Early September Days

I'm so bad at blogging, you guys. If a picture is really worth a thousand words, this is going to be a great post though. Without further ado, here is an update on my life:

Dogs:
They are so cute, but also they are monsters who make a lot of noise, destroy stuff, and poop on the floor sometimes.

Banjo waiting for Darla to come home. 

best friend time

bookends taking a nap

just hanging out

They really didn't like when I went outside without them.

the sun is so bright and blinding 

relaxing evenings

Banjo with Darla on her birthday. 

Darla: 

Darla's birthday was on the Friday the thirteenth, but she was working that day so on Wednesday I took her downtown for some exploring and fun. 

We got lunch at some food carts. Darla had Korean from this place and I had Greek. 

We visited the famed Voodoo Doughnuts as well. 

I devoured my doughnut too fast for photographic evidence, but Darla had these delicious treats. 

A random man in a wheelchair wordlessly handed Darla this flower as we were walking down the street. 

We went to Powell's City of Books, too. I found about a thousand things I wanted. 

Friday night Darla held a Google Hangout for her birthday, since her friends live all over the country. People were in attendance from Seattle, Lincoln, Orlando, and Los Angeles.  We were all drinking, and the night became progressively weirder. Shenanigans ensued.

Hanging out with JP and Nick's eye patch. (More people showed up later.)

Selfies, obviously. 

Food: 

I am bad at grocery shopping. 

Darla and I visited a local grocery store and bought some little goodies. When I say local I mean it is Oregon owned and they sell a lot of stuff that is locally sourced. There is an exquisite cheese section, a wonderful bakery, a magnificent soup and salad bar, plus the largest selections of salsas and flatbreads I have ever seen. Extra bonus: everyone who worked there was very nice and there were free samples of lots of different foods. 

Just look at how beautiful the produce section is. 

We saw this recipe on Pinterest and decided we had to have it: pulled chicken breasts with gravy and homemade mashed potatoes with green beans. I drank apple cider with it. 

Last week I made delicious Mexican food. Plain brown rice is more economical than buying packs of Spanish rice, so I seasoned it myself (using taco powder, chicken broth, and cilantro).

One of my coworkers suggested this meal because it is cheap and tasty. I bought fresh broccoli, which I "steamed" using a covered sauté pan and a little water. It was really good and reminded me of the broccoli my grandparents used to make. 

Et Cetera: 

Football is back and the Broncos are amazing! I watched the season opener at the pub near my apartment. This week Matt FaceTimed the game with me. (Also, you may have noticed that I dyed my hair back to dark brown and trimmed my bangs.) 

I returned the crate Winston broke, which was great for my bank account. Unfortunately, it left our dining room looking exactly like a hobo camp.