some things for fall

fall decorations at the palazzo in vegas

my favorite season is upon us.  i am so excited for the (slight) change of weather and the fresh crisp air.  here are some things i am looking forward to.

something to celebrate - it looks like a month full of birthdays. starting next week when my baby girl turns 10.  yikes! out of the single digits and she couldn't be more excited.

something to learn - i started a new job this week.  i'll share a bit more later, right now i'm just trying to learn as much as i can.  i'm working for an online baby clothing boutique. it's a hands on education in marketing, operations, and building a company from the ground up.

something to cheer for - jordan has started his swim meets with his new club team.  he had a meet last sunday and did "ok" according to him.  this weekend he has meets both saturday and sunday.  sofia is well into her softball season and has games every sunday.  she's made big improvements and is always ready to play. her walk up song is fight song by rachel platten.

something to prepare for - halloween.  kids need to choose their costumes.  sofia is deciding between being princess leia or one of the characters from descendants. andrew wants to be a walrus of some sort but i think we settled on a storm trooper. this weekend the decorations will go up.

something to dress up for - this month both schools are having their parent social/gala and they are both western themed.  cha's event is a hoedown complete with a pie contest.  next week notre dame is having a country knights fundraiser.  what to wear?  i don't own a pair of cowboy boots so i guess i should start there.

something to read - i'm in love with this is the story of a happy marriage.  i made a lot of progress while we were in vegas but wish i had a weekend to read it cover to cover. it's the story of ann patchett's journey with writing and what she has learned about being a writer and the stories she tells. do you see why i fell in love?  i am looking forward to starting elizabeth gilbert's big magic.  my sister and i are going to her speaking engagement.  she was amazing at super soul sessions and i feel like she will be inspiring me again tonight.

something to do - i need to get back into an exercise routine.  my new job is at the top of a very steep hill - one that i used to run up when i was training.  my plan is to start walking and getting my 10,000 steps a day, my fitbit has been on hiatus for a while.  i can park my car at the y and walk to my job and then walk back down the hill. that sounds like a good start.

something fun - will have to make some time this weekend to fill out this autumn bucket list. maybe while i'm drinking some hot apple cider and eating a pumpkin cream cheese muffin.

happy fall!

2015 weekly menu #40

we had our share of good meals while in vegas last week.  one of which was the burgers at shake shack at the new york, new york casino.  if you've ever eaten here before i think you'll agree that these are delicious.  they are opening one in west hollywood next year and i am excited. eating at the one in new york is on my to do list.

as i mentioned, we've been eating out  a lot lately or making up meals as we go.  talk about stress.  so this week i made sure to get the menu done and do the shopping so we have a well stocked pantry and fridge for the week.

weekend eats
saturday: bar mitzvah dinner
sunday: mexican food after jordan's swim meet

making this week
monday:  caldo de pollo
tuesday: turkey paninis and tomato soup
wednesday: chicken piccata, lemon potatoes, arugula salad
thursday: salmon teriyaki bowls
friday: pizza

let's see how the week goes.

the good life

let's take a breath. a long, deep, collective breath. are you with me?

1-2-3. breath in and breath out.

feel better? i do.

this month has been an adventure.  more than i could have ever imagined.  that adventure has brought great things to our lives but it has also turned everything we have been used to upside down.

 it started with this simple phrase, "i'm thinking about going back to work."

once i put that out there - things changed.  isn't it funny how that happens? (or terrifying.)

i have so many thoughts to share about this roller coaster i have been on.  but right now i just want to stay in the space of calmness and get ready for what's next.

i've missed being here. writing. telling our story. i have missed it so much and thought about it a lot, but i've had little time to sit down and write. when i logged in today - blogger asked, who are you again?

the one question i kept asking was, with time being more limited, what do i want this space to be for me, for my family, for you? it's been on my mind for a while now.  it's time for a re-design. not for what this blog looks like, although it needs a face lift, but for the content that i write.

i think it's all part of whatever is next for me. this blog gets to evolve as i do.

there have been events over the last few months that make me think differently or at least see the things in our lives differently. a lot has happened and a lot has left a deep impact.  i'll want to write about the things that stood out.

here's some of the things that might inspire future blog posts:

• 3 job offers and the fear of making the wrong decision
• 1 temporary job that ended last week
• 1 new job that starts this week
• a possible career??
• a new creative adventure
• a possible career??
• the taylor swift concert with sofia - she's growing up
• andrew's quest for high school
• jordan exploring college - gulp!
• softball games, swim meets and football games with the band
• another fantasy football season - staying mellow 
• our 21st wedding anniversary
• a super soul sunday session with oprah - i'll need a week of posts for this one
• a trip to vegas

there are lots of stories to tell.

i'm still planning on doing menu posts.  let's face it, food is my jam and my menu helps to keep me organized. i'll post tomorrow what's on the menu for this week.  recently it's been a lot of take out and i'm looking forward to getting back in the kitchen this week.

here's to figuring out this life thing together.

2015 weekly menu #36

i changed the plan shortly after posting my menu last week.  i had to when i found out it was national waffle day.  it's something we've always wanted to try - chicken and waffles and it was a big hit. next time we're going to roscoe's.

we had such a great week last week. taylor swift concert, disneyland and a beach trip to end the summer.  this week it's all about school.  back to school night at notre dame, back to school picnic at cha and the first home football game of the season.  oh, and one celebration - our 21st wedding anniversary. our calendar is already packed.

here we go.

weekend eats
saturday: beach bbq
sunday: mexican food

making this week
monday:  orange chicken, shrimp stir fry and rice
tuesday: back to school bbq
wednesday: broccoli-bacon mac 'n' cheese
thursday: pizza
friday: football kick off dinner & game

this week i'm also thinking about healthy school lunches. lots of leftovers and homemade foods. i have some planning to do.

happy monday.

2015 weekly menu #35

this was the prettiest thing i ate last week. we got together with friends for an end of the summer dinner and as usual they went all out.  this was the appetizer: honeydew, prosciutto, mozzarella and basil skewers with a balsamic reduction. thank you for a great night!

last week i was completely engaged in the week in the life project.  i have hundreds of photos to go through and pick out for this project.  i'll share some of my favorites this week. (hint: that photo above is one of them.)

this is our last week of summer vacation before the younger kids start school. we are going to make the most of it!!

i just looked at last week's menu and we only made it to tuesday. the rest of the week we were out or just didn't eat what was planned. some weeks are like that.

making this week
monday:  bbq chicken salad
tuesday: gnocchi with pasta sauce, caesar salad
wednesday: everyone is on their own
thursday: green salsa chicken tacos
friday: first football game of the year. go knights!!

wishing everyone a happy week.

2015 weekly menu #34

monday.
not that i'm complaining.
but really?
monday?

it's not a typical monday for us. we had a great weekend.  we are recovering from a fabulous party on saturday night where we danced the night away. but we could use a few more hours of sleep. getting up at 6am this morning was not easy. jordan started his junior year of high school today. yikes! i got to take him this morning and he even let me take his picture. sofia is on her way home after a week of adventuring. andrew is the only child at home, for a few hours at least. our air conditioner is not working. that's right, it was 500 degrees this weekend and we don't have an air conditioner.  relief is on the way, i hope.

weekend eats
saturday: #noahsmitzvahbowl which included an in-n-out truck
sunday: dinner from islands

making this week
monday:  salmon with yogurt dill sauce, cucumber and feta salad
tuesday: pan seared pork chops, appplesauce, salad
wednesday: bbq chicken salad
thursday: turkey lettuce wraps, garlic green beans
friday: zucchini noodles with meat sauce

ok monday. i'm ready for you!

encore

last saturday jordan and his band had a gig in hollywood. his rock band, as opposed to his marching band from school. jordan and his cousin, my nephew chris, started playing together about 3 years ago. pretty much the time that jordan's been playing drums. he is on such an awesome musical journey.

the club where the boys played is a spot meant for young musicians who want to show off their talents and get some experience playing before a live audience.  it's a "no alcohol, all ages venue" and the perfect place to showcase young talent.

the boys feel comfortable here. they've played here a few times. it's a private venue for just a handful of family and friends or a room full of fans.  of course, they rocked it.  they played a 30 minute set with originals and covers.  they have a good flow for their show and it's been incredible to see them grow as musicians and showmen. the highlight for me is when they play come together by the beatles. i remember when they played it for the first time and i was blown away.  they keep getting better and better.

this was the show before my nephew chris heads off to college. he is going to florida state but will spend his freshman year in spain - lucky guy.  he has been instrumental (heehee) in lighting the musical fire for jordan. this kid can play anything, guitar, piano, drums, he even plays the ukulele. he is the group's vocalist and he writes the music. he is basically a musical genius.  he is the kindest, most dedicated young man.  he will do great things and be an outstanding human grown up.

jordan will miss him.  chris is more like an older brother than a cousin.  they share this immense love of music and it has bonded them for life.  jordan played the drums in the garage for hours rehearsing and learning new music.  being a part of this band gave him someone to play for, an audience that appreciates it, and a motivation to be a better drummer.  now he's teaching himself to play the guitar.

junior is the talented bassist of this group. they met while the three of them were playing in another band.  jordan and chris broke off from that band, too much drama, to start encore and junior came along. we are just getting to know him but he's been a driving force of this group as well.

they let us staple the ticket stub to the wall and my sister in law put it right next to echosmith's ticket for good luck.  everyone starts somewhere, right?

these kids have played at a guitar store, a restaurant, a street fair, a high school concert and this venue. each one of them is ridiculously talented and dedicated to this little band of three. what a fun ride for these boys.  they have something special together and i'm excited for what the future has in store for each of them.  keep following your dreams.

i'm not going to call this their farewell performance, it's just the last performance before college. i will call for an encore of encore when chris is back in l.a. and we'll be sure to invite you.