Ten On Ten: August

August 10th.

Ten pictures taken over ten hours.

Humoring.

Stacking.

Building.

Sorting.

Holding.

Organizing.

Filling in the blanks.

Magnifying.

Fading...

...really fast.

Sipping.

A handful of images captured throughout the day...

You wouldn't know it from the date on the calendar or the weather report, but summer is over. School is just around the corner and that means teachers are busy setting up their rooms, going to meetings and trainings, and trying to get used to that blasted alarm clock again.

Or that describes our here-and-now.

I can't say that I know of one person or animal in this little family that is pleased about these current events.

I spent the day setting up my classroom for a new bunch of kindergartners.

My back hurts. Bad.

I'm most thankful for Tylenol, Shiner, and the back rub I'll soon be receiving.

Lord bless you if your Ten On Ten was filled with heavy lifting, unpacking boxes, moving furniture, and thoughts of another school year.

I tip my hat to all you fellow teachers out there...

May your weeks pass quickly and your weekends be savored.

What's For Dinner?

Holy smokes! It's been forever since I posted a menu.

We are trying to get back into a more normal schedule. I had my first required work day today.

The school year is upon us. No one in this house is celebrating. The opposite, in fact.

But it is what is.

This week we will be feasting upon:

Sunday: blueberry buckwheat pancakes, scrambled eggs with avocado and fresh salsa, raspberries

Monday: Spicy Thai, mac & cheese, guacamole

Tuesday: grilled margherita pizza

Wednesday: green pasta, tomato salad, whole wheat bread

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: out with The Mr. (details to be divulged later)

Saturday: hamburgers, oven fries

We have been enjoying ice cream cones and sorbet for dessert. I merely lift a scoop and stack, so I think the trend will continue one more week.

Sunday's menu was a feeble attempt to recreate this. It wasn't bad. But it wasn't the same. That cool ocean breeze was nowhere to be found. It is the magic ingredient.

Today was *very* long. I spent hours moving desks, bookshelves, boxes, tables, rugs and such in my classroom. My back aches. My patience is thin. Due to my back-to-school malaise, The Mr. was sweet enough to pick-up my favorite Spicy Thai. The Offspring were happy with some mac & cheese. And The Mr. asked if I'd make him some guacamole, which is an easy request to fulfill.

All needs met. All tummies satisfied.

Grilling pizza is all the rage around Blog Land. I've been making our pizza for years but have yet to grill it.

Sacrilege.

We are making amends this week. If all goes well we will be adding this to the regular rotation. I'll post the details later in the week.

Wednesday's menu comes from here. This is a really great site to find simple, family friendly fare that uses fresh vegetables. There are quite a few things I'm anxious to try. Have a look. It's worth your time.

I'm always on the prowl for new food sites that aren't too fussy. Simple is good. What are your favorite foodie blogs?

OK, peeps. School is just around the corner. Enjoy the last days of summer and don't spend too much time in the kitchen.

**Don't forget! Tomorrow is the 10th. That means Ten On Ten!**

Old Sign Sunday

This is my last picture from Cali.

Even the movie theater is full of charm.

The Cottage

I would be remiss if I didn't write about this quaint, little place.

The Cottage.

It was right down the street from our hotel. Every morning we would walk past small art galleries and garden cafés, often while holding hands. I don't know what it is about Laguna, but it makes a person all mushy.

It's a nice side effect.

Hee, hee. We are on a *real* vacation. Just the two of us.

Pinch me.

We always ate outside.

I'd sip my hot tea.

We would marvel at the weather and the surrounding beauty.

The Mr. would tell me of his younger days.

He once lived in Laguna. He was a drummer in a band, rode mountain bikes, and made snowboards. He was livin' the life.

Except he had little money and no serious girlfriend.

I ordered the same thing each morning: the Baja Omelet.

It was stuffed with fresh salsa, cilantro, avocado, and cheese.

An attempt to recreate this will be made in my kitchen. Guaranteed.

Oh, but that's not the end of the yum-session.

These are cottage fries.

They are perfect. Absolutely perfect.

I have a rule that I only eat french fries once a year. I broke that rule. I broke it into a million pieces by eating these each and every morning.

Calories, shmalories.

I've considered framing this picture.

The Mr. and I would also share an order of blueberry buckwheat pancakes.

Again, these pancakes are divine. The best I've **ever** had. Ever.

I have buckwheat flour, but fear that my efforts will be futile.

But I'm still going to try.

Lest you think us a couple of gluttons, I assure you that those plates were not left clean.

We savored all we could.

I'd finish another cup of tea.

We'd walk together across the street, down to the shore.

The Mr. shared something else: Laguna was much better this time around.

Sweet.

Fun In The Sun

Before you read any further, let me make something clear: We are not exciting jet-setters.

The Mr. and I take a more laid back approach to travel. We don't want a rigid schedule to follow or a list of "must-sees" to check off.

We choose to let things evolve on their own.

That's how we roll.

The first thing I noticed upon arriving in California was the weather. It was the opposite of the gut-wrenching heat and humidity we enjoy in Houston.

In fact, I don't think I sweat once the whole time. Seriously, people. I could have skipped the deodorant.

On Day One, we walked all over Laguna. We must have hoofed at least three miles. Probably more.

You can't walk to the end of your driveway without turning into a puddle here in H-town. But Laguna? Not a drop of perspiration to be found.

We slept with the a/c off and the windows open.

I awoke the next morning to a cool ocean breeze. It felt magical.

I'm still in awe.

Day Two was all about the beach.

The sun shone bright.

The ocean breeze blew.

We soaked up rays.

Many "look at us, we're on vacation" pictures were taken.

And I had my first black and tan.

'Twas grand.

Day Three turned out cloudy.

No worries.

We did a little thrifting and made a few scores. I'm already putting my finds to good use.

We drove up to LA that afternoon. One of The Mr.'s good friends from days past works for Red Bull and was able to score us some tickets to the X Games.

We were surrounded by many people much cooler than us. We did our best to hang.

I'll admit to feeling guilt over getting to see Shaun White skate without The Boy. I hope he doesn't hold a grudge.

Afterwards we drove into Venice and had dinner at some LA hot spot, again surrounded by the in-crowd. I refrained from asking if they had Lone Star in an attempt to coalesce. A feeble attempt I might add.

Trying to be cool is exhausting. We collapsed as soon as we hit our hotel room.

Day Four started off cloudy. Despite the lack of sun, we made our way to the beach.

This time I took the Canon.

The Mr. watched the surfboarders.

Green with envy, he was.

I learned that the ocean is *really* cold and there is *a lot* of sand in that really cold water.

See me, trying to look all hawt posing out on the rocks? About 3.5 seconds after The Mr. took this picture a rogue wave had its way with me.

It. Took. Me. Out.

Wet, full of sand in all sorts of places where sand should not be, and salt-logged. Sexy.

The sun eventually made an appearance and I coaxed The Mr. to join me in the frigid water.

I have a whole new respect for the force of nature. That tide is incredibly strong. Stronger than I imagined. After being knocked over and pulled further out to sea a few times, I decided that my place is on solid, sandy ground.

We had to cut our beach time short.

I had an appointment to keep.

New ink.

Another one of The Mr.'s friends from days past hooked me up with his guy who does a lot of work for the motocross crowd.

I'd show you his work, but it's going through the ugly healing stage right now. You'll have to be patient and wait for the unveiling.

Being poked with a needle for almost two hours makes one hungry.

No trip to California is complete without a visit to In-N-Out. One double-double, fries, and a vanilla shake, please.

We spent our last night sharing a couple of Stella Artois while watching the waves roll in and crash onto the rocks.

Perfection.

Day Five.

We waved a sad farewell to the Pacific and boarded a plane.

Houston bound.

Back to reality.

**sigh**

Thank you, California. You showed us a mighty fine time.

Laguna

Laguna Beach, California.

Otherwise known as, Paradise.

There is beauty at every turn.

Flowers peek through.
They leave splashes of color all about.

Succulents grow like weeds!
They are everywhere.

Palm trees.
Lots of palm trees.

Weathered rocks.
Proof of nature's force.

Blue water meets blue sky.
They stretch as far as the eye can see.

White capped waves.
Their sound is intoxicating.

Look up.

Look down.

Look straight ahead.

It's heavenly.
In every direction.

We are going back.
This is certain.