Resolution Sunday: Paireee

Just got back from a week in Europe.

Where this happened. 

More on this shenanigan (and others) soon.

Resolution Sunday: Europe as a Twenty-Something

When I was just out of college, I went with my friends to Europe for 10 weeks. We did the total typical twenty-something-backpacking experience -- stayed in super cheap hostels, ate bread and Nutella three meals a day, and took more trains than I could count. 

What a life changing trip and I am so thankful I had the opportunity to do such a long, albeit whirlwind, trip! I am truly a lucky duck. I still think about this adventure daily, almost six years later.

 I can't wait to go back to these cities one day with a little larger budget, although there is something to be said for scrounging for cool, cheap, unexpected adventures with close friends and family. . 

You don't really know someone til you've traveled with them. 

Luckily, I know how to pick em. 

Perhaps I will write more about it later. Right now I am preparing for another adventure :)

Disneyworld!

As you may have heard, I went to Disneyworld in February. It was fabulous. First, because it was Disneyworld. Second, because I was with my fave person and a fab family, and finally because we did the Disney Princess Half Marathon. Which I highly recommend to everyone. Well, mostly just the more princess-oriented part of the population. It was awesome. Totally worth getting up at 3:30 for a 5:30 start. Oh, and if you are thinking about doing it, can I come too?

Here are some pictures from my time there. I went with my friend Betsy and the family she nannied for who are now great friends of hers. I don't have any pictures of them because I am not too cool with putting  pictures of other people's kids on the interwebs, but just know that I went to Magic Kingdom with a seven year old and doing the magic carpet ride twice in an hour was a dream come true. We did the race on Sunday, Epcot on Monday, and Magic Kingdom on Tuesday. Then I went home to work while they stayed for the rest of the week. I had never been to Florida before so new state for me!

Resolution Sunday: Friends In my Home

I had three friends lose close friends this week, in tragic, sudden ways. 

The kind of stories that remind you that your big boulder problems are only small pebble problems in a different light.

I value my friends more than anything in the entire world.

This week I am thankful for my friends all over.

Seeing their faces on my fridge each morning as I reach for the milk

 Is a reminder to slow down, be grateful, and remember the good times.

And there were many.

(And boy howdy, they were good).

Feel Good Friday

Happy Friday!

This weekend, don't forget to dance like no one is watching. Kinda like this kid. 

Also, no one is having a better week than this guy.

And finally some truth for the weekend. 

Cookbook Challenge: Dutch Babies

Remember my cookbook challenge? Almost halfway through my 28th year and I am certainly not half way through my cookbooks. Find some past recipes here, here, and here.

I have been making Dutch Babies forever. I just now learned that Marty thought it was something that my mom (with her Dutchish heritage) made up. Knowing my mom, I can't blame him. But no, this is not something she made up. But something I learned how to make in my home, in middle school home-ec, and in girl scouts.

I love big breakfasts on the weekends. And this is an easy go-to from a cookbook I received three of as wedding gifts. The Joy of Cooking.  We eat one of these recipes with some powdered sugar or honey.

Dutch Babies (2 to 4 servings)
1/2 c. milk
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c. flour
4 tbsp butter

Set rack in lower third of the over and preheat to 425. Whisk milk, eggs, and salt together. Add flour until smooth. Melt the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet or oven proof pan in the oven or on the stove. Once melted, tilt the butter coat the pan. Without stirring, add the batter. Place the skillet into the oven and bake for 14 minutes. Lower the heat to 350 and bake until the pancake is puffed and brown, 10 to 15 minutes more.

A note about my picture: It is a bit burnt on the side and real crazy looking. I don't mind the real crazy looking part, but to make it a little less burnt you can cook this for a minute on the stove before putting it into the oven. Or just watch it a little closer than I did.

The In-Between Days

Growing up in the PNW, you learn to worship the summer. Each summer day you are outside from sunrise to sunset, soaking up the 74 64 degree sun, running around from the lake, to the park, to the ocean. There is truly nothing like the summer in the northwest. Summer means campfires, fresh caught crab, island weekends, and ocean sunsets.

It is quite the opposite here in the south, and that has been quite a struggle. The summer here, to put it lightly, is awful. Summer is dreaded. Frizzball hair, humidity that never quits, and carrying a coat with you for the frigid restaurants. (I could write a novel on how seriously Southerners take their air conditioning.)

BUT!

I love this time of the year - or as I call them - the in-between days.

In-between relying on the heater or the A/C.

We generally have about a month between them. Last year, only three weeks. The windows are open, the breeze is nice, and the skies are blue. 

Who is up for a bike ride?

Resolution Sunday: Taco Tuesday

I love me a tradition.

I love me a taco.

And I love me my blonde-haired-pediatrician-Texan-Catholic friend Kendra.

(Everyone needs a friend like her).

So it just makes sense that I love Taco Tuesdays.

And the accompanying margarita or corona with lime...

Wanna come next time?

Rain

Growing up next to the ocean, this is a mantra of mine and I think it is so true.

However, I would like to add 'rain' to this. 

This week was rough. A rough week in some tough months.

So I did what my momma always taught me and picked up Marty early from work one day and drove straight out of town. 

The thing I love about where we live is that we are on the edge of the big metro area.

Meaning if we escape west (as I have always been taught to do), we go into rural areas.

Cows, grass, red clay, and leftover signs for Easter gatherings (free hot dogs! egg hunts!)

We drove through the rain 

To a new 'up-and-coming' small rural town with one converted textile mill building

And one good restaurant with chairs made from barrels and an owner who swears he knows Michael Jordan.

Sitting in the pub, surrounded by windows,

We watched the rain streak straight lines of movement through the grey grey grey outdoors.

And we dreamed of home. 

(I was reminded of the time I played the Wicked Witch of the West and cried

I'm Melting! I'm Melting!)

We drank a local beer, ate a local beef burger, 

and talked it up with the chef who we knew from another adventure.

All the while letting the rain work its magic. 

My momma always taught me to go for a drive, to get out of town, to see a new perspective.

And I am thankful, once again, that I was always taught to find comfort in the rain.

We left the pub, and I skipped to the car singing "Siiiiiiiinging in the raaaaain"

And I am sure I heard a chuckle or two from the once-stressed guy lagging behind me,

who I got to bring back home with me.

Both of us, soaked with the rain.

Tuesdays are the hardest

word.