McDonalds of the Soul.

I just watched Jim Gaffigan’s new(ish) stand up, Mr. Universe. I recommend it. it’s on Netflix insta. Do it.

One of his 'bits' is about people who claim that they NEVER eat McDonalds. He mentions that we all fill the trashy void in our lives with other types of “McDonalds.” Many of us are so pretentious that we turn-up our noses at the mention of fast food in general. But be real, you have all been to Taco Bell (or the equivalent) at 2am. Is it really any different?

Then there are the other types of trashy that we indulge in, yet we still claim to be better than a sober McDonalds goer. These are the things that are really just the McDonalds of the soul. Tabloid magazines, celebrity gossip, really ANY reality TV. (Ahem, Real Housewives or Kardashian’s anyone?)

Your McDonalds is the way you inadvertently highlight the fact that for a few moments here and there, you simply need to give up on life.

No. I do not go to McDonalds, but I have my own trashy tendencies.

My McDonalds:
- Tabloid magazines and gossip blogs
- Reality TV
- Fake online shopping (adding things to my shopping bag to make me feel like I am shopping.)
- My (not so) secret obsession with ABC Family sitcoms.
- Buying a big wedge of fancy fatty cheese and eating the entire thing in one sitting.

What is your McDonalds? Or is it actually McDonalds!? So you love yourself a Big Mac every once in a while, at least you didn’t order a Double Down from KFC…

We all need to give up on life and indulge every once in a while. No judgment here.

They got married in McCall, ID.

This past weekend I went to McCall, ID for a very special wedding. I am at the age where I am going to a number of weddings, and I will say that this wedding was one of the most genuinely joyful weddings I have ever been to. There was so much love from everyone it was almost overwhelming. All of the love and joy wasn't just coming from the couple, but also from the families. It was a very special day.

My favorite parts of the evening were the vows and the toasts. You may be thinking “Really? Those can sometimes be cringe worthy.” I hear ya. But it did not apply at this wedding. When the vows and toasts are genuine and filled with love nothing can beat them.

I will just let the pictures speak for themselves. Also, can we please ask ourselves one question? HOW did people plan weddings and parties before Pinterest!? Amber killed it with the details!

Look beyond the signs at the beautiful backdrop. 

See the river back there? It was beautiful. 

Sam and Am are man and wife!

Didn't I tell you!? Joy!

Spence and Mama Jo. My sassy parents.

Do you see the campfire? There were s'mores ready for us to roast and the sign read: "s'more love?"

The bride read a letter that she wrote to her future husband in 2007. They married a “short” 5 years later. It was seriously the sweetest thing I have ever seen at a wedding. I will promptly be writing my own letter with the hope that I too will get married at some point… I better get writing if it will take 5 years.

Lastly, note how blonde my hair is. It is officially true. Blondes have more fun. This is the blondest I have ever been and all three of the Strahan women had way too much fun this past weekend. It is also true that misery loves company. Sayings are sayings for a reason.

Congrats Sam and Amber! Enjoy Switzerland!

McCall on Dwellable

"Just some old guy."

Last weekend I went to Chez Jose with my sister on Saturday night. It was delish as always. Amazing warm salsa etc. Then something disturbing happened. Don’t worry; it had nothing to do with Chez Jose or the food. They are still in my top 3 restaurants.

As Lindsey and I were sitting there chatting, sipping our margs, chomping on fresh tortilla chips and salsa…

I interrupted her: “Dude! Oh, never mind. I though I saw Nate Nathanson but it was just some old guy who looks like him.” (Names have been changed. Obviously.)

My sister then continued talking…

Until I interrupted her again: “Crap! Oh my gosh it IS him! No way. No freaking way. We are old enough to mistake someone we knew in high school for an 'old guy.' This just got weird.”

Lindsey: “Sick. Apparently we are old.”

We are at the point in our lives that we may not recognize people from high school anymore. I literally haven’t seen that guy in 10 years. The worst part about this particular scenario is that I thought he looked old. I am absolutely sure he doesn’t look old, but he doesn’t look 17 anymore either (which is probably a good thing).

The weird truth is that we have memories of what people from different phases of our lives look like. Yet, after so much time passing we may not recognize who they are now.

You would think Facebook would remedy this for us… apparently not.

Why don’t we do a Then and Now? Cameron, don’t be mad at me for this.

2006 VS 2012

Only a 6 year difference and we look so much wiser. 

Am I the only one this has happened to? Please say no.

Brunch in Bridgetown: Papa Haydn

Dear Papa Haydn, 

Stick to desserts. You do them REALLY well. I LOVE your desserts. I will wait for an hour for one of your desserts. You have your niche and it rocks.

Love, Laura
___________

Yes friends, I went to Papa Haydn’s for brunch. Don’t get me wrong, it was good! It just wasn’t amazing. Think about Portland and how many outstanding brunch places there are! Go to one of those. Although, there is something to say about getting seated right away, having complimentary pastries and having a decent Benedict.

If you are starving, feeling impatient and want a decent brunch. Go to Papa Haydn’s. Otherwise have a banana before you leave the house and wait for a table at one of the many outstanding places in town.

Wow. Okay, that does look really good.

My Benedict was good (look at the picture), but there weren't many menu options and I was frustrated that my coffee mug stayed empty for extended periods of time… I'm clearly a brunch brat.

On a completely different note: It is almost July! I just wanted you all to be aware of that fact. Also, I am still as pasty white as I was in February. Awesome.

Portland on Dwellable

Quinoa Summer Salad

This is an adapted recipe from Sandra Lee. She is the chick from Semi-Homemade. I was surprised to like one of her recipes because during her show they always seem kinda whacked. One thing about her show that cracks me up is how booze crazy she is. Think about it. "Now that we are done with the child birthday party prep, we can start on the treats for the grow-ups! *wink*" (as she pulls out a half-gal of liquor). 

I personally wouldn’t want to send my (hypothetical) kid to the "children’s parties" she is throwing. It would go like this: "Guess what mom!? The lady had so many grown-up treats that she knocked over the tablescape and passed out! Then we played in the bouncy castle unsupervised! It was awesome!"

She is on the same level as Giada for me. Sorry Everyday Italian, but I didn’t order a side of cleavage with my meal. Oh, and it’s pronounced pro-shoot-o. You are in America now.

Okay, enough rambling. On to the recipe!

Recipe:
1 cup of quinoa
- cook in 2 cups of water (or chicken stock, but water is less calories obv.)

Let cool completely before tossing it with the other ingredients.

Prep all of the veggies and toss them in a bowl together. (See above. Can you handle it?)

1 english cucumber (chopped)
¼ cup roasted peppers (chopped)
¼ cup red onion (finely chopped)
½ cup grape tomatoes (halved)
½ cup crumbled feta
1 tablespoon fines herbs
Balsamic dressing (to taste)

Add cooled quinoa to the veggie mixture. Toss in, feta and herbs. Add a little bit of dressing last and you are done!

You can take shortcuts wherever you want. I roasted my own peppers (because I had some on hand), and my mom makes her own dressing. But you can buy things already prepared if you want! Once it is all mixed together it will all turn out pretty much the same.

Life is a collaboration.

Most of the people in my life are co-dependent. I mean this in the best way possible. For example, if something is going wrong, if I feel off, or if I just need to spill my guts and admit something, I have someone to call. Actually, if no one picks up or texts back I start to get anxious. Much of my life is done by collaboration. 

We can pretend that this only applies to real life scenarios like relationship qualms, career decisions etc. But in reality it also applies to “do I need this?” or “is this cute?” texts that get sent from the dressing room and occasionally from home.

Proof:

The accompanying texts:  "Cute or not?" and "Cute? Not cute?"

The accompanying texts:  "Check out my cat! Checking out my pants too." and "Tell me or else."

Okay, embarrassing. But whatever. You know you do it too! 

Regardless, we need advice about a lot of things. More than that, we need accountability! When you share, ask and think, you are less likely to make a hasty decision and are more likely to pray about it.

Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. - Proverbs 19:20

To Montana and Back.

Howdy Folks! Okay, Montana might not be THAT country.

I just got back from spending time at the Crow Agency of Montana. I was on a scouting trip with Fab Nicole (you have heard me talk about her before). Heard? Read? You know what I mean. She is the co-worker who makes appearances on my blog due to how awesome and fabulous she is.

We spent time meeting with out location partners, getting lost, encountering cattle etc. I won’t bore you with the work stuff, but I thought I would post some pretty pictures of Montana!

Below you will see a Native American “Sweat”… It is more or less a sauna. What we didn’t know was that it is commonly occupied by groups as large as 8 people. And that they are naked!!! We were desperate to wash our hands after that. As one friend so eloquently put it, “You basically just had your hand on some random sweaty butt.”

Inside the 'sweat.' 

This is the Little Bighorn Battlefield. It is the location of Custer’s Last Stand. They had a super cool museum of artifacts from the battle. Nicole and I quickly became obsessed with learning about the expansion west, how it all happened, why etc. It was the topic of many of our drive-time discussions. Note: It wasn’t very long ago! (1876) Think about it. There were probably still native warriors alive in 1950.

After the battle the US government came in and did a burial of the soldiers from the armed forces who died in the battle. We lost that one… just incase you didn’t know. Like majorly lost. But really, no one was a winner after those battles. Even when we won, we had to be the jerks who took the land via force.

Later we went out to the Ok-A-Beh Marina. It was beautiful. These pictures do not do it justice.

You may be wondering: “Didn’t your friend Marina just move to Montana?” If you thought that, then you are a true reader/ friend. And yes, she did. But I was WAY far all the way east from Billings so I didn’t get to see her. I am now wondering if she is secretly a Sioux and if she was named after Ok-A-Beh.

Nicole and I on the other hand gave ourselves Native American names:
Nicole: Snots on Hand.
Me: Running Cow.

Ponder this: Do you paint with all the colors of the wind?