about

Howdy!  My name is Amy Butala Pihl, and I'm the author of this blog.

You'll never catch a redhead without her eye-liner.

I may or may not, definitely maybe, also be a mild arachnophobic.

No, seriously.

I completely wigged out during the giant spider scenes in Home Alone.  Mr. Pihl thought I was nuts.

Ahem.  But... moving on.

I'm an oldest child of two girls, and I grew up in a suburb of Los Angeles, California.  Here I am demonstrating my love for my baby sister...

I don't know how she puts up with me.

I always act my age.  Obviously.  Not.

I played soccer from the moment I discovered my legs, and was recruited to play collegiate soccer at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, Kansas.  Then I decided to stick around Kansas after graduation.

Yes...  I moved to Kansas.  From Los Angeles.

And yes...  It's dagummed cold.  I'm a total weather wuss.  Really.

I love to cook and bake.  I've somehow managed to mature from creating these:

Well, there went the eye-liner theory.

(Go PACK, go!!!)  ... to these beauties:

And I ate them all.

Excuse the lame-o lighting and the trash can in the back ground.  I made these at my sister's college house.  Have I mentioned that I love my kitchen?

I once tried to experiment with semi-vegetarianism, and then I remembered I live in the Midwest.

Silly me.

I'm an Information Services Librarian, and I love it.

Love it, love it, love it.

By the way, "Information Services" is a fancy-schmancy word for the Reference Desk.  Working on the desk is like playing Trivial Pursuit all day long.  You never know what you're going to get asked!

(No, really.  REALLY.)

Libraries are where it's at, homie.

Do you hear that?  That's the sound of destiny.

This may have been the moment that I realized I was destined for libraries.  

Or it could just be a family vacation photo.

You be the judge.

On certain a birthday which pertained to a certain age-related milestone I chugged a bottle of wine and signed up on eHarmony.  Two days later I was matched with this handsome fella:

Gina Dreher Photography

We got engaged at Disney World, by the way.  And it was marvelous.

He became my groom in the fall of 2013:

Gina Dreher Photography

Mr. Pihl.  I love him.

Mr. Pihl inspired me to start this labor of love (known commonly to you folks as a "blog").  Shortly after we were married I decided to oblige, especially since my family in California have to be harassed by me somehow.  

This blog is a testament to the weirdness known as my life, a visual diary of our favorite meals, and a record of documented evidence of my higher than normal levels of accident-proneness.  Also, I'm well aware that this blog has a grand total of two readers: Mr. Pihl himself and my mom.  Hi mom!

Speaking of Mr. Pihl inspiring this blog, it's ultimately all in the name.  Pihl is pronounced like "peel".  Just like  that of a lemon.  Or an orange.  Or a banana.  Or a bad sunburn.  Take your pick.

Lastly, I am the owner of a 4 year old Blue Pacific Parrotlet to which I may occasionally refer to as "B".  As in the first letter of her name!  Not a certain adult word.  Though, if the shoe fits...

Two minutes later she pooped on my knee.  It's her love language.

"B" is extremely sassy, has an ego the size of Oregon, and is under the impression that Mr. Pihl and I live in her house.  Also, she may unfortunately be more than slightly accident prone, just like her mama.

If I'm counting right, I believe she's on her 11th life.

But, I love her.

And I love you for reading my blog.

Remember, I welcome comments and recipe suggestions!

And anything dessert related.  Amen.

Love your faithfully arachnophobic friend,

Amy (BP)