Left All Alone

Last week Tom went to Hawaii. Without me.

Seen here:

To be honest this picture made me terribly happy. I woke up to it on his second day there. I had to smile.

I would say I had to busy myself, but there was plenty going on here.

I went out the Secret Bar with clients after work on Monday. I made a flying trip to Charlotte for a doctor appointment, ran a 10-mile race and spent two days with my Tri It for Life friends.

I did find sometime to get myself a hat. After turning 30 suddenly my fine lines don't seem so fine, and I think I can honestly say I have a decent sunspot on my right cheek. So I invested in something I will love wearing at the beach and by the pool. This is a selfie. I can't believe I know what that is much less took one.

My last night alone I finally broke down and made myself dinner. The tuna medallions were on sale at Teeter, so I seared tuna with his Adobo seasonings. I admit I did a good job. My favorite salad these days is half an avocado, cherry tomatoes and black olives with a bit of balsamic dressing. So good!

I also had the last Strawberry Abita in the fridge.

It was a nice week being my crazy self and spending too much time on projects and little things. I knew I would miss him, but I had no idea how very much. It was nice to see the difference between the ways things are and the way things were. Life is so much better when we are together.

In celebration of his return, I grabbed some daffodils at Trader Joe's today. I swear I've been skipping just knowing we would be home together tonight.

Baby Goodies Galore

Some of the latest and greatest...

Shrimp Remoulade-Stuffed Creole Tomatoes

I don't have a professional camera, but you get the jist of it.

Let me tell you they were delicious! The cool of the tomato juxtaposed by the sharp spice of the remoulade was amazing. 

This came out of my most recent Louisiana Cookin'. The recipe is here.

Loved this Quote

Cooper River Bridge Run

Despite the fact that we had some sort of stomach illness the week before the race, we had a great time in Charleston.

** Let it be known that more important than race week was Tom's thesis defense. ** God love him. It was the day after we got so sick. I missed it to lie in bed like a wet paper towel. I'm so proud of him though and am still sorry I missed being there to support my Love.

Anyway, two of the Florida folks raced with us. I intentionally took it easy as I was still having a hard time eating. I didn't set a record, but I once again loved the weekend.

Here we are at lunch after the race at Amen Street.

Not too shabby if I may say so myself.

We had dinner at High Cotton that evening. Everyone agreed it was a top notch meal. I was still picking at food, but luckily my appetite returned in full force for brunch the next morning at Husk.

I mean, let's face it. A trip to Charleston is a trip about eating. Maybe it is about drinking too. But really it is about eating.

At Husk that morning we shared biscuits and gravy for the table. Tom remembered someone ordering them last year. It was a good thing he did. They were delicious.

Now in North Carolina there is this pesky thing called Blue Laws. If you head to brunch on Sunday before noon, you will miss the chance to have a Mimosa or Bloody Mary. So I asked the waiter if we could drink. Hallelujah we were in luck!

I ordered a "Summah, Dhania" after having a sip of Tom's. The menu describes it with this: 

"Slow it down and stretch it out. Jalapeno macerated tequila, Aperol, cilantro simple syrup, fire roasted orange juice."

Seen here:

Basically, it was divine. With it I had a roasted quail a top stoneground grits, kale and two fried eggs. Heaven, I tell you. Heaven.

All in all the weekend was full of pedicab rides and libations and friends. Already looking forward to next year!