I love today.

Today happens to be the second Thursday in a row 

I had off work and it has been one of my favorite days. 

Since Jason has been deep in grad schooling for the past year, especially this last semester, we haven't gotten to spend a whole lot of time together. Since we both had the day off today, we got to have some quality time! This morning Jason dropped me off at the gym while he went to his chiropractor appointment, and as much as I love the gym, for a minute I panicked that I couldn't just get in my car and leave when I decided I was tired. I was suddenly trapped! Then I realized that worst case scenario, I would just sit in the giant hand shaped chairs and watch Maury without sound until Jason came back to get me. Fortunately, that thought only lasted a second and I had a great workout. 

Then we went to Trader Joe's!

How have I never been there before?? It was like Mecca for cheap health food, and a little theme-parky. Doesn't get much better than that in my book, although, I made the mistake of telling an employee it was our first time there, so Jason and I had to wait it out as he explained to a vegan and seafood hater that his favorite thing they sold was this crab-stuffed flounder and then described anything and everything you could serve with it. 45 minutes later we left the store with some delicious bean dip and a bottle of sweet chili sauce. 

The rest of the day consisted of :

Jason making a vegan lunch for us. (All by himself!)

A little shopping for some new dress clothes for Jason's new job!

R&R at a coffee shop patio table. (Do people still say r&r??)

And an afternoon nap. 

I forgot to mention that all of this was so wonderful coming off of the worst hour of my life last night when THERE WAS A GIANT A** SPIDER IN MY CAR AND THEN TWO ON OUR BEDROOM CEILING WHEN WE GOT HOME!!!! Caps lock doesn't even begin to help describe my deep emotion over this. 

That's all for now. 

xoxo

May???

I haven't blogged in such a long time and it makes me sad. 

So, LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!!

(Nothing but letdown after that opening.)

First of all, Jason just earned his masters degree AND has a job!! That man makes me proud. Best part is my family came up to see him graduate, which provided entertainment for the hours and hours and hours we waited to see what looked like it may have been him, get handed a diploma. Weee!

Other notable activities of late:

I painted our kitchen table without asking Jason. Fortunately it turned out well and I didn't get in trouble for that. I used white chalkboard paint and got this awesome antique look!

I made a new logo for my etsy shop and blog. Cuuuuteee!!

My boss Jen had a birthday. 

I bought her those balloons and cupcakes - just wanted to make sure there was no confusion about how awesome I am. 

And last but not least, I am competing in the Mrs. Ohio Pageant this year! Wish me luck!!

Here's one of my glamour shots by Deb. 

xoxo

April

Life can be an interesting thing. 

For example, several of my friends are having their second child. On purpose. Then there's the fact that the other day I justified eating an entire $5 chocolate cupcake at 11 pm because it was vegan.  Then, of course, there's the annual spring frenzy, when people get so excited for a day of warm weather that they put on their tiniest summer clothes and prance around like its anywhere above the actual 61 degrees.

Moving on.

I was so happy to get to visit some old friends this weekend!  I spent the majority of my college years in Birmingham, AL, so this past week I made a little trip down to see everyone. And by little trip I mean that I drove more than 1,000 by myself and have every genres "TOP THIRTY LIVE"  for the week memorized. But besides that and dreadfully missing my husband I had a great time! My sister and I played dress up and put on our wedding dresses. I got farted on by the cutest and giantest 3 month old I've ever seen. I ate a lot of food(all vegan!) Had a really fun but pathetic fall-asleep-before-midnight sleepover with Coco! I got coffee, watched movies, went to the grocery store, caught up with my family, and realized more than ever,
There is just no place like the south.

As you guys have probably realized by now, I like to dabble. I humbly call myself a jack of all trades and master of all. So today I decided to try my hand at a little jewelry making, and after super gluing my pants to my leg, I think I came up with some good stuff!

Check out the rest on my ETSY!

Until next time,
xoxo

It's been a while!

Hello friends!

So this cold Ohio weather is making me a psycho. 

I have finally realized why so many people wear sweatpants here, and it's because they have given up hope that it will ever be warm again, and in doing so, have given up on life. 

And there's the fact that it makes me so dang lazy. Between my job that requires me to be there no earlier than 10, my trips to the gym, and the hours of time I spend on the couch pinning things it's no wonder I'm so tired and can't be bothered to do anything else. 

So even though I am adamantly against going to the tanning bed, I am almost starting to consider it just to get a little vitamin d to cheer myself up! Which led me to another thought... Can you wear sunscreen in the tanning bed? Or am I trying too hard to justify this? I just want the benefits without the cancer okay??

This coming weekend marks two significant events! The beginning of white pants season, and our first anniversary!! It is truly crazy how quickly this year has gone by. It seems like just yesterday all the attention was on me and people were buying me things right and left... It's a good life being a bride. And it's an even better life being a wife. We've only had 3 or 4 meals that were inedible, two loads of laundry that were ruined by ink pens in pockets, and one wall that will have to be repaired after we move out. I have also been surprised by a lot of things. I didn't know when I said my vows that I would love Jason so significantly more every day of marriage. I didn't know we would be such good friends. And I didn't know how bad his feet would smell.  So barring any unforeseen tragic events, Sunday will mark the beginning of year two. :)

Other recent successes: My jeans from high school are too big. My hair has finally grown out to desired length. And my husband brings home chocolate. Often.

The end. 

Blogged.

You guys!!!!

 It has been so long since I have written a blog. Fear not, I was just storing up for the best blog ever!!! And with that, the rest of this blog will only be a disappointment. 

Is there ever an inappropriate time to say, "We've been so busy, it's just that time of the year?" Because we've been so busy. 

Jason has been working his buns off in grad school and helping his parents flip a house on the weekends!

I've been busy in bridal world, painting my fingernails, and cooking. 

So here is my most favorite Asian meal I have made in a long time:

Teriyaki Noodles and a Veggie Ginger Salad

Teriyaki Noodles:

1 pound spinach spaghetti noodles (any noodles will do, but these are yummy!)

1/2 pound snow peas, cut into matchsticks

3 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks

3 green onions - white and green parts- cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Sauce:

1/2 cup lite soy sauce

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon garlic chili paste

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Splash of lemon juice

Splash of white vinegar

(You can adjust sugar/ chili paste according to taste)

Cook pasta according to directions. Or just cook it how you would cook pasta, because who needs directions for that? In the last minute or to of cooking add snow peas and carrots. Drain and add other veggies and sauce that you have whisked together while the pasta was cooking according to directions. Stir and serve! 

Ginger Veggie Salad

2 Shredded carrots

1/2 cup Chopped broccoli

1/4 cup Sliced mushrooms

3/4 cup Mungbean sprouts

2 tablespoons Chopped cilantro

1 bunch chopped Red romaine

2 Mandarin oranges

Sprinkle of chia seeds

1/2 cup Wasabi peas

Makoto Ginger Dressing - only the best dressing you will ever ever consume. 

I think the assembly on this one is pretty self explanatory. 

Both serve 4. Both are vegan. And both are non-vegan Jason approved!!

If you are still reading, I am excited to announce that Jason and I are expecting you to freak out when you read this and tell you that we are not pregnant but have found a new church family!!

Fortunately we didn't have to look that hard and God just placed us right where we needed to be. We are both thrilled to be in great community with even greater friends. (Especially you Leticia, because I told you that Denise was my favorite. Which she is. :)

The End. 

xoxo

Pruney Fingers

We will never again live in an apartment/house/mansion/castle that doesn't have a dishwasher. 

My hands look like little old ladies right now. 

And on top of that,

I have sustained an injury. 

Two nights ago, Jason and I were lying in bed watching one of our favorite shows, Happy Endings, on my iPad. If you haven't seen it yet, make sure to put on a diaper first. It's that funny. But back to the point. We were watching said show when all of the sudden Jason shifts and my iPad crashes corner first into my forehead. Not only did I have a huge knot for the rest of the night, my head is still bruised. 

#firstworldproblems

Good news is, the rest of my face is back to "normal!!" No more swelling from my wisdom teeth removal, although I made sure to send a text to my whole family letting them see how I was recovering by sending an up close picture of my teeth holes. Even though it wasn't expressed, I'm sure there was gratitude on their part. 

Unrelated, I have come across my new favorite salad dressing so I will share!

Spicy Honey Mustard

1 T honey

1 T Dijon mustard

1 T red wine vinegar

1 T lemon juice

Pinch of black pepper

I like it best on crunchy romaine with a sprinkle of chia seeds on top!

Oh and I almost forgot to share about Valentine's Day!!!

Jason and I hit our usual v-day spot, White Castle, to indulge in a little romance. It's actually pretty hilarious. You have to call and make a reservation weeks in advance and when you arrive you are greeted by your "server" and escorted to your plastic tablecloth table. Menu is the same, just printed out for your convenience, and you get to pick out your own carnation when you leave!

Romance. 

Here is a picture of the cards we made each other! Jason's is the amazing one on the right!! A beary heart felt valentine.

And here is a picture from last year for good measure!

xoxo

Teeth.

You haven't seen determination

 until you witness someone who has only eaten soup 

for three days try to eat a bean burrito. 

This all started Thursday morning about 45 minutes before surgery when I decided to read the pre-op packet. Oops. It said to remove any nail polish and makeup - there went my plan to look good to try to convince them to do the surgery really well. I had a few minutes left before the best mother in law ever showed up, so I started to take off my glitter nail polish. If you are a woman or a strange man, you have probably experienced this process that almost requires a jackhammer. I finally get it all off only to realize that my nails are stained a disgusting yellow and assume everyone at the doctor's office is going to think I have some nasty fungus. Fast forward to surgery chair, I am getting all hooked up to the machines and making sure to retell the nail polish story to every new nurse that walks in. You know, so they know I'm not gross. Then starts the real fun. At least that's what I have been told. Apparently when I was being moved from the surgery chair to the gurney, instead of standing up and sitting back down like a normal person, I sort of crab walked to it. So one of the nurses mentioned that I must have a strong core, so I said yes and started to do crunches to prove it. I also asked upon being woken up if I had also gotten a boob job, but was told that I had to pay more for that... I also remember leaving and waving to Dr. Straka and saying thanks with a mouthful of cotton, not realizing I had just had a 10 minute conversation with him moments before. I remember being pleasantly surprised when I looked at my face in the car mirror on the way home, thinking that I had dodged a bullet since my face was barely swollen. 

Then this. 

The first picture was the car ride home - feeling pretty good. Then a series of pictures taken over the next 24 hours. My good friend Louisa came over to watch movies with me and bring me soup and spent the first five minutes of the visit laughing hysterically at my fat face. 

Well, that's pretty much the wisdom teeth saga. It's amazing how much time you can spend doing absolutely nothing. Thanks everyone for the calls, texts, flowers and everyone that took such great care of me!!

I probably won't see any of you again until my face returns to normal. 

xoxo