Veggie Lovin'

I often get stuck in a rut in the kitchen, making the same rotation of things over and over again until I never want to eat them again. Why? Out of comfort and the desire to perfect, I'm sure. I am a veggie freak, and as with the other foods I prepare, I often make the same veggies the same way over and over again. The following recipe is me trying to get out of the veggie rut, and trying to replace something I adore (mashed potatoes) with a healthier version. Try it, you'll like it (especially if you like cauliflower). And if you have a favorite veggie recipe, please share!

: : Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes : :

1 large head of cauliflower, washed and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/8 cup of milk
1/8 cup of Half and Half (or Heavy Whipping Cream)
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
a dash of salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

Steam cauliflower until soft

          Add all ingredients to food           

  processor or blender

Blend until desired consistency is reached

: Sight, Sound, Taste, Touch, Smell :

 Senses truly play into who I am on a day-to-day basis. I am realizing more and more how sensual of a person I am in the sense that my five senses (mainly sight and sound) dictate what I will feel, think, and how I will act on a given day. This morning I woke up to experience a silent house, a foggy scene outside my window, a cat on my lap, a warm cup of coffee, and my Bible. The gray, dark, chilly weather dictated the CD I chose to put on: David Gray's White Ladder. This album has been in a box, moving from house to house for quite a few years. I am so thankful to have found it again. It is definitely a subdued, quiet, thoughtful album...but for today's weather, it fit perfectly into my ears.

As I sat and enjoyed the scene unfolding in front of me this morning, I again realized how much music plays into the very core of who I am. If ever there is a day where I feel down or incomplete, it is usually because I have yet to listen to music. There are certain albums that will always go down as all time favorites. Counting Crows August and Everything After, Zac Brown's The Foundation, and David Gray's White Ladder are a few of my forever favorites. I often get so caught up in the newest music and easily forget about the old, faithful friends of years ago.

Today, I am thankful for all 5 senses, and for the ability to enjoy life through them. Here's to re-living life with the old faithful friends.

9:10pm

Last night at around 9:10pm, I know because I had just looked at the clock, our doorbell rang. Now, considering we are new to this state, and that we really know no one, my heart started beating. At the time of the ring, Brian and I were sitting in bed vacillating between Dancing with the Stars and Sing Off. Brian got up, answered the door, and I stayed put. He was there for about 2 minutes before returning to our room. True to form, B would not have said anything about the interaction at the door, had he not been prompted. Even with prompting, I had to pull information out of him.

"It was the police," he said calmly. "They were looking for some guy, I told them he wasn't here."

My heart rate started to rise as I began thinking about things like "maybe we didn't move to a safe neighborhood" and "did the person who lived here before us leave a criminal record?" I prodded my hubby with more questions.

"So, what else did the cops say? Was it our town police, or the state police?" I asked, trying not to show worry.

"Oh, well they showed me a picture of who they were looking for," B responded, while staying focused on the TV.

"A picture??! What did he look like??" (My worry is really growing now, thinking if maybe I had a chance to see the picture, maybe I could have ID'd the person.)

"Well, it was a man and he was hard to see clearly. He had a bandana covering his face up to his nose, and he was wearing dark glasses. The cops asked if I had seen him, and when I said no, they said they must have the wrong address."

 (This is what I pictured)

What ensued next was minutes of gut laughter from both Brian and I as we realized how stupid his interaction with the police had been. Showing a man's picture with most of his face covered up, then implying this person had lived here caused my husband and I to start laughing like we haven't done in a long time. We began creating scenarios to go along with the stupidity of the cops' request, and both of us were dying in giddy laughter. 

Once the shenanigans stopped, I asked if the cops were being serious or if it was a joke. Brian calmly said, "I was just kidding. He was a short man with dark skin and dark eyes. I told them I hadn't seen him."

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I love this man, and I love that he can still utterly, totally, and completely, have me fooled. 

Busy Playing

We have been so busy playing allllll over this Northwest that I haven't blogged in weeks. My apologies. It's hard to know what to write and where to begin, as this past 3 weeks have been filled with newness, family visiting, a wedding, traveling, and much more! Now that I am back home with no major events coming up, I can think back and process. I have had the privilege this past few weeks of:

• continuing on the diet/exercise plan I started on August 1st 
• taking a maiden voyage camping trip with Brian into the Mt. Hood National Forest
• hosting my family (Dad and sister) as they visited from CA
• visiting my step dad Daniel, whom I hadn't seen in over a year 
• traveling up north to the Seattle area for my niece Sarah's wedding
• traveling further north in Washington to visit some friends of my sister's
• throughout all of that, putting hundreds of new miles on my 2003 Honda Civic, of whom I still love dearly

Fall has officially come to Oregon, and I cannot begin to explain how thrilled I am to now live in a place that will have 4 distinct seasons. I don't miss California, with its one perpetual sunny day all year round. I am blessed by the people of Oregon and their friendly spirits, the abundant amount of green everywhere, and the slow pace by which I am able to enjoy my life. Below are a few pictures and descriptions of our past few weeks here.

 Hiking in Forest Park: Portland, OR

 Forest Park: Portland, OR

 Breakfast at the Lazy Bend Campground: Estacada, OR

 Jen, Layne, Rach, and I on the ferry: Seattle, WA

Our special bird necklaces from Eugene, OR....but traveling on the ferry in Seattle, WA

 Pikes Place Market: Seattle, WA

 Street performer at the original Starbucks: Seattle, WA

 Look closely! Forest Park: Portland, OR

Is this what Heaven will look like? Forest Park: Portland, OR

The wedding cake Layne and Jen made: Silverdale, WA

 My niece and her beauties: Silverdale, WA

I am now looking forward to the next few weeks to chill and enjoy the fall weather. Next up: thinking about where we'll be and what we'll do for the holidays!