Back!

I took a brief hiatus from blogging, namely because I had a nasty bout of flu last week and it was all I could do to press play on the succession of chick flicks I was watching... Thank goodness I'm better this week! Lots to show you from the past couple of weeks....and the next time I blog, it will be about my trip to London!!!!

Quick flashback to 4 years ago...Simon, I'll see you in 11 days!

Gotta brag a little - isn't my sister gorgeous??? She reminds me of Princess Di here

(and she just finished her first 5K this morning!!)

Lunch 2 weeks ago - loving that homemade dressing

Finally feeling better after the flu!

Did you know there are 300 sextillion (300 x (10^23)^5)) in the sky? That's a lot of stars

After church brunch at ZuZu

James decided he wanted to have a little dinner party last Sunday, so he and Han cooked

Ninja chef

Master butter-er

Tasty appetizer (invented by the guys)

Hangin out

But ready to chow down!

They did really well! Pesto-breaded chicken, roasted veggies, buttery pasta, and mashed sweet potatoes 

Enjoyed by all...

...followed by a round or 2 of Taboo (I won't say which team won...)

Went to meditation class for the first time in awhile with Katelyn and then we grabbed dinner at Koreana afterwards

Yep - that just happened. Guess I got a little ambitious with the soap...

Found a new photo app, so there may or may not be many more shots like this ;-)

Courtesy of Hope, who documented Jessie's first baby clothes changing at community group (while we all cheered her on). Success!

Sleeping Wyatt

This week we had a reason to celebrate - Christie passed her 7th (!) and final exam and is now an *official* architect!

A toast to Christie!

Hope likes making Wyatt do funny faces when he's asleep...  

Thursday was FREEZING and I had the smart idea to walk 2 miles to my hair appointment...luckily I was able to duck into Dave's Tea to get warm and grab some loose-leaf tea

Trying out a new salon - Liquid! Loved the decor - retro punk-ish

I'm ready! Almost....first a quick pit stop...

...this is their bathroom! Dad, of course I immediately thought of you...

...this place was floor-to-ceiling ELVIS

Oh hey King of Rock!

Even the toilet lid....

This is Dana - he was my stylist (thank you Yelpers for recommending him!). I cannot speak highly enough of him! He listened to me and what I was looking for, was able to make informed suggestions, and put me at ease (I *always* get nervous when I let someone touch my curls). Lucky for me Dana is just as meticulous as I am when it comes to styling curly hair, so it was a match made in heaven. And he was fun to talk to to boot!

Using the Diva diffuser (looks like a hand!)

I *LOVE* this cut - it's a little less traditional than what I normally shoot for. It's shorter in the back and longer in the front, but when curly it tapers into lovely little ringlets around my face. Also looks cool when it's straight :)

Enjoying my loose-leaf tea... 

Last night - girls' night with Sarah and Loren! 

Change of venue to City Bar

Mango Mule for me (one of the tall ones) - so tasty!

Love you LoLo!

Picture of the picture-taker

Rounded out the night with dessert at Papa Razzi on Newbury

Cappuccino (of course)

And a delicious (but WAY too big) brownie sundae

Aaaaaaaaaand this morning - I came up with the most amazing new pancakes: strawberry Nutella! I'm a genius ;-)

Okie doke - I have a TON to get done today (and it's already afternoon!) so I'm off to run errands and start getting ready for LONDON!!!!! :-D

Spring is (finally) in the air!

This weekend was the first time in....MONTHS...that I felt the slightest hint of a warm breeze.... Granted today's high was only 37 degrees, but I still went out in a light jacket and felt just dandy (who knew it would come to this - a southern gal used to sub-arctic temperatures?!) Well even though it has warmed up a bit, the week started out on the chilly side...

More snow (at least it was pretty!)

....and more snow...

...yep, more snow!

At least it melted off in a couple days!

Worked on arms Monday morning

Earlier this week, grabbed dinner at jm Curley to catch up with Sarah and Loren - I got some delicious cornbread and a beer and cheddar soup

The ladies :) 

New favorite snack - sweet peppers with aged blue cheese

Spiced up Tuesday with some leopard print (funny enough, the girl who sits next to me at work showed up wearing pretty much the exact same outfit...)

Wednesday community group - Christie made the most *delicious* salad and butternut squash lasagna.  

Learning all about Lydia

Enjoying a mouthwatering slice of Lemon Drop Cake

Friday - Amanda hosted a clothing swap at her apartment!

Everyone brings in things they no longer wear and then 'shop' for new items

Snack time

The lady EPs from CDU (Taylor, Marissa, Amanda, Rebecca, and me)

Genius - french bread toasted with brie topped with a strawberry slice, fresh basil, and a drizzle of honey. Looks *and* tastes good!

Our gracious hostess trying on a new item ;-)

Saturday - jammy time

I also made some of my famous French Breakfast Muffins for the church bake sale that happened this morning

After muffin-making, I headed to the 2nd floor of my building for a pizza making party with Sam and Sara

(noms)

Nothing goes better with fresh pizza than a nice glass of wine

Watching 'Get Him to the Greek' while chowing down

This stuff is *fantastic* - I'd sprinkle it on everything!

Christie was kind enough to share her recipe for the salad dressing she made at community group - I'm having the salad for lunch this week! The salad is really simple - cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh basil, red onion, and fresh mozzarella - and the dressing is easy and oh so tasty (recipe [here])

Switching up breakfast this week - made a casserole! I tried some tonight - I highly recommend it. Here is the [recipe] - I adjusted it a bit and left out the thyme and added in frozen spinach instead.

I think it's time for some cereal :) Hope you all have a great week!