Happy fifth anniversary to my soon-to-be-husband. 

I can't imagine a life better than the one we have together.

There's a place that exists between fear and assurance, and I tend to dwell there. I want to be confident and enthusiastic about life and all of its possibilities, and most of the time I am. But sometimes I feel overwhelmed.

I panic about being far from my family and our friends. I miss my mom and my dad and my brother; and I am starting to yearn for warmer weather and a neighborhood full of friends. I want to be adventurous and free-spirited and easygoing, but often I am cautious and moody. We're nearing the time in Rob's career where talks about a new project are taking place. We might stay in Minneapolis, we might not. We might go back to Virginia, but we might not do that either. I would rather be the version of myself that asks, What's next? Let's do it!  instead of the one who demands, What's next? I need to know now.

The more controlling side of myself has given way to the braver me plenty of times these past seven months. There have been countless opportunities for growth, and I am so grateful for them. But there's still a side of me that can make herself sick with worry. There's always a chance to let go a little more, and I try to do it every day.

This post is in response to the following prompt: "Often we are pulled between two places...Tell us about them. Give us the pull, the conflict, the desire." (From Old Friend from Far Away, page 204.) You can visit this post for next week's prompt.

Image credit: V.A. Photography

I've been incredibly lazy on the recipe/cooking front lately. On Sunday night, the thought of making guacamole was almost too much to bear--luckily I had a hungry and determined fiance available to cut avocados in half. So, as I'm sure you can imagine, I've been all about the easy way out. What do I already have? What can I whip up in just a few minutes that isn't totally boring? Enter egg salad bacon bites. Fancy enough to make as an appetizer for friends, but easy enough to make because you've probably got the ingredients in your fridge already.

Ingredients:

Three eggs, hard-boiled

One tablespoon mayonnaise

1/4 teaspoon each of garlic powder, mustard, and crushed red pepper

Salt and pepper, to taste

Several slices of bacon

Cherry tomatoes and green onion for garnish

1. Pre-heat your oven to 375. Cut each strip of bacon into three or four pieces.

2. Assemble the bacon on a mini-muffin pan. Press each piece down so it bakes into a "u" shape.

3. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes.

4. In a medium bowl or mixer, combine hard-boiled eggs with mayo, garlic powder, mustard, and red pepper flakes. Season also with salt and pepper.

5. When the bacon is done, take it out and add a spoonful of egg salad to each piece. Top each one with half a cherry tomato and sprinkle the plate with sliced green onion, if desired.