Road Trip!

This weekend I am going home with my sister and my niece for a little girls time...hooray!

Money back guarantees:

-Laughing my head off
- Party food
-Dance/Karaoke time (aka, entertainment by Marissa)
-A romantic comedy
-Lounging in our pajamas
-Crafts with the kiddos

CAN'T WAIT!

who is this girl?

I am SURE that you will all be shocked to hear this but for the VERY first time... probably ever... I briefly wanted a dog. I know, the gasps can be heard 'round the world since I have been previously known as "the one who hates all animals" or the one with a "dog/cat/[insert animal of choice] aversion". (FYI: I don't hate them... most of them I am scared of and the others I'd prefer to just see from a distance) I was driving home from the Y on Saturday night and my mom mentioned that some people at church had a lab that had puppies. Regan and I have agreed that some day we will get a lab. (I am voting chocolate but he wants black... he has "compromised" saying we can get one of each, haha)

Regan has convinced me that if we get a puppy I will get to know it and learn to love it. (As opposed to being slightly afraid of it and very grossed out by the dog hair/smells.) "Someday" to me means when we have a house, a yard, a fence, and a child who is at least five years old. But somehow, when I talked to my mom I got a little excited about getting a tiny brown lab. And, how convenient that I am heading to Richmond this very weekend. I called Regan to tell him the prospect of good news... but unfortunately he called my bluff, haha. Or maybe I called his? Even later that night as I was sitting at home (alone watching a movie while Regan was studying for a midterm) I considered that if we had a puppy I would have someone to watch lots and lots of romantic comedies with whenever I wanted.

But really (and I really do hate to break this to all you dog lovers out there...) I don't want an indoor dog, nor can we afford one right now, AND I don't even think we are allowed to have one in our condo. Oh, and we are gone all day at work/school and that seems mean to the dog. I just thought it was a big step/accomplishment that I briefly even considered it, even half seriously.

Where to begin...

I guess I will start off with the cute cute cute vday apron that Regan's mom sent in the mail... I didn't really have anything festive out this year so this surprise definitely made my day. And it definitely inspired me to make a Valentines Breakfast. (Haha, like my props in the picture? I felt dumb taking a picture with out them :) I decided to make hot pink waffles complete with strawberries and whipped cream. I was psyched when I checked the Harris Teeter (my favorite local grocery store) ad and saw that strawberries AND whipped cream were on sale this week. Too perfect. Although, I can attest to the fact that hot pink waffles don't actually look as appealing as you might think. You win some... you lose some, right? I just think that everything should be pink or red at least one day out of the year.



The full table spread:




We spent a romantic dinner and Chipotle, haha. Gotta love a free burrito. We ran into our friend, Spencer, whose wife was working late so we included him and made it a "romantic dinner for three". We topped the evening off with a little shopping, brownies sundays, and our favorite TV show, Lost. And just so you know the kind of hopeless romantic Regan really is... He made a coupon for a free foot massage and then gave me a second coupon:



(incase you can't read it is says "1 free foot massage for the other foot." He's too funny.

Finally. My favorite day of the year is here...

And now, in honor of this day of love... a few of my favorite love songs. You're gonna want to turn up the volume for these babies.

















I could go on and on...

it is the little things that make life big...

ok, so we all know the big things help but I am just trying to embrace good things as they come... even if they seem insignificant in the scheme of things. its easy to recognize the big things (like tax returns and costco samples) so I thought I'd put a plug in for the small things. here are a just a few of my life's simple pleasures: (after all, I'm a pretty simple gal: )

an empty laundry basket. i love knowing that ALL of the clothes in my house are clean (and neatly stowed). this feeling can't last long, obvioisly... but it sure is nice in the interim.

emptying the dirt in my dyson. it is like a sense of accomplishment seeing all of the dirt I've sucked up.

left overs. not all left overs, mind you. just the good ones like pizza or lasagna.

freshly painted toes

brand new, cean socks... on the same note: folding laudry and not having ANY missing socks

clean, cool, unwrinkled sheets... but only cool when it is a reasonable temp in my room

those little individual floss things... never bought them myself but yesterday morning I thought they might improve my dental health.

unexpected emails from a friend in my inbox

running to the grocery store for that last ingredient that you forgot and finding it on sale

finding a perfect self tanner... haven't done this one yet but I imagine it would be great.

meeting someone name mrs. sunshine... I swear this happened to me last week.

and unexpected, "thank you" or some other sort of appreciation

when someone else empties the dishwasher or does some other chore I am planning on getting around to (hint hint)

panty hose that dont get runs... these are a rarity.

when your favorite song just happens to come on the radio when you get into the car

when someone you barely know remembers your name and uses it... I am SOO bad about this so I really appreciate it in others.

the noise that a can of diet pepsi makes when you open it... instant "ahhhhhh" moment.

My first REAL job

Its official... FINALLY. I was offered a regular, full-time position at Wake Forest on Friday after waiting what seemed like FOREVER. Yesterday at our staff meeting the dean of the department welcomed me and gave me these pretty flowers. I took them home but I think I would get to enjoy them more if I had left them at my desk... I sit there for a good portion of the day.

Basically, the only change from before is that I get benefits... and I think it would be a lot harder for them to fire me now. Oh, and I get 10% off at El Torero now. Awesome.

The other day one of my co-workers was asking what our plans were for after law school. Since we don't really have plans yet, I gave my standard generic answer that we will go where ever the best opportunities are, but of course we hope to be by family, etc. She told me that we would probably have to go where he gets a job but it was lucky that with my career I could work anywhere because there are lots of schools all over. I had to stifle a laugh because I would have never considered my job a career. Don't get me wrong, I definitely enjoy it more days of the week than not... and I feel blessed to have found this job... but it is never what I imagined I would do or really aspired to. I guess until I got a taste of that great place called CMS, that is. 

New Soul

You might recognize this song from the new Apple commercial. Regan showed me the music video the other night and I am loving it, right now. Makes me want to have my own barefoot parade in a beautiful field of flowers... so I thought I would share the wealth:

pizza pizza

We made home made pizza yesterday and it turned out great. I know, I was surprised, too. I found a recipe for pizza dough that I altered slightly and it was the best that we've made so far. The picture doesn't look very appealing because I didn't think to take a picture until I was putting away the leftovers. Next step: learn how to roll out my dough so that it is perfectly round.
Regan made the sauce, and to be honest I wasn't paying attention to what he put in it. I think there was tomato sauce doctored up by some canned tomatoes and some sauteed onions. Whatever it was... was good!

Here is the dough recipe:

INGREDIENTS
* 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
* 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
* 3 cups flour
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons white sugar
* 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (i think i also added a little basil)


DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups bread flour, olive oil, salt, seasonings, white sugar and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine. Beat well until a stiff dough has formed. Cover and rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. Form dough into a round and roll out into a pizza crust shape. Bake crust for 10 min. Cover with your favorite sauce and toppings and bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 12 minutes. (I also tried turning the temp up to 400 for the second round of baking.

Racquetball!

Ever since I started my job as a b-day party coordinator for the Y, Regan and I have been trying to take full advantage of our free memberships. Last Friday night we attempted to learn to play racquetball. (Regan already knew how to play but he had to teach me the rules and then attempt to play against me.) He's says that while he might be the better player, I am MVP for most improved. Nice, huh?

Anyway, I think I could really get into this, guys. We've played twice so far in five days. Surprisingly, I even work up a sweat (and sadly, my forearm was sore after the first game.) I don't really like to play for points b/c after he's up by like 6 it is not as fun. I think he has caught on to that though and starts to take it easy on me after he proves his skills... probably because he doesn't want me to quit playing. Either that or I really have improved!

Although I am loving racquetball, I wish there was a place for us to play badminton. I think I will always love badminton the most. (Mainly because the birdie doesn't come flying at my head nearly as fast...)

I'll try to remember to take some pictures one of these times... you wouldn't want to miss me in all of my goggle glory!

I can weather this storm...

Yesterday, Regan experienced his first stay-home-from-school (even though there is less than 2 feet of snow) snow day. Fortunately, like most snow days in the East, there wasn't much snow. There really wasn't much of anything besides some slush followed by quite a bit of rain. And the rain wasn't even turned into ice. Imagine our surprise when, after first finding out there was a two hour delay, we realized we had the WHOLE day off!

Even though Regan still had work to do, and a snow day means that I don't get paid... we had a nice day all in all. We took time to apply for some jobs for Regan over the summer and even had a little lunch date, followed by some quick errands (or was it the other way around?) Anyway, it was fun while it lasted (and good for the drought) but I'm not hoping (or wearing my pajamas inside-out) for any more any time soon.

Hope the rest of you have a pleasant long weekend!

PS- Happy Birthday Jessica!!

happy birthday!

You are now looking at the newest addition to the YMCA family. I recently started a five hour a week position as a Birthday Party Coordinator. Biggest perk of the job is that Regan and I both get free memberships to any of the Y's in the metro-triad area... also the main reasoning for applying for the position. (And what better way to start off the new year... besides actually using the memberships to go to the gym, heh.) So far I haven't done much for the job other than watch THE MOST BORING 2 hour training video of my life (I now know MUCH MUCH more than I cared to know about the history of each YMCA in the metro- triad area) but I will be sure to keep you updated on the fun, fabulous parties that I am sure to coordinate.

Sew happy

We are so lucky to have a quilter extrodinare in the family... I realize this especially after my little stint at sewing over the break. Regan's mom crafted this wall hanging for us for our Christmas present.



I think the wall hanging did wonders for our bedroom. It really gives it a more complete look don't you think? It looks SO professional... she has an unparalleled attention for detail (which brings me to the sad reality that I don't and therefore will never become a master seamstress.)

On that note, here is the aforementioned sewing stint: my apron. It started off with me repeatedly telling my mom that we needed to be very precise and then took a turn for the worst. After I un-picked some nasty mistakes (twice, consecutively), I sort of threw in the towel (and threw caution to the wind) as I furiously tried to finish as fast as I could. Despite all that, I think it turned out quite nicely... especially from a distance. heh.




And despite(/because of?) all this Regan does not agree that we should tackle reupholstering our couches. Go figure.

here it comes again...

After a lovely, long hiatus I have been forced back into the real world, and therefore back into the blogosphere. Sorry for the prolonged absence.

We had a really nice vacation... I'm sad to see it go. We spent our break in three states and four cities (a week in UT, and week in VA, a night in DC and another night in Raliegh) and despite starting the whole thing off with a nasty cold I consider it some quality down time that was much needed (more so for Regan than for me).

And now its time to get my nose firmly back to the grindstone. Happy New Year!

Almost over...

As I type this Regan is in his fourth an last final. And I am so nervous for him! He has been studying SOOOO hard and put a lot of time in... so I know that he will do great. His test is 3.5 hours (he's about an hour and a half into it right now) and I think I will finally be able to breath when its over. Then start the celebrations. I'm not sure when the last time was that he had a whole three weeks off of work and school so we have lots of fun things planned for our extended vacation.

The weather outside is... DELIGHTFUL

By the by, it was a balmy 61 degrees today. And it is only getting better as the days go on. I can't believe that we'll be in the 70s next week... how will we ever have a White Christmas?! I told Regan that our trip to Utah was going to be a rude awakening only because we have totally been spoiled by this mild weather. Although we both agree that it will feel more like Christmas to see snow in the mountains. I'm all ready planning to pack my snow pants for sledding!

I didn't really get to enjoy the weather today- other than the walk from my car to work and back (but let me tell you, that was niiice). Yes, that's right I had to work today. Finals are in full swing at the law school, so obviously my skill-set is in high demand. I can trouble-shoot a computer with the best of them, heh. It wasn't bad though... no 1Ls cried today (not even regan) so I think it went smoothly. Working on a Saturday is not as bad either when you know it's OT. (yeah yeah!) I'm trying to get in as many hours as I can because after next week Regan and I will be on a little 3 week vacation.

The newest edition to our Chistmas decor

Regan's mom just made me this for my birthday and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. She picked out such cute fabrics. I told her that they were ones that I would have picked out. I think it looks very "Lindsay" (don't you?) Apparently Regan's little brother, Ben, thought so too, haha. When we were deciding where to hang it I suggested to take down our picture hanging over the kitchen table and replace it with the wall hanging (because it is a good sized, white wall that would have given it the prominence it deserves)... although Regan didn't think that it was prudent to take down a picture of Jesus during Christmas. Good call on that one, Reg. So instead we used it to cover the ghastly hole over the fire place (which is really just a tv nook)... I think it fits quite nicely. Thanks, Ann!

1 down... 3 to go.

This is my semi-sophomoric attempt at being supportive. The sign was made with good intentions... but it really didn't look as great at a thought it would. It lasted for about a night before I decided to take it down. I think Regan appreciated it (and was immensely inspired to persevere?) so I guess it was effective all in all. HOORAY for Regan though for finishing his first law school final. I think I will be almost has happy as he will be for him to be done next Thursday!

Got my hair did.

Again. I don't normally get my hair cut this often but I guess the shorter 'do calls for it. I think I mentioned before that my friend Tiffany cuts hair. I have to tell you that she is SO talented. I know this because the pictures I'm posting were taken just a few minutes ago at almost 11 pm... after I had run my hands through it all day, gone running, fallen asleep with it in a sort of up-do, and then tried to smash it down a little... and I STILL love it and think it looks decent. (I realize in these pics it looks a little whacky in back... maybe I should have waited until the morning to take pictures? Oh well, you get the point.) For some reason it looks a little more curly now which must be from the running and pony tail holder because I actually purchased a straightener after she told me that I needed one the last time I got it cut. (I bought this really cheap one at Walmart but I think it works great.) If any of you come to see me in Winston-Salem you should definitely have me schedule you an appointment. She is like my human root-booster (which is what I've been looking for because I always want my hair to have more body). Ok, I'm going to stop because it is a little embarrassing that I just made a whole post dedicated to my hair.

Cheeseburger Soup

This recipe I'm about to share has been handed down for generations and generations. Ok, not really unless you count it going from Regan's mom to Regan to me. (Regan I are definitely from different generations, right? Or was it planets? I'll have to ask him...)

Anyway, my neighbor just had a new baby so me, being the dedicated super-server... Okay, okay, I can't lie... I may have gotten around to it eventuallly but if it wasn't for Regan's brilliant suggestion I wouldn't have called on my lunch break, offered to make something after I got off work at 5pm, or let him to run to the local (strike that. insert: ghetto)Food Lion during the middle of his reading days. I'm sure I would have had good intentions... but he definitely got that ball rollin'.

So, I offered to bring dinner and then I was thinking out loud as I looked in my cupboard... what in the world am I going to take? (I feel like I am CONSTANTLY buying food but it just keeps disappearing! What's the deal?!) Regan suggested soup. Brilliant. This is one of his favorites (i'm 95% positive that his number 1 fav is Zupa Tuscana... but it is kind of spicy and I wasn't sure that that would fly with a new mother, if you know what I mean) Perhaps he was just glad that we weren't having one of the 3 different meals that I have put into rotation each week, haha.

1. Our rendition of Cafe Rio Salad or tacos
2. Wheat pasta with chicken and pesto sauce or
3. Some other variation of chicken and broccoli (and FYI, I know my mom is probably going to post a comment about how she taught me to eat broccoli.)

So here is the recipe y'all are dying to try by now: (btw, we usually leave out the celery b/c I don't typically have it on hand and I hate buying a bundle of it and then not eating it. It is not exactly Low Cal... but its Mmm Mmm Good.)

Cheeseburger Soup
1/2 lb ground beef
3/4 c chopped onion
3/4 c shredded carrots
3/4 c diced celery
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
4 tbsp butter or margarine divided
3 c chicken broth
4 c diced peeled potatoes
1/4 c all-purpose flour
8 oz Velveeta -- cubed
1 1/2 c milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 c sour cream

In a 3-qt. saucepan, brown beef; drain and set aside. In the same saucepan, saute onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1 tablespoon butter until vegetables are tender, about
10 minutes. Add broth, potatoes and beef; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt remaining butter. Add flour; cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to soup; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add cheese, milk, salt and pepper; cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from the heat; blend in sour cream.

ps- baby and mother seemed to be doing well. I thought he looked tiny... then I found out that he was 9 lbs. Not so tiny. Haha, and after holding him for like 5 minutes my arm was ALREADY getting tired! Guess I need to pump some iron more often...

pps- I'm just now realizing that it was a good thing that I left my rolls for Thanksgiving at home... I just pulled them out of the freezer and they were ready to go. I've been kind of a Nazi about the rolls but I even let Regan have one. (I say I've been a nazi but some how we are down to one freezer bag when we started out with two...)

ppps- do you like have I've been slipping a few "y'alls" into my posts? I must think I'm Paula Dean or something with that and the Velveeta. But it has been fun to try and slip back into my fake roots now that I'm in the South again.

Love Feast

On Sunday I went with some girls (uh, ladies?) from church to a Moravian Love Feast at Wake Chapel on campus. From what I understand, the Moravians are an early Protestant church that started in what is now the Czech Republic. The founder rejected the Roman Catholic Church and wanted to return to "simpler practices of early Christianity: liturgy in the language of the people, having lay people receive communion in both kinds (bread and wine), and eliminating indulgences and the idea of purgatory." The Moravians are pretty big here in Winston-Salem so I have been interested to read and learn a little about them.

I kept calling the night a Love FEST, cause I thought it was funny, but was quickly corrected by some who were slightly less irreverent than me. Oops! Here is a little snippet from Wikipedia about love feasts:

A Lovefeast service is a service dedicated to Christian love, and is most famously practiced by, but not limited to, the Moravians. A Lovefeast seeks to strengthen the bonds and the spirit of harmony, goodwill, and congeniality, as well as to forgive past disputes and instead love one another.
The Lovefeast is based upon the Agape feast and the meals of the early churches described in the Bible in the Acts of the Apostles, which were partaken in unity and love. Traditionally for European, Canadian, and American Lovefeasts, a sweetened bun and coffee is served to the congregation in the pews by dieners (from the German for servers); before partaking, a simple table grace is said.
The Lovefeast also concentrates on the singing of hymns, and listening to music which may come from the organ or choir. The songs and hymns chosen usually describe love and harmony. Many churches also have trombone choirs or church bands play prior to a Lovefeast as a call to service.

All in all, the night was really neat. There was a brass band that played some prelude music, an organist, a handbell choir, and even interpretive dancers. The dancer was a little over the top for me at first... she was dramatically lighting the first candle while dressed in black with no shoes. But at the end they turned off all of the lights and each person had a candle to light. It looked awesome... and when more dancers joined in it didn't look quite as odd. It felt very Christmassy with all of the lights and music and was definitely interesting to see something that another faith does.

I realized after saying that I would go to the Love Feast that that meant I would miss out on the First Presidency Devotional. Don't worry though. Luckily, thanks to BYU TV online, I can watch it for Family Home Evening tonight. I just can't get enough of Christmas...