Oh, tonsillitis. How I hate thee.

Looking forward to:
good dinner tonight
good wine
good conversation
my all girls camping trip next weekend

Would someone please talk me out of getting another dog? Please. It's not like I need one. But I am dreaming of a rescue dog from the shelter. Decisions, decisions. :)

Life. She is one fickle beeotch.

I don't put everything that is going on in my life out there for everyone to read, but I will say that these past few months have been pretty ridiculous in terms of the garbage I have had to cope with.

I am starting to be happy again, however. I am feeling very together, and "dealing" fairly well. I have put myself back out into the world, made some new friends, and developed some new hobbies. I just got back from a business trip to Connecticut, where I learned so much new material that my brain hurt. :) It was good for me.


Today is father's day, and I'm full of appreciation for my awesome dad and all he has done for me. For all the hard work he did so that I never wanted for anything, for the miles he drove to rescue me from a bad breakup when I was in college, for the squeezy hugs he always has an abundance of, for the fishing trips he took me on, for the hero that he has been in my life...for all of that, I am eternally thankful. I love you, dad...and I am the LUCKIEST girl in the world.

I haven't dropped of the face of the earth. :)

I'm just... decompressing. Simplifying. Learning how to be.

Life sure does throw curveballs.

The death of Cleo left me terribly sad, and I've got some things going on in my life that have just been really craptastic lately. Nothing cancer related, just life.

This past week, to put a cherry on my craptastic sundae, I received a dog bite TO THE FACE (not my dog) and had to go to the ER. Good times. It's healing pretty quickly, and doesn't appear that it will scar at all, which is good news. I did have to get a tetanus and I'm still on antibiotics.

I have dealt with my fair share of hard times, and I know that this, too, shall pass. Onward and upward. :)

The Passing of Dear Miss Cleo

To the most wonderful, funniest dog...

It was an honor, a blessing, to be able to be your "mommy" for a time. You brought me more happiness, more laughs, more comfort, and more snuggles than I knew what to do with. The void you have left can't ever be filled by any other dog. You were incredible. You were special. You were the bright spot on a rainy day, the snuggly-bug on a cold night.

We miss you terribly. It's too quiet and too still. I'll miss your frantic little bark telling me that Diesel was doing something naughty. :) I'll miss your growl of protection when something seemed not quite right. I'll miss the slurp across the cheek at just the right moment, because you knew I needed some slobber in my life just then. I'll miss your sweet little snore. I'll miss everything that made you, YOU. You will NEVER be forgotten, little miss lady.

I love you so.

Things that made my day super-deluxe, in no particular order:

1. Day and lunch with my mom, who happens to be the coolest chick on the planet.
2. Call from potential employer to set up job interview.
3. Best possible turn out of experimental dinner, Zuppa Toscana, see below.
4. Bombay Sapphire and tonic with a squeeze of lime.
5. My newfound knowledge of how to cook the perfect over-medium egg.

Zuppa Toscana

Onion, garlic, chicken stock, cream, potatoes, sausage, bacon, and kale. I couldn't find kale, so used chard.

And... Bacon wrapped dates stuffed with cheese

:) I love my kitchen.

Mexican Chicken Soup-- From Ina Garten

This is basically a tortilla soup, but I didn't care for the consistency after the tortillas were added, so I pureed the base before adding the chicken. I also added cilantro and cheese. This is a perfect lunch.

Not really a breakfast dish, but I made it for breakfast anyway. Apple, shallot and gorgonzola pizza. This is so good. This would pair perfectly with an arugula salad and balsamic vinaigrette.

Dinner tonight: gorgonzola crusted filet mignon with red wine reduction, grilled asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes with crispy shallots.

I cleaned my house from top to bottom this weekend. Now I'm enjoying it and watching Brothers&Sisters. I'm sipping chardonnay. I'm loving this life that I've been blessed with. I'm loving my sweet animals. I'm loving my sweet husband that I've missed all weekend.

I'm feeling good.

Oh Sushi Den, how do I love thee? My birthday was on Monday, and John took me for sushi, and now I have a new favorite restaurant. YUM. I am now in the LAST YEAR of my twenties.

For the Coolest Mom in the World on her birthday :)



I am the luckiest daughter ever. You are sweeter, cuter, and more fun than all other mothers combined. I love you so much!

I haven't been feeling great lately... my doctor is trying to get my thyroid dialed in, and I'm just amazed at how the thyroid takes over your entire body. I've just felt sort of weird and "off" lately. Please, lordy, let them get it dialed in.

You may have noticed that my little nike mini to the right has become fat and lazy.... lies, I tell you, LIES! :) My nike sensor in my shoe died, so I haven't been able to record my runs. Thankfully, my awesome husband bought me a new sensor and cool new running shoes for my birthday. Yay! Now, if we can just convince my thyroid that energy is good, I will be on the right track. :)

My mom doesn't have the cancer! We had a celebratory piece of I Don't Have The Cancer Lemon Cream Cake yesterday.

What she does have is essential thrombocythemia which still has to be treated with chemo. But in our family, we kick ass. And she is kicking thrombocythemia's ass. Kickin' it hard, one over-zealous platelet at a time.

:) I love you, mom.

Stephanie over at Live.Love.Eat has a new addition to her family... a sweet little white bulldog :) So I thought I'd post photos of my little white bulldog.

Well, okay, he's not so little anymore... but I remember when he was. Diesel, the puppy that ate an entire section of our sofa. Diesel, who chewed the corners off our coffee table. Diesel, the puppy that became so obsessed with getting the tops off of water bottles that he will now STEAL full bottles of water from unsuspecting guests.

Things have been lazy LAZY around here lately. We bought a PS3 finally, so that's become our latest addiction. That and netflix. After seeing previews for the new season of LOST, which we never watched before, we decided to get caught up. So we've been having marathons of LOST. :)

Cleo has a tumor on her shoulder and her hips are getting worse-- I think it's time for a vet visit soon to see if we can make her more comfortable day to day. I love my Cleo.