reincarnation.

I think that my grandma is living in my backyard. I have been observing a butterfly that landed on my leg this weekend. She flew around and landed on my leg and wouldn't leave. Even after shaking my leg I couldn't get her to fly away. She finally flew off of my leg and landed on the table next to me. I saw her again chilling on one of the posts in my backyard the next day. Then, tonight I found her sitting on a flower pot. A few hours later I went to see if she was still there and she was in the same spot. Then she fluttered around a bit and landed on the chord of my outdoor lights. I am not sure why but I am positive this is my grandma reincarnated as a butterfly. She came back to watch over me.

I can't help but wonder however what this means in the caste system. My grandma was an amazing woman. Insects aside she has been given wings to fly around the world. Something I am sure she never was able to do. Despite her ability to take flight, she is always here for me. Watching over me. Surviving the heat and rain.

Budgeting.

Being a grown up is difficult and when you have to millions of expenses to account for and all of your money in one account the lines begin to blur. How much money do I need to make sure I have in my account to pay my necessary expenses while being able to have a little fun at the same time? And I am pretty terrible at remembering that my fun budget isn't as big as I think it is and usually end up in the red each month.

Well starting Monday I think I am going to go to the envelope system. My friend Kate was telling me about how her and her husband budget by using Dave Ramsey's system of keeping envelopes of cash for each expense. The problem is I'm afraid I need to have a lot of envelopes!

1. Rent

2. Bills

3. Food

4. Clothing

5. Clothing

6. Clothing

7. Travel

8. Travel

9. Beauty (hair, eyebrows, etc.)

That is only 9 and it is already exhausting! Although on a positive note I think that it will make shopping more fun. When my clothing budget gets full I can go and indulge in whatever I want and not feel guilty that I am spending. I think that it will make for a good change in my life!

Ill keep my non-existent readers informed as to how this lifestyle change works out!

Fresh Herbs.

I have been enjoying my new house and indulging in a little bit of cooking. It has taken some adjusting because I have my first gas stove and oven. When I first started my oven I quickly realized that there is no temperature gauge. I bought a temp. meter and since have had to work with some trial and error. Equally as difficult has been learning how to cook on an open flame. My recent cooking endeavor was fresh pesto with cooked tomatoes from the OKC Farmers market.

My recipes are a bit difficult to convey because I tend to introduce ingredients on a tasting basis but I'll attempt to give a recipe....

First, a bunch of basil, about 1/4 cup of pine nuts, clove of garlic. Mix these ingredients in the food processor until mixed into a paste. Pour in olive oil streaming while the mixture continues to spin. Then, add about enough parmesan cheese to cover the top of your mixture in the food processor. Mix again until smooth.

Now like I said I tend to do a lot of taste testing before becoming content with my sauce. I added more pine nuts, more olive oil, AND more parmesan before finishing.

Cook your tomatoes in olive oil face down on the stove in a non-stick pan. As they begin to get tender I would suggest smashing them with your cooking utensil of choice so that the juice mixes with the olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Put your cooked noodles on top of the tomatoes and then pour over the pesto mixture. Stir the ingredients together until the pesto evenly coats the pasta.

And finally, cover your pasta with parmesan and a pinch full of pine nuts.

I would suggest enjoying this with a nice glass of wine but it has been so hot in Oklahoma about the only thing I can stand is a jug of water!

Oklahoma Bound.

Where 69 meets 40,
There's a single stop light town,
And back when I was really young,
A part of that burned down,
On any given Friday night,
We'd drive a hundred miles,
Between the Sonic and the Grocery Store,
Laughing all the while,
With as many friends as I could pack,
In my daddy's Ford,
But I ain't in Checotah anymore.

My hotel in Manhattan,
Holds more people than our town,
And what I just paid for dinner,
Would be a down payment on a house,
I'd rather be tipping cows in Tulsa,
Than hailing cabs here in New York,
But I ain't in Checotah anymore.

I'm in a world so wide,
It makes me feel small sometimes,
I miss the big blue skies,
the Oklahoma kind.

In a world of long red carpets,
The bright lights of Hollywood,
All the paparazzi flashing,
Could make a girl feel pretty good,
You can get anything you want here,
Except a Wal-Mart store,
But I ain't in Checotah anymore.

I'm in a world so wide,
It makes me feel small sometimes,
I miss the big blue skies,
the Oklahoma kind.

Where the Wildcats beat the Ironheads,
Old Settler's day and the Okrafest,
After prom, down at the bowling lanes,
Catching crappie fish in Eufaula lake,
I ain't in Checotah anymore.

I'm in a world so wide,
It makes me feel small sometimes,
I miss the big blue skies,
the Oklahoma kind,
But I ain't in Checotah,
No I ain't in Checotah,
Oh, there's nothing like Oklahoma.

Where 69 meets 40,
There's a single stoplight town.

Thank you Carrie Underwood for being from Oklahoma and understanding exactly what I am going through.

Despedido.

Well it is finally here. 8 Hours until the customs official says to me, "Welcome Home Miss Mills". This has been an incredible summer. I couldn't have picked a better post and I have made wonderful lifelong friends. Tonight is my despedido and we will be going, don't fall over from shock, to Citron. What better place to send me off than my favorite restaurant? We reserved the place for 25 people due to a high volume of RSVPs. I can't believe I have met so many people!?!

So here is the lowdown. I wouldn't have changed this summer for the world. Every single part of it was magical and I would do it all over again. That being said...I am SO SO SO happy to come home. I have missed Oklahoma more than I ever thought possible. Maybe this tired ole traveling soul is ready to stay State side and put some roots down into her rental property of a house in Norman.

See you all tomorrow.

5 days 17 hours.

Today marks 5 days and 17 hours until I land in Dallas. I arrive at 1:10 p.m. and head straight north to my home. I am dying to get there. Hopefully this week will fly by and before I know it I will be sitting 1st class on my way.

I am a little scared to come home. Things have changed so much while I have been here. It will be wonderful to see my family and friends.

And here is a quote for everyone to think about today.

"it hurts to love someone and not be loved in return, but what is most painful is to love someone and never find the courage to let the person know how you feel."

Enjoy your day and please tell anyone and everyone that you love how you feel. You never know what tomorrow might bring.

Peace!

A List.

So I have to say that I have made the A list in El Sal. Only here for 2 months and I am on the "society" page. Ha ha. Thought you guys might think this was funny. Enjoy! Blur magazine has no idea what they have gotten themselves into.