05/18/2018
No, you’re right, it wasn’t actually spring break. Like anyone’s spring break. Parker’s was the second week of March and Aaron’s was the fourth week of March, but somehow our schedules had us planning a spring break during the last week of April. Aaron was going to be there for work over the weekend so we booked tickets to tag along and decided to call is spring break. If you are just popping in for the first time and have skipped the last six years of this blog, here’s the cliff’s notes: We lived in LA for ten years and then moved back to Austin almost two years ago. Los Angeles is full of some of the sweetest memories for me, especially of Parker’s first two years of life, as well as some of my best friends who have known … 
I’m certain each of us here could sound off about all of the things there isn’t time for. “Not enough hours in the day!” we would say and heads would nod in agreement. Dinner, for me, sometimes feels like one of them, but I’m bound and determined to make eating dinner together at home a priority. It’s pure chaos sometimes getting everyone around a table with a hot meal in front of them, but practice is making it easier and the payoff– watching Ever’s expressions as she eats, entranced as … 
I know that it’s summer here in Austin, not by the recent temps in the high eighties or the inaugural mosquito bites that I’ve received as afternoons creep towards dusk, but by the three text inquiries I’ve received from friends in the last week asking if I have any recommendations on good shorts– of the wardrobe not stock market variety. I went boldly to respond to the first and then realized… I didn’t. One friend even called me out saying, “This is your job!” If I’m being honest, I … 
In the same way that the final days of December will undoubtedly produce a plethora of resolutions, the dawning of spring sparks a need to freshen things up. Winter coats are taken upstairs to Ever’s closet because she can’t yet talk and tell me not to do such things. Rugs are shaken outdoors and their hidden treasure trove of dust and crumbs beneath them swept out for the first time in far too long. Potted plants that didn’t survive the winter (or my unwillingness to use a ladder and retrieve them from the top shelf in the living … 
It’s finally that time in Austin where the weather is still cool enough in the evenings to enjoy a meal outside without getting attacked by bugs or sweating instantly. The longer days make it perfect for an enjoyable evening meal outdoors. In celebration of this amazing (yet short lived) weather, I’m sharing my favorite Al Fresco recipes this month. Al Fresco is a style of dining that is casual, “in cool air” or outdoors, and often shared with friends or a special someone. To start, a gluten free, dairy free pasta recipe that Chase … 
