Wedding Recap: Gift Opening

Hi!

I was so surprised when I rolled over this morning and saw that the clock said 9am! I'm not sure if I'm still jet-lagged or what, but my sleeping schedule has been so off for the past week or so. Normally I'm up by 6am each day so waking up mid-morning feels a bit foreign to me.

Yesterday morning began with some pumpkin spice pancakes courtesy of Allie's recipe. You can check out how to make them over on her blog! Not a bad way to start a Saturday!

Back on the Healthy Train

The gym at the resort

Oh well, I guess my body needed the rest! Yesterday I headed to the gym to get back into my healthy-life routine and boy, did it feel good! I worked out a little bit on our honeymoon: hiking, swimming, using the resort's fitness center, etc. but nothing compares to a nice strength-training session followed by a spin on the cardio machines in your usual gym.

Yesterday's setup

I enjoy using other gyms but nothing really compares to have a "home gym" that you frequent most. I like visiting other locations of my gym for variety, but when I want a really good workout, I rely on the one that is most familiar to me so I know where everything is and what days/times it is busy.

The machines at the resort's fitness center were pretty nifty--you could plug your iPod right into the machine and browse your music on the large display screen rather than on your device. This made switching songs while running a breeze!

Speaking of running, it was hot in there! I swear I was sweating within the first 3 minutes into my run and the machine was a mess afterwards--ew!

Gift Opening

Last night, Andy and I headed over to my parent's house for dinner. We were celebrating my brother-in-law Andrew's birthday and opening our wedding gifts that my parents had stashed at their house while we were on our trip.

The resort that we stayed at for the week!

It was fun to see everyone and show them pictures of our honeymoon while reminiscing of stories.

I loved this bag!

One of my favorite gifts--Mr. and Mrs. coffee mugs

Another favorite--a personalized apron!

(source)

After all of the gifts were opened, we headed down to the kitchen for some delicious homemade apple crisp topped with ice cream while we opened all of the cards we received. I opened one card and as I opened it, a baby-themed Target gift card slipped out. I stared at it in disbelief trying to figure out if someone bought the wrong gift card when I suddenly realized it was a joke. Two of Andy's groomsmen went in on a baby-themed gift card together as a joke. Hahaha, made my night.

Andrew's 21st

My dad gave my brother in law a 6 pack since he is turning 21 on Halloween! I saw this and started cracking up--they're so young! My sister's birthday is in March, so her 21st is right around the corner, too.

Off to go tackle organizing all of our gifts and finding places for them! My next post will be the "getting ready" part of my wedding day--hair, makeup, etc. so keep your eyes peeled! 

Have a great day! 

What kinds of gifts do you usually give for weddings? I usually go the "game" route--either a board game or a lawn game.

Do you like visiting a gym regularly or do you like to switch things up?

Favorite flavor of pancakes? I like blueberry--my grandpa makes the best blueberry waffles!

Peace Pipes, Friday Five + Photo Challenge

Hello! 

Good morning! I hope you're have a great Friday so far! Only 8 hours away from the weekend--yeah! Tonight Andy's coming over and then tomorrow will be spent hitting up the gym, cooking, and cleaning like crazy for my party! Ahh!

Mini Asthma Attack

Yesterday I ended up taking an unexpected half day from work--the past few days have had my asthma all riled up and I awoke Thursday morning hardly able to breathe normally. I pushed through the first few hours of work, but when 10:30am hit, I knew I had to go in to get a nebulizer treatment. I had this happen a few years ago (on Halloween, actually) and a neb session is usually the only thing that makes it better. 

Catching up on Real Simple while at the appointment

The beast

My peace pipe! 

I have exercise-induced asthma but over the past few years, it has really settled down a lot. When I mentioned the fact that I haven't been doing a lot at the gym lately, my doctor mentioned that stress and changes in seasons can also bring it on. 

Luckily she sent me home with a new inhaler so hopefully that and some rest will do the trick! This little device helps to open up my lungs so I can get enough air with each breathe--kind of important!


The Friday Five

Remember our fun little game from last week? Here we go again! 

1.  What I’m Reading:
Still working on the Shack--I have to admit, I'm only a couple chapters in so far! Normally I'm a fast reader, but with all of this wedding and work business going on, I've found myself swamped lately. 

A little Laura!

2.  What I’m Listening To:
Last weekend I headed over to Andy's house to work on our wedding slideshow. Naturally, I listened to the songs that are in the movie over and over again trying to perfect it. The song that I chose to be played during my "growing up" pictures is What It Means to Be Loved by Mark Schultz (just the second half of the song, though!). However, after chatting with Andy last night, I might be changing it to that "Cinderella" song by Steven Curtis Chapman...any thoughts on this?

3.  What I’m Watching:
Still watching season 2 of Grey's! Most nights I watch an episode before bed but end up drifting off to sleep before the episode ends...which means I've been watching the same episode for the past 3 nights...one of these days I'll get through the whole thing!

My all-time favorite flavor

Apple Straws!

Moose Lake Fudge Froyo's best part = mini peanut butter cups

4. What I’m Eating:
Ice cream has definitely been worked into the menu for this week! mmm, so delicious and something I rarely purchase at the grocery store. Other snacks of note include copious amounts of Apple Straws, and various Luna/Clif bars since they're my go-to snack when I'm rushing around.

5.  What I’m Pinning:
Check out this neat idea--you slice up one of your wedding invitations, place the strips in a glass ball ornament, and hang it on your tree to symbolize your first Christmas together. How cute!


Photo Challenge Day 2: 


What I wore:
(Click here to see yesterday's photo challenge)

Target ruffle tank, Target cardigan, and khakis, story of my life. Please note how well I blend in with my bathroom...

I also wore this outfit for Valentine's day this year...my hair looked better on that day though. However, I blow dried and straightened my hair today! I haven't done that in a long time; I kind of forgot I actually had bangs since they've been hidden by headbands. But really, let's face it, my hair will be up in a ponytail by 10am...


Off to the office! Have a super day!


Do you suffer from asthma? 
What are you pinning this week?
What song should I use during our slideshow? Also, Andy is having a hard time finding a song to play during his little boy pictures...any ideas?

Let's Talk in Tangents, Okay?

Good morning, friends!

Fall is here! 

So far The Shack is pretty good!

Hope you are doing well on this mid-week marker! I'm super excited for this week to fly by because this Saturday is my bachelorette party with my friends! Since the whole "let's bar hop and be super obnoxious" isn't really my thing, Andrea is throwing a "girl's night" themed party at my place instead. It'll be great to see a bunch of friends that I haven't seen for awhile--some since college.

So, I just got all excited because I thought I heard thunder, and when I looked out my window, I realized it was my neighbor rolling his trash bin down to the curb...killjoy.

Is it sad that I get more excited about the food photography and design/layout of Target mailers than I do about the coupons that are inside? Either way, I always save these mailers in my inspiration file. Speaking of which, I'll have to do a post on that sometime in the future--I keep a filing system of design ideas that I've come across over the years. It's a great resource when you're stuck on a project and need a fresh idea!

A thank-you card I drew for my mother-in-law after she showered me with a ton of gifts a few weeks ago. I'm so excited to be using my new kitchen gadgets! Now if only she'll share her recipe for pumpkin bread...that stuff is so delicious!

My mom and I always grab a free Starbucks coffee after trading in the empty bags whenever we run errands! This past weekend we added a pump of Pumpkin Spice syrup into them and it sure was delicious for a chilly fall morning!

We were on a mission to figure out the wedding table centerpieces and the wedding cake! We left rather inspired and hope to go flower shopping within the next week or so to get that item checked off of the wedding to-do list.

Car snacks en route to my bridal shower. A string cheese was also consumed along the way.

Reading blogs on my mom's phone during the ride--it made the time fly by! Now I just need to get my hands on a smart phone!

Pumpkin bread and some pretty flowers that are adorning my kitchen counter this week! 

Finally took 5 minutes to clean out my purse--makes for a less stressful day since I don't have to dig around for everything. It's funny how my phone always seems to sneak to the bottom of my purse--it makes it hard to find when it rings! To see what I keep in my purse, you may read about it here.

Mid-afternoon snack before getting my tires rotated and hitting up the grocery store!

What in the world?!

Last night's dinner: Trader Joe's Roasted Red Pepper + Tomato soup and a side of multigrain bread. I just love soups on cold nights...this was my first time trying this soup and I loved it--I'll definitely be picking this up again soon.

I also picked this up at TJ's...I wasn't sure what to expect from it...it's dairy-free and I didn't realize that until after I got home. I guess that's what sorbet means...? 

However, it was actually really good! It tasted like a fudge bar (remember those from when you were a kid?!) and is just slightly less creamy than regular ice cream. It also has a very strong dark chocolate flavor--mmm, it definitely hit the spot! 

Dippin' Ketchup

source

While riding the elliptical the other day at the gym, I saw this new product being introduced on the evening news and I was intrigued. Heinz just launched new ketchup packets that you can either dip your food into or you can tear the opposite end and squeeze it onto your food or plate. How nifty! Have you seen these at fast food places yet?

Ever had dairy-free "ice cream"?
Have you seen or tried the new ketchup packets?
Favorite thing to put ketchup on? Sweet potato fries for me!

Melt my Heart + Easy Peasy Mac n' Cheesy

Good morning!

Soy lattes for myself and a coworker. After my early start to the morning on Friday, I was thankful that I made mine a triple! I must say that those little green sticks to put in the drink spout on cups is one of Starbucks' most brilliant ideas ever. 

(source)

Well, that is after the Pumpkin Spice Latte...which is coming back soon! I think it usually arrives after Labor Day--correct me if I'm wrong! 

Another Wedding Weekend

This weekend was jam-packed with wedding festivities! Friday night, Andy and I headed out to look at a potential townhouse. It was okay but the kitchen was set up super awkwardly (the fridge door touched the stove when you opened it...?), and the master bedroom was painted such an obnoxious color.

Luckily, Andy scoped out another place this weekend and we went to view it last night. As soon as we walked in the front door, I was sold! I really, really hope we get this one! It is exactly our style!

Saturday was my first bridal shower, and then on Sunday we met with our musicians to go over ceremony music! I also found my bridesmaids gifts so I can check that off my list as well! Things are really coming together and I am so thankful that Andy has been so helpful with all of this. What a keeper!

Back to Monday

It's hard to believe it's already Monday again! Yikes! I'm sure this week will fly by since it's Andy's birthday week and the start of the fair!

On Saturday morning, before heading to the gym, I checked my mailbox and a huge smile spread across my face when I found these two brightly colored envelopes sitting in my box. 

I immediately flipped them over to open them. Check out the cute stickers! haha

Inside were two of the cutest homemade cards ever! My cousins had made them especially for me--with my name and initial on the front! 

Melt my heart!

My two cousins mean so much to me and I am so excited to have them in my wedding as flower girls! They are actually my only cousins, so they mean that much more to me! It has been so much fun watching them grow up over the years and spending time with them doing crafts, going to the park, and playing outside. It's funny because now they're the age I was when they were born! 

Easy Peasy Mac n' Cheesy

The other day I was stumped about what to make for lunch. I desperately needed groceries (and still do! Hopefully heading over there tomorrow night!) and nothing really sounded good. I opened my fridge and saw that I had a tupperware of cooked pasta from the day before. Hmm...maybe I could make some mac n' cheese. However, that sounded like a lot of work, so I improvised. 

I dug around in my fridge until I came across this little gem! Lately I've been loving this cheese on wraps and with crackers--so why not give it a whirl with pasta? I plopped two wedges into a bowl, added a splash of milk, and microwaved it in increments of 10 seconds--stirring each time. I then heated up my pasta, poured the cheese on top and stirred it up! I also added in some fresh basil and olives to jazz it up a bit.

The verdict? It was actually really good! The flavored Laughing Cow Cheese gave it a nice kick and it really hit the spot! I'll definitely be making this again! 

While I was home this weekend for my bridal shower, my dad had stopped at a local bagel bakery. Hello, toasted chocolate chip bagels with butter. I forgot how much I love these things! Paired with some fruit and a homemade iced coffee--it was delicious!

Off to work I go! I've got another huge website project to dive into this week--it's for a real estate company, so it should be fun for something different!

By the way, are anyone else's trees turning colors way too early? It's only August and my tree is half red, half green! Not that I'm complaining....

Alright, have a great day! 

Are your trees changing colors yet?

How many cousins do you have?

Ever made up a recipe on the spot and loved it?