Truth

Suggested Listening: True Colors: Cover By: Craig Cardiff

I love Kelle Hampton so very much! Especially when she is obviously irritated and trying so very hard not to flip her lid. Read this post. You will smile. And if you don't. Then you are probably one of the haters she is trying not to flip a lid on...

And because Kelle and I are in complete agreement that every post must have, at the very least, one photograph. I leave you with this little gem. You're welcome...

Chasing Dreams in The Rain

Suggested Listening: Riptide By: Vance Joy

It rained today in San Diego. That does not happen very often here. We don't even own an umbrella. I took the the puppies out to use the potty and there were several people running into their apartments like they were running for their lives. A girl was complaining that her hair was going to be ruined and a man was trying his hardest to cover himself with his briefcase. 

Me... I was dancing like a five year old; so excited just to see rain. I actually ran into the bedroom, jumped on top of Ben with both knees and yelled, "Wake up! It's RAINING in San Diego!!" Ben was laughing at me because "who else have you ever met that rain makes ecstatically happy?"

Okay, so I am completely aware that this is a total over reaction to rain but, dude, this girl loves her some rain! Some say that the suicide and depression rates are much higher in Seattle because it rains all the time. This girl says, "LET'S MOVE THERE!" Seriously, I have had an obsession with Seattle since I can remember. Never being there even once in my life does not matter. Seattle is the best city on Earth! This I am convinced of. 

After high school I almost moved there. Getting excepted to the Seattle Art Institute was my life's goal and I did get excepted but I didn't even tell anyone. I was too freaked out. Well, I did tell my best friend and we had it all worked out that we would live together in a little walk up while I became a world class photographer and he became a huge music producer. Ahh Young ambitions!! He bailed after he fell in love on a Summer trip to Germany and being too afraid to move across the country alone The Academy of Design Chicago is where I settled on for Graphic Design and Fashion Marketing... Not sure what I was thinking there but we all have our paths and mine has definitely been the long way around. I wouldn't have it any other way!

Maybe it was "Sleepless in Seattle" maybe it was something else, who knows, but Seattle is it for me. I will live there someday. Even if it is just for a short time.... Me in Seattle will happen. Rain + Dreaming of a Seattle walk up = One excited five year old version of myself. Heres to making wild dreams happen!

The puppies and I drying off on the porch after playing in the rain

Taco Tuesday: Taco Flatbread Pizza

Taco Flatbread Pizza

Heat: 450 degrees

Time: 11 minutes

Calories: 964 for entire flatbread (2 servings) 482 in half flatbread (1 serving)

Ingredients:

• Vegetable Oil (I used Trader Joe's Coconut Oil Spray)
• 1- Flatbread (I used Sprouts Farmers Market Garlic Tandoori Naan)
• Taco Seasoning (I used Pantry Essentials Taco Seasoning Mix)
• 3 tbs Ranch Dressing (I used Hidden Valley Ranch Original)
• 4 oz Extra Lean Stew Meat (I got mine at Sprouts Farmers Market)
• 1/2 cup Shredded Mexican style cheese (I used Kraft Mexican Four Cheese Blend)
• Sour Cream (I used Sprouts Farmers Market Light Sour Cream)

Mix a small amount of taco seasoning with ranch dressing and set aside. I mix 3 tablespoons with an entire bottle of ranch using the ranch bottle as a container. We use a lot of taco ranch!

Slice the stew meat very thin and lightly brown in a skillet pan on the stove top. Do not cook through; just enough to take most of the pink out. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil spray. Lay your flatbread on the aluminum foiled cookie sheet and then lightly spray the flatbread with oil spray.

Top your flatbread with three tablespoons of Taco Ranch.

Top your flatbread with 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and 4 oz of stew meat.

Bake your pizza in a 450 degree oven for 11 minutes then transfer to a cutting board and cut into eight pieces. Top with a drizzling of sour cream and serve.

Enjoy! Ben and I sure did!

Is it just me...

Bangerz looks just like Cocktail

Did I just show my age??

Happy Sunday Funday!

Suggested Listening: Young Blood By: Birdy

Firework

Click here to see love, hope, and inspiration!

Mrs. Barton (in the red shirt and kakis) is none other than Ben and my sweet little niece's TeeTee (Grandma). Chloe and Reese are so lucky to have such an amazing person to look up to. Tee Tee is an absolute firework!

Exploring California: Catalina Island, Avalon, California

Suggested Listening: Off We Go (feat. Erin McCarley) By: Transition

Momma and Daddy are traveling in California for two weeks starting with San Diego and heading up to San Francisco and then back to San Diego. Ben and I decided to take a week off and show them around San Diego and also took a little mini-vaca to Catalina Island. Let me tell you... the part of Catalina that we visited; called Avalon, California; is absolutely gorgeous.

Ben and me high above Avalon, California on Catalina Island

Momma and Daddy married 40 years this August

We started off our day on the Catalina Express witch was actually quite an adventure on it's own. Having no idea what to expect we took off in the car for a two hour ride in horrendous traffic to Dana Point to catch the boat which in my mind would be a little ferry boat taking us over to the island. In fact it is more like going to an airport but we'll get to that part later.

So, we pull up to the Dana Point Ferry Landing and realize that the boats only leave every three or four hours or so and that the next one is leaving in 20 minutes. So, we haul ass over to the ticket booth to buy a parking pass and boat tickets but as we get to the gate the parking guard laughs and says that we will never make it time and besides that boat is sold out for the next two weeks!! Super!!

So, Ben runs to the ticket office to pick up a schedule and see when and where we can catch the next boat and we were off to Long Beach to catch the Catalina Express. I decided to call and make reservations on our way since it would take at least another hour to get there in traffic and it is a GOOD thing I did. The guy on the other end of the line actually laughed out loud at me when I said I needed tickets to Catalina for that day with a return of the same night. In the end he worked some magic and got four tickets on the Catalina Express with an upgrade to the Commodore Lounge. So we paid a little more than we wanted but we were rollin like ballers in the open bar over the Pacific Ocean.

Ben and me in the Commodore Lounge

Daddy and Momma in the Commodore Lounge

Momma sippin on her margarita 

The views when we arrived were amazing and the views from above were simply breathtaking. We rented a four person golf cart and took a self guided tour of the island into the mountains. It was so amazing. The photographs simply to not do the views justice. They were simply unreal. Catalina is definitely our new favorite place. Ben and I will be visiting a lot in the future. We have actually already decided that this is were we will go for out anniversary in November. If ever you are in SoCal, Catalina is a must visit. It is so totally worth every penny!

The Catalina Island Golf Course

Best name for a restaurant EVER!