urn, and beautiful flower arrangements that my aunties made.  This was the display table at his memorial service.

On March 26, 2016, I moved into my first house that I owned myself.  It was a small glimmer of happiness in a bad year.

This is a picture of my kitchen, my favorite room in the house!

Then on March 27, 2016, the day after I moved into my new house, my papa passed away.  I was on a plane rushing to California when he passed.  His passing was kind of expected by this point, but that never makes it any easier.

This is a picture I love that includes my papa.  It was the last vacation we took together.

So, I am excited to get back into blogging and see what everyone has been up to!  Please don't let this post get you down, I just felt like I had to share before going on with blogging.

Book Review: A Perfect Life by Danielle Steel

This book was so amazing, I read it in on and off and finished it in a day.  It's about world famous newswoman Blaise McCarthy.  Everyone thinks her life is perfect, but she has challenges, they're just sometimes different than ours LOL.  She always has to worry about a younger newswoman replacing her, she has an untraditional relationship with her daughter, she has dating problems, etc.

I never know how to give glowing book reviews without giving too much of the plot away.  But really, you should read this book.  You won't regret it! :)

Awesome Gift Exchange!

This past holiday was the most expensive one ever.  I ended up in many different gift exchanges.  One of my coolest gifts came from work.  We had to buy each other mugs and fill them with snacks/candies.  My coworker found a mug that kind of looked like my dog, Hunter.  It is sooooo cute.

Did you receive any cool gift exchange presents this year?  Or, do you own any awesome mugs like this one?

Restaurant Review - Souper Salad

We got a coupon book in the mail - so I have a few more leads of where to go to eat.  I found a coupon for Souper Salad, and my dad agreed to go try it.

I went crazy at the salad bar part and took way more salad than I could eat - oops.  I also tried the potato salad (yummy), the fettuccine pasta salad (delicious but I could taste the weight going on my hips) and some other pasta which tasted like boiled noodles :(.  I branched out a little on the soup and tried the Holiday Harvest soup.  It had chicken, wild rice, tons of veggies, heavy cream, and seasonings.  It was sooooo good!

I wish this picture was a bit less blurry.  On the left are breads - garlic breadstick, cornbread, pumpkin bread, and apple cinnamon bread.  The cornbread was kinda weird but the others were delicious, especially the garlic breadstick!  On the right is nachos, macaroni and cheese, and pizza (the healthy plate).  These all tasted pretty typical of a buffet.

My dad's plate looked similar to mine, so I didn't take a picture of his.  This food was pretty good, but I might only go when I had another coupon.  

Do you have a Souper Salad near you?  Judging from the website, it doesn't look like there are too many of them.

Book Review: A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks

If you haven't noticed, I almost exclusively read two genres of novels - mysteries and romances.  Nicholas Sparks is one of my favorite romance novels, and his books never disappoint!

This novel starts off all about Miles Ryan, a deputy sheriff who lost his wife in a hit and run accident.  His grief for her is consuming, and he puts a lot of his time and energy into finding her killer.  But then he meets Sarah Andrews, his son's teacher.  They slowly start a romance, and it is so sweet.  The killer has journal entries throughout the book, and it really seems like it could be any of the characters!  Because it's a Nicholas Sparks book, Miles and Sarah have the killer come between them, and you will never see it coming!  I don't want to say anymore for fear of ruining it!

Have you ever read or watches one of Nicholas Sparks' novels?  Aren't they great?