I keep getting my days messed up this week, but does it seem like Friday to anyone else?! Before I get to this yumminess... There's something that's been weighing on my heart since last night that I need to vent about. In the past, I've expressed my love for volunteering at the Humane Society. Normally I'm able to ignore any feelings of sadness, and leave just feeling good knowing that I spent a few hours helping out an organization whose purpose is to give animals the best lives possible. But every once in awhile, I can't help but leave feeling a little brokenhearted about the ways some of the animals have been treated. This was the case last night. Meet Duke, a now blind 10-year old sweetie pie: He recently had surgery to have his eyes sewn shut. Reading the story of Duke's ... [Read More]
Archives for May 2012
The Best 20 Minutes Ever
This afternoon when I took Harley to a nearby park to get some of her energy out, a photo shoot ensued: She played fetch... Made a new friend... Rolled around like a maniac.. Quenched her thirst... Relaxed... And in typical Harley fashion, put on a sad face when she realized it was time to go... I'm fairly confident I'm not the only person who does this (and if I am... guess I'm just a nutty dog owner), but every time I take Harley for a walk or on an outing, I picture the things she'd be saying if she could talk: "This is AWESOME!" and "Best day EVER!" frequently pop into my head, because my dog gets crazy excited every. damn. time. Her enthusiasm really makes me laugh. Today was no different, and after her 20 minutes of afternoon playtime, as she kept looking ... [Read More]
Switching Up My Playlist
Like many avid exercisers, I rely on music to help keep my workouts strong, and sometimes, to give me motivation when I find it lacking. Sometimes I feel like I'm dragging through a workout, and then that one jam will come on and I'll get that extra oomph I need. Every couple of months I rearrange my playlist and download some new tunes to keep it from getting musically monotonous. After a bit of revamping tonight, here are the songs at the top of my list: As you may be able to tell, I like some variety in my music! And here are my favorite songs right now for cool down time: Good music is all I need sometimes to turn the switch on... ;-) ... [Read More]
Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
"All I am I owe to my mother." - George Washington Happy Mother's Day to all the great moms out there, especially my mama! Sometimes I get bummed on holidays, knowing my family is all getting together thousands of miles away, especially when my hubby is even thousands of miles farther away. With 2/3 of this deployment under my belt, I'm starting to feel like I just want him to be home already. Everyone is different, but it seems that with me, there comes a certain time when I just start to think enough is enough! Case in point: A.) I just love love, but when I see couples big on PDA these days, I have the sudden urge to throw things at them. B.) In a daze, I stared outside at my patio last night, imagining I was sitting out there with Adam drinking wine and relaxing together. And ... [Read More]
Creamy Rotini with Zucchini & Cherry Tomatoes
This afternoon I was already in the mood for pasta when I stepped outside and got a whiff from my basil plant. And then, I wanted pasta with fresh basil, so that's exactly what I whipped up. This dish is easy, fresh and delicious. [Side note: This was my first time eating basil from my plant, yea! I haven't killed it yet!] Goat Cheese Rotini with Zucchini & Cherry Tomatoes Ingredients: 2 oz Rotini or other pasta 1/2 c zucchini, diced 1/2 c cherry tomatoes, diced 1 oz Chevrion goat cheese 1 TSP olive oil around 3 sprigs of fresh basil, plus more for garnish a few TBSPs of water or cooking wine for sautéing salt & pepper Cook pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, heat cooking wine (or water) in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add ... [Read More]
Sound Off: My Gym Pet Peeves
While I was sitting around at jury duty yesterday, I got to thinking about my gym session the day before. A lot of the time I leave the gym feeling great all around, but Tuesday was a bit of a different story. I had an above average workout, but it was just one of those days where the gym environment irked me in more ways than one. This propelled me to come up with a list of the things that annoy me most at the gym, and I know I can't be alone here! In no particular order - My Top Gym Pet Peeves #1 – Men who think it's okay to take their shirts off. Is that really necessary? Side note: The people who do this tend to look more like this... Than this... #2- When the gym is ridiculously sticky and hot – because sweating as soon as you walk into the gym isn’t cute (or ... [Read More]