Mexico

Adina, Kalee, and I went to Mexico for dinner last night.  Pretty anticlimatic.  You park your car, walk across, have dinner, then walk back.  Really, I'd be ok just staying here and having Mexican food, but I'm glad we went.  Gonna miss the people here!

It has been a looong week, but this was a fun way to wrap up my time here!

Baking in Yuma, Vol. 7

Skipped my run this morning to make some gluten-free almond cookies and oatmeal chocolate squares.  I'm trying to use up ingredients so that Emmy doesn't have a heart attack when she comes to help me pack up!  Note: without a wire rack, a muffin tin works quite well!  Have a great day!

Didn't lose a single cookie!  Baked at 25* cooler than recommended

I used to looove these.  Hopefully my coworkers do, too!

Hot. Very, very hot.

I really understand why people take siestas in hot climates.  It is 104* here, though weather.com promises it feels like 98*.  It is just so hot (even for me, and that's saying a lot!)  Looks like I'll be doing some stuff inside this afternoon. 

Kem got back to Seattle safely.  We had a really great time, laughing so much that our waiter last night thought that we had been drinking before we came into the restaurant!  I wandered around Little Italy this morning, had a great breakfast, went to Chino's Farm Stand and had the most amazing strawberries I've ever eaten, made a quick stop at Costco, and then headed back to Yuma.  Now I'm holed up in my AC'd apartment, waiting for it to get a bit cooler so I can go running.  xoxoxo

Life is Good!

Relaxing here on the sofa, listening to the ocean.  It will be chilly (66*) and cloudy today, but it can't be bad because we're gonna have a great day!  I hope you do too! xoxo

San Diego Zoo!

Kem and I both made it into San Diego safely today and headed straight for the zoo.  Though it took some wandering to find the place we wanted to eat lunch (she is a true Halasz girl!), we had a great time.  It is a bit chilly now, so I guess we'll have to go shopping for warmer clothes.  Darn, shopping...

Elephant Butt!

Hiding from me

Sleepy

Why do koala bears always look so fuzzy?

Skinny long necks like mine!

Top o'the hippo

 Bottom o'the hippo

Hungry panda-she woke up early this morning and is especially hungry for lunch!

There is a panda under that tree, so sound asleep

You tell me...does the panda in the previous picture look rambunctious, inquisitive, and alert?!?

After lunch, everybody takes a siesta.  Told Kem about our summer siestas.  Mom, she thinks you're a genius

Holding hands

Staying at Southern California Beach Club for the weekend.  Weirdly enough, our room is split-kitchenette, table, bathroom, sofa downstairs, queen sized bed and bunk beds, bathroom upstairs.  Weird.

I was social :-)

There was a work potluck tonight at Jen's (one of the directors) beautiful house out in the desert.  Literally-drive till you deadend in the desert, then turn left.  That's her house. 
Eva made the evening, though was having None of holding still for a picture!  Sorry these are kind of fuzzy.  There was a gnat infestation and I was swatting as I photographed!

Everything that Eric buys Eva says "I love Daddy" on it

Courtney

Solving world hunger

Kalee and Shauna

Going to San Diego tomorrow with Kem-I'm so excited to see her!  More pictures after the weekend :-) xoxo

Gearing up!

Realized I didn't give a report on Ciao Bella-generally sweet atmosphere with some nice touches.  My lentil soup was really delicious, though my (recommended) paella was drastically sub-par.  Ah well, can't win every time.  Soon, it won't be an issue...I'm going to LA!  I heard today that I got the position and will be moving on at the end of April.  Though it makes me nervous to live in the self-absorbed capital of the world, I know that there are some great people there (my cousins, Moby, etc) and I'm sooo excited to live where I can walk to good grocery stores/restaurants and ride my bike to the ocean!  I feel incredibly blessed!  xoxo

woah

I was the only OT in the hospital today....19 new patients and 36 treatments.  I actually addressed all 19 in one way or another.  During my last evaluation, the patient urinated in my co-worker's shoe.  I'm exhausted, and so I'm taking myself out for dinner to a recommended restaurant.  I'll let you know....xoxoxo

A Sidestepped Promise

One of the promises I made to myself when I became truely nomadic was that I would make an effort to enjoy little things every day.  I realized the other day that I hadn't been doing that very well lately and was letting myself get bogged down with the job hunt, etc.  Soo....here are some pictures of the new flowers about town.  Yesterday was quite windy, which made for some fuzziness-sorry! xoxo

These trees are everywhere around my apartment...the "flowers" are fluffy red things (see below).  Weird, but cool

This tree looks like a big orange poof ball.  Love it!

These come in white and pink.  I, of course, prefer the pink!

This cactus was just the vertical stalks when I got here--now he is sprouting all kinds of fun paddle things!

 Yellow happiness!

 Cactus flowers....cheating a bit, since these are in the front of a doctor's office and so get watered, but I still think they are cool

  Not sure what these are, but I think they are neat, and they are all over Yuma.  No smell, just pretty.

Beautiful, beautiful

Sunrise Easter service at 5:30.  In Ohio, this means get up early, go to church, have Mass, come home.  In Arizona, this means get up early, go to the church's front yard, have Mass, come home.  Though it was chilly (thx again to Mike for the suggestion of a blanket for the car!), it was really beautiful to celebrate Mass as the sun came up over the mountains.  Happy Easter everyone!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, everyone!  I hope you all have a beautiful day!  xoxo

Bedtime Stories

To dream of what I'll make next....

Soo fun!

I have offered to cook at anyone's home in Yuma who is willing to lend me a real kitchen.  Finally got to do so tonight at my boss, Eric, and his girlfriend Diana's home.  Delish!  Eva and Adina rounded out the party, and poor Roscoe (their boxer) had to wait outside until Eva was done to clean up the floor!  So fun!

Diana made homemade, delicious guacamole and salsa.  Mmmm...

Eva helped me take her parents' picture.  They're a great couple!

Eva is so cute, and so energetic!  It was really fun to get to play with her!

Getting crafty!

Tonight I'm making dinner for my boss, Eric, his girlfriend Deanna, and Adina, the speech therapist (see the Muggins hiking pics).  Inspired by the desire to work ahead for that (since I'm taking everything to Eric's house), I decided to destroy my kitchen again.  Also, wanted to try dyeing deviled eggs.  They were really fun!  However, I have no idea how they taste since I can't eat the yolks....hopefully my co-workers like them! 

I think they turned out sooo pretty!  The whites take the dye much faster than the shells do (shocker)

 Getting artistic with the dye...

Pretty!  Decorated the backs of the eggs...then realized you can't really see that part!  Hmm...blonde....

Final tally: coconut bread (hard as a rock), salmon patties with cilantro pesto (delicious!), deviled eggs (fun!), quinoa, asparagus, baked chicken for tonight (not a huge fan), and stock from the chicken carcass (umm, gross, but ok).  Lots of dishes, but well worth it.  Gonna prep the rest of the things for tonight's dinner, then go to the gym.  I know I should rest on days off, but that's no fun! 

xoxo!