Tunes for Tuesday: A Love Song

The song that marks my return after six months has been on repeat for me over the last two days. I also find myself whistling it in the hallway at work and singing it at my desk.

I always feel extra lovey-dovey about the Hubs around this time of year. We never had an official anniversary when we were dating. What I do know is that fourteen years ago in August, I went to a party at a big 'ole house in the Vine neighborhood with my new roommate and he was there. That was the first night we met. I didn't know then that we'd start dating shortly after or that I'd fall so deeply in love with him.

Anyway. Enjoy this sweet love song.

Side note: This video is awesome, especially after they start dancing.

Fourteen Questions for Valentine's Day

This was going around Facebook and although we don't really celebrate Valentine's Day, I wanted to answer these fourteen AOL throwback questions about my lifetime love because it gives me the warm fuzzies to think back on our life together so far.

1. Where did you meet your other half? 

We met at house party when we were in college. It was his house. He was playing the piano so I heard him before I saw him. 

2. How long have you been with your significant other? 

Together for thirteen years, married for seven. 

3. What was your first date?

We got Taco Bell and ate it on his back porch. I feel like we also drank Rolling Rock, since that was really in back in 2002. 

4. How long were you dating your other half before he/she proposed? 

I think it was a little over five years. 

5. When did you say "I do"? 

June 21, 2008-- Summer Solstice!

6. What song did you dance to at your wedding?

Two songs:

One

Two

7. What stands out the most from your wedding? 

It was hailing and raining and we were doing everything outside so I was freaking out a little. Then it cleared up and everyone partied like crazy around the bonfire while the band played. 

8. Do you have any children? 

We have two fur babies. ;)

9. What's your favorite thing about your other half? 

He's so funny, caring, and kind. 

10. What's best dish your other half makes? 

Everything he makes is delicious. He makes an amazing steak. Also, his cheesecake is the bomb. Oh, and his deep dish pizza. And everything else too. 

11. Where is your favorite place you have traveled with your other half? 

I love going up north with him. I also like exploring cities with him and trying every kind of food we can. 

12. When did you know your other half was the one? 

We were on east campus at WMU walking around one warm spring night and I was just thought, yep. 

13. What does your favorite date night consist of?

Movies and food or some kind of crazy adventure, like trying to ride bikes around in the dark or turning down a weird road to see what's at the end of it.

14. How do you celebrate Valentine's Day?

We don't. Valentine's Day usually makes me feel like this:

But less so now that I'm not working in a high school every day! 

Anyway, I think it's pretty clear what I'm really all about:

<3

Tunes for Tuesday: A Post for Clarence Reid

Clarence Reid died and I'm sad about it. The music he wrote prior to becoming Blowfly is why I think he's awesome, but his dirty songs always make me feel like a middle schooler, even though I didn't know about him until I was in college and the Hubs told me about how much he liked him when he was younger. And to think, I spent middle school listening to stupid Adam Sandler tapes when Blowfly existed. Pshhhhh.

Today's tune for Tuesday isn't one of his nasty songs, it's one of my favorites written by him:

The Hubs and I saw him live a few years ago and we got to meet him. He was still touring and performing in his 70s and he was still good at it. Before he got on stage, I was worried he wouldn't make it, but dang when he was up there, I was impressed. You could tell by watching him that he truly loved performing. He also serenaded me, which has never happened to me before and it made me feel cool. Afterwards, when we sat down to chat with him, he was sweet and kind and weird and I just loved him.

If you've ever been interested in Blowfly, check out the documentary. His story is one that makes me feel all the feelings:

Peace out, Clarence Reid.

I'm a Quitter. Of Cigarettes.

This post is in honor of the Great American Smokeout and the Quit for Life movement. It's a long one, but I want to share the darker, more tar-stained side of myself with you, especially if you're a smoker who is trying to quit. It's possible.

Oh, heck no, you don't. Until you do... someday. [via]

I started smoking cigarettes when I was seventeen to be rebellious (even though my dad was dying from cancer and heart disease related to his 30+ years of smoking), to calm my ever-present anxieties, and to look cool and detached. Plus, I loved the feeling of lighting up a cigarette after a day in high school. It felt adult. At the time, I thought to myself, "I'll quit when I start college." 

Here's a timeline of my smoking from age seventeen to now, 'cuz I FER SURE didn't quit smoking when I started college. 

Eighteen: 

Everybody on campus smoked. How was I going to meet people if I didn't smoke?! [via]

College started and smoking was part of my life. It was a way to get away for a few minutes when I was waiting tables or needed a break between classes. It was a way to look "cool and detached" when meeting new people. Cigarettes tasted great with coffee. When I was eighteen and starting to smoke more than I did when I was seventeen, I thought to myself, "I'll quit when I turn nineteen."

Nineteen:

[via]

At nineteen, I started dating the future Hubs. He didn't like smoking, so I told him I didn't smoke. I was a bad liar. There aren't any pictures of me smoking from the time we started dating because I didn't want him to know I smoked. If I knew I was going to see him, I would smoke and then chew gum and spray myself with Bath and Body Works spray. I really thought it worked-- Bath and Body Works spray is strong. In reality, who was I kidding? You can smell smoke on someone the minute you come into contact with them. I didn't know-- my sense of smell was not so good because, duh, smoking. I thought to myself, "I'll quit if we get serious."

Twenty and Twenty-One:

[via]

Twenty came and I smoked for all of the same reasons as when I was eighteen and nineteen. As a someone who has always been a workaholic, the only way I would slow down and take a break was if I was taking a smoke break. At twenty, I moved in with the Future Hubs. After I moved in with Future Hubs, I tried to quit, but it was too hard. I was full of excuses. I just told myself I'd never smoke in front of him. He was, after all, playing with the band in smokey bars and everyone smelled bad when they got home. Like, smelled bad FOR DAYS. Twenty-one approached and I knew I couldn't quit yet-- beer tasted so good when accompanied by a cigarette. I thought to myself, "I'll quit when I get a real job."

Twenty-Two to Twenty-Four

[via]

I got my first teaching job at twenty-two. My first year teaching was terribly stressful. My teacher friends and I would leave the school during out plan period and smoke cigarette after cigarette while driving around the block in one of our cars. We'd smoke and laugh and vent-- it was my favorite time of the day. I thought to myself, "I'll just smoke for the first few years of teaching and quit when I'm twenty-five. Then teaching won't be so stressful."

Twenty-Five: 

The Angry Smoking Phase [via]

At twenty-five, I got married to the Hubs. It was beautiful. I was down to smoking one or two cigarettes at day-- did I mention I always enjoyed running for fun and had stuck to my habit of running three to five miles a few times a week this whole time? Running kept the cigarette number down. A few months after our wedding, I blew out my knee while training for a half marathon and settled in for a long year of surgery and recovery. Then the surgeon said no more running, never again. At twenty-five?! A piece of me died and I got really depressed. I smoked to relieve the stress of being injured. I thought to myself, "I'll quit when I'm up and walking and less depressed."

Twenty-Six to Twenty-Seven:

[via]

I lost almost fifty pounds by not eating. No exercise was involved-- just very obsessive not eating. I decided to not quit smoking because I didn't want to put any weight back on. I thought to myself, "I'll quit when I'm at my goal weight."

Twenty-Eight:

[via]

In the winter of 2010, I tried to quit because my best friend was quitting. I stuck to it for four months with lots of flavored gum and tins of mints, but I eventually quit quitting. I'd put on almost twenty pounds and I kept getting sick with sinus infections after I quit. It was too hard. In the spring of 2010, the Michigan Smoke-Free Air Law was passed. No more smoking in bars and restaurants meant I had to move myself outside during the Hub's shows and now everyone could smell it. I stopped smoking at bars and restaurants. One day, the Hubs pulled up next to me while I was smoking in my car. He called my cell. "Was that YOU smoking while I drove by?!" Busted. I quit smoking in my car. The real quitting had begun. Then it was erased when I went to Paris and everyone was smoking. I succumbed to peer pressure and smoked. It felt great. I thought to myself, "I'll quit when I get home. When in Rome..."

Twenty-Nine: The Year of Becoming a Quitter

Thank you, swimming. 

In August of 2011, at the age of 29 and a few months before I articulated all of my athletic goals on my 30b430 list, I finally quit smoking for real. After returning from my second summer in Senegal, I was sitting around and feeling extremely out of shape. I went out and got a gym membership. With the membership came a free health assessment. My weight was back up-- WAY up. The health assessment did not give my a glowing review of my health. And I was still smoking. WTF.

Ran a 10k last April. Boo to you, mean surgeon-- and he was mean. I'm not just picking on him. 

So, I quit. It felt like my 1000th time quitting, although I'm unsure of what number the actual attempt was. I didn't do it with patches, gum, or e-cigarettes. I did it with swimming. I got into the pool and tried to swim one length. I couldn't. My chest was caving in. I thought I was having an asthma attack. I wanted to pass out. "OH, HELLS NO!!!!" I said as I finally reached the end of the pool lane. It sounded more like, "OH" sigh, breath, cough, phelm, "HE" breath, breath, "LLS," cough, wheeze, breath, "NO."

I can bike over twenty miles now. Without wheezing.

I quit cold turkey and started going to a water aerobics class with a feisty group of women over fifty until I could work out for an hour straight.

Not these feisty ladies. Healthier feisty ladies. [via]

Then I took swim lessons. Then I started swimming laps on my own. Then I decided to start biking, then I decided the rebellious thing to do as I approached thirty was to start running again (because EFF YOU surgeon), and then I decided that triathlons were for me.

What I Won (Besides My Age Division) by Quitting

August, 2014: Still tri-ing, still a quitter.

This list isn't from a quit smoking website. It's based on what I noticed about myself after I quit smoking:
1. I can breathe.
2. I can breathe.
3. I can breathe.
4. I smell nice.
5. My car smells nice and there are no burn holes in the seats.
6. I don't have to wash my jeans after each wear.
7. I don't have to brush my teeth to kiss the Hubs.
8. My teeth are merely stained from coffee, not tobacco.
9. I can swim almost two miles.
10. My body is healing itself from the years of abuse. I can feel it, I swear! It's awesome! Regeneration!
11. I don't sound hoarse after a night of non-stop smoking.

12. I get sinus infections a lot less than I did when I was smoking. I don't know if this is something that happens to all people who quit, but it happened to me!
13. If we have kids, our kid won't be the one whose worksheets smell like cigarettes when they turn their work in. It's a thing I noticed when I was teacher. Just go with it.

Check out the Great American Smokeout Tools and Resources if you're interested in quitting. It took me more than ten years, but I did it. So use the tools and resources. Or, just quit cold turkey. Or, get some gum. Or, get Chantix. I don't care how you do it, as long as you're doing it.

Earworm Wednesday: Gotta Dance

When the Hubs has to learn a cover, I have to hear it about fifteen to twenty times in a night. This has never irritated me, which is probably why the guys often have rehearsal at our house. Today's earworm is song he's been learning (and he sounds fly). Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake's Love Never Felt So Good has been playing all throughout the house and it's the perfect pick me up song for this string of dreary fall days we've had in Michigan:

I got out of an appointment earlier than expected and I'm killing time at Starbucks right now writing this post and watching this video and I can feel my shoulders moving to the beat. I need to go dancing. Not get-all-dressed-up-and-put-on-makeup dancing. Not take-a-dance-class dancing. Just good 'ole move-your-body-and-don't-take-a-break-until-the-sweat-soaks-your-shirt DAN. CING.

Here is what else is going on with me:

• Working like it's my job.
• Starting a leadership program tomorrow through Southwest Michigan First. 
• Writing a teacher book proposal and getting all stuck in my own head about it. 
• Getting back on my regular workout schedule. It burns.
• Trying to eat better and make more meals at home. It burns. 
• Starting yoga on a regular basis again. I'm loving Yoga with Adriene. She has a good attitude, as evidenced by her morning yoga video:
•  
• Working on the office redo and even more purging. Crossing my fingers that it will be done by the start of the month. I'm thisclose. I'm just getting frustrated by this idea of gallery wall. Pinterest is amazing, but it also makes me create very unrealistic home makeover expectations for myself. 

Stitch Fix Sent Me REALLY EXPENSIVE Jeans

I got my first Stitch Fix! I loved the experience of getting my Stitch Fix package and I will talk about the items in my fix on my next blog post, but I wanted to spend a little time on the super expensive jeans that were in my fix. 

[via]

Let me start with this: Stitch Fix sent me jeans that cost $178. As in, one hundred and seventy-eight dollars. 

My price range for Stitch Fix was cheap-$100. I have never tried on jeans that cost over a hundred dollars before. You might be thinking, "Jen, girl, nobody thinks that $178 is a lot to pay for jeans. That's the price of quality!" Well, you've gotta know that I am not from a $178 for a pair of pants kind of life. 

I gingerly stepped my foot into a pant leg. As I put the jeans on, I thought about what might happen to me as I pulled them up my legs. Would the stubble on my unshaven legs that touched the jeans turn into strands of gold and silver?

This is what happened: I loved the jeans and I wanted them NOW.

I ran errands after trying on the Beautiful Jeans. While driving to the store, I came up with a list of justifications for why I should spend $178 on the beautiful jeans:

- If I wear them twenty times, that will be just $8.90 a wear. 

- I usually wear out a favorite pair after a few months. Maybe this pair will last a few YEARS!

- They are made in the United States from cotton grown in the United States-- Buy local?

- If I don't go out to eat for the next three months I can buy them!

- I deserve nice things!

- I said I wanted to upgrade my wardrobe-- isn't a pair of jeans that cost so much upgrading? 

-I actually have money in my savings! Why spend it on a potential home or medical emergency? Why not just get some Beautiful Jeans?

[via]

When I walked into the house after running errands I was dead set on getting the Beautiful Jeans, so I wore them downstairs to show the Hubs how good my butt looked in them. He said they were nice and asked how much they cost. I said, "Well, you know, like, a little over a hundred bucks." His eyebrows raised so high they disappeared somewhere into his forehead. I realized after articulating the cost  that if I have to bend the truth about the jeans they definitely cost too much. 

I touched the soft material of the Beautiful Jeans. I tried them on again. I sighed in delight at how they were the perfect length for me. I walked around in them. I sat down in the living room, staring at the Beautiful Jeans and marveling at how shapely my legs looked. 

Then I put them in the package and reluctantly sent them back.

Because spending almost $200 on jeans is insane. 

[via]

After I packed up the Beautiful Jeans, I ended up telling the Hubs how much they really cost because I felt bad for sorta-kinda lying. The next morning, I walked into the kitchen wearing jeans and t-shirt.

The Hubs looked at me asked, "Are those the $200 jeans?!" His eyebrows looked ready to raise.

I sighed forlornly and replied, "Nope, these are just my good 'ole seventeen dolla' T.J.Maxx jeans. Guess I'm never gonna be fashionista. I'll just be a Maxxinista."

"Oh," he said, "they look the same. And they look nice." 

He won the game of marriage that day. I love him. 

And I still love Stitch Fix. More on that tomorrow! 

I. Love. Fall. And Maybe Fishing.

Just a little postcard for you from my beautiful weekend...

I love Michigan in the fall. The air changes with the colors and the smell of the season makes me want to be outside all day long. And when we get those amazing fall days that are 75 degrees and sunny?! Dang, yo! It's incredible! 

The Hubs and I headed up north to Lewiston for a long weekend. We ate, we drank, we fished, we bonfired, we spent lots of time together, I didn't wash my hair for three days, we kayaked all over the place, we drove around and stared in awe at the beautiful colors, we watched the stars reflected in the lake on super clear nights-- it was awesome. I love spending extra time with him. 

One thing though... I really need to get over my fear of taking the hook out of a fish's mouth. I've never really fished, unless you count going to a fish farm and catching fish and having someone else take it off the hook for you. So...no, I've never fished. I just started getting into fishing and I can catch the fish, but I can't bring myself to unhook the fish yet. I usually hold the pole and the net while The Hubs takes the hook out. Then I hold the fish for a picture (because if there isn't a picture, it didn't really happen) and throw it back. The Hubs said after the first time you do it, you're fine. 

I really tried to unhook the large mouth bass I caught yesterday afternoon. Instead, I pathetically yelled from my kayak while the fish flailed about in the water, "HUBS! HUBS! Come paddle over here! Help me! Oh my gosh, I think I hooked this poor fish in the eye! Oh my god! Oh my god! Help! Help! I can literally SEE the hook in this guy's eye!" I believe I also squealed. FYI, there wasn't a hook in the eye.

That was an embarrassing admission. I need to put my badass pants on. My friend Deann, my badass in nature role model, went bow fishing. If she can spear a huge fish with an arrow, then I can take a fish off of a hook. Let's not even talk about using live bait. I'm not even close to that yet. 

Here's to all things fall, including fall fishing and taking the fish you catch in the fall off of the hook yourself. 

Scale Betrayal

I've been working out like a fiend for the last few months. I've found over the last few years that it's the only thing that helps me beat the winter blues. Exercise equals endorphins, right?

I don't want to shoot anybody-- Legally Blonde is just proving my point. 

I feel better, my clothes fit better, I have more energy, and I'm an all around happier person. Plus, if I go to the gym fifty times within a six month period, my health insurance pays me. I've already gone forty-eight times and it's only been three months. Needless to say, I've been feeling really good about myself. I even weighed myself at home and the scale said I've lost six pounds. 

Or did I? 

I thought our scale was broken because it's old and the one never shows up on the screen, so I've been weighing myself on it over the last few months and just ignoring that it was "broken." Then, the Hubs texted me last week to let me know that the one on our scale hasn't been broken this whole time. Here's an excerpt from our rage-ful texts:

Hubs: I just realized our scale got set to kg instead of lbs... I was assuming the "1" was broken. AHHHHH

Me: NOOOOOOOO. My day just went from phat to fat.

 Stupid scale.

I hate you, scale.

F U, scale. 

I've written about my struggles with weight before. I'm up from where I was after my first season of triathlons. From the job change in 2013, to the stressful summer job of 2013, to eating my feelings due to other stresses, to this other job switch, I'm not where I want to be, but I felt like I was getting there before the stupid scale betrayed me. 

Then I asked myself, "Why do I CARE about this?"

At the beginning of this post, I said I've been working out like a fiend, I feel better, my clothes fit better, I have more energy, and I'm an all around happier person.

So, seriously, why do I put so much worth into the scale? 

Yeah, that's right you stupid scale. This is what I've been doing while you've been making me feel bad about myself:

Lifting weights and getting stronger.

Push-ups-- I can do those now.

Strengthening my core. Yeah, you stupid scale. I can do planks without crying now.

Swimming like a boss. I'm faster than last season.

Training for a 10k. Yeah, you dumb scale. I'm not the best runner, but I've been running outside while other people haven't been. In yo' FACE.

Yoga. I'm better at downdogs than you are.

Dance. Yeah, that's right you stupid scale. I've been shakin' my curvy self at the dance studio.

Going to hour long spin class twice a week and killin' it.

I'm done weighing myself for awhile. I'm just going to let my jeans fit better without the side of depression because the numbers don't match my body. I'm going to focus on eating foods that make me feel good instead of not eating anything to look good.

Peace out, scale. 

Five

The Hubs and I celebrated five years of marriage on Thursday. 

We were at the cabin, so I couldn't blog. 

2008

2013

Sometimes it feels like longer

Other days, it feels like we just got married 

Sometimes I wonder what we'll be like when we decide to become parents

Sometimes I try to imagine what it will be like when we're old

Sometimes he makes me roll my eyes and sigh

But most of the time

I catch his eye across the room and I smile

I'm really just ridiculously in love with him

Our dog just farted and it is pulling me from my reverie.

This song if for the Hubs:

I get to see this song live tomorrow. Plus I love the lyrics:

I'll be the church, you be the steeple.

You be the king, I'll be the people.
While I was feeling such a mess, I thought you'd leave me behind.
While I was being such a wreck, I thought you'd treat me unkind.
But you helped me change my mind.

I'll be the sun, you be the shining.
You be the clock, I'll be the timing.
While I was feeling such a mess, I thought you'd leave me behind.
While I was feeling so upset, I thought the sun never shine.

Then I found forever
Hey! hey! love!
We've been best friends forever darling.
That's' what's up!
Forever!
No matter what!
You've got my love to lean on darling.
That's what's up!
You've got my love to lean on darling.
No matter what! 

You be the book, I'll be the binding.
You be the words, I'll be the rhyming.
While I was feeling such a wreck, I thought of losing my mind.
While I was feeling such a mess, I thought the sun never shine.

You be the bird, I'll be the feather.
We'll be the best of friends forever.
While I was feeling such a mess I thought you'd leave me behind.
When I was feeling such a wreck, I thought you'd treat me unkind.

Then I found
Forever! and always!
You've got my love to lean on darling.
All the days!
Forever!
Come with me!
You've got my love to lean on darling.
All the days!
You've got my love to lean on darling.

All the days
All of our days
Yeah...
Love is a shelter.
Love is a cause.
Love goes on forever.
Yeah, love will leads us all.
Love! it is our honor.
Love! it is our all.
Love goes on forever.
Yeah, love it is our home.

Oh yeah!
Yeah! that's what's up!
Oh yeah!
That's what's up!
Yeah that's what's up!

Years:

Four

Three

Two and Two

One

Earworm Wednesday: Life is Crazy

The Hubs and I celebrated our tenth Christmas and New Year's together this year. Throughout our massive holiday marathon of family and food, I kept thinking about what I was like when I was nineteen. I thought about the first time I went to his house for Christmas Day (it was also the first time I met his family) and his parents offered me a strawberry daiquiri. I don't drink daiquiris anymore and I'm definitely not the same person I was then, but we're still together. That's I hope it will always be with us-- that we keep growing together and not apart.

Does anyone else remember Macy Gray? I've loved her music since high school. Anyway, this song came up on my Spotify playlist today and I couldn't help but play it again:

It made me smile and now it's in my head. 

Chicago Anniversary Food Tour!

On Thursday, Nate and I took the train to Chicago for an eating and drinking anniversary adventure. We consulted Yelp and Urban Spoon for the most affordable and highly rated places and tried to go to a few of them. Wandering around with an idea of maybe having a plan is one of my favorite things to do. Thank goodness for the $5.75 24 hour CTA unlimited ride pass. 

We started at Hannah's Bretzels, mostly because I love pretzels and wanted to try one of their fancy whole wheat pretzels. Also, we were going to embark on a sushi trek and needed something to hold us over before our long ride over to the shop. The pretzel was pretty good, except they called it a "bretzel" and described everything using the adjective "über."

 

I felt like Bruno was going to pop out at any moment and commit carbicide with us. 

After that we headed out to a place with one of the highest ratings for the Chicago Area on Yelp: Lawrence Fish Market. We went from the Loop all the way to Albany Park, but the journey was worth it. I wasn't sure what to expect. The place had such high ratings I pictured it being a fancy sushi place and looking exclusive. We walked up to a storefront that looked like a place you might pass by and ignore because it looks kind of shady. It is take out only and one of the only places to sit was an old van seat. 

Incognito pic... I was really nervous about eating the fish there.

We didn't call in our order like Yelp suggested but it only took about fifteen minutes for us to get our three rolls. If I would have known how DELICIOUS and fresh the sushi would be, I would have suggested we order a party tray and not eat anywhere else for the rest of the day. It was awesome. The prices were the cheapest I've ever paid for good sushi and the people there were so nice. 

There weren't any places to sit, so Nate and I took our sushi treasure box outside, wandered around the neighborhood until we found a foreclosed house, settled on the curb in front of the house, and devoured our fish. Our impromptu picnic was the highlight of this food tour.

You guys might think I'm joking, but I am seriously considering taking a day trip to Albany Park to get a party tray (only 30 bucks!), putting it in a cooler, and having a sushi party at our house. 

After that we wanted some German, so we headed over to Lincoln Square and spent the rest of our evening there. Before our German food, we had a Fat Tire and some more seafood at the Greek restaurant Barba Yianni Restaurant:

Sidewalk beer... the best kind!

Cold octopus and kalamari salad... pretty good expect for a lack of big octopus chunks. :(

Then we wandered around a little bit more and had another drink and appetizer at one of the cutest French restaurants I've seen: Bistro Campagne

My favorite kind of patio lighting. 

The food and atmosphere reminded me of eating in Paris. This is why I love big cities-- there are so many amazing food choices. I wish we had unlimited funds so we could fully eat our way through Chicago and then move on to other cities. I might be 300 pounds, but with all of the walking I'd probably keep it off. Or not. The unlimited funds will never come so we'll never find out!

Prince Edward Island mussels steamed in Belgium ale.

We washed down the mussels with an Old Tom Collins. I have found my summer drink. 

At this point, I was like, "Dude, can we really eat any more?" We had to celebrate the Hub's German heritage and decided to give it a shot at one of our favorite places: The Chicago Brauhaus 

Yum, beer. Or... bier?

We decided to split one pretzel and a sausage plate:

Did I mention that I love pretzels?

Homemade sauerkraut... I can't make it like this!

We couldn't finish the pretzel because it was as big as my upper body...

We wandered around Lincoln Square for little while longer until I made room for some dairy free gelato. I mean, we already ate our weight in appetizers and carbs...

As a lactose intolerant lady, I had to jump on the dairy free gelato. 

Then we headed back to our Priceline hotel (I do not recommend the Hyatt, but you take what you get on Priceline) and proceeded to fall into a food coma. 

We're just two kids full of love and a variety of meats.

We headed back to good 'ole Michigan the next day and I'm still full! Maybe for our next anniversary we will find ourselves exploring food in other Chicago neighborhoods. We talked about saving up for a NYC food adventure. We would have to count calories until our next anniversary and schedule at least three days for that kind of eating! We'll make it happen someday. 

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Four

Today we celebrate four years of marriage.

From our ceremony:

love is a place by e.e. cummings

love is a place
& through this place of
love move
(with brightness of peace)
all places

yes is a world
& in this world of
yes live
(skillfully curled)
all worlds

Yep, it rained and we got married in a garage.
The rain cleared just in time for barefoot dancing in the grass, so who cares?

Last year I made a video of memories from our dating and married life (ten years y'all) which I am reposting today because I love it. Sometimes I will pull this up when we get into silly spats about clearing the dish drain or picking up the dog poo.
 

Four things I've learned and loved about being married in the last four years:
1. I've learned it's shocking but true: I'm not always right. ;)
2. I've loved the nights we spend just hanging out, drinking beer, and talking. It reminds we of when we first met.
3. I've learned to use "I feel" statements correctly. They really are quite helpful for people who don't know how to communicate!
4. I've loved laughing.

He's the best. He's my best friend and my partner for life. 

We'll be in Chicago today to celebrate by doing our two favorite things: Eating and drinking!

Three

Two and Two

One

It's Nice Having a Nice Hubs

The following pictures illustrate why I love the hubs so much.

Exhibit A: 

He bought me a birthday cake and tried to keep it cool for me. I don't know if he did it because he knows how much I love cold cake (I'm going to pretend he knew). But then tragedy hit: The ice in the cooler melted onto my cake!

Exhibit B:

He stuck the candles into a hotdog bun that worked as a replacement cake. But then he threw THAT "cake" onto the fire because...

Exhibit C: 

Someone rushed to the rescue with a muffin birthday cake. He lit the candles and voila! Birthday fun ensued. And yes, that is a mallard on my sweatshirt.

Exhibit D: Meh, this isn't really evidence. We're just cute in this picture.

 He's really nice to me. I'm a lucky lady.

Ohhhhh love. It's sweet like an attempted hotdog bun/chocolate muffin birthday cake.