Thai and mansion hunting

Yesterday Handsome Husband and I went and got us some Thai. I don't even remember the first time that I had curry, but I have been hooked ever since. The thick richness of it topped on rice is just too good! I was feeling adventurous and tried ordering up some green curry. I am always mixed up as to which is hotter and what not, so I looked at the main ingredients and decided some coconut milk and bamboo strips would be the way to go. The little waitress warned me against the hottness and I ended up with yellow. I chickened out. And every restaurant is a little different in their preparation so I thought it best to follow her advice.

Which, speaking of America's favorite past time, eating out, that is one of the biggest reasons why I love hamburgers so much. It doesn't matter what restaurant you are at, you know the hamburgers are going to be good because they all run about the same. Chicken on the other hand is always a surprise. Handmade batter sounds good, but when you get your strips covered in deep fried cornflake crumbs you gotta think otherwise.

Anyways, the yellow curry was delicious, just what I needed. Steven got his regular drunken noodles. These noodles are sooooo good. They're kind of sweet, and extra slimey, but they are divine. A definite favorite around here.

On our way home we drove a different way than the usual 'get anywhere in 10 minutes freeway' and found ourselves on highway 89. Looking up at the side of the Utah mountains we noticed some humongo houses. They were gorgeous, showing off their daylight basements and other floors to the world. And then, there it was, spires and spouts all over the place. A mansion. We took a stoplight and took a meandering drive up the mountain in search of this place.

It was even better than I had imagined. All of the houses had obviously had some big dreams behind them and the landscaping was tastefully done, using the boulders and rocks while hiding them with some greenery. We kept climbing, pointing out things on different houses that we liked. And then, there it was. Gates upon gates, protecting the fortress. It looked like a scene from a prom movie. An ascending lawn with stone steps circling down to the main gate. Gorgeous. That was as close as we could get, but it was enough to make me think that I would never have even been able to dream something that magnificent up. It truly made me want to dress up in a princess gown and descend those steps to my prince below. It would make a beautiful wedding scene.

As we rolled back down the hill in our car that still has scars from its mishap with a teenage driver and on the other side its gaping smile after being hit by a deer we wondered what we are doing wrong. Why we don't have any hopes for living in a home like that some day. We wondered out loud what all these people do for a living and how they afford their homes. And there were some answers. A few houses had trucks in the drive, shouting out successful business names. A pilot in the air force was taking his toddler for a walk, still in uniform. One car came pulling in around 8 pm, obviously its driver was just getting home. Which isn't so bad in the summer when there's still some daylight left. But 8 pm in the winter is bedtime.

We may never own a bench house home, but we will have plenty of memories to make up for it. Our kitchen with the green counter tops and the shag carpet in the bedrooms is enough to keep me happy for some time.