5 Cheers for Friday

I decided that at the end of the week it would really benefit me to look back and think of 5 good things that happened that past week. Whether it be something I accomplished, something I did to make someone else's day better, or something someone did for me to brighten my day. My work life has been so crazy and stressful lately that I think looking back on the good things that happened will be the perfect way to end the week. So, here goes my first 5 cheers for Friday...

1. These beautiful tulips that were sent to me. These were from the Executive Director at another community in our company because I helped her out putting into place a best practice at her community.

2. Donald Driver winning Dancing With the Stars. He has been my favorite football player since I can remember. Since I was little mom and I ALWAYS watched the Packer games together every Sunday. I love DWTS and was SO excited when I found out he was going to be on. He has such an amazing attitude and the best smile I've ever seen. He totally deserved to win!

Source

3. At some point in the week realizing that the upcoming weekend will be 3 days long, and realizing that no matter what is going on at work you are not going to stress about it over your long weekend. Leave it for Tuesday.

4. Taking a few extra minutes to stop at Caribou for an iced coffee. YUM. Totally starts my morning off right.

5. Having one of my residents call me beautiful. Just makes my day.


I hope everyone else had a wonderful week and has a safe and happy Memorial day!

xoxo
Dory

Always remember...

"Faith in God includes faith in His timing" ~Neal A. Maxwell

I need to tell myself this more. Especially now, at this point in my life.

xoxo
Dory

Spicy Turkey Meatball Subs

I love Italian food. YUM. Unfortunately, lots of pasta and pizza don't go with my diet. Here are some spicy turkey meatball subs that are super easy to make and taste delish...and they're healthy too!
Recipe slightly adapted from here.

Start with lean ground turkey

Chop some onion

Chop some garlic

Add some bread crumbs

Some fresh ground pepper

A couple of egg yolks

A few spices

Some grated parm. Form into meatballs (I usually make pretty big ones)

Add to a hot pan (I usually do medium-high)

Flip after a minute or so (I like mine a little crispy) and cook about 10 minutes, turning occasionally

Add your marinara sauce and let simmer

Voila...grate some more parm on top. Add to a hoagie roll or a bun. We use Target brand wheat hot dog buns because they are tasty and super big. I like my bun toasted. Don't mind the unprofessional picture showing a piece of crispy bun I took off to taste...I was hungry!

YUM. Yes, I do eat these with a fork. I haven't mastered how to eat a sub like this without making a huge mess.

Enjoy!

Healthy Spicy Turkey Meatball Subs

Approx 1 lb lean ground turkey

1/4 c. bread crumbs (I use Italian style)

1-2 Tbs grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (get the block of the real stuff, it is SO worth it!)

Oregano to taste (about 1-2 tsp)

Basil to taste (about 1-2 tsp)

Cayenne Pepper to taste (about 1-2 tsp depending on how spicy you want it)

Garlic Powder (optional)

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1-2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes, depending on how spicy you want it

1 clove chopped fresh garlic

1/2 of an onion, finely chopped

2 egg yolks

1 large jar Marinara Sauce

Hoagie rolls or buns of your choice (I use Target brand whole wheat hot dog buns and they taste yummy)

Mix together turkey meat, spices, cheese, egg, bread crumbs, onion and garlic just until combined.

Form meat into meatballs. Do whatever size you like, just adjust the cooking time if they are a bit smaller.

 Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.

Add meatballs and let brown, about 1-2 minutes each side.

Cook meatballs for about 10 minutes, turning down heat if necessary.

Add marinara sauce (I turn the heat way down before adding for two reasons, so the sauce doesn't splatter and so it doesn't burn).

Make sure the sauce is covering the meatballs.

Cook, covered, for another 10 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat is 165 degrees.

Toast your rolls if you like.

Add 2-3 meatballs per roll.

Spoon some extra sauce on top.

Grate some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on top.

Enjoy! Yum Yum Yum...

xoxo

Dory

Sunshine

Sunshine...I love it. Sunny days just put me in a good mood. Sunny days make my commute a little more warm and cozy and bearable. Sunny days give me the energy to get home and go for a run after work. Now that the days are getting longer, and I get to see the sun more than an hour or two a day, I find that I am in a happier person in general. I love waking up in the morning with the sun streaming in. Today in Minnesota it is supposed to be around 70 degrees and sunny. Pretty perfect, and that means I am one happy girl.

Source

Lately

The past week has been pretty great. Kevin and I have kept ourselves pretty busy between work, working out and cooking some new dishes. This past weekend we went to a family member's wedding in Rochester and got to see my in-laws, Kevin's brother Chris and his girlfriend Holly, their sweet adorable son Miles and lots of other family members. Momma-in-law and I danced the night away and it was a blast. Things at work are finally starting to settle down so I feel like I can finally catch my breath a little bit. I'm sure it won't be that way for long so I'll enjoy it while I can. I also uploaded the update for the MapMyRUN app and got a pleasant surprise today when, during my run (did I mention today was absolute perfect, amazing, beautiful running weather?), a man's voice chimed in at every mile telling me the duration of my run thus far, the distance, and my pace per mile. I hadn't realized how fast I was running (8 min 43 sec miles are pretty quick for me) and it really encouraged me to keep up the pace. Not gonna lie, I was pretty excited about it. When I got home I found Kevin at the grill with this lovely little dish...



...have I told you how much I LOVE grilled veggies? I think I have, but if I haven't, I absolutely adore them. He eventually made it into this...

...added another tortilla on top, back on the grill to crisp it up, add some salsa on top of that, soooo good!

Now we are done eating, just got done watching Dancing With the Stars (so in love with Donald Driver), and now onto the new Hawaii Five-0 (by the way...Monday's are my absolute favorite TV nights), and I have these two as my company...

...my two boys. Aren't they cute all snuggled up? Diesel is still exhausted from all the running around he did this weekend, and it's pretty nice to have a tired pup. This coming weekend we get to head back to Rochester for Miles' 1st Birthday party, and we can't wait to watch him open presents and demolish his cake.

Oh...and to make my night even better...new Woman's Day AND Vanity Fair came tonight. Pretty pumped. It's the little things...remember?

I hope everyone had as great a week as I had!

xoxo

Dory









May Day

Happy May Day! I totally forgot this little holiday until one of my sweet colleagues (thanks, Ika!!!) brought me this today...

...some pretty African Violets. I remember May Day at Manz Elementary. We always made May Baskets and walked around the surrounding neighborhoods bringing them to the doors of the senior citizens in the area. They were so happy to see us and we were so beyond happy to get out of class and get some fresh air after a long winter. Getting these flowers today made me realize how excited I am that it is May, because Kevin and I have so much to look forward to this spring/summer. The next few weekends will be very busy for us, from a family wedding to a friend's baby shower to our sweet adorable nephew's 1st birthday (cannot believe he will be 1!). A couple of weekends later it is my cousin's first bridal shower, and it will be special since she is the only female 1st cousin I have. My sister will also be in town for the event, and I cannot wait to see her. Her super crazy busy life in D.C. means I don't get to see her nearly enough. We are also taking a trip to Colorado for a family friend's wedding in June, where we will spend our 1 year wedding anniversary. So for me, today definitely is a happy May Day!

How was your May Day?

Did you do anything special for May Day in school as a kid?

What are you looking forward to this Spring?

xoxo

Dory

Africa

Lately I have really been missing one thing...Africa. Two years ago I spent 10 weeks in Tanzania. It was the most amazing trip I have ever been on. I learned to speak Swahili, had some unbelievable experiences, learned so much and made amazing friends. I worked at an orphanage and a nursery school, teaching English and other subjects. I absolutely adored my kids and still think about them often. I stayed in Moshi, a town at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Kili was the backdrop of my stay, and took my breath away every single day I was there and looked up at her. I got to climb to the first camp of Kili, and want to return some day to make the 6 day trek to the top and back. Being there for 10 weeks gave me a special advantage. I became more than a tourist. I became part of the culture and community. I made friends who I still keep in touch with. If you don't know, Tanzanian's are the most friendly, welcoming and warm people on the planet. Moshi became my home, and I miss it dearly. I can't wait to return and bring Kevin with me. Africa is a special place. Before I left, people told me that I would leave a piece of my heart there, and they were absolutely correct. This trip was very special to me because in college my major was Global Studies (essentially global political science) with a focus on Governance and Politics in Africa, and I was working and learning in the place I had studied for so long. I have been very lucky and have been many places in my life. I love to travel, and my parents made sure that  my sister and I were able to do so growing up. I traveled to Germany alone when I was 17 to meet my sister, who was studying there, and had my 18th birthday there. We traveled from Germany to Austria to Italy to France. I got to study at La Sorbonne in Paris for a month in the summer between my 2nd and 3rd year in college, and had my 21st birthday there. I also got to stay for an extra two weeks and travel around France and Germany with my sister, who had been living and working in Greece and Germany. Besides my oversea's travels my parents also made sure that we saw all that the US has to offer. We made more than a couple of road trips through the Black Hills and Badlands, to Colorado or Wyoming, visiting the sites along the way. I really want to make this trip with Kevin, because he has never been to the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, and those fun places like The Corn Palace and Wall Drug. My mom made sure to make time to take a trip to NYC with me to see the sites and go to a Broadway play. There have also been trips to Washington D.C. (where my sister lives now), California, Florida, North Carolina, a road trip to Georgia (high school senior spring break and one of the funnest trips ever) Dominican Republic (once for our honeymoon, and another time along with other tropical stops like the Virgin Islands on a cruise), and I'm sure I'm missing some more. Once you've traveled, you become addicted to traveling, and want to see everything and go everywhere. Some places are more memorable or meaningful than others, and some stick with you so strongly that they become part of you. That's how I feel about Africa.

I have, in the past, started a list of places I'd like to travel. I've given up because I end up putting everywhere I can possibly think of on the list. Like I said, I want to go everywhere, AND go back to those places I've been.

The two peaks of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The most famous is on the left.

Moshi town

Ngorongoro Crater. This was where we had part of our Safari

Small picture but here are my adorable kids!

On Safari

Your turn...

What was your most memorable vacation/trip?
Do you plan to go back to that place?
Do you love to travel like I do?
What places on your "to go" list?


xoxo
Dory