Happy Memorial Day!

Working on Saturday and a wedding on Sunday kind of made me forget it was a holiday weekend. Yesterday at lunch I decided we should cook something for dinner to honor the holiday and at least make some sort of attempt at recognizing the extended weekend.

After poking around on the internet a bit I found this recipe. It’s a top-to-bottom recipe designed by Emeril Lagasse, who I’m not always the biggest fan of. Sometimes I find there’s a bit too much BAM in his food and it turns me off a bit. But I had a craving for swordfish and I thought pesto sounded like a nice idea in my life, so this recipe was absolutely perfect! Plus, to have the main and two side dishes assembled for you is a fantastic time saver. It was soooo grood (great+good).

Jared and Courtney working together in the kitchen, presh.

Courtney is a spoon master

Grind it like a pepper mill!

If you want to work the grill you have to wear the hat.

Jared came bearing gifts!

No words.

Marital Bliss

After an afternoon of lounging by the pool, with the odd nap thrown in for good measure, Courtney and I headed to a wedding in Lawrence. One of our sorority sisters was getting married to her high school sweetheart after 8 years of an off-and-on relationship. It was a small, intimate affair of which I was honored to be a part.

I happen to love weddings. Not in the wedding-crasher-free-booze sort of way, but rather in the great-excuse-for-party way. Though this wasn’t a hootin’ and hollerin’ affair. Court and I didn’t attack the dance floor in our usual fashion, and unlike at Libby Bailey’s wedding, we didn’t hog the photographer so he could take pictures of our (only to us) hilarious antics. But, Kelsey looked stunning and her choice of venue was perfect. Overall it was a lovely afternoon.

It might appear that I have only one party dress...

Nothing completes a night of romance and wedding nuptials like a big corn dog. Somehow we weren’t sated by the evening’s meal and had to indulge in a little drive-through delicacy. I heart corn doggies and tots.

Sun-day

 

Yes! It is sunny and beautiful and warm. And I am going to lay outside by the pool and soak up all the vitamin D I can before heading to a wedding this afternoon. Honestly, nothing more exciting than that.

Little To Do About Nothing

Ugh. Every day this week I have looked at my computer and told myself I would write something on this little blog. Really anything would do. But nothing was exciting enough. Betwixt dodging funnel clouds (yes, I live in Kansas) and apartment hunting for Charleston (waaaahh, why is this so hard?!) nothing of major consequence has occurred.

I thought for a mild moment about sharing with you the conclusion of my latest read, Parrot and Olivier in America (said with a French accent, of course), but found that idea a little too dull for an entire post today. In short, it was a good read, definitely a nice deviation from what I have been reading. And if you are in the mood for a bit of a period-piece with the odd bit of 1800’s humor, then I suggest you pick it up. Honestly, I really did enjoy it.

So then I thought, What the heck was I doing this time last year? Well on this exact day I was probably trolling around the house with Stella (ah, yes, that is Little Bean’s real name–don’t you love her even more now?) causing ruckus and being really cute (yes, the pair of us). Maybe I headed down toward Zurich Lake to catch some rays and nurse a few beers with Jill (favorite pastimes of all the times). Or perchance I went on a long run in the hills of the Schin (not the village’s real full name) basking in the glory that is the Swiss Alps and gorgeous countryside. Man, life was good.

And still is! Natürlich. But I can tell you that two days and one year ago I was looking at this to my left…

oh, and of course this to my right…

and when I looked straight ahead I saw…

but don’t forget about down below!

And as the sun faded…

…I knew I was in paradise. Cinque Terre, Italy.

Sunday Afternoon

Sometimes when I get a craving I am able to immediately satisfy it. Other times the craving sits with me for weeks until I am totally consumed with all things craving. Over the past couple weeks I have had a huge hankering for some Iguana Dip from Salty Iguana (Mexican Cantina) and a self-designed sandwich from Great Harvest Bread Co. The other day at work I couldn’t stop thinking about these two items and knew they needed to be a part of my life, fast.

Enter Sunday afternoon. With little to do, nothing but time and an empty stomach, I set out to fulfill my dreams. While I didn’t initially envision the two must-haves being consumed together, geographically it just made sense. The two establishments are right next to each other, so really, why not kill two birds with one stone?

Ready for demolition

Alas, after completing my lunch I have reached the point of full when only grunts and incoherent mutters are escaping my mouth, when all I can do is stumble to the couch to watch some afternoon TV (Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives anyone??). And I am one happy girl.

Also, a few pictures from last night:

Maddie (Congrats!), Stephanie, Annie, Kathryn, Yrs Trly, Maggie

Strike a Pose. Very Dance Troupe, late 90s.

Courtney and I. It only took 7 attempts to finally get this semi-decent picture.

Saturday Morning

Apologies for the boring post title, but I cannot think of anything more exciting than that. And actually, that’s a good thing. I love unexciting Saturday mornings. You know the kind when you wake up when your body tells you it’s time, you laze about for a little while, drink some coffee, maybe flip through a magazine (I have a special love for magazines), and contemplate how to spend your day. Man, I love Saturdays!

Today I have plans to attend a few graduation parties–one friend from graduate school and one from Occupational Therapy school–wahoo! With no work on the docket for today or tomorrow I am looking forward to just hanging out with friends, relaxing, and enjoying my down time.

Today’s song was discovered by looking through a few past emails. I forgot how much I genuinely like this song. Furthermore, the accompanying video is beyond words. Someone commented on YouTube that, “If I could marry this song I would…right now.” And while I’m not quite ready to wed the tune, I will admit to being totally in love with about minute 2:46 of the vid when he is splayed across a rock in Jordan. OK, if that didn’t intrigue you enough, then I don’t know what will!

Au revoir!

Word Play

Yesterday I was thisclose to having a meltdown on the floor at work. I have a few pet peeves, silly and trite, as most people’s are. Among them is when people use pet names such as, “Sweetie,” “Honey,” “Sweetpea,” Sugar,” for total strangers. Case in point, one of my clients yesterday.

I walk to the front of the store to greet her and ask her the all-important question, “What are we shopping for today?” She says, with what I think was a genuine smile, “Oh you know what Sweetie, someone is helping me. Thank you though Sweetheart.” Oh whoa, whoa, two in one greeting. Too fast, too furious. I left her to her browsing and continued milling about the store. When my manager, who was previously helping her, passed her off to me I knew I was in for it.

For the next forty-five minutes I was harassed by variations on “sweet” and made to feel like a child. As I’m out on the floor grabbing her a different size, I say to my friend, Patty, “I am going to lose my MIND if this woman calls me ‘Honey’ one more time!” She says, “You know, when they do that to me, I just dish it right back.”

Well this is against my design. It is awkward and unnatural for me to say such things. Even when I was working in the classroom I addressed my students as “Sir” or “Ma’am.” “Honey-bear schnookly doodums” just doesn’t sound right coming out of my mouth. So every time I brought her back something or checked on her I had to endure another round of, “I’m just great thank you Pumpkin. You’re so sweet!” Waaaaaaah! Make it end!!

At last she paid for her purchases and left the store. My cringe reflexes went back into hibernation and I was free to be simply Kristina. That is until one hour later when SHE CAME BACK FOR MORE!! She forgot to buy a few items, and once again I was thrust back into the world of baby-talk. When will it end?! I thought.

Finally, she was gone. And all was well. Sweetie.

Totally Inappropriate

I know this is a bit of a deviation from my standard fare, but I found this whilst going through a couple of old emails and RLAL (Real Life Audibly Laughed [courtesy of Adam]) all over my desk. Kids are my favorite people on the planet.

Over Too Soon

I am ripe from finishing One Day for the second time (insert a dramatic sigh from Jill). Still too emotionally revved up to talk properly about it without bursting into tears. What a moving, exceptional book.

“[Emma] began walking again, south towards The Mound. ‘Live each day as if it’s your last,’ that was the conventional advice, but really, who had the energy for that? What if it rained or you felt a bit glandy? It just wasn’t practical. Better by far to simply try and be good and courageous and bold and to make a difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you. Go out there with your passion and your electric typewriter and work hard at…something. Change lives through art maybe. Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved, if you ever get the chance.”

(Nicholls 433)

Traffic Jam

The other day I made a genius decision to go out to the mall in mid to late afternoon, just to browse. While my credit card stayed tucked away safely in my wallet, I ran into trouble elsewhere. I forgot about the inevitable traffic jam I would run into on my way from the mall to the gym. What should have been a nine minute drive quickly became twenty-four(ish) and I was stuck sitting in a sea of autos for much longer than I desire. Just as my nerves became especially frazzled this song came on and I couldn’t help but relax.

If you are not familiar with Joanna Newsom, then you are missing out. She can be a little intimidating at first with her lack of choruses, harp for a partner, and shall we say unique voice. At first I wanted to post a live video of her singing this song because she is one of the most interesting people to watch perform, but I realized that might be a bit too fast, too furious. Baby steps here.

In any event, she is a gem. This song, a whopping 9 minutes may seems absurb, but really it’s not. It’s all about the build-up. If you can hold out until about 6:26 you will be handsomely rewarded. And, no, you can’t just skip until that point because you have to listen to all the good stuff before for it to not only make sense, but be as rewarding as it is.

My point is that J Newsom is an anesthetic, and soon I found myself immune to the idiocy of other highway drivers. She calms the nerves and helps put me back in a controlled state of mind. Who is yours?