Agghh! Sorry! I've been meaning to post Montana recaps and recipes and whatnot for like a week, but life just got in the way. Between work, yoga, and the sheer quantity of BBC TV I have been watching, blogging unfortunately fell by the wayside.
I don't think I mentioned this but I recently switched jobs. Same company, same division, different team. I'm really excited about it but a) there is a huge learning curve for me to get up to speed, especially since my new role requires much more tech-y knowledge than I currently have, and b) as it turns out, doing my new job does not necessarily mean that I am suddenly no longer doing my old one. There are definitely loose ends that I need to tie up before handing them off, but I'm basically trying to avoid a situation where I have two jobs and sometimes I just want to be all:
...but that would not be very nice or responsible. Also Ben starts school next week! This is unfortunate because things like running errands or being home for the repair guy during the day will suddenly take a lot more effort...but it also prevents my husband from turning into this:
While meanwhile I'm still like:
Kidding though, I do not sleep at work. In other news, Ben and I went to a scotch tasting last night! I will tell you two things: 1) six scotches is a lot of scotch, and 2) it's always nice to have an In at restaurants. Ben still has some friends from his bartending days, one of whom is now the head bartender at the St Paul Grill where the tasting was held. Every time we go there he hooks us up with some freebies, even though we never ask for it or expect it. He's quite awesome.
Also, I know Moriarty is fucking terrifying, but this makes me LOL every time.
If you're wondering how I did all of this and still managed to feel the most relaxed I've felt in a long time, I am also wondering this. If you're wondering what possessed us to watch the entire LOTR extended edition over three days, that can easily be explained. It happened like so: Me: "I feel like watching Lord of the Rings." Ben: "LET'S DO IT. Normal edition or extended?" Me: (2 second pause) Extended.
I cannot explain where the impulse came from. I haven't seen any of the LOTR films in literally years, and all of a sudden one day I was like hey, I could really use some Tolkein in my life right now. Who knows.
Anyways...the last few months have just been crazy. I know I say that all the time about everything, but Ben will even back me up on this. I haven't blogged about any of it, but it has been a very stressful time work-wise. I can't get into too much detail, and don't worry everything is fine now but... it has just not been a great summer. I will say this, though. If you should ever find yourself in a position of leadership, transparency and communication are really the way to go. Really truly. Without it, shit gets toxic, especially in times of uncertainty and many layoffs. So yeah...that's all I have to say about that.
Still don't have all of the photos from Montana from my dad's camera, so those are coming later, as is a delicious Huckleberry scone recipe. I promise! It will be delicious and amazing.
So, it occurred to me that I haven't posted in almost two weeks, and that the last time I did was not the happiest post ever. Needless to say I'm still here, still definitely wanting to write.
Actually, the main reason I haven't been posting is that I have been on vacation in Montana! Sweet, sweet vacation...I haven't taken a whole week off from work since our honeymoon, almost exactly one year ago, so this was much needed.
It was glorious. I ate awesome food, read a shit ton of fiction (1,972 pages actually), hiked 38 miles over 5 days, saw two black bears and three mountain goats, and remembered why life is awesome. There's nothing like the mountains and fresh air to put the world in perspective.
I OWN YOU, mountains.
Just kidding, you cannot own the earth...haven't you people ever seen Disney's Pocahontas??
I have a number of recipes to share, but some of them just don't result in pretty photos and some of them are very summerish, and summer is almost over. So instead, here's a brief recap of what I've been doing other than tromping through the wilderness and not checking my email.
Being a baby-carrying bridesmaid in Alex and Karl's wedding
Love :)
Celebrating this little nugget's 24th birthday...
...with Tequila!!
Speaking of Julianna, she is moving to Chicago on Friday :( Wah wah wah... I can't believe she's moving away, and this time the move is somewhat permanent since her degree will take at least 5 years, and who knows where she'll end up afterwards. But, while this means she probably won't be calling me up to ask if she can pop by and use my shower anytime soon (yes, this actually does happen with some regularity), it also means lots of Chicago road trips! That can only be a good thing right?
OK...well it's been a long and weird day. I'm off to yoga and then to make myself some dinner... I'll post more photos from Montana as soon as I can combine the ones from our camera with my dad's photos... huzzah.
A few weeks ago she started precipitously dropping weight, which was initially attributed to hyperthyroid. Then about a week and a half ago she completely stopped eating and drinking and was having visible acid reflux. The vet who was going to treat her for hyperthyroid started to suspect GI lymphoma and all of her tests came back supporting that diagnosis.
There is no cure for gastric lymphoma, and the steroid medication that was supposed to make her comfortable enough to eat and drink normally again was making absolutely no difference. My mom and sister were feeding her heavy cream and water through a syringe to keep her as nourished and hydrated as possible but it just got harder and harder. The only treatment option left was chemo, but that would not have helped her discomfort. Any time we tried to give her would have been time spent in pain and that did not seem fair.
My mom called me on Monday late morning to tell me they were taking her into the vet at 3pm. I wish I could show you my work calendar for the day, because it was essentially a slew of back-to-back half hour and hour meetings, ending abruptly at 2:30. If there was ever a sign that I needed to be somewhere at a certain time, that was it.
Letting go of Maggie was honestly one of the more difficult/emotional/intense experiences of my life. I know there are probably people out there thinking "whatever, it's just a cat"...but trust me, I have lost pets before and this time is different. I think of all pets as my family members, but Maggie was really and truly a member of the family. There was just something really special about her. Plus it was so sudden and unexpected... just really hard.
If it's OK I want to share some of my favorite memories of Maggie:
The day we brought her home, she promptly managed to fall down the stairs. I think that pretty much sums it up.
Maggie always wanted to sit in a chair at dinner. Not on the table, not on the floor next to your chair - in a chair, like a person. Sometimes this meant creeping on someone else's chair such as my dad.
Exhibit A - Maggie stealthily creeping up on his left
She loved drinking beer. Obviously beer consumption was not allowed for Mags, but that didn't stop her from trying to steal a sip every once in a while.
Exhibit B -it's Bell's so at least she had good taste?
She really enjoyed staring at people while they slept. Sometimes this meant sitting on the nightstand and just watching over you, but sometimes it meant that you woke up to find her on your stomach, staring down at you and kneading you forcefully with her (declawed!) front paws.
Sometimes instead of staring creepily at you, she would actually sleep with you. Her favorite spot was curled around your neck, regardless of if you were lying down or sitting up. This occasionally made breathing difficult.
When I brought her to my grad school apartment to cat-sit for the first time, she hid under my bed for two straight days, unable to comprehend that she was in a different space. She emerged looking frazzled and totally covered in dust.
Maggie was a frequent surprise guest in Skype conversations. Whether it was me Skyping my Ben while he was in Ohio, my parents Skyping me when I was in Turkey, or all of us talking to Julianna while she was in Australia, she always had a way of popping in.
There are tons more, and I'm sure they will keep popping into my head. I hope Maggie knows how loved she was, and how much we miss her.
On a happier note, today is a day of beginnings, too: my friend Alex is getting married! Alex was in my wedding last summer - we have been partners-in-crime for years and years, and continue to kick ass in Competitive Charades on a regular basis.
Alex is next to me on my right
I love her soon-to-be-husband Karl, they are such a perfect fit and I couldn't be happier for both of them! On a related note, I should probably hop in the shower and get ready to report for bridesmaid duty. Hope you are all having a happy and safe weekend.
This post contains a few things that are awesome, and a few that are not awesome.
These are awesome
Starting with awesome: watching my cat trying to walk in front of a fan. It's as though she is encountering an invisible barrier - she literally cannot proceed. All she is trying to do is walk across the living room so she can drool on my keyboard, but then NOPE BLOWING AIR CAN'T MOVE. Poor baby...she is so confused. And then I just watch her and laugh, which probably does not help.
Awesome: Mumford and Sons FINALLY announced a damn release date for their new album - September 24!!! So excited. In the meantime, there's this:
And this, which is AMAZING but is sadly not on any album...:
Not awesome: Apparently we have an infestation of carpenter ants. Also apparently, this infestation originated in the tree on our neighbor's property, which they refuse to remove or do anything about. All we can do is have an exterminator come two or three times a year and spray to kill the ants that have invaded our home - we can't do anything about the actual nest. Awesome.
Awesome: PB Cookie dough bars. Anyone who knows me even remotely knows that I LOVE baking. Sometimes, I really enjoy taking the time to construct a complicated tart or layer cake...but sometimes I just want to go from "baked goods sound delicious" to cookies in my face in less than 30 minutes. You know...normal.
Eat meeeeeeeeeeeee
PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE DOUGH BARS
•1/3 cup natural peanut butter
•1/3 cup oil of your choice - coconut, canola, or you could use melted butter ;)
•1 cup dark brown sugar
•1/4 cup almond milk
•2 teaspoons vanilla extract
•1 cup flour
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Chopped dark chocolate (I used about 1/2 of a Chocolove bar)
Preheat your oven to 350 and grease and flour an 8x8 baking pan.
Heat the PB and oil together in the microwave (in a microwave-safe bowl) or over the stove, and stir to combine. Add sugar, almonst milk and vanilla and whisk together. Add dry ingredients and fold to combine using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
Chop your dark chocolate into small chunks and pieces - no need for them to be pretty. Fold the batter into the pan and spread using the spoon, spatula or your hands until it covers the bottom evenly. Sprinkle the chocolate over the batter.
Pop your bars into the oven on a middle rack and bake for 20-25 minutes. If your oven is possessed like mine is, rotate your pan 180 degrees after about 10 minutes so that you do not end up with one side that is charred to hell and one side that is still raw.
If your oven is not ridiculous you probably don't need to follow that last step.
Total dork that I am, I love anything dealing with data and stuff. The BBC has a calculator that tells you where your height and weight fall on a global scale, based on information pulled together by a team of researchers at the London School of Hygeine. Put in your information and you can see where you are compared to your national average, the global average, and which country you are most similar to based on your age group. Fascenating!
Let it be known though that I do think BMI is a total crock - it was meant to assess populations, not individuals, and the fact that we are using it to gague our own personal health is just ridiculous. That being said, it is interesting to look at the country rankings - the US is unsurprisingly among the highest, but it is topped by Micronesia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Barbados, and surprisingly Kuwait? I have a friend who lived in Kuwait for several years...I'll have to ask her about that.
Also I planned to have a recipe as my next post but I keep leaving the photos at home. Wah wah wah... this is why I haven't blogged in like a week. I keep meaning to post this damn recipe and then forgetting the photos. So instead I will post random photos that have no point whatsoever, and then post the recipe in a couple of days. Win win?
Mini's first experience with catnip
shmeeeeeeeeeee
Hahahaha
Some lovin' for Sidney, too
This is what happens when you walk home from your friend's house at 11pm, despite a weather forecast that calls for immenent thunderstorms. Oops.
Exactly 367 days ago (it was a leap year, plus I'm a day late anyways), this happened:
Murried
I subsequently became the luckiest woman on the planet. One of my friends at work told me that the first year of marriage is supposedly the hardest. All I can say is, if that's true we are going to have a pretty damn amazing life. This past year has been wonderful.
To celebrate one year of being legally bound - during which we both started new jobs, acquired two pets, and moved across the city - we returned to the scene of the crime (aka our wedding reception) for dinner in downtown St. Paul. We ate and drank at the Saint Paul Grill, which is located in the Saint Paul Hotel where we, our families and bridal party spent the night after the wedding. After dinner we took a stroll through Rice Park and past the James J Hill Reference Library, and then headed home for cupcakes from our vendor Cup-Cake. It was a lovely, romantic and fun evening.
Anyway, I'm in the sort of mood where I'd rather just live my life than write about it, so I'll let the photos do the talking for now.
