For our meal, I steamed and then crumbled the tempeh and used it in the stir fry like ground meat. We served it with tofu shirataki noodles (also low carb, high protein), for a delicious vegetarian complete meal. Robb even gobbled it up, so it had to have been good! 
We served it with homemade potstickers and spring rolls! What a fabulous dinner!
Besides the tempeh, this recipe had red onion, roasted red pepper, cashews, and green onion. It was mouth watering! He runs all around through the snow, playing with sticks he finds. Then he comes inside...
I have to blowdry the snowballs off his fur and from between his toes. I think he'll have a pretty short hair cut for the summer. I can't imagine how I'd ever be able to keep him clean with all we do in the summer with this long hair! Stay posted for Charley's first haircut in the early summer!
His fur is like VELCRO! Everything sticks to it! His curly poodle fur absorbs whatever is around him and is very hard to maintain. It's hard enough to brush and comb him all the time to get his dreadlocks out, but when he's a muddy mess, oh boy!
He used to be dark brown as a puppy, but now only when he's covered in mud!
Robb gave him a bath this time, since last time my back hurt for days. Look at the muddy water! That was only the rinse cycle. Then there is a wash cycle, a rinse cycle, a conditioner cycle, and a final rinse cycle. It's harder then doing laundry!
Afterwards, he was back to being fuzzy and cappuccino colored again!
But, then he needed brushed and combed! I just love his sweet face peaking out, just dealing with it! He's such a good boy. I've been brushing him since he was a baby, and he's very used to it! Thank goodness!!! 
I munched on the beautiful bouquet while I made some work phone calls, and then my sister called to wish me Happy Birthday. After that, I got to chat with Jill on her way home from work, and also one of my favorite little guys, Braden. Just after that, I talked to my mom and planned my birthday dinner cake for Sunday. She is making me a healthy dinner of vegetarian lasagna, baked eggplant, and tossed salad. For dessert, I will have my birthday treat, a homemade ice cream cake! It will start with a yellow cake base, covered in fudge. Then next will be a layer of cake batter ice cream with milky way chunks and sprinkles mixed in. After that, she'll layer it up one more time, and top it with fresh whipped cream and gummy bears! I can't wait to eat it! While I was waiting for Robb to get home from work, I got a Happy Birthday text from his dad, and then, finally, my Honey got home! He came in with a BEAUTIFUL pink bouquet of flowers. He even helped to design it himself by adding pink roses to a stargazer lily, lisianthus, aster, and greenery mix. It smells our whole house up deliciously and is just gorgeous! 
He also gave me the best card he ever gave me, which of course made me cry (happy tears). We got take out Chinese food from our favorite restaurant, Chin's Pagoda. We dined on the best sesame chicken on the planet, orange chicken, egg foo young, and egg rolls! 
It was fabulous. While we were hanging out after dinner, I got a few more Happy Birthday texts from Robb's sister Kendra, and my cousins, Elise, and Sherry. 
I had the best start to my 30th year possible! Thanks so much to my friends and family for a great day! This weekend or next, depending on if we can leave Charley alone yet or not, we'll do some more celebrating with a "fun day" planned for me by Robb. 
Here's Robb riding up the hill, and you can see my shoe and not tan arm behind him on the left.
It was a very nice but cool night. There was lots of mist as we rode at sunset.
It was perfect biking weather, not too hot, not too cool.
I LOVE doing the night rides through the park.
The air is always so fresh and clean smelling. This year, I'll get on camera!
Isn't he just adorable. He was sound asleep for a while. Look at all that hair! He's almost ready for his first haircut!
Little sleeping baby.
Beautiful, happy mama and her new little guy!
Isn't he precious, I can't get enough!
Here's a picture when I was "baby sitting" for the first time. I decided we needed to do a picture, so I held out the camera! He's already learned how to wink! Going to be a ladies man! :o)
A rare photo with his big open eyes! It was so wonderful to see him! 
Here's our sweet Charley sitting for a picture on a big rock! This is one of my favorite pictures ever of him! 
Here we are going down to that creek for a drink of water. (for Charley, not me :o)
This is one of several bridges you cross along the hike.
Here's where the cave is. It's called Ansels Cave.
Me and my Charley on another bridge. Isn't he growing!
This is a great park for the birds. There's wild grapes and berries everywhere. It's full of lots of happy chirping and full birds!
More yummy bird berries! At the nature center they have a wall of glass where you can sit and watch the birds that come to the feeders outside. It's amazing, there are like 20 different species of birds at one time. The park also provides binoculars for a close up view of the birds.
Happy dog on the way home!
Charley is turning into a little dog. Here he is looking out the window, in protector mode.Here's Charley on his test day running through a tunnel. This took some work for him, as he didn't want to go through at first. But, after a few weeks of practice, he was just fine. He even had to stop to gobble up someone's leftover treat! Good job Charley!
Here we are waiting...
Walking up to our first station.
Being good while I shake hands with the teacher.
Class picture. This took forever as the puppies had a hard time sitting still next to each other (Charley especially).
Ahhh, put him on the other side, and he was good.
Another "graduation picture".
Sweet Charley, doing his "Look".
And he passed his test! Charley got a graduation certificate, a stuffed toy from his teachers, and I got a Hershey's bar for all our hard work!
He didn't like when I took his toy...
So, I just let him carry it!
Charley at home exhausted from his hard work and concentration (with his new toy).
Charley's certificate! 
And medal!
Charley is our little Puppy Star!! Canine Good Citizen, here we come!
