Mango Salsa and Smoothies

So I wanted to give you 2 recipes for two of my favorite things. Both are great summer treats and are the perfect snack on a hot day!

Mango Salsa

1 cucumber

3 mangoes

1 red onion

1 red pepper

A pinch of salt and pepper

Lime juice

Optional: handful of chopped cilantro

All you do is chop it all up and eat! Using a blender makes it a little bit soupy, but it goes quicker than chopping it by hand. Chopping by hand helps you taste all the flavors a little more though. 

Smoothie

1 cup of yogurt (whatever flavor you prefer)

1 banana 

A handful of frozen fruit (I like peaches and pineapples because it makes it sweeter)

Some fruit juice

Just blend and enjoy! 

The Golden Coast

Here are some pictures from my recent trip to California:

View from the Pacific Coast Highway (we took it from LA to San Francisco)

Grapes in Napa- Cakebread Vineyard and Winery

Me, Daniel and Lorien tasting wine

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco

Riding a cable car in San Francisco

I got to meet up with the Middle Eastern family I stayed with while they were visiting the States for the summer. 

I AM Bootylicious.

So one of my guilty pleasures is blog-stalking. I do it religiously, to the point where I might require medical help in the immediate future. It's somewhat of an obsession, but I justify it because thats where I learn to do everything from tweeting to painting to redecorating to growing plants. I. love. blogs.

And today, my love for blogs has been renewed and refreshed by my FAVORITE blog: Young House Love.  Today I woke up with an exciting email in my inbox. Much to my dismay, I was the winner in their most recent giveaway! Cheers to me. I have entered almost every week for the last year or two, and the incessant blog checking and contest entering has finally paid off.

And I have won this:

A Booty Bean Bag for two! I can't wait to get it in the mail and curl up on it with a good book. And if I'm lucky, Bailey the cat or Patrick will join me in enjoying this fabulous prize.

Check out these awesome bean bag chairs here and make sure to take a look at their other products. They look fabulous and would make any room more comfortable and inviting.

Happy reading my friends. 

What I'm Chewing On

This summer I feel like I've become an avid reader. I read the 4 Twilight books, then "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert, and most recently I've finished "Same Kind of Different As Me" by Ron Hall and Denver Moore.

And this was one book that I didn't want to read. 

I read a bazillion reviews, talked to lots of friends and family members, and even googled the story to find a reason not to like it or that would turn me away. Surprisingly, not one person said anything negative about the book.  Under hundreds of scrutinizing eyes, every review seemed to glow in admiration. And yes the story looked grand and inspiring, but what could I possibly have in common with a wealthy art dealer and a homeless man that grew up working on a plantation? 

A lot. 

This book touched me in a way that I hoped it would not. I hated that I found myself relating to certain characters and caring about the homeless in Dallas. I didn't want to be encouraged to believe in the homeless more. Or to see that they could be trusted and empowered to change a city. I didn't want to see a homeless man become a part of a wealthy white family. I didn't want to see a husband and a wife serving alongside the poor every day, taking them out to coffee, celebrating their birthdays, and taking them on camping trips. Or fixing their hair, clipping their fingernails or washing their feet. 

So what is it about this inspiring, gut-wrenching, overcoming, and compassionate story that made me want to hate it so much?

It's because it made me uncomfortable. Challenged my "status quo." Showed me love that I wasn't yet ready for. 

"Same Kind of Different As Me" casted doubts on my present "need" for comfort. The story blurred the lines of what it means to be poor or to be rich. And it scared me because in some ways, I feel as if the former describes me better. 

I'm not Deborah or Ron Hall. I don't want to go serve dinner several nights a week, or have to give up my free time to be around men and women that smell bad and drink. I want to sit in my den or on my porch, watching television, reading books or making crafts. I want to be comfortable. 

But Ron and Deborah sacrificed their comfort. And an entire city changed for the better because of that sacrifice. All because 

they

just

cared. 

I want to live a dream that's bigger than me. I want to care so much that it changes a city. I want to be more comfortable in an unfamiliar place because I've become convinced of my purpose on this earth. I want to be a dreamer. To have compassion beyond comprehension. That inspires the masses and moves people out of complacency. I too, want to just care. 

Prized Possession

I've been saving for a couple of weeks, and have finally accumulated enough cash flow to buy this:

A Canon Rebel xsi.

Of course I can't take photos like this:

Or this:

But everyone has to start somewhere, right? Even Frankie had to start somewhere. But in all fairness, she might be the only one I've ever known to legitimately start out this good from day 1 on a point-and-shoot 2 mega pixel camera. I want to be her. 

Yeah I'm a Runner

So several months ago I succumbed to peer pressure and registered for the Peachtree Roadrace. Its the biggest 10k in the world with 55,000 participants and 3,500 volunteers. I've heard stories that its just a big party and that you don't even think about the running. Well whoever told me that was WRONG.

The morning of the race we took MARTA to Lenox and walked right up to the starting line at 8:55am. Since Patrick and I had never run the race before, we were stuck in the second to last starting group. I was really nervous because I didn't exactly "train" for this. Most people around me seemed to be calm and collected, so I made sure I looked the same. Do some calf stretches, make small talk with nearby runners, and make subtle comments about the last race we did. I'm sure I looked like a professional.

When the race started, I learned that I easily revert back to middle school in my music tastes. They were playing Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca" on every speaker at the starting line and I almost wet myself in excitement. I wanted to jump and run and skip and wave my arms in the air because the music pumped me up that much. I knew I could do the race if this was the music that played the whole time. I probably embarrassed Patrick.

I liked running with so many people, and we kept a great pace for the first few miles. At mile 2 I was really having fun and had convinced myself and Patrick that this needed to be a 4th of July tradition for our family. I liked the sights and sounds and smells, and hearing the Cupid Shuffle on every 3rd street corner kept my morale pretty high.

Then we got to mile 4. And that fun family tradition I had envisioned earlier no longer seemed fun. It had been a good idea 2 miles ago. Now that plan seemed to vaporize and disappear. My legs hurt. My feet hurt. My abs hurt. My back hurt. Running through fire hydrants, water guns and misters weren't cooling me off enough to make me believe that finishing the race might actually happen. But Patrick kept reminding me that "We're doing this for the t-shirt." So I kept on.

Mile 5 and 6 would have been fun if it wasn't hot and I didn't feel like death. I did get a second wind at mile 6.1 (would have been awesome had that kicked in a little bit sooner) that carried me 1/10 of a mile to the finish line. Finally finished. 90 minutes. Clothes soaked in fire hydrant water and sweat, and I could feel that my shoulders and neck had gotten a sweet sunburn. But nevertheless, it was over. I had finished the race.

And waiting for me after the finish line was a well-earned t-shirt right?  Wrong.

Well, I did get a t-shirt, but they were OUT OF SMALLS when I got up to the table. I DID THE RACE FOR THE FREAKING T-SHIRT AND YOU'RE OUT OF MY SIZE??!! I almost cried. All that hard work for a medium shirt that won't shrink enough for me to actually wear. You're kidding me.

Oh well. At least I accomplished something I never thought possible. And at the end of the day, I was really glad I did it. I needed the exercise, the experience, the snacks and the music. My muscles hurt, but I knew it was good to push myself. So maybe I'm open to considering next years race after all.

My Favorite Things

Defining My Life

I've mentioned before that I don't really know where I'm at in life right now. But there are a few things that are defining me and my season right now.

One- This song. It's called Airplanes by B.O.B. and Hayley Williams from Paramore. There is something about the chorus that I can't get enough of. The chorus talks about hope and my spirit completely resonates with that message. Its like this chorus has found a way to awaken me in a way I didn't know I need to be awakened. Each time I get in the car I scan every station looking for it.

     Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars? I could really use a wish right now.


Two- Twilight. I've mentioned it before, but these are the best books I've ever read. I love how engaging they are. The stories pull you in and refuse to let you leave. The characters swirl in your head and find ways to settle inside of you. I feel like I understand love on a whole new level, as well as emotions and the art of story-telling.

Three- Writing. I've never been more compelled to write in my life. I love to write, but have always had a limited imagination. Reading Twilight made me want to just pick up a pen and start writing anything that comes to me. I won't learn and grow as I writer if I never start. I want to write fiction, but find ways to communicate truths about who we are and what love is all about.

Four- Figuring out what kind of job would make me come alive, but also challenge me to grow. There are so many things I want to do and so many dreams that I have, it's hard to put them all together in a perfectly wrapped package that I can tangibly pursue. So right now I'm exploring. Spending time with friends. Reading books. Going on walks. Trying to figure out what kinds of things stir me up and what kinds of things tie me down. Some days I love one thing then the next day I want something totally different. So I'm in a process of discovery right now. And I think that's ok and good. We all need seasons like this.

The Thorn in My Side

Everyone has one. Something that irritates them that won't go away. Something that continues to thrive despite a ferocious hatred. Something you wish just didn't exist. That follows you everywhere you go. That you know in your heart you'd be better off without. And to make matters worse, its something that doesn't seem to bother anyone else. In fact, your friends like this thorn. They're glad it's there. It keeps them going and helps them feel alive. But to you, it's a burden you don't want to carry. The gum stuck to your shoe. That you want to bury deep within the earth in hopes that it will never resurface.

What is that burden to me? That thorn that every morning I wish I could ignore?

Exercise. Yep, good old fashioned jogging, weight-lifting, ab crunching exercise. That keeps you from heart attacks and obesity, and makes you skinny and toned. I. loathe. exercise.

So let me be honest: I don't like to breathe hard. I don't like to sweat. My legs hurt when I run and I always feel dehydrated. If warm blankets and kittens are my love languages, exercise is my hate language.

That sounds harsh, and maybe I don't mean to sound as harsh as I'm sounding. But it's true, I wish I could be skinny, toned, healthy, AND fight heart attacks and obesity WITHOUT the dreaded treadmill and sweat.

HOWEVER, and there is a second part to this, I've learned that there are several things that make me want to exercise. Good thing I'm not totally hopeless right? Right. I know you were worried we weren't getting anywhere productive with this.

First things first: exercise clothes. I love to shop, and if I have the right outfit that makes me not look as huge as I feel, then I'll want to wear it out and about with all the other sporty, trim girls.  I want to exercise if I feel like I look somewhat stylish and coordinated.

Second thing that makes me want to exercise: Friends. In my previous post I mentioned wanting to work out only if I can shamelessly guilt friends into doing it with me. Recently I've been working out with some GREAT great friends, and that makes me feel socially connected whilst sweating and breathing hard. So its really a win-win. I don't think about the workout, but I actually do the workout, and I get closer to my friends. Perfect for my inner social butterfly.

Although I'd rather get skinny by watching a Bachelorette marathon and drinking a pina colada, I am being honest when I say that I tend to make healthier life choices when I work out regularly. I buy better groceries, manage my time more, stay hydrated, and just plain feel better. So despite my lack of desire for working out, I realize the variety of lifetime benefits it allows.

So in conclusion, the thorn in my side is still a thorn in my side (who am I kidding, this feeling doesn't change overnight). But I'm actually exercising now each week and that's a HUGE step in the right direction. So maybe the thorn isn't so bad after all.

Confessions

Confessions about my life that I might be too embarrassed to tell you in person:

Confession #1. I'm lazy. I could sit on the couch for hours at a time with laundry everywhere, work undone, toenail polish chipping, and not even care. As long as I have a book, my computer, MTV and a snack, I'm set.

Confession #2. I hate working out. And I only do it when friends are doing it so I can shamelessly guilt them into talking to me. I would do anything for friends. I want to be skinnier, but then again...I'm lazy.

Confession #3.  I've read the Twilight books more in the last month than I've read the Bible.

Confession #4. I love Twilight so much that I bought Twilight plates and napkins for my 25th birthday party.

Confession #5. I have a hard time being around people that are making bad life decisions. People that aren't living up to their potential and are willingly ignoring it frustrate me. Some people don't realize they're meant for more.

Confession #6. I'm afraid that I might love my cat more than I might love my future children. And yes I'm being serious.

Confession #7. I hated my hair on my wedding day.

Confession #8. I LOVE McDonalds cheeseburgers. And fries. And Coke. Go ahead, judge me.

Confession #9. My dream job would involve novel reading, lots of people, naps, kittens and snacks.

Confession #10. I've spent the last hour and a half watching interviews with Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, aka Bella Swan and Edward Cullen from Twilight.