Colour Me Happy

Happy Place

I have actually written a few posts recently that have somehow not made it here.  Now that I think about it, I was primarily venting frustrations.  It was good to get them out, onto paper, & move past them; & even though I wasn't exactly complaining per say -- obviously I was making a profound social statement -- I would still catalog log them as negative...ish.  I don't want to be negative.  I don't want to send that out into the world right now.  Maybe later.  Seriously, I love posts that make us think -- & start amazing conversations -- they do have a place, but I'd rather share something else right now.  Maybe it won't be as "profound".  Maybe it is too simple.  It is definitely cheezy.  It's my life right now though.  It is how I feel & what I love.

[photo by David Finch, San Francisco, North Beach]

 

Lately, Elise has been talking about creating magic in our lives.

Well, these past couple weeks, amidst all the other stuff that tries to fill up our days, I've had more than a couple special moments.  At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if we have the most thoughtfully designed home, the most successful blog, new boots for fall, our favorites cataloged on Pinterest...  Though these things can be nice, they shouldn't be our focus or consume most of our energy.  What matters are the relationships we form with those around us.  The simple moments that feel magical & give meaning to our lives.

I told you it was cheezy.

This was really just a long, overanalytic way of saying

Seriously, this is what my post is about.  Keep reading though.

I knew she likes biking (meaning she runs, while on leash, along side the bike).  I didn't know she LOVES biking.  It is definitely her happy place.  We hired someone to bike with her a few months ago, when I was working full-time, & she was alone all day.  Dave has taken her for rides a few times.  Shamefully, I never had until last week.  She was so excited we actually had quite the awkward start.  Her tail was going crazy; she pounced, batted her paws at me, & even playfully nipped. 

Once we got going though, it was awesome.  Watching her race along side me, heeling beautifully, actually made me catch my breath.  Eisley is a beautiful runner.  It's the Italian Greyhound in her.  I was all smiles.  She was all smiles.  Those of you with a dog know you can see this.  Our smiles remained for the rest of the evening; she had an extra bounce to her step & was even more attentive & doting, lavishing me with appreciative puppy kisses all night.  We went for another ride the very next morning before school.  We are definitely making a habit of it.

Totally silly, but totally makes me happy.  So happy.

~

  

Black Bean Taquitos with Sugar Chiles & a Blogging Update

I love crispy, fresh taquitos smothered in guacamole; but amazingly, I had never made my own.  I say amazingly because they are actually quite simple.  So simple, you don't really need a recipe -- just *directions -- so my "recipe" isn't really a "recipe".  Now I didn't make my own corn tortillas -- not interested -- but simply stuck with my favorite sprouted corn tortillas from Food for Life, which makes this a cinch to throw together.  The mini tortillas made pretty perfect little taquitos Saturday night.

After a productive day of cleaning house, working out, lounging at the pool & bouldering at the climbing wall until our hands & forearms hurt, low key, oven-toasted taquitos were the perfect dinner-in.

We threw together our own filling, using what we had on hand, & referred to Naturally Ella's directions for rolling & baking the taquitos.

Sugar chiles gave just a touch of heat & wonderful flavor to the black bean & shallot filling.  I would have preferred adzuki beans, but black are what we had.

~

To make our filling we sauteed a chopped sugar chile & three small shallots with paprika, cumin, cayenne & sea salt until soft.  We threw in a couple cloves of crushed garlic until fragrant; then added ~2 cups cooked black beans along with a small handful of chopped fresh oregano & heated through.  After tasting, I thought it could use a little acid to cut through some of the spiciness & heaviness of the beans, so I added a few spritzes of apple cider vinegar.

*To assemble taquitos, bring a medium pot of water to boil & remove from heat.  Gather your tortillas, bean filling, & hot water around a cutting or prep board.  Carefully dip tortillas in the hot water for 2 - 3 seconds to soften slightly, lay on the board, fill with black bean mixture & roll.  Place seam down in a parchment paper lined baking dish & brush with coconut or other baking oil.  Bake at 425*F for 10 - 15 minutes until lightly browned.  Top with cheese if desired & return to oven just long enough to melt.  Serve with guacamole &/or salsa.  We made about 10 taquitos.

~

Don't worry if you lose a couple tortillas!  I did.  It took a try or two to find the balance between getting it wet enough to be malleable without overdoing it to the point of falling apart.  This is a fun & easy hands on meal; I think kids would enjoy helping.

As for the update:  I went back to school a couple weeks ago as a full-time student in the Exercise Science program.  From what I hear it is one of the "most difficult" majors at the university, & I am already feeling the work load.  I like it though!  Doesn't it make all the difference when you actually love what you are studying?  This semester is still pretty well the basics: chemistry, biology & intro. to exercise science.  My ultimate goal is getting into a Physical Therapy program.

I am also working about 15 hours a week...& trying to maintain balance in my free time, working out, climbing, etc.  I enjoy blogging...even if my posting was scarce before school started...so I'll still be posting, but likely only once or twice a week.  I hope you'll keep checking in or subscribe to be notified of new posts!  Most importantly,

& let me know if you try your hand at making taquitos.

Albuquerque

I always want to be one of those spontaneous, care-free people.  I love acting on a whim, but I can't help but stress without some planning...so I'm usually not one of those people; but after fretting for a couple hours after work on Friday over the need to do something other than spend the weekend at home, we decided to just make a move.

We invited Christine (Dave's sister), booked a hotel on Hotwire, lucked out that the Hyatt is dog-friendly, & spent our three-day weekend in New Mexico.

 

We ate.  We bouldered.  We window shopped.  We shopped shopped.

 

 

Albuquerque is beautiful.

 

Who knew?

 

More about our trip to come.

 

*photos were taken with a Sony Cyber-shot point & shoot.

August Musings

One of these mornin's
You're gonna rise up singin'
Then you'll spread your wings
And take to the sky.

~George Gershwin & Dubose Heyward, Porgy and Bess 

~

Look what Eisley found last week.

She was so curious & wanted to lick or nibble at it, but she was so cute when I told her to be gentle with him.  I know I probably should have just let him be, but the child in me couldn't resist.  It brought me back to sunny days, running around barefoot, catching horny toads.  It has been a long time since I lived in a place where they scamper about just outside the door.  I returned him to his bush.

August flew by; probably because we spent a quarter of it in San Francisco.  Even though it seemed to pass by quickly, there was still a lot I enjoyed & that caught my attention:

~I've been a little nostalgic for my hometown: little things like the horny toad bring it up, & I also have a new nephew I haven't met yet!

~We attended a yoga festival early this month, which was inspiring & enriching.  We also started practicing AcroYoga together.  It's an amazing way to share your practice with another person & foster trust.  We can do this & some of these (like the first & sixth...).

~Photography I am loving: serene & moody black&whites.

~I'm also infatuated with hats; they are too fun & super cute,  especially cloche hats.  Hats probably deserve their own board.

~This song by Cobra Starship is fun.  Which somehow reminded Dave about this song...which I almost like.  I know.  Weird.

~AdBusters most recent magazine is inspiring.  I had to pick up the printed edition.

~The issue of intellectual property has been on my mind recently.  It really bothers -- no, frustrates -- me that so many people repost or pin images without giving proper credit or linking back to the original source.  I've decided to refuse to "repin" images that are not linked to the original source, & I'm searching really hard for the originals of work I want to keep on my boards.  p.s. Tumblr blogs are the worst at crediting where they "steal" their images from.  It is stealing when you won't even acknowledge someone's hard work.

~On a lighter note, Eisley learned a new trick from Bodhi: pushing her head underneath Dave's or my hand, so we'll pet her.  This is as cute as it can be at 2 in the morning.

~I started school at NAU last week.  It was a relief everything finally went through at the last minute & has been an exciting transition.  Bio, Chem & Exercise Science, here we go!