when in reno

When you're dearest friend lives miles away, and you're itching to get out and travel, you bravely book a flight to Reno sans husband and start reading (the night before) how to fly alone with a baby.  Let's just say that in this season of life, I'm procrastinating horribly.  Which led to a nervous breakdown the night before as I was trying to cram every. single. baby. item. we. own. into our suitcase.  Thank goodness my husband is so level headed and patient and reminded me that life will continue to go on if the sound machine is not with us.  Nathan was an amazing flyer!  He was probably a better sleeper when traveling than when we are at home.  And I plan on writing a post with helpful tips for traveling solo with a baby next week so stay tuned.  

This trip was so good for the soul.  I had been sick, then Daniel, then the baby, then Daniel again….add work/house sitting/being a new mom on top of all of that and you've got one hot mess.  So we decided once I arrived to just enjoy each day.  Mornings were filled with lots of coffee around the living room floor while Nathan serenaded us about his dreams the night before and the dogs tried to figure out who this creature in their house was.  We went for walks, shopped (naturally), dined out, and went to the pool.  When I returned home, Daniel was asking me how my trip was and I kept saying over and over how much I loved having someone else cook for me.  Steven is an amazing chef, and my tastebuds were not disappointed at all during our trip.  

We talked about everything we could, spilled things that are troubling us while providing encouragement to one another.  We said our dreams out loud. We sat in the silence comforted by this beautiful friendship that allows for this space.  We remembered my last trip pregnant with Nathan and mentioned how surreal it felt that he was finally here doing life with us.  

And we ended our trip at the sweetest bar where you pick out your drink of choice, take it to the bar and pay for it, they open it up for you, and then you sit at picnic tables and pull out the deck of cards stowed away in your purse.  I must say that I impressed my husband when I told him I'm getting a taste for craft beers and even picked out my own!  (Which was delish!)  

And when it was time to leave, the small lump in my throat reminded me how beautiful this life is when you do it with people who get you, love you for exactly who you are, and become your family.  

meal planning makes me happy

There's something that brings me great joy on Sundays.  And it isn't the laundry I'm doing, the floors I'm sweeping, or the mess I'm picking up.  It's meal planning!  

Maybe it's my love for lists, checking things off as they get accomplished, or maybe it's the fact that I truly love to cook.  I remember when the Mr. and I first got married.  We moved into our condo, and I got straight to planning out some meals.  Life was crazy back then.  He was finishing his undergrad and I was wrapping up my teaching credential.  I remember finding solace in having a meal already planned out.  It was one last thing to think about amongst our busy schedule. 

The same holds true today!  It's something already done that I don't have to think about, and it brings me joy to come home and prepare a meal out of love for us.  

I usually plan out 4 meals, and leave 1-2 days of leftovers available.  There's times when our schedule doesn't go as planned, or I'm not in the mood for what we have planned, but for the most part-we follow the plan.  

Here's this week's plan:

Sunday: Pistachio Crusted Salmon with Broccoli Peso

**This turned out amazing!!  I served it with asparagus and roasted red potatoes.  Delish! 

Monday: Chicken Curry with Brown Rice (Recipe coming later this week)

Tuesday: White Bean and Sausage Ragout with Tomatoes, Zucchini, and Kale (using swiss chard instead because it came in our CSA box) 

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Sweet Potato Chipotle Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches 

Friday: Leftovers 

This week I wanted to try to keep our dinners simple, and the Mr. has been asking for more meat in our meals.  My stomach can't handle red meat, so I like to stick with chicken, turkey, and fish.  Can't wait to cook up some love this week! 

friday nights are therapeutic

Last year when I was dealing with some pretty bad anxiety problems I learned a lot about myself.  Along the way, and with the help of an amazing Christian therapist, I learned to love myself more and more and give myself grace.  It seems so simple to type this now, but when I think about what it really means to "give myself grace" my mind starts going to all the places in my life that I need to let go.  

One thing that I knew I needed to start doing more of but had a very challenging time doing was self-time.  Self-time is basically what it sounds like, taking time for your self and doing something that will fill you up.  This doesn't mean cleaning the house or running that errand so I can check it off my list.  It does mean finding something that I thoroughly enjoy that I can reasonably do.  As much as I'd like to list "pedicures" as my self-time, I just couldn't spend that money every week.  Along the way through the journey that I went to, I found things that I love to do, that make me feel good about myself, and that cost little to no money.  

And this Friday night I realized that I've been missing out on the easiest ever self-time.  You see, the Mr. works until at least 10pm every Friday night.  Usually that means I come home from work, throw on my stretchy pants, and lay on the couch for a solid three hours.  This is truly something that only happens on Friday nights.  I started feeling guilty about the fact that I was being "wasteful" with my Friday nights by spending them doing absolutely nothing.  So I resolved that Friday nights would be my laundry nights.  And two weeks ago, I set out to make that happen only to come home utterly exhausted.  Needless to say, laundry didn't happen.  

This Friday night was a bit different.  I planned on going to a yoga sculpt class, and then I decided I should make myself some dinner and not just eat leftovers.  So I preceded to do just that.  Yoga was cleansing, challenging, and left me oh so sweaty.  Just what I love!  After yoga, I ran to the store to grab last minute ingredients and then decided that tonight would be my "self-time" night.  So I swung by Redbox, grabbed a movie, and headed home.  

On the menu was Oh She Glow's falafel with a twist with tahini-lemon dressing.  Cooking is my release, and it brought me so much joy to cook just for myself.  

Afterwards I decided a sweet treat was necessary to enjoy with the movie so I opened THE FIRST can of pumpkin (because it needs to be documented) and made a two-minute pumpkin pie.  

Then I propped my feet up, grabbed a spoon, and watch the movie fully engaged.  There was no computer open, no emails to respond to, no Instagram.  And it was in that moment that I had cared for myself so much that night-emotionally and physically.   And that is how I intend to spend my Friday nights from now on!  I highly encourage you to find where you are treating yourself, taking care of yourself, and filling yourself up! 

life lately according to my iPhone

Life lately has been beautiful.  Sometimes I have to go back and look at my pictures to remind myself of all the amazing things that are going on in our lives.  How do I forget things so quickly?  

My dear friend Lindsay is due in just a week!  Ahhh, I still can't believe it.  What a joy it has been watching baby Sophia grow.  It still seems so surreal that Lindsay will be a mom very soon, holding her perfect daughter, and all I can say is that I have been blessed to be a part of this experience so far. 

We were able to get out on a date night...on a Monday night!?!?!  I'm telling you, Mondays are the best days for date nights.  It sets your whole week in the right direction.  We used a gift card to Karl Strauss, so we felt like winners.  

My procrastination has two loves: Pinterest and Target.  Both joined together to help me make place mats for our fridge.  A quick trip to Target for $10 (that was just for the mats, I had to spend more than that!) and 30 minutes later, and I had spiffy new mats for our fridge.  I feel like this will be much easier to clean!  Here is the tutorial I used! 

This week Daniel and I went to SDSU to pick up my cap, gown, and tassel for my graduation. YES, I am finally graduating in May with my Masters!!!!  I want to shout it from the rooftops.  Picking up these goodies definitely made me feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel, like all of this hard work is paying off, and this three year endeavor will be over soon. 

I just crack up at Daniel's text messages sometimes.  This was his description of our CSA box goodies. Those "non normal things" included beets, radishes, kale, and asparagus.  

Minnie is a big fan that I'm on Spring Break.  The other night we spent a good amount of time together catching up on our favorite shows.  And the way she sleeps sometimes cracks me up.  Sometimes I wish I could get in the positions she can, I feel as though my back would crack beautifully and feel much better.  

Babysitting my niece and nephew feels like a treat every time.  While Cam napped, Calli and I cut up paper (which ended up all over the floor in little pieces...so we had a "cleaning party" before Cam woke up).  We ate lunch outside, drew pictures, and watched Tangled until we both fell asleep.  I just love those littles! 

if you really knew me

I wish I could take credit for this post but it all goes to the lovely Ashley and Kasey...

If you really knew me:

+ You'd know that I love God with all my heart, but sharing my faith is something that still intimidates me.

+You'd know that cheese, bread, and wine are the bee's knees for me.

+You'd know that my dream us to live in a small, quaint town just like Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls.

+Speaking of Gilmore Girl...my mom and I are a good match for Lorelei and Rory.

+You'd know that I desire to give my friends so much of me, but pains from most relationships make me guarded at first.

+You'd know that I wanted to be a mom like yesterday.

+I LOVE coffee!  And sitting in a coffee shop drinking it is my joy.  The smell is amazing to me.

+You'd know that I love food.  Like a lot.  I love making food.  Eating food.  Finding new restaurants.  And I basically work out so that I can still keep eating good good.

+You'd know that cooking never came naturally for me, and when I got married I decided to be the best wife ever and learn to cook-let's just say I have a very good friend on speed dial to answer my cooking questions.

+You'd know that I always wanted to be a dancer.  Jazz dance in tons of sequence costumes doesn't really count when you were little.  My dream was to be an amazing hip hop dancer of some sorts, and just be break it down.  I also love to dance, all by myself, in my car, in our living room.

+You'd know that decorating my house intimidates me.  It's very hard for me to commit to something because I second guess my style.

+You'd know that my downfall is thinking less of myself too often.

+You'd know that I'm a sheet hogger.

+You'd know that my hope is for people to think of the words grace and class when they think of me.

+You'd know that reality TV is not my thing with two exceptions: SYTYCD and the Real Housewives.  But since we don't have cable I just do without.

+You'd know that I abhor cleaning greatly.  I'll do laundry and dishes all day long, but as soon as it's time to get that broom out I try to make every excuse in the book.

+You'd know that I fell in love with my husband while we were at a high school Christian camp.  Oh Forest Home :)

+You'd know that I'm a morning person, and can wake up at 4am to write a paper versus staying up late.  Hence, waking up last week at 6am to sew a table cloth for my classroom.

+You'd see all my flaws (and my control-freak tendencies) and love me anyways :)

life according to my iPhone

Whew!  After this week I can finally take a nice big breath and embrace summer.  I honestly don't even know how this past week got so jam-packed and I'm definitely realizing that I need to embrace and accept saying "no" sometimes.  

I love looking back on all of these pictures to see how many memories were made this week.

Enjoy:

{1} Celebrating the last day of school with my fab five {2} My new teaching buddy for second grade {3} We survived!  This year we all were cleaning our credentials and survived the crazy amount of work thanks to our amazing mentor, Beth :) 

{4} Date night = sushi at our new favorite place just up the road from us.  This is what the Mr. ordered...I think he was more excited about the fire than his sushi {5} I fell in love with the high pony tail and bangs, and my chambray top layered over my black maxi {6} I'm sticking with my summer bucket list and enjoyed this bad boy my first day of summer.   

{7} My good friend, Danielle, and I got busy putting together an adorable gift basket for one of our friends who is expecting a baby girl!  My sewing machine and I became best friends, and I'm finally getting the hang of it.  I was super proud of the onesie, burp cloths, headbands, and blanket I sewed for her.  {8} How cute is her belly???  {9} Part of our school's fundraiser is auctioning off a day with the teacher.  I was so lucky to take one of my adorable students miniature golfing this week.  We ended the day with a picnic lunch at the beach and fro yo, of course!

{10} A highlight of this weekend was attending a wedding to a young couple we love to death.  It definitely deserves a post all to itself, but the wedding was absolutely adorable and breath-taking.  They kept their guests occupied with a cross-word puzzle on the back of their programs, so adorbs! {11} The cutest couple ever! {12} Best friends reunited.  We were so happy to see Nathan visiting from D.C. {13} Seeing my great college friend at the wedding was such a treat.  It has been a full year since we have seen each other and we always just pick up from where we left off.  

And now I'm off to tackle our crazy, messy home.  Holy smokes, I don't think it has ever been this messy before so wish me luck!!!

what i'm afraid to say

Source: thebluepeonyblog.blogspot.com via Jamie on Pinterest

I must forewarn you because this post will get deep, down, and honest.  I'm usually someone who exudes joy and tries to make it my goal as much as possible, but something has been deeply on my heart that I've never shared before and it makes me a little scared to even talk about it.  But, I have been touched and moved by so many open and amazing bloggers that I only hope mine can do the same for someone else.

We all have parts of our lives we like to keep locked up in the closet, shut away from the rest of the world to see, and paint over it with a big smile.  Mine is anxiety.

I never knew I was an anxiety prone person until about two and a half years ago.  When I look back at that time, it makes me shutter to think how bad it was.  Two and a half years ago I was in my first year teaching, newly married, and struggling with the transition from being a college student to being in the career world.  My first year teaching was also probably the hardest years of my life, I don't think I could've ever planned for it.  Add to that the fact that I was constantly sick because my immune system was not ready for 20 different kids bringing me all their germs.  All of a sudden, I felt like my world had caved in.  I was stuck inside my head, listening to my own thoughts, thinking about everything I was doing wrong.  I would go home and barely speak.  The stress had just taken over my life and my anxiety was out of control.

Because I was constantly battling sinus infections I was at the doctor's office a lot.  All of a sudden I became a complete hypochondriac, I thought that anything and everything was wrong with me.  Going to the doctors would cause me to break out in sweats because I thought there was something terribly wrong with me.  I began getting horrible headaches that would bring me to tears, and my mind would begin to go crazy and I thought I had brain cancer! (I was seriously going crazy.)  One day I called a sub for me the following day, drove to my mom's house, and fell asleep with my head in her lap and tears streaming down my face-I didn't know how to cope.  How do you tell yourself that you are overacting, that your'e completely healthy, that your headaches are probably just from stress, and that you need to get our of your head?

I eventually went to my doctor who put me on medication, but I desperately fought taking it.  A month later, I finished the school year and was officially on summer break.  Over the summer I stick dealt with the obscure headaches and anxiety flare-ups, but slowly it all faded away.  It was as thought I could see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I don't remember what brought it on.  All I remember is that I finally relaxed, my crazy thoughts went away, and peace began to fill me rather than fear.  Ever since then, I've battled with anxiety but it has never been as bad as it was.

Throughout the whole experience I realized one huge answer to my anxiety: GOD is bigger than my anxiety.  HE is there to take it away, HE helps me get through the stressful situations, and HE provides.  My wonderful sister-in-law recently gave me a CD by JJ Heller and it completely speaks to my soul.  There is one song that says "Don't need a thing, my Jesus is all, He is all I need, there's no need to fear..."  This is sometimes a daily reminder, but when I give Him each day in the morning I give up the control I try to hold onto and embrace that HE is all I need.

So my apologies for a crazy long post, but I've loved opening up to you and bringing authenticity to the blog.  If you have ever dealt with anxiety please feel free to ask any questions or share how you have coped with it.

where has the time gone??

I sat down to write a little post on our fun weekend, and as a I started pursuing through my latest photos I realized that there has been so much happening in the past couple of weeks.  One of life's biggest blessings right now is having the Mr. off on Sundays or Saturdays (it keeps switching back and forth).  Since my grad school is out for summer and I only have work to focus on right now, it feels like I can be much more intentional in our time together.  

Last weekend we reinstated our traditional Sunday Pancakes morning and tried out pumpkin protein pancakes.  I love that the Mr. is always willing to try my crazy recipe finds.  They were good, but I was out of a key ingredient, so they're definitely on my list to try again. 

That same weekend we got TWO whole days off due to the holiday, so we headed to the beach early Monday morning to get in some quiet time.  Lately I've been very convicted of not spending enough time on reading my bible.  I was listening to one of Joyce Meyer's podcasts and she basically said if we expect to grow we must be fed, through God's word.  What better way to soak God's word in than being surrounded by His amazing creation. 

We finished the morning with the perfect lattes from my new favorite coffee shop.  SO good!

This past Friday I had the extreme privilege of meeting up with Meg and attend the Queen Bee Market. I was in heaven!  It was my first Queen Bee Market, and I loved all of the cute and adorable crafts.  It completely motivated me to get crafty and I definitely mentally added some projects to my summer bucket list.  

Speaking of projects...I was able to get some work done on a current project we are working on for our bathroom.  Pictures coming soon!

This past Saturday was my school's gala, our largest fundraiser of the year.  It basically means getting all pretty, talking with parents, and getting auctioned off-literally!  All of the teachers auction of a day for a student to spend with them.  I had to be auctioned off live, in front of everyone, but made the school some money!  

I LOVE these ladies!  On Sunday the five of us got together for a scrumptious brunch at my house.  There is just something about quiche, striped paper straws, mimosas made with fresh orange juice, and great company.  

We ended our weekend in the best way possible- seeing our adorable niece and nephew!  The Mr. and I went swimming with miss Calli and my brother in law, then we all made dinner together.  I love that we can go to brother and sister in law's and feel like we are at home.  I also love how sweet little Calli immediately says "Me see me" whenever my phone is out.  She is such a smarty!  She totally knows how to unlock her mom's phone and go straight to the app she wants!

Oops, I forgot how our weekend really ended....

THE best way...

fro-yo!!!!

If you don't know by now, I have a bad crush on frozen yogurt.  If I could, I would go every day.  It also says something that our picture is on the wall at our local place.  

Hope you had a fabulous weekend!!

a day in the life

I was inspired by The William's Post on a day in her life, so I thought I 'd share with you a typical day for me.  As I read hers I kept thinking to myself, this would be so much fun.  This was my Tuesday, which gets busy because I have class after work.  The Mr. was around for a bit in the morning and then it was just little ol' me, so I tried my best to get pictures of everything.  At work it's hard to tell you everything that happens, because we might be here all week long going over it all.  So that's all smooshed together. Here we go...

4:45am My alarm goes off signaling that it's time to get my fitness on and head to the gym.  I might have shed a few tears and fought getting out of bed with every fiber in me, but I got up, and so did the Mr.!!!  He's such a trooper.  

5:50am  Shower time and drink a nice piping hot cup of coffee.  I LOVE coffee.

After I get my cup o' joe I quickly style my hair into a top knot with a braid and slab on some make-up.  On mornings that I go to the gym (2-3 days a week) I have to get ready fast, so this is my go-to style.  

6:40am  Head out the door with my green smoothie :)

7:15am I get to work and quickly put up our schedule for the day, check my email and respond back to parents, and gather tests/papers I need for a meeting I have at 7:30am.

 8:00am  Time for school!  My little ones come in with so much energy and we're off with our calendar activities, phonics, and writing.

9:45am  Break time!  My kids had art and I was able to enjoy my snack and the rest of my coffee.  This is when I finally take care of the piles on my desk, return more emails, and tackle my never ending to-do list.  

11:00 Lunch time!  I was so hungry that I completely forgot to snap a picture.  But I did enjoy leftover tamale pie and veggies.  The kids come back and we are back in action doing reading groups, math, and the kids get some free time as well.  I got the cutest surprise with this letter from a student.  So cute!

1:30pm My kids had singing this afternoon so I had an hour to get more work done.  Tuesdays are the one day that I actually get lots of prep time, which I desperately need, since I get out of work to go to class.  As a teacher we get work done before and after lunch, and during any prep time we get.  This time was spent planning instruction, creating activities and worksheets, emailing parents and everyone else, making copies, grading papers, and organizing.  There's always so much!

3:30pm  Time for class!  The kids got out of school at 3:00pm and after duty I quickly packed up my classroom and headed out the door.  Right next to my work is the most amazing dessert and coffee shop ever.  I had a gift card that was burning a whole in my wallet so I stopped in for some coffee to keep me going the rest of the day.  I so badly wanted to be this kid picking out my dessert for the day, yes please!

4:00pm Class!  A huge assignment was due today so I was happy to arrive and turn it in.  Huge load off of my shoulders!  I spent the next two and a half hours learning about critical literacy and learning about how my research project is sneaking up on me very fast-stress!

7:00pm Finally home!  The Mr. spent the evening with a friend so I had the house all to myself.  I was planning on just warming up leftovers or making a big sale for dinner, but I decided to take advantage of the fact that I could make anything I wanted for dinner.  So I pulled out quinoa, kale, brussel sprouts, and homemade pesto and quickly assembled something scrumptious.  

While dinner was cooking my next order of business was getting into stretchy pants and a sweatshirt.  I live for the moment when I can take off my work clothes and change into something comfy for the rest of the night.  

8:00pm Couch time with Minnie, catching up on my girly TV shows, responding back to parents and faculties emails...

Oh, and finally getting to write some blog posts and catch up on my favorite blogs!  I did sneak in a little homework, checked upcoming assignments, and researched articles for a research project.

9:30pm Scrub a dub dub time!  I have to wash my hair at night because it takes forever to dry, then I blow-dry it about halfway through.  Washing my face is one of my favorite parts of my night, I love just having a fresh face and washing off the grime of the day.

10:30pm  The Mr. is finally home and I am thrilled.  We jump into bed and I catch up on my current favorite book.  I finally doze off about 20 minutes later and start the whole process over again.  One of these nights I'll get 8 hours of sleep, I promise!

Thanks for spending the day with me!