Big news!

I am sooo thrilled to announce that I accepted a job over the weekend as an Event Assistant for a non-profit that services local youth. I am moving to begin my job...tomorrow! My fiance and I have been together for almost five years, but we have spent the last year and a half living in separate cities. I am really stoked to be in the same city as him again. My dream job with my dream man. Perfect.

Source for pretty picture: here.

A quick update.

This weekend was so lovely! My dad and I went to this crowded underground restaurant and had Italian crepes. I spent my Saturday afternoon at a food & farming festival learning how to make winter soups more flavorful (the key is a bouquet garni!) and the basics of canning. I am going to begin canning next month when the farmer's market opens and I can get the freshest berries. I can't wait to can pumpkin next fall so that I can make a loaf of pumpkin bread in March when I am really craving it. Or a pumpkin birthday cake in June! After the festival mom & I met up for fancy cocktails and then we went to see the movie "Wanderlust." The plot was sub-par, but I barely noticed because of how hilarious it is. I didn't even know I could like a Jennifer Aniston movie. Today we all went to church and then laid in the hammock basking in the spring sunshine.

This coming week is going to be insane - in such a good way. I was selected as a volunteer for a local week-long fashion show, and I am so excited to be a part of this city-wide philanthropic effort. Sandwiched in between the volunteering is an interview and the wedding of my fiancé's best friend!

Posting is going to continue to be slow, but I hope I can get the chair DIY up soon. And of course, I will be taking you all on my canning adventures.

I am off to enjoy more sunshine. I hope everyone had a relaxing weekend - cheers to a happy & productive week!!

Stories from my grandma.

Yesterday over a shared basket of hot French fries, my grandma told me a dozen stories of the hilarious and inspirational mother she was in the 1950's. Of course, she didn't say "Aren't I so funny and Influential?" - I just came to that conclusion myself.

My grandma and grandpa - who we called Papa - eloped when my grandma was only 17. After graduating with a degree in education (both my grandma and Papa), they moved to New Mexico. When my grandma was 23 she became pregnant with her first child - my father. She wanted to go visit her parents for Mother' s Day, but the doctor advised her that it wouldn't be a good idea to drive that far. So her parents and older brother drove to New Mexico to visit her. She told me she spent the entire morning baking a hummingbird cake for her mother, which I think sets the tone for the kind of woman she was and is.

While my grandma was pregnant with her third child - her first daughter - she and Papa got into an argument. To "get back" at my grandpa, my grandma snuck into his chewing tabacco and filled her lip with the tobacco and retreated to the swing in the backyard. Moments later, she was throwing up all over the grass. My grandpa came out to help her, but couldn't help laughing, which I think says a lot about my late grandpa and their sweet marriage.

My grandma and grandpa raised four children in a tiny town in the Midwest. My grandfather was the superintendent of the school district, and my grandma was a kindergarten teacher. Together, they also ran a drive-in restaurant. Yesterday my grandma told me that every morning she would wake up and make six pies for the restaurant - "pecan, cherry, and coconut" were a few she recalled - get the kids ready for school and then go to the elementary school and teach until 1. After school, she would work in the drive-in until suppertime, when she would go home and make dinner for their family of six.

Which I think sets the bar pretty high for being a great mother and worker. (My own mother has set that bar pretty high, too!)

So that was my Wednesday. Sitting in a little diner listening to stories about my grandma and her adventures in baking and motherhood.

Roller skating.

This picture made my day. Don't you want to squeeze him?

A peek at my week (in pictures).

1. A reflection of sorts. Beautiful flower shop downtown.

2. The crummy wooden chair I got for $7. Will post a DIY for the transformation of the chair next week!
3. Horses. 4. Stop blooming, little guy! It's still February.
5. Heads will roll if you see this spooky collection of mannequin heads at a local hair salon.

On tap for the weekend: a manicure with mama & a trip to visit friends!

Next time I will win.

I have spent the past few weeks interviewing with a stellar non-profit that provides funding for animal conservation. My first interview was fantastic; the conversation flowed and there was a genuine connection between the two interviewers and myself. Honestly, I was not surprised when I was called back for a second interview. The second interview consisted of presenting a case to a panel of four women, which I thought would be intimidating. Instead, the second interview was energetic and full of promise - as smooth as velvet. Shortly after the second interview, I was contacted and told that the decision was tied between me and one other candidate. My friends and family congratulated me on being a "finalist", and I celebrated with a berry cocktail.

But Tuesday, I was informed the other candidate had been selected. I was crushed. I tried not to cry and failed. So close, but so far away.

Then, yesterday, I woke up with a sense of peace and I didn't know what to do with it. I went to the gym and worked out for a long time. I took a cold shower and bought a wooden chair for $7 that I can paint any way I want. I took a drive along a windy road with the windows down and the music loud. And I thought, "You can do this. You got very close this time, and next time - you will win."

There's all this talk about Santa Claus, but see, love will rule supreme.

1. Heart-filled Martha Stewart Living. 2. Tulips from my fiance.
3. Love note to Mark (from me) in the paper. 4. Little box of peppermints.
5. Raspberry linzers from the best bakery in town.

I am going to spend this morning treating myself to donuts and a tiny splurge at Anthropologie (which isn't exactly a splurge since I am using a gift card). When Mark gets off work we're going to dinner and then I might challenge him to a game of Scrabble.

However you're spending the day, I hope it's full of a lot of love and a little adventure. Maybe you could have a dance party to this funny song. Happy Valentine's Day! xo