A Little Birdy Told Me

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Thanks to everyone for your concern and heartfelt comments you left on my last post about my stolen iPhone.  I have been just sick over it.

The money that it’s costing me to replace it is almost $250 even though I have insurance (that’s half a Kitchen Aid stand mixer I was wanting to buy) compounded with not having my phone until the new one arrives (hopefully Wednesday), having to take time to re-set and re-program the new phone is all a royal pain.   Plus, as many of you said, the sense of violation of that comes from having someone steal. I hope there is a special place in hell for thieves.  And as many of you pointed out, karma is real.

It was sad to read about the things you have had stolen, too.  Sigh. I am so sorry that many of you have experienced something stolen over the years.  Thanks for the comments and for being awesome readers and friends.  It was comforting to read everyone’s comments and swap stories.

Moving on and speaking of awesome friends, I had a fun afternoon on Tuesday because I met up with Marla!

Marla sitting in front of patterned wall with blue jacket

We took pictures of each other with my camera.  Didn’t even bother having a stranger try to get one of us together because the camera is big and heavy.  And I didn’t want anyone to touch it or steal it.  Kidding.

Averie in front of patterned wall

We met at the same Starbucks we did last time.

starbucks storefront

We drank coffee and had an awesome gabfest for two hours.  The time flew by!

Averie's starbucks cupThey spelled my name wrong again but I was in need of a cafe misto and spelling doesn’t matter when caffeine is in order.

Marla and I both have a passion for photography, blogging, traveling, and are both moms so there’s never a break in conversation.

Marla is super high energy and so am I and we both can talk and talk, a mile a minute, and not come up for air.

It’s great when I meet someone like that!  It’s like, ahhhh, she can keep up with my nonstop talking, questions, and chatterfest.    Because she is the same way!

Marla sitting in front of patterned wall with blue jacket

Averie in front of patterned wall

As we were leaving, we noticed the beautiful rows of flowers off in the distance but were pressed for time so this is the best my zoom lens could do.

Rows of orange and pink flowers in the distance

I adore Marla.  She is just an awesome woman, mom, blogger, photographer, cook, and friend.  She also happens to be having a giveaway for Medjool dates on her site right now, so if you’d like to make something like…

Raw Vegan Dark Chocolate Fudge Balls (GF)

Raw Vegan Dark Chocolate Fudge Balls

 

Or…

Raw Vegan Chocolate Brownies (GF)

Raw Vegan Chocolate Brownies

Enter Marla’s Date Give Away so you can get busy making recipes with dates.  Which is pretty much anything in raw/vegan un-baking.

I also wanted to mention another friend and her small business opportunity.  It’s a system created to help bloggers, working people, and stay at home moms become a marketing consultant for small businesses.

My friend told me there are over 25 million small businesses that need your help and no marketing experience is required.  I have not tried the system personally but I wanted to help my friend build her business.  Click Here if you’re interested in learning more.

A little birdy told me I should make some Chipotle Salsa Lentils with Mixed Vegetables tonight.

Chipotle Salsa Lentils with Mixed VegetablesOne pot, 30 minutes from start to finish, vegan, gluten free, and incorporates one of my favorite condiments: salsa plus chipotle seasoning.

And roast up some Cinnamon Sugar & Ginger Roasted Potato Sticks

Cinnamon Sugar & Ginger Roasted Potato SticksCinnamon, sugar, ginger and warm potatoes will make you feel better.  Promise.

Questions:

1. Who was the last person you met up with?  What did you do or where did you meet?

Prior to seeing Marla yesterday, I think my last face-to-face time with a friend was my previous meetup with MarlaClearly, I don’t get out much other than work + parenthood.

2. If a little birdy was listening to your “coffee talk” that you had with your friend, what would the birdy hear?

Sometimes a little gabbing, or venting, with a friend about everything from:

workplace woes

family drama

fights with your significant others

what you think of the latest episode of the Real Housewives of OC or other TV shows

travel plans

who’s blog you’re loving lately

…is just what the doctor ordered!

Marla and I talked about some those things. When I get together with my close friends, it’s great to just let it all hang out and to swap stories.  Giving and receiving solid advice and honest feedback is so wonderful!  I mean, that’s what friends are for, right?

Time to dish on what you talk about with your friends!

Have a great Hump Day!

 

About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Comments

  1. My partner and I really enjoyed reading this blog post, I was just itching to know do you trade featured posts? I am always trying to find someone to make trades with and merely thought I would ask.

  2. Sorry about your phone!! It sucks to lose stuff like that!
    We have everything stored in our tech items these days!
    We were out on dog rescue the other day and the Iphone girl wasn’t there, and I noticed!! Someone had a “Droid”, but nothing was easy to get to, like the Iphone!!
    I want one!!

  3. Unfortunately I’ve been to damn busy for meet ups. BUT…I’ve made a lot of friends through Noah’s hockey and soccer teams so we hang out at the rink/field which is better than nothing, right?

  4. Just met with an old friend of mine today and it’s such a blessing when after a while not meeting the connection’s still the same! so we talked about everything–God, food, her current just starting nursing career, my future marriage, feet (don’t ask) haha! awesome. what a fun time you and Marla had! and heyyyy i’m in the o.c.~ not too far from ya :)

    1. so cool that you’re local, too! one day all of the socal bloggers need to get together!

  5. Its so hard finding chatterboxes lately!! Come to California please! I’m always chatting my friends’ ears off hahaha.

    Side note: I realized you and Skylar share the same, wide, BEAUTIFUL smile! :)

  6. I never comment, but today I had to delurk because of the coffee talk question. When I was in highschool, I had just gotten back from spending a summer out of town and was catching up with my girlfriends. We headed to Starbucks right after school for a quick gab sesh before our different activities. We spent an hour talking about all of the bad things we had done over the summer… like drinking, going to parties, boys, sneaking out, etc. We noticed an older woman sitting near us listening in and laughing to our stories, but we thought ohhh whatever, we’ll never see her again!

    Well, I was wrong! When I l crew practice later that evening, I noticed the woman from Starbucks was in the parking lot…she was there to pick up her daughter who was a new freshman on the team I was a senior captain of! Eeeeek, right? Luckily, she had 2 wild child older daughters who had been there, done that already and never said a word about it to my coaches. Just goes to show that you never know who will be listening!!

  7. That’s a valid concern with the DSLR, I was nervous about giving it to a waitress to get a family shot. What a fun meetup! Awesome flower shot!

    1. Some friends for the asparagus festival Saturday.
    2. Probably workplace drama now since I have plenty of that going on. And lots of tech talk too.

  8. You and Marla are both so gorgeous!

    A birdy would hear:

    – Talks about life/future
    – Talk about school
    – Talk about food
    – Talk about weekend escapades
    – Talk about things/people that are annoying us

  9. Thanks for sharing! I hope that everything sorts itself out soon and some luck comes your way.

    I tend to talk about gardening, fixing food, poetry, words–you know, kind of what I talk about on my blog too!

  10. aw Im so sorry to hear about your iphone. Thats just terrible! Bad karma too. I hope you can get it replaced pretty quickly.

    Outings with friends are so fun and definitely a really nice way to unwind. Glad you had a great time!

  11. Ugh, I’m sorry about your phone! I hope things work out for you. We had someone break into the first floor in our building on Friday – and they tried to crowbar their way into our apartment too. They didn’t get in, but I still felt violated and angry! I think karma totally comes back around in that department.

    I love getting together with friends too. It’s been far too long since I’ve hung out with my girls, but I can’t wait until Saturday when I get to visit with them. We’re going to gab about how we miss college, weddings, new jobs, and babies :)

  12. Reading this made me drool for a cafe latte! hahaha!

    *sigh* I really wish people wouldn’t steal, it’s just a horrible personal violation. And now even worse, you totally deserve that kitchen aid! Hopefully something will come along that will make it easier for you to get.

  13. What a fun meet up. The pictures of you two are cute. I love the pattern of the material behind y’all. Lots of delicious food suggestions- i want those Chipotle Salsa Lentils with Mixed Vegetables. Luckily I have lots of extra veggies in the fridge. Last meet up I had? With Josh’s family last night :) Coffee talk-work, babies, favorite eats, recipes, etc

  14. I’d recognize those gorgeous flowers in Carlsbad anywhere! I’ve been meaning to get up there to see them. Thanks for reminding me :)

    1. that’s right, you’re local in SD, too!! someday we need a local bloggers meetup!

  15. I would be so angry i cant believe that!!!!
    good thing you had a vent session all lines up….my friends and I talk about everything , normally little spurts of gossip with a heavy dose of laughing for no reason…we’re kinda weird…

  16. I can’t believe your phone was stolen right out of your purse! I’m so sorry. I don’t understand why anyone would do that. I’ve had my iPod stolen before, and that was bad enough. At least you had a good friend to take your mind off of it.

  17. My best friend and I get together every Friday night at my house for a drink and girl talk. We talk about everything under the sun. Personal relationships, work, family, pop culture. It’s truly rejuvenating!

  18. Those flowers look beautiful! Things like that always make me happy.
    I haven’t met up with any friends for quite awhile, but Sam and I did have an impromptu lunch with my aunt a few weeks ago. Lots of joking and puns, ’cause that’s how we roll, and since we were in the middle of moving, updating on the search for a used washer and dryer and the job hunt for Sam. I have a list of people I need to go visit, mostly old teachers or professors that I was close to. And a friend from a writing class that I used to lunch with. Meet-ups are the best!

  19. Glad you had such a great time during your girl time with Marla. Great photos of the two of you with your big heavy camera :)
    All those rows of roses remind me of “Tulipfest” that we have here in Ottawa near the end of May. So colourful and just gorgeous to look at.

    It would be pretty sweet if one of your readers won Marla’s date giveaway.

    Last person I met up with: Jo (Joanie). We met at Nando’s on Monday evening for dinner. Lots of talking and catching up during the 2 hours we had together. Great fun!
    Little birdies would have heard about: family, work, husbands, Texture Clothing, trips, cell phones, paintball, Barbados, food, unbaking, baking, jujitsu, friends, and public transit woes.

    Finally figured out the whole rice paper wrap thing last night. Went much better than my 1st attempt in Barbados. Unfortunately my peanut sauce didn’t turn out. So I whipped together some Sweet with Heat mustard, olive oil, and ground ginger. Worked like a charm.

  20. My last meetup was Monday night with the lovely Maddy, co-founder of Love Grown Foods!! She was such a doll! :)

  21. The Misto is such a great find at Sbux… always get mine extra foamy =) Sorry about your phone!

  22. peope spell my name wrong ALL the time. anyone that knows both of us generally calls me by my sister’s name too, since we look a LOT alike. i’ve stopped being bothered or correcting. not worth my time or frustration :)

    i’m sorry about the iphone. my debit card got hacked a couple of months ago and though i got all the money back i felt very violated.

  23. so glad you had a great time with Marla to help soothe the annoyance of the phone theft! :)

  24. I love the carlsbad flowers! SO pretty!! SOunds like a fun hangout with a good friend! TIme goes fast when your having a good time and talking/catching up!

  25. haha “I hope there is a special place in hell for thieves” this made me laugh out loud! I can totally understand how upset you are over your iPhone being stolen. I would be downright crushed. Don’t worry though, whoever did it, I’m sure they will get something worse. Karma works in magical ways, I’m 100% confident of that!
    I haven’t gotten together with my friends in a very long time. Starting up my own business has meant really buckling down. Although, I’m taking off tomorrow and going to hang out with a very close girlfriend of mine. I cannot WAIT to see her. We’re going to a vegetarian restaurant and tea!

  26. Ooh, nice shirt.

    By the way, my way of avoiding theft is to look like I don’t have anything worth stealing. (Run-down shoes mandatory.)

  27. I’m a long time lurker (sounds creepy!) but just wanted to comment to say that I’m so sorry your phone got stolen. Like you said karma is very real, so not only will the thief have some bad coming, you will have some good coming your way :) I met up with my two best friends for coffee today, and as its only the second time this year we’ve been all together we talked alot! Conversation was everything from weddings to exams – we’re meeting up for round two tonight as couple of hours is nowhere near enough to get all of our chatting (and venting) done!

    PS I made your banana/oat breakfast cake yesterday and it was delicious!

  28. The picture of the flowers is just beautiful! And here I am looking out the window at SNOW. Ugh.

    I met up with a friend on Saturday and we talked and talked and talked — it is so nice to have someone that you really click with and can talk with for hours. I’m glad you and Marla had a great time!

  29. Phones are such a personal thing, our whole lives are on there! Such an invasion of privacy. I’m so sorry you’re having to deal with that! :(

  30. Oh on! I’m so sorry about your phone! It’s scary that someone can invade your personal space like that and then take something, from you! It makes me realize I have to always be alert and aware of my surroundings.

    I’m sure a little blogger meet up helped brighten your mood though! It looks like a fun time!

  31. Sounds like a good time to me. I met up with friends for lunch on Saturday. I guess the topic of conversation depends on the person I’m with really.

  32. I AM SO SORRY! I can’t believe someone stole your phone. That is really incredibly awful. *Hugs*

    On a much happier note, I love the bright and happy shirt you are wearing to your coffee date, it is so lovely! If we ever got to meet in real life I have a feeling we’d talk a mile a minute too!

    And WOW those flowers are beautiful!

  33. I am so glad you got to meet up with a friend to vent. I know that feels so much better now even if it doesn’t take the blow of the whole situation. We meet up with a group of close friends every Wednesday for lunch. We really just catch up, I don’t really have many gripes right now. Give me a couple of days, I’m sure I could come up with something. I hope you have a great day Averie!

  34. Cathy sums it all up above “your blog entry just radiates energy and happiness”
    LOVE this post ’cause it is so happy. I always have an awesome time with you girl. Digging our Starbucks photos – that fabric print behind us is so fun!
    Out commitment to each other always needs to be “lifting” It is good to know we share so many passions, interests, loves & of course boundless energy & drive.
    Can’t wait until our next meet-up. Thanks for sharing my dates giveaway & for all these awesome recipes too. xxoo

  35. I am sorry to hear about your iphone : ( Im just catching up on your blog post’s, people are so mean, well karma will get whoever stole it, I believe in that : )

    Im glad you had insurance on it, but still stinks you had to pay, and Im sure you lost all your contacts too : p

    U look so beautiful! I love your shirt, and your friend is so pretty too! Love her blue lulu jacket!

    It’s great to meet up with a friend!

    Have a great day! xoxo <3

  36. I drove super fast to work yesterday for a soy misto – it was just one of those mornings.. and yes, I did get a stomachache. And yes, it was worth it.

  37. I’m so glad you got a fabulous distraction from all the phone craziness… Marla sounds like such a sweetheart and a perfect person to keep you motivated with the recent stress you’ve had to deal with. It’s those people in our lives who are truly irreplaceable!

    I’m definitely like you – I can talk a mile a minute about almost ANYTHING! It just feels great to share stories, news, school, and life in general with someone else.

  38. you ladies are just gorgeous, naturally gorgeous! Must be the california sun! I love that she is having a date giveaway, genius!

  39. your blog entry just radiates energy and happiness (with your outing, i mean – NOT referring to the phone disaster!) – i bet a girl chat was just what the doctor ordered to help turn your day around.
    i’ve made a real effort over the last month to connect in person with friends and get the same warm fuzzies that you experience. time flies, 1001 topics are discussed, many laughs had. so good for the soul!
    i can talk non-stop, but also can listen…i’m big on “tangents” in conversations…jumping from topic to topic! luckily, many of my friends *get* this and don’t mind the randomness!
    hope your phone arrives today!!!

  40. I’m so sorry about your phone, again :[ And that it’s going to cost you so much – mentally and literally!
    Glad you had a great meet-up with Marla, though! Love the portraits of you both :]
    Last meet-up for me was with a good friend on Friday…and if someone was eavesdropping on our conversation they were probably wondering why we were talking about shooting things.
    (don’t worry, with a camera!)

  41. I seriously cannot believe that about your phone getting stolen! Grrr. And there is nothing I love more than a good gabfest at Starbucks! My friends and I will talk about everything from food to guys to what we’re going to do next year after college. :)

  42. I really want to learn more about photography. It’s one of few art mediums I have yet to try, and I am dying to do it. Right now it isn’t feasible for me to buy a fancy camera and the one I have is old, but it has to do for now. I travel a lot, so I would love to get more skilled at photography!

    You are improving nicely, it I may say! Your newer photographs look great!

    1. much of photography is food styling and photo composition. Taking the picture with the equipment is one aspect, but there’s much more you can work on, no fancy camera needed! Just setting up a shot, staging it, etc.