Best.Day.Ever.

Long time no talk friends!  So sorry for being MIA, I was just a teeny tiny bit busy getting MARRIED!

To say it was the best day ever doesn't even do it justice but it's the only thing I can come up with that comes even close to describing those 24 hours.  From waking up to my sister serenading me with Cher's "Do You Believe in Love", to walking into our venue and realizing everything was more than I could have ever dreamed of, to seeing Aaron for the first time, to dancing the night away with family and friends, it was all just amazing.  I keep reliving moments over and over in my head and I can't wait to see our photos so that I can relive the night again and get glimpses of parts I  didn't even get a chance to see.       

Out of everything though, one of the best things was hearing about how much fun everyone else had.  We heard that people loved our ceremony, they loved our food (yes, wedding food!), and they loved our DJ all of which only made our night feel even more special.  I naturally don't have photos from our photographer yet but I do have some from our wedding party app and Instagram so I'll share those now to tide you all over:

First dance to "Come to Me" by  Goo Goo Dolls as selected by the groom

Me with my amazing sister-in-law

Me with my taller little sister

Grand Entrance 

A few of our closest friends

Favors/Seating Cards

Centerpieces 

Dancing the night away!

High Five for Friday!

Wooooowhoooo its Friday!  I might just be a little teeny tiny bit happy about that. Maybe.

This week has been all over the place, like my brain, but overall pretty great.  Linking up with Lauren for my High Five of week:

1) The government has reopened.  Since this directly impacted our house we are pretty excited.  Celebratory glasses of champagne were mandatory.

2) My sister has been studying her life away at USC.  Since she's been kicking butt and taking names in her PhD program I'd say it's paying off but, everyone could use a pick me up every once in a while.  Enter stage left, Alan.

If you aren't familiar with Alan you must watch this video:

3) I own a Hyundai.  We bought it last year based on the incredible 40 MPG rating.  Too bad Hyundai lied and I actually only get 29-31 MPG.  Awesome I know.  Well, as part of the lawsuit settlement they get to pay me a teeny tiny bit of money for every mile I drive for as long as I own the car.  That being said, on Wednesday Hyundai technically bought me breakfast and filled my gas tank.  I'll take it.

4) Maya and Marley had check ups this week.  Seeing that our neighbor has such a strong distaste for Maya, I always LOVE hearing how incredibly well behaved she is at places like the groomer and the vet.  She even had another dog show their teeth in her face and she just sat there.  Very proud pet parent moment.  Current stats:

Maya: 3 years old and 56lbs

Marley: 1 1/2 years old and 74lbs

Naturally Marley is the lap dog

5) This song has been stuck in my head all week.  It is, so great.

On the agenda this weekend: make-up trial, Halloween party, trip to Costco and pre-wedding related craziness.  Maybe I'll find my brain along the way!  Have a great weekend friends!

Wedding Brain: Like Pregnancy Brain Minus the Pregnancy Part

Guys. Ladies. Gentlemen.  I'm losing my mind. 

 Not the, snapping heads off or screaming like a banshee over flowers, kind of pre wedding losing my mind.  It's more of the, remembering to feed the dogs in the morning but not myself and tossing a lidless cup full of water into my lunch bag, kind of losing my mind.

It's all true.  It's only Wednesday and I have already:

*Fed documents into our scanner backwards and then struggled to find out why all of the images were showing up blank

*Tossed my lidless coffee cup full of water into my lunch sack only to realize what I did after it started to soak my skirt halfway down the stairs

*Had a dream about a giant snake attacking a dog I just met the other night and me, followed by a dream the next night about a giant black widow taking up shop in our bed.

*And lastly for now, the week is still young, I completely miscalculated my vacation time.  Well, less miscalculated and more misunderstood the policy, potato patato right?

For everyone's sake at least I've remembered to shower and brush my teeth.  You're welcome.

High Five for Friday!

I can't believe Friday is already here! With so much busyness going on in our house lately time really seems to be flying.  Linking up with Lauren for my high five of the week:

1) This white chocolate peanut butter.  I had seen in around Instagram and other blogs and thought it would be neat to try but it wasn't anything I had time to go hunting for.  Then, low and behold, while I was at Target the other day I ran across it!  Best, worst purchase ever.  It's not as sweet as it sounds and is surprisingly on the healthier side of most peanut butters.  I've had it on an English Muffin for breakfast three separate days this week!

2) This week the Board of Trustees of our organization met for their Fall meeting.  This is usuallythetime when the announce whether or not we will be getting our winter break or not.  I, along with my co-workers, are not so secretly awaiting the email that will announce whether we get time off and if so, how much.  Fingers crossed!

3) Our sweet Maya turned three years old on Wednesday.  We celebrated with birthday hats, new squeaky skunks and nylabones.  

4) We have our marriage license!  The process was pretty painless and the woman who helped us at the county office was hilarious!

5) This is just a good reminder.  Especially for those of us who have the potential to run into unkind people on a daily basis.

Happy Friday! I'm off to get my hair cut and clean the house before all of the pre wedding shenanigans get into full swing.  Happy Friday!

Super Simple Pot Roast

Of the many things I enjoy about Fall and Winter, crock pot meals top the list.  I love coming home to a house filled with the smells of a slowly cooked meal and the idea that after a long day, I don't have to spend additional time cooking.

Since I rarely eat red meat there is only one cut I'm actually good at cooking and that happens to be a roast.  That being said, I thought I'd share the recipe I use because it's pretty easy and honestly good.  

You will need:

1 roast, I usually by one about 3lbs so we have leftovers for other meals

5-6 red potatoes diced in medium cubes

1 yellow onion cut into rings

5-6 carrots cut into 2 inch pieces

1 packet dry onion soup mix

1 packet brown gravey mix

1.5 cups of Ginger Ale

I know the ginger ale sounds strange but the acid in the soda helps tenderize the meat and break down that fats.

First you are going to line your slow cooker with 1/2 of the onion rings.  Place the roast on top of the onion rings and then top with remaining onion, potatoes and carrots.  In a bowl mix the onion soup packet, brown gravy packet and ginger ale until well combined.  Pour the liquid cover the roast and cook on low for 8 hours or until the meat have begun to shred easily.  Ta da!

Real Life Part 2

Warning: This post goes into religion land so if that's not your cup of tea I won't be offended if you don't read it :)

It's no secret that the best half and I are getting married in the very near future.   I've been waiting for this day for years, have been practically shouting it since the day we got engaged, and now that it's upon us I sit with such a heavy heart, but not about the wedding or about getting married. I can't wait to be married.  CANNOT WAIT. 

However,

in the last 96 hours the government shut down, which means our house is down to one income until the mess is resolved.  I've been forced to confront conflict over wedding related services we've paid for and were not receiving and I hate conflict.  

Then, this morning we learned that a member of our fire family, and one of Aaron's co-workers, lost their life.  This suddenly knocked the aforementioned down pretty far on my list of concerns.  Aaron and my brother have a story about this co-worker and one of his first times practicing driving the engine on a fire.  Every time my brother tells this story he laughs so hard he cries and his laugh is infectious.  That's the kind of joy this particular individual brought to lives.  The numbers just keep growing and the loss the fire community has felt in the last six months is something I'd never wish upon anyone. This is what makes my heart heavy.  

{Courtesy of an un-sourced Pin}

I've learned that times like these are designed to make us question our faith, to ask why. When in reality, after we make it through these times our faith is only strengthened. As I was driving home yesterday I looked into my rearview mirror to change lanes and saw the sun shining through the clouds casting bright rays on the earth. It was as if God was telling me not to give up.  He was reminding me that He's still there and He's still working for me and for everyone.  My second reminder of the year if you're keeping track.  As heavy as my heart was today, I focused on this memory for comfort.

We all grieve in different ways and I guess my way is to write, so thank you all for allowing me to do that.  Although today was sad, I'm incredibly excited for the days to come and am grateful for the reminder that the little things are just that, little things.  Hug the ones you love and don't fret the little things because when life happens, you might not get that chance. 

High Five for Friday!

Unlike our Government, I managed to get up and function today. Soooooo....we are carrying on with our regularly scheduled High Five for Friday shenanigans and linking up with Lauren!

1) Remember that time I called Aaron a tightwad even though I didn't really mean to use that word despite it probably being the best word for the situation?  Well if not, that happened once and I'd direct you to the post where I discuss it but sadly I didn't tag it with "Aaron" or "Tightwad" so it can't be found.  My point, in light of the furloughs and the best half currently working for an "I Owe You", last night I ate those words for dinner and vowed to never call him that again.  Even if it was a hilarious isolated incident to begin with.   

2) I joined a super fun year long link party hosted by Annmarie from The Simply Swift Blog and Jess from Painted Eye Photography Blog.  If you want to join the party (and you know you do) just click on the badge below to read more about it and link up!  My first post from the year can be read here.

3) My oldest brother sets up a fantasy football league for our family each year and I love it.  Last week I  tried my hand at smack talk.  For the record, it came back to bite me in the butt.  I lost in the last three minutes of the Monday night game by less than one full point.

4) Last weekend I made Kale and Avocado brownies from this recipe with a few substitutions.  I loved them, my mom loved them and Aaron loved them.  Of the guys at the fire station, only one openly stated that they did not like them and the rest of the crew said they were really good for what they are.  I appreciate the honesty really and I should warn people that if you are expecting a rich chocolaty gooey brownie, that you will not get.  There is chocolate but it's mild and the sweetness comes from the avocado cream cheese frosting.  Not for everyone but in this house we're fans.

5) This morning we are officially submitting our application for a marriage license.  Pretty stinking awesome.

    Added bonus: MY SISTER IS COMING TO VISIT THIS WEEKEND!  Pretty cool.  I hope your weekend is great and that you join me in successfully avoiding the plague that is the flu making its germy way around.  Happy Friday!

#SimplySwift Self Portrait Challenge Month 1

I’m a little late to this party (ok a day late to be exact. I may have gotten a little caught up in last minute wedding details, the government shutdown and how it affects our home, 1/2 marathon training and remembering to eat, sleep, and bathe) but it’s one I really don’t want to miss out on!  Annmarie from The Simply Swift Blog and Jess from Painted Eye Photography Blog have teamed up to host a YEAR LONG link party!  Each participant in the link party will respond to one prompt per month on the first day of each month and post a photo that corresponds to their prompt.  The idea is to see how we each grow and evolve over the course of the year and I’m totally on board with it.  

 So without further ado, I give you October’s prompt and my response.

October: Writing prompt: Reflect and respond to this statement: your followers follow you willingly. Create an image of what describes you as a blogger. Bonus points for little clues about what’s going on in your life.

As a blogger I am all. over. the. place.  I write about practically anything and everything and really don’t have any niche although I do manage to get a meal plan post up each week pretty religiously.  Sometimes I can be witty, I’m almost always sometimes I can be sarcastic, and a majority of the time I blog about what’s real in my life at the moment.  I like for my blog to be upbeat and positive but real life happens and I don’t want to mask that from my readers.  If you are wondering what I’m talking about specifically you can read more about it here.  I feel like I owe that to each of you.

Some of my readers are family members, some are friends, some are probably cyber stalkers and a handful belong to the blogging community itself.  Most of my readers tend to be quite but I know they are there, Google Analytics tells me so.  Welcome closet readers, I appreciate you.  To be honest I tend to be a closet blog reader myself.  I have a few blogs I try to read daily and others I catch up on when I have the time but the community within these blogs is what I love the most.  The bloggers I have met, although not in person, are some of the most inspiring and encouraging people I know and for that I am so grateful.  

Now it’s time for the photo.  Lucky for all of you I take secret selfies pretty regularly and send them to my sister so she doesn’t forget what I look like.  This one is blurry, was taken on my iPhone, my eyes are as big as I can make them, my smile is over exaggerated to show her just how happy I am to virtually see her and hopefully it made her laugh. 

It’s a little quirky, even more nerdy and totally weird which pretty much is me in a nutshell.  I’m looking forward to the next 11 months of the #SwiftlyPainted Self Portrait Challenge and hope to see others join the party as the months pass. 

 

PS: I’m proof they’ll let you in late!