This post is brought to you by a healthy dose of insomnia. I wish I could say that I was just so excited that it's June that I simply couldn't wait to write my first entry of the month, but that would be disingenuous.

I got through this Memorial Day weekend without cooking one single thing. I didn't flip a burger. I didn't whip up a salad. It's actually pretty sad for someone who loves to cook, but it was just not meant to be. I snuck away to the lake for the start of the weekend and as it was my first trip up I just was not prepared to, um, prepare anything. This is not to say that I did not eat well. My father is still working on that deer so we had a very North Country spread for dinner one night. Wonder pup is typically not permitted to eat people food - except for

cheese and peanut butter, of course - but as his kibble is venison-based and it was a holiday, he was spoiled.

The next day I was attending a picnic at my neighbor and fellow foodie's place, an event that would typically inspire me to come up with something creative and fantastic, but camp constraints were still in place and the fruits of someone's else's labor (read, locally-made blueberry pie) would have to suffice. I did very much enjoy everyone else's culinary talents though, from the cheesecake martini (which should be a new memorial day tradition, I think) to the mac and cheese and smoked brisket. It's good to have friends who like food.

Monday's impromptu pool party called for a quick chips and dip grab. And this...because I couldn't help myself. I did not partake, but I contributed:

The yummy jar of black bean dip I picked up did inspire me though, and I sense a post about my first attempt to make it myself in the near future.

Peppered in with the food-based events for which I did not cook were a few outings with dear friends. All in all it was a lovely weekend full of friends and family and it actually got me thinking quite a lot about family. There is the family we are given and the family we get to choose. You know the latter, those folks who know all sorts of sides of you and love you anyway. The people with whom you can talk about ten years ago and those who you know for certain you'll be doing that with in ten years. I'm so thankful to be surrounded by many such people from different phases of my life.

And, lest I get too sentimental in the wee hours ... Wonder pup met some new family this weekend, cousin Percy the baby Maine Coon. Many of you know my feelings on cats in general, but it is hard for even me to resist a teeny tiny kitten, especially one as cute as Percy. I'm not sure how thankful the little furball was to meet his newest

canine buddy, but he's just going to have to deal, they're family whether they like it or not!!