Saturday, June 25, 2011

3939ft

Wow... I finally feel like I'm getting some order back into my life.

I haven't really talked about it on here (probably I go 7 days without posting sometimes) but recently I felt like I was in a bit of a rut. I felt like I had no energy to work out, just ate whatever I whatever I wanted (read numerous bowls of cereal when I wasn't even hungry just because we had it and it tasted good) and woke up really not wanting to go to work.

I kept thinking about why I was feeling this way and then it hit me. I started to feel it after Hawaii.

someecards.com - Hope you enjoy your vacation and the debilitating depression you will undoubtedly experience upon your return.

We had planned for it for about a month and hyped it all up and lived it up while we were there.... and then we came home and just had to go back to the norm.

It made totall sense and then I started talking to the Mister and he seemed like he was in same area I was. Kind of in the mindset of "What's our next adventure?" 


We've talked about all of our possibilities and it seems like the nest year will in fact be another crazy adventure.

In August the Mister will be moving back to Atlanta... by himself. Penelope and I will staying here.

No, we are not separating. (well, of course physically.)

It's purely to save money so we can really decide where we want our lives to go. His old job contacted him and they really want him back. The pay and incentives made it hard to pass up. The problem was I really wasn't ready to move back to Atlanta. Don't get me wrong I love the city but I want to live in many different places. Plus, I was in the process of getting all of my certification things in order and looking at different local teaching opportunities.

After being wishy washy for the past month. I decided we are totally strong enough to do this. We have been together almost 7 years. We have been through some absolutely crazy life situations and have always remained committed to each other.

He'll be in Atlanta. I'll be in Alaska. And we are going to make it work. (thanks, Tim Gunn.)

Ok ok enough about that. Let's get to the pictures! (I'm a visual person... and a bit of a camera crazy person so be forewarned that there is going to be a multitude of pictures in this post.)

What have we been doing to combat this post-vaction blues situation?


We've been eating delicious healthy real food:


his & hers smoothies


curry creations
+ homemade pita chips 

summer sun salads
  

 egg bagel sandwiches

We've made sure to stay really in tune with our natural surroundings and wildlife:

bikes rides
                 
to the soccer fields
laying in the grass
with my buddies
                                       
coming home to a bear on our deck- didn't even know until we were already inside and heard the foot steps and ultimately the crash from him breaking the gate and escaping down the stairs...




dressing my basset in a dog backpack just because she looks so damn cute (she is only holding 2 peaches and 2 larabars and THAT didn't even last long.)


hiking






3939 ft 




climbing to a height where people are paragliding off of...



climbing back down 3939 ft ... did I mention is was 9:30p  in this?


I think I'm fighting this whole "in a rut" thing pretty nicely. 


 Have you ever gotten the "post vacation blues"?
How are you spending your long summer days?


Saturday, June 18, 2011

Pirates, Granola, and Fava Beans

Wow. Seems like forever since I have written.

Had a pretty relaxing work week. Our current them is Pirates and Explorers so it's been fun transforming our dramatic play area.

Aargh!

All week we've talked about different explorers and will be having a treasure hunt next week. 

I love the summer.

I also got to go grocery shopping and.... (drum roll please)...........    the Mister came too!!!!!

Most of the time I like shopping by myself because I like not be rushed when looking at labels and looking at new products. But to be honest, I loved that he came. We have pretty different schedules so I hate spending time shopping that I could be with him before he leaves.

We filled the Forester pretty much to the max (had to pick up some things for work as well) so we had an extra large load.

didn't even bring enough reusable bags... fail.


managed to fill the fridge until it was busting at the seams

Besides pirates and groceries... not too much has been going on.

I did manage to make Julie's Peanut Butter Granola... with a few subs. (in bold)


  • 2 tbsp peanut butter
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup (instead of honey)
  • generous shakes of cinnamon
  • 1 c oats (added 1/2 c at a time)
  • vanilla (I didn't use any because I forgot about it but do think it would be yummy)



  • Mix together peanut butter, maple syrup, and cinnamon
  • Add ~1/2 oats and combine and then other 1/2 and mix thoroughly
  • Spray cookie sheet with evoo and spread granola mixture evenly (mine kind of naturally balled up so I began clumping to create "chunks" of granola
  • bake 375degree F for ~10 minutes
Keep you eyes on this! You may need to bake longer but make sure you don't burn it.

____________________________________________________________

Along with granola baking I've also conquered the elusive fava beans that came in my veggie box last week. 



this is what they look like


pop those bad boys open at the seam


you'll see beautiful beans laying in a bed of fuzzies inside


boil beans for ~5 minutes in salted water


ice bath, yo.


after cool, pinch waxy skin off fava bean and remove


super easy to do


do this for your entire batch


 add to your favorite salad or dish and enjoy

They were delicious! My first time cooking them and definitely worth the extra little effort of cooking and peeling.

Before I go I wanted to share my beautiful produce from this weeks veggie box!



We ate 95% of the fruit within 2 days... love love love summer produce.


What is your favorite summer fruit/veggie?
Do you like going grocery shopping alone or with a buddy?

Monday, June 13, 2011

There's gold in them there hills...

So the Mister and I were asked if we could look over a gold mine last night while the family went out of town.

I never thought I'd ever type a sentence like that out before. "Property sit" a gold mine? Who does that?

I do. That's who. My life is full of random moments.

In actuality, we are friends with the family that owns it and the Mister is helping them out this summer until August  when he will be going back to Atlanta. Yeah, we might actually be living on opposite of a continent for the next year. But again, another time for another post.

Anyways, we were asked to "property sit" for a night and I was prepared to take countless pictures of everything "for the blog." I'm a camera-whore through and through. 

With that warning... this post is picture heavy. Instead of me writing, I'll let the photos do the talking.


































Is it crazy that we didn't get done with this hike until 10:30p and it was still this light outside. It's summer in Alaska for sure.

Random Picture of the Day:
Went to grab a towel and water before doing a yoga video. 


This may sound random but has anyone hiked the John Muir Trail? The Mister and I were looking at it and it seems like an amazing experience. 
Random Question of the Day (RQOD): What is your favorite kind of jelly? I love my grandma's strawberry preserves but if I'm eating a pb&j it has to be grape.