Babbling Baby & other news

How awesome is this baby, talking her little heart out?! I remembered it while reading this great article about baby babbling, via A CUP OF JO.

Hi guys! Sorry for being MIA for the past week. Guess why... I started my new job! I'm working at Whole Foods Market in the Specialty Department (cheese, chocolate, beer, wine, tea, coffee, housewares). My position is a new one, sort of created with me in mind. I will be the department's demo specialist, meaning I'm in charge of samples & talking to people about our featured items. At the moment, it's only a seasonal job, so I'm trying to be awesome so WFM will want to keep me! The past week has been crazy (8 hour workdays, on my feet the whole time, 5 days straight), but I think I've started to get the hang of it.

I have today & tomorrow off, & I don't think I've ever enjoyed a day off more than I enjoyed today. OH & it's a ridiculously beautiful week here in Sacramento. It was almost 80 degrees today! Jonty & I cycled downtown/midtown, went thrift shopping (Jonty bought me a super cute shirt at Freestyle Clothing Exchange, my new fave shop!), & drank iced coffee & read in the garden at Weatherstone. It was fantastic.

Then we hit the gym, where I ran 3 miles, yay! For dinner, we made swordfish tacos with homemade mango salsa (my new obsession!), cabbage, & avocado. Our dessert was roasted marshmallows on a fire in our chiminea out back :.)

Well, I hope you enjoyed the sweet little babbling baby! I'll try to keep up with my blog more this week. Oh, is anyone else excited for the opening of...

via

I am. I've heard that critics aren't loving it, but it will still be fun to wait in line with friends & see it opening night.

Anyway, have a great night! It is suddenly much later than it should be, & I'm plumb tuckered!

<3

Getting Current

I realize that I am in dire need of a life update on this here blog. I've decided to get creative to (hopefully) prevent it from getting too long-winded.

Currently reading:
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Currently listening to:
Anarbor, The Dangerous Summer, Sara Bareilles

Currently in need of:
Money, ingenuity

Currently excited about:
My new job at Whole Foods Market (It's only a seasonal job, but it will get some cash flowing into the bank & should be fun! I have orientation on Wednesday.)

Currently not excited about:
Visa difficulties for Jonty, figuring out details for upcoming holiday family visits, more job apps

Currently thinking about:
Where I'll be living/working next, starting a new project (Have you voted yet?)

Currently obsessed with:
The gym, cycling instead of driving, sunny weather

Currently eating:
Lots of spinach & tomatoes, more ice cream than normal

Currently drinking:
Lots of water, coffee, & the occasional glass of wine

Recently visited:
San Francisco (photos soon)

I suppose that makes me all caught up! Now how about you guys?

<3

George Takei Calls Out an Anti-Gay "Douchebag"

Just wanted to share this with you, as it's a fantastic response to the disgusting anti-gay comments made by a school board member in Arkansas as well as being generally hilarious.

Perhaps I'll be back later with a Travel Thursday post.

<3

Leftover Turkey Soup

My mom cooked a turkey breast in the slow cooker the other day. (It's so easy! Just defrost, then throw it in the slow cooker before you leave for work. We add some garlic too.) Last night, we had lots of leftover turkey and not a lot of ideas for dinner. So I threw a soup together that turned out amazing! Here's how it went.

Ingredients:

1 12 oz can of chopped tomatoes
1 cup water
3 carrots, sliced
2 zucchinis, sliced
4 cups chopped kale
2 cups diced turkey breast
Broth from turkey breast (I saved the juice that was left when we took the turkey out of the slow cooker)
1 tbsp chopped garlic (= about 2 cloves fresh)
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt
Pepper

Throw all ingredients, except the kale & turkey, into a big pot on the stove. Cover & cook on high for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add kale & turkey, then cover & cook for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

<3

Quite a Quote: Be Yourself

"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." --Oscar Wilde

More yoga class wisdom. Take it in, my friends.

<3

The Power of Positive Thinking

At the end of Vinyasa class yesterday, my yoga instructor left us with some fantastic parting thoughts:

"You should know that you have the ability to change your body so that it will do what you want it to do, & you have the power to change your thoughts, to put a positive force into the world, & to get a positive response."

These words are so important, & they really hit me today. I've been in a bit of a funk lately, & these were just the words I needed. We are infinitely capable. Our attitude to life has so much influence in what we get out of it.

My instructor told us a before class that, at the restaurant she works at, customers who come in grumpy always tend to have a messed up order, & then they leave in an even worse mood. As we end our week, let's try to remember not to be like those customers.

You have power over your thoughts. And your thoughts shape your world.

Jonty & I are seeing a couple of our favorite bands & attending a Halloween party or two. What are you doing this weekend? Have a great one!

<3

Travel Thursday: New Mexico {The Ranch}

Hi lovelies, here are some more photos from my trip to New Mexico a couple of weeks ago. These are from my grandma's ranch in the mountains.

A peek of golden leaves! 

 Before working in the creek

The beaver dam we tore apart & attempted to move to a better location 

After (You should have seen my boots!) 

My grandma's old tenant (She rents out a house near hers.) used to keep his birds in here.

The attic, where I helped replace two windows 

This beautiful house is for sale. Send me an e-mail if you're interested! 

My grandma painted those flowers years ago. It's hard to even imagine her doing something like that now.

Jonty & I are working on putting together some video clips taken in Kenya. Hopefully it will be ready by next Travel Thursday!

<3