San Diego

First sight at the airport. The weather was gorgeous (60s-70s with low humidity) and palm trees were plentiful.

We were there for the International Society for Technology in Education. It was insane. So many inspiring people and new tools I want to try out further. I definitely will be kept busy for the rest of the summer! The highlight for me was the keynote speaker, Yong Zhao:

Mayim Bialik was there too!!

In between sessions, I could walk out onto the balcony at the convention center for this view that taunted me. So beautiful!

On the exhibit floor. With Curious George.

Random Photo Wednesday

This is my friend Mikah. He likes to talk like Scooby Doo.

Ponderings

Why does a new razor have to produce so much painful razor burn?
Why, no matter how far in advance that I start planning, am I always up late the night before a trip (usually packing)?
Why are owls so hauntingly adorable?
Why is my basil more healthy-looking after not being watered for a week (Tyson forgot while I was away)?
Why do electronics have so many different USB cords? Can't we just keep up with one USB cord (I can't find my nook charger)?
Why is it so much easier to find something when you aren't looking specifically for it (backpack to carry on the plane)?

I am off to San Diego for a few days for a teacher-y tech-y conference. I am pretty pumped. Poor Tyson and Brody will have to fend for themselves a little longer. :o)

Hola! I've been without Internet the past few days, thus the lack of bloggity posts. Brody has missed his online presence so I will satiate his request...

Serious Zoolander face. Totally going on our photo wall.

Happy.

The princess

I haven't gotten any pictures of the dogs I'm watching yet...it's been so overcast and stormy so far! Can I just say, I used to love rainy days...but rainy days with dogs are not nearly as fun. :o(

Yum.

Earlier this week, I made Hung's (from Top Chef Season 3) molten chocolate cakes. I own all three Top Chef cookbooks, and it's the only thing I've ever made from them. Mostly because I detest a recipe with a plethora of ingredients.

Anyways, they were amazing. I made them for Valentine's Day this year and again on Monday night just because. I felt bad having leftovers all week and wanted to do something fun. If you don't have the first TC cookbook (shame on you!), you can find the recipe here (we did not make the creme fraiche or raspberry coulis...it's good enough by itself!). It's totally worth it. I may have eaten two. Please, no judgement.

Random Photo Wednesday

Summer. Reading by the pool. I did not coordinate my towel, nails, and book on purpose.

Hooray of the day!

Once upon a time, my laptop crashed and I lost a few pictures--our honeymoon pictures (which were salvaged through Facebook and a few I had saved elsewhere), a picture of Brody pooping in the snow (lost forever, sadly), and this one. This was taken before the last football game in 2009 back when we were engaged. 

I was able to find it because yesterday I remembered ordering a copy of it, which I gave to Tyson's mom in a photo album for Christmas that year. So Shutterfly was able to help me out! Unfortunately, they don't allow you to save your photos back in high resolution unless you order a CD from them. Kind of sad. Which is one of the reasons I use Persnickety Prints now--that and they are super helpful and the quality is amazing. Anyways. I am pretty pumped that I have this memory back (not that the game was especially worth remembering), and I am now super excited to get some scrapbooking done!

Now I just need it to snow so I can get another one of Brody...

Weekend Shenanigans.

This weekend Tyson, Brody, and I decided to visit my parents at the last minute. Brody was being extremely mopey, and we thought a weekend with a backyard would cheer him up. Mission accomplished! Of course, I had to take a few pictures of Brody and Iris yesterday...

 So serious.

 A tad doubtful about...something.

 Yawny McYawns A Lot.

 Looking for his bunny friend.

 He is so happy!

 Loving the abundance of grass and a canine friend.

There is no menu planning to do, as we have muchas leftovers from last week and this weekend. I've got quite a bit of packing and organizing to do before a week of dog sitting and then a conference...I know this week will fly by!

Celebrate good times!

Last night Tyson and I celebrated the end of year two and the beginning of year three at Perry's. We left with our tummies super full and happy. Good food, good drinks, great company...what could be better?

Happy Hour. Tyson got a pineapple ginger mojito and I enjoyed a raspberry crusta (which looks like blood here and totally reminded me of the last Twilight movie).

I made a reservation (because last Thursday we tried to pop in for a drink and they were completely booked), and they decorated our table with petals for our celebration! We had a nice, comfy booth, complete with a mysterious switch that we never found out what it did.

We enjoyed a kobe beef burger and tenderloin sliders, but that was devoured too quickly to be photographed.

Dessert trio (praline cheesecake, vanilla bean creme brûlée, and a chocolate truffle) and rocky road bread pudding with a homemade marshmallow. YUM.

Here's to the next year!

Random Photo Wednesday

"Gimme some turkey bacon."

731 days.

photo from engagement shoot by Christine Tremoulet

Seriously cannot believe we have been married two years already! Happy anniversary to the one who laughs with (/at) me, listens to my inane stories, watches ridiculous amounts of Real Housewives for me, and shares life with me. There is undoubtedly more that he puts up with...I'm just too self-centered to realize it. 

Menu Planning Monday

Not going to lie, I was super excited to try out new recipes this summer. My "yumminess" pinterest board is rather full of tasty-looking meals, and I was pumped to dive in this week. Until Tyson informed me that he's going to be out three nights this week for work-related things. Boooooo. Our anniversary is this week too, so we're going out another night. I guess there's always next week, right? At least this was good practice in finding good recipes that can be adapted for one person.

sources: here, here, and here

Menu Planning Monday
monday :: baked potato night (Tyson out for a work trip)
tuesday :: lasagna roll-ups (Tyson home late from the trip)
wednesday :: out for anniversary!!
thursday :: santa fe chicken packet (Tyson out for a work event)--I ended up going to a happy hour and did not make :o(
friday :: Pappasito's (using up a gift card we've had for awhile)--we actually made bbq pork tenderloin, my house chips, and Rudy's creamed corn before heading to my parents'
saturday :: cheesy jalapeño popper baked stuffed chicken with homemade beans and wild rice--did not make; we were in Cypress!

Summatime.

Celebrating the last day of school.

Time for:

• pandora "Summer hits of the 2000s" station
• grilling on the weekends
• lemonade...of all varieties! 
• short(er) to do lists
• makeup routines of mascara, bronzer, and lip gloss only
• lazy hours by the pool with a book (savoring when it's just us, like today!)
• a super clean and organized home
• plenty of walks and lounge time with Brody
• scrapbooking!!!

We have partaken in my favorite type of summer Saturday: coffee, morning workout, shopping in a local used bookstore, lunch at home, a few hours laying out and hanging out in the pool (re-reading Chelsea Chelsea, Bang Bang and laughing out loud most of the time), and we're about to grill burgers and corn shortly with friends. I had my end of the year (hot pink) pedicure, so I am totally ready to savor the freedom of summer!

Of course, I also have a ginormous stack of papers to sort through and put in binders for next year...I want to be super organized for next year! I'm already planning for the first week of school. :o)

Public Service Announcement: If you have yet to read Divergent...get thee to a library or book store immediately!!! Hunger Games definitely has a rival in this amazing series. Love it. I already purchased one copy to pass around to friends this summer. Will most likely get another to re-read soon. It's that good.