Sick Sickly

I am currently still in bed and feeling a little under the weather. It hit me last night when I couldn't find a comfortable temperature. Everything was either too hot (literally sweating) or too cold (literally shaking). First signs of a cold. Let the booing and hissing commence.

SO I would like to share a simple (read: SIMPLE) pizza recipe with you. Think Sandra Lee Semihomemade easy. Mr. Lifetime and I LOVE us some pizza. I gathered all I had in my fridge/pantry and created this.

9x13 stainless steel cake pan
1 Pack Whole Wheat Pizza Dough from Whole Foods
1 Log of Fresh Mozzarella
3 Handfuls of Spinach
2 Medium Size Tomatoes
1/2 Sweet Onion
3 Cloves of Garlic
1 Small Pack (about the size of a notecard and thickness of your index finger and middle finger together) of Proscuitto Ends (I found these at Whole Foods and about died! The pack was only 2 bucks!)
Salt/Pepper
Italian Seasonings
EVOO (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Chop up the onion into slivers. Mince the garlic. Cut off all of the fat from your proscuitto ends. Turn your burner to a Low/Med heat and add EVOO to a cooking pan. I always add the onions in first because they take a little bit longer to cook than the garlic. I also added the fat in with the onions. After about 2 minutes add the garlic and cook until the onions are limp. This should only take about 4 minutes. Remove and throw away the fat.

Start molding your pizza dough into your stainless steel 9 x 13 pan. Always spray some cooking oil on the bottom of the pan beforehand. Make sure to go up about 2 inches around every side with your dough.

Start layering your spinach on the bottom and then add your sliced tomatoes. Season liberally with salt, pepper and Italian seasonings. (This is nothing fancy...you can buy this mixture at any grocery store.) Next, evenly spread your onions and garlic over the tomatoes. Then add your sliced up proscuitto and fully cover with mozzarella. At this point you can add EVOO if you so desire. But I felt it wasn't necessary because the pizza is juicy enough from the cheese and tomatoes.

Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the dough is fully cooked and golden brown. Lastly, I like to broil the cheese for 2 minutes to turn it a nice golden color. Voila! You have a YUM-E meal that can feed around 4 people. Unless you're like my bf and I..then you'll eat the whole thing in one sitting.
What I love about pizza is the endless amount of options you can add. Nothing is wrong for a pizza! Nothing!

renewal

I'm going to transition back into blogging the steady-as-she-goes way. Let's see here... I could update you on all the facets of my ever changing life, but I'm feeling a little lazy at the moment. Woodwick candles tend to do that to me. (Woodwick Trilogy: Vanilla Bean, Caramel, and Biscotti)

How about a song suggestion for a road trip? I have been road tripping up a storm this year and I'm an avid 'karaoke' singer (in the car only). I have driven some 5000+ miles in the past 2 months and still haven't heard every song on my iPod. I made it a point not to skip songs on a recent trip home while scurrying down the Natchez Trace. Sondre came on and I just HAD to listen to all of his others on my playlist. Sondre Lerche has been on the scene for a while, but I became intrigued during the movie Dan In Real Life. Excellent, I might add. I just wish I wouldn't have waited so long to peruse all of his tunes.
Here are my two favorites at the moment:

Sondre Lerche- "Two Way Monologue"

Sondre Lerche- "Stupid Memory" (Love the old school Nashville-style twang in this song.
It really picks up  around the 1:28 mark.)

I would love to know some of your favorite road trip songs? What memories do they bring back when you hear them?

Constantly refreshing the page..

Hello to my readers! (Maybe all of one or two of you. Mostly teeth whitening websites from Malaysia.),

I have an official announcement for you. I am MOOOVVVIINNG! Well, I am trying to get it all locked down. Man, I tell ya, it's pretty dern hard to find an apartment in Nashville while I am sitting on my hiney in Wine Country. I created an alternate email solely for craigslist. So now I find myself refreshing the page every 15 minutes or so. Yes, I am totally lame and impatient. But I want to move by the end of the month, and I need answers people!

This is one of those moments where I wish I had an awesome following and some Frogs (FRiends from blOGS). Has anyone made that up yet? I'm sure they have. Any of you one or two readers of my blog happen to know anything about apartment/house shopping in Nashville? Or just apartment/house shopping in general? Do any of you live in Nashville? I have a FEW friends there. Mainly acquaintances from college. I can tend to go against the norm when moving and choose a place that I am not all that familiar with. I had never been to wine country before I moved here. I've been to Nashville a handful of times. I like cities that have a ton of things to do but aren't too hectic.

Is it picture time yet? Sure! I'll stop the yapping. Just promise to cross your fingers for me! K, thanks.

Here are some things I will miss about California:

Pub crawls in SF and making friends with bouncers on Speak like a Pirate Day.

Oh! Oh! This one is easy. WINE!

...and wineries with fantastic views! (Artesa Winery)

Cute surfer boys...

Actually, come to think of it, I haven't met any of those up here in NoCal.

(Picture taken in Huntington Beach)

Awkward windy pictures. I have a bajillion of these in Cali.

P.S. THIS is the outfit Mr. Lifetime picked out for me to wear. (Refer to this post.)

He also took the picture...

Rolling hills.

Pretty positive they have those in Nashville.

Laughing at Mr. Lifetime play in the freezing cold water.

Hiking in Muir Woods and not getting lost.

(I got lost on this day.)

No more flying solo.

I always get excited when I see a blog post with a ton of pictures. I feel that I'm a pretty visual person. And as much as I love to read, adding pictures to a post makes the reader fully connect with your experience.  Sometimes I feel captions should just be omitted.
I will try to limit my captions for your picture snack tonight.
(But first, the background information.)

I just got back from a 4 day vacation in Redfish Lake, Idaho. I honestly have never really thought about visiting Idaho. Well maybe twice while watching Napoleon Dynamite. But who didn’t after watching that movie? My boyfriend invited me on this wedding excursion 3 days after I met him! I thought it was a little forward (ok, WAY forward) and I put it off for months because I didn't know where our relationship would go. Booking a trip 4 months into the future is a major risk no matter the situation. So I didn't. If I would have known how the trip turned out from the get-go I would have booked my flight that day. Idaho was an all American, au natural retreat for each one of us that attended. So much so, that in most of the pictures I am not showered, without makeup, and (gasp!) braless.

 And now I’ll let (most of) the pictures speak for themselves…



Meet my boyfriend, Mr. Lifetime!
Outfit details:
Dress: X-Generation in SF ($14 buckaroos!)
Belt: thrifted
Jewelry: vintage/gifted
Shoes: Coconuts

Bird poo in the middle of story telling.

Tony Chachere's
My boyfriend got me this for my birthday because I can't find it in California.
A HUGE hit with the Chicagoans.
If you haven't tried it yet, DO!

Spy the knife bf bought me? ha.

(Idaho native: Josh Ritter.)



A Reason..

Reason #1 my boyfriend's nickname is Mr. Lifetime:

We went hiking in Muir Woods on his recent trip to visit me. (Yes, we're long distance.) I was wearing my VERY cute, but not so nature friendly Minnetonka moccasins on our hike. (I own the darker brown pair. I want to add to my collection and get a pair of THESE! Maybe one day. le sigh) We came up to a large puddle of mud and he turned to the side and held out his arms. I hadn't said a word and almost walked right into him. In a bewildered tone, I asked, "Why are you holding your arms out like that!?" He simply said, "I am going to carry you across the puddle so you don't get your shoes dirty." I cheerfully obliged and thought to myself...I thought these types of guys didn't exist anymore? Does he watch Turner Classic Movies? Lifetime movies? Read Nora Roberts' books?

Sebastopol on a Sunday

My sweet Mama and I share a love for antiquing. One of our favorite towns in the area, Sebastopol, has a plethora of adorable little antique shops and vintage stores. I took a couple of pictures perusing around today. I need to make a habit of this!

I'm almost always attracted to this color blue.

Especially around Christmas time.

Blue lights are my favorite!

John Grisham, a local home-stater.

Oh! The color! Divine.

Flowers are in bloom in NoCal!

I bought a blue Ball mason jar similar to this one for 6 bucks.

I love a good bargain.

I was trying to snap a picture of the broken up spider web.

I wonder how old these gumballs are?

No way was I going to show you my swollen eyes.

Allergy season has taken ahold of my face and won't let go. :(

Dress- Aubergine

Belt- Thrifted

Shoes- Gift from Gap (I cut the flowers off.)

Camera- Canon Rebel XT

How did you spend your Sunday? I hope the weather was lovely!

Computer Chair Workout

I'm pretty dern lazy when it comes to working out. I really don't. Ever. I own a beautiful Raleigh Venture 2.0 bike that I fondly call, Red Velvet. She gets her wheels spinning about once a month. Now my main forms of working out are my computer chair workouts and walking. Back in the day, during my competition cheerleading years, I was so fit guys were jealous of my abs. Yep. Those were the days. To this day, cheerleading is one of the two workouts I have ever enjoyed. Dancing is the other.

F.L.Y. - "Swag Surfin"

This one has been circulating on my playlists for years. I was introduced to this song at a club in Mississippi I attended for an AKA Party. This dance is easy to do while sitting down, and if you do it enough it can feel like doing a Tracy Anderson workout!

(I mean, come on, they mention Patti Mayonnaise!)

Goldfrapp - "Beautiful"
I've always considered Goldfrapp my go-to music for primping. Listening to them will make you feel instantly more lively.
(If you like this song, I suggest checking out 'Twist', 'Oh La La', and 'Rocket.')

Los Campsinos - "You! Me! Dancing!"

This next video is not only visually stimulating, but so much fun to dance around to. Definitely gets your creative juices flowin'.

(You might have heard this song on a number of commercials.)

Dev - "Booty Bounce"

Great style and a great beat! I play this on repeat when I'm looking for style inspiration. And when I'm living out my white girl rapper fantasies.

(NSFW; I'm uber jealous of those legs!)

Muscles - "Ice Cream"

This one is a little tricky. It has the beat for a great workout, but it's sending you messages that ice cream will save your day. Hmmm, I'm on the fence about recommending this one. Dooce suggested this song YEARS ago and I have loved it ever since. I am so happy she finally started including a weekly music post on her blog.

(Check out "Sweaty" if you are down for a song by him that is NSFW.)

I hope you enjoyed at least one of these songs. My taste in music is pretty broad. Please feel free to share your favorite workout songs (or any songs in general)!



Something To Try

I came across this challenge on Yahoo! today. I think this would be a great "game" for Mr. Lifetime and I to play when he comes to visit me at the end of this month. Allowing someone to pick out your outfit for a full day requires a ton of trust. I sure hope he doesn't put me in a bathing suit.

I didn't get out of bed until noon today. GASP! I know. I have a major sleeping problem. Did I mention I fell asleep at 9 last night? I did wake up at 1 expecting it to be 7 in the morning. 1 in the morning is a perfect time to catch up on gossip blogs. I guess I give in almost daily. Maybe I should have a mid-year lent and give up sleeping in. What time do you feel I should start  my day?

Arcade Fire - "Rebellion"

Sleeping is giving in,
no matter what the time is.
Sleeping is giving in,
so lift those heavy eyelids.

Officially Official

Mr. Lifetime Movie and I are officially dating. I am new to this long distance relationship thing. Does anyone have any advice for me?

He asked me a week ago today.
I woke up this morning with a VERY, very sweet surprise at my door.

2 dozen multi-colored roses!

This guy is Good. (With a capital "G")

Here are his official stats:
Mr. Lifetime
Sign: Cancer (Same sign as me. Is this a bad thing?)
Years Months Known: 2 1/2
Quick Facts: Lives in Chicago, is working towards his Masters in Social Work, and has an identical twin brother!

My Windy Thoughts

I just got back from a 4 day long vacation in Chicago to visit the boy I met at Mardi Gras.

Sounds like the beginning to a horrid lifetime serial killer movie, very a la Craigslist Killer.

It was a lovely time. I didn't realize I could do something so spontaneous in the relationship department.  I feel that I will always learn something about myself. No matter what age I am. Thankfully, the pressure just didn't feel intense to me. I even met half of his family and almost all of his local friends. Have you ever traveled a long distance for a guy? How long had you known him?

It went so well he has already booked his trip to come visit at the end of this month. I have a feeling my pocket book is not going to like me at the end of this summer.

I miss the road trips I took in college. This song in particular reminds me of driving to Atlanta for long weekends. Anyone else miss Rilo Kiley as much as I do?

Rilo Kiley - "Portions for Foxes"

--There's blood in my mouth 'cause I've been biting my tongue all week--

Behold! The Royal Wedding.

Is anyone else staying up to watch the Royal Wedding?

Do you think it is weird that someone would stay up when it will be played over, and over, and over again for the next few days?

Can you put my Diet Cokes on ice now? K, thanks.

This would be a great night to take up knitting. Two of my best girlfriends have already acquired this hobby.

Via

This song seems to follow me. I wanted to include the Ellie Goulding version because she will be playing for the royals tomorrow.

Ellie Goulding - "Sweet Disposition" (org. by The Temper Trap)

Add a little beauty to your day.

Check out this spectacular time lapse video taken in the Canary Islands. I have yet to see a sky so beautiful. Bucket listed!

The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.

Lazy Picture Poster

I finally got around to downloading some pictures from my trip to my computer. I am so lazy, I refuse to alter any of these pictures to look halfway decent. Just bare with me..

In case you didn't know, I just got back from a month long vacation around the U.S. I stopped in New Orleans for Mardi Gras, Puerto Rico for some fun in the sun, and New York City for a taste of the big city lifestyle. I am thankful that I have amazing friends all over the world. I got to stay for free at each location because of my friends and their amazing hospitality!

Not only did I have the best vacation of my life, I also met a pretty cute/sweet boy. We met at the very beginning of my trip and he ended up flying out to NYC to spend the weekend with me. I got to do my NYC sightseeing twice! Ha! (I'll explain more on him later.)

Here are a few pictures from the first leg of my trip, New Orleans:
(Side Note: My parents actually met in New Orleans while they were both living there. I've always had a special place in my heart for this city.)

Cafe du Monde is always a must!

Can you see all that powder in my eye?

Yep, a newbie did that to me. It stung.

The cutest street performers doing Charleston style dancing!  

Beauty before the madness began.

I took a stroll down the Bayou St. John, and I noticed Katrina markings are still left on some homes.

Home? Is that you? Yes, come on in.

Rub-a-dub-dub there aren't any men in this tub.

Only SOME of my beads from the Bacchus, Orpheus, and Endymion parades.

These were the discarded beads.

Most of these are my nicer beads I decided leave in NOLA.

Note the stuffed animals that I also caught during the parades.

I did tote some around with me the rest of my trip.

Wow, Mcc. They must have been pretty special, huh?

Yes, mighty special. I bet you don't love bacon more than I do.

I may or may not have worn this while making bacon in NYC.

P.S. The pigs squeak. (!!)

My friend and I with some of our "swag." Sorry for the blurriness.

He bought that hat off an 80 year old man during one of the parades. 

I've never seen a guy so excited to buy a hat in my life.

I was eating a Muffaletta from Central Grocery when I took this picture. {Jackson Square}

For my last night in the city, we decided to camp out on trolley tracks of St. Charles Street for the Zulu parade that started at 8 AM on Fat Tuesday. I didn't get a wink of sleep the whole night.  I'm brushing my teeth in this picture. It rained and there were wind gusts up to 20+mph. Wendell Pierce from Treme was actually camped out to the right of our tent! Unfortunately, I had to catch my flight at noon and I missed the Treme party and most of the Zulu parade. I haven't roughed it this hard in my life. I got a total of 15 hours of sleep in the 5 days I spent in NOLA.

And this about sums up how I felt at the end of the trip...

(Red high heels are my fav. I own 5 pairs...)

I would like to add that the flash on my camera did not work the whole trip. I don't know how it knew I would be going to Mardi Gras. Some things just aren't meant to be shared.  

Ray Charles - "Let The Good Times Roll"

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Jealous much?

I just wanted to rub it in a bit that I'm posting this from my hot tub.

Jealousy does evil things, folks.

Hopefully you weren't jealous about anything today. We all have so much to be thankful for.

I love a man that appreciates antiques.

I stumbled across a write up about George Krauth's home on the Southern Living website. I adore the fact that he keeps the family heirlooms in their pristine shape. I am always trying to convince my Mom not to use paint/crackle on every single antique that has a scratch. She would 'shabby chic' his whole house if he let her.

First, let me just say this, I am blown away by his attention to detail. I swooned over the fact that he had his great-grandmother's letter blown up and framed. That's a family man right there.

Second, as much as I love the muted, earthy tones, I feel that there needs to be a few more pops of color. I feel the kitchen would be a perfect spot to start adding some vibrant hues.

Third, I have always vowed to have a porch swing. We always had one growing up, along with a huge wrap around porch. I think of porch swings and I think of a good book, sweet tea, and warm summer days/nights.

Last, is this man single? :o)

George Krauth on his custom porch swing in Chattanooga, TN.

Tantatlizing Tunes

Ho-hum, it's Hump Day!

Do you feel like you need a pick me up during your work week? Well, guess what?! I have a fun tune that practically yells at you to nod your head along with the beat. It doesn't hurt that the guys in the band The Airborne Toxic Event are Oh-So-CUTE. (And Anna is just a talented little beauty!)
Here is a one shot video for their song "Changing." I love the official video just as much, but I feel you have to give props to them for sounding just the same, if not better, live. They don't have any shows coming to San Francisco on their current tour. Should I make the trip to Sacramento to see them play in June? Yes, I think I should.

Being that I am a Mississippian, I have to give mucho props for incorporating The Strikers in their video. My love for stepping started with my 9th grade cheerleading coach. She made us perform a step routine at every pep rally! Have you ever tried to learn a step routine before? What do you think is the ultimate step routine song?

The Airborne Toxic Event - "Changing" (Bombastic Video Version)

Update on Lawya

As you noticed in the write up- And the topics are.. I notified my numerous readers (ha!) that I no longer converse with Lawya.

We had a petty little bickerment about which one of us is more stubborn. We are both currently winning the competition. Dead heat.

This. Right here. Could be a monumental alteration in his life. Sometimes you have to let go to move on.

So finally, the marriage proposals have subsided and something that has comforted me for 6+ years is now gone. Yet, I have not thought about it often.

Regina Spektor "Hero"
Can you believe she sang this song live? Her voice exudes so much emotion and honesty. I can't lie. It has been on repeat for a whole week. I would guesstimate I have listened to it ~74 times.

Cripple Creek

I want to move back to the country and live near a creek.

And I hearby name this creek, Cripple Creek!
(It's fun to say in a southern accent.)

Hobart Smith pickin' a fine tune called, of course, Cripple Creek.

A shift in the works.

I would like to start incorporating a mixture of pictures and thoughts that frequently enter and exit my mind. I say this because the exit is so swift that I remember them like a fish remembers it's verbal commands.

I was invited to attend a wedding with a certain someone in Idaho this summer. I really just wanted to peruse pictures of "cozy homes" on yahoo, and this gem just happened to appear! This quaint little home just happens to be located in Idaho. Don't you just want to make a cup of cider and read a great book like the Great Gatsby or tantilizing true crime like Devil in the White City? I feel the porch is lacking a swing and me on the swing bundled up in an old quilt. Ahhhh. I think I'm ready for Fall before Summer has even gotten here.

Here's a picture of "Moroccan" decor that makes me want to paint the walls in my room. I one day strive to have the ability to mix and match colors like this. Those windows..!

There has been one constant in my "dream home" decor. I know that I want to have a vintage style kitchen. I cherish all of the antique shopping malls I have been dragged to with my Mama. After MANY years of complaining of the cold (why are they always so cold?), I began to appreciate the history behind each piece. You never know, Judy Garland could have reclined on that sofa or Clark Gable might have eaten off of that plate. I love fantasizing about the "what ifs."

I was actually looking to buy some of these babies today. Unfortunately, I felt the prices were a little steep. They were selling each for $22.00. Whew!

*Photo taken today in Sonoma County*

Red actually increases your hunger, while blue supresses your hunger. This red cabinet is still to die for!

I should be getting to bed soon. I want to leave you with a song I have been listening to on repeat for about 7 months. Enjoy!

Two Door Cinema Club- "Secret Circus"

(I think the title of this song would be a lovely theme for a birthday party!)

LOVE will save the day.

Find more artists like Broken Sound at Myspace Music

Peggy Sue "Once We Were Strangers"

(@.@)\/

I LURV new candles.

Especially ones that cost 2 buckaroos.


Those symbols above are supposed to be of my eyes and a peace sign.

If I have a son, I'll name him Hardy and call him Har Har for short.




Hardy Har Har

S.O.G.

I was watching Cash Cab today in preparation for my upcoming trip to NYC and I spotted an oh so attractive contestant.

Do you believe this male is Straight Or Gay? I personally don't care either way, just as long as I can oogle all I want.

Feast your peepers on this: