Welcome Summer

I'm glad you're here, summer. I'm glad I got to celebrate your arrival this weekend. Quite the festivities.

1. Teahan applications are done and mailed!
2. business clothes shopping adventures with Whitney, including the biggest Forever 21 we've ever seen... and new perfume
3. tie dying with Kylie...we're pretty rad and pretty pro tie dyers4. there's nothing better than the Special Olympics, baseball and snowcones. We cheered the Richfield Jazzies on to their gold medal win and loved every minute of it. They were the sweetest people I've ever met

5. Harry Potter bananagrams
6. Sunday afternoons on the grass, soaking up the sun and enjoying a good book
7. Memorial Day ward breakfast, Park City trip with the Barlow Girls, complete with a picnic, shopping trip and the human elastic game. people thought we were crazy.On my run tonight I saw American flags, kids eating popsicles and a couple setting up their barbaque from the box.
Welcome, Summer. It's about time you got here.

spike does it best

whenever people ask me what to do in DC, near the top of my list is to get a toasted marshmallow shake at Good Stuff Eatery on Capitol Hill. It is divine, like drinking toasted marshmallows. Probs one of my favorite things about DC.(sure, this picture is incredibly unattractive. but see the joy? that's what Good Stuff does. also, the shake)

Well, yesterday my roommates and I decided to test out Chef Spike's official recipe (he was on Top Chef--he's legit). It wasn't as good as the Good Stuff shakes, but it was pretty good for homemade. Well done, Spike. And thanks, Rachel Ray.

• One 1-pound bag jumbo marshmallows
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups vanilla ice cream
• 1 tablespoon sour cream

1. Preheat the broiler. On a foil-lined baking sheet, place half of the marshmallows in a single layer; broil until charred, 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool. Place the remaining marshmallows on the sheet and roast just until toasted, 2 minutes; let cool.

2. In a blender, mix the milk, ice cream, sour cream and charred marshmallows. Serve topped with the toasted marshmallows.

(p.s. Spike just opened "We the Pizza" next door to Good Stuff. I know where I'm going when I'm back in DC in October)

flashback

exactly one year ago today, I was arriving in Guatemala for the trip of a lifetime. that night, we were driving lost through Guatemala City in the dark, stumbling across drunk mariachi bands and not sure where we were going to end up. tierra divina.

Guatemala was an adventure, and so often I am so grateful for how things worked out and that we were able to go, meet the people, experience the culture, and help them in any way we could. though I'm pretty sure I learned more from them. especially when I passed out in the field and they gave me some tico.today I am celebrating with black bean salad and some spanglish.

thanks for the memories, Guate.

mother nature...I'm not a fan

I promise this isn't a dwelling blog, but...

I spent last night with some Barlow boys, reminiscing about DC for a class project. We all ended the night ready to get on the next plane and head back. I was so ready to be back here... ...and would have kept those feelings inside and gotten over it, until I woke up to this...

Snow. lots of it. on May 24th. It was not a happy Monday morning.

life update picture post.

recent spring adventures...hiked Squaw Peak with the ward last Saturday. super steep through the snow and mud almost put me off hiking, but it was a beautiful day and the view was amazing. the run down the mountain wasn't bad either.Ashley and I have deemed ourselves the "Flava Felons" with the goal of trying all the frozen yogurt places in Provo and blogging about them (it's a work in progress). Rebekah came to visit and we tried a new place (good, but not our favorite)We had old roommate k/craft night. lots of kraft, not lots of crafts but lots of laughter and fun. plus cynthia, who took the picture.Then I sprained my wrist in a fight with a cougar.


...or my roommate Brittany had to practice taping for her athletic training class.
but the first story is better.

dear little blog,

I am so sorry I forgot your birthday yesterday, but I was a little pre-occupied with my fruit and veg diet (something I gave up around 7 last night).

But can you believe it's really been two years of blogging?
We've come so far in the past two years and had some great adventures. Remember when we busted a laptop thief or when I got bangs? I'm still sorry for leaving you for the media fast. In the past year, we've gone some pretty cool places, from Guatemala to San Diego to Las Vegas to Washington, DC. And of course, home.

From the mundane to the adventurous, thanks for sticking by side as my trusty, online companion.

I don't know where the next two years will take us, but I'm sure it will be blog-able.

so, happy two-year blog-iversary to you. and me.

keep it real,
michelle

fruit out my ears

In a fit of insanity around midnight last night, maybe due to the way too many peanut butter bars I ate, I decided to do a body detox. (somewhat reputable) websites say its a good thing, and Rachel did it last year, so it can't be that bad. The plan? eat only fruits and veggies for 3 days to cleanse my body of all the crap I eat.

Today was day 1.

8:00am: I woke up, ate a banana and walked to the store, spent buying out the produce section. pack-muled it home. There are now two huge bowls of fruits and veggies on the counter. My roommates applaud my healthiness. This feels good.

10:30am: I go to work, where my boss offers me trailmix. I politely say no. I can totally do this!

12:30pm: I eat (somewhat frozen) mango chunks for lunch. Not the best mango, but manageable

3:10pm: I go get an all-fruit pomegranate strawberry smoothie at Jamba. My entire walk back to work, all I can think about is how badly I want a piece of toast. Only 2.5 more days of this.

5:30pm: I come home, actually have time to make dinner, but eat another banana and some 100% organic grapefruit juice (I hope that's ok) instead. My eyes momentarily feel like they will fall out of their sockets, but it passes. I can do hard things. fruits and vegetables are my friend, and the internet says I will be rejuvenated and refreshed if I stick this out.

oh boy.