Good morning!! I am sitting here with a big ol’ bowl of oats a big ol’ cup of coffee on a bright sunny morning. Our December has been pretty beautiful. The more mild weather of the fall and “winter” actually reminds me of the Bay Area weather many times with the warmer temps and less humidity.
…Hold on, someone is knocking…
Okay odd. There was no one at the door. Creepy! *Cue twilight zone soundtrack*. Also, it’s 7:30 am. Too early for maintenance or anyone from our management team. Hmmm. I bet they just had the wrong apartment.
Anyway! I arrived back from my campus visit on September 15th. I was beyond exhausted from the 3 am wake-up call. I think I slept practically the entire afternoon.
In the evening I made whatever we had in the fridge. For a snack that day we enjoyed some stuffed jalapeños with cheese.
Not much is documented the rest of the week. There are going to be many “holes” in these recaps where is was days entirely spent in the books. I grew kinda apathetic even toward recording the little, fun life details at some points which is sad, but the truth. I presently have my excitement back for the day-to-day, but the stress at that time just made me listless toward pretty much everything for a while.
Anyway, September 19th, we tried out this vegan tikka masala from TJ’s. I was stoked to see they had a vegan version! It was pretty dang good- will be getting it again.
That evening I took my much needed time outside.
This wrap below is one of my favorite wraps I’ve made! This September 22nd snack had roasted veggies, vegan “chicken” lightlife tenders, spinach and hummus on a flatout flatbread. Mmmm!
On September 24th I woke up with some Dave’s Good Seed bread, Fage, peanut butter and honey (and a little dash of stevia).
That day I had a group project that I worked practically through the night on. Thank goodness I had some candy corn to keep me company!!
Since DJ and Pete were both going to be out of town that week, my mom suggested I come to Fort Worth so I could get out of the apartment, enjoy her Michelin star cooking (not her words, but those are facts), clear my head and just get a change of scenery to study.
When I arrived in the afternoon of September 25th, my mom was still at work and only Jadey was home (this a couple weeks prior to her passing). I didn’t know that would be her last hyper-jump-all-over-me welcome, but I think it’s pretty special that I have that moment clear in my memory since it was just her and I. I think she could sense my general state of dejection and she was as doting and loving as ever.
I worked on some assignments while my mom also did some work with me at the kitchen table. Then for dinner we enjoyed this perfection of a meal of grilled salmon, mixed veggie avocado salad and seasoned brown rice.
The morning of September 26th I woke up extra early to finish up a paper and get it submitted. I enjoyed a cup of coffee out of a mug of the coffee shop I worked at as a barista in college. It was one of those moments where nostalgia crept right up on me!
For a mid-morning snack I had some lemonade with a slice of toast, vegan Daiya cheddar cheese, edamame, mixed marinated veggies, avocado and some bolthouse ranch dressing (my new favorite dressing!).
My mom returned earlier than normal from work, so shared some hummus and veggies in the afternoon while continuing to work on our individual tasks at the kitchen table.
For dinner we had vegan beef stroganoff with mashed potatoes and broccolini. This meal was insane. One of my absolute favorite “meat recreations”.
On September 27th while I worked on Notecards I watched the show Diagnosis. It’s a fascinating show, and I try to figure out what’s going on with them as the show goes on. It’s a bit like a real life House!
Unfortunately, on September 27th I took a nasty tumble while running outside. I won’t share pics, don’t worry- but I reopened a scar on my knee from a previous fall. Whoopsies. Clumsy Runner Woes.
That evening we enjoyed another awesome meal of teriyaki tofu, fried rice, and spinach beet salad with mandarin oranges. It was tremendous, and I definitely went back for seconds!
I took this last picture I ever would with sweet Jaders <3
I was planning on leaving Saturday evening the 28th, but was not quite ready. I made a lot of progress on Saturday during the day with school and DJ wouldn’t be back until late, so we decided we would have a girls’ night out, and I’d just leave in the AM!
Before heading out we enjoyed apps of roasted eggplant, crab dip and crackers and olives.
We went to a restaurant called Simply Thai in Keller. Keller practically shuts down after dinner time, even on the weekends. We arrived pretty late- around 8 pm, so we had the cute little place to ourselves.
Usually we split two dishes, but with our spice preference difference that makes it a bit more of a challenge. My mom ordered their mixed vegetable pad pak. She got the mild spice and I ordered extra spicy. When we tried them we realized they probably mixed up the spice orders because hers was hot hot hot and mine was not not not.
Thankfully they brought out some extra chili and I spiced it on up! My mom still enjoyed the veggies despite the heat, and I shared my pumpkin curry with her because it was the star of the show. Just writing about it is making me crave it again.
After, we went to the Station Patio Icehouse to watch a live band, enjoy a glass of wine and chat about just everything. A beautiful evening to remember for sure <3
Before heading home in the morning of September 29th, we enjoyed our favorite wood-fire roasted coffee from Summer Moon. If you are a coffee lover and visit Texas Summer Moon is my #1 recommendation. Their “moon milk” will change your life! Ok, that might be a bit of a hyperbole, but I’ll let you decide. I will warn, it is very sweet, so tread carefully.
This meme could not be more accurate!
October 5th I made DJ the traditional dirt pudding for his birthday. Even though it’s technically for him, I always enjoy my fair share too 😉
For his actual birthday on October 6th I made DJ pancakes with sample Runamok Maple Syrup’s we received as a gift. They were so yummy! Each different flavor was robust, but not overwhelming.
We had to celebrate DJ’s birthday a week late since he had midterms that week. But I’m pretty excited to show y’all how we celebrated.
In October in general we traded in our Impractical Jokers to watch half an episode of Castle Rock here and there on Hulu. It was great to get in that spoOooOoOky spirit- we watched the first season, although I know a second season is now out. Has anyone seen it?
Thanks for reading!
Question for you:
- Do you have a special coffee cup that has extra meaning to you?
xo <3
