I always think I want a house or cabin built (or bought ;p) in mountains or in the middle of nowhere. I’m a serious anxiety freak though and will probably always crave people nearby for a sense of security (I think I’ve adjusted to the city life too much to some extent here…). BUT if I did have my quiet oasis it would resemble these:
because they are in fact awesome.
All images from Cabin Porn. *I giggle at the name*
I’m wishing for warmer times and this dress. Totally speaks to me (the cat lady in me, you know….).
It snowed this weekend! I love waking up to snow. It’s wasn’t snowy enough that we couldn’t get out and about, but in general when it snows we tend to stay in and cuddle up with hot chocolates and hot toddies. We did do our normal walkabout and checked out the neighborhood…
And then ate the days away…
with fanciful deviled eggs (using fun and local homemade dijon mustards and thyme),
delicious and petite french toast with sauteed apples,
and toasted baguette with ricotta, rosemary, and roasted grapes (grapes roasted in orange blossom olive oil).
And after all of that, we of course went back to doing this…;p. 
How sweet is Jess?!! She listed me as one of her awardees for the Liebster Award on her blog, Just Call me Janks. How incredibly thoughtful! Thank you so much, Jess! Jess is engaged to one of my husband’s greatest friends, JA. Jeff is going to be one of his co-bestmen and we’re both really excited and happy that JA and Jess found each other. It’s really a match made in Heaven. Makes me wonder though if she’ll change the title of her blog to ‘just call me Ader’? Haha. Jess lives and works in Baltimore (in PR) and is simply incredible. Her merriment and her kindness are beyond inspirational. I love being around people like Jess and I’m super happy that we’ve had ‘girl time’ and great moments despite the little amount of time we’ve know each other. We’ll miss JA and Jess the most when we leave good ol’ Bmore. Her friend, Meghan, awarded her and has an amazing story and blog. I’m just catching up with blog too and coincidentally, as someone who many doctors thought had A.S. last year (I’m HLA B27+, but I only have a bulged disk on my spine), I found her blog to be incredibly informative and I find her to be incredibly inspirational.
So on to the Lieber Award. Here’s the description of the award and the how-to as stated on Jess’ blog:
A Liebster is: “sweetheart, beloved person, darling adj. dear, darling; beloved, liked very much; affectionate, loving adj. favorite, preferred above others; liked or loved above others.”
Rules:
1. Thank the person who gave you the award.
2. Link back to the Blogger (or Bloggers) who awarded you.
3. Answer the following questions, down below.
4. Pass the award out and recognize other Bloggers letting them know that you love them.
Here are the questions (with my personal answers):
I’m passing on the lovely award to a few of my favorite bloggers too:
Christa, from Freshed Squeezed, is amazing. She went to the school I currently work for and is certainly making a name for herself in the blogging world. Her blog is fun and I love reading it. Her tweets are great to follow too, but I’m sad to say I didn’t have the fortune to actually meet her when she attended school! We sorta found each other through mutual connections- don’t you love it when that happens!??! She’s simply a great blogger, she’s crafty, and I bet she reaches great successes in her life. I just hope she blogs about them all…
Ashley’s blog is called, A Dash of Spectacular. Ashley and I went to high school together, but are really only connecting now via the blog world. I love following her and catching up with her via the internet world. She’s sensationally pretty and her blog is such a delight to read. She’s also new to the NorthEast. She and her husband have just recently moved to Pittsburgh. We’re’ two girls both from little Sherman, Texas who have moved to the NorthEast…It looks like she’s acclimating a lot better than me though ;p.
Chelle, or Michelle as I called her in high school, blogs at Spangled Paraphernalia. I love the blog’s name, it’s insanely good. Chelle and I also went to high school together. Actually, I think she and Ashley are best friends! What a connection we all have, right? Chelle is beyond an inspiration to me. Her posts are amazing and she’s super artsy and has an Etsy store (she also has an amazing voice. I’d know! We used to sing together!). She’s the kinda blogger I want to beg to go with me to AltSummit, seems like we could cause a lot of fun ruckus there together ;p. I love meeting up with her (what few chances we’ve had) and catching up. She’s the type of girl that you can drink a glass of wine with and just chat the night away. Gotta love her.
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Also, I don’t think Erin will be able to pass the love on herself (as she’s stopped blogging to take on Graduate School), but I think it’s good to mention her. Her blog was called The Smiling Actress and she really is one. She smiles and is jovial all the time (or at least a lot more than me and many people I know…). People must flock to her because she’s so sweet. She and I were good friends in high school too. She went on to pursue acting in LA and is simply flawless. All men who look at her sorta melt. I love and hate being around her at the same time, lol. She also produced and starred in a play this past autumn and from what I heard, it was stellar. She has the confidence I think everyone wishes they could have, but also inspires it in many.
Thanks again, Jess! Happy Weekend everyone!
It’s cold here in Bmore. It usually is this time of year, but I always fail when it comes to buying reliable and yet cute coats for our wintery season! Not this year though. This year I found two! They were even on sale and fit wonderfully. I’m officially in love. They’re from Dorothy Perkins. I really like this place. It’s a first time purchase for me from here and I’m very pleased ;p. I hate it when I get something on sale and pay for the shipping, to only get it and it looks completely destroyed…Talk about frustration. Not anymore!!! Now, if I could only locate these shoes that I’ve been lusting after to go with the blue coat (I’m not paying shipping and NOT buying them not on sale in the meantime, so I guess I’m doomed)….
Oh the dreaded bikini…The greatest and yet, smallest forms of fitness motivation…I have to get one for Puerto Rico soonish too. Thus, the bikini is my biggest enemy now. Fortunately though, it seems like everyone is selling them! Right now! As the weather is in the 30s and there’s impending snow for the weekend- there are available bikinis for me to buy!! I’m also so pasty it’s scary and I admit that I usually get a base tan before I go anywhere with super sunlight (if not, I tend to ‘pinken’ on the very first day). But what swimsuit do I buy? I HAAATTEEE spending tons on two flimsy articles pieces of clothing…I really really really do. But, I love these bad boys. They may not be ‘hot’ by my husband’s standards, but I really appreciate them. Oh WHY, Anthropologie do you do this to me?!?!??!
Nothing beats a freshly made baguette. When Jeff and I were in Paris, we’d start every morning with a fresh baguette. Fortunately we were just down the street from the “best baguette of Paris 2010!” It was such a funny coincidence because we certainly didn’t know it at the time. So many places had outstanding baguettes! Jeff and I have felt destitute without the goodness of fresh baguettes though. There are definitely some great options in Baltimore, but nothing beats a very very fresh and perhaps HOMEMADE baguette. Thus, Jacques Pepin has entered into our lives and our oven. Jeff has been using his baguette recipe (which Pepin adamantly and up front states you will NEVER perfect) and we’ve been having some of the best bread I have EVER had in my life. Nothing beats it. Well, actually, add a little honey to a piece of baguette, smother it down, and perhaps you’ve got something that sorta beats it ;p… It’s safe to say that I’m spoiled and we are no longer baguette destitute. I’ve perfected the ‘pout for baguette’ routine and Jeff has perfected the ‘baguette bubbles’ he’d like to see in his bread (apparently it’s all the kneading). It may not be perfect by Parisian or Pepin standards, but it’s seriously close. Make your own baguette people and save yourself from the sorrow of buying EVER AGAIN!
Jeff and I have several outstanding trips planned this year. We’re not interested in splurging on new cars (though we do need one, because poor Mazzy the Mazda has her engine light on and threatens me daily), or any other big things. We love to travel. We love to take the trips Jeff is already going on for conferences as an opportunity for me to tag along (since he’s being PAID to go [lucky ducky]) and for us to spend time together to learn and experience what is usually a new country to us. Last year we went to Germany and Austria, the year before, Australia. This year we’re going to Norway (and I’ll see FJORDS!) and Austria (to the city of Vienna for the first time). We’re certainly blessed with these capabilities, but we plan accordingly too. We feel an overwhelming sense of appreciation for traveling and seeing the beautiful sites this world really has to offer. I can’t get enough of traveling and consistently find new places for us to keep in mind. Jeff is finishing his last semester in his PhD program and since it’s going to be incredibly stressful for him to finish out his program, we decided last year that we were going to take one of those generic ‘beach trips’ for you know, the sake of Jeff and his stressors ;p. We’re doing it differently though and visiting the very NON-generic Puerto Rico. We’ve booked a week’s stay in Old San Juan in March and I honestly can’t wait. Every once and a while, you really need a break…it’s also delightful if the break includes beaches and sunny scenery. So we’re indulging. I can’t believe I’ll be on a beach for Spring Break. How very MTV of me! Oh my! Guess I better get my butt swimsuit ready asap! Speaking of which, I can’t believe swimsuits are ALREADY listed on many retailers sites now…seriously? We haven’t even had our first snow yet, but we know it’s impending…As Jem would say, “OUTRAAAAAAGEOUS!”
click image for source.
Sorry I’ve been MIA. Christmas, as usual, seemingly passed by like a whirlwind and then of course I came home sick. This time last year though I was blind and diagnosed as HLA B27+, so having an infection only is somewhat of a blessing. What is it about Texas? I’m always coming home sick! Hrmm…. I hope every one else’s ‘break’ was great and as I bet many of you are, I’m looking forward to this brand new year. Jeff and I have many big things coming our way, including moving! Seriously? In like 5 months, we’ll no longer be Baltimoreans. This is insane. I’ve come to really love Baltimore. I love our friends here and to be quite honest, I feel much more like a ‘city girl’ than I ever thought I’d become…it’ll be interesting to see where we go, but you can bet your bottom dollar I’ll be keeping you in ‘the know.’ I’m looking forward to starting a new segment called “get to know your city.” I’ll be taking my unemployment time to walk around my new city to take snap shots and look around. Sounds super fun!
What are everyone’s new year’s goals or resolutions? Mine are simple, but personally worthy. I want to be healthy and happy. Jeff and I want to strengthen our marriage and I want to get my body (and perhaps mind) back in shape this year. There’s nothing like going throughout the past year half blind and on many many many medications to place things into a very serious perspective for you. Last year was a mix of tough events too. I lost my Korean Grandmother who I never had the change to meet and Jeff lost his beautiful aunt. Life is seemingly more precious with every new year we encounter, isn’t it? I spent a lot of Christmas break with my mommy and it reminded me how precious and perfect family can really be. I hope we get to move closer this year to our families, but I look forward to the adventures Jeff and I will encounter on our own too. We’re so unlike many people we know…we love tackling the unknown together and being the odd balls who are brand new in a crowd. We just giggle, grab a beer, and say “hey y’all!”.
This year already holds many beautiful things and I think this is the first time I’ve thought to myself “this is going to be an incredible year…” How many times have you thought that? I’m going to start thinking that way from now on…I consistently imagine those around me going through things much worse than me, not because I’m a general pessisimist (though I really am), but because it helps me appreciate the simple things in my life much much more. There’s a woman in my apartment complex who lives here with her mother to only take care of her…because she’s dying…Wow, who has to do that? Who do you know that has such strength? I don’t know if I could…but it certainly helps me love life a little more and appreciate the compassion in others to the nth degree.
Today, Jeff and I went for a run. A short run, but my first for the new year. What’s that quote – the work may not seem worth it but the end result is? I was talking to Jeff about this very quote earlier and it made me realize I feel this way about many things in my life….work, working out, much needed deep discussions, projects, etc…. Let’s all look towards our objectives this year and accomplish them! For now, I bid you all good luck and I’m sure you’ll be seeing a lot from me this new GORGEOUS year ;p.
Below is my favorite photo from our visit to TX. This is my niece, Ella, with her new doll, Alice. We made lips and staches for family photos we got professionally taken by Meredith, MPrint. Isn’t she a cutie-pie? (I told her to act serious, as if she really did have the handle bar mustache…this is what she came up with ;p. LOL.)
Jeff and I always take an evening before we travel back to Texas to visit family for Christmas to celebrate it ourselves in our home. We exchange our gifts then and have a sweet evening. Last night after a very busy weekend, I was surprised with a very special picnic- A CHRISTMAS Picnic! Jeff placed our picnic basket and some blankets on the floor in front of our tree. It was incredibly romantic. It was an amazing way to celebrate our ‘couples Christmas’. We also watched Crazy, Stupid, Love and I really really liked it (I tend to dislike Steve Carell movies and/or movies in general…)! He made some homemade baguettes, a delicious salad, and had two small traveling sized Champagnes to accompany it all. It was remarkable. Then he surprised me with one of the gifts I’ve been dying for- KITTY RINGS! Seriously, this will be one Christmas celebration that I’ll always remember.
I’m ‘tapping’ out of blogging for the next few weeks for the holiday break. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas with beautiful tidings and a very happy New Year’s too! XOXOXOXO
