FRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDAY is HERE!

How excited am I that it's the weekend?  Beyond!

It's been a really ridiculously busy week... or month really.

But since I haven't done a High Five Friday in so long I thought I'd squeeze one in between spreadsheets and scooping poop. TMI? Ok, sorry... :)

As usual this wonderful Friday tradition is brought to you by the letter L and the color GREY or as the blogging world knows her as: Lauren at From My Grey Desk

1. Busy. It's what I've been. It's who I am. Don't feel sorry for me... I need no pity... I know plenty of you are busy too... chances are way busier than I. 

I cope with yoga and Starbucks.

2.  Fall is by far my FAVORITE season. I LOVE the cool crisp air. I LOVE the smell of freshly lit fireplaces. I LOVE fall fashion - sweaters, scarves, boots, etc. I LOVE the smell of rotting leaves. I LOVE Halloween and Thanksgiving. I LOVE the sound of crunching leaves. 

BUT since I live in Florida and there is no fall in sight... I overcompensate by drinking hot Pumpkin Spice lattes in 80 degree weather and blast the A/C in my car. Don't judge. 

(Yes, 3 shots... see #1)

3. These kids. They are my favorite part of my weekend. 

4. Newness.

New do. I'm obsessed.

New shoes. Love the pointyness.

5. Continuing with the newness.... new opportunity. I've started working with StubbyDog, who are a national transmedia organization working towards changing the public's perception of pit bulls and show people that they deserve a second chance. I've been huge fan for a while and use a lot of their information on my other blog - Underdogs of Pinellas, where we are working towards the same goal but on a much smaller scale. 

I'm beyond excited to see where this opportunity might lead. Stay tuned! 

Enjoy this weekend!!

♥

High Five for Friday!!!

Ohhhhh happy day... oh happy day! Oh happy Friday!!

It's been a crazy week... or month I should say!

Before I recap my life lately... I wanna remind you what it is we're doin'. 

I'm linking up with the fabulous Lauren at From My Grey Desk for her weekly High Five for Friday post. 

I haven't done a H54F post in a while so bare with me as I ramble along... 

1. It's officially summer everywhere else... but here in Florida its been summer for months... Last month Jourdan and I went to the beach and it was perfection... mid 80s... with a breeze.
Sometimes I need a little reminder of how lucky we are to live here...

2. I consider myself a pretty healthy cook but lately I've really taken things to another level by trying to find delicious things to cook and eat with as little meat as possible. I've always thought about phasing out meat and I've started being more conscious of how I can still eat well without it. 

To completely contradict that statement... I'll share a recipe I found on The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Ree makes the most delicious meals and always writes it up in such a fun and totally relate-able way that you can't help but drool!

Bruschetta Chicken

 Stay tuned for more veggie meal recipes coming soon! Promise! :)

3. I've started a new blog... yes... that is the reason I've been neglecting this one. And no I'm not abandoning you! :)

I'm really proud of the way Underdogs of Pinellas has come together and so thankful for all the support I've gotten since putting it up. We have 58 friends on Facebook!!  nbd... 

I would be really grateful if you took a wee little minute and checked us out. 

I'm looking forward to whatever direction Underdogs will take off in and can't wait to share it with all of you!

4. I've been getting a lot more exercise lately... mostly due to the introduction of number 5 below but also because I need it!!

I've been walking about 4 miles each day... 2 at 6:45am and 2 more in the afternoon. It feels great to get out when the sun is rising up over the water... 

And now.... 

5

.

.

.

Meet our new addition... Stitch!

I mean... really??? with the ears?

No I didn't name him but...

I think its clear whomever did... they deserve a metal... just sayin'...

He loves Sasha way more than a fat kid loves cake... 

And he's introduced us to the sunrise...

Thank goodness for those ears... 

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend and until next time... toodles. :)

High Five for Friday (aka THE WEEKEND)

Hola!!! It's Friday and time for me to link up again. I've been off the radar for a little bit but it's time to get back on track! :)

I'm linking up with Lauren at From My Grey Desk for this High Five!

Since it's been so long... I'm gonna smoosh 2 weeks together... hope that's ok! :)

1. Jourdan's been living with us for almost a WHOLE month! Time flies when you're havin' fun! or when she's been working 60 hr weeks! Poor kid!
So how do we unwind?? Bloody Mary's of course!

2. The cool weather last week was amazing! It's about to get HOT in Florida so we take every degree below 80 like a blessing. So off to the beach we went with the dogs!

Her best baywatch run...

3. Asian dumpling soup!! I made this random deliciousness last week and still dream about its perfect combo of salty/spicy/sweet.

4. RED! I dyed my hair a gorgeous deep red and I LOVE it. It's definitely way different and way awesome!

5. Last but most definitely not least... our great friend Travis came in from Colorado this weekend and we had so much fun having him in town... oh and did I mention he's moving back!!!!! wooooooooooo!

Trav and Sashi bonding time!

Have a great weekend!!!! ♥  

High Five for Friiiiiiiday

Hi All!

Its another fabulous Friday and that means another fabulous High Five for Friday post!

I'm linking up with Lauren at From My Grey Desk to talk about the top 5 "highs" from this week. So lets get this goin'... 

1. I was a productive little beaver last Sunday and went to Sam's Club, bought a bunch of yummy fresh berries and divided them up for my daily smoothies. I need every second I can get in the morning and this proved to be  super helpful. I love knowing these little baggies of goodness are ready to go!

2. I bought a car!!!! Woooo! I've been needing a car for so long... My ol' Subaru wasn't going to make it much longer and it was time to let her go to pasture (or auction as the dealer described it). I'm one of those people that spends months researching something before buying... it wasn't an easy decision but I'm sure I made the right one!

 2008 Black Mazda Speed3

It meets all my "requirements": 4 door hatch, folding seats (for Sasha to have lots of room), black, stylish and FAST. I'm in ♥!

3. I found a new obsession! This amazingly delicious milk chocolate cream cheese... yup... that's right.... milk chocolate cream cheese. So delectable on a toasted plain bagel...

oh! chocolate rangoons in the near future???? 

4.  I've been seriously slacking in the dinner department lately. I feel like it's been way too long since I've made anything worth taking a picture off... I need to get back at it!

Last night I made this fantabulous plate of goodness! 

It's called Chicken Sante Fe and it's inspired by a dish from a yummy Mexican restaurant back in Vermont. This is my favorite thing on the menu. I threw in a handful of shrimp for Anthony and got the exact reaction I was hoping for "Oooooh... Chicken aaaand Shrimp??!!"

(recipe coming soon)

5.  And the last high for the week is that tomorrow Anthony and I are driving to Orlando and bringing a little brunette back with us!! My friend Jourdan is packing up some clothes and moving in for a little bit before she finds her own place. I'm so excited to have her down here! And someone to watch Vampire Diaries with! :)

Thanks for stopping in and I hope you all have a beautiful weekend!

The Golf Balls of Life

I've been feeling pretty overwhelmed lately and like there just aren't enough hours in a day... a good friend sent this to me when I tried to bail on plans for drinks after work... I didn't end up bailing... 

It also reminded me to just breathe and make room for the golf balls of life. 

Mayonnaise Jar & Two Beers... 

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 Beers. 
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.

When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full.

They agreed that it was. 
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.

The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full.

They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.

Of course, the sand filled up everything else..

He asked once more if the jar was full... 
The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand.

The students laughed..

'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. 

The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car..

The sand is everything else---the small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.

The same goes for life. 
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

Spend time with your children.

Spend time with your parents.

Visit with grandparents.

Take your spouse out to dinner. 

Play another 18.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter.

Set your priorities.

The rest is just sand. 
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented.

The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.'

The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of Beers with a friend.

Finally Friday!

Saying its been a busy week is a MAJOR understatement... 

TGIF has never been more true!

But I should specify that by busy I mean great! Well mostly... 

Even in the midst of all this busyness... I've managed to pull it together and link up with Lauren at From My Grey Desk for a High Five for Friday post... 

1. I work for a company that is owned by a British company and per British accounting standards, all subsidiaries of said company must have an audit done each year... oh the joy! This is where the not so fun part of my week comes from. We (I) passed with flying colors so that is GREAT but... it left my desk looking like this:

and this is after a few "neat" piles were made... 

2. My best friend Jourdan is MOVING NEAR ME!  WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! 

She came down on Tuesday night for an interview on Wednesday where she was offered the job and then after lots of tough decision making and some weighing of options she is going to go for it. I'm soooooo happy for her and for me of course! :)

3. I got my new linen pants in the mail... and I love them! Soooooo comfy and yet stylin'. Did I mention they have a fold-over waist... yeah... comfy!

I've already poly'd a few outfit options... 

(wearing today)

and soon to be wearing... 

4. I have a creepy confession to make... I did something I'm not proud of... 

yes.... that is a picture... taken with my phone... of a complete stranger... utterly unaware of my creepyness... 

but.

i love her hair color!

so I went pinteresting (verb) and found a few similar hair colors to use as inspiration while avoiding having to show my hair dresser what a creep I am...

so i'm thinking somewhere in between of these 2 shades... 

5. Made this deliciousness for dinner while Jourdan was here and we all loved it... so delicious and simple!

(recipe coming soon)

Hope everyone has a nice weekend!!! 

And don't forget to check out all the other High Five for Friday posts at From My Grey Desk!