Enjoying the break

I have accomplished so much in my very short spring break.  Already, I've knocked two things off my springy list. 

Yesterday, after I posted, I took the initiative and dragged down the patio furniture (which were residing in the garage from the apartment move).   I change when I'm outside.  It's like the weather reflects my mood (called a pathetic fallacy by the way).  My garden is evolving.  In a month, plants will be in the ground and dirt will be moved, but right now I just have a patio for myself.  And my patio means terra cotta ready to be put to work, luscious red pots, seashells from home, and a new glass oil lamp that will accompany me on many starry nights. 

Even this guy couldn't touch the day.



Since my garden lacks color at the moment, I tried to compensate:

So, that's one down.

TODAY, I grilled!  The lemony chicken!  Chicken that was marinated in lemon and orange juice, drizzled with olive oil.  Grilled asparagus and potatoes.  And mussels.  The perfect appetizer.  Muscles with onions and garlic, and Chateau St. Michelle  Sauvignon Blanc. Cast iron skillet on a hot grill. Muscles on a hot iron skillet, with grilled, crusty bread to soak up those beautiful juices. 

You know what else tops off the day?  Achy muscles from yesterday's run (I go girl), and a spontaneous afternoon nap with my love and our dog.  In the sunshine. 

Oh, and I totally made a new wreath today (yeah, I do that).  A springy wreath. 

Now, I'm jammied up, snuggling in bed, and ready for the Oscars. 

Thank you for reading this little blog, and taking the time to look at these pictures and words.  These are simple enjoyments, but they make life what it is.  And writing about it, capturing the moments and making them something more, that's what gets me by.

Springy

Ok, so it's not to that point yet, the trees are still bare and piles of leftover snow remain, but spring is coming!  It's on it's way!  We may have another snow storm in a couple of weeks, but today, today I will soak up the 50 degree weather and live in denial.

Classes are off for spring break starting today.  So I will be able to recharge and remember what it felt like before I crazily signed up for a second round of school.  I got home early today, let the dogs out, and closed the screen door behind me.  THE SCREEN DOOR!  That's right, it's that warm out, or at least it's not that cold out.  So here we sit, sunlight beating down on us, as the dogs roll on the ground and I massage the sun into my hair and skin. 

Yes, it rains in Seattle, and yes it has a lot of grey and gloomy days.  But, I believe that we need those kind of days in order to enjoy the sunshine more.  On the sunny days in Seattle, and boy are they sunny, the sky opens up and you fixate on the sky.  You think to yourself, "That is the biggest, bluest sky I have ever seen, " and "why is the sky so much smaller in other places?"  Mountains pop out and sigh, it's my own heaven. 

Still, I'll take the sunshine wherever I can get it, and right now, that happens to be in the basement of my new digs, at my boyfriend's house.  Which, is going pretty well by the way.  Anyways, spring break.  Back to spring break.  This is a pretty great start.  Two dogs, not trying to kill each other, Jason Mraz and Robin Thicke music, sunshine and fresh air ala screen door.  Life is good. 

I'm going to take advantage of this spring break.  I'm going to use it all up and not take it for granted.  And yes, I'm going to create a list, right now, that I may look at in a week and think, "Why didn't you do any of these things?"  I'll try anyways.

1) Finish painting the basement. What? That's not relaxing.  I know, but finished paint= opportunity to hang up my pictures.   And hopefully I will no longer sit in bed and look up at how freakin stupid the room looks with it's current paint job. 

2) Start my seedlings. I am going to plant veggies, herbs, and flowers from scratch. Haha.  But, I can't do that until the basement is all painted. 

3) Hike. Somewhere, anywhere. Definitely with Lilly, possibly the boyfriend.

4) Pull out the backyard furniture and grill. And then make something with the grill.  Like a lemony chicken. 

5) Have an epic movie night. Theme to follow

6) Take a mini roadtrip. To somewhere even more sunny!!

On a side note: 

I am a good girlfriend.  I cook him exquisite meals.  I watch hours upon hours of Steeler football and Penguins hockey.  I make a dive to the bar when we first enter a crowded bar, and emerge with 3 beers for the two of us and his friend (true story).  I ignore holey underwear. 

HOWEVER, none of that really matters compared to what happened today.  See, all of those things, which I have mastered in the last 4 years, are now second rate because I was mentioned on Pittgirl's website. 

Pittgirl is a Pittsburgh lover/commentor who has the damn funniest blog I've ever seen.  K followed her when she was anonymous and now she writes for Pittsburgh magazine.  Around the middle of Feb, I shared with her Kelle Hampton's blog about precious baby Nella's birth story.   A couple days ago I got a response from Ginny, and today, I get text from K saying that he was proud of me because I showed up on her blog.  Well, my name did as well as the blog I sent her.   

My coolness factor just increased by 10% with my boyfriend. 

I'll take it. 

Desperately Seeking Sunshine

I caved. 

I couldn't take it any longer.

Yesterday, I did something really bad.

I bought out-of-season tomatoes.  Blah. 

I craved bruschetta, Italy's most wonderful import.  Salty, fruity, garlicky tomatoes, with beautiful olive oil and basil.  BASIL.  My favorite smell in the whole entire world. 

I tried. I failed. 

They were tasteless, no depth, no flavor.  A disappointment. 

Tomatoes are meant to be savored in the summertime.  Hot-house winter tomatoes are a mortal sin.  What kind of Italian am I?

To make up for this, I will plant heirloom tomatoes next week, and drink of their bright, fruity, juicy selves.  I will continue to wait for summer produce.  I will dream of bruschetta and caprese salad, and heirloom reds and yellows with salt and pepper. 

Screw spring.  I want summer!

Saturdays

Now that I'm in school, I'm working a lot less.  There's just not a lot of time left at the end of the week to devote to more nursing.  I'm finding myself with a lot of Saturdays off, in part to an ill-experienced scheduler at work, and my own doing. 

I just want my Saturdays.

Doing what, I don't care.  Last Saturday I had my adventure. 

Yesterday, was a great Saturday. After relishing in our day at Little Buffalo last week, K asked me what I wanted to do for the next Saturday.  "I just want to have a fun day," I said.  And that we did. 

He ran errands in the morning, allowing me to sleep until 10:30, actually eat something (without the wrath of what happened on Tuesday),and sit in my basement room, soaking up the sunshine and watch two dogs play a little-too-aggressively.  K got home around 1:30, said let's go, and off we drove.  Our first stop was the Mall, for some Orange Juliususus, and browsing the perfume/cologne at Macy's.  An employee complemented me on my scarf.  Nice.

Next stop, Ashcombe's nursery. http://www.ashcombe.com/

We browsed country-style decorations, smelled candles, and he smiled while I oohed and aahed at all the little things that I saw.  How come this was my first visit, I'm not really sure.  But, that's not the point. 

The garden house---oh, my favorite.  A sunny room filled with budding tulips and daffodils, herbs, orchids, and lilies.  Seeds begging to be planted.  Birdhouses and feeders.  Birdies and bunnies in their cages, munching away.  I love it all.  I love nature.  I love gardening.  I ahhh, was so happy. 

I bought wooden labels for my soon-to-be-planted seedlings (more on that later).  He bought me an orchid in need of a little loving.  We picked out a bird feeder for the front yard and some house plants.  It was all very simple, but meant so much more to me.  It was inspiring--because gardening is just that, but more so, for the fact that someday, we'll be doing this for our own little place, and that's beautiful. 

Mmm...Orchid slime.  But kinda cool, right?

Then, we had hotdogs and chicken corn soup, and beautiful, moist yellow cake with chocolate icing.  Perfection. 




And then we went to the shitty PA Garden Show............ 


But, even that didn't touch our Saturday.  Our perfect, sunny, lovey Saturday.

Sicky

There are two things that I can count on every year:  1) In the late fall I will develop a sinus/ear infection, and 2) Between New Year's and Easter, I'll have some kind of food poisoning/stomach flu.

Every year.

So, I will save you from the gory details of the last 36 hours.  I had to skip my clinicals yesterday.  If I had gone, I would have probably been admitted.  The most difficult thing that I did yesterday was move to the living room from upstairs. 

My beautiful boy bought me the right color Gatorade, and even surprised me with gardening magazines.  What love I have in my life.

Today, I managed to get to class and take a test, but left as soon as I turned in my scantron. 

Oh what misery a stomach virus can bring about.  You avoid all food and water out of fear, curse the heavens that your book/phone charger/slippers/pillow were left upstairs, and you vow that once this passes, you'll stick to the most healthy, organic, conscientous diet known to man. 

God help us all when the nurse gets sick. 

Little Buffalo

Today, we went exploring.  

After K left for work, Lilly and I went to Little Buffalo, a state park about 30 miles from Harrisburg.  I loaded up the car with CD's, bought a map and batteries for the camera, and we made a final stop at Petsmart before venturing out.  Lilly gets a little anxious on longer car rides, so I bought her a toy to keep her busy. 

Waiting for me to hurry up already and give her the loaded toy.

I put this "busy bone" in the center of the toy, which it was specifically designed for.  It was consumed before we got on the highway.

K and I went to Little Buffalo last summer, swam all day, and had ourselves a picnic.  It was one of my favorite days from the summer.  The park is surrounded by lakes, has an outdoor pool, and lots of trails.  I wanted to go because our girl loves the snow, and I knew it wouldn't be crowded.  I bought her a new frisbee and a ridiculously long leash so she could just wander.

She was a trooper in the car ride. As soon as we were about 3 miles away, she jumped in the front seat, as if to say, "I've had enough of this back-seat business. I'm ready to be your co-pilot now."

The park was sunny and snowy, and we had the best time, just her and I, running in the snow, finding sticks (there is nothing she loves more), and chasing snowballs.  She didn't pay much attention to the frisbee.  Dang. 

We ran, and she ran some more, and I took pictures of everything that I could. 

She explored.

And when we were done, we had a drink. 

And I think she enjoyed our day. 

On the car ride back, I let her sit up front, but it was different than the last time.  She had such a hard time getting comfortable because she's so long now.  You could just see her eyes get heavy.  I reminded her that the back seat was much larger, but I think she was trying to tell me, "But, you're up here."

Admitting defeat, but finally going to sleep.....

It was a good day

Pittsburgh

I've been getting complaints that I don't have enough pictures of Pittsburgh on this blog (even though it's really a blog about Seattle). So, to appease my fans, here ya go.