We just got back from the annual ui.dev Disneyland trip and I’m wishing we were still there. We had four park days this trip, so we spent some time doing rides we’ve never done before and trying new foods. We normally survive on churros and corn dogs, so it was fun to mix it up.

Of the new (to us) foods we tried, these were my faves. Some notes and honorable mentions below too.

sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

1. QuesaBirria tacos, Cocina Cucamonga @ DCA
   Everyone raves about these and they are not wrong. So delicious. I will be thinking about that consomé every day until the next time I have it.
2. Raspberry rose macaron, Jolly Holiday @ Disneyland
   I’ve actually tried this before, but had to include it. I ate every macaron I could find and this one is the best by a mile.
3. The Monstropolis float, Tropical Hideaway @ Disneyland
   I love Dole Whip but I usually only want a few bites. I could have eaten this entire float myself (though I shared it with Clay). It’s ube-dusted pineapple/mango Dole Whip, with passion fruit coconut juice and lychee. Incredible. I think it’s a Halloween seasonal item, so hoping it’ll be around again.
4. Churro toffee square, Bakery counters @ both parks
   Very good, though we had two of varying thickness and I think it works best when the toffee is thinner.
5. Breakfast Sandwich, Smokejumpers @ DCA
   This was my favorite breakfast item we tried this trip. Sausage, egg, cheese, hash brown, green chile, and a spicy sauce. Ours was piping hot fresh which probably makes a huge difference (we tried the famous chimichanga and it was pretty soggy).
6. Buffalo chicken dip, cart by the castle @ Disneyland
   Comes with some soft bread. When you need something to dip and are disappointed with the other options. (We did try the new cheese at the Little Red Wagon, but I don’t think it worked with the corn dog. Needs a pretzel or chips.)
7. Chocolate peppermint brownie pie, Bakery counters @ both parks
   This didn’t taste all that chocolatey to me? But I think it works better that way. Kind of a spiced and mild taste and the peppermint shines.
8. Shanghai rice cakes with shrimp, Din Tai Fung @ Downtown Disney
   I put this last because maybe it doesn’t count since it’s not technically in the parks. We got take out here and tried a bunch of things. Everything was wonderful, but I especially loved this dish.

Some honorable mentions of course include the classic Disneyland churro, the bread bowl of clam chowder, and specifically the cherry garnish on the Vintian mineral mousse @ Docking Bay 7.

Way back in April we decided it was time to get Gravy a bud to hang with. We visited the country shelter, scooped up this little lady, and named her Tater.

She was about a year old and found wandering the streets of west Phoenix. It really felt like she had a previous owner as she took to her name immediately, coming to us when called from the very start. She knew how to sit and how to fetch a ball.

We didn’t have any info about her breed, though we assumed some husky because of her blue eyes and curled tail. She’s got a weird build with a long narrow body and oversized head and front paws. She looks like a mishmash of different breed parts.

We had some luck with Gravy’s DNA test so we submitted one for Tater too.

We were surprised by pit bull and laughed because that chihuahua DNA is doing some heavy lifting, keeping her at a small 20lbs. I think she looks like a different breed depending on the angle you look at her.

With her strange proportions, her natural resting position is a sploot. She clumsily flops anywhere and everywhere, almost like her front and back are controlled by two different brains.

She sits on her butt, legs out in front like a person, finding any soft surface she can use as a chair.

Inside her huge head is a giant tongue that flops out when she’s warm and peeks out in some of the cutest bleps you’ve ever seen.

Introducing Tater to Gravy took a bit of work. He’s a nervous pup and she’s just a whirlwind of energy. They’re learning how to chill and play together and it’s been fun watching them navigate their new relationship.

In the mornings Tater is chill and cuddly, earning her the nickname Sweet Potato. And in the late afternoons she’s a total menace and we call her Loaded Baked Potato. She’s got an intense stare and plays with a similar intensity, though she’s surprisingly gentle with children.

She loves to chew and will eat anything and everything she finds, including feathers, wood, and concrete pieces. Her high-pitched bark will pierce your soul and she’ll chase a squeaky toy until she collapses.

It’s been a fun and challenging six months and every day she’s feeling more and more at home. We’ve been loving our Gravy years so far and we’re very glad Tater’s here now too.

I’ve been enjoying this season of Top Chef, but I’ve also been nervously awaiting this week’s episode. The Quickfire featured the blind taste test (which is always a treat).

A few months ago I got to chat with Kristen Kish and Stephanie Cmar for the aftershow web series The Dish with Kish and the episode just released! We chatted about my project Top Chef Stats and I quizzed them on some taste test trivia.

It was overwhelming but fun and a really cool moment for me as a Top Chef superfan. You can check out the episode on Peacock or Bravotv.com!

Watch The Dish with Kish

Today we’re celebrating Gravy’s adoption day. It’s been a hard, joyful, and fulfilling year with this little dude.

The first few months were admittedly hard for me. I didn’t realize how my grief from losing Boomer and Helo would present and I struggled with puppy blues for weeks. It was a weird mix of sadness, guilt, and regret and it was rough.

Gravy is a sweetheart, but definitely a different type of personality than we were used to. A sensitive and scared boy, he needed extra time and especially space to learn to trust us. He’s firm with his boundaries and doesn’t like to be held or showered with affection. You don’t realize how often you kiss your dog on the head until you have a dog that doesn’t like it. 😅

But with the help of a local dog behaviorist and with lots of time, we’ve built a strong connection and he’s blossoming into such a curious, loving, and happy guy. It took 11 months, but he now wants to sleep in the bed with us. Every day he gets braver, more excitable, and more affectionate and it’s been really wonderful watching that happen.

From day one he was a really good walker. Very calm and polite and it’s been a joy to take him on hikes and through the horse trails in the neighborhood next to ours.

He loves playing tug and catching a lure, wrapping his foot around it to keep us from taking it again.

He hates the rain, but loves being outside as much as possible.

His favorite thing is to help you with a task, inspecting every weed you pull or supervising as you put together IKEA furniture. And of course he loves to nip at your heels as you run, herding you around the backyard.

He’s becoming more of a cuddler with time, but we first really noticed him connecting with us by laying on our feet outside. He keeps close in his own way. I have a hundred pictures just like this. Excuse my socks and sandals.

Things with Gravy feel so comfortable and routine now that I can’t believe I was ever worried. We are loving life with Mr. Boat and we can’t wait to see how he continues to grow and change.

When we adopted Gravy last April, the shelter suggested we get a DNA breed test for him. Maricopa County guessed he was Australian cattle dog mixed with chihuahua, but the shelter wasn’t so sure.

It took a bit for him to get comfortable with a mouth swab, but we finally sent one in. Turns out it’s not chihuahua, but rat terrier! Our sweet girl Boomer was also part rat terrier and this news made us feel really happy. We’ve seen some of her joyful energy in him since he’s been getting more and more comfortable with us.

I don’t know how accurate these tests are, but folks of the internet seem to think Embark is the best one. Adopting a stray at 4 years old with no known history can be tough, so it’s nice to feel like we know a bit more about him.

They also showed us another dog in the Phoenix area that has sibling-level DNA similarities with Gravy. Fun to think about our little guy having a brother nearby.

Life with Gravy is so good and hopefully soon we’ll be finding another pup for him to hang with.