60. Plan VanDeed Field Day #2

When I made my goal list, I knew that I was going to be able to complete this goal.  We had a very successful inaugural VanDeed Field Day, but everybody knows the sophemore album is the hardest one to make a hit!  Luckily, we learned some things from Year 1 that would help us immensely in planning Year 2.  Also, we had a built in theme, thanks to the Summer Olympics being this year and actually "opening" the night before our event. 

This year, the games were held on Saturday, July 28th at Union Ridge Park.  We like Union Ridge as the fields are big and flat and the grass is very well kept - nice to run around barefoot in!  We had just about 60 people participate this year which was a great turnout and gave us some nice rounded out teams or "countries".  After the Opening Ceremonies, we split into teams and "let the games begin!"

We played 7 different games - some previously established and some made-up.  The games we played were: 

100m Dash

Javelin

Shoeput

Fencing "Chicken Style"

Dizzy Steeplechase

Nordic Skiing

Synchronized Spooning

Here are some pics from the games:

Not sure yet if there will be a 3rd year in 2013 or if we'll push it out a year, but this event will definitely happen again!  It is so much fun to hang out with friends new and old and pretend to be kids again!  Big kids, that is.  :)

2. Take a Cooking Class

The hardest part about this goal was picking which class to take since food options are pretty much limitless.  Nonetheless, I had scored a deal with Colorado Free University so I decided to take a class they were offering.  In the end, I chose "Basics of Cooking: Fish" taught by an instructor/chef named Rachel.  It's pretty clear when you look at the menu why THIS is the class to take.  We started with a fish called Bravinza, which the instructor showed us how to stuff with fresh herbs and bake in the over.  She also showed us how to debone a fish which was really cool! 

We followed that with a simple yet extremely delicious Shrimp Curry dish that was accompanied with rice noodles. 

After that we had Fish Tacos marinated with Achiote paste and served with fresh mango salsa and a lime slaw.  We finished with cod fish Po Boy sandwiches which were highlighted with a homemade tarter sauce and served on a french baguette.  A notable comment about this class is that Rachel really did a fine job of picking out quality ingredients to cook with - lots of organic, sustainable foods, which made the class well worth the price.  Matter of fact, I had intended to bring home leftovers but I couldn't help but eat everything up because it was all so fresh and tasted so good! 

I learned a lot about how to make these 4 different dishes and am looking forward to trying the recipes in the very near future!  I would definitely recommend this class to anyone looking to hang out with other cool people that want to learn how to make new foods.  Also, don't forget your wine, as that definitely helps you loosen up and enjoy the experience more!