---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
             
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday, November 10, 2014

29 Things About Me

Stealing this fun, albeit, self-involved idea from many previous bloggers, but most recently Grace!  I'll be 29 in about 1.5 months, so 29 things it is!


1. Everyone thinks that I'm an extrovert because of my loud voice and opinionated nature, but truly, I'm much more of an introvert. I'm really good at faking it in crowds.  A weekend at home with Austin and no one else is my absolute ideal.
2. I have social anxiety that has grown worse with age, but again, no one really believes me and I fake it real good-like.
3. Speaking of copying Grace, I also took this quiz and happened to end up in the exact same category as her. Though, I definitely don't agree that it's all correct for me (uh, soft spoken, no...).
4. I'm married to a medical student.  Maybe people think I've struck gold because of this.  They clearly have no idea what medical school/residency are like.  I definitely struck gold with the guy, though!
 5. I share a name with one of my best friends.  We also work at the same company and hold the same position.  It's weird and confusing and we not-so-secretly love it!
6. I am a Speech-language Pathologist for career, but dream of the day when I can stay home for a few years with many babies!
7. We are in the process of trying to have a family.
8.  I had a missed miscarriage earlier this year and have struggled to get pregnant since. I'm feeling optimistic, though!
9. I wish I could read books in a hammock daily.
10. I love to cook, but only when I have ample energy and time.  (Read: I'm doing well to cook 2x/week when working.)
11. I love love love eating out.  Like whoa!  Nothing makes me happier than dining at delicious, local eateries with amazing food and wine.
12. I have two rules for eating out: it must not be something that I can make for myself at home and it must not be a chain.
13. Unless it's Chipotle.  I love Chipotle.
14. I have a love-thing for small/practical homes.  I abhor unnecessarily large homes and excess in general.  I recently learned that some neighborhoods have a minimum square footage requirement for people building (e.g., 2000 sq/ft) and and I find this appalling.
15. I also prefer very old homes to new.  Though I understand why many people do not share this opinion.
16. I cannot stand lounging around on vacation.  As a result, I can only be on a beach for about an afternoon.  I need to be up, out, seeing, eating, drinking, and doing!
17. I once side-swiped a cop, lost control of my car, and ran headlong into a tree.
18.  I was fine, the cop was fine, but the car wasn't.
19.  The cop felt so bad for me(don't ask me why) that he only gave me a ticket for failure to yield instead of inattentive driving which saved me many hundreds of dollars.
20. Before I met Austin, I'd never camped before.  I thought I'd hate it, but I'm straight-obsessed. Though I have a pretty low tolerance for any weather above 85 or below 40.
21. The best camping I've ever done was in Yellowstone.
22. Next I'd like to try backpacking.  I need to reference miss Natalie for some tips!
23. Speaking of travel, Austin and I have a very lofty goal of seeing all 50 of the United States together.
24. We've only hit 10 thus far (we are med school poor, y'all), so we have a long LONG way to go.
25. I grew up in  a family that was very tradition driven, especially around the holidays.  As a result, I'm just a bit obsessed with having yearly traditions.
26. This tradition obsession most certainly played a role in my conversion to Catholicism.
27. I have two dogs and one cat.  They make me legitimately happy every day and I cannot imagine not having pets.
28. I've never had a pizza that I didn't like.  I could eat it every day and never satiate.
29. Even though my next birthday is 29, I am so excited to turn 30.  I think I might be the only person who truly enjoys getting older.

Welp, there it is.  My most narcissitic post to date!

Friday, November 7, 2014

Everyone's Worst Email Nightmare



My email nightmares came to fruition today.  I've been planning a gathering for some of the folks in my department at work who I'm particularly close with.  We're a fairly large department, but only about half of us mesh well (mostly due to age).  As I packed up to leave work, I quickly typed a reminder email about the party details (BYOB and apps/desserts) and reminded everyone of the time.  Foolishly, I sent it to our entire department which resulted in a LOT of confusion and my face/chest breaking out in hives.  Luckily, it was pretty easily resolved (a significant chunk of the department was gone, so we played it off like it was a bit more informally planned than it was) but now everyone is invited.  All 20+ people and their families to my tiny little house!  Oops.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

5 Faves // A Link-Up

One of my fave ways to get to know other bloggers is via link-ups!  I've been reading this link-up thread for well over a year and am excited to be joining in the linkage for the first time!





1. HALLOWEEN

 I know it's over and done, but it was as spooky as always this year.  We live in one of the more popular neighborhoods for trick-or-treating in our little city.  Our little house is nestled among much larger homes with folks who hand out full-sized candy bars to the kiddos (and teens, lets be honest).  On average, we see about 500-600 trick-or-treaters each year.  We buy the cheap candy, yo.  This year, my parents joined us and I couldn't have been more thrilled.  I was exhausted for some reason, so my parents took on the task of passing out the goods.  They also brought beef & barley soup, biscuits, and pumpkin beer.  So... Austin and I win.


 Photo from Life in Grace Blog
Photo from Life in Grace Blog

Speaking of soup...that's my next fave!  This time of year just begs for hot pots of soup on the stove or, even better, the slow cooker.  The picture above is what I'm planning for tomorrow night.  I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to soups and I'm trying to make a new one each week.  Maybe next it'll be this, or this, or this!


Photo from the daily cookie
3. AVEDA MANGOSTEEN LIP GLAZE

I am straight obsessed with this lip glaze that I got at my latest hair appointment.  My stylist obviously works on commission and is constantly pushing the newest Aveda products on me when I go in for cuts/colors.  I almost always smile and politely decline as she loads up my hair and face with the latest and greatest.  This time, as I was waltzing out, she insisted on slapping on some of this lip color that she just knew would be perfect.  I agreed that it was fab, but declined to buy some.  Days later, I was still thinking of this color and had even gone to Target in search of a similar, but more affordable one.  I never found one and broke down a week later.  I'm now the proud owner of this amazing fall lip color that I wear nearly every day.  You can see it on me here.


Namely, this series.  I'm kinda obsessed with Amelia's blog.  I even used the same Etsy blog designer. Thanks for sharing, Amelia, and thanks for gorgeous design, Suzana!  Anyway, this Keeping the Home series might be my love language.  The photos make me nostalgic for a season that hasn't even passed yet! I'm obsessed with the gorgeous photos, the bright, airy decor, and her way with words...gah.  She's a wordsmith, y'all.  I'll never compete with her skills, but I'll always adore them. Keep it up, A!

5. DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME

I know I'll be an internet pariah for saying it, but I love DLST.  Granted, I have no young children to help me despise the it, so this fave could easily change one day.  In the meantime, I find the darker evenings of November the perfect time to start hunkering down for winter and I love it. Monday evening it was raining and chilly as I made my way home from work at sunset.  When I came in, I immediately got to work lighting spicy scented candles, turning on soft lights, and starting a cozy, comforting meal.  After dinner, I listened to the rain fall as I sat wrapped in my favorite gray knit blanket sipping peppermint tea and, for a moment, all was right in the world.  I had a keen awareness that the holidays were just around the corner and I was filled with the hope of something greater to come.  

Now go!  Enjoy the other linkage!  Thanks for hosting, Jenna!