TJ's Caprese(ish) Pasta

I am on a quest for simple & fancy. Especially when it comes to food. The less time I spend shopping & cooking the better. The less money I spend is even cooler. I am a college graduate with student loans & going back to school to rack up some more. That's why I usually shop at Trader Joe's. I know what they have, where to find it, & it's not too heavy on the pocketbook. Success on the simple front.

That leaves the fancy front. 

You can decide if you think this dinner I threw together was fancy enough for you, but I fully felt fancy eating it. Especially with a glass of Malbec (currently my favorite red).

1. Cook any pasta you have (I used spinach tortellini)

2. Toss with TJ's bruschetta (found by the hummus) & mozzarella balls

3. Top with chopped fresh basil

4. Salt & pepper to taste

There you have it & for a measly $2.85/serving ($4.09 with the glass of wine).

Goodnight.

Fear

Yesterday something very crazy happened. I was overcome with fear and listened to it. 

I had big plans for my Sunday: sleep in, have some quiet time with Him, tutor in the making of poems, hit up a new yoga studio, and end my day with some good ol' fashion fellowship. Everything was fine and dandy...actually quite wonderfully peaceful until I my car didn't turn into the yoga studio. It just didn't. I could think of nothing more terrifying than entering the studio to face "perfect" women. Now, I know they are not perfect. They face the same self-image/esteem/worth issues I do. But, I am not in their heads. I am in my head. And in my head negative self-talk was screaming. Small Gentle Voice tried to peak through like a ray of sunshine on a grey Seattle day. 

I went home and ate dinner way too early, because somehow I think food will make things better. I put finger to keyboard and typed away. Battling the fear exhausted me. I could not keep my eyes open for one more second, so I closed them. Guilt overcame me when I woke up to realize it was too late to make it to fellowship. 

Now, I know that guilt is not of Him. I do. I do. I do. But, when the guilt started to fade a sadness was left...I missed out on spending time with those I love.

My soul did find peace last night when Small Gentle Voice whispered, "you have the Holy Spirit."

And all was right in my soul for that moment. 

Something Special

I just wanted to share something special with you. I was blessed with a set of personalized note cards from a family friend. I love them. I want to send one to everyone I have ever known to hopefully bless them, but I'm having a very hard time letting them go. For now, you can see them here. Maybe sometime soon you will find one in your mailbox...if I can ever give them up. 

Have you received a special surprise before? What was it!?

Off to finish the weekend strong with some good tea and a bubble bath...

The Great Moments

Here are the great moments of the weekend I mentioned in yesterdays post.

The Tulip Festival is beyond breathtaking. You just walk through rows and rows of the most beautiful tulips you have ever seen. The drive is not too terrible either, especially if you beat traffic, grab coffee, roll the windows down for some sunshine, and rock out to music. BUT if you don't beat traffic, I hear it is the worst! No thank you. So worth waking up early on a Sunday for.

Damn Yankees, although we were late, was hilarious. 5th Ave is pretty cool too. There is a lot of architectural detail (I'm going to pretend I know what I'm talking about here). Honestly, this just means I thought it was pretty and ornate. After, we headed across the street to Rock Bottom for some drinks and food. We just kept extending our day. I couldn't complain. I do not get to be in the company of my former roommate enough. I love her and her love of crazy pop music.

The day ended with a backyard meal, bonfire, AND my first time ever really playing Frisbee. I'm a fan. Also, I'm a fan of homemade porch ice cream. I call it this because it was made on the porch. 

There are no photos, but Saturday we went to Craven Farm (where my roommate is getting married) to dream about wedding details, hit some garage sales (where I got one of those embroidery ring things for free...I'm planning on making this with them), and watched Anne of Green Gables for my first time ever. All winner moments. I just couldn't leave them out because there were no photos. 

What were some great moments of your weekend?

Imperfection and Other Heart Issues

Do you ever let a not-so-good moment overshadow, or even cancel, a whole lot of ridiculously awesome moments?

I did today for a minute...probably more like twenty of them.

A wonderful friend of mine and I bought tickets to see Damn Yankees at 5th Avenue about two months ago. For some reason I had it in my head that it started at 2:30. After picking up our tickets from the box office and realizing I had purchased parking for a garage we were not parked in, I walked in the theater already discouraged with myself. It got exponentially worse when we found out that the show had started at 1:30. Where was my head? I felt very off kilter. Much like a failure. The worst was thinking that I disappointed someone.

My friend was very gracious. Bless her. I was not at first. Gradually though, I let the situation go. The only thing I could do was apologize for my craziness in mixing up the times and move on. Eventually I was able to get lost in the quirky baseball musical. The not-so-good moment faded and the heartwarming ones were able to take over.

Today, it took twenty minutes to switch from negative self-talk to reality. A year ago, it would have taken me hours, days, maybe even weeks. I would have groveled. Pitched a tent in self-pity land. I am beyond grateful for this growth.

I get to keep all of our moments of laughter, rocking out to music in the car, sipping coffee, strolling through fields of tulips, girl talk, and real genuine friendship while accepting that I'm not perfect.

I'm not perfect and neither are you. This is where the beauty of life is. Loving one another as we are. We truly all have something to bring to the table just as we are.

Beauty can be found in the most unthinkable places. Like in an old stinky shoe.

Photo courtesy of Mackenzie Heimer (age 10)

The Game of Life

I've always loved The Game of Life...ya know, the fictitious one. The real one is scary. On the-glass-is-half-full-side it's also exhilarating. I'm working very hard to live in the moment. This isn't a thirty minute game. We're talking lifetime. Lifetime is a big heavy word.  Here's the big change happening in the game of my life...

I am going back to school. As of last Friday, it's official. I will give you a moment to process this. Also, it's for myself. 

Ready? I will be attending Chapman University's Master of Arts in Teaching program to become a Jr. High/High School English teacher. Need another moment? Sure, take as many as you need. I feel a little crazy about it...and also at peace. I'm emotionally confused to say the least.

How long you ask? Well, two years. I'm anticipating them being a blur. 

Doing good? Here's another tidbit to digest. Chapman University is in Southern California, almost 1,000 miles from Seattle. That is a bit too much of a commute for me to keep my Washington residence. I'm heading to California (with all of my coffee mugs, scarfs, and cloth napkins in tow) at the end of July. This is a measly twelve(ish) weeks away! What's my point? If you live in Seattle, we need to hangout ASAP. My goal is to become a professional tourist for the next 3 months. Want to join me? Let me know by commenting here, Facebook, Twitter, or phone. 

I respond to smoke signals as well.

A lady at church said, "I really feel like your life is just starting" when I told her I was moving "home" to go back to school. I got teary eyed. One or two might have escaped. I think she is right. Today, I don't let fear determine my decisions (as much), and I know that there is never an easier softer way. I've tried, but I am left feeling unfulfilled and honestly like a piece of crap. 

Life requires my attention, effort, heart, soul, and my reliance on God. I've tried to do life on my own. It doesn't look pretty. Here is the deal, I am terrified of the unknown. I'm gonna push forward anyway...it is the only way the unknown becomes the known. 

When have you pushed past fear? How did things turn out? Let's share our stories with each other. I fully believe we were never meant to live alone. Community is where it's at. It just is.

Lots of love!

GUEST APPEARANCE: Everything's Alright

Hey everyone, sorry it has been quite a while since my last post. A lot has happened. Mainly I have started contributing to another blog called Breakfast Banter. Check it out right after you hear from my amazing niece...

Hi I'm Mackenzie, her niece. I love to make smoothies and milk shakes with our juicer. The first time that I wanted to make one, I went online and tried to find a website of the recipes of Jamba Juice smoothies. I found them and wrote them down. Lately I've been making my OWN smoothies. My favorite one that I made is called Everything's Alright. Here's the recipe.

~Everything's Alright
1 cup of apple juice
1 handful of frozen peaches
2 scoops of orange sherbert
2 handfuls of frozen mixed fruits (berries)

***
Okay people, keep in mind, I'm ten so my handfuls are kind of small.
Handful: (Your Size)
***

Trying it...

 Liking it...

 Loving it...

Now back to my aunt...

Well, I must say that I am very proud of Mackenzie. Not only for her smoothie capabilities, but also for her writing capabilities. Maybe she will be the next writer in the family. Or really, the first one. Who knows. But back to smoothies. I tried Everything's Alright and it was more than alright. AHmazing!!!! We will definitely be enjoying some more of these over the next couple days I'm in town. You should try this and tell us what you think. Also, Mackenzie will share new recipes with you as she discovers them herself.

What is your favorite smoothie recipe?

Lots of love,
Aunt Lindsey & Mackenzie