Karen loves ice cream more than anyone I know. Yes, more than you. It’s only fitting, then, that my favorite quote of hers involves her beloved frozen treat. I can’t recall if I’ve mentioned it here before, but it bears repeating:

“Most people say they love ice cream, but what they don’t know about me is that I really, really f***ing love ice cream.”

So when I saw this darling card, made of 100% recycled paper by Ghost Academy, I knew it was meant to be. For the record, we’re also both big fans of candy, having been limited to just one piece a week on Candy Day as kids (it’s a long story). And we’ve been trying to cut back on extraneous gifts just for the sake of giving – no use giving someone something they don’t need that will only end up in a landfill. A heartfelt card was the perfect bon voyage.

Ghost Academy specializes in “handmade frivolity,” illustrated by the talented Megan Gray. Find her darling, block printed cards at a store near you. And look – she has a blog!

Inspired by Hallie’s post, I’ve decided to try to focus on the positive, instead of getting weighed down by what’s been stressing me out. So here’s a list of the things I’m totally thankful for and happy about right now!

The fact that my boss lets me work from home when I want/need to.
I do have to commute to work (which I feel horribly hippie-critical about) and feel really lucky to have the flexibility to occasionally reduce my carbon footprint by commuting to my kitchen table or local coffee shop. And I’m not even sucking up because I’m working from home today, I swear!

Summer produce
Berries, squash, peaches, nectarines, and my favorite, watermelon! The Farmers Markets are bursting with bright colors and flavors right now, and I can’t wait to check out a new one in my friend’s neighborhood this weekend.

My sister’s impending move to the City
She’s going to be able to sell her car, and walk to one of her jobs, at a really cool organization called My Farm SF, which I plan to dedicate a separate post to in the future. Pretty Green Sister is my eco role model and I’m excited about having her close enough for more frequent ice cream (the girl is obsessed!) dates and Scrabble matches.

My roommate’s wedding
I love weddings! I’ve been lucky enough to attend the weddings of two close friends this year so far, and can’t wait to see Jaime & Chris exchange vows next month.

Potlucks with friends
I have a standing Tuesday date with two of my girlfriends – we alternate themed potlucks with going out for dishes on the Big Eat SF: 100 List. Though I’ve actually missed all the Big Eat dates so far, the potlucks have been awesome. Last night we feasted on chicken tortilla soup (topped with mozzarella, avocado, cilantro and perfectly greasy and salty homemade fried tortilla strips), mango cucumber salsa, bean dip, Mexican cornbread, Food Should Taste Good Yellow Corn chips, and Handley Chardonnay. What a fiesta! My friends have a special way of cheering me up, and I don’t know what I’d do without them!

Is this picture cute or creepy? I can’t decide!

Have you been stressed out lately? What’s cheering you up?

Anyway, my sister picked me up at BART and we headed to The Cheeseboard Collective for dinner, a worker-owned, independent pizza place. Each day they have one kind of vegetarian pizza, and it’s delicious! There’s always a line around the door. On the menu last night: pizza with asparagus, gremolata, Shitake mushrooms, mozzarella , Montalban Manchego Cheese and garlic olive oil. YUM! I never would have thought to put asparagus and gremolata on a pizza, but it was great. We also had a yummy salad, and I was just really in the mood for a beer, so I had a Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale. Half a pizza is $10, and we both took leftovers.

Pizza with compostable forks (for the salad)!

My cute sister eating pizza! Trying to come up with a good nickname for her, because she is my green inspiration. Extra Green Girl? Pretty Green Sister?

Then we headed over to the Freight & Salvage, a coffee house/music venue, to see my friend, the ultra talented Laura Cortese, perform. She’s an amazing fiddler/singer/performer. Definitely check her out! I was listening to her CD Even the Lost Creek this morning, and it’s so good! I definitely got some weird looks from other drivers because I was totally singing along! One cool thing they mentioned at F&S – they are in the middle of building a new eco-friendly venue with blue jean insulation and a living roof. Three cheers!

During the concert, Laura had a contest/raffle, including questions about how often you take public transit or walk instead of driving. Three days a week for me – soon to be four, I hope. I work from home Fridays, try not to drive on the weekends, and am hoping to start taking the train to work one day a week. We didn’t win, but we had a lot of fun with our entries.

We had to write down a word to identify ourselves on the cards. My sister picked snorkle (snorkel?). I picked, naturally, green. I also drew a really horrible picture of a tree, but luckily for you, the photograph didn’t come out.

Also, here’s proof that keeping scratch paper in your bag is always a good idea.

My sister wrote “Janet Smells.” I made it “Janet Smells Good,” which became “Janet Never Smells Good,” which I turned into “Janet Never Smells Good Except Always.” Ahh, siblings.

We then headed over to a local bar and had fun catching up with friends I hadn’t seen since high school. Lots of reminscing about all the drama back in the day, ha. We have some fun plans in the work for a writing project!

Finally, check out this awesome sign we walked past. I’m getting more comfortable saying, hang on, stop, I have to take a picture for my blog! I’m hanging on to this picture as a reminder that while recycling is great, reducing and reusing come first in the chain for a reason.

PS: Super thanks to Hallie for helping me link up my blog to my Twitter. You rock, girl!