"The earth laughs in flowers."

I'm just a leeeeeettle obsessed with how much the flowers have just gone bonkers suddenly! It's spring! It's spring! It feels like summer, but my, how it is spring. It was worth the long wait. It seemed to take forever for the trees to turn green, let alone for anything to flower, but with a couple days of good rain followed by sun and summer-like temperatures... the neighborhoods are heavy with unbelievable blossoms. I don't think I've ever noticed them so intense. And our own little lilac bush, never in the sunniest spot, has more flowers on it than I've seen in recent memory.

Just a little obsessed. ;)

All of these were taken around the house. The plant life is simply taking over. I love it! And the quote in the post title is attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson.

On a separate, less lovely note, I was unfortunately not selected for the majorest of the major scholarships for school. Although I'm awaiting the verdict on one last opportunity, I'm pretty set to throw in all my chips and take out loans. It's the way it works, but at least from here on out I can focus on the school-and-travel aspect of things -- visa, airfare, accommodation, etc. -- rather than money, money, money, all the time money. It really is tiresome, and there is so much more to be enjoyed and looked forward to than how much it's all going to cost.

It will be worth it!

Days to Edinburgh move-in: 110

A craaaazy weekend!

This weekend has been full of crazy. And I mean in the best-possible-way kind of crazy. A wonderful, baffling, sunny and shiny weekend. 

I don't know what it is about springtime -- the warmer weather, the leaves on the trees, the ability to go outside without throwing on a coat, parka or caribou hide. Yesterday I bared my legs under a dress for the first time in like... years. I know, right? I know. Fire alarms were going off at work for no apparent reason, which sort of set the tone for weirdness. I also spent a ton of money at the mall today, and I never go to the mall, preferring to shop boutiques or online. My sisters and I got together on Friday night for dinner to celebrate [a couple of things], and down the grapevine I've heard of a couple marriage engagements and several first-home purchases and so on... it's got to just be that time of year. Sister Ali expresses my own feelings of "whaaat?" quite nicely:

She also made a killer chocolate mousse using avocado (!!) with homemade whipped cream and fresh-baked snickerdoodles. I love her:

Maddy and Ali prepped dessert; I just enjoyed it. They are so wonderful. I should just use this moment to say how much having sisters totally rules. And I've got a couple of gems for siblings. All our birthdays are in April, so springtime naturally finds us together for celebrating and enjoying one another's company. 

As far as dinner was concerned, my contributions consisted of the side dishes. The fruit salad was one, and my all-time favorite roasted asparagus was the other.

This is my go-to veggie dish. It's amazingly easy and quite quick, and super-duper yummy. I have it a couple times per week usually. If you like asparagus, I feel this is the tastiest way have it at home. All you need is a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

Roasted Asparagus

Serves 4 as a side

1 bunch asparagus (about a pound or so)

2 tsp olive oil

pinch kosher salt

cracked pepper

Preheat oven to 400F. Crack off the thick ends of the asparagus at their natural breaking point. Spread them out on a non-stick cookie sheet and drizzle the olive oil over the asparagus. The oil should just coat the asparagus, making them shine slightly, without much left over. If you need to add a little more, do so sparingly. Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste. Using your hands, mix the ingredients on top of the pan, thoroughly coating the asparagus and spreading it out evenly around the pan.

Roast asparagus for 12-15 minutes or until browned slightly, the tips just a little crispy. Serve immediately.