{I *Heart* Officer M. Barry of the Chandler Police Department}

Because this morning when he pulled me over for speeding
on Riggs Road, just outside of my neighborhood ...

... he let me off with a warning.



I wasn't living in the moment like Chelsie keeps reminding
me I should in order to be happier, calmer and more collected.
Something I remind myself of so many times a day but just
failed to think of at that moment.

That's because I was too preoccupied thinking about all the
things I needed to do. In fact, at the moment when his radar
detector detected me ...

... I was calling my house to leave a message for myself as a
reminder to return movies to Blockbuster and take my pills
tonight.

And I was thinking about all the rules for all three passed
tenses that I need to know for my test this morning. And ...

... About stopping for gas.
About where I should study after class.
About my appointment at 2pm and everything I want to cover.
About when I could make time to take Norah to the vet.
About the things I wanted to get at the store (which I should
have just put down on a list so I could stop worrying that I'd
forget) ...

... About the phone calls I was going to make while driving to
Dr. Dietzgen about my birth control prescription refill -- to
ASU to find out about checking out camera equipment -- to
Alejandra -- to Tempe Camera Repair -- and so on.

So...
Thanks to Officer M. Barry, I made the decision to slow
my mind down, and as if by magic, my speedometer followed.
Imagine that!



It's a good day afterall.

{When it's 115 Degrees Outside...}

...it's sometimes best to resign yourself to sitting

as still as possible under a ceiling fan.

It's crazy hot here right now. (And will be for another

month and a half.) So, we're all spending more time

inside then out. I had to smile the other day when I

looked around my class. It's sunny here every single

day, but we're all crazy pale. :)

With weather like this, I'm thankful for good tv (even

though this is technically the off season) and an

occasional movie.


We love Entourage. Every one of these guys = adorable.

Really well written, funny, smart, quick, and believable.

It's not overacted or canned. We're Mark Walhberg fans,

and he's the EP. Not surprising that it's good with his

hands on it.

This is the first season of Nurse Jackie (Showtime).

Have you seen it? I don't look forward to this one as

much as the others, but it's solid. Quippie, dry, interesting

issues. I like it.

We LOVE the Next Food Network Star!! It's so good.
Tell me you're not missing this. If you haven't seen it,

it's basically a show where a three member panel hosts

a ten week interview of a group of cooks and chefs via

challenges. The winner gets their own show on the Food

Network. Not shabby. It's been on for several seasons,

but this is only the second one we've watched. It's down

to two finalists and next week is going to be awesome!

And then there's Weeds -- probably my favorite of them all.

God, it's just so damn good. I watched seasons 1-4 in the past

year. So, I was finally watching season 5 as it aired weekly.

David started watching it with me, and I told him he should

really consider watching it from the beginning so he had all

the background. There's so much good stuff in the earlier

seasons. I set him up on Netflix for season 1. He powered

through and watched all four seasons in a week and a half! :)

What are you watching?

{Composting Update}

So, here's the verdict on composting:

It's awesome.

And I know it's not nice to tell people they "should" do

anything -- but you should totally do it if you aren't already. :)

I started it in April. It's become a household habit with ease.

All the things I thought might happen that I wouldn't like

have not happened at all. Such as:

- the dogs don't even notice it much less get into it.

- it doesn't smell like anything except dirt.

- it doesn't draw flies as long as we keep it mixed and add a

light layer of dirt from our yard when we add new produce.

- there isn't a mouse in site.

(That last one worried me the most. Totally unfounded

though. Notta one!)

We keep a big white bowl on the top shelf of the fridge, and

we throw fresh, natural food scraps into it as we gather them.

We now have one to three bowls of "garbage" a week that we

do not have to add to the already overloaded landfill system.

Not to mention the outdoor "garbage (browns) like leaves,

branches and grass that we compost instead of leaving them

at the curb on garbage day.

David is into it, too, which I think is just fabulous. He is so

good about putting things in the bowl (instead of forgetting

and dropping them into the trash). Plus, now in the past two

months that the compost in our bin has multiplied -- and

gotten heavier -- he stirs and waters it for me every week.

(So appreciated.)

The garden part of my resolutions will come later in the year.

First, it has to cool down a bit so the plants can adjust easier to

their new home. Then, I will need David to help me run the

drip system to the area where the garden will be. Finally, I'll

build out a space for it. Since all that won't happen until the

fall, the composts only home is in the bin. But...

We've actually decided to expand to the 3-bin system!

I called the City of Chandler and requested two more bins.

They delivered them the same day. (Impressive speediness.)

I mentioned this in April, but it bears repeating. The bins

were free! A lot of other cities offer the same service. So,

it's totally worth a call if you're interested in starting this

process. All you need is a small space somewhere in your

yard and the will to stir and water it 1-3 times a week.

Anyway ...

I've had them on the side of the house for the past week or two,

just hanging out until I had a chance to put them in. And then,

my darling and very thoughtful husband, went and installed

them for me last weekend. (So nice!)

So, now we have a 3-bin system.

1 -- for drying out browns (grass, leaves, branches, etc.)

2 -- for mixing browns and greens to make compost

3 -- to let already mixed compost break down until it's

ready to use

Bon week-end!

{We Needed Sustenance for Shopping}

Alejandra and I had a really nice time last Sunday when we

got together for her birthday.

Delicious breakfast of bialys and lox at Chompies...

and presents, too!

Then we did a little shopping. She got some really cute shoes,

and a great pink shawl-scarf. I found a pair of flip flops that

were a great deal and a brightly colored striped scarf.

Much enjoyed. It was our first time shopping together and

fun to hang out.

Do you see her adorable haircut?

She's officially ready for what this new year brings her way.

Are you thinking about making any new and big changes in

your life?

{Documenting Summer School}

Been enjoying being back at the Tempe (main) campus

of ASU this summer. (I love the journalism building in

Phoenix -- it's amazing, really. But there is something

about being in Tempe that makes me feel like I'm part

of the university.) Either way, it's nice to be back to

school after a six week summer break.

My class is in one of my favorite buildings -- Coor Hall.

Ground floor computer lab,

fully equipped rooms,

an underground lower level that's pretty cool

even when it's 110 degrees out,

and nice bathrooms.

We had a gorgeous, drizzly, gray morning on Tuesday.

Quite a treat for us Phoenicians. So, I took my camera

to document. I think I just needed to take a few -- it's

been a very quiet camera month. I even busted out

the automatic timer to be in one.

I'm taking two classes -- each of which are five weeks long.

French (three of four) and a poli sci. That makes for busy

times as there is a lot of work packed into a short time. So,

July has absolutely flown by.

I feel like I haven't done anything else, but it's been okay

since it feels good to be knocking two classes out in such a

short time.

I hope you're happy about what you're doing wherever you

are. :)

{Oh, YES!}

In ten years ... we've taken two vacations with just the two

of us. One was for our honeymoon ('03) and another was a

weekend away in Connemara when we lived in Ireland ('06).

All our other trips have been --

to visit people in the midwest,

with David's company or family,

or to go camping.

All nice getaways -- but it's just not the same as taking a real

vacation together. Not at all.

So, this is long overdue, and it is going to be absolutely

w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l.

Riviera Maya, Mexico -- here we come!!

That's on the Yucatan Peninsula, 25 km from Playa del

Carmen where we honeymooned. We're going in mid August.

We are so ready for this. I figure now is our chance considering

I'll likely have almost no vacation time my first couple years in

the real world (after graduating in December).

I can't wait!!

We've been talking about doing "something" for awhile now,

but we hadn't settled on anything. I was beginning to wonder

if it was going to happen in August, but David pulled the trigger

and made the reservation without me on Monday. (I can't

even begin to explain how happy that made me.) He figured

we could sort out the details afterwards.

So unlike him!!

I was seriously proud of him for taking the leap, and I just

can't wait to getaway together. Can't wait...

{We had a Happy Little 4th}

I made the last minute decision to book a ticket to Ohio over the

July 4th weekend to visit Aaron (my brother) and his family.

We had such a nice time! Doing it on the spur of the moment

made it even more fun. He didn't tell the kids I was coming. So,

when we pulled into the driveway, and I got out of the car, it was

cool to watch their expressions as they put it all together.

"Samara?"

"You came all the way here just to see us?"

"You're gonna be here to celebrate July 4th with us?"

Front row seats to an amazing fire works show.

Great meals.

Lots of giggles.

And all kinds of Independence Day fun including

adults diving for beers and kids doing a goldfish catch.

Fun, wrapped in a good time, seasoned with smiles. :)

Aaron and Pam both look amazing and are as happy as ever

together. They are totally focused on having fun and making

family and free time count. It was awesome to be around!

The kids had all grown a lot since I was there in December.

They were "in their element" -- totally relaxed and getting

along so well together, as usual.

Catherine and Meghan

Lauren and Aidan

It was fun to hang out with them.
They're pretty cool little people. :)

Until next time, Byrne-Rownd family!

{Her Day}

Today is the birthday of my friend, Alejandra.





I am :

- meeting her for breakfast and shopping this morning. :)

- excited to do a little celebrating with such a kind, intellegent,

interesting, creative person.

- happy I've gotten to know her this year and can call her

my friend.

Happy birthday, Ale!

{Flat Iron Steak Tacos}

Calling all carnivores.

Or carnivore-vegetarian households. :)

Another recipe from Everyday Food Magazine.

Love their ideas.

This one worked great for us because it:
* gave David meat but was EZ for me to keep it vegetarian

* had great flavor
* was ready in 15 minutes from start to finish!!

* was EZ to cleanup

* only required a few ingredients
* was fairly healthy

Ingredients:
2 flat iron steaks (8 oz. each)
1/2 head purple cabbage
2-3 fresh limes
cumin
salt/pepper

2 garlic cloves
white cheddar cheese
green salsa
flour tortillas

(limes not pictured)

Just a quick note about this ingredient --

We don't typically buy green salsa. I grabbed this one at

random, and we really liked it. Awesome flavor. Hot enough

without being crazy hot. Will definitely get it again.

Here's what you do -- this is so easy!

- Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.

- Chop purple cabbage up nice and small. Add juice from two

limes, salt, pepper, & two cloves garlic minced or chopped.

Stir and let sit for ten minutes (or as long as over night in

the refrigerator).

- Shred white cheddar cheese.

- Cut flat iron steak in half length wise so you have two long,

thin pieces. Season both sides generously with salt, pepper and

cumin. Place on prepared baking sheet.

- Turn broiler onto low and place rack 4 inches from coils.

- Put meat under broiler. Cook 4-6 minutes, depending on

your preference for doneness. (I went with 4 1/2 minutes.)

- Sandwich tortillas between two damp paper towels and

microwave for one minute.

- When meat is finished, remove from oven and cover loosely

with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for five minutes. Then, cut

it crosswise into small-medium sized strips.

- Assemble taco, eat & enjoy.

Serves 4
(In our case, it served two with one meal for leftovers.)

TIPS: (1) The second time we made this, we used green

colored, jalapeno and cilantro flavored tortillas. They added

to the flavor, and the extra color was so pretty. (2) A good

way to make sure the rest of the cabbage doesn't go to

waste -- The next day, put a bit of olive oil in a pan and

sauteed it up with some other chopped veg. Use as a

lunch or sidedish.

Happy Friday and wishes for a nice weekend!

{Semi-Homemade Ts}

Made some T-shirts for D as a little surprise before his marathon.

They turned out great (after a second printing ... grrr).

This first shirt is printed on both sides.

Front, left chest -- the Seattle Space Needle to note where he

ran his first marathon. On the back, I just put a simple running

graphic, the 26.2 miles he ran and iRUN (a little play on iPOD

and iPHONE that I thought was clever).

This second design was "borrowed" straight from here. I put

it front and center on the chest of the T, keeping the back plain.

They were a fun gift for me to "make" for him, and he's been

wearing them a lot since. So, I think he approves. :)

The finishers shirts available for sale after the race were

apparently quite ugly. So, we got another GAP T for that,

and we're going to make our own. Kinda fun.

(FYI -- T's are from GAP, $14 each when you buy two.

Did the design at www.designashirt.com and took the T's

to AntonSports (Scottsdale and the 202) in person where

they did the printing, $8 each.)

{Confessions of a Hot Mess}

Consistently doing little things makes a big difference when it

comes to personal organization.

Problem is -- I consistently don't do those little things and so

I'm often a big hot mess instead of a cool cucumber. :)

For example: I regularly put myself in the situation where I'm...

"10 miles to E"

"5 miles to E"

"0 miles to E" and still driving, or

"o miles to E" and calculating how many miles over E

I am since my tank has an 11-12 mile reserve after it

shows I'm at zero miles.

Yeah, there's nothing stressful about that.

I do that all the time. Like eight out of every ten tanks of gas.

(That even might be optimistic.) I inevitably get to the very

end of my tank when I am feeling rushed to get somewhere or

when there isn't a gas station in site. It's such a pain in the ass.

Yet, I put myself in that position over and over again.

Just last week -- I kid you not -- I was in the car and thinking

to myself, "I'm going to work on making it a habit to stop for

gas earlier. I'll try to do it when I'm not in a huge hurry to get

somewhere and when I'm around a quarter of a tank. It's not

such a hard thing. I can totally do it, and it'll make things so

much less stressful and chaotic."

Then, on Friday afternoon, when I was heading back to the

house, I noticed I was below a quarter tank. I was hungry

though, and it was super hot out. I rationalised my decision

not to get gas by making the commitment to stop for it over

the weekend. I'd be ready to drive to Tempe on Monday

morning...

Except that I didn't drive my car over the weekend, and I

never filled my tank up. Then on Monday, I left with just

enough time to get where I was going. Thankfully though,

I had 43 miles in the tank, and that was enough to get me

to school.

New plan -- go to class and get gas right after. Then, get

serious about filling up sooner with the next tank.

So, that's what I do. I make a quickie stop at Whole Foods

and then I'm gonna hit up the gas station.

But imagine my surprise when I stop at the store and find

that I don't have my wallet with me. The 83 cents I have in

my car won't get me far. Neither will the "13 miles to E".

So, I start doing gas math. I take the "13 miles to E" that I have,

add the 11-12 mile reserve that I know is there. I think I can

make it if I don't speed, don't use the air, and I put the car in

neutral at lights.

How ridiculous, stressful and unnecessary.

I make it from Rural and Baseline (near school) to Arizona

and the 202 (ten minutes from home). Only using 11 of my

13 miles of gas. Leaving me "2 miles to E" and about 10 miles

to drive.

It was close, but I made it! I breathed a big sigh of relief when

I pulled into the garage. So thankful, since running out of gas

on a 111 degree day would've totally sucked.

That evening, when David got home, he followed me to the

gas station to be sure I would make it. I thought that was

sweet.

I am so over this end-of-the-tank stress. (And I really don't

want to run out of gas again. Didn't this time but certainly

have before.) It's time to do something about it, as a matter

of habit. I'm serious about filling up my tank sooner!!

{Rockin' it in Seattle}

Last weekend of June.
David and Jason.
Site seeing in Seattle.
And a marathon!!

The Rock and Roll P.F. Chang's Inaugural 2009 Seattle Marathon.
That's 26.2 miles of running!

Time to share some photos of their weekend.

First up -- the marathon pix!!

CLICK HERE TO SEE David.

(Unfortunately, I wasn't there to take any, and the guys

were busy running. So, the only ones we have are the

ones the people from the race posted for sale. Check it!)

And then it's onto Seattle. Jason took all of these. I was

impressed with his photos. Tilting the camera, interesting

angles, good composition!

The only thing -- Jason wasn't in a single shot, and D was

only in one. Silly boys. :)


Here's David at Pike's Place Market.

And here's a look at the city in case you wanna travel
vicariously. Made me wanna visit..

Congratulations to David and Jason on such an awesome

accomplishment! You guys trained with such dedication.

And you did it! No small thing. I'm so proud of you.