Crestwood Burger with blue cheese and green salad a la leon
One of the things I liked best about working at an office was planning where my co-workers and I were going for lunch. A little sad to say, but true. It was our social time as well as a time to scout out new places to eat. Over the last few weeks I have had a few lunch dates with friends and it’s one of those little things I look forward to. As much as I enjoy reading blogs and the ease of the internet it’s not the same as interacting with people in person. My friend and I went to Cafe Europa in Crestwood. The picture above is what I had for lunch and yes it was delicious. Cafe Europa is nestled in between a strip of shops on 55th street in Kansas City. The shops remind me of something you’d find in the Hamptons and each store has a bright colored door. It’s very quaint and a great place to go for a girls lunch.
Even though gifts aren’t my main love language (see post on the 5 Love Languages), I love spur of the moment gifts. A friend of mine gave me this lovely owl ornament that she found while traveling. It’s no secret that I love owls. Little “just because” gifts or cards let someone know you were thinking of them and can brighten their day.
I’m gradually working my way to eating healthier snacks. I have a sweet tooth so I love a piece of chocolate every day or a cookie. On a recent trip to Costco with my friend Angela I picked up the Kale salad which she recommended. It has dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds in it and comes with a poppy seed dressing. My family isn’t big on spring mix type salads, but I thought it was good and would be nice to have for lunch. The pomegranate pistachios looked delicious to me. We hadn’t had lunch yet and I was starving so I was being tempted by everything in the store. They are good, but very peppery. If you are a fan of black pepper then you will probably love them.
I wanted to share this comment from Angela in case you missed it on my Curly Girl Designs post. Happiness comes from things and people that surround you and that you love. Joy is vertical or God given. Joy is what keeps us afloat when the happiness isn’t there or the things around us are troubling. Joy is our bigger and better boat. Even though I focus on a lot of “things” I truly believe joy comes from within us and being in touch with our spirit. I hope you have a joy filled weekend!
mmmm. I opened the Sahale snacks with a bottle of wine with my husband and our friend…they loved it. I thought it needed more sweet to offset the pepper. but it sure didn’t stop me from eating it! (and my leftover green salad a la leon was awesome!) Had a great day with ya, Dawn.
We will have to take another field trip soon. I agree on the Sahale snack. I keep eating it, but I think some chocolate chips might be a nice compliment to it.
oh, GENIUS! we can just mix them right in! that is exactly what it needs!
Oh my, that lunch looks soooo good!
Not sure if you like real owls or just owl decorations… 🙂 but at night I’ve been hearing and seeing a lot of them while out with Jordy. Very cool.
Very cool, I haven’t seen the owls. Kristine mentioned she heard them too. I like owl decor mostly, but also the real thing.
Did you hear the owl(s) last night Dawn? Kind of freaky…very loud and went on for quite a while! And thanks for the Skinny Cow tip. The shelf was still full when I got there and I even left some boxes remaining! 🙂
I didn’t hear the owls. It’s funny Denise mentioned them too. We have a humidifier for background noise so it probably drowned them out.
Thank you for this post Dawn! You are so right about the little things. And I love the quote about the difference between happiness and joy. That owl is so cute. It’s a big trend right now so you can collect all you want. Everywhere I look I see owls. I have one on my coffeetable, did you see it on my blog? Hope you are doing well.
Hugs, Louise
Hi Louise! I have more than my fair share of owls. I did see yours, and I have one similar to it. I just signed up for Holly’s Blog Boss Class that starts in March. I’m looking forward to it. Are you signed up by chance? I’m enjoying following your blog and so jealous of your photography. I need to work on my skills a bit. I know how much work you must put into it.