basking in the sunshine

this guy absolutely loves to sun himself.

this morning we found him in bed

shimmering in the sunshine.

oh, the life of a kitten!

love, laurie

check it out

today i'm featured as a sponsor on lauren's blog, choosing joy.

be sure to check it out here!

love, laurie

it's about time!

when i started college, my parents bought me a laptop.  i took such good care of it, and in return it saw me though all of undergrad and part of grad school too.  when my computer died, i finished out the remainder of grad school and all of doctoral school using ryan's laptop.

for a while now, ryan's laptop has been driving us crazy . . . every time we use it we end up frustrated and i always threaten to throw it out the window.  knowing that the end was inevitably near, we started saving up our pennies for a new computer.  

last week, ryan had one simple task to do on the computer.  what should have taken a matter of seconds took a grand total of 20 minutes.  that was the moment we decided we couldn't take it any longer.  we did a ton of research to see which computer would be best for us.  then on friday night, after work, we went out and bought a new computer!  

i kid you not, we are in love . . . with our new computer.  it is lightning fast, and every time it does something super cool we just stop and stare at each other in disbelief.  seriously, i don't know why we waited so long.  we didn't even know what we were missing all of these years!

love, laurie

dark chocolate chip cookies with pistachios

there is something therapeutic about chocolate chip cookies.  they are a comforting dessert that remind me of the warmth of my childhood.  even though i love traditional chocolate chip cookies, i also love to try different variations of them too.

in my opinion, you can never go wrong with dark chocolate.  i especially love these bittersweet chocolate chips.  since the chocolate pieces are so big, they ensure that every bite has just the right amount of dark chocolaty goodness.  the addition of the pistachios to these cookies is perfect too.  they add just the right amount of crunch.

dark chocolate chip cookies with pistachios
adapted from joy the baker
prep time: 10-15 minutes
baking time: 20 minutes
yields: 24 cookies

ingredients:
1 stick salted butter, softened
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips
1 cup salt-free pistachios, shelled and chopped

directions:
preheat your oven to 300 degrees F.  line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes).  add the egg and vanilla, then mix well.  beat in the flour and baking soda until combined.  stir in the chocolate chips and pistachios.  scoop the cookie dough by the tablespoon onto the cookie sheet.  bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

enjoy!

love, laurie

a walkway to remember

down the road from my parents' house, there is a small little park.  on the land of the park sits a tiny gazebo and two park benches.  the park is so petite that you might drive past it without even noticing it.  however, if you took a moment to walk around the park, you'd find that it is such a peaceful and serene little slice of nature along a busy hustling and bustling road.

my parents had a vision for that tiny little park.  they imagined a curved brick walkway leading up to the entrance of the gazebo, with engraved paver stones lining the edges of the walkway.  each brick along the edge of the walkway would contain the name of a child who lived in the county and who left this world all too soon.  the walkway would be a memorial walkway for children of all ages who have passed away.

for weeks, my parents wrote proposals to their township board, presented their vision at meetings, and had sketches drawn up.  when the township approved their proposal, they worked with the compassionate friends organization and they coordinated the orders for the memorial bricks.

my parents' vision became a reality.  after all of the engraved bricks had been put into place, my parents organized a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony to officially open the memorial walkway.  on saturday, dozens of families gathered to open the memorial walkway and to see their childrens' bricks.  the names of the children where read, a prayer was given, and butterflies were released.

this petite little park has become an area where families can go to remember their children.  the end result is absolutely beautiful and i am so proud of my parents for all of their hard work organizing this very special walkway.

love, laurie

. . .

{photos by ryan and ryan's mom}

little letters

dear ryan,
i'm proud of us for finally organizing our files at home.  it is truly amazing how much stuff two people can accumulate.  i'm so happy that it is all nice and neat now.  thanks for your help!

dear september,
why does it have to get dark outside so early now?  i was really enjoying the daylight that lasted late into the evening hours during the summer months.

dear tivo,
our three-year subscription is about to expire in just a few weeks, and now we are faced with the decision of whether or not we should renew or start fresh with a new dvr from the cable company.  decisions, decisions.

dear gym membership,
i'm so glad that you are finally getting used!  although, i still don't understand why ryan is loosing weight so much faster than i am.  hummm.

dear leko,
i cannot believe that you are about to turn one!  even though you are considered to be an "adult" at one year old, i still think you are just a little kitten.

dear pool,
well i guess the time has come to finally say goodbye for the season.  i was so desperately hoping that it would get warm enough outside that we could squeeze in one last swim, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen.

dear ryan,
it's starting to feel like fall.  the temperature is changing and it has been significantly cooler this week than it was last week.  i can't wait to bundle up and enjoy autumn bike rides with you!

love, laurie

la festa italiana

eight years ago, ryan and i went on our very first date.  it was over labor day weekend, and we didn't go out to dinner or to the movies like most couples.  instead, we went to la festa italiana.  we were in college, and i didn't have a car, so ryan drove us downtown to the festival.  i remember being so incredibly nervous during that car ride, not knowing what to say.

we walked around the courthouse square and sampled the amazing variety of italian food at the festival.  at the end of the night, we stood on the corner of north washington avenue and linden street and watched the festival fireworks.  it was magical.

every year since then, it has been our tradition to go back to the italian festival over labor day weekend.  as we walk around the courthouse square each year, we reminisce about how nervous we were on that first date and how long ago it all seems.

over labor day weekend we kept our tradition alive and took two trips down to the italian festival.  of course we ate too much, and as usual the festival did not disappoint!

love, laurie

the west end fair

over labor day weekend

we took a trip to the west end fair with my mom.  

the weather was perfect

and we loved seeing all of the animals.  

you just can't beat a good old-fashioned fair,

there's nothing quite like it.

love, laurie

our labor day weekend

we sure did have a busy labor day weekend!  over the weekend . . .

. . . we went to a county fair.

. . . we had dessert at a new cafe with my parents.

. . . we took a hike around a nature preserve with my parents.

. . . we ate a ton of my mom's good cooking on my parent's back deck.

. . . we went to a local italian festival.

. . . we sat outside in the perfect weather and watched fireworks.

we also took some time to do a few necessary projects around our house that had been neglected for far too long.  we sure packed a lot into our labor day weekend, and of course, we ate way too much!

hope everyone had a great weekend!

love, laurie

happy labor day!

with labor day comes both the end of summer and the start of fall.  it's bittersweet in a way.  i'm sad to see summer end, and i will miss the bright colors, fresh fruit, beautiful flowers, warm weather, sundresses, swimming, late night ice cream dates, and sunshine that lasted into the late evening hours.  

however, i am looking forward to all of the wonderful things that only fall can offer: colorful leaves, pumpkin picking, caramel apples, a certain crispness in the air, and so much more.

since it's labor day, we have the day off from work today, and we plan on enjoying it!

happy monday!

love, laurie