Orzo Salad

Oh yum. Jon and I were at Whole Foods a month or so ago and I was shoveling a ton of food from their supremely marvelous buffet into my $7.99/lb To Go box. Pricey but sooo good, fresh, and tasty. Among the variety of curried tofu I scooped into the box, there was this wonderfully light orzo with veggies and feta. I don't recall ever having orzo before but I'm happy I tried it 'cause it was LIP-SMACKIN' GOOD! UM!

Since then I've made it twice. The first batch was just as good as Whole Foods' and the second batch turned out kinda dry and tasteless. Definitely needed more salt and lemon juice. But hey, as long as it looks good in the picture, no one will ever know...

Oh. And for all you eco-lovin', green, organic types who tend to give me a hard time for being from Texas (full of shotgun toting, red-neck, planet-littering, red-meat-only types, of course...)

Off the top of your head:
Where do you think Whole Foods was started?
And where is it headquartered today?

Check your Whole Foods 365 Everyday Brand labels.

Uh huh. That's what I thought.

Chives!

This past Saturday I saw the prettiest, most healthy herb garden I've ever seen at a beautiful home in the woods of Yacolt, WA. The garden thrived with basil, lemon oregano, parsley, rosemary, and the chives pictured above. Aren't those pink flowers beautiful? Plus, I'm sure I missed a bunch of other herbs growing in the same vicinity that I simply didn't recognize. So wonderful to see such a mighty collection of herbs.

Group Shot from Derek & Angie's Wedding

Okay, I had to add some more pics from Oahu. Derek & Angie's photographer, Susanne Pridoehl did such a fabulous job. She did an incredible job exposing in full-on sunlight from 9am and on. I'm just amazed at the color and clarity, especially since she was shooting into the sun for most of the ceremony. Amazing. I'm in awe at her skills.

Friends Let Friends Shoot Friends

Josh gettin' his mug on.

Many thanks to my buddy, Josh, for being my guinea pig and partner in crime as we waded through manuals and the fabulous Strobist.
I'm just starting to put my toe in the water when it comes to balancing flash with ambient so there's plenty of improvement to be had, but I'm glad I finally jumped in--with Josh's discerning help, of course.

Here's a test shot from our impromtu session on my back deck.

The Groomsman & Bridesmaid

Another pic from Derek & Angie's Wedding this past April in Oahu. What a cute groomsman & bridesmaid. I dunno...something tells me there's more to this couple than just opposite sides of a wedding party. Must be the eye contact and "come hither" smile they're giving each other...

Completely gorgeous wedding! We were so blessed and fortunate to be a part of it!

Here are some pics from their photographer:

Derek & Angie are GORGEOUS.

Derek looks sweet in his faux hawk. No really. I mean that.

Super Hot Angie!!!

I love this pic of the guys!!!

Luscious Lemon...

I admit it. I made these lemon bars over a month ago, managed to eat half the 8x8 pan, left the rest in the fridge, and decided I couldn't & shouldn't eat the rest of the pan by myself. Since it was so old I definitely didn't want to give it out to friends or bring it to a church potluck. So I finally hauled out the rest a few days ago in order to take its portrait.

After taking several shots, off they went into the trashcan under the sink, never to be seen again.

And me? I didn't feel so bad about their sad demise since I'd gotten some shots out of it...