I am still alive

Just didn't want anyone to worry.


So many things I want to blog about, but my life won't return to normal until the weekend.


So.


Please hold.

House Rules

Remember when Geoff got me the chalkboard I wanted for the kitchen? Well, we've been accumulating a list of house rules on it since the summer. Not in a "hey, lets make up a list of house rules right now", but in a "hey, this should be a house rule", as things occur. It took about 6 months. This is what we have come up with thus far.

Just wanted you all to be prepared if/when you come over...

The Birthday Boy

Dear Geoff –

I love you.

I wanted so much to have a ton of time today to write all about how amazing you are and why I like you so much. In typical fashion, however, my work day completely attacked me and stole my lunch money and left me tied up in a closet struggling to escape. So, from underneath the mops and the old jackets and the piles of boxes and the scary bits of things on the ground that that you can’t begin to identify, and might possibly be moving, I just want to say that I like you. A lot. Love you, even. And am so grateful you were born. Because I can’t imagine my life without you. It would make the zillions of things piled on top of me in this closet all the more scary and I’d probably just give up and make a little home for myself here. I would possibly even attempt to identify the scary and potentially mobile bits of things on the ground via taste test, and I'm guessing things would pretty much go downhill from there.

You’re my favorite. I dig you. Lets hang out later.

Happy Birthday.
xoxo
me

PS – I post this picture of us (from 2.5 years ago) not just because we are tan and it’s summer. And yes, so maybe we had a few less pounds and a few less years on us then then. But I'm even happier in our relationship now. So there. Take that, Skinny & Younger Me.

And also I picked this picture because my bangs have never been better behaved in their life.

Special Delivery

We got a little special something in the mail yesterday. Remember Kim & Joel? That sweet couple whose wedding we shot and who gave us a sunflower to grow? Well....they sent us a LOVELY surprise in the mail!


Lets push in a little closer shall we?


"The Date Box?!?" I exclaimed. Um.....yes please. Tell me more! We opened it to find it filled will all sorts of amazingness!


Amazing.


And these...


What?! Truffles?! Clearly they haven't heard about the Great Diet of 2010 that is taking place at our house. But I can ration these out, right? One truffle won't kill me. Right? Right?!?

Um. Clearly, this will also be trouble.


And how adorable is this?


Kim remembered from a post that I needed a small storage container for pesto. So she sent me one! SO THOUGHTFUL. It's the cutest.


And her favorite kids book that reminds her of us. She's a teacher. Haven't read it, but I so can't wait!


And this uber snuggly amazing blanket.


Seriously? That was maybe the most amazing care package ever. Thanks so much guys! I can't wait to dig into all of this! Even if I do have to ration the truffles.

Happy Friday!

Right This Red Hot Second

I currently have the hiccups.

The salad I ate for lunch was really really really boring.

I do not like the smell of someone else brushing their teeth.

I can only manage blog posts like this today. Even though I have far more interesting things I'd rather be blogging about. Or at least slightly more interesting things.

I'm wondering what to make for dinner. Ideas? I need easy, healthy and preferably low carb. Ready......go!

Ow.

We started a new workout DVD yesterday.

And everything hurts. In a good way. But really hurts.

Geoff had to offer to help me put my tights on this morning, as I can barely bend over. I managed, but just barely.

Stairs are a challenge.

Bending slightly at the waist to brush my teeth is also a challenge.

It's all good, as it means my body is really working.

But ouch.

Lunges will get you.

I Need This

My friend Mele used to tell a story about her neice, who at the time must've been about 2 years old. She would walk around the house picking up things to play with and as she did, she would say, "I need this."

Well, obviously Geoff and I immediately incorporated it into our vernacular.


And, well...

I need this.


This is my potential future home.


So if you live in this house, consider yourself warned. You have, oh I'd say roughly 3-5 or so years left to live here. Enjoy it while you can.

And don't mess it up too much, OK?

OK.

This was Today

Breakfast


Great conversation at Cafe Boka (aka, our kitchen table)


Some time in the Cabana (aka, our bedroom when the sun pours in)



Lunch at the Aubergine Cafe.
A 2 mile walk.
Grocery shopping.

The Making of shrimp cocktail sauce.

The capturing of Proof for Robert Norman that my kitchen is normally a disaster while I cook. Don't they say the messiest cooks are the best? Well, I say that anyway.


More Cabana Time - reading and discussing of the Pete-Carroll-leaving-USC-for-the-NFL-Controversy.

Making dinner.... Shrimp and Smoked Turkey Sausage Jumbalaya (adapted from an Epicurious.com recipe)


More adjustments needed....it's a little rice-heavy. So less rice, more protein. And next time I will not dice the veggies as small. But all in all - A Success.


And now off to watch An Education.

And can I just say?

I've had a really lovely day.

Reading Our Minds

(Unrelated Note: Please feel free to make fun of the fact that as soon as I say I won't have time to blog this month, I have blogged every day since.)

Geoff found some great quotes on a blog that really capture one of the things we've been thinking about lately and relates to part of our new approach to 2010. Find the full thing here.


My favorites....

"We must admit that we spend more of our time concentrating and fretting over the things that can’t be changed than we do giving attention to the one thing we can change: our choice of attitude."

~ Charles Swindoll


"Faith means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse."

~ Philip Yancey

I Feel Pretty

Ok that's completely weird to say in all seriousness, but I did a little bit this morning.

Something about the combination of what my hair decided to do today (completely of its own volition and absolutely unrepeatable), plus my blue button town collared shirt, silver hoop earings and my lipgloss made me think..."Hey, I don't look half bad today."

Which is really something, considering the Fashion Disaster that is me basically every other day.

And I just wanted to record it. As proof. For all those days when I feel just the opposite.

Lets Be Honest

OK, this is what's happening.

January is busy at work. We're casting 5 readings with large casts in the next 2 weeks, planning a trip to London for auditions (I don't get to go, I only get to plan it) and I'm casting 3 freelance shows with a co-worker the last week in January.

So it's busy.

I got a little spoiled in December when I had time to blog on a regular basis. I fear I will be a bit MIA this month. Which is a shame. Because I have Thoughts to share. I haven’t blogged about our time after Christmas where we had a day or two to be at home and I tried new recipes (including my new favorite salad dressing of all time. A-mazing). Or our New Years Eve (which involved just the two of us ordering in, having champagne and watching the latest episode of The Jersey Shore. Don’t judge. It was amazing.) Or our Christmas time with Geoff’s family, which was a lovely day in CT, great time with the nieces and nephew and some terrific conversations.

So those things happened. And I will share some recipe pictures as soon as I’m able. 'Cause they were yum. And I was feeling very gourmet and chef-like and slightly proud of myself and my mad culinary skillz.

But I just wanted everyone to know why I might be a bit blog-lite this month. We’re alive and quite well. And haven’t forgotten you. By they way, according to my site map, someone in Australia recently read my blog. So I guess more than just my mom and Alison and my college roommates have read this. Interesting.

So, if you do live in Australia or Holland or somewhere amazing like that (or even Nebraska or Toronto for Pete's sake) and you read this on any kind of regular or semi-regular basis....maybe say hi sometime. Because unless you are some sort of scary cyber stalker, I bet I would want to be your friend.

I'm just sayin'.

Come On, 2010

Leaving work at 8:42pm on the first day back is not quite how I pictured kicking the new year off.

Come on, 2010, we've talked about this.

You are the Year of Lifestyle Changes.
The Year of More Cooking
The Year of The Great Diet
The Year of Finding Joy in Simple Things

Perhaps you were confused. Perhaps you thought you were The Year of Working Late With the Promise of Much Stress to Follow.

Well. You Are Not. You know you are Not. You know you are also the Year of the Mindset Shift, so that even when long hours and mountains of work threaten our door, they do not emerge the victor.

Now then.

Now that you remember Who You Are...Let's try again tomorrow.