Friday!

Happy Friday! I don't know about you, but I'm so glad the weekend is here!

Here are five things I'm looking forward to this weekend:

//1// My best friend and goddaughter are coming to DC for the weekend! We have big plans to hit up museums, check out a kids concert, make spaghetti & meatballs and watch Lady and the Tramp. I can't wait to spend some quality time with them.

This picture is about a year old. Baby girl was a fashionista from an early age and just had to try Auntie Em's boots!

//2// Cheering on the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game. I would love to see them go to the Super Bowl this year!

//3// Watching the third Lord of the Rings. I really enjoyed the first two movies and am looking forward to finishing up the trilogy! I'm really making a dent in my movies to watch list

//4// Booking my flight to San Francisco! P will be in San Francisco all next month for a trial and now that the trial dates have been finalized I can make my flight reservations to meet him after the trial is over. I can't wait to explore the city together! Please share restaurant recommendations and things to check out!

//5// It's a three day weekend! Thank goodness! The past two full weeks of work have been exhausting so I'm looking forward to an extra day of rest.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Meal Planning

In an attempt to meet my New Year's resolution of being more mindful about what I eat, I am kicking up my effort to meal plan each week. I usually get into cycles when I'm good at this for 2-3 weeks then something in our schedules throws me off but I hope to be more consistent with this throughout the year.

On Sunday mornings I have been brainstorming meal ideas for the week and making a grocery list to get all of the ingredients I need. Then I put the planned meals in my calendar based on what other plans we have going on that week with quicker, no fuss meals being cooked on busier days.

The biggest challenge with meal planning lately has been P's work schedule. His case is going to trial next month which means lots of late nights this month. I'm looking for recipes that reheat easily if he gets home at a reasonable hour or or that freeze well for future meals.

Here's an example of this weeks meal plan:

\\Sunday\\ - Wegmans* beef tenderloin, twice baked potato, roasted green beans
\\Monday\\ Wegmans jerk chicken, twice baked potato (leftover from previous night), brussel sprouts
\\Tuesday\\ Spaghetti Bake
\\Wednesday\\ Our new favorite chili from Newlyweds: North
\\Thursday\\ Leftovers
\\Friday\\ Dinner with friends
\\Saturday\\ Dinner with Aubrey & our goddaughter

*About once every two months I make a trip to Wegmans (it's about a 35 minute drive from the city so it seems like a big trip especially when we have grocery stores two blocks away) to stock up on proteins. They always have a great selection and much better prices than the city.

My next goal is to try a new recipe each week either from one of the many amazing cookbooks I've received or from Pinterest. I'll try to most some of the hits (and probably misses) in the near future.

What are some of your favorite go-to recipes?

TGIF!

Happy Friday! I'm excited to return to the Five on Friday posts. Here are five random, unrelated things for today....

//1// Is it just me or has this week felt like two? I'm looking forward to sleeping this weekend and some pretty low key plans as I continue to work my way out of the post-holiday slump.

//2// I stopped in Target yesterday on my way home from work to pick up a few necessities. Of course this meant a stop at the $1 Spot where I proceeded to fill my basket with all kinds of fun things for Valentine's Day. They have straws with pink hearts and straws that I just couldn't resist.

//3// Penn State is in the process of filling their vacant football head coach position. I really hope things work out this weekend with James Franklin so the program can start working towards the 2014 season. I know, I realize the 2013 season just ended but I already can't wait for August 30th when the Nittany Lions kick off in Ireland!

//4// The 2014 pantone color of the year is radiant mercury. Initially I wasn't overly excited about this choice but it's growing on me. I think it would be a nice pop of color especially in the form of these shoes.

//5// I meant to do this a lot sooner, but I have been meaning to wish my Paris bestie Erin a big CONGRATULATIONS on her recent engagement! I'm so excited for you and Ed!

Tourists in the City of Light

Happy weekend!!

Tuesday Randoms

//1// Like most of the country we are freezing here in D.C. today. We woke up to a wind chill that felt like -4 degrees and needless to say walking Calvin has not been much fun. It looks like things are going to start warming up to more normal temperatures as the week goes on. Until then, I'm planning to survive on hot chocolate.

//2// P texted me this some ecard today with the words "Ich Liebe Dich Meine Bohnchen" (I love you bean). Of course it made me laugh that he was shouting at me in German through text but it also warmed my heart. I love when he does things like that!

//3// With the start of the new year comes a list of things I want to get done like cleaning out closets, organizing drawers, etc. I know I will eventually get around to the list but I just haven't felt motivated yet. I'm hoping it's just the cold weather since I'd much rather be cozied up on the couch in sweats and blankets.

//4// One of my favorite shows in high school was Felicity on the CW. A few years ago P got me the box set for my birthday and I rewatched the series right away. The past few weeks I've been rewatching it again. I don't know what it is, but I just love it. Seasons 1 & 2 are my favorite. At this point I can have it on as background noise and get other things done since I know exactly what happens and could probably recite way too many of the lines. For the record, I was always team Ben.

//5// My sister-in-law got me this book for Christmas and I love it! It's a quick read and perfect for this Francophile!

Hope everyone is staying warm!!

2014 Goals

Happy New Year!! Hope everyone had a great time ringing in the new year. We had a fun night with four other couples celebrating with good champagne and Cards Against Humanity and a little headache for someone yesterday. Over the past few weeks I have been thinking about my personal goals for 2014 and making sure that my goals were reasonable and achievable. I feel pretty good about my list for this year!

//1// Live in the moment. This is something I've been working on a lot recently and I hope to continue to make strides in this area throughout 2014. I'm ready to shed feeling guilty about things in the past, worrying about the future, and feeling happy and peaceful in the present moment.

//2// Read 20 books. I know this is very specific and it was actually a goal I had for 2013. I read 18 books last year. With no wedding to plan and a couple of trips in our future this year, this seems do-able. I even stopped by a local bookstore to pick up two new books to help me with this goal.

//3// Continue to improve my health. Each year, like most people, I have the cliche "work out more, each better, drink more water, etc." resolution that usually revolves around wanting to lose XX number of pounds. Instead of focusing on a specific goal weight or weight loss number, this year I am focused on just being healthy. I'm going to continue to increase my strength with my trainer, run another 5K and hopefully a 10K, and make better decisions about what I digest through cooking more.

//4// Watch some of those movies I always said I would. I have a small (yet growing) list of movies I've never seen but feel like I should have or have wanted to for a long time. For example, the Lord of the Rings trilogy. People are always shocked when I say I've never seen it. P and I watched the first one last night. I have a feeling I'll be able to check the trilogy off well into the new year. Others on the list include the Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Godfather, Casablanca, Breakfast at Tiffanys, and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

//5// Travel and explore. While we have some planned trips already for this year (San Francisco - work for P, pleasure for me, Charleston/Kiawah Island, Outer Banks, Europe), I want to take advantage of living in DC and really explore what the the city and surrounding areas have to offer. There are plenty of museums we have yet to walk through and infinite day trips we could take to Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia. I hope to have a couple of free weekends to take advantage of these.

In honor of our Calvin :)

Here's to a great 2014!!

A Look Back on 2013

2013 will undoubtedly be a year to remember for us. Here are some highlights from our year!

January
I kicked off the year with trips to Pennsylvania for my first dress fitting. We also mailed our wedding invitations!

February
P and I had our bachelor/bachelorette parties the same weekend. His was in NYC and mine was in DC. My amazing bridesmaids, mom, and MIL threw me a gorgeous bridal shower!

At my beautiful bridal shower.

My favorite girls!

March
Unfortunately March brought the loss of my dear Grandfather. We also had a pipe burst in our apartment building that caused a lot of damage to our apartment and forced us to live in a hotel for 10 days!

My sweet, handsome grandpa

Water damage to our bedroom

Apartment living

April
Of course April was my favorite month this year when we became Mr. & Mrs. and then spent an amazing week in Jamaica on our honeymoon!

On of our favorite pictures!

Soaking up the sun

May
We kicked off our first month of marriage with lots of fun at the Sweetlife concert in Maryland, celebrating my sister's graduation from her master's program, and a trip to NYC for P's 30th birthday!

Sweetlife festival!

Congrats Mere!

Birthday boy with Manhattan skyline!

June
Life finally slowed down for us in June. Our big excitement was tracking down the Great Food Truck Race trucks in Arlington, Virginia. We even made an appearance on the finale episode when it aired in the fall!

The winning truck!

July
In July we celebrated the 4th of July at a Nationals game and on the rooftop of P's law firm, we took our annual trip to Baltimore to see the Red Sox play the Orioles, and we bought a new car!

Red Sox game!

August
We were busy this month! P started a new job at a general practice firm, we saw the Book of Mormon at the Kennedy Center, attended the beautiful wedding of our friends Jess & Joe in Virginia, and I had a fun filled weekend in DC with my best friend Aubrey & goddaughter Taylor!

Kennedy Center!

Jess & Joe's wedding!

DC fun with Aubrey & Taylor!

September
September was another busy month for us! Family came to town for a Nationals game, I traveled to Florida for a work trip, we spent a cold, rainy weekend at Penn State, I ran a 5K, and celebrated my 28th birthday!

Nats game with my cousin!

In front of the Allen Street Gates at Penn State, our favorite spot on campus

Crafty Bastards with my sister on my birthday

October
P and I both worked a lot of long days in October. But I still managed to squeeze in a trip to the pumpkin patch with Aubrey & Taylor, P and I celebrated our six month wedding anniversary, and we cheered as the Red Sox won the World Series!

Farm fun with Taylor!

November
This month my mom, sisters, and I celebrated my older sister's 30th birthday at a winery, we cheered on Navy football with my sisters, dad, and step-mom, and had a nice Thanksgiving in Richmond.

Perfect fall day with my mom and sisters

Sisters and I at the Navy football game

December
We have spent the past month attending holiday gatherings and celebrating Christmas with lots of friends and family!

At P's holiday party

First Christmas has husband & wife!

I can't wait to see what 2014 has in store for us! I hope everyone as a safe and fun NYE! See you in 2014!

Five on Friday!

One last Friday post  before the holidays! Here are five things I'm looking forward to about the next two weeks.

1. Christmas celebrations with all of our family kick off tonight with dinner and a gift exchange with my older sister. We head to Ohio on Sunday to celebrate with P's family and we'll stop in Pennsylvania on our way home next week to see my Grandma. Then over the following week we'll continue the celebrations with my mom and then my dad and step-mom. I love that we celebrate Christmas all season!

2. Sleep! It's so nice having a whole week off and not having to set the alarm for anything.

3. Snow....maybe. It is supposed to be unseasonably warm throughout the Northeast and mid-Atlantic this weekend but they are calling for snow in Ohio on Monday. I would love to have a White Christmas.

4. Our first Christmas as husband and wife. Sure we've spent many Christmas' together but there's something extra special about celebrating it with my husband.

5. Of course and most importantly, celebrating the reason for the season, the birth of Jesus! Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men (Luke 2:14).

Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and because in all likelihood I won't be back, a Happy New Year!