For now, let’s recap life since we last spoke.  Hmmm where to start?  Where. To. Start.  I’m still living in the ghetto in my diamond in the rough apartment.  I really love the fact you can’t tell how awesome my house is from the outside.  It’s always fun watching people nervously walk up to the front door only to just gush over the inside and how it’s decorated.  Work is work.  I love it through the ups and the downs.  The freshman I’m hiring this year for the fall semester are all 10 years younger than me which is a just another reminder that I’m not quite the youngin I was a few years ago when I was hiring kids who (like me) were born in the 80s.  Now most of the kids have no clue that The A-Team was a tv show twenty-something years ago.  I have so much to teach them!

My family is still doing well.  Dad is in “retired” but still teaching, and mom is quickly closing in on her own freedom.  Zac is still Zac, and I truly wouldn’t want it any other way.  We rendezvoused with Miss V and him a few different times this spring which was sweet and, hopefully, a new tradition.  My guy and I are still together, and things couldn’t be better.  It’s funny how much I liked being single and independent just a few years ago, and how that holds no appeal for me now.  He gets along so well with my family and friends that it’s hard to remember a time when he wasn’t part of the gang.  Gosh… when did I become such a girl!  Don’t answer that.

• 3 cups oats
• 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 2 Tb
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp of cinnamon
• zest of two oranges
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 40 oz of frozen berries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.  In a large bowl, toss together oats, 1/2 cup flour, pecans (I used pecans that were already covered in cinnamon and sugar from a local orchard), brown sugar, 1/2 of the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and zest of 1 of the oranges.  Add butter and gently press with fingers to incorporate into mixture; set aside.
2. Place berries (I used 16 oz of raspberries, 16 oz of blackberries and 8 oz of blueberries) in a 12-inch cast iron skillet.  Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, zest of second orange, and 2 TB of flour and gently toss.  Scatter oat mixture over berries.  Transfer to oven and bake until fruit is bubbly and topping is golden about 35-45 minutes.

(Taken from Country Living magazine and tweaked a bit to my taste.)

• 2 Tb unsalted butter
• 1/2 medium white onion, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 medium carrots, sliced into 1/4 inch-thick coins
• 2 ribs celery, sliced
• 2 baby Yukon gold potatoes, sliced
• 3 Tb all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups roasted chicken breast meat
• 3/4 cup of frozen peas and pearl onions
• 1/2 cup of frozen sweet corn
• 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 (9-inch) store-bought pie crust
• 1 egg, beaten
• salt
• pepper

Directions:

1. You have two options for the roasted chicken in this recipe.  The first is to buy a grocery-store roasted chicken and just use all of the meat from it.  However, I roasted my own chicken breasts and LOVED the taste when I made this pot pie.  To do what I did, take 3 large split breasts that still have skin and pat them until they are completely dry.  Generously, salt and pepper, add a pat or two of butter and add a sprig of thyme to each breast under the skin. Drizzle the skin with a tsp of olive oil and roast all three on a jelly roll pan at 400° F for 45 minutes or until chicken is juicy and almost cooked.  Chicken may be 5-10 minutes from being completely cooked but remember that if will finish cooking in the pot pie. Once chicken is cooled, chop into large chunks and set aside.
2. Heat butter in 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, carrots, celery, potatoes, and garlic and cook until carrots and potatoes begin to soften.  Season generously with salt and pepper from the start.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in flour.  Cook 1 minute. Stir in heavy cream and broth, using a whisk, until combined.  Stir in chicken, peas and onions, corn and 2 thyme sprigs and bring mixture to a boil.  Make sure to taste mixture and season accordingly.Cook mixture on stove until all ingredients are heated thoroughly.  Remove from heat.
4. Gently roll out store-bought pie crust until it reaches 12 inches in diameter.  Place dough atop chicken mixture and brush with egg; cut vents in pastry.  Transfer skillet to over and bake until crust is browned and flaky, about 35 minutes at 400° F.

(Modified from Country Living recipe)

Somewhere along the way I came up with this great plan to blog once a day everyday. Yet, when there just wasn’t time to meet that goal, I stopped altogether. But I missed it. I missed sharing about the good times, venting about the bad and evaluating the everyday moments of life. So even though it’s been eleven months since I’ve flexed my fingers and utilized this lil piece of the Internet I call my own, I’m lowering my posts per day standard and finding my way back here again. Hopefully, this time around I’ll grant myself enough mercy to skip a few days here and there.

1) Sleep… sleep… sleep… sleep – If sleep is not an option, head to step #2.

2) Excedrin Migraine – Never before has there been in OTC drug that is as phenomenal as this one. Acetaminophen, aspirin AND caffeine in a gel coated gift from above.

3) Water – Most days I try to drink at least a gallon to gallon and a half of water, but when my head feels like it might explode, water is a necessity to survival.

4) White noise- Back in college Sarah introduced me to David Miles Huber’s Ocean Voyages.  Since that time, every iPod I’ve ever owned always has this soothing 2 track album on it.  Whether I’m at home or work, I pop my headphones in and let the ocean sounds soothe my brain.

5) Darkness – Curtains and sunglasses are my best friend when the light is too much to handle.  Sure, I might be made fun of, but I’d rather wear sunglasses inside than be puking in my work trashcan.  It’s a simple choice, really.

These are the days where you pray for rain and a day off from civilization. Instead, it was a normal work day. A day where I had to interface with all of the usual people while wondering if I meant something to them. It’s morbid, I know. But who hasn’t wondered how people would react if you weren’t around. Now don’t get me wrong I wasn’t pondering jumping off a cliff. I’m just being overly dramatic…typical.

So here’s to hoping tomorrow will be better. That once again my brain and heart will talk to each other and leave the rest of me out of their battles.

In this new world order, I’ve been blogging privately. Seeking the necessary outlet of putting my thoughts and experiences to paper and only externally posting the silly and superficial things that allowed me to keep control of both of my domains, public and private. I’ve wondered how to appropriately answer your comments and questions of why this personal garden I once took so much pride in has been allowed to become overgrown with weeds, and honestly, the only reason I can come up with is to protect this seedling relationship. Stupid, I know. Unnecessary, I’ve come to realize. Dramatic, it’s me. Let’s not act surprised.

So give me another chance, and I’ll make it right starting right now because it feels like forever and I have so much I need to share. Take a big deep breath, world, and we’ll start with the obvious. I have a boyfriend and while this is never going to be one of the girlfriend blogs, you will once again be privy to all aspects of my life including him. Sound like a good deal? I hope so!

On the other hand and just in time to cheer me up, Lauren is back from her overseas trip and should be arriving on my doorstep soon.  I can’t wait to hear stories of her trip and just give her a huge hug.  I’ve missed her immensely the past two weeks and will be relieved to know she is home and safe.  Plus, two weeks of life is a lot of catching up to do.  Then, to add more fun to the proverbial pot, my old and dear friend Emily is bunking at my casa tomorrow night as she drives through Flagstaff.  I’m sure we’ll spend our time together catching each other up and gossiping about the old gang while feating on Oreos and ice cream.  I haven’t seen her in almost two years, and it’s been months since we truly had a good chat.

Life is funny like that.  As sad as I am to say goodbye to three of the people I care most about, God has provided me with hellos and hugs of others that I’ve been missing.  I know deep down that even when I say goodbye to Emily Monday morning or remember the three hundred mile distance that separates me from my family, I am still loved and still love, and that’s more than enough to get by.

What is it about our parents that even as grown adults we have an obsession with pleasing them?  Will it really matter to them that every picture and decoration on the wall is level?  No, you say?  Then why did I have to check every single thing on every wall with a level last night?  I’m sure Cory thought I was losing my mind as I checked and rechecked my parental preparation list 15 times yesterday and today to make sure everything was just right, but you only get one chance to make a first impression.  Even as I think about this afternoon, it seemes laughable to spend that much time focusing on details they won’t even notice.  People come in and out of my place all the time and probably couldn’t tell you what colors the throw pillows on my couches are, and yet I went so far as considering ironing the wrinkles in them that I noticed late last night.  Maybe I’ll just turn off all the lights and light candles, so that the room has a nice glow when they get there without shining a spotlight on anything I might have missed.  Yeah, that’s a good plan.  Then they’ll think their daughter is holding a seance and not critique her decorating, cleaning, or living as an adult skills.  Whew, I feel so much better.

Even though I’m no longer in charge of feeding the crowd, I still find joy in shopping the bargains on a smaller scale,.  So today after combing through the ads and planning meals for the next two weeks, we headed off to conquer the grocery list.  At the end of the day, the freezer, fridge and pantry were stocked.  We had saved 21% more than we spent and have everything needed for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next few weeks.  Now, who wants to come over for dinner?