Summer Days

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there 🙂

Dad, we need more (recent) pictures of the two of us.

And also…

I now have a niece!!

I’m off meeting her as we speak (hopefully), so in the meantime let me share some summer Saturday moments.

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I generally consider myself to be a happy person, but there are times when I feel especially happy. 

Whenever I’m in Disneyland, for instance.

This is the face of someone who’s a little too excited to have just ridden Indiana Jones.

And summertime in general is another one of those happy times.  Once the warmer temps show up and school is out, I shed my sarcastic winter skin (oh, who am I kidding, I’m always sarcastic) and turn into full-time happy Lauren.

You’ll like her, I promise.

Yesterday, while trouncing around at the Boulder Farmer’s Market, I felt full-time happy Lauren mode setting in.

Maybe because locally-grown, fresh, gorgeous produce makes me happy.

Or fresh made pastries.

Or seeing the Justin’s nut butter tent.

And snagging some sweet stickers.  Hello, advanced alliteration!

I also got to watch a cooking demonstration! 

I’ll admit I was not all that excited when I learned that the chef would be demonstrating how to make hollandaise sauce.  I know I just posted about not fearing food, but hollandaise scares me.  Not because it’s made of butter and egg (fat and cholesterol?? the horror!!), but because the way it looks really grosses me out.  It’s kind of jiggly, no?

I stayed because blanched asparagus was on the demonstration list as well.

Clearly, I was really into the asparagus. 

Pass those samples out already, will ya??

But as it turns out…

When made well, hollandaise can be pretty… okay.  I won’t say good, the look of it still scares me. 

Restaurant hollandaise has never tasted (or looked) like this!

And I can’t even describe the happiness this little basil plant has given me.

I cannot wait to have fresh basil on hand all the time!!!!  Like I said, I’m happy.

I took it home to sit in an empty peanut butter jar until I get a real pot.

This just further proves how useful empty pb jars are.

And the day ended beautifully with a nice walk home from work and this sunset.

Check out those mountains.

Yep, my blissful mood is still in full force 🙂

Here’s to a wonderful Father’s Day! 

What makes you felt truly and deeply happy?