Reinforcement

 We are back on NILIF. After re-learning the fact that we might own the most stubborn dog in the magic city, it's beginning to work its magic.

Doesn't mean a little back up from Cesar isn't helpful.

Namath was mesmerized by his chiclet white smile.

Until he realized what was going down.

"This sounds like a bunch of nonsense to me, guys..."

And he's been pouting ever since.

More Cake, More Gifts

 I share a birthday month with my sweet youngest niece. In fact, our birthdays are only a week apart. Well, 26 years, one week.

We got to celebrate her birthday this weekend with two parties. She was just about the sweetest little birthday girl I've ever seen. She was so excited it was her party! 

Uncle "Mac" loves this girl to pieces. I think the feeling is mutual.

Testing the icing to make sure it's good for all her guests.

She asked before each gift, "Is this one for me TOO?!" It melted my heart. She was sure to thank each person with a big hug after every gift. She loved her big girl bike and was flying down that driveway in no time. Such a joy to celebrate another year with her!

We couldn't be close to the lot without riding by to see if anything had happened. MS is pointing out they had at least staked out the spot for the brick retaining wall. Riveting stuff, folks.

On our way out, we saw this character roaming the streets.

This should end well.

Wordless Wednesday - It Was My Birthday

My two favorite boys were sweet to me.

A Review of my 28th Year

 This week marks the first week of my last year in my 20s. It's a little depressing...but looking back, the year has been good to me - so I'll ease the blow with a little trip down memory lane, followed by a fried chicken lunch.

 We marked a big trip off our list - Greece.  Seeing the Parthenon was incredible.

 But the caldera in Santorini and the sunset was probably the highlight of my year. Each time I glanced over it was no different than the first time. Unreal.
 

 For our first anniversary, we headed out west. The day in Sonoma was probably my favorite. Great wine.

Gorgeous views.

We squeezed in a run across the Golden Gate bridge. The weather was perfect. The post run In-and-Out Burger even better.

One month later we headed up to Memphis for our first, and possibly last, full marathon.

It was a huge time commitment this year, but it's one of the things I'm most proud of accomplishing. I'll never forget the feeling rounding the corner towards the finish line.

Sometimes, I'll still catch myself thinking "I can't believe we ran all that way." And then I finish stuffing a cookie in my mouth and go about my day.

The next month(!) we bought a house, in what felt like the fastest real estate transaction in history. But then the process slowed waaaaaay down, as our lot still looks about like this.

February brought the Mercedes half. (Is MS wearing a sideways cap in this picture?)

I miraculously PR'd. I do not use the term miraculously lightly. But, either way, it was a highlight.

29 is going to have a hard time topping 28, but I'm always up for a good competition.

Odds and Ends

Has it been a week? Let's catch up.

This sweet angel must have caught a late night showing of Cujo, because he is giving us heck. Remember this post? We are back on the program hardcore and he is NONE too happy about it. I straddle the fence between, "bless his heart" and "what the heck is wrong with you?!?!"

I'm two temper tantrums away from calling Cesar. Come, whisper to our animal.

In other news, this came through...

I bet this is EXACTLY what it looks like. So, we should start seeing some progress soon. Exciting stuff! We won't be homeless come June. I'll end on that unintentional rhyme...

It's a Brick...House

 Do you know how many different shades of brick there are? And mortar - would you prefer buff, khaki, or buff khaki? Flush with the brick or concave?
 

Along with exterior brick, paint, doors and mortar color, we picked cabinets, floors, and granite. We were most nervous about exterior selections, so to have that behind us feels like a big weight off. Hoping we'll break ground in the next two weeks!

Namath. Is. Pumped.

And he always has to have the upper hand...more on that later.

Chicken Dinner

 Since the new year, I've been trying to branch out in my cooking. Thank God for Pinterest. It's the lazy way of scouring the web for good recipes. We try to eat healthy the majority of the time, so I've tried to steer clear of the cream cheese lasagnas, although they are beckoning to me. But, I couldn't resist this recipe. We did asparagus on the side. EVEN STEVEN.

The full recipe is here.
 

Panko Crusted Chicken Stuffed with Ricotta, Spinach, Tomatoes, and Basil:

• 1 cup of low fat ricotta cheese
• Small handful of baby spinach, chopped
• Small handful of grape tomatoes, diced (remove the seeds if possible)
• 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• Dash of oregano
• 2 chicken breasts
• Italian seasoned panko crumbs
• 2 tsp olive oil (for the pan)

I tweaked it a little. We didn't use tomatoes, and used regular bread crumbs, because I was unknowingly out of Panko. The travesty.

 This was so easy. Mix all the ingredients, split the chicken breast, stuffed them, sealed with a toothpick, browned them in a hot cast iron, and put them straight in the oven to cook.

My mother in law knew what she was doing when she bought that cast iron skillet. This recipe was a winner.

 Nothing left to do but enjoy a shoe,

a glass of wine,

and a little Bea Arthur.