cristino's.

I'm not sure about you, but dining out is one of my favorite things to do. Even better is dining out with good company. The best is dining out spontaneously at an unusual dining hour, say 3:30 pm. Add the best pepperoni there is and beautiful weather for eating outside, and you have created one of the most wonderful ways to spend a Sunday afternoon. And for the record, pepperoni's not really my thing, so that must mean this stuff is really, really good.

a letter.

Dear Mom and Dad,

Thank you. Thank you for giving me a childhood -- one full of dreams, magic, and laughter straight from the belly. A room to call my own that could be decorated and messied and lived in. Thank you for manners, pleases and thank yous, and smiles that go a long way. Thank you for old movies on rainy evenings that beg for grilled cheese sandwiches. Thank you for letting me play in the rain, run down the street barefoot, and for asking me to wear my helmet. Thank you for dogs and the total adoration they gave to me. Thank you for fresh fruit, vegetables, and family dinners every night. Thank you for building the treehouse in the backyard. Thank you for Thai food on the beach and marathons of Northern Exposure reserved for summer nights. Thank you for an imagination -- the time and freedom to think, create, dream, be. Thank you for good music. For the Beatles. Wilco. Coldplay. Thank you for pursuing passions, which gave me the strength to pursue my own. Thank you for showing me that love trumps money, and that love comes at the most unexpected times. Thank you for showing me what good love is, what role a parent can play, how to turn something negative into something positive. Thank you for letting me know that crying is okay, good even. Thank you for letting me paint my room often. Thank you for style and grace and the power of forgiveness. Thank you for teaching me that vacations are worth more than any price tag that may be placed upon them. Thank you for teaching me that knowledge of the world around me is more valuable than most things. Thank you for exposing me to the history of this great country of ours. Thank you for letting me make mistakes even when it was hard for you not to interfere. Thank you for helping me to recognize the value of friendship and for allowing me to be myself. Thank you for loving me.

Love, Rox

image.

salvage yard.

I think it's really important to find unique places to visit in your state. I've been guilty of taking my own surrounding area for granted and I think it's kind of silly. Traveling is important, too, but I think it's important to travel around your own town before moving onto others. My family and I still do this and we're always so happy when we stumble upon hidden gems that have been right under our noses for years. We've actually visited this salvage yard once or twice, but it has so many hidden treasures and there's always something new to check out no matter how many times you've been.

My mom found a really cool piece of a sign that said 'at' amongst the many other over-sized letters they had. We loved walking through the rows of odds and ends, sifting through tons of doors, and playing the Tarantella on an out-of-tune piano. It was such a lovely summer day — the kind I'm sure we'll have many more of since I am officially done with my second year of college. It is such a surreal feeling. This semester really flew by, and just like that I am already a Junior. After two years of working a full time summer, I'll only be working part time for this summer. I'm really excited to have some time to hang out and relax and do some really fun, crafty things with my mom. My family, Jeffrey and I are also taking a trip to Wisconsin to visit my sister and her boyfriend. Then, Jeffrey, Evie (my sister), Mark (her boyfriend) and I will drive to Minnesota to stay with Jeffrey's grandma. She has a summer lake house that is quaint and heartwarming. It's going to be such a welcome change from a 40 hour work week. I can already imagine the pure bliss. What are your plans for the summer?

love.

I know God would never give me something that I couldn't handle, but I've been feeling so discouraged lately. Lots of stuff on my plate and I can't seem to make it all work. Thank God my sister is coming home soon. I could use her radiance. Thank God for my parents and going home this weekend so they can give the kind of TLC only parents can give. And thank God for this guy who holds my hand and kisses my forehead and carries my groceries even when I insist that they aren't too heavy and for always telling me how beautiful I am. I have some good people in my life and that makes my full plate seem pretty manageable. Even on nights like this one when I feel a little bit defeated.

Spring Break 2010: Sunday

My gosh, I wish I had done a better job of taking pictures over spring break.

Note to self: Keep a diary, take more pictures.

Sunday, March 7, 2010
When I go home it is almost a rule that we have to make a stop at Lighthouse Donuts at least once. Donuts are so, so good for the soul. My favorite kind of donut is Maple frosted and Lighthouse has one of the most delicious renditions I've ever tasted. So, on Sunday my parents and I made a stop there and sat on the deck and enjoyed our donuts. Such a pleasant way to spend a Sunday morning. We originally planned to go to an art show downtown, but our planning was poor so we didn't make it.
And here's where my only picture of this wonderful day comes into play: Jeffrey is the proud owner of a 1966 Red VW Bus and we love it. So much. And so whenever we see another bus our eyes get kind of wide and our mouths drop and we just can't help but stare. My parents and I saw this darling little thing sitting outside of a produce shop and had to take a closer look!
What a gem. And doesn't she look so summer-y? Love that yellow. And I don't think you can see too well, but there was a little Hula Girl on the front dash. Precious. Anyway, this was for sale, but did not have a friendly price tag. It was fun to look at, though. And yes, I called Jeffrey while he was camping in the mountains just to inform him that I had seen a bus.
As for the rest of the day, we spent the afternoon in Borders. I poured over wedding magazines (Have I ever mentioned that I am completely in love with weddings and the mere mention of one makes me giddy and gives me the fuzzies? Now you know.) and then we stopped at Super Target, which is basically a given in my family — if you are in a plaza with a Target in it, you must go to Target. No questions asked. I got some spring-y nail polish and we headed home. And I wish I could remember the rest of this lovely day. I'm pretty positive that we made Not-So-Red Velvet Cake that night, but we didn't start it until around 9, so I'm missing something. I guess that's why a diary comes in handy.

xo, R.

Spring Break 2010: Saturday

I have a horrible time recalling past spring breaks, summers, etc. even though they have all been very near and dear to me. And I should really keep a diary since I enjoy writing so much, but I don't.

Maybe this is a sign that I should start.
I'll be sure to make a note.

Anyway.
Saturday, March 6, 2010.
My parents and I woke up and had Dutch Babies, which can also be called German Pancakes. Dutch Babies have the tendency to look pretty crazy, at least in our house.
We then headed to the Farmer's Market where my parents showed me their favorite booth to get organic produce.
Lots of awesome chalk art at the Farmer's Market.
Then we ate at El Cap.
And took pictures of things we thought were cool.
Then, we spent some time in our favorite scrapbooking shop. We love their paper selection.

xo, R.

Not-So-Red Velvet Cake

My mom had never tasted Red Velvet Cake before and as a classic/iconic/American cake, I think it's a crime, so we decided to make one. It's true that Red Velvet Cake is nothing more than a glorified chocolate cake — if it's possible to even taste the chocolate (I've had some red velvet that didn't really taste like much of anything, to be honest) — but there's something sort of whimsical about a cake that looks average from the outside and upon cutting into it, a fluffy, rich red filling is exposed. It just feels kind of special. My mom was a little skeptical about adding red food coloring because, let's be honest, there's nothing real natural — or necessary — about adding random drops to food to make it change color. It's a little weird and I'll be the first to admit it. But every now and then, it's kind of awesome to eat a cake that would otherwise be brown and that's where Red Velvet comes in. So, we decided to cut down the amount of food color originally called for and crossed our fingers that it would still turn out red.

Wishful thinking.

What we were left with was a delicious, brown cake that had no right to call itself Red Velvet, so we'll go ahead and call it Not-So-Red Velvet Cake. I would absolutely recommend this recipe — it's Smitten Kitchen, when have I not recommended her? — but if you are set on a red filling, then it would probably be wise to follow her directions rather than ours, which were to add a measly three drops of red food coloring. And if you don't really care either way, then skip the food coloring altogether, because it's still a really delicious cake. I think it would work well as a classic chocolate cake and it uses canola oil instead of butter, which I can totally get into.Enjoy! xo, R.

El Cap.

I'm not a huge burger lover. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy them, but they're not my favorite thing and I certainly don't find myself craving them on a regular basis. El Cap, however, is on a totally different level. They make burgers that are off-the-charts-incredible and I can confidently say that they make the best burger I have ever tasted.
So. Delicious.
xo, R.

Cheers.

I don't mean to brag, but I'm going to anyway.
I've bragged about my parents once before, and they're just so amazing that I'm going to do it again.
These past few weeks have been horrendous in the school work department and I have never felt so overwhelmed or accountable for so many things.
My head is spinning.

But my parents. God bless them. No, really. I would be buried in ripped up rough drafts, scrap papers scribbled with mathematical formulas, and Dove chocolate wrappers if it weren't for them.

And yes, I've consumed quite the amount of Dove chocolates, but I found the motivation to throw the wrappers away.

Let me just tell you.

My dad is like an editing fairy, or something. But since that sounds too feminine, we'll call him an editing leprechaun or maybe an editing gnome, whichever sounds more magical. The point is, when I have reached the paper-writing dead end (yeah, it exists), my dad will fill my head with new ideas, fix my grammatical mistakes (because I've looked at the paper for far too long to even notice them anymore), and just save me in general. And because he knows me so well, he'll occasionally remind me to pray because in the midst of all this chaos, sometimes I forget.

And my mom, she's like the motivating fairy. I have called her at all my worst moments and by the end of the conversation, she has convinced me that I can not only write the paper, but also bake cupcakes, watch Ugly Betty, do my hair, clean my desk off, and still have the time to relax. All in one night. She has a way of making scary-huge tasks seem like tiny-little-things-I-might-feel-like-accomplishing-today. And I really hope that when I have kids, I have that superpower because it has saved me so many times.

And they also tell me really nice things about how I should go out to dinner with Jeffrey this week and they'll pick up the tab because we totally deserve it after the week we've been through.

And it's those kinds of things that make me appreciate my parents.
And it's those kinds of things that make me so very happy to get to go home for Spring Break in two weeks and spend time with them.
And it's those kinds of things that make me so glad that I can call them my most treasured confidants.
And yeah. I like to talk about my parents. Mainly because they're awesome and have always been there for me.
And quite frankly, I think that's something to celebrate.

Here's to you, Mom and Dad. I love you.

xo, R.

Parents

Have I ever bragged about my parents before? No? Okay, well allow me.

My parents are two of the most incredible people I know. They have been two of the biggest influences in my life.

I owe my whimsical childhood to them.
I owe my passion for life and for others to them.
I owe my loving of baking and cooking to them.
My love for reading.
My love for writing.
For Audrey Hepburn.
For Adrien Brody.
For rain and tea.
For lemonade and dancing through sprinklers.
For Wilco.

I owe it all to them. Throughout my life they have always been there for me. They have bought me treats, but taught me the value of a dollar. Have let me make my own decisions, but have been my voice of reason.
Have been my most precious friends.
My most treasured confidants.
My comfort.
My dream makers.
Promise keepers.
They have been all of that for me.
They taught me to eat my veggies and to savor my pie.
They have taught me to help others before myself.
That laughter is the best medicine.
They have taught me to keep my head up when the going gets tough.
To persevere.
To smile in the most trying of times.
To be thankful for every blessing and for every tribulation.


My parents have always served others before themselves.
They have given everything to make my life meaningful and special and memorable.
They have equipped me with faith and trust in humanity.
They have held my hand when I needed it and let go when I needed it.

They have whispered words of inspiration into my ear.
And allowed me to go my own way.
They have allowed me to be my own person. And they have always rooted for that person.
They have given me style and grace and courage.

Needless to say, I love my parents. I thank God everyday for blessing me with two built-in best friends. I didn't have to search beyond my own home to find two kindred spirits.

I hope that someday I can be the kind of parent that my parents have always been.

xo