What is a "Fighting Daisy?"

I've been temporarily away from this blog due to a schedule overload. In the meantime, I thought I'd update you on some of what my time away has consisted of...anybody up for a particularly memorable road trip to Hyannis, MA? I promise you, it's well worth the drive...

Farming in Sicily

My good friend Juhee, who just graduated from college in May, has been traveling ever since her graduation. She has been trekking through Spain, farming in Sicily, cooking in Dubai, and is now in Korea probably eating pork belly and drinking beer.

Her photographs from Sicily are beautiful, so I thought I would share a few of them here.








If you'd like to see more, you can see them here.

Friday Find: Mac&Cheese&Chocolate

Okay, so it wasn't so much of a "Friday" find as it was a "last Sunday transformed to Friday find for the sake of my blog." Nonetheless, the Macaroni and cheese and chocolate dish from Jack's Bistro in Baltimore was phenomenal. I've never had such a simple, yet unique dish before. Five cheeses + perfectly al dente shells + Belgian chocolate shavings. Magnifique.

Aside from spending the evening with a delicious dish, we also shared our feast with friends Rob and Nicole...both are foodies in their own right. (Nicole and I share a love for all things sweet, which helped our friendship blossom immensely while biking together across the country last summer.)

Mother's Day Weekend/Friday Find

This weekend is Mother's Day Weekend! Make sure to thank your mother, grandmother, aunt, or any women who have played a crucial role in your life, for all that they have done for you.

I am hopping on a train this evening after work to go to PA and surprise my mom for mother's day :) Her birthday was last weekend, and when I talked to her on the phone she was so upset because she thought I wasn't coming home to visit until next month. I am so excited to see the look on her face when I walk through the door tonight! She has a habit of becoming particularly emotional when surprised, so I'm getting ready for the waterworks...

I also bought her these beautiful earrings from the non-profit my lovely friend, Jules, works for: Empowering Women International. They have an Etsy shop too (my Friday Find)! You should check it out! All of the jewelry is handmade by refugee women who are making a life for themselves through crafts(wo)manship here in the US. EWI provides them with the capability to market their items, and also raises money to help support their organization's cause.

{Amazonite Nugget Bracelet, via here}

Do you have anything special you are doing for your mommy/mommy figure?

Happy Friday!

Little Reminders

{via here}

Salman is in Texas this week visiting family, so I'm home on my own trying to get through a week by myself. Luckily, I have Oregon here to keep me company and plenty busy!

Last night my friend Nicole came over for a girls' night of food and movies. We watched Bridget Jones's Diary and ate Moorenko's Honey Lavender ice cream. This is the second time I've watched the movie, but I forgot how much Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy can make your heart melt. As cheesy as it may sound, he reminded me of Salman- understanding, comforting, quorky at times, handsome (of course) and someone who loves me "just the way I am."

{via here}