Same writing style, same author, different page.

Won’t you join me there?

I planned on talking about all the fun things I did this week that distracted me from the fact that it wasn’t the weekend.

I planned on talking about the Rockies game I went to, the birthday dinner I had, the 300 Joey bowled, the two awesome runs I went on and the amazing slice of red velvet cake I had.

I did not plan on rain during the Rockies game.  Or having a horrible work week. Or being too tired, busy or stressed out to sit down and write out a decent post.  Or waking up on Friday morning to news of a shooting that left 12 dead and lots more injured, terrified and devastated in my home state.

And it’s a completely unpleasant reminder that unexpected things happen everyday.  You can’t plan for news of heart attacks or wildfires or mass shootings.  It makes it that much harder to understand, accept and react.  And it makes a little rain and some work-related stress seem so unimportant in comparison.

My heart goes out to anyone and everyone affected by the theater shooting.  Hoping no matter where you live, you do the same this weekend.

It was about how the week should really only be 4 days long and the weekend should be 3.  I’m talking 3 full days.  Having the very end of Friday off does not count.  Is there anyone who really likes having 5 workdays?

It does not help when weekends are so fun.

We hit up a new restaurant in Boulder for dinner on Friday night.  Joey also asked me where to park that was most convenient for the restaurant and the movie theater we were heading to after dinner.  The theater is literally a 1 minute walk from the restaurant.

Don’t go to a vegan restaurant and wonder why your bacon cheeseburger doesn’t taste like a bacon cheeseburger.

Guess it wasn’t so bad.

Have you guys heard of this movie?  It’s a Wes Anderson movie (he did Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums) and it was awesome!

I really loved it.

I officially have a margarita problem.

That I have no desire to cure.

Even if the Rockies are horrible and even if their games are completely depressing and even if I’m not paying attention, nights at the ballpark are still pretty fun.

Coffee, dachshund, porch.

I swear every Sunday, I wonder why there can’t be more Sundays in the week.  Sundays are for big leisurely breakfasts, grocery shopping, Sex and the City re-run watching, yoga-ing and hanging out with your mom.

I happened to do all of those things yesterday.

I love when my mom invites me over for breakfast.  And I love it when she supplies me with coffee.  And I love when she asks me to drive her to Petsmart and the Humane Society “just to look.”  And I love when she sends me home with fresh organic strawberries that she already cut up and half a red velvet cake.

Basically, I love my mom.

And the weekend.  We need 3 full days.  Who’s with me?

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What’s your favorite day of the week?

What did you do this weekend?

What’s your favorite Sunday activity? 

I’ll tell you, having your birthday on a Monday then taking Tuesday off to take 3 naps, get a massage and eat red velvet cake totally warps your understanding of what day of the week it is.  I could’ve sworn yesterday was Thursday.

Here’s how my birthday went.

Birthday breakfast.

Birthday rain.  And I didn’t even mind.

Birthday flowers from my lovely co-worker Amanda.  She didn’t even know tulips are my favorite.

Birthday pink.

Birthday nap.

Despite what you thought, I actually turned 60 on Monday and spent my birthday night at a Beach Boys concert.

Two concerts at Red Rocks in the past 2 weeks means a lot of stair climbing.  398 stairs to the top, my friends.

Guys, the concert was AWESOME!  The Beach Boys played 51 songs, sounded just like their CDs and had a crowd of thousands up on their feet dancing.  I would be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly out of control during Surfin’ USA.

I grew up listening to the Beach Boys and seeing them in concert was like a lifelong dream come true.  And they totally lived up to my dream.

Like I said, on Tuesday I took 3 naps, got a massage and sat around for hours reading, but I did manage to try out a new birthday present.  Unfortunately, new running shoes don’t give you the ability to suddenly run longer or faster.  Bummer.

Birthday dinner.  My mom is the best.

Birthday dessert.  No really, my mom is the best.

Surprise birthday present.  Totally didn’t expect to get a Kindle but I love it already!

Needless to say, my birthday was a success.

Also needless to say, I’m totally ready for it to be Friday.

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What is your favorite Birthday dessert?

Are you a Beach Boys fan?

Are you a Kindle user?

Going to a party where you had to tell a joke before you were allowed to fill your cup at the keg.  I won’t repeat any of the jokes, as they were all wildly inappropriate.

Celebrating my brother’s birthday at the Olive Garden on Friday night.  They have this 2 for $25 deal which comes with two appetizers, unlimited soup/salad/breadsticks, 2 entrees and dessert.  I don’t know where I put it all.

Lunch and shopping in Boulder on Saturday.  I tried on a pair of jeans that were literally a foot too long.  Don’t worry, I didn’t buy them.

Getting stuck in the grocery store while it poured rain and hail.  Then having to run from the store to the car carrying 4 bags of groceries.

Watching 21 Jump Street on Saturday night, then getting into bed and reading till I literally couldn’t keep my eyes open.  Rain makes for perfect movie watching and book reading weather.

Manicures + even more shopping on Sunday with my mom and sister.  If it’s your birthday, you should definitely take advantage of all opportunities to not have to spend your own money.

These pancakes.

Zucchini Bread Pancakes

For when you come home from the grocery with 3 zucchinis and discover you already have 3 in your fridge and need to use all 6 up somehow.

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup AP flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 medium zucchini, shredded
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional, but highly recommended)

1. In a large bowl, mix flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
2. In a second bowl, combine egg, milk and vanilla.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just combined.
4. Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips.
5. Let batter rest while your griddle heats up.
6. Drop batter onto griddle by the 1/4 cup, cook until bubbles appear, then flip and cook until golden on the other side.

Serve with butter, syrup and a giant mug of caffeine.

Thank you all so so much for the many birthday wishes.  I had a fantastic day, but that’s a post for another day

1. Sisters are the best.

2. It’s okay to NOT be one of those people with a million friends.

3. You can’t always please everyone. It’s okay to be selfish sometimes and just make yourself happy.

4. You will never regret taking a vacation. But you will most definitely regret NOT taking one.

5. Trying new things is scary, but so worth it.

6. Never underestimate the power of a home cooked meal. And never take it for granted when someone else home cooks a meal for you.

7. Disneyland really is the happiest place on Earth. And New Orleans is the most fun.

8. Things don’t always turn out the way you want or expect them to. In fact, most things DON’T turn out the way you want or expect them to. Better not to set high expectations and be pleasantly surprised than to be disappointed when things don’t go the way you dreamed.

9. Things always look better in the morning.

10. Wiener dogs can make you forget all your problems.

11. Everyone likes Tom Hanks. Everyone.

12. Life is too short not to eat good food. Define “good” as you will.

13. It is possible to get a paper cut on your tongue.

14. Your printer will always run out of ink when you really need to print something.

15. When it comes down to it, being tan really isn’t important.  Well, to me anyways.

16. Moms always know what to say.

17. Good guys do exist.

18. Laughter is the best medicine. And dancing is a close second.

19. Some things are more important than fitting in a workout.

20. Service jobs are hard. Remember that when you’re the customer and be extra nice.

21. Everyone makes mistakes.

22. Sometimes you have to admit when you’re wrong.  Still working on this one

23. I still have a lot to learn.

I didn’t love The Women, by T.C. Boyle.

Proof: It’s taken me about 3 months to finish it.  I may or may not have snapped at my mom for saying “You’re still reading that?” the other day.  Yes, yes I am!!  Sorry, Mom.

But I didn’t hate it either.

It’s the second book I’ve read about Frank Lloyd Wright this year and I basically feel like I know him personally.  The concept of this book is great.  It’s the life of Wright told through his relationship with four different women.  And it’s also narrated by a fictional apprentice of Wright’s, which gives a really interesting complexity to the novel.  It wasn’t so much the concept or the plot or even the characters that I didn’t love, but more the style of the writing.

I’ve come to realize that what makes or breaks a novel for me, is the author’s ability to make me feel.  I want to love the characters and become entangled in their lives and this book didn’t get deep enough into the characters to make me feel that way.  If you’re looking for a good book about FLW, might I suggest this one?

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What are you reading right now?

Do you know anything about Frank Lloyd Wright? 

What makes or breaks a good book for you?

Also, Happy Happy Birthday to my brother today!

Late night concerts and early morning races.

Alcohol and 6 mile runs.

Hangovers and rambunctious 3-year-olds.

A worse than normal wildfire season and fireworks.

Kimbra was amazing.

Mayer Hawthorne was awesome.  I mean, just look at that suit!

And Foster the People was incredible.

They had all of Red Rocks, myself included, dancing like fools.

Let Freedom Ring 10K sort of turned into a walking race for me.  I may have had a little too much fun on Tuesday night…

But I totally don’t regret it and run/walking 6 miles is still better than doing nothing.

If that’s not the quintessential plate of 4th of July food, I don’t know what is.

Our puppy has people eyes.

It’s not 4th of July without a slice of pie.

A good majority of firework shows were cancelled here in Colorado, but we managed to see a little bit of one of the few shows that didn’t get cancelled.  So all hangovers aside, this 4th of July was a good one.

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What did you do for the 4th of July?

Finish this sentence: It’s not 4th of July without ______________.

Who else has to go back to work today and is hating it already??

And sleeping in.

Hard work…

And relaxation.

Time with Joey…

My family…

My friends…

And some alone time too.

Sunny skies…

And much needed rain.

Going out to eat…

And home cooked meals.

Being a responsible adult…

And a carefree 22-year-old.

Magic Mike and alcoholic beverages at the movie theater with my best friend?  Yes please!

And really, having a healthy mix of all these things is what it’s all about.  It’s all in the balance!

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What was your weekend a healthy mix of?

Okay, who else saw Magic Mike this weekend? I would have liked a lot less plot and a lot more Channing Tatum and Matthew McConaughey.

Some states have hurricanes, some have earthquakes, and Colorado, well it has fires.  And while I’ve lived  in Colorado for 22 years and am totally used to fire season, what’s happening right now is something entirely different.

Two weeks ago, I walked outside to go to work and there was no ignoring the fact that there was a bad fire nearby.  The air was hazy and smell was overwhelming.  Little did I know there were several other fires burning and now I think there’s somewhere around 15 fires in Colorado.  Some are worse than others, but they’re all heartbreaking.  I don’t like to think that any of my home state is being destroyed.

Natural disasters are so frustrating because there’s really nothing you can do to stop them from coming.  Even if you really want to.  I’m just crossing my fingers that no new fires start and that the ones that are blazing now get taken care of as soon as possible.  And feeling really really lucky that I don’t know anyone who’s in danger right now.

(Totally did not take this picture, by the way!)