Thursday Randoms

Yes, I am alive and we safely made it back from our great road trip adventure. I promise to post pictures soon! But first, here are a few random thoughts for this Thursday.

• I hate summer colds and don't fully understand how or why they exist. Although this probably developed from overexposure to germs throughout our travels. I can handle a cold in the winter because I'm all about laying on the couch with lots of blankets sipping hot soup or tea. But in the summer the last thing my body wants is something hot, even when my throat is begging for it.
• I think I have a pretty good idea of what baby's feel like when they're teething. My wisdom teeth have been bothering me the past two weeks and I'm just ready to get them out. I have a consultation with the oral surgeon next week - bring on the ice cream diet!
• Quebec may be one of my new favorite cities. I can't wait to share some of our pictures (my excuse for not posting any yet are the first two bullets)
• I am so excited for college football to start! Needless to say it has been a tough year for Dear Old State, but the current Nittany Lions need our support more than ever. Go State, Beat the Bobcats!
• We're on the road again this weekend. This time we are headed to Ohio to spend some time with P's parents. The last time I went to Ohio and it wasn't the holidays was July 2005 when P and I had been dating for 7 months. So crazy!
• This past Tuesday P and I took our engagement pictures and it ended up being a lot of fun. It took us a little time to warm up to the camera and there were definitely some awkward moments (it is not natural to "hold" a kiss in front of someone with strangers looking on) but we cannot wait to see the results!

I am so ready for this long weekend. We will be coming back from Ohio on Sunday and I fully intend to do a whole lot of nothing on Monday, except maybe post some pictures from our trip!

O Canada

Tomorrow P and I are headed on a week long road trip that we have thought about going on for a few years. Now that he is finally done with law school, studying for the bar exam and completed his last day at the Patent Office we will be spending a week exploring Montreal, Quebec City, Boston, and New York City. Other than hotel rooms and tickets to a Red Sox game, we don't have any set plans for our trip. We are just eager to explore new cities together and take some time to catch our breath. Plus we will have plenty of time in the car together to read guide books. We will be back in a week and I'm sure will have lots of pictures to share!

Quebec City at night

A New Go-To

I have discovered a new go-to recipe. It's perfect to cook on a Sunday or Monday evening as it will give plenty of leftovers for lunches all week. I had first seen this recipe on Pinterest and then another blogger raved about it so I decided to give it a shot. Sometimes I'm apprehensive to make new recipes for P. I don't consider him a picky eater, but he is not always eager to try some of the new recipes I find online. Well he loved this one and was fine when I suggested making it two Sundays in a row. It's that easy and good! I opted to make some substitutions from the original recipe to lighten it up. 

Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti Casserole

Source: Pinterest via www.plainchicken.com

12 oz spaghetti (I used whole wheat noodles)

28 oz jar of spaghetti sauce

1 lb lean ground beef (I used mild Italian chicken sausage)

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 clove garlic, minced

8 ounces cream cheese (reduced fat or fat free)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated (I also used part-skim mozzarella)

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Step 2: In a skillet, brown the meat until cooked through and drain grease. Return to skillet and add spaghetti sauce.

Step 3 (done at the same time as Step 2): Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and put in large bowl.

Step 4: Mix in cream cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic. Stir until cream cheese is melted and spaghetti is thoroughly coated.

Step 5: In a lightly greased 9x13 pan, spread a small amount of the meat sauce on the bottom. Put spaghetti mixture on top of sauce then cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with cheese.

Step 6: Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly.

Taking a Chance

This past Friday was my last day of work with the company I have been working for since I graduated from Penn State over five years ago. Tomorrow I will be starting a new job (similar work to my previous job) at a new company. It was definitely bittersweet leaving, but I know it is the right time in my career and life to take on new challenges and experiences. My time at my former company was not just professionally rewarding, but personally rewarding too. Through my time there I met some of dearest friends, including one of my bridesmaids. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous or scared about this new chapter in my life but I am equally excited. Here's to taking chances!