Author Archives: Maddie

Korean Cravings

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Having recently moved to a new district in Tianjin, we are now a 10 minute walk from several Korean food restaurants. I love Korean food so much that I can’t help but go once, twice, or even three times a month : ) Korean style complimentary appetizers are a highlight of my meal… you see, shortly after being seated, you are served a variety of taste-testers before the meal *no waiting idly while my stomach growls uncontrollably!* If you’ve never tried Korean food, I highly recommend it, check out a few of my favorite dishes below!

My ultimate favorite dish is 냉면; translated “cold noodles.” Yes, I know it sounds odd but trust me, its “oh-so-yummy!”

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double foodkimchi love

I’m Lovin’… Food Gawker

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 First and foremost I’d like to repent of beging terribly MIA on Connecting4 lately.

It’s a new year and I am super excited for all the new that is coming my way. Finally I can start a fresh with all my goals, ideas, and planning… Also, *fun fact* this is about the time we first started connecting four so… happy birthday Connecting Four!

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Anyways…  Food Gawker is always the place to go when you’re either bored out of your mind, or when you’re searching for “that perfect” recipe. Below are five recipes that are officially on my “upcoming-cooking-adventure” list. Of course, Rachel will be helping me in this particular field of expertise, since the kitchen and I don’t particularly see eye-to-eye.

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As you can probably tell from the selection above I am a very traditional yet snacky type of person when it comes to eatables. I couldn’t help but include a funnel cake recipe, although it may be on the unhealthy side,  the thrill and excitement of its traditional environment <AMUSEMENT PARKS!> rubs off on me.  The spinach pesto sauce is my second favorite… I am reminded of late night dinners which consist of sprawling out on the couch with a huge bowl of basil covered pasta, while watching A Cinderella Story with my sisters.

I think it’s safe to say that food gawker is perfect for food lovers- whether or not the kitchen is your playground!

Sources/*recipes*:  {one, two, three, four, five}

Merry Christmas!

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Just stopping by to wish all of you a very merry christmas! Life has been hectic having to finish up this semester of school and go christmas shopping but somehow I think everything worked out perfectly. No matter how much stress comes with the christmas season I still love it anyway!

merry merry

I hope all you guys’ christmas day turn out great.

Preparing for Thanksgiving

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This year we are celebrating Thanksgiving a couple days late because Jessie was in Singapore on Thursday attending a Model United Nations (MUN) conference.  We simply could not celebrate Thanksgiving without her so while everyone else is getting out their christmas trees and listening to favorite, holiday music, we are still seasoning our Turkey. Although I’m not crazy about cooking I enjoy being around the bustle and hustle of meal preparations. I love the ambiance created when the fragrance of baking pumpkin pie drifts through the house, when Rachel and Mom tie their aprons to begin our feast, and when Megan and I can snuggle up with pumpkin lattes to watch a movie. What would Thanksgiving be without these?

Stuffing, devilled Eggs, and roasted turkey only comes once a year and I am determined to enjoy every bit of it!

Autumn Fest 03

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Activity for day three: “Share thanks with each other!”

Rachel: Over the past couple of weeks I have received much encouragement and motivation from friends and family- I am so grateful for the people who daily impact my life!

Maddie: Today I’m so very thankful for my little sister, Megan. I could not due without her warm cuddles, sweet laughter, and cheerful spirit 🙂

Jessie: I am so thankful for God’s gift of smiles each day; whether it be from friends, family, or a little Chinese girl heading to school – smiles bring joy to my day!

Autumn Fest 02 (Maddie)

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With my newfound photo blog obsession, I was MORE than ready for day 2! I have a feeling Rachel knew that I would love completing this activity!

To me all the pictures above scream JESSIE. From the beautiful lace shirt, to the Twinings tea box, these photos totally encompass Jessie’s personality.

For example, the first picture, “there’s no other like you” reminds me of how confident Jessie is and how she’ll defend her ideals to the very end (no matter how strange :). This attribute urges me to stop doubting and start living OUT LOUD!  The photo of Iced Coffee comes from our Latte dates in our favorite Cafe & Bakery, Paris Baguette.  These five pictures only just begin to describe the sweet, positive, and encouraging sister Jessie is. Thanks for being unique. <3

As for Rachel’s 5 pictures, I had a hard time finding the right ones, but I finally picked a few that really impersonate her character in my eyes…

Rachel has always been the “calm” half of us and I really  appreciated that aspect of her. Though she doesn’t respond too well to my LOUD laughter and MASSIVE hugs, I know she will be there for me in other ways 🙂

The Anne of Green Gables shot above is one of my favorites, this movie never gets old for Rachel and I! While in the process of tumblr searching, I had this Starbucks image in the back of my mind… where would Rachel be without her Starbucks runs?! It amazes me how much time she can spend sitting in a Coffee shop; reading, working, or chatting 🙂 Rachel, you’ve always been able to encourage and love me when things are rough, your peaceful spirit is a true blessing in my life. I love you!

 

I’m Lovin’… Gold

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My third post from the collection, I’m Lovin’ Colors, is here!  This week I went bold and picked GOLD! The color gold always seems to make me smile and that is exactly why I picked the color.

I don’t know about you guys but I just get excited when I see things that are gold like this dress. I think one reason I adore the color gold is because its so different, it can glitter, sparkle and gleam and never seems to get old to me. Just think about it, what is gold that isn’t amazing? I can’t help but feel somehow exhilarated when I see that perfect Gold dress, necklace, or iPhone case laying in front of me.

What color excites you?

This post is a part of the collection I’m Lovin’… Colors, check out my others I’m Lovin’… Turquoise & I’m Lovin’… Yellow.

Sources: { 1,  2,  3,  4,  5}

Tumblr Finds #2

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So I was feeling inspired to share a post and thought to myself,  why not just make a 2nd collection of tumblr finds? And guess what I can.

Hey, you can never have too many inspirational photos to look at right? So here you have it tumblr finds #2 enjoy.

P.S. Don’t forget to keep visiting my tumblr blog, Tall Buildings!

This post is a part of a collection called Tumblr Finds, check out my other post here.

Tall Buildings

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I did it! I actually created my very own Tumblr photo blog and to be completely honest I think it’s pretty successful so far…

When I first had the idea to create an account on Tumblr I thought of the name Tall Buildings because of all the tall structures around me in 天津 (TianJin). The more I discover the vast world of photo blogging, the more I realize that searching for inspirational photos will never get old for me!

I’ve always had trouble not knowing exactly what to spend my free time on (hobby-wise). You see, Rachel bakes, Jessie is obsessed with Adobe Illustrator, Michael is artistically gifted in everything but I never had anything in particular that I enjoyed. Yet, now I’m pretty sure I’ve found my passion in photography, and not only just taking pictures but sharing them as well! The inspiration you can find in photoblogging is incredible, from old timey photos to vibrant modern ones, the flow of inspiration never ends!

High School Fall Concert

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This friday I had my first High School Band Concert. Although band has been tough to keep up with this year as a freshman, I have really enjoyed the challenges that have followed. The concert turned out really well and I’m proud of all that I have accomplished so far this year! I can’t wait till our next concert comes in December!

As you can see in the 2nd picture, Megan entertained herself by playing her imaginary flute 🙂

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