3 on Thursday

I'm so happy to have finally gotten back into a [more] normal routine.  I am back to cooking regularly, and I am working my way back into a regular gym routine (baby steps).  It feels good to behave like a normal person...though all that routine is going to go out the door when I leave a week from today for a wedding + trip home.  Oh well!  I am way to excited about the trip to worry about how it impacts my routine.

1. Time to call it like it is: work is bad this week.  Seems like everything that could go wrong, did.  You know it's bad when you send a text saying it's the worst week in a while and it's not even noon on a Tuesday.  Even the fact that I received a major promotion did little to cheer me up (like how I slipped that news in there?!).  But that's not fair.  Those major moments should be celebrated, even if work is crummy.  The perfect acknowledgement came on Tuesday evening (the day of the promotion).  Albert asked if he could pick up something he left at my apartment while I was at book club and I said that was fine.  When I got home, I immediately noticed that he had picked up what he needed, but it took me a few minutes to realize there was a vase filled with roses on my dining table along with a note congratulating me on my promotion and reminding me the week will get better.  I was so surprised - speechless, even.  I had spent two days at work frowning, but this definitely brought a smile to my face.  The note he scribbled alongside the flowers serves as the background for today's collage.  
2. For a Southern girl who spent a few months living in France, this cookbook is pretty much perfect.  It is labeled "Classic Southern Cooking with a French Twist."  Using food to bring together my two favorite regions - can't wait to dig into this one.  And it's a signed copy!
3. This week I tried one of Gail's picks from the latest issue of Oprah - truffle popcorn.  Overpriced, obviously, but so good.  There is no reason why I couldn't make this myself - it would be a great item to have out for snacking at parties.