I found a fatal flaw in the logic of love.

Wow

It's my last day of work.

A job I've held for close to 10 years.
For a company that my grandfather started.
That my father and uncle run.
That my brother and cousin also work at.
Where the majority of the employees have been here as long as I have.
Or longer.
One even started here when I was Five.
These people are my family.
All of these people.

It's bittersweet.

I'm excited for what lies ahead.
I'm looking forward to a change.
A new challenge.
To make an impact.
To feel value added again.
To have a new environment.

My desk is packed.
My box full of my possessions sits and waits.
My files are distributed to others.
There will be a company lunch.
A drink after work with my friend and co-worker.
And some see you laters.
But you never really say good-bye to family.

Last Night

So I made dinner, had a glass of wine, watched some John & Kate + Eight, took some photos of the latest bathroom progress and played some Wii and DS.  Oh, I cleaned our room somewhere in there too.  It was nice, I didn't get to do yoga unfortunately, but I need to definitely make that a priority again!  Tonight I'm going to head over to my sister's to see my niece and nephew.  They were away on a family vacation all last week and I'm going through withdrawals!

But first, here are the latest pictures of our bathroom renovation:

Second, here is what I made for dinner last night.  Taken from the latest issue of Bon Appetite I halved it and it was AMAZING.  I'll definitely be making it again although next time I may finish it with a little more Parmesan or goat cheese over the chicken.  Definitely a keeper though!
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Grilled Chicken with Edamame Skordalia

Soybeans replace potatoes in this clever take on skordalia (a garlicky Greek dip). It's perfect with the grilled chicken.

Prep: 25 minutes; Total : 25 minutes

Servings: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 16-ounce bag frozen shelled edamame (soybeans)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing
3 garlic cloves, peeled
6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 large skinless boneless chicken breast halves

Preparation

Cook frozen edamame in large saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid for skordalia.

Meanwhile, combine basil, 1/3 cup oil, and garlic in processor; blend until basil and garlic are finely chopped. Transfer 2 tablespoons basil oil to small bowl and reserve.

Add edamame, 1/2 cup reserved cooking liquid, Parmesan, and lemon juice to remaining basil oil in processor; puree until mixture is almost smooth, adding more cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if mixture is dry. Season generously with salt and pepper. Set skordalia aside.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush grill with oil. Brush chicken breasts on both sides with reserved basil oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until chicken is just cooked through, about 6 minutes per side. Slice chicken breasts crosswise.

Spoon warm or room-temperature skordalia onto 4 plates. Top with chicken.

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Lastly, I start my new job on Monday!

WWJD?

I have a night to myself.  E is going downtown for Trivia with a friend in from out of town, our dog Lu is at E's parents for the week since we have so much construction happening on our bathroom.  Wow, it feels good to say that, I'm going to say it again WE HAVE SO MUCH CONSTRUCTION GOING ON IN OUR BATHROOM!  I'll take some updated photos tonight to post tomorrow, but the real question is, what should I do with my night?

Moonlight Yoga?
Clean Our Room?
Watch a Movie?
Wash Our Sheets?  (I love Clean Sheet Night)
Play the Wii Until My Eyes Bleed?
Read Some More of My Friend's Manuscript?

Hmmmmmmmm.....  The night is young my friends...

MIA

Sorry I have been MIA lately.  There were some things happening in life that I couldn't talk about on here, and strangely enough, the one thing I can't talk about was consuming my thoughts and I couldn't think of anything else to post about!  However, I can now tell you all...

I got a new job.  For those of you who know me in real life, or know more about me, you'll know this is kind of a really big deal because I work for my father and uncle.  It's a family affair.

This was not an easy decision to come by, and I E and I have been thinking about a move like this long and hard.  We set the bar high for a new job for me and our demands were met.  My family understands, in the end, they're still my family and it's bittersweet.  There are challenges to working with family, but there are so many benefits too, and after working here for ten years, even those who are not related by blood here, are family.

Still, I'm excited for a new challenge.  A challenge which begins on July 21st.  So I have a lot to do before then!  If I go MIA again, you'll know why. 

The Weekend

It really can't come soon enough.  I'm going to enjoy some quality time with two of my favorite guys tonight (Evan and my nephew), celebrate new home ownership with my brother and his wife tomorrow and spend some quiet time with myself.  It's been a busy week, and I could sure use some time with myself.

Happy Weekend Everyone!

Flickr Meme

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into flickr search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

Bathrooms, Babies and Backs

So it's Tuesday, but this past weekend was full of excitement.  I hurt my back helping my dad lift a greenhouse window (apparently I ain't no spring chicken!), our bathroom was demolished (see last post) which scared the beejeebus out of our dog.  Many a storm came rumbling through (which also scared the beejeebus out of our dog) and I got my first sunburn of the season (because I'm an idiot).

Aside from those things it was great.  We had dinner with dear friends not just one night but two nights of the weekend!  They cooked which was fabulous and we always enjoy both couples' company.  It had been quite a while since we had seen either of them and it was great to get away from our demolished house and scared dog for a nice evening with friends.

Here are some of my favorite parts of the weekend. 

• Sitting on the screened porch at friends watching the first of many summer storms roll through.
• Relaying to a friend just how much we loved visiting his home town.
• Girl talk in the kitchen while assembling dessert.
• Swimming with my niece and nephew in my parent's pool.
• Making pies in jars with Evan.
• Finding out just what was behind the walls of our bathroom (answer: a built in shelf and floral wallpaper)

It's a Fine Line

Me:        I had a dream that I was friends with Maggie Mason of Mighty Girl.  She smelled good and took me shopping.

Sandra:  Should Evan be worried?

Me:        No, I want to shop with her, not sleep with her.

Sandra:  Oh, Ok.

A Day In The Life

5:00 - Alarm goes off, Evan gets up but covers Lucy and I back up.
6:30 - Evan gets back into bed and begins the task of waking me up.
7:00 - Finally convinces me that I need to get up.
7:02 - Shower and think about what to wear while Evan turns on the news and puts Lucy out.
7:10 - Lotion, make-up, hair products (still deciding what to wear) while Evan makes me an egg sandwich.
7:20 - Get dressed (this could take as long as 10 minutes on a bad day)
7:30 - Blow dry hair, finish make up, brush teeth, all while sharing the mirror with Evan.
7:40 - Gather purse, computer etc... pack lunch and egg sandwich.
7:45 - Kiss Evan and head to work - listen to NPR the entire way.
8:00 - Arrive at work, set up laptop.
8:05 - Put lunch in fridge, grab cup of coffee while laptop is booting up.
8:10 - 9:00 - log on to gmail, open Outlook, google reader and google calendar, post for the day.
9:00 - noon - work, work, test, test, answer e-mails, chat, play move in scrabulous.
Noon- lunch & Chain Factor at my desk - oh sweet mindlessness.
1:00 - 4:57- work work, test, test, answer e-mails, chat, play move in scrabulous.
4:57 - Shut down and pack up laptop.  Say good-byes to co-workers.
5:00 - Head home while listening to NPR.
5:15 - Drop bags, greet Evan and go through mail (recycle junk mail).
5:20 - Change into comfy pants and greet Lucy.
5:23 - Boot up laptop and bring up recipe for dinner.
5:25 - Start dinner while Evan feeds Lucy.
5:35 - Clean up kitchen while dinner is cooking.
6:00 - Dinner on the couch while watching a TiVo'd show.
7:00 - Evening TV, book, Wii or other activity like walking the dog, doing laundry or cleaning.
9:00 - Put dog out, wash face, moisturize, brush teeth.  Shut off lights.
9:15 - To bed to read or do a crossword. 
10:00 - Sweet Slumber.

My husband rocks the morning routine!  Seriously, what did I do before I married this man?
What is a day in your life like?

Thanks BHO for the post idea

Welcome to the Romper Room

Tonight Evan and I are babysitting 4 kids under 5.  In our 1000 sq ft home.  With our dog and turtle.  On the agenda is a pizza/pj party and some Wii fun.  We'll see what kind of coordination these kids have.

Full report and photos tomorrow. 

If we survive.