me and mars......

there is no way i could talk about the highlights of 2010 without mentioning mars.... 30 Seconds to Mars (or 'mars' or '30stm' or 'jared leto's band'). 30 Seconds to Mars is a rock band that was a big part of my life in 2010. the band consists of singer/guitarist jared leto (you'll hear more about him another day!), drummer shannon leto (yes, jared's older brother) and guitarist tomo milicevic (i still don't know how to correctly pronounce his last name). their first album came out in 2003, but i didn't really become a fan until 2007ish. i had heard some of their songs, but wasn't really into 'that type of music' at the time. in december 2009 their 3rd album came out (called This is War) and i loooooved it. i bought the album the day it came out and i drove around aimlessly just so i could listen to all the songs in my car :) my 'obsession' with the band/music was then raised to the next level. i had never been to 1 of their concerts before this album came out. now, i have seen them 6 times in the past 14 months! the very first time i saw them perform was at a private, acoustic show in LA. there were 40 (or less) people there, and it was a very intimate, very personal, very special show... it also happened to be my 29th birthday!!!! the last time i saw them perform was last night :) i've never, ever, ever, ever been to a show quite like a mars show. i've been to quite a few concerts, everyone from pink floyd to britney spears, and they are special in their own way... but they aren't a mars show! even if you don't like their music at all, i really encourage you to see 1 of their shows. jared leto is an amazing front man and entertainer. he has said many times before "when you come to a show, you're not a spectator, you're part of the band", and he's not lying! i've never seen so much crowd participation - from stomping, clapping, jumping, to shockingly loud backup vocals from the audience.... it's fun for everyone! if you look like you're not having fun, jared will stop in the middle of a song and ask you what is wrong with you (i'm not kidding, he will call you out! don't believe me??... watch a video i filmed at the LA show, click HERE). he wants everybody to participate and "have the best night of their entire f'n lives" (he drops the f-bomb about 500 times each show. you won't notice it after awhile though). there are many times where jared won't sing entire verses and the crowd takes over. it's an awesome thing to hear thousands of people singing together, it gives me goosebumps & butterflies every time. (did i mention he looks like an angel when he sings?! oh i forgot that part, oops, my bad. this isn't my video, but you can see his angel face HERE)
here are some pics from my 6 mars shows :)

tomo & i after the LA acoustic show - nov. 2009

91x wrex the halls festival, san diego - dec. 2009

the next show was by far my favorite mars show, and probably most favorite memory of 2010. i drove to vegas (got stuck in traffic, it took 6 hours to get there, didn't have time to shower, didn't have time to retouch makeup, didn't have time to eat, barely had time to change my sweaty road-trip clothes) and got to meet the guys AND film the entire show with their camera. i got to watch/film the whole show from the 'photographers pit', which is at the edge of the stage, where fans aren't allowed! haaaa, how do you like that?! after the show, i went to bed (barely) and left early the next morning. not even in vegas 12 hours, but it was worth every sweaty minute of the drive up there, and every sleepless minute that night. it was indescribable! 

me, shannon, jared, jeremy (another filmer), tomo & chris (another filmer)

pearl theater at the palms, las vegas - april 2010

this pic was taken by a fan, that's me filming jared :)

vegas - april 2010

greek theater, los angeles - may 2010

epicenter fest, fontana - september 2010 (it was 106º that day, yuck)

house of blues, san diego - jan. 2011

i could go on and on and on about the shows, the guys, etc but this is a super long post as it is..... so, that's it for now. i'm so grateful to have these wonderful memories. jared, shannon and tomo are the nicest, warmest, most humble, almost normal people. i feel blessed to have met them. this won't be my last post about mars. i'm sure i will go to a lot more shows, given the opportunity. and as you know, i take my camera everywhere i go, so there will definitely be more pics and vids in the future. until next time........

more recipes, just for the halibut....

haha, get it?! "just for the halibut" kinda sounds like "just for the hell of it".
my husbands family lives in alaska, and every once in a while they'll send us some fresh halibut and salmon they've caught. it's sooooooo good. so much better than ANY fish you can buy here. i'd never had halibut before we got married, and now it's my favorite fish. here are 3 of my favorite halibut recipes. if you like halibut, please, please, please try them!
this recipe is the first halibut recipe i ever tried. it's still a favorite of ours and we go back to it time after time!

recipe #1) citrus baked halibut

1 pound fresh halibut steaks (3/4 inch thick)
1 tablespoon margarine or butter
1/3 cup finely chopped onion (i use red onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels. cut into 4 serving-size pieces, if necessary. arrange in a 2-quart square baking dish.
2. in a small saucepan melt margarine; add onion and garlic. cook till tender; remove from heat. stir in parsley, orange peel, salt, and pepper; spoon over fish. sprinkle orange and lemon juices over fish. bake, covered, in a 400º oven for 15 to 20 minutes or till fish flakes easily with a fork. spoon pan juices over fish. makes 4 servings.
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i discovered this next recipe last year. i'm soooo glad i did. it might sound strange to have strawberries and fish together... but trust me, it's delicious! i have it scribbled on a note card & for some reason i don't have the amount of fish written down. the strawberry salsa is enough for 4 people though. you can make the salsa ahead, and keep it in the fridge until your fish is done.

recipe#2) strawberry topped halibut

1 pint of strawberries
1 tablespoon honey
juice of a lime
2 1/4 tablespoons red onion
jalepenos (add as many as you like- i'm not a jalepeno fan, so sometimes i'll just add a bit of canned chopped mild green chilies)
1 tablespoon cilantro

clean strawberries. dice all but 4. puree 4 strawberries with honey and lime juice. add the rest of the ingredients. let stand. serve cold.
grill fish until it flakes easily and is done. spoon strawberry salsa over warm fish.
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the final halibut recipe is for when you're not dieting!

recipe #3) fish and chips

who doesn't love beer battered fish and chips?!?! it's a recipe from jamie oliver, he's british, he knows his fish and chips!!! this recipe is still online, so i don't have to type it out for you! woohoo! click HERE for the recipe. i use a dark beer, and it HAS to be super cold. make sure your fish is patted dry, it also helps to dredge it in flour before battering it. when i find a recipe online, i always read the comments from users. it gives you a lot of good tips and/or substitutions.

enjoy! if you make any of them, please let me know how you liked it!!!

crush of the week....

if you know me, it will be no surprise that i have a blog post called 'crush of the week'. i'll admit it, i'm 30 years old, VERY happily married and still boy crazy! i might have to make the 'crush of the week' a friday blog ritual... we'll see. trust me, i won't run out of crushes!

this weeks crush is reeve carney! singer, guitar player, actor, hottie. reeve and his brother, zane (love that name), are in a band called carney. reeve sings and plays guitar, zane also plays guitar - they've got a bass player and drummer as well, but i don't know anything about them. their music is kinda beatles meets zeppelin meets other cool old rock bands :) check out their song: love me chase me

(i apologize if vevo makes you watch an advertisement first. i hate that!)

kind of a sexy song, huh?!

reeve is also in a film that was released in december 2010 called: the tempest (with helen mirren, russell brand and some others). i haven't seen it yet, i'll wait til it comes out on dvd. here's the trailer:

andddddd for you broadway and/or comic book geeks, reeve is also playing spider-man on broadway's: spider-man, turn off the dark.

all around talented guy. here's 1 last video of him singing bohemian rhapsody. if you don't watch any of the other vids i put on this post, please watch this one. just him and a guitar, amazing! don't you love his voice?!

                                                                                ♥

labels are for cans, not people....

i can't label myself as a vegetarian, pescatarian, vegan, etc. i'm sure there's not a name for the way i eat, and i'm glad. i don't want to get 'caught' eating something some day and have someone say "OMG, you're eating chicken?! i thought you were a....". i will say that i haven't eaten beef or pork in about 8 years (i've lost count), but every time i see someone eating a juicy burger, or i smell a steak on the bbq it makes me drool a bit. it wasn't really hard to phase beef and pork out of my diet and stick to poultry and fish. however, for the last 8 days i've given up poultry and have only had fish a few days. this transition seems like it's going to be a lot more difficult! i looooooove chicken and turkey, but the things i see on tv about chicken farms are disgusting. i'm also trying to cut back on dairy. i will NEVER be able to give up dairy completely, because i have a severe obsession with chocolate (i'm sure i'll have a whole blog post about chocolate some day). i use almond milk and earth balance soy butter when i can, and i don't eat a lot of cheese. all of this rambling, just to tell you about a cool website i've been browsing called veganyumyum! they have a bunch of recipes, from salads to some delishhhhhh looking cinnamon rolls. all vegan! there is a recipe for eggplant and pine nut lasagna that looks sooooooo good! WHAT?? lasagna with NO cheese?! yep! ok, it's not really lasagna, more like noodles, sauce and veggies, but it still sounds delicious! i haven't made it yet, but it's on my list of meals for next week! i'll let you know how it goes :)

uhhh, you'll have to be patient with me....

yep, that's right, i'm gonna try out this blogging thing. this isn't going to be like other blogs... my spelling/grammar won't always be correct, i don't have a lot of interesting things to talk about, and as you can tell... i have some sort of aversion to capitalizing any letters - i think it's a condition that medical experts would call 'laziness'! but anyway, i've had several people tell me that i should start a blog, so here i am. i don't know what kind of stuff i'll post,  maybe some yummy recipes that i have to share, maybe some cool pictures i find online, maybe some rants, maybe just some of the rambling thoughts in this mess of a mind (that will no doubt either entertain you, or scare you. you've been warned!). 

*deep breath* now all i have to do is hit publish, and this will be official. here we go.....