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August 28, 2014

cancer sucks...

Terms you never want to hear... Cancer, palliative care, hospice, months...

It's one thing to watch your parents age, but it's heart-breaking when it's a terminal illness. This blog is about finding happiness, but it's difficult to see the beauty in the world when you're hurting and watching pain and deterioration. 

The light is his spirit. So positive. I dread the day that spirit dies from the realization this battle can't be won. 

Cancer sucks. 

August 19, 2014

shark...


In the spirit of last week's shark week, the kids and I took a trip down to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. This particular viewing window is one of my absolute favorite places at the aquarium. My daughter decided to climb into it and lay back. It couldn't have been a more perfect image, with her relaxing, the shark above, and that school of sardines swimming for their lives.

pizza-on-the-grill...


(front: pepperoni & olive/canadian bacon & fresh pineapple)
 
I have discovered a new love.  Yes, a food love.  Yes, a pizza love. Yes, a grill love. About a year ago, I purchased a super fancy granite pizza stone from Williams Sonoma. It was so cool, but completely intimidating.  I also had a crap grill that didn't deserve this royal treasure on it. So, it sat. It sat unloved. Then, for some occasion (yes, sad that I can't remember which), either Mother's Day or my birthday, or anniversary, I got a new grill.  A beauty of a grill. A Weber. My plan was to dig up this fancy pizza stone and use it on my new grill. And then life happened. I soon forgot about my fancy pizza stone.

Then, I was out one day and I saw this simple little pizza stone that came with rocker pizza knife and a peel (you know that large spatula thing for picking up pizza). It was on sale, so I figured what the heck. I pulled it out of the box, threw the stone on the grill and threw together a pizza. I rummaged through the fridge and grabbed whatever I could: leftover hot links, pineapple chicken sausage, red onion, mushrooms, pineapple, salami, pepperoni, olives, zucchini, etc., etc. I bought some pizza dough from Trader Joes and made away. I was hooked. I even had awesome leftovers....which ended up falling out of the fridge the next day onto the floor.  (sad face).

A couple weeks goes by bringing us to today. Driving home from work, I wanted homemade pizza-on-the-grill. I ended up making 4 different thin crust "pies." Can you call it a pie if it's thin crust? Hmmmm.. Anyhoo, I'm in love. It's so easy to make, and I keep getting better!  Better with my toppings, precooking the crust a bit, and cooking time. I'm in love. Love with food. Love with pizza-on-the-grill.
(slices of shredded mozzarella, fresh mozzarella, sundried tomatoes, fresh basil, and fresh figs)

(larger version of slices above)