August

I love that years have seasons, phases to help mark the passing of time.

Autumn has always been my favorite which makes my ability enjoy the end of summer a little trying.

Plus this summer has already felt stretching and difficult and long.

But August has its upsides, and I don't want it to pass me by with out fully enjoying what it has to offer.

Here is a list of what I'm looking forward to this month...

29

This is the month I round out the third decade of my life, turning twenty nine! 

I love my birthday for its ease of remembering:

8 - 3 - 83

I used to hate my summer birthday because I never got a fun pencil and school party.

Here's a fun birthday breakdown to see how common your birthday is
(even if you'd rather believe its special, like I do).

Big Night

Just like the delightful movie "Big Night" 

(which you should immediately stream on Netflix if you've never seen it)

my mother is hosing a truly magical evening of great food and atmosphere.

I'm having close friends to her yard for many small courses,

broken up with drinks and music and dancing late into the night.

It will be a bella sera

Sneak Away

We have a wedding this month in West Virginia, and even though we could make the drive home,

we decided to splurge for a hotel room.

We have a mini bottle of champagne and a deck of cards and each other.

We have plans to sleep in sunday and hike, have "church" in a park, and eat a picnic lunch.

All these plans could be dashed if my head doesn't cooperate...

but even the idea of turning a simple wedding into a full weekend sneak away is delightful.

"Camp" Weekend

I love to go camping, and by "camping" I mean: 

renting a cabin with a group of friends that has full amenities. Then I make a cocktail and eat dip and laugh till it hurts.

Mid-month, we are going away with Neil's college friends - a group of unspeakably fun people. Its hard to believe didn't know them until I started dating Neil. Even though they aren't technically my friends, I couldn't be more excited to spend a weekend "roughing it" with this group. 

Olympics

I wish I could say I were looking forward to watching this.

I want to get swept up in the emotions.

But I have to admit that I feel just like my friend Tom - "meh"

(and he even persuaded me to feel "feh")

Sangria

It takes the two great items: fruit and wine, then lets them marinate.
I like this standard sangria recipe
but there's also this fresh recipe for peach mango pineapple white sangria

or go crazy with thai basil sangria
again, its fruit and wine, you can't go wrong!

Summer Movies

Remember all that talk about our Summer Movie Fantasy League?

Well Team Orbin is currently in first place!!

And on the weekend of Aug 17th the last three movies on our team are released

(poor planning there, but oh well)

So if you are too hot to stay outside, go and see one of these flicks and help clinch a victory:

Paranorman, Sparkle, Expendables 2

I will be at E2 because they got a new writer and new director since the first one,

(and I was one of the fans that didn't think there was anything wrong with the first one.)

Ordination
My wonderful friend Caitlin has put in many years of work to graduate from Seminary (and pass a crazy test and then get a wonderful job working in the prison systems.)
This month she will have the blessing of gathering her friends, family, mentors, and church to see her Ordination. I consider myself honored to be in that room of people... really I feel honored to have been with her along all those steps it took to get into that room.
I can't wait to whoop it up for my friend that has accomplished so much 

Re-vamps

This month we are doing an all out cleaning of our apartment.

(This is not something I look forward to.)

In doing so, we are changing some things around... and I love change!

New color bed sheets will do a lot for a girl.

We're also officially turning "the guest room" into

"THE PITT ROOM... that people can also sleep in"

Maybe we'll re-arrange kitchen furniture and switch up the living room, then I'll be oh so satisfied!

Anniversary

We get to celebrate our two year anniversary this month!!

Year 2 is the cotton anniversary, which has made gift planning fun and cottony.

Our exact plans for the day are interesting, to say the least, and I'll share more about them soon.

For now I can say, I've never been so happy to have my husband by my side.

Avocado Dip
I've made this avocado cream dip several times and I just don't think I could go back to guacamole any time soon. This stuff is just too dreamy and good!
I make the recipe with less oil and slightly less stock. I also completely ignore the tofu part (its a horrible tofu recipe) and I serve it with vegetables (zucchini strips or red peppers) or wheat thins or tortilla chips.... or I just eat this with a spoon.
You can pour it over a corn salsa or a bean dip or fish tacos .. or just eat it with a spoon!

Little Ones!!!

This month has a couple of special dates for little gherkins in our life.

My genius nephew (I said it, he's a genius) turns one!!!

and
Neil's cousin has a squeezable, perfect, little girl that also turns one on the same day!!
AND

My cousin Tony and his wife Katie are due to have a baby -
this is a little kid I cannot wait to love oh so very very suffocatingly much,
this child will begin to stiff arm my kisses as soon as it gains the upper body strength.


I hope you are enjoying the last month of the summer season. Feel free to share what ever it is you may be looking forward to, it might help pull me through this long month and into the fall.