weekly letters.

dear radster, after a long week of travel and busy days, you remind me how important it is to relax, enjoy the now and light a candle every now and again.  dear job, i love you.  i'm amazed at how much joy my career and company brings me on a daily basis.  i'm so grateful for this opportunity to thrive.  dear birdhouse, you might be a little dusty and a whole lot dirty, but i don't care.  i just love having a safe haven to rest our head and have the sweetest dreams.  dear a, you sir are my rock.  thanks for accepting that my open suitcase might have a new home in the center of our bedroom and my side of the sink might actually be yours as well.  your grace humbles me daily and i thank you for that.

greek salad, revised.

for me, simplicity is key.  i like my frozen yogurt tart, my vodka unflavored, my spaghetti with marinara and my salads greek.  & i won't apologize for this.

last night while glued to the news about the fire progress, we opted to make something quick, easy and cool (temperatures are in the triple digits) for dinner.  i'm a huge fan of greek salads and often order them any chance i get.  since we're not only trying to be healthy but stop eating out as often, we decided to try our hand with our own version of this classic salad.

it no doubt, was a winner.

greek salad (serves 4)
1 head green leaf lettuce, washed and torn into pieces
3/4 cup grape tomatoes, halved
2 radishes, sliced
1/2 cucumber, sliced
1/4 cup peperoncinis, sliced
2 small cooked beets, sliced
1/4 cup kalamata olives, halved
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 yellow pepper, deseeded and sliced
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

greek salad dressing
we used this one from ina garten (i added more mustard than called for and was very happy with that decision).

chop and put all ingredients into a large bowl.  for an extra hearty salad add grilled chicken, lamb, shrimp, salmon or tofu (shown).  add dressing as needed and enjoy.

prayers for san diego.

today san diego issued a state of emergency due to 6 wildfires blazing through the county.  watching the smoke fill the skies has been shocking, to say the least.

we're safe and sending lots of love, thoughts, and prayers to the many people displaced and affected by these fires.  #staysafesandiego

weekly letters.

dear sweet hubby of mine, i missed your face.  although we've done this long distance thing time & time again, it never gets easier.  and part of me is glad that it doesn't.  dear travel, i most definitely have a love-hate relationship with you.  i love exploring new cities, meeting new people and all the adventures that come with both these things but i could do without all the chaos of getting there.  dear keens, you're my sole mate.  i could (and have) walk miles in you everyday. i'm lusting for an entire closet of your goodness.  dear birdhouse, it's so good to be back.

enjoy your weekend and happy mother's day to each & every amazing mama out there!

new adventures.

happy weekend friends!  for the past week i've been spending my days in beautiful colorado springs.  this city is rad.  since arriving i've experienced freezing temperatures, snow, heavy winds, sunny skies and 70 degree weather.  it's safe to say colorado is keeping me on my toes. 

despite the crazy weather, i'm so happy to be here.  this is the first of many business trips i'll be taking with my job and regardless of the time change and being away from home, i have so much passion for what i do that i can't help but be anything but rejuvenated. 

life is overflowing with adventure.  i'm fortunate to have a job that allows me to travel and engulfs me in magic every. single. day.  but it wasn't always this way.  i've had to scrape, claw, and in some cases, take what seemed like a million steps backwards to get to where i am today.  and in hindsight, it was (of course) so very worth it.  

so today, as i sit here writing after a long and rewarding day, i say to you- go, fight for what you want and never, ever, settle.  because in the end, when you're doing what you love, you'll look back & realize that all that mud you were walking through was making you stronger and preparing you for everything yet to come.