Memorial Day Weekend Wrap-Up

Sorry for the silence the last few days... I haven't intentionally left the blog unattended but between the three day holiday weekend and trying to prepare to leave town again this weekend, I've been pretty busy this week and can't believe it's already Thursday! And almost June! Welcome Summer!


This weekend was a great one and was filled with lots of fun and lots of family time. I didn't snap any pictures (forgot my camera at home!) but I'll give you a quick run down. Eric and I were originally planning to travel only to my parents' house in Mansfield Sunday-Monday, but on Friday morning we decided to make it a full weekend and visit Eric's family in Dayton. I'm so glad we did! What could have been a semi-boring weekend was instead a great time with beautiful, HOT weather and lots of QT with both of our families. We left Cleveland for Dayton on Friday evening and arrived late Friday night with just enough time to greet my in-laws before heading to bed. I was exhausted after a full day of work and then a four hour drive, so it was time for some rest.

Saturday morning, I woke up and went on a walk around my in-laws neighborhood and then washed the car with Eric and relaxed. After lunch, we headed over to Eric's grandparents' house and swam in their pool for a bit while catching up. Then we came back to Eric's parents' house, ate dinner and then went out to Elsa's (a local restaurant) for a few beers with Eric's family. I have not really been getting too excited about alcohol in the last few weeks so I just had one bottle of Bud Light (plus a lime...counts as vitamin C, right?) and then switched to water.

On Sunday, we woke up early and took another walk around the neighborhood. We then had a great breakfast and went to mass with Eric's family. I had a hard time focusing and kept staring at all of the cute kids in the church...they definitely kept me entertained but spiritually left a lot to be desired! After mass, we left almost right away to make the two and a half hour drive to my parents' house in Mansfield. We stopped in Columbus at DiBella's for lunch...yum! They are some of the best subs I've ever had and I love this place! We only go every once in a blue moon...but boy are they good! When we arrived in Mansfield, we relaxed in the heat with my parents and played a couple of games of Euchre on their deck. Eric and I ended up winning both games, which I think was a shot to my parents' ego as they are regulars in the neighborhood Euchre club, and Eric and I are very casual players...we can't be competitive even if we try. My sister, Kirstin, and her husband, Chad, arrived in time for dinner and we had burgers and hot dogs on the grill. We ended the night with leftover wedding cake that Kirstin brought from the wedding and we watched the first half of "Bag of Bones" - a Stephen King made-for-TV movie that my parents rented for the weekend. By the way..what a scary movie! I normally don't like horror films and I wasn't crazy about watching this one, but my mom is a big Stephen King fan and I think everyone else enjoyed it (mostly). Some parts were just way too graphic, but the plot was pretty interesting.

Monday, I woke up bright and early before anyone else at my parents' house and took one of my parents' three dogs, Brutus (a yellow lab) for a walk around the neighborhood. He is by far the highest energy dog of the three and I thought it would be nice to exercise him a little bit while everyone else was able to rest (he tends to wake my dad up first thing in the morning because he wants to be fed). I think the walk took his mind off of breakfast and he was a happy pup. I can't wait to get a dog...it is on the top of the list for things to do after moving into the new house. Their energy is just so contagious! After Brutus and I returned from our walk, I had breakfast with my family and then decided to go shopping with my mom and sister. We hit up a few discount stores for good deals and I ended up getting a really cute red beachy dress with long sleeves for only twelve bucks! What a deal! I also got a NY&Co belt for 1.99 and a new pair of sunglasses for a few bucks, too. I am a total sucker for warehouse shopping...it feels so not-glamorous while you're doing it, but bargains are the way to my heart and this trip did not disappoint! After getting our shop on, the girls met up with the guys for lunch at Subway and then we headed back to my parents' house. We finished the second part of "Bag of Bones" and just relaxed until dinner. My mom made an awesome smoked brisket and a whole lot of other delicious things for dinner and then we ate key lime pie for dessert. After dessert, it was time to head back home to tend to the kitties and face reality. Luckily traffic was minimal on the way back to Cleveland and the rest of the evening was pretty low key. Although I didn't feel like I indulged too much this weekend, it is nice to get back to an environment with fewer temptations and more healthy choices. I love traveling, but sometimes it's so hard to keep moderation at the forefront when you're surrounded by great food and feeling the vacation mindset.

Anyways, this is getting to be a long one so I'm off for now! It was a great weekend, and there's another one right around the corner!

Q&A:
How was your Memorial Day Weekend? Did you go all out to ring in Summer or did you keep it low key?

Big Changes

Hello! Happy Thursday! We've almost reached the weekend and I am definitely looking forward to three days away from the office! I have a big announcement to make today, so here goes nothing:

Drum roll, please?

(source)

This week I received and accepted an offer for an assistantship to Wright State University in the Master's of Public Administration Program. That's right! I am going back to school! This is also the same university where Eric will be starting medical school, so we will be moving to Dayton, Ohio at the end of July to be college co-eds once more. I am hopeful that in taking this step, I will be able to apply the problem solving tools I learned in my engineering studies and career to non-profit organizations and people in need. I think there is a lot of room for technical minds in the humanities, and I am so excited to join the ranks! I am also very excited by the idea of incorporating volunteer work and interaction with those less-fortunate on a daily basis, and to have a career that fulfills and challenges me both mentally and emotionally.



I've spent a long time thinking about and planning this next step in my journey and I have to say that I experience excitement, nervousness, anxiety, hope, and so many more emotions every time I think about my new career. Above all of these emotions, I am most grateful for the opportunity to make this next step and for the support and love that my family and friends have shown me during the last few months. I have a lot more to say about this topic, and I have barely started the transition, so I am hoping to break this journey into little pieces and document it in a blog series. Stay tuned for more, and please let me know if there's anything you'd like to know more about!

Q&A:
Have you ever considered a career change? Did you go through with it?

So. Many. Beans!

I have had a big bag of dried red kidney beans from the grocery store bulk bins sitting in my cupboard for at least three months and have been SO intimidated by the thought of preparing them. I'm not sure why, but I just haven't wanted to make the commitment of soaking them overnight and then still feeling motivated enough to actually cook them the next day. Last night, in my quest to clean out the cupboard, I decided to get serious: it was time to conquer the kidneys...and to do it with as little effort as possible (per usual)!

Enter our friend, the slow cooker...

(source)

After a quick rinse in a colander, I threw the dried beans (~ 1 lb)  into the slow cooker and put on a large pot of water to boil. After the water had come to a boil, I filled the slow cooker (mine is a large 4 qt model) and put in about 1/4 cup of garlic and onion powders. I would have loved to use fresh garlic and onion, but we were out of both, so powdered won this round! After I stirred up the ingredients, I turned the slow cooker to high (after reading here that cooking on low may make the beans waterlogged) and left it be! I put the mix on at about 9:00pm and turned it off at 5:00am when I woke up this morning. It worked out perfectly and they were well cooked without being mushy! One thing that totally surprised me is just how much water the kidneys took in. I woke up this morning to a slow cooker almost filled to the brim with beans and with hardly any water in sight!

And as for how I plan on eating a full pound of kidney beans? Excellent question, and I plan on getting creative! I took a scoopful for lunch today and mixed it with roasted sweet potatoes and a spoonful of hummus. Interesting combination but it tasted great! For dinner tonight, I threw together this quick recipe:

Red Beans and Rice (generously serves 4)


4 c cooked kidney beans
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp cajun seasoning
8 oz smoked sausage of choice

Pretty simple here...throw all of the ingredients except the sausage into a large pot and heat at medium-low heat for about 10 minutes (or until uniformly warm). While ingredients are warming, slice the sausage into bite-sized pieces and throw into pot. Tastes great served over brown rice!

This is getting to be pretty long so I think I will call it a night...plus I still have to perfect my recipe for kidney bean ice cream before it gets too late (kidding!!). Have a great night!

Perfect Anniversary Weekend + IKEA!

Happy Monday! Isn't it amazing what a relaxing weekend can do? I'll try to keep this recap short and sweet!

Friday:
After work, Eric and I went out to a local neighborhood who was having their annual garage sale. We stopped at about 6 different houses but didn't find anything that we couldn't live without so we walked away empty handed. The neighborhood had some insanely big houses though, so we drove around for a while and day dreamed about one day living in our dream house! So gorgeous! After we left the neighborhood, we decided to stop at Big Lots so that I could pick out a new pillow. I haven't been sleeping too well lately and I think it's because my pillow has been totally de-fluffed! I picked out a memory foam pillow (my first ever...love!!) and then we found  a total steal on a queen-size memory foam mattress topper. We bought it because I've been really interested in getting one for a while...and let me tell you! It has changed my life for the better! Needless to say that I got some solid sleep this weekend!

Saturday:
Saturday was our six-month wedding anniversary and we started the day off with iced coffee to celebrate! While we were having breakfast, Eric found a show on TV called "Hillbilly Hand Fishing"...which is probably exactly what you are imagining it to be. My family is pretty big on fishing, but this is one type that we've never tried! Maybe this summer... ;)

After breakfast, we headed out to Cuyahoga Valley National Park to a spot called Brandywine Falls. They have a trail there with a beautiful waterfall that used to be the site of a manufacturing mill but is now turned into a historic trail.

The waterfall at Brandywine Falls..gorgeous, right?

We took a less traveled path for a 3 mile hike. It was a hot one but a great time! We came home and relaxed a bit before Eric started on dinner. He made this lemon shrimp scampi recipe and it turned out wonderfully. I am very lucky to have such an amazing chef in my life! After dinner we headed out to the movies to see The Avengers. I loved the movie and gave it a 9 out of 10. I am not usually into the superhero movies very much, but this one had a great cast list and was really entertaining to watch. I could have used  a little more emotional substance (such a girl, right?) to move it into a greater-than-9 rating. All in all, Saturday was a perfect day!

Sunday:
I woke up Sunday with an urge. to. shop. Furniture shop! I have been needing new nightstands in my life since the ones I had were a little (lot) "dorm room". (They were 8 years old and were assembled by my early high school self... who did not have an inch of technical prowess at the time and were crooked and mismatched as a result.) It was time for change! Eric agreed to make the drive to the nearest IKEA in Pittsburgh and we took off after breakfast. I love IKEA and, although it's 100% overwhelming, I could spend all day in there walking around and totally redesigning my whole apartment over and over. I love the clean, bright lines that they use and the fun patterns in their accessories. So many cool design ideas! We finally settled on two new Hermes nightstands and a kitchen side table. We left Pittsburgh around 3:30 in the afternoon; we were going to hang around the city and explore for a bit longer but we were both pretty exhausted and decided just to make the 2-hour drive back to Cleveland. When we got back, I assembled the nightstands and set them up and I am crazy for them! They are a serious upgrade. I didn't take a before picture, but I did snap an after picture...




Ta-da!

 As for the side table, we are going to wait until after the move to assemble it and put it to use, but here's a sneak peek!

Forhoja kitchen cart in birch (source)

After such a fun weekend, I was pretty beat. We hit up the grocery store to stock up for the week and called it a night!

Looking Forward

...to the weekend! Tomorrow marks six months since our wedding and I am so excited for the weekend. We are planning to keep a low-key weekend (i.e. no traveling) and are starting it off tonight with dinner at home and a rented movie. We hardly ever sit still together but I love it when we do! It is my turn to choose for movie night, too, so I'm pretty stoked to start searching! Tomorrow morning, we are headed for iced coffees and hopefully a good workout. Then we are going on a long hike to a new trail we've not yet explored. I think it will be great to get away and just enjoy ourselves and get some fresh air!

I'm already more relaxed! And this is just Google! source

I will be back for a full recap on Monday! Have a great weekend!

Taking It Easy

I have a confession: I'm having a really hard time working out this week. I'm not sure if the weird back pain I've been having is the culprit, or the post-vacation lull of this week, but one way or another...I'm doing a whole lot of laying on the couch. I've noticed that weeks like these enter into my workout schedules somewhat often: maybe once every two months or so. Although it is hard not to start criticizing myself for feeling so...bleh, I really am starting to believe that the best way to conquer the slump is to let myself really feel the lack of energy and to take the hint that my body just isn't feeling it this week. I am hoping that by not pushing it, I will ultimately get back in to my fitness routine sooner. For me, taking it easy looks like gentle yoga, leisurely walks, and light stretching instead of high intensity speed workouts and loads of sweat. Having said that, I think Eric and I are continuing the low key theme tonight and taking a nature walk after we both get home from work. It is 60-ish degrees today and so beautiful outside...and I'd like nothing more than to enjoy it! So here's to taking it easy!

source

In other news...if you live near a Dunkin' Donuts...I highly recommend stopping in and trying a turtle iced coffee...holy cow! Definitely not an every day occurrance (especially during an exercise slump!) but an awesome summer treat! I would take this over an ice cream sundae anyday..and I love ice cream!


I'm off for now...have a great afternoon! Enjoy this wonderful weather if you're able!

Brushing Up: Spanish 101

I used to be really into the Spanish language and learning about the people, the cultures, and the environments of Spanish-speaking folk. However, as school+life slowly took over my free time, I have lost a little (a LOT) of my comfort and vocabulary in speaking the language. So! This feature will be a short vocab lesson on new words that I am trying to bring back into my vocab! And studies show that you remember vocabulary much better when you write it down and use it in a sentence than when you simply read it a few times…so without furthur ado…
Let’s get started! (Vamonos!)
brindar – to drink  a toast, to offer. Ex: Me gustari’a brindar a la salud de mi hermana y su esposo nuevo.(I would like to offer a toast to the health of my sister and her new husband.)
aprender – to learn. Ex: En la escuela, yo apriendo hablar espanol.(In school, I learn how to speak spanish.)
exitoso – successful. Ex: Un di’a, yo espero tener un negocio exitoso. (One day, I hope to own a successful business.)

On Fear...and Kicking it to the Curb!

This weekend, I took off on a long walk outside on a beautiful, 70deg St. Patrick’s Day morning with a travel mug in my hand and a Jillian Michaels’ podcast in my ears. The title of the show was “Negating Ourselves & The Spirituality of Food” (two separate topics covered…not a weird topic mashup).  The show focused mainly on these two topics, and at the end of the show Jillian took a call from a listener who had recently lost about 100 pounds and was now feeling more insecure of her body image than ever and looking for help. Slowly, Jillian walked her through her feelings and explained that the reason she was feeling so physically insecure is because she is now able to be rejected, and is afraid of that potential failure. Prior to losing the weight, the caller had been flying under the radar and had never even been in the dating scene, and now that her figure was attracting positive attention, she was not only thrown into the dating scene, but also eligible for all of the heartache and rejection that the dating scene often brings along with it. Suddenly, the caller was realizing that she was able to be rejected. Granted, she was also now eligible to completely rock it, but being thrown into this social perception was the primary cause of her new-found insecurity.
Initially, I found myself thinking that Jillian’s words were making a lot of sense, but I didn’t think that they applied to me. I am no longer overweight, I live a healthy lifestyle, and I enjoy being “in the game” with respect to my peers and social scene. However, as I thought about it more, I broadened my view on Jillian’s theory and realized that there are many places in my own life that I do choose to fly “under the radar” for fear of rejection and failure.  By not giving 100%, I create an automatic out for myself in these areas of life should things not go according to plan. While it is somewhat easy and not too painful to admit “I didn’t achieve Y, but that’s okay because I didn’t really focus too hard on X”, how hard (and scary) is it to say “I tried every way I could think of and gave everything I had to X, but I still didn’t achieve Y”. When Y is something that carries huge weight in your life, and involved some sacrifices and hard work to attempt, not achieving that goal is often a very tough concept to stomach.
So how can we overcome this fear of failure?
By measuring ourselves internally, as opposed to externally. What exactly does that look like? While that picture is different for every single person, for me it means that I determine my worth as a person. It means that I am strong, intelligent, loving, thoughtful and beautiful despite the outcomes of my efforts. When you no longer measure yourself by the things you achieve (or don’t achieve!), you no longer fear failure, because achievement does not determine your worth. And when you no longer fear failure, you no longer hold back from giving 100% to something that might seem a little crazy or daunting. And then something cool happens: the nature of hard work builds in a back-up feature, because the more committment and dedication you put into that crazy goal, the lower your chance of failure automatically becomes.
So that’s pretty cool right? Got it? Just to prove my point, I will leave you with a cheesy quote:

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

Thank you, FDR! And yes, I just winked.