her golden birthday.

24 on the 24th. i'm celebrating bff, jenny, today.

in the words of michael jackson...

...when he was still a sweet, black boy.

a day at the beach.

we had a great time. it was so fun to see marlow swim and jump the waves. he learned quickly that he couldn't drink the salt water. we took some videos and it was hilarious watching him go crazy chasing the shadows of seagulls on the beach. he definitely got a work out this weekend. we want to go back before the summer ends, if possible. we had plans to go to port aransas, but we found a great beach on north padre island, much closer to where we stayed.

we also got to have dinner with the mims, which was so fun! they just moved from fort worth to rockport and are brand new to the bay area. i'm kinda jealous that they live so close to the beach, but it will be another excuse make the drive.

nothin prettier than anthrocyanin

now this was yumtastic. i'm a lover of all things beets so to make a chilled borscht not only brought back memories of our time in ukraine but it also made me want to giggle aloud about how good it was. even if you're not a beet-lover, i think you'd agree that the color is just stunning. God sure is creative, isn't he? i thought that a few weeks ago when chris and i stumbled upon laguna gloria and frolicked with some beautiful peacocks. and i think that when i pop open a fava bean and wish i could be snuggled in such a cozy sleeping bag like they are. color pigmentation in food is beautiful and God displays His artistic side so clearly in the way He paints fruits and veggies. holler if you'd like the item list of what i threw together. the longer it sat in the fridge today, the tastier it got.

no longer vacant.

after lighting, we will be done with this area.

24 weeks.

it's no optical illusion, folks. i believe my butt is growing as fast as my stomach.

on a dreamy summer night.

this was dinner tonight. i promise i do try to cook somewhat healthy most of the time and take care of my sweet husband whose cholesterol is not at a friendly level. but we've got only a specific amount of time on this earth to enjoy such greasy delights. am i right? how delish a beer would have tasted with this sucker. roasted potatoes on the side and cantaloupe for dessert. simple and sweet. like summer meals should be.

speaking of which. i'm sitting outside in our patio. it's dark outside and chris is inside for a conference call. my bestest furry pal in the whole wide world is at my feet and i feel like life couldn't get any better. jason mraz is playing, too. i do have an affection for his cheery tunes. i feel like grabbing my husband and bringing him outside here to dance with me, but i'm pretty sure his listeners would miss out on his wisdom as he speaks about terms i can't even begin to understand. he's a smarty. i just cook.

to think that next summer i'll have a lil chica to dance with out here. she'll be a special one, i'm sure of it.

what are your favorite summer memories? i'll think of one and get back to you. humor me and leave a comment. i know you people read my silly words. google analytics tells me so.

dinner tonight.

grilled halibut with harissa & grilled asparagus

the mr. & mrs.

I think these pictures are funny, but these are the ones we took from our anniversary dinner date to Buenos Aires Café, which we loved. We will definitely be going back. Great food for low price. We're looking forward to getting away in a couple of weekends to the Texas beach at Port Aransas. Our hotel is booked and Marlow is coming along. It will be a quick trip, but fun to stick our feet in salt water and see our puppy chase the waves.

happy 4th to my wonderful hubs.

i love being married to you.