Foodie Pen Pals

At the end of May, I heard about this great concept called Foodie PenPals.  It's hosted by Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean.  The idea is that each month, you are paired with two people... one person sends you a box of food-related awesome, and you send someone a box of food-related awesome.

I know I don't have to tell you how much I love food.

I was so excited when Krista sent me this box full of goodies from Alaska!  I am so obsessed with Alaska, people.  I watched the entire Sarah Palin mini-series on Alaska, because of the state, not her family.  No really, I did.

Oh, I was going to show you the goods.  That's right!  Be ready for the pictures... I took quite a few.

I love that she wrote on the box.  Never thought to do that!

Opening up greatness

Yum

She is a psychic

Again... how well did she nail me?

Recipes for Almond butter and Granola.  Both are sooooo good!

My favorite flavor

A little hint of Christmas Anytime

Sweet note she included

Guys, let's talk about the awesomeness of this box for a minute.  HOMEMADE granola and almond butter.  I've been putting the almond butter in my Shakeology shakes, and it is so good there are no words!  And I'm willing to bet that Miss Krista is participating in Foodie pen pals again... which means that if you sign up, you could get a goodie box from her too!

Seriously guys... this is an ongoing thing, so why wouldn't you participate?  It gives you the chance to see what other people love, and you get something fun in the mail.  Sign up now for crying out loud!

So yeah, that's what I've got for you today.  Sorry if I made you hungry, I'm gonna go have a snack.  Come back tomorrow to check out some super-cute baby pictures!

Growing up means...

Growing up means knowing when to take risks, when to play it safe.  Growing up means having to make a decision and live with the consequences of those actions.  Growing up means discovering that wisdom does not come with simply age; it comes with experiences, usually in the form of failure.

Like it's wise to know that Sangria is tasty... too much is a one way ticket driving the porcelain bus.

This week has felt really long for me.  I had a day where I felt sick.  Today I recognized that I have an injury brewing in my leg that could be serious if I leave it be.  We had our 6 month reviews at work, and while it was not at all bad, I had to remember that other people take my actions into account.  I was reminded that this life I live, this blessed, beautiful, radiant life is not a given.  That it is something to be cherished, treasured, and lived.

This guy told me he also digs injured runners.  Sad.

It was a week to remember to always push myself at work, but that I may need to back off for a bit on my workouts.  It was a week to show compassion and loving-kindness to myself.  And it was a week to show gratitude that this life was given to me, and that I am the ONLY person who gets to live my story.  I might as well live it big.

Have a BIG Friday, guys.  Hope it's a great start to a fabulous, safe weekend.

We're on fire

I don't know how many of you out there know this, but there are about a dozen forest fires raging in the CO foothills right now, the "high park" fire being about 20 miles from my house.  Thank you to everyone who's checked in and made sure we're out of harm's way.  I promise, the only threat the fire poses to us is smoky air quality, a ban on 4th of July fireworks, and a distinct lack of rock climbing.  But I thought I'd share with you a picture of the High Park fire we took on Father's day, just to give you an idea:

Please keep the firefighters in your thoughts and prayers.  There is  a serious lack of manpower this year that is capable of fighting these fires.  Can I also ask that if you have some extra change that you send it in the direction of the Red Cross?  Statewide, over 500 homes have been lost so far this summer to these fires.

Wow, what a downer post during birthday week.  Sorry guys.  It really is a big deal though.  More important than birthday week.  I promise tomorrow will be more perky.

A few faves

Guys, we take food seriously in this household.  I spend at least half of the day pondering food.  And I love to feed people, so next time you're in town, come on over!  But to tide you over until then... I'm sharing with you a recipe that combines so many of my favorite things:  Barbecue sauce, pizza, and personal-sized anything.  Because sharing your food is for kids on the playground.

Barbecue Chicken Pita Pizza

...Because your mouth deserves this party

Ingredients
Whole Wheat Pitas
Barbecue sauce... your favorite kind.  We like things rich and sassy around here
Leftover chicken breast... baked or rotisserie.  Whatever you've got, sister.
Mozzarella Cheese

Make it happen
Spray down a baking sheet with your cooking spray, and preheat your oven to 425.
Lay out your pitas.  We did 3, one for each of us, and one for my lunch the next day.

Coat that bad boy in barbecue sauce.  The more the better.  See?

Shred your chicken.  This is best done with 2 forks, and some powerful forearms.  Count it as part of your workout for the day.  Once the chicken is shredded, put it on the pitas, and add a little more sauce.  This part is crucial, because barbecue sauce makes everything better.

Okay, so now you need to tell a joke. And make it cheesy, because we're coating these bad boys in it.  And this is where the awesomeness of these pizzas becomes apparent.

What now?  If you live in Arizona, put them on your sidewalk.  Otherwise... into the oven they go for 15-20 minutes, or until the sauce on the edges has "caramelized", and the cheese is nice and golden.

Put a big Caesar salad on the side, and enjoy!  Please note, your family may start asking for this often.  Just tell them it's too healthy, and then make it on the sly when they aren't around.  I won't tell.

What do you make when it's hot and you have no motivation to cook anything?

And the winner is...

You.  Because I gave you a vlog all about my theme for 27.  Do you feel special?

I thought so.

I mentioned a couple of blogs in this vlog.  I love them.  I hope you do too.  So go check out Heather, and Mrs. Robinson.  I promise, if you hang around long enough (which should only take a minute or two), you'll get why I love them oodles and bunches.

Alright guys, that's my theme!  What do you think?  Do you set intentions for the upcoming year or leave it to fate?

Countdown to Birthday

Here it is guys... We are within a week of my birthday.  It's on Sunday, in fact.  And between now and then, I have posts planned or every. stinkin'. day. 

This is where I'm supposed to tell you how stoked I am for a day when I can do whatever I want, eat a whole bunch, and be lavished upon with gifts.  The truth is... I am feeling pretty introspective about this upcoming celebration.  I am looking forward to it, just not in the way I did as a kid.

My 20s are coming to a close... this year marks the beginning of the "late 20's" stage.  27.  Isn't it funny what you picture about being an age?  At 22, I was positive that I would have a great job, a husband, and maybe even a kid.  5-ish years later...

I have a good job.  It pays the bills, it has allowed for Ammon and I both to go back to school without Ammon having to work.  No, there isn't much left over at the end of the month, but we are getting by okay.  And I work with the most supportive, loving people.  They are amazing.

I'm not married but I did manage to find a far superior man to the boys I was dating back then.  We have a pretty solid thing going on.  And after 2.5 years, I've gotta say it just keeps getting better for us.

No baby, either.  But that's okay.  Honestly, I always wanted career, husband, then baby.  I'm getting the opportunity to have it husband, career, then baby.  And that suits me just fine.

No mini-me for us just yet!

But just because I'm not there yet doesn't mean I'm not planning how we'll get there.  Next year we hit marriage mode... and there's a lot to do before we get there! 

So, I decided to pick a phrase that I'm going to use to define these next 12 months... from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013.

...I can tell I work in leasing, because I had to spell that out for you.  Breanne, I hope you're proud.

But, if you want to hear what my defining phrase of the 27th year is going to be, you'll have to come back tomorrow!  Have a fabulous Monday, my friends!

Look into the ball...

Yesterday at work, my boss gave me a fortune cookie left over from a few days earlier.  I love fortune cookies.  I love the possibilities they represent, even just for fun.  Anyway, this was the fortune I got:

I have to say, I like this one.  It's  a good reminder that I'm on a journey, and it's only going to get better from here.  There may be obstacles, but at the end is success.

What are you on the path to?  I hope you're on the path to success with me.

Have a happy Friday, friends.  So glad you stopped in today.

Now that you're here...

Oh, hi Summer!  Everyone thought you were already here, what with the 100 degree days and all.  But nope, you made your CO entrance in style, with a nice 76 degree day.

Keeping it classy, Summer.  That's what I like about you.

Well, that and the fact that my birthday is 10 days away.  That's right, TEN.  You and me, summer, we've always been tight.

You make me want to do so many fun things.  Outdoor things.  Non-school or work related things.  Like playing in the river before and after rock climbing:

Yup, we tried to ghetto rig a zipline with the river crossing rope and a found ski pole.  It didn't work, but it was fun.

You make me want to climb some rocks, and have the cuts, scrapes, and bruises to show for it:

I may have a very healthy respect for gravity, but that doesn't stop me from trying anyway.

You make me want to get on the bike and ride, baby, ride.

I never said I was sexy, y'all.  Just safe.

Summer, you make me want to do all these things and more.  I could go on forever, but I'd lose you all.  So I'll leave you there.  Hope you are all enjoying the first few days of summer, and have started compiling your "must do" lists!

What the...

I don’t really know what to think of this…

Today when I was pondering all of the fun things we could talk about, I ran across this article.   

Apparently, there is a gym in Canada that is banning thin and fit people.  If you’re obese, come on in and join the party!  Otherwise, you just aren’t welcome.

When I was bigger, I would have been welcome

One year later?  NOPE!

I have a lot of issues with this.  I wish I could say “good for them!  They want to really help!”  But I just can’t.  I wanted to write a funny post about this.  Be sarcastic.  But this hit a nerve, y’all.  So, in numbered list format, I’m going to tell you why (I know you love that I think my opinion matters this much.  It doesn’t).

 
1.       Body mass is a poor indicator of risk of disease or fitness.  In fact, there have been studies that have shown it is better to be fit and overweight than it is to be a healthy weight and not fit.
2.       Not everyone succeeds in an environment where everyone is at the same place they are.  People work out to get better, and they push themselves harder when they are held accountable.  AA and all of those types of programs work because they are held accountable by people who are further along their journey than others.  Take that out of the equation?  Everyone's struggling with the same problems, and there is the opportunity to make excuses.
3.       Excluding people makes bad business sense.  How in the world are you expecting to build a lasting clientele when only fat people can join?  Overweight and obese people do not limit themselves to overweight friends, and if their more fit friends can’t come with them, do you think they’re going to join your gym?

I understand what they are trying to accomplish.  It in theory sounds like a great idea.  But you know what?  You never know where someone is on their journey.  Who are these people to think that they can judge who belongs and who does not?

I would love your thoughts on this topic, on either side.  I’m totally flabbergasted.  Sarcasm is welcome.  I really wanted to bust it out, but like I said, I got pretty fired up on this topic.

Surprise Sparkle

Well y'all, it's Tuesday, which is really my Monday this week.  Since it's most likely going to be a long day for me, I thought I'd share with you a highlight from the weekend.  Nothing like a little sparkle to start the week off right!

So, I was at work on Saturday, sitting in this chair.

My butt was really sore from working out, and sitting was making it worse.

A couple of minutes before I closed down the office for the day, a person walked in.  I looked up, and SURPRISE!  It was a friend of mine who I hadn't seen in 2 years or so.  She told me she'd been driving by, and saw my car parked out front, so she came in to say hi. 

So, said friend, whose name is Reina, told me she was in town visiting a couple of other friends, and had an hour or so of downtime.  Since I was headed to Kohl's, Reina decided to tag along.

We're both holding our phones out to take pictures, by the way.  We both felt like we needed proof of our adventure.

Reina is one of those girls that you can't help but enjoy being around.  She is the most kind, loving, zany, and fun person I've ever met.  We were professional butt-wipers together, and nobody can make me laugh at 2 o'clock in the morning quite like this girl.

Thanks for being my sparkle this weekend, Reina.

What has happened lately that put some sparkle into your life?

Doing the hard work

I wish in my heart of hearts that getting fit and sexy were easy.  I wish that I could say that each day when I wake up that I am stoked to get my sweat on.  I wish I could say that the feeling you get from exercise is enough to motivate me to continue.

None of these things are true.  They would all be lies.

But, deep down, this makes it somehow better.  I know that I have to dig deep, that I have to become better if I am going to succeed.

I like better.  No, I LOVE better.  I am constantly contemplating the ways that I can most effectively make myself better.  But, like I said before, it's hard.  It takes work.  And it takes some extra doses of motivational love to make it there.  Today, I'm sharing with you my motivational love.  The words that move me to be better on the days when I'm not in it.  I hope they inspire you as well!

Source

 

 

Source

Source

Hoping that you are living an INSPIRED, MOTIVATED, RADIANT day!

The truth of the matter

If you asked me what I have done this week, what I have accomplished, I would look at you blankly and scratch my head.

I have no idea where this week has gone, nor how I have spent it.  I know I went to work, I know I worked out, and I know that I ate food.  Other than that...

My homework is mostly untouched.

My house is a mess.

I have one pair of clean underwear left.

My laundry I did last week is still sitting unfolded in the basket.

I didn't even do that much blogging.  In fact, I'm 3 days behind on reading blogs.  I'm not even commenting on most of the posts I do get the chance to read, because I don't want anyone to see how behind I am on their life.

I feel like life passed me by this week.  Not enough moments of peace.  Too many moments of frazzled energy.  Of stress.  Of disliking myself.

I'm intentionally forgiving myself  for all of this right here, right now.  It's okay to have these kinds of weeks.  It's not okay to let them ruin my life.

So my intention for next week is to move with intention through my daily activities.  To do the things that need to be done early on, so that I can attend to the fun things later on in the week.

Have a beautiful Saturday.  I hope you can live it purposefully.

Who's your farmer?

This is not a post about the game Farmville that so many people play on the Facebook.

This is a post about where you choose to get your produce from.  Some people choose to get their produce from a supermarket.  This is great, and I am so happy that people are even bothering to eat fruits and veggies.  But when you buy something at the supermarket, do you ever wonder where it came from?  Who lovingly tended that plant, watered it, harvested the produce? 

I do all of the time.

I was raised as a crazy Boulder hippie, guys.  I'm sure you may have heard of them before.  Boulder's that weird town where everyone smokes pot and "gets back to nature".  I'm not going to lie with that assessment, even though I can promise you that I have never, ever smoked wacky grass.  But let's be real, guys.  I wear dresses like this one on my days off:

A pointed out I'd already posted this picture.  I know, but I thought you'd want to see it again.

Hippie-lala.  And because of this, I grew up going to the farmer's market with my mom on Saturdays and Wednesdays.  I grew up getting to interact with the people who tended the field my food came from, I got the chance to learn something about where my food came from.  I could still see dirt and little bugs clinging to gorgeous, delectable produce.  And it's something that has stuck with me into my adult years.  I look forward to Farmer's Market season, and having the chance to schmooze my produce farmers.  **Kristen's FM tip:  wear a pretty dress, smile, and leave man friend/hubs at home.  The 17 year old farm hands will be more than happy to give you extra produce for free.**

This year I decided to take things a little further.  While I love shopping at the FM, it can sometimes be kind of pricey.  If you're ready to take the leap into local, organic goodness, community supported agriculture (CSA) is where it's at.  You become an investor in the farm of your choice.  During the fallow season, you pay your "share fee" to the farm.  This allows them to buy their seeds, equipments, supplies, etc that they need in order to produce crops.  Then, once growing season starts, bam!  You receive weekly goodie boxes filled with the most fresh produce possible.  The produce has usually been picked that day, and they typically reserve the best for their share members.  Because you're receiving fresh produce, every week you are going to get different stuff.  Wednesday we got out first box of the season.  A and I made a $600 investment for a 26 week couple-sized share of produce.  I can't say I was disappointed when I opened out box for the week and found all this:

Well, the bills and papers weren't included, and the watermelon was simply a prop to hold stuff up.  But 2 HUGS bunches of spinach, parsley, cilantro, mexican red beans, rhubarb (I can't get away from the stuff!), a bag of baby spinach, lettuce, garlic shoots, spring onions, farm fresh eggs... 

I died and went to produce heaven.

And really, as the season progresses, these boxes will have more and more stuff in them.  What isn't to love?

I can't wait to share more with you about CSA produce as the season goes on.  But ask yourself this the next time you're at the store:  Could I get this more fresh and delicious from a farm nearby?

Not enough...

So, the man-friend got home on Tuesday afternoon.  People, I was ready to jump out of my skin I was so excited to see him.  It had been almost 4 full days since he had done something creepy, or stolen my pillow in the middle of the night.  So, on Tuesday as I was putting together my vlog for the "What's in Your Closet" challenge, he tells me something very important.

"You know, you don't nearly spend enough time talking about how awesome I am on your blog.  It's awfully selfish to blog about yourself, your life, the things you're interested in.  This should be about me."

My bad, Mr. All-Important.  Clearly, this blog should be re-titled "The A show", starring A, with supporting cast B.  Written by K, edited and produced by A.

On a side note, since starting this blog I have decided that we will name all children and pets in descending order with names starting with the letters C-I, so that I can then write a blog called "The Adventures of A through K".  We're nerds like that.

So, A, since you want your spotlight, here you are.  I love you, you nut.

Reading and cuddling.  These two are pros

Mmmmmmm... Donut

Observing the natural habitat of Boulderites

I'm thinking I should have titled this post, "That one post in which I shamelessly sell out to my boyfriend."  But really, that is way too long.  Have a fantastic Thursday!

My closet

So, it's well established that I am no fashion blogger.  But, you know, you guys deserve to know what it is I wear regularly.  I'm no bag lady.  So I thought I'd participate in the "What's in your closet?" link-up.  I've been linking up more than usual lately.  Sorry about this.  Lazy blogger alert.  I'll be back in the saddle pronto.  But in the meantime, enjoy this vlog about some of the items I treasure...

Hope you lovely ladies make it a great one!

A+

This refers to the grades I expect to achieve in school.

This refers to my blood type.

This also refers to my personality type.  That's right guys and gals... I'm not type-A... I'm type A+.  As in I'm painfully high strung.  So high strung you could strum me like a guitar string.  It's not something I'm particularly proud of, either.  Who wants to be known as the girl who has to control EVERYTHING?

But that's me.  I always have a plan.  I always have a way that I need for my life to go.  When it doesn't follow that particular trajectory, I tend to come apart at the seams.  This means that while I'm A+ on everything else, my attitude can really suck.

I want you all to know that I try to be okay with things when they change suddenly, or the plan is not followed.  It is a constant effort on my part to be more "go with the flow", and less fighting upstream just so that I get what I want.  I tried it with the fact that A was not going to be home over the weekend, and our trip to the mountains was not going to happen.  I worked all weekend to look at the bright side and not be mopey.  But by Monday, I felt awful.  I kept getting headaches, and my mood was deplorable.  Until I talked about it.  I word vomited about how upset I was that the plan didn't work, and how I was angry that my plan for a great long weekend did not see fruition.

Please note, I'm not blaming anyone.  I'm the one that bought A's plane ticket, so clearly I wanted him to be there.  I'm just mad that something I had been looking forward to came to such an unfortunate end.  And until I acknowledged how much that upset me, I continued to feel physical ick.

I really don't know what to do.  I don't want to be a Debbie downer when things go my way.  But when I don't come right out and express my disappointment, I end up with even bigger issues.  I feel like this is one of those no-win situations.

What would you do in this situation?  I would love for someone to give me some input.

Getting my sweat on

Good morning and happy Monday!  So, I meant to talk about this last week, and I even tried to log about it.  As it turns out, I am not allowed to vlog about health, fitness, and wellness, because the vlog runs on FOREVER.  I just get so excited!

So today I'm telling you about my June fitness plan.  Way back in March, Allison from Feeding my Temple mentioned her Fitness challenge groups, and I was really intrigued.  Allison is an Independent Team Beachbody coach who is dedicated to helping people reach their fullest fitness potential without having to go to the gym.  I hate the gym, so I thought this sounded absolutely brilliant.  I knew that between training for a 5k and then for a 34 mile bike ride, starting a fitness challenge on top of all of that would be impossible.  Instead, I planned ahead, and secured my spot in the June group.

So almost before I knew it, June was upon me, and I was planning to start my June fitness program the same day as my big 34 mile ride.  I knew it was going to be intense.  I knew I would probably hate myself for the decision at the time, but that in the long run, it would maximize my rest days.

I picked ChaLEAN Extreme as my weapon of choice.

This program was created by Chalene Johnson, the same woman who created TurboJam and TurboFire.  I had known people who had a lot of success with her other programs, and I was stoked to try a program that was based on the principles of heavy weight training.  Most weight training programs for women focus on light weights, high reps.  Chalene's program is the exact opposite:  few reps, as heavy of a weight as you can safely lift.

I went ahead and took my before pictures.  I had thought I looked pretty good until I saw these.  I was horrified at how flabby I look in them!  I'm sharing them here, in the spirit of "we're all in this together".  Please don't throw up in your mouth when you see these.

Okay, so they aren't terrible... but I can see where I need some serious toning!

So here's the deal guys... we're one week in to the challenge.  ChaLEAN is a 5 day/week program, and I'm also using a meal replacement protein powder called Shakeology.  Between the two, I lost 1.4 pounds and 3.5" inches in one week WHILE ON MY PERIOD.  Ever heard that you can't lose weight on your period?  It's a lie.  It's the best time, because your metabolism spikes from all of the work your body is doing to detox.  I once read a study that showed as much as a 30% increase in metabolism while on your period.

So here you have it, guys.  This is what I'm doing for the next 84 days or so.  I know that my "after" pictures will not look like these, because I know you're going to make me show you those too, right?  Say right.

Let's keep each other accountable for our goals!  I want to be a lean, mean, triathlon machine.  What do you want to be?  Have a great day!

Confessions

Happy Sunday!  Usually I take a break from blogging on Sundays, but Alyx hosts this really fun looking Sunday Confessions Link-up, and I just couldn't help myself.  Here we go...

1)  I am 100% disinterested in doing my school work.  I loaded this semester with 2 classes I was dreading, so that I could get them out of the way sooner.  They suck as much as I thought that they would.  Boo.

2)  Even though I miss A when he's gone, it's nice to have the bed, covers, and pillows to myself.

3)  I don't really facebook or pinterest anymore.  I find them both repetitive, inane, and boring.

4)  I signed up to run a 5k on the 4th of July, and I almost don't want to do it, because I know my time will most likely be slower than my last 5k.  I cut my running back a lot, and have been focusing on other things.  Having a hard time being proud of myself for just doing my best when I know I've done more at some other time.

5)  Hanging out with other people's kids sometimes makes me not want to have kids.  This never happens with children that are related to me.  Only when the kids belong to friends or strangers.  Strange fact of genetics?  Probably.  I'm strangely okay with it.

What are you confessing today?  Tell us your dirty little secrets!

Weekend coffee

Hey, I'm glad you made it today.  I'm buying coffee for us, I have lots to talk about.

Source

So, this weekend is my 3 day weekend.  Now, I know that y'all are like, "Kristen, didn't you just have a 3 day weekend a few weeks ago???"  Yes.  Yes I did.  You see, we have a rotating weekend schedule at work.  So in order I rotate between having a 3 day weekend, a 2 day weekend and a 1 day weekend.  That one day weekend is a lot like that biotch you know that you have lunch with anyway; you put up with her, because there are benefits that come along with the territory.

Anyway... 3 day weekend.  We had big plans.  I had planned for us to use our Groupon deal to this amazing Inn up in Grand Lake.  It was literally our last chance to use it before it expired.  We were really looking forward to sleeping late in a hotel room, since last weekend we were up early, and didn't get to fully take advantage of noon checkout times (darn bike tour starting at 8am!).  So this was our chance to get away.  To relax as a couple, and have our first real vacation together.  I don't consider visiting family or going to Denver for a bike tour to be vacations.  In 2.5 years together, we've not yet had one. 

Everything changed on Wednesday, though.  Since A has been working more in the lab, he hasn't been getting home until close to 7.  So I was very surprised that he had beaten me home.  I came in the door to a very somber fellow.  When I asked what was wrong, he told me that his Grandmother had passed away that day.  Eff.  Guys, I've lost 3 grandparents in my lifetime.  It doesn't matter how old you are, ow young you are, how far away they live, that is the most miserable moment.  I have never known such grief in my almost 27 years as I have when a loved one has passed.  There is nothing anyone will say to make that better.

The funeral is Monday in the Fort Worth, TX area.  We had planned to go to Grand Lake Sunday night.  New plan is that A will fly to Dallas/Fort Worth today, coming back Tuesday.  It wasn't even a question for me of whether he would be going to the memorial or not.  I just bought him a ticket.  Done and done.

So now my weekend is clear.  I guess this will give me plenty of time for working out and studying.  It will give A some much needed time with his family.

The bed will feel so lonely without his presence.

If you've made it this far, thank you for hanging in and letting me talk about this.  It's hard.  It hurts my heart, even though I never met his Grandmother.  She helped make A the man that he is today, and for that I will be ever grateful.

Have a safe and happy weekend, my friends.  Much love to you all.

A bright spot

Happy Friday people!  There have been some sad times in our neck of the woods these past few days.  A lot going on.  So, in order to cheer myself up, we're going to launch the June edition of "Kristen has the best followers" giveaway.

Picture of me with a watermelon up my shirt.  For no reason other than it's funny.

If you're new since last time, welcome!  You can find out about this giveaway here.  I'm not going to re-post the rules, so make sure you look back to see what's up.

Congratulations to last month's awesome follower winners, my MIL, my Step-MIL, Kristen, Mrs. Robinson, Andrea, and Shay.  They got quite a bit of stuff, y'all.  If you don't believe me, you can ask them.  They will confirm that they. got. stuff.

Do you want stuff?  Do you want to put a smile on my face while I ship you stuff and clean out my hoarder closet?  Put a comment below telling me the brightest spot in your week so far.  First ten get stuff this month.  PLEASE NOTE that you have to have been my follower as of 9pm MDT on June 7, 2012. 

Alright people, lets get commenting!  Can't wait to hear what the highlight of your week was.

My apologies...

Shay pointed out to me last night that me calling people "love muffin" could be compared with her calling someone "Candy", and thus making them wonder why she thinks they are a stripper.  If in yesterday's post I inadvertently revealed your stage name, I apologize.

Well, now that we have that cleared up, we can move on!

Yesterday I got to take the day off.  It was lovely.  I managed to work out and get a little bit of studying done in the morning before heading over to Viv's house to do some gardening in the afternoon.

I wore my favorite hippie dress.

I practiced nature photography.

And I rubbed some furry yellow-lab bellies.

We managed to do a little bit of gardening even.  Can you imagine?  Oh, and we made Mint Juleps.  To all of you Southern Belles out there:  I'm never drinking with any of you.  You will beat me every time.  I know this now.  Yikes.

I love this time of year, because in Colorado, it's the time when all of life seems to burst forth from the ground before your very eyes.  One day you're looking at a tiny sprout, and the next day, it's a plant that's got blooms on it.  Spectacular.

Who needs macroeconomics when you have the opportunity to experience life being created?  Oh wait... I guess I do.  Well, back to work for me.  Until next time, my friends.