Happy Monday!  I wanted to share some tidbits from my life last week as well as an accompanying photo recap with selections from my Instagram feed with you.  Here’s the buzz:

If I had to sum up my past week in three words, they would be: focus, make, and love.  All of these words apply so well to the circumstances and people that are at the forefront of my daily experience right now.  They are powerful words to reflect an exciting time of change in my life.  Things are shifting and it’s not always easy and it’s not always what I hope or expect, but that’s all part of the ride and I am loving it.  There’s something so invigorating about change, especially when it’s not in my comfort zone, that makes me feel alive.  I wouldn’t want live in a constant state of adrenaline and nervous excitement, but every once in awhile it’s good to rev up the engines.  There’s a lot of recalibrating going on in my public and private life and they are choices I’ve had the great fortune to make myself rather than be forced to make.  I recognize that this is a blessing and I am doing my best to stay present throughout it all even while my mind is racing a mile a minute with all of the possibilities.

All of that time spent focusing on recalibration can make a girl hungry!  I’m discovering more and more just how much my brain needs fuel like my body.  Lately I’ve been really into citrus, since it’s in season.  I had the great pleasure of trying Sumo Citrus, a tangerine-orange hybrid, last week.  Holy cow, how sweet!  I’ve been kicking myself all week for only buying two.  You can bet I’ll be coming home with a sack full next time I go to the store.  I find it’s important to make sure I have enough protein in my diet, as I tend to automatically reach for fruits and veggies first.  To me, there’s nothing like a juicy burger with all of my favorite fixings when I’m really hungry.  When I posted the photo in the collage above, I received a lot of comments and concerns about its doneness (or lack thereof).  I’ve eaten medium-rare burgers my entire life without issue, although I do recognize there is a greater risk for bacteria in doing so.  Please know that Don and I take extra care with the meats that we purchase.

The end of my week was all about LOVE and taking time to show my loved ones how much I care.  Every year I like to give little tokens of affection.  I usually send flowers or small gifts to those who live far away.  This year I decided to make a simple yet tasty treat for my family members who live close by.  Inspired by a photo I saw on Pinterest, I made Chocolate Dipped Rice Krispie Treats.  As you can see, they were well received by my niece, Grace.  I know that Valentine’s Day is a pretty commercial holiday, but I really enjoy the opportunity/excuse to show my loved ones I care with little gifts like this.

I also thought it’d be fun to share the Valentine’s Day love with an Instagram/Twitter giveaway.  There’s still time to enter!  You can find details on how here.  Please note that this giveaway ends at 6 PM tonight.

Don and I like to celebrate Valentine’s Day with each other in a bit of a grander fashion.  We decided to stop exchanging gifts a few years ago since it seemed like too much with our birthdays falling just a couple of weeks before the day of love (although, if you watch the video you’ll see that Don decided to break that agreement this year, not that I’m complaining 😉 ).  Instead, we find other ways to celebrate our love for one another.  This year, we decided to go on a day-ate (daytime date), that included a Chicago donut crawl and catching the new Fifty Shades of Grey movie.  We had quite the adventure!  I actually vlogged our day together if you’re interested in seeing how we spent Valentine’s Day:

We woke up to frigid wind chill temperatures on Sunday morning, but that didn’t deter me and Winnie from taking our morning constitutional.  We just bundled up and enjoyed the fresh air.  I took my Mom to see the Joffrey Ballet‘s winter program, Unique Voices.  I’ve loved going to the ballet ever since I was a little girl.  It’s a special tradition that my Mom and I still share.  When I returned home I was greeted by Don making homemade pasta for the first time using the pasta maker I bought him for his birthday.  Words cannot describe how scrumptious it was with his homemade bolognese sauce.  My weekend was filled with love and joy!  I can’t think of a better way to wrap up the week than to be surrounded by people and things (and pups) that I love.

That sums up the highlights from my week.  I’d love to hear from you about your week if you care to share!
Take good care…

* This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are genuinely my own. *