Writing practice....

describe something. GO.

Artichoke hearts. I adore them because not only are they incredibly tasty but they are a little world you can unfold. Like most chocolates, candies and friends, the best part is in the center, at the heart. I eat the outside leaves in anticipation of what lies just below. The other thing about artichokes is that you really have to work for them. You have to clean them
and trim off the spiky ends of the leaves and then boil water for them to steam in for at least 40 minutes before you can enjoy them.
Everyone has their own lil concoction of what to dip them in. My dad likes to mix yogurt, tahini and soy sauce together (he's an odd bird i know), some go straight for the plain mayo or melted butter (hi clogged arteries) but I do the following. I melt a mixture of butter and EVOO then i add garlic salt and Parmesan cheese to it for my dipping delight. It's magnificent.
Trader Joe's sells a 4 pack of small baby artichokes and my favorite dinner is to sit down with 2 (well 3) of those and pick to it's heart's delight.

jamesandkati.com

It's so so sad. I can't stop thinking about the family that got lost in Oregon in the snow for 2 weeks, stuck in their car. They were on the right path in life. A happy family from San Fran. Both with successful careers and two daughters. From the photographs you can see that they cherished them so much. Then they literally take the wrong path and now the father is dead and their world is a nightmare. They missed their turn off to I5 while driving home down the coast and they got stuck in the snow. After 9 days the dad, James, left his family to try for help. The family was rescued without him 2 days later and then yesterday he was found dead from hypothermia about a mile away from the car.
I can only imagine the heartache Kati feels right now and it makes me so sad for the future they had in their grasp and will never be. It brings out my fears of this happening to me someday. I'm sure Kati is a strong women who will raise her little girls with family support the way James would have wanted her too and I'm sure thier daughter will sort of remember him but they won't know him and there's such a vast difference.
One of my friends dad drowned in Italy while the family was on vacation when she was 12 and I know there is a sadness in her soul that will never go away. Her mom never remarried or even dates really. She's commited herself to being a mom and that's her purpose now.

It's so hard to find a mate that fits you in the first place. How can you ever find another when the bar is set so high. I guess my bars been set at Chadd's best highjump, 6'10'' and there aren't many men out there that can beat it. I hope I never have to look.

God bless you Kati.

loves bandaid

If I were there right now I would be looking around anxiously for a doctor while squeezing your hand. I’d hum to you and pat your back to a soothing rhythm. I would speak on your behalf and ask all the questions I could think of, if I were there. You’d look in my eyes and be so pathetic that my heart would tear and I’d say “if I could be the one in pain and take it away from you I would”, even though we both know I’m a huge puss and couldn’t handle what you are going through now and what you’ve always gone through. Right now I need to see your pain and hold you because speculating while sitting at work is killing me. Has the doctor seen you or are you still sitting there in agony? Don't understand that you need to be fixed? I would kiss it and make you better if I could. I’m sorry you didn’t sleep at all last night and that I did. I didn’t know you were up. Next time tell me and I’ll be there on the couch with you. Grouching together is better than alone. I love you.

I'm out of practice at spending the day alone. It's like a muscle so if you don't use it, you loose it. I stay pretty busy running around in circles filled with work, kitties, chadd and family. To clarify, I'm a master at hanging at home alone all day watching tv & movies, magazines, laying by the pool, tinkering and playing on the puter. But I'm in San Diego alone and I want to explore. If only I had a legit camera. Then I could wander the streets carelessly seeing how the world looks differently through my rose colored lens. But I didn't have one, so instead I did a bit of shopping, lunching & reading and after a tasty Margarita I did a bit of cruising. Lets face it, most things are chiller after one drink. My bestie Liz agrees.
Here's our short list:
Flirting
Dancing
Snuggling
Flying
Watching comedy
Eventing
Doing your hair and make-up
and sassing among others..

In the spirit of lists, I've made another.

Drinks I enjoy from time to time:
Margarita: rocks, NO salt
vodka, rocks, extra lime
champagne (with a lil chamborg for the fancy pants in you)
pear cider
coronda w/ lime
Lemon drop
Key lime martini from this small bar in Hyde Park, Cincy
Baileys on the rock
Chianti, Cab Sav or a tasty Pino Noir.

Cheers!

Before Chadd

I briefly went to christian church when I was in high school. I liked the sense of community, the songs and mostly the boys. Well boy actually. Jesse was the first guy I ever really fell for and I hate to sound shallow but he was just so pretty (he was also on house arrest for stealing a car). He sorta broke my heart after 6 months of dating. If you asked him, I'm sure the split had to do with the fact that I wouldn't sleep with him. As for what I'm now attracted too, I've kept the pretty part but upgraded bad boy for nice boy and have semi learned my lesson in the 10-ish years since then which I now refer to as the BC years. This had nothing to do with church days or what jesus would do but everything to do with Chadd. BC = Before Chadd. Before I knew what I really wanted or rather before Chadd showed me.

There were a two others in the BC years. There was the mostly good guy who was just not the right guy for me and then there was the asshole. Say it with me ladies, ASSHOLE. We've all had one. One we thought we could fix. Make nice. But you can't and it's a good thing because who wants to be a school teacher/detective all their live long days just to prove to themselves that THEY could do it. I'm so glad over that one quick!

I've learned in these last two and a half blissful years of AC what a good relationship should be. It should be Chaigha. Chadd + Leigha = Chaigha. That explains everything to me. from the time we met it was real. He played with my hair while I lay on his lap watching movies. This was before we ever touched lips but it was just as intimate if not more because it wasn't driven by blood flow. It was sweet and honest and safe. When Chadd and I met I needed safe and slow. He became everything to me, Still is. I love him from my core so much that we truly become Chaigha. To us, it's a state of mind. It's forming a life together and living it with eachother in mind, always. It means Chadd wearing an engagement ring as well by his own choice because he too wants everyone to know he's fianced as well as I. He loves my family and I his. It's all one family now.

And the best thing is that the BC's no longer matter because I have everything in a mate that I always wanted NOW. At at 28 I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

Ode to Thanksgiving

I made everyone at our Thanksgiving feast write a poem about the holiday and they all hated me for it. However, now that it's done i'm sure they had fun especially once it was read aloud. For me, it was the highlight of the day next to the meal because everyone did something different and unexpected. The urge for this new tradition came to me because Grandma Jackie always reads Twas the night before Christmas every year in her adorable school teacher way where she shows us the page before turning it.
This year's makeshift family thanksgiving included Chadd and I, his family: Jennifer (mom), Eddie (dad), Erik (brother) Gma Jackie and then my sister Elyse, her friend from college Jessica and my stepbrother Forrest who i'm not really related to anymore but will always be my bro.

Anyways, the steaze was that we would all write a poem then draw someone elses out of a bag and read it then GUESS WHO'S IT WAS!!!Here's mine:

Twas the night of thanksgiving and all through the house, the family was gathering and fuchsia had a faux mouse.
No golf for Eddie, there’s turkey to fry. Today that’s your task, so do it or die!!!
And jennifer as usual was buzzing about. Wisking, stuffing and drinking no doubt.
The girls had been busy deviling eggs.
And Grandma Jackie was tired from crafting all day.
Chadd had been nibbling on his FRAVORITE dinner and Erik was relaxing. Tomorrow he plays center.And finally desert. Forrest you go getter. What a tasty apple crisp, made with love, all the better.
I’m so happy to be here, toasting you all. With a blessing in my heart for family both near and far.This years been amazing. The next will be better, as I welcome the addition on five brand new letters.

color wheel o' death

OH MY GOD OHMYGOD! I need to pick my colors for christmas sake. Besides needing to do a tasting, invites, find a musician, photographer and actual person to marry us - this is our main detail we neeeeeed to decide on. we thought pink and brown till we decided thats stale, then deep earth tones or maybe gold and white. We are all over the fuckin board here and it's holding up the whole production. OYE.
what's a bride without the gene to do?

Feels like a Tuesday

I've already gained the mandatory Thanksgiving 5 pounds by having pre Thanksgiving at my dads in Washington this weekend. We did it up with tasty turkey, delish gravy, sweet AND mashed potato's, one of my great salads and some mussels to start. Sounds good right?
Then we went to see my littlest brother Dylan's band The Yeti's play at the local talent show. Besides them, it totally sucked. To make matters worse, their act was the last so we had to wait through the whole entire show first. Now I'm definitely not religious as I believe in karma and connectivity. But there was 2 ten year old girls that sang a sond called John 3:16 with snazzy hand movements and all. The talent show was in a school but when they started singing their homemade song there was NO separation of church and state. I felt for these girls. For the lives they would have growing up. Never believing in their own power instead but it all in the hands of Jesus. WWJD? Teach his children to think for themselves and make wise decisions based on their wants. I'm totally on a tangent right now but I'm back. Back to my 5 pounds. Now what to do with another Thanksgiving the day after tomorrow and them right into Christmas season. I'm gonna have to get into that boot camp stat if I can afford it. I need that kind of brut force to kick my ass into gear because I need to be hot, wicked hawt for my wedding in May. Yes, Chadd's a peach and will love me the way I am but I don't know if I will once I see pics. I have the dream man, ring, and dress all I NEED now is the dream body because if all goes right I'll be stepping into that thong bikini hidden in the bottom of my drawer with the tags still on for the honeymoon.