Lushious Lunch

Sometimes food is so delicious I just have to share. Also, I'd like to take the opportunity to thank both Kate and Erin and our beautiful garden for allowing me to make such a beautiful lunch with ease.

Here's what I consumed today while typing up fact sheets about ticks, mites, and scorpions:

My favorite sandwich: mayo, fresh garden lettuce, sharp cheddar cheese, wheat bread. It sounds almost too simple, but is completely delicious. You can make it with grocery store lettuce but it just won't taste quite as good.

Asian cabbage slaw left over from the dinner I made last night: shredded purple cabbage, grated carrot, diced green onion, chopped cilantro, and toasted, slivered almonds. The dressing is mayo, soy sauce, cider vinegar, sugar, ground ginger, and hot sauce. Yum.

Grapes for dessert.

There's something about fresh flavors that made this lunch totally blow my mind.

Dubious day off thoughts

Way to go, today. Thanks for totally redeeming yourself.

I awoke this morning, thinking it would be an innocent day off from work, a brief respite from small children, invertebrates, and late arrivals. Alas, I started my day on hold with the Apple Store. Never try to resolve your credit card issue on the day the new iPhone is available for purchase, kiddos. Unfortunately, the crisis was once more, unresolved. I hung up, only to have my phone ring again--call from work. No problem, just getting information about tomorrow's work site. I construct a breakfast burrito from the fixings my lovely housemate has created: potatoes and onions, highly seasoned and peppered, a sunny side up egg, fresh cilantro (home grown), tomatoes, and cheese. The phone rings before I take a single bite. My credit card company, with a helpful resolution to the Apple madness (still haven't resolved my order b/c I was unwilling to spend another hour of my day on hold--perhaps tomorrow my new computer will begin to make its way towards my residence). I eat, field another phone call, and finally get in the shower.

I didn't have high hopes for the day, honestly. I felt stressed already. But, my friends, it didn't rain all day today, and we weren't under a tornado watch. A friend from the Western Slope arrived, and we made wine/spirits deliveries, ate a delicious lunch from Mr. Lucky's Sandwiches in Cheesman Park, lounging in the mid-day sun. Capped off by iced mochas with a beautiful friend and an afternoon of book reading in a cool, dark room, I felt much more alive.

The evening only has improved the situation. Homemade pizza with amazing toppings and toothsome crust. Lovely salad greens I picked fresh from the garden just minutes before. Home brewed Belgian wit. Apple cake with ice cream for dessert. Excellent company around the table. I finished my book, and am now geared up for a morning of work.

Thanks again, today. We'll see what tomorrow holds for me.

Check check and check.

Shoes? check.

Jewelry? check.

Dress fitting #1? check.

I promise, someday I will be able to talk about something other than weddings. But I went to my dress fitting today and it was really fun. My dress is lovely. It's going to fit me really well, and is still comfortable (other than being made from a warm fabric). Yay!

I have fully entered the "good enough" phase. I ordered two pairs of earrings from Ten Thousand Villages, and took them to my dress fitting today. One pair looked just ok. The other pair looked pretty good. And those are officially the earrings. Because I am no longer interested in looking at all the choices out there, I just want to be done and to cross the next item off the list. It feels really freeing, because I am able to be decisive. Everything moves us one step closer to actually getting married!

My whirlwind weekend is only beginning: tonight, we'll work on our wedding ceremony & pack for our trip to KS. Tomorrow AM we'll drive to Kansas, have a pre-wedding BBQ with friends, and camp with friends. Then on Sunday, Emily & Andy get married, and as soon as the ceremony ends, James and I drive back to Denver. Bright and early at 8 am on Monday morning, I teach my first summer camp. Wish me luck!