Don't you love...

...a night full of Olympics, inching closer and closer to your TV with every stroke Missy Franklin takes?
...an overcast night adding coziness to your already cozy night in?
...fresh sheets to crawl under the second you hit Publish on this blog post?

You do?!  Me too!

Currently.

{ there is a crazy amount of posts like these going around this here interweb, so I figured I'd jump on board! }

::WORKING ON:: Freelance, freelance, freelance, and beating this CO heat.  The former is proving to be more enjoyable than the latter.

::THINKING ABOUT:: The future!  And embracing the whirl of emotions attached with leaving my job after 5+ years...

::ANTICIPATING:: Seeing my long distance lover, Amie and Andrew in a few weeks!  Like Amie puts it "Having you, Hunter, Andrew and I all together in MONTANA is like eating cookies for dinner, and cake for dessert."  We are still working out the details, but it's going to be epic.  And also splashed all over this here blog of mine.  You are welcome.

::LISTENING TO:: Honking horns, traffic and pedestrians outside my window.  It's a great calm background soundtrack to this Friday.

::EATING:: Veggies, grains, and fruits!  Green smoothies.  Herbal tea.  Water.    Most recently, I just finished up a lunch of: red cabbage, lettuce, red onion, cauliflower, broccoli and caper salad + corn tortilla, black beans, orange peppers, jalapenos, green onions, salsa and vegan cheese!  Hello, happy tummy.

::THANKFUL FOR:: My cousin and her husband in town this weekend!  H and I head up to my uncles in Longmont to after work for dinner, cards and memories.  Mix that with plans to hit 3 breweries {Hi, my name is Beth, and I'll be your DD for the weekend.} on Saturday, plus a brunch on Sunday and you've got a happy girl!  Weekends with my fam dam are my fa-vorite.  Also thankful for my sweet friend, Jaime!  I went to her yesterday with a question related to the best place to spend my birthday, and this sneaky girl has completely taken over planning it for me!  I have told her time and time again I don't want to impose that on her, but she can't be stopped, that one.  Aren't friends the best?  I think so, too.  

::PLANNING FOR::  Mary's birthday party { Is it August 22nd yet? }, fun Denver things to do when my parents get here next weekend {weeeeeeee!}, starting to go through and clean out my apartment, setting up my yoga schedule for next week, oh - did I mention Mary's birthday party?!

Very Vegan.

12 days down, 9 days to go!  It's madness to think I'm already over halfway done with my cleanse.  There isn't too many updates to give, other than it's actually been a breeze for me.  Like I said before; vegan isn't too far off from my day to day diet to begin with, so it was just a matter of getting committed and serious about my eating habits.

Highs of the cleanse:
I feel ahhhhhmazing!  I had this new kick of energy where I'm not dragging ass in the mornings, or through the afternoons.  I'm waking up earlier than I would to get in a yoga class, run or gym workout.  Before, getting up before 7:45a was unheard of.
My water intake has basically tripled.  Besides the 3L I drink a day, I've discovered my new favorite drinks: Iced chamomile tea, and water + cayenne pepper + lemon juice.  Don't knock it til you try it! It is the perfect morning replacement for my cup{s} of coffee.
I'm saving money.  Fresh produce really doesn't have to be that expensive if you do it right.  I have found myself going to the grocery probably 4-6 times a week, and that doesn't phase me in the slightest.
I get to try so many new recipes!  I'm using new grains, new veggies and new methods of cooking, and that gives me a high no whiskey or wine can.
"Is that why your skin is glowing?" Is what I heard after telling a coworker I went vegan for a few weeks.  His response was so appreciated and much welcomed after all the haters in the work place.


Lows of the cleanse:
Socially, it's incredibly difficult.  And I mean this in a variety of ways.  You can't just go places anymore without tons of planning ahead.  Prepping your host on what you are doing as to not insult them when you don't eat what they have prepared, asking what the host/hostess is planning for a menu to see if you need to eat before going, even making a plethora of salads/sides to bring with you so you know you will be able to eat.  It's not so much that I'm complaining, but this is just really different for me.
People think they can say anything.  I've heard it all.  From implying I'll turn into a b!tch {exact words} on the 5th day of my cleanse, to being vocal about not believing I'll make it through, to knocking what I'll bring to eat for breakfast or lunches, telling me to just call them when the cleanse is over so we can actually hang out.  You guys - people can be mean.  This really was difficult for me the first few days, to where I quit eating at work and would just drive home for lunches.  All I wanted to do was ask "Do you want to talk about how incredibly processed, jam packed with sugar and incredibly unhealthy that little ditty is that you are getting from the candy machine right now?!" Though I didn't, smiled and would take another bite of my lunch.  I was talking to H about it and he reminded me that I'm not doing it for them, or for anyone's approval.  I'm doing it for myself.  So now I drink my green smoothies in clear glasses, in addition to my cayenne water.  Let the haters hate!
I won't lie, I do miss coffee {and the occasional glass of wine}.  Even though I can't believe I lived 26.89 years without knowing of this cayenne water glory, nothing can serve as a replacement to my cup of jo in the mornings.  So I will look forward to that {and also sharing a bottle of wine with friends, family and H when we get together}.  But until then, I'll turn to my BFF, H20.

A lot of people ask if I will continue being a vegan after the 21 days are up.  I have a really hard time answering that, though I can say with confidence that I feel like the vegan lifestyle really fits me.  However, will I have chicken wings from time to time?  Yes. {Have you met my boyfriend?!  I think he'd marry them if he could.} Will I enjoy a burger or steak every now and again?  I'm sure of it.  But this has unquestionably changed the way I view food, grocery stores, menu's and food blogs.  Plus, if I'm feeling this great, why not {Minot}?  Also, I have right around a kabillion vegan recipes pinned and bookmarked that I simply must make.

And now, allow me to photobomb you with some of my latest nibbles!











































































I also have been house-sitting a lot the past 2 weeks, so I hope you enjoyed the variety of plates I used!

May peace, peas and carrots be with you!

DYK? Vegans can eat buffalo wings, too.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!

::via::

!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, ok - maybe not wings per say, but you can bet your pretty patooey that this recipe will be in the recipe rotation in the upcoming weeks, if not this week!  I truly squealed when I read this.  My first thought was that there was tofu or tempah in there, but when I heard it was my most favorite vegetable?!  Stick a fork in me and call me Sally.

Thanks for putting up with me and my probably really boring posts about vegan food, but this is such a thrilling adventure for me!  Yes, food is thrilling to me.  And yes I need a hobby.  Tell it to Sally.  I'll be too busy eating wings.

...

Hunter and I were having lunch a few weekends ago, when something he said struck us so funny we were laughing almost to the tinkling point.  After we quit laughing and pulled ourselves together, he said to me:

"I really don't know what I would do if you didn't think that was funny."


For some reason that has really stuck with me.  Our ability to laugh at everything and quite literally absolutely nothing, is one of many, manymanymany reasons him and I go together like peas and carrots.  It got me thinking of the things he does & doesn't do on a regular basis that would leave me lost if those things simply.......didn't exist.


My dearest H,

What would I do if...

...you didn't humor me by letting me moo at every cow we've ever passed?

...you didn't encourage all the dreams I have brewing up in my head?

...you judged me at the amount of vegetables I can pile into one Whole Foods salad bar to-go carton?

...you weren't spontaneous?

...you didn't also drink boxed wine?

...when we cuddled, we didn't fit together like perfect puzzle pieces?

...you didn't dive into your hobbies and passions 110% and succeed in a way only you could?

...you weren't patient with me when I have a breakdown about a belt not pulling an outfit together?

...you weren't my to go to guy on all things in need of a repair?  From bikes, to cars, to relationships?

...you couldn't glide around a kitchen like you can?

...you didn't read my blog?  { hi loves! }

...you didn't always have the perfect playlist playing in the background?

...you didn't understand my relationship with Amie?  { Because let's be honest....we are a little overwhelming. }

...you didn't love my naturally curly and unpredictable wild hair?

...you hated dark nail polish?

...you didn't realize a surprise gift of a light for my bike means more to me than any bouquet of flowers?

...you didn't read in bed with me before we dozed off?

I never, ever want to know.
Thank you for being you, my hunky mountain man!
B.

  

L is for...

Lusting for:

::crunchy fall leaves::

::day trips to mountain towns for a quick getaway::

::big cozy sweaters::

::snowwwwwwwwwwwwww!::

::warm homemade soups!::

Loving:

::froyo dates after a hot summer day::

::biking everywhere possible::

::early morning sun rises, and late night sunsets::

::summer necessities::

::no caption needed::

::evening park dates::

What are you lusting after/loving right now?

{ thank you, mary for a few of your above photos! }

Sunday Workday.

I'm not sure when Sunday Funday went from brunches, bottomless mimosas, and pools to iced chamomile tea, coffee shops and design work - but I'm not complaining!

Oh - and if you happen to ask me what I'm listening to, I'd be forced to tell you Justin Bieber.  So let's abide by the don't ask, don't tell rule today, whattdya say!?

My first job as a Graphic Designer was working for Vanity.  I was still in college when I began interning with them and so was very used to the group feedback sessions, constructive criticism and aid of my { amazing } instructors.  I will never, ever forget my first graphic design project with Vanity.  I had to create a coupon!  A coupon to be sent to a specific store to help bump up sales.  I hardly remembered the name of my boss at the time, though I still remember EXACTLY what I was wearing.  My favorite { I still own them } light denim jeans with { admitted, self prompted } holes in the knee and thy.  I was wearing my favorite teal shirt { again, still own } that I wore the day of my sister's 21st birthday.  I was using a coral and teal beautimus purse that my sister made for me { and again, still to this day own }.  I remember the exact layout of the coupon, the color story and the discount.  I was beyond anxious to show it to my boss.  What will her feedback be?  What will her critique be?  Where was Yvonne when I needed her to tell me what I could do to improve this?  I finally muster up my strength, show it to Denise and what does she say?  "It looks great!  Print 300 and we'll get them shipped off."  Wha?  That easy, eh?

What isn't important about this story is what I was wearing, or what I had for lunch that day.  Or even how well I did in Graphic Design school.  What is important, is the name of the mall that was on that coupon.

Town Center of Aurora.

The same mall that is directly across the street from Century 16.
The same mall that was witness to one of the most selfish, bone-chilling and downright hideous disasters to happen to Colorado since Columbine.

I have been thinking all morning how extremely forchinate I am, that the closest I came to this catastrophe was mailing a silly coupon to the mall across the street from the site about 7 years ago.  Not everyone is that lucky.

Go out and hug your sister, hug your mother, hug your father, hug your brother.  Hug anyone who is close to you, because you can and because you ARE that lucky.

DYK? Oreos are vegan.

LADYGAGASAYWHAAA?!

Yeah, I didn't know either until yesterday.

http://voices.yahoo.com/are-oreos-vegan-might-surprised-11185218.html

Beth happy.
Beth happy.
Beth happy.

I won't rush out and buy like 5 bags of these { maybe more like 1.5 }, but I'm so glad I know for if/when/why/how/where/who I get a sweet-tooth hankering.  Though I did find this recipe on Pinterest last night { my deepest apologies to anyone who follows me on Pinterest ::ahemahemPeltyahem::, but I'm going Vegan Pinning CRAZY! } and fully intend on making these soon, too.

http://tasty-yummies.com/2012/01/30/no-bake-oatmeal-chia-chocolate-chip-cookie-balls-vegan-and-gluten-free/

Why?  Because Dark Chocolate is also vegan!!!

BAM!  That JUST happened.

I'll let your blown mind settle for a few...

If you can't laugh at yourself...

...what can you laugh at?  I had a really great meeting with my boss yesterday.  As our department is slowly migrating, shifting and breaking up we talked about how well we function as a whole.  Being in a creative industry, you just have to accept the fact that deep down, we are all crazy on some level.  14 different levels of crazy can really add up to one big mess if not managed right.  Good thing we have one kick ass manager.  One thing that really stuck with me that Alex said was "The reason we all work so well together is we can all laugh at each other, but most importantly we can laugh at ourselves."  Just like many other groups of friends, family or office - we all have our good moments, our bad moments, and downright embarrassing moments { This would be the time I talk about my 2nd week of work, I was at a company summer party, went down a slide that caught and pulled down my shirt and bra., however, 5 years later and I'm still in total denial that ever happened, so therefore I will not be talking about it. } .  But like Alex said "At the end of the day, we can all break bread together, and that is what is most important."

This is a very old photo, and is missing half of our department, but this was also the day I was most proud to call myself the Production Department!

Ch-ch-ch-changes, changes.

I haven't talked about it on the blog lately, but I know all you readers are no stranger to how sick I was last year, then again this year a few months back.  Same as last year when I was sick, there was no resolution.  We made some progress this time around with some abnormal test results we wanted to chase, but ultimately I'm as healthy as a spaghetti squash.  Again, same as last year, my doctor and I started out on the same page, which slowly turned into a nasty break-up when his only solution was hardcore narcotics which would work more as a band-aid then actually accomplishing anything.  I knew after our road trip, I wanted to try either a new doctor, or form of medicine - but I just wasn't quite sure what it would be.  While we were out and about, we stayed with our dear friends Ryan and Lindsey in SLC.  The 4 of us had gotten back from dinner while Ryan and Hunter were walking to the grocery store to get ice cream for the freshly picked garden rhubarb crisp Lindsey and I were making.  (Who cares if it was like 10pm.  When the craving strikes, who are we to say no?)  Lindsey opened their fridge to get out the fixins for our impromptu dessert, when I saw a blender half full of this glorious green mixture.  To anyone who might not be quite the vegetable lover, it might have looked like rather disgusting and like "sludge", but to those of us who are more in tune obsessed with veggies I knew exactly what it was.  A Green Monster, baby.  I got super super fuper super duper excited, and asked her if she was on the Green Smoothie train also.  And whattdya know?!  She was, which was pretty sweetness.

Don't worry, this isn't a huge blog post about how my friend girl crush also drinks green smoothies.  This is actually going somewhere.

That green smoothie conversation lead to one of her recent book reads, Crazy Sexy Diet.  She started out by saying "Well I recently did this cleanse...." and my first thought was "NOT THE CABBAGE SOUP DIET AGAIN."  However, the more she started talking about this cleanse, it sounded more like a new lifestyle and way of eating versus a cleanse in the traditional sense.  The scariest part to me was when she said "No drinking or coffee for 21 days."  Actually, let's be honest.  Booze?  Yeah, it is a fun social event but I can most certainly take it or leave it.  No coffee for 21 days?  God save us all.

Essentially it is 21 days of strictly vegan eating, lots of green smoothies, tea, water, meditation and exercise.  I thought a lot about what she had told me of the book and the cleanse on our way home.  After really talking to Hunter about it, we concluded the food portion wouldn't be too far off from what I was currently eating.  I've never been a big meat eater, and between Hunter and I, we could both have a meal of just veggies and various grains and be happy as an avocado in guacamole.  { I'm cracking myself up over here with the veggie metaphors, FYI }.  I took to the mindset that if a doctor can't figure out what was causing me so much discomfort and pain, possibly I could figure it out by what I was, or wasn't putting into my body.

One of the first things I did when we got back to Denver was order the Crazy Sexy Diet book.

And then proceeded to read it in 2 days.  Yup.  It's that good.

Kris Carr was diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer, and opted to take on the battle herself versus sitting in a hospital bed waiting more treatment and medicine.  { I'm paraphrasing.  Read the book for the full story! }  Besides the book being so insanely inspiring, it is packed full of information, statistics and REALLY amazing recipes.  I knew the second I cracked the book that yes, I would most certainly be doing this cleanse she challenged you to at the end of the read.  I have to say, I've learned SO much from this book and am totally inspired.  { Have fun eating lunch or dinner with me, because I won't let you put a piece of cooked vegetable or meat in your mouth without me getting at least one tidbit in, and I wish I was joking. }  Last week was my "Ween Week", which was slowly removing any meat, dairy, caffeine and alcohol from my diet.  Today marks day 1 of the 21 cleanse!  It will be a really wonderful challenge but I am so up for the task.  I look forward to more energy, a new appreciation for raw foods while enjoying the morning and night suggested meditation.  

What does this mean for you fancy faces?  Tons of blog posts on what new foods I've been trying, how it's been going and my favorite green smoothie combinations.  { Current favorite?  Big handful of spinach and kale.  Cucumber, avocado, banana, strawberries, Almond Milk, oats, flaxseed, protein powder, echinacea powder all blended with ice. }  Poor Hunter has already had to sit through several sessions with me and his tablet on Pinterest browsing "Vegan recipes" for far to long than I'd care to admit.  I cooked this last week, and holy shizuka was that better than sex cake!  No seriously, it really was better than any refined sugar, calorie saturated cake you could come up with.

It's day 1 at 11am and can you believe I don't have a caffeine headache?!  I can't.  Apparently that ween week really was good for something.

I'll continue with the updates through the days and probably hours, so I hope you's bitches are looking forward to tons and dozens photos of veggiesssssssssssssssss!  Not like that would really be anything new.

{ three weeks ago at this time 6.21.12 }

:: Thursday, June 21st ::

Today was the first day in nearly a week that we had to actually set an alarm and go by any sort of time schedule.  We woke up at 6a, busted butt to get the tent down and Hunter started up on our breakfast of egg, cheese, turkey bacon and basil bagel sandwiches!  As he was cooking, I was getting things in their proper homes { which was a routine we had down lickity split by this point }, when I walked to the left side of the truck.  I happened to glance down, and I noticed among the rocks, this thing.  Upon further glance, I realized this thing was, without exaggeration, a slug longer than a hot dog, and about as thick as a quarter is around.  Needless to say, I freaked. outtttttt.  The little guy was minding his own business, and moseying on around on his own time, but I was SO grossed out by it that finally I had to avoid that side of the truck entirely.

We get on the road before 7am, back to the 101.  I really wasn't kidding when I talked about being in full denial about our camping adventure being over, because A) I took just TWO photos the entire day, and B) I forced myself to fall asleep in the truck before we had to turn off the 101 into a highway into California to head to Lake Tahoe, because I knew I would be too upset saying bye to the ocean.

We did get to drive through the beautiful Redwood Forest, which had we had that extra day, we planned to camp in or around this Forest.  Though the trees we saw from the road were lovely, and large!!!!

Today was our superrrrrrrrrr long day of driving and we were in the car for about 10 hours.  During those 10 hours, I:

Napped.

Read Cutting for Stone

Didn't take photos.

Sang and danced.

Ate Subway.

All while Hunter drove.  He's so good.

As our 10 hours was drawing to an end and we were winding and turning our way to Lake Tahoe, we really thought the worst was behind us.  Well, we take our exit and what happens?  We get stuck in THE WORST traffic jam in Tahoe.  We were both missssserable.  Truly, the only thing during that time that actually put a smile on my face, was driving by this bar.  I bet you we laughed for nearly 5 minutes at that damn bar.  After finally arriving to our beautiful home for the next few days, we both quickly showered { SHOWER?  RUNNING WATER?  What is this madness?! } and made our way across the grounds to Kyle's parent's town home where they threw a really wonderful BBQ for family and close friends.  It was so gerat getting to spend this evening with such a great group of Hunter's friends.  I'll dote on them more in the upcoming days, don't you worry.  

Though I did { and still do } desperately miss tent camping with my hot tent partner, it did feel quite luxurious sleeping on something you didn't have to blow up, and deflate the next morning.  

Don't you love when,

The exact words you need to hear fall into your inbox?

::via::

You get into your car, and a favorite song is on and at the very beginning?

You complete your first ever headstand in yoga?

::via::

You find an old favorite and so stinking sentimental ring that had been hiding for a few months?

You can finally wear black without having a small white cat stuck to you all day?

Me too.

{ three weeks ago at this time 6.20.12 }

:: Wednesday, June 20th ::

When we woke up in paradise this morning, we had some more mimosas { we simply had to use up that orange juice!  What better to pair it with than some champers? }, finished up the last of the oatmeal and were enjoying our breakfast dreaming on how far down the Oregon coast we'd get that day.  Our plan was to mosey on down for one last day, then really put the petal to the metal and head into California to Lake Tahoe on Friday to make it there around noon to settle in before rehersal.  Hunter gets a text from Kyle, the groom of the wedding.  Kyle had said that he booked them for golf on Friday morning at 7am, to which we both laughed out loud, because we were hoping to get to Tahoe at like noon, at the earliest.  Wellllll....when Kyle and sweet Heidi first got engaged, they had asked Aaron, Hunter's brother, to officiate the wedding.  { Kyle, Aaron, Hunter and Jordan, Kyle's younger brother, were all really good friends in college.  Next time you are bored, come over for wine. I can entertain you for hours with their college stories that came out of this trip! }.  Aaron at the time happily obliged and booked a 3 bedroom, 5 bed, 3 bathroom town home for Aaron, Becky, Charlie, Hunter and myself.  Well, low and behold, Becky got pregnant { yay! } and her due date was the weekend following the wedding.  Needless to say.....they didn't make it to the nuptials.  That was a really long winded way for me to tell you that because Aaron booked the town home, Hunter and I just assumed we had it starting Friday and were off a day on how long we had it for.  We actually had it starting Thursday versus Friday like we had originally thought!  Though a shower, toilet and oh, I don't know - a BED sounded like luxury at the time, I was so so sad that we only had one last night in the tent.  We had been having an obvious BLAST for the past few days, I couldn't believe it was coming to an end!  Hunter had to remind me time and time again, that just because we weren't camping anymore, didn't mean it was the END.  "People travel internationally to vacation at Lake Tahoe, babe."  Which was so true - I just needed to change my mindset!  { But we were having sooooo muchhhh funnnn!!!! }  With that little twist in the plans, we had to make some decisions and fast.  I have been to a number of wineries in California before, and I thought it would be just so neat to visit Oregon wineries to see what they were like.  Though it bit about 4 hours out of our day, we did sneak inland for a while to check 2 of them out!  And I'm so glad we did.  

We had already seen so so many wonderful sites in Oregon however, something about this twisty and turny drive into the wineries was so comfortable, beautiful and dreamy to me.  

We ended up stopping at 2 different wineries.  The first was a smaller, much more quaint winery.  As was the second, I suppose, but we spent considerably more time at the second one.  I could lose all concept of time chatting over flights of wine with the owners, aka complete strangers.  The passion they have for their business is so admirable!  Afterwards, we parked the truck next to this really wonderful river and made/ate our lunch.  As we were sitting down at the river, toes in the water, throwing cherry pits into the river Hunter says "This really is the picture of summer, isn't it?" which was so fitting because it actually was the summer solstice that day!  I really loved our little jaunt in to see more of what Oregon has to offer.  What a beautiful state, that one.

This was the first, and last day that I took over and drove for any amount of time.  I've had to drive from Denver to Steamboat a few times, and as beautiful as it is, the North Dakota in me haaaaates being behind the wheel on those twisty and turny roads!  This is a girl who could pretty much put her car on cruise control and take a snoozer while driving from college, back to our home on the complete opposite side of the state, and never once make a turn or dramatic twist.  I'm really not making that up - check it:

Anywayyyy - though I did give him an hour or so of driving relief, we both agreed that I'd be better off sticking to "The North Dakota" roads as we'd later coin them.  Also, did you know my boyfriend has a river named after him?  So modest that one never to mention it.  ; >

Again, this day we weaved in and out of campsites, completely underwhelmed with each of them.  We alllllmost settled for one spot, though beautiful was right next to a smaller highway.  Not our style.  So, we drove, and drove until we found our own beautifully remote spot next to a river!

We knew we had to get our camp set up, and dinner going quick because we needed serious zzz's that night for our unexpected long day ahead.  So I set up the tent ALLLLL by myself!  Excuse me while I pat myself on the back quick.  ::pat, pat, pat::

All while Hunter fired up the stove, cracked some beers and got down to dinner biznass.

This spot was so dashingly serene and a great last night of camping for us on this particular road trip.  We had a great dinner of pasta, kalamata olives, sundried tomatoes, fresh basil, and some parm cheese.  We walked around and in the river during sunset, sometimes chatting, sometimes admiring the stillness, sometimes sneaking a kiss.  It was wonderful.  : )  We retired to the tent to play cards bug-free { this was the only spot of camping on the trip that bugs were an issue! } and drifted off to catch some zzz's before visiting our 3rd state together on the trip the next day!

Lovely.

My final morning Namaste.
Giggles with new friends.
Belly laughs with old friends.
Embracing the crazy, uncontrolled and unpredictable curly hair.
A plan-less evening for lots of cooking, reading and calm.
Silly moms.
H20.
Kite Runner.
GREEN SMOOTHIES.
Having my new "sleep in" time during the work week being 6:15a.  Whaaa?!  Dat crazy.
Enjoying every drop of my morning cup of coffee before I have to say bye bye in a few days.
Hours upon hours {andhoursandhours} of texting with my East Coast lover, Amie!
Holding my plank strong for 6 double breaths!!  {That is huge for me}
Knowing it's Wednesday, which makes tomorrow Thursday, and the following....Friday!
Sunshine.  Always, always sunshine.
Green + Peppermint Tea.
Embracing the fact that I will cry every single morning at some point during the Today Show.

What is making your week more lovely?

Pood forn.

It's been pretty transparent on this blog how much I love cooking and trying new recipes.  I'm not sure how or when it happened, but cooking has evolved into a huge form of stress relief for me.  After a long day at work, bickering with coworkers or just a cranky day, there are few things I crave more than fresh produce and my skillet.   I adore pursuing food blogs/Pinterest for hours while noting new ingredients, fun techniques and flavor combinations. I will be talking more about diet and some changes I've decided to make sometime next week, but in the meantime, I have to share my latest food blog crush, Stonesoup.  Ever since I was a little kid, I remember hovering close to my mom while she would prepare her famous Thanksgiving stuffing.  I  adore the Food Network and watching the chefs chop the food is undeniably my favorite part.  Not only are Stonesoup's recipes easy to follow along with and her ingredients simple, but she has VIDEOS!  Videos, people!  I can watch over and over her swift and sharp knife cuts.  Score!  I also love how with each recipe she posts, she has different alternative methods of cooking for gluten-free, vegetarians or vegans. 


{ hint, hint }


Anyhoodle, if you are ever in a pinch for a quick and simple dinner, I'd strongly suggest heading to see what's new at Stonesoup.  














p.s. Figure out the blog title yourself.

Loving this.

::via::

Let's agree to work on this today, shall we?!

It's my blog and I can take a break if I want to.

Take a break if I want to, take a break if I want to.

Okay - that isn't as catchy as crying and birthday's, but you get the idea. I took a completely unintentional week long break from blogging - oopie daisy! What's awesome is that because it's pretty much exactly a week, I can just transition to what I was doing 3 weeks ago vs 2. I know you guys will be just so terribly heartbroken, won't you? Until then, entertain yourselves checking out some unnecessary pictures from my life lately.














































































Cheers!

ps Dear Mountain Biking,
We had some really incredible highs, and some pretty pity party lows. Over all; I owned you, woman. See you again soon...this time with less hyperventilating and more steep incline successes.