San Luis Obispo mini-vacation.

I don't get to spend enough time with Ryan. Selfish, I know, but who wouldn't want to hang out with that guy constantly? So, for my birthday this year, what I really, really wanted was just some "family time". Uninterrupted, completely stress-free time together (and with the dogs, of course...because Yoshi and Dobby love vacations more than any other dogs in the world). 

This past Saturday we woke our butts up early and set out for the central coast. We stopped to check out State Street in Santa Barbara (and for coffee...mostly for coffee) then got back on the road to continue up to San Luis Obispo, where we spent the rest of the weekend hanging out, hiking and tossing our poor, unsuspecting dogs into the ocean. Oh, and we got all dressed up for a fancy dinner out...at Olive Garden. Apparently, one should make dinner reservations if one plans to visit any of the local Italian restaurants in SLO...something to file away in my brain for future reference. But, hey, I didn't hate the never-ending breadsticks.

Even when we found ourselves stuck in endless stop-and-go traffic for the last 100 miles home, I was perfectly content. Happy to be sitting with my favorite guy, happy to have two completely tuckered out puppies snoozing in the backseat, happy to be car-dancing (you know, mostly just hilarious, spastic arm movements) to the songs we'd heard on the radio literally 3-4 times in one single drive.

There's just something about a road trip. 

When life slows down.

Every so often, life slows down.

No immediate photo sessions, nothing waiting to be edited, no planes to hop aboard. The month of May has been relatively empty thus far, and it's been a nice breath of fresh air. You know, time to cook new recipes, time to paint my nails, time to (sort of) clean the apartment. Time to relax.

I'm always amazed at the people who maintain never-ending, jam-packed schedules. The people who are going one million miles per hour, each and every hour of the day. Because my brain and my body absolutely can't operate like that forever. I love time to myself, time to relax, time to be introspective and creative and, sometimes, just really lazy. 

And I love having the opportunity to grow bored. It gives me time to crave and truly appreciate the next surge of busy-ness. 

Veggie jambalaya.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon Creole/Cajun seasoning

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped celery

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1/2 cup diced tomatoes

3 bay leaves

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon hot sauce

3/4 cup rice

3 cups Imagine No-chicken broth

2 Tofurky vegetarian Kielbasas, cut into thin slices 

1/4 package Soy-rizo 

Salt and pepper

Prep:

Spray a large saucepan with cooking spray, then heat over medium-high heat with onion, pepper and celery for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, creole, Worcestershire and hot sauce and a dash of salt and pepper. Stir in rice and slowly add broth. Reduce heat to medium and cook until the liquid is gone, stirring occasionally (about 15 minutes). When rice is tender, add the Kielbasa slices and Soy-rizo and stir well. Cook for about 10 minutes more. 

Serves 6 at 165 calories per 1 cup serving. 

Happy birthday to ME.

That's right, another birthday has come and gone (it was Monday, so if you'd like to send me a belated birthday gift, it's definitely not too late). I'm one more year older, one more year wiser (just go with it) and one more year wrinklier. Instead of looking back on the wonderful year that was 23, I'm excited to look forward to the fabulous things in store for me in my 24th year of life.

In my 24th year I will:

1. Stop saying no.
I'm habitual to a fault, and I have a ridiculously tough time breaking out of my rut to try new things - even things I really want to do. Starting my business has really forced me out of my comfort zone, and I'm making it a new policy to say yes. Yes, to every new opportunity that comes my way. Except drugs, of course. Just say no to drugs.

2. Run, Forrest, run.
I'm no stranger to exercise - if I'm not doing something for at least an hour, five days per week, I'm feeling like poo. But I've always envied natural runners and I think it's about time I become one - consistently. I'm not going to say I'm training for a marathon this year, because I certainly don't want to commit myself to that in a public forum just yet, but...I may be training to train for a marathon. Maybe. Perhaps.

3. Thoroughly enjoy everything I have.
We live in an absolutely beautiful place, with two of the world's sweetest puggles and I'm lucky enough to be able to write my own schedule and spend my days doing what I love. And I don't want to take that for granted.

4. Clean up after myself.
Hey, Ryan - this one's for you, bro.

5. Get the freaking deep tissue massage I've been promising myself for years. 
This weekend. It's going down.

Spicy pad thai.

recipe slightly adapted from Blogilates

Ingredients:
2 bags of Miracle Noodles
1 head of broccoli
1-2 handfuls mushrooms
2 green onion stalks, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced

For the sauce:
1/4 cup lite low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup lime juice
2 Tbsp peanut butter
2 Tbsp Sriracha hot sauce (this will be SPICY!...and delicious)
3 Tbsp Stevia

Prep:
Remove noodles from their bags and rinse them thoroughly. Let them sit in a bowl of warm water for two minutes, then rinse again and lay on a paper towel to dry completely.
Steam the broccoli and mushrooms. In the meantime, you can mix all of the sauce ingredients and microwave for 30-60 seconds.
Lightly spray a large pan with cooking spray. Add garlic and onions and turn on medium heat for a few minutes. Add broccoli, mushrooms and half of the sauce mixture. Stir well. Next, add your noodles and the remaining sauce. Stir well and allow to simmer for a bit, then serve and enjoy!

Serves 4 at 135 calories per serving.

The week in rants, raves and randoms.

What I wore: Boots, MIA. Jeans, Gap. Tank & cardigan, PacSun. 

Rants:

• Remember the amazing news I received last week? Well, now I'm playing the waiting game. I suck at the waiting game. I have the patience of a potato.
• Yoshi has a case of doggie acne....I think. He's had a gang of wart-looking bumps spring up on his chin and around his mouth. They don't seem to bother him at all, and they don't appear infected or anything serious like that. I've googled the heck out of it, and it seems like perhaps it's just a pug thing. The internet recommended I clean his face each day, so I suppose that's how we'll handle it for now. #pugproblems
• My feet are convinced that I'm trying to kill them. A few weeks ago, I photographed a wedding reception (with the lovely Emily of Anna Delores) and I made the mistake of wearing brand spanking new shoes. By the end of the night, my heels were so ravaged with blisters I could no longer walk like a human. Last weekend, I did the same stinking thing for a day long wedding. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, someone please smack some sense into me. 

Raves:

• However, when I returned home from the aforementioned wedding, I found that Ryan had spent his day cleaning the ENTIRE apartment. Laundry included. I love that guy. 
• I'm alllll caught up on photo editing, which means I have an abundance of free time on my hands to do all of the lame things I've been avoiding for ages. Like clean up my desktop...the real life one AND the computer one, both of which are cluttered beyond belief. 
• I love pumpkin seeds. Love. So much salty goodness. I can't get enough.
• Have a great weekend, friends! I know we plan to :)

FREE high school senior sessions!

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