Herbivore

I have thoroughly enjoyed being a vegetarian (or as I like to refer to myself, a herbivore) for the last couple years and I really feel like it has helped me be more adventurous in the kinds of things I eat. Recently Adam and I have been trying to make a couple new recipes a month to find  new favorites that eventually become 'regulars'. We have tried a lot of new things and Adam has even been a fan of most of them without even adding meat! So I decided to make a list of my new top five fav's, complete with recipe (in no particular order, because I love them all equally).

1. Southwestern Pizza with black beans and corn 

On this one Adam does like to add a little seasoned chicken to his half of this pizza...to each his own!

Recipe: http://www.thekitchn.com/weeknight-recipe-southwestern-147062 

2. Skillet gnocchi with chard and white beans 

Gnocchi is delicious! I first had it on our honeymoon at a restaurant in the top of the CN Tower and I fell in love. It is a little potato pasta dumpling that goes well with lots of flavors! When we were first making this one, though, we were looking at the ingredients together and kept saying "well, this will be interesting" as politely as possible...but in the end it was soooo good! So don't let the seemingly strange ingredients put you off

Recipe: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/skillet-gnocchi-with-char_n_1061875.html 

3. Vegetable Stir Fry 

We love this one so much because it is the easiest thing in the world to make! It takes a handful of minutes and basically only a couple ingredients (if you don't use meat)!

Recipe: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Asian-Beef-and-Noodles

4. Pesto Risotto with Green Beans 

My sister-in-law gave me a Moosewood's cookbook with tons of great vegetarian recipes in it and this one is by far my favorite yet. Adam and I are obsessed with risotto (I have no idea why or how) and this was a perfect way to spice up our normal parmesan risotto! 

Recipe: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=658179

5. Summer Corn Cakes 

Well, technically we haven't made this one yet, but we are supremely excited to make it soon. Adam keeps asking when its for dinner but I think he's mainly just interested because its kinda fried, haha.

Recipe: http://www.ezrapoundcake.com/archives/12345

Luxo

   I don't know how its possible that I have not written anything about the newest addition to my family....Luxo! We found him two days before Adam's birthday (thus three days before our 1 year anniversary) and we decided to officially keep him a couple weeks ago. We searched high and low for an owner but alas there was none to be found (thankfully!!!) This little guy is so much fun and everyone that meets him thinks he is absolutely adorable! I mean look at him, isn't he the cutest thing you've ever seen?

 
   Anyway, every time we tell people his name they always mispronounce it or ask where it came from. Well, here's the secret...it came from Pixar! For those of you who know Adam and I well, you probably aren't surprised. We love Pixar movies and the shorts! Luxo comes from Pixar's very first short entitled Luxo Jr. You might also recognize him as the cute little lamp guy at the beginning of every Pixar movie that bounces on the I in Pixar.
   Luxo fits his namesake well too because he is the bounciest, hoppiest puppy I have ever seen. When we go on walks he bounds through grass much taller than himself and searches out his-sized prey (mostly butterflies and ants). Oh, and his favorite toy is a round plastic ball that he could chase for hours by himself in the yard!

 

 We are loving having a puppy so much! Adam and I never had dogs growing up so this little guy is our first ever! He is so much fun and such a cuddler! We are so thankful that we took a wrong turn on our Friday morning walk and discovered our new friend!

Oh, and here's the Luxo short, (if you know our puppy you know he fits his name so well)!

 

June

June, June - You were quite a month.

    I cannot imagine there could be a month with more celebration, surprises, and chaos than this June. June began with me starting my first summer course - typical life stuff, right? But June quickly became not so normal as we began celebrating several birthdays back to back, found a dog on the side of the road, had a surprise party for Adam, celebrated being married for a year (!!!), and found Elle's wedding dress. And that was only the first two weeks! 

    Then we saw friends from New York we hadn't seen in a year, celebrated and basked in the joy of friend's starting new adventures, had a sleepover with Peyton and Ava, and Adam started and continued a million recording, audio, and web design projects.

   I felt like I barely had a chance to catch my breath in this extraordinary, whirlwind month but it was such a beautiful busyness....the kind that sparks important conversations, fills your heart and keeps a smile on your face.

So thanks June - you are again one of my favorite months of the year

Happy Birthday Husband

   
    Today is my husband Adam's birthday! Last year his birthday was slightly less celebrated because it was our wedding eve so this year I threw him a big surprise party! He deserves to be celebrated so much everyday and especially today! I loved seeing all of his friends and family filling him up with love at his party yesterday and I loved being around people who love Adam because we all collectively know how great he his and for a little while I'm not alone in my complete adoration of him. Honestly, I could talk about him everyday, all day forever because I think he is one of the most remarkable human beings ever.
    Adam is the kindest, most tender-hearted man I have ever met. He is patient, understanding, slow to anger - everything love is supposed to be. He is fun to be around and silly and helpful and sweet. And he is endlessly creative - so so creative. I stand in awe (and in jealousy) sometimes at how his mind works and how he can create such masterpieces in music or art or computer design stuff. Today I am so thankful for the birthdays I have had the opportunity to spend with him and also for the birthdays before I met him that made him into the remarkable man I know today. Happy Birthday Adam - you are so loved.

Happenings

       So much has happened in the month since classes ended...I got most of my hair chopped off, saw Josh Garrels in concert, escaped to the shores of Michigan for a much needed B&B vacation , I worked A LOT, joined Team Tyler as the matron of honor, Adam was gone for a week recording James and The Drifters, and we spent quite a bit of time with family. Goodness gracious, this month has been jam packed with joy and I have been so thankful for a brief season of relaxation, sewing, and husband-time. 

Happy Birthday Padre'

    This is me and my dad right before I walked down the aisle on my wedding day. I think right before this picture we were trying to make jokes about my mother's uncontrollable crying to keep ourselves from falling apart.

      In truth, there really is nothing more that I love to do than make my father laugh. I love to see that goofy smile creep up on the corners of his quiet face when he's been tickled by something I said or did. Those feel like some of the most accomplished moments in my life.

   Ever since I can remember people have remarked that my dad and I are two peas in a pod and I always loved to hear that because there was nothing I wanted more than to be just like my dad. His favorite color was green, so my favorite color was green. He liked watching sci-fi, so I liked watching sci-fi. He was smart, so I wanted to be smart. And I also blame my sweet tooth on him because I'm pretty sure every tooth in my father's mouth is a sweet tooth.

   I have always admired and respected my dad so much. He is such a man of character and integrity who put his family first in everything. My dad never missed a single band concert, choir concert, award ceremony, or birthday party. He was always there for everything encouraging me in the things I loved to do and showing his support for all my efforts. And he showed me how a man should treat a woman with respect and honor and I am convinced that is the reason I was never boy crazy like a lot of my friends growing up.

    I have learned so much from my dad through his remarkable example of strong faith and quiet generosity. His life has so strongly impacted the way I live my life and I am so thankful and proud that I grew up with him as a father and role model.

Happy Birthday Dad - I love you so much.

I'm trusting there's elegance in the dissonance

       When Donald Miller wrote "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" I felt like he wrote it for me. I love the idea that with each day and each season of our life we are writing a story and we can choose what goes in those chapters with our actions and attitudes and the moments we create. I was reminded of my love of this idea today as I was driving to work listening to music. Sleeping at Last's "Page 28" came on and I was re-inspired to take a look at the chapter I am currently writing. I don't want this chapter to be titled 'The season of getting by' or 'Stress, Sickness, and How to Make it Through'. I'd rather it talk about the beauty of lazy Saturday mornings and springtime walks and late night conversations and making friends. So now I'm remembering to focus on the peaceful times and finding the extraordinary in the routine. 
Here are the beautiful lyrics:

have you read the script? could you picture it?

... is it worth the risk?

everything i love is on the line,

on these neon signs.

but i need to know- when you looked away,

was it something that i said? was it something that i said?

well okay, okay, i need you more than i did before.

now that the concrete is nearly set.

here in the second act i’m living in repair.

strange how the heart adapts when its pieces disappear.

and there, on page 28, i’m so tired of drying glue,

i begin my grand attempt at building something new.

though i tend to write the epiphany more immediately,

i guess i’m trusting that there’s such a thing

as elegance in dissonance.

God, i’m skeptical of pulling scenes.

was it something that i said? was it something that i did?

please don’t get me wrong- i still need your help

as history repeats itself

here in the aftermath, i’m pulling at the seams.

strange how the heart adapts in the absence of routine.

and there, on page 29, i find “new” and make it mine.

but i can't help casting shadows on all i leave behind.

maybe i could afford to change a bit...even let go of the reigns?

every torn out page was worth the risk

now that the stakes have been raised.

so here in the final draft, i've given all i have. 

strange how the heart expands in the absence of a plan.

there's nothing left on the page, but i'm okay with that,

for i found my resolution was designed for stronger hands.