I am so ready for summer . . .

There is a reason I don't live in the pacific northwest. I really like hot dry summers!
While I think that the occasional rainy weekend is nice, I am really sick of this weather.
I am ready for some sun.

I don't know where to begin . .

Yesterday I found out that my good friend had passed away. I feel the loss deeply.

I have spent the last 24 hrs thinking a lot about my childhood and teenage years. I was truly blessed with outstanding friends. I also had a mother who loved my friends and always welcomed them in our home. (even when I wasn't there)

A couple years ago Tom and I were talking about true friendship. As we debated the definition, Tom came up with the best test of friendship.

" A true friend is the one you know that if they were the one person you could call, you could count on them to bail you out of jail"

Brad was that kind of friend.

My number one goal in life is that I can live my life without regrets. Right now, I regret that I haven't told my friends how much they have meant to me and how they positively influenced my life and contributed to my success. For those of you that were such an important part of a dumb ugly girl's (dug) life, THANK YOU!

I am watching my nephew's high school graduation tonight. I am hoping and praying that my daughters will have the kind of friends I had, and that I can be the supportive mother that my mom was to me and my friends.

Way to go A.J. !

close imitation to Pei Wei Spicy Chicken Salad

I just found this recipe for Pei Wei Spicy Chicken Salad. It is the best make at home version I have tried.

Chicken Stock :
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Sauce:
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup white vinegar

Salad
1 1/2 pounds mixed greens
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 pound snap peas, cut into 1/2-inch slices
3 carrots, julienned
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup thinly sliced cucumbers
Asian vinaigrette, to taste
1 cup rice noodles, for garnish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Pan Fried Chicken:
2 pounds boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups all-purpose flour, seasoned with 1/2 teaspoon white pepper and 1 teaspoon salt
1 quart soybean oil
2 tablespoons Chinese Chicken Stock
1/2 cup Pei Wei Sauce
1 tablespoon chili paste
1 teaspoon cornstarch

1. In a saucepan, simmer Chicken Stock ingredients over medium-high heat a few minutes until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and cool. In another saucepan, repeat step with Sauce ingredients.

2. In a bowl, add salad ingredients (except rice noodles and cilantro) and toss to coat evenly with dressing.

3. Dust chicken cubes with seasoned flour and shake off excess. Heat soybean oil in a saucepan to 350 degrees, and fry chicken 2 1/2 minutes. When cooked through, arrange chicken on an oven-safe plate lined with paper towels and place in a warm oven.

4. In a wok or sauté pan placed over high heat, whisk together Chicken Stock, Sauce and chili paste. To thicken sauce, mix in cornstarch. Add chicken and toss until evenly coated with sauce.

5. Spoon hot chicken over salad, garnish with rice noodles and cilantro, and serve immediately.

I love this picture!




This is how Sophie likes to watch tv too.




They are so cool. I am very grateful that Tom took these photos - they really make me happy.

Tom took the Girls to the park today. They had a great time.
I am sad I had to work and miss all of the fun!

Go outside and see what the kids are missing . . .

I was cleaning off my desk last night and found this article I had clipped out of USA Today in 2005. After re-reading it I still love this article! I looked it up online so I could share it with you.
Enjoy!

USA Today, Go outside and see what the kids are missing

Yikes! it has been a while since I posted

Tom and I have recently set up Facebook accounts. It has been a lot of fun. There is a kind of instant gratification about posts on Facebook. I don't stress about what to write - like I tend to do on my blog. I can just blurt a sentence or two and go on. It is also fun to reconnect with people we haven't seen for years.
I really had awesome friends from Elementary School, Middle School, High School and College, it is great to be able to get small Facebook sized glimpses of their lives.

This Christmas season Tom and I have had some homeowner challenges along with all of the fun of the Holidays. As frustrating as that has been, I have not forgotten what I am really thankful for- my family and their health. Sophie has grown in leaps and bounds and is doing very well with her hearing aids. Emma's arm was able to heal without surgery and my mom won't need knee surgery until this summer. YAY!

In the last couple of months I have had three friends who have been fighting cancer. It is such a crappy illness. I know that is a complete understatement.

I have such an admiration and respect for my friends and their loved ones that are dealing with this rotten disease. They are survivors and the bravest warriors I have ever known.


With all of the Holiday hubbub over, I was reminded today of how much I take my body for granted. Last night I had read a friends post about their cancer battle and went to bed sad for them.

This morning I woke up with aches and pains in both knees. I could feel that my knee that had the ACL reconstruction surgery was really sore and swollen and my good knee was sore from being limped on the previous day. I was feeling a bit annoyed at my body.

THEN . . . . I GOT IT . . .

My body was reminding me I needed to move MORE. I went downstairs and rode my bike trainer for 45 mins - and amazingly both knees felt great!

As I was getting ready for work and getting the kids off to school I thought about how in our lives everything lasts longer when it stays in use. I also remembered the number one reason our family swims, bikes and runs:

We do it because we can.

It is for all of the people out there who can't, but they still face the daily battles of walking from the bed to chair. Their effort is so much greater than mine. Tomorrow I will bike again - because I can and I don't want to waste a single day taking that for granted.