Jon and Whitney’s Wedding May 28, 2012

This weekend we were happy to go to our friend Jonathan’s wedding. It was in a beautiful place, with lots of their family and friends in attendance. Of course, the most important part of the wedding is the bride and groom. It is their day to vow to each to always be together through good and trying times. It was a wonderful ceremony with perfect words of love and marriage.

Sara, our friend and the groom’s sister, read a wonderful excerpt from “Union” by Robert Fulghum.

“You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. At some point, you decided to marry. From that moment of yes to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making promises and agreements in an informal way. All those conversations that were held riding in a car or over a meal or during long walks – all those sentences that began with “When we’re married” and continued with “I will and you will and we will”- those late night talks that included “someday” and “somehow” and “maybe”- and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart. All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding.

The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, “ You know all those things we’ve promised and hoped and dreamed- well, I meant it all, every word.”

Look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another- acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing partner, and even teacher, for you have learned much from one another in these last few years. Now you shall say a few words that take you across a threshold of life, and things will never quite be the same between you. For after these vows, you shall say to the world, this- is my husband, this- is my wife “ 

Perfect! Weddings are wonderful for those already married. It is great to hear these type of words to remind you how wonderful this partnership is in your lives.

Jonathan and Whitney, I wish you both all the best in this wonderful journey of marriage!

To my husband, thank you for making me incredibly happy in our marriage!

Couch to 5K May 17, 2012

The Couch-to-5K plan is something we tried last year and then got distracted with other plans. It’s a program that gets you outside and running (or jogging). You’ll alternate running and walking for difference lengths of time which will gradually get you up to 5K by the end of the 9 week program.

We chose this program because it seems like something we can actually do. With us both being out of shape and by asthma, I really wanted to take it slow. We are one-quarter of the way done and are feeling pretty good about it. Last year I kept hurting myself, usually at the hip. You live and learn and try to not let it happen again. I’ve learned a new stretch that stretches that area and a few other problem areas I had before.

Sean says that he always feels better after the run. Now that we are going slower and not pushing as much, we are not completely winded after each run.

We’re excited to do this and hope that we are ready for the 5K on July 4 during the Valley 4th run.

The Homestead April 26, 2012

Better late than never!

After being a part of the planning process since I started in my job at the end of September, I was finally able to see the finished product of the Art Auction! I went to The Homestead on Friday and left on Sunday.  But, I was working almost the entire time. Of course, as a planner, I had fears that I was forgetting something. Good news, I didn’t!

Theresa (my co-worker) did an amazing job with planning the entire event. It was nice to be able to sit at the dinner (incredibly yummy) and see people enjoying themselves. Everyone was dressed beautifully which was also fun to see. I enjoyed getting all fancied up too!

Everything went so well and I think we were all incredibly happy with the outcome.

The Homestead is a beautiful place in the middle of seemingly nowhere. It’s a beautiful drive down and the people are really nice. There were definitely more kids that I thought would be there and people did not dress prim and proper all the time. This summer they will be opening a cool little water park, mini golf course, and outdoor spa area.

The food was amazing at 1766 Grille but pricey. Definitely get the table-side caesar salad! It was so good and fun to watch. And the breakfast buffet is so yummy and fun to go to. Pancakes and omelets to order (even with chocolate chips!). There is french toast, homemade donuts, eggs, fresh fruit, fish, home fries, cereal, grits and so much more! Oh my. I wish I had that breakfast everyday.

I’m not used to being at a place like that, but my room was nice, food was good, service was nice, and it was a great experience. The event was great, my coworkers are awesome, and it was so lucky that I was able to go to The Homestead. If you have the means to enjoy this resort, please take the time to do so. I would make plans to go to the spa and any other activities you would enjoy. It has a lot to offer!

 

Photos are taken by me and show the Ballroom being set up and the beautiful flower arrangements that my boss had put together!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars April 8, 2012

I always love finding new recipes of snacks that I can make at home. Obviously, I have a sweet tooth, so I’m a fan of snacks that are at least somewhat sweet. I promise I’ll be posting some snacks that I make for Sean soon too, they are super healthy!

This recipe, however, is super yummy and may be a little less healthy than snacks I’m making should be. It’s still a snack that keeps me from buying other foods. Take a look…

Check out Cookie Madness for this recipe! She says the egg is optional but I used it. If you try this recipe without the egg, please let me know how it turns out for you!! Also, I did use quick oats as suggested, but you can’t really tell there are oats in this bar. When I make them again I will use rolled oats. I like the texture of oats, but if you don’t, definitely use quick oats.

As a tip, if you live in Harrisonburg, buy your oats at Sharp Shopper! Super cheap and we buy organic.

Please let me know if you try to make this. It’s definitely a crowd-pleaser. I try out recipes on my co-workers and they both asked how to make it.

Until next time when I share a healthy snack recipe!

The Hunger Games April 3, 2012

OK. Who read the books? No, seriously. Comment below and let me know if you’ve read them!

I want to thank my friend Danielle for making me read all three books. Well, she really only made me read the first one. Then I made her let me read the other two (since they were her books!) It’s probably been six months since I read all three, and I just want to say, I’m not a huge reading fan. Never got into books. But I read all three books in THREE days! I’m fairly certain it’s when I didn’t have a job, otherwise I’m not sure how I did it. Sean was even getting upset because I wasn’t paying attention to him!

On to the movie…it was good! I’m so glad I went to see it with Danielle. And we both saw it for the first time together which was even better. It’s really cool because her entire family read them all and all but her sister went at the same time. It stayed fairly true to the book though there were some minor changes. One major (at least to me) change was how she got the mockingjay pin. I thought that was pretty important. And they didn’t really describe what was the big prize if you won The Hunger Games. Yes, you lived, but there’s more to it! And they didn’t get into that too much. Overall, it was most definitely worth watching! Sean said he’ll wait until it’s on Blu-ray and that’s fine with me. Who really wants to pay $10 to see a movie again?

I was really happy with the characters and was so glad that the author was involved in the making of the film. You know she would want to keep it true to the story. I did wish that it would have wowed me. It didn’t. BUT, it was really cool to see the characters on the screen. I didn’t read Harry Potter, and I never got into the Twilight series, so this is the first time I’ve seen a book like this turned into a movie. Very cool.

What did you think? Have you seen the movie?

Simple Days April 1, 2012

Some of the simplest days are the most rewarding.  We took a day to just do whatever and relax.

We started the day with the Walk For Hope. That was a really cool event that brought all the area colleges together for one cause: depression and suicide awareness. Sean and I walked with Bridgewater College who lined up a half a block from our apartment. We saw a lot of faculty and staff we knew and were able to socialize a bit before walking, as a group, down to the Farmer’s Market area for the event. The speakers were great and had great messages. I really hope that people understand that it’s okay to seek help.

From Bridgewater College's Facebook Page

After that event we ended up in one of my favorite places (a park) and put out towels and just laid there sunning and reading. It was quiet, sunny, perfect weather. But most of all, it was relaxing.

 

After we just laid there reading a while, we decided that ice cream was in order. Lucky for us, there’s a yummy ice cream place in Bridgewater. So, we got our ice creams and headed to another park by the river to eat them. Just a perfect day. I just wish I had more of them!

 

Being that it was Stress Awareness Day yesterday I thought I would link you to some benefits of relaxing. I try to live my life in a way that I do not overload myself and I try to not take work home (unless I need to!). I enjoy the evenings I spend with my husband. I enjoy just hanging out on the couch or in a park. I like quiet and I like calm. I know I can do more, but I will take what I can get for now.

What do you do to relax?

Celebrating Our 2 Year Wedding Anniversary March 19, 2012

We went out to dinner on Saturday, March 17 for our anniversary evening (since we were busy the day of our anniversary). Of course, Saturday was St. Patrick’s Day so we were nervous that everywhere would be a little crazy. We had thought about heading down to Charlottesville for dinner since a bunch of friends recommended places and we found other places we liked too, but I was so tired from work that I didn’t really want to leave Harrisonburg.

After some discussion, we decided we would go to Kyoto (our go-to for many special events) for dinner for me and an appetizer for him (sushi), then the Capital Ale House afterward for him to get what he really wanted and I would have my favorite drink. Well, we got to Kyoto and noticed a party in front of us, turned out that we were seated with them. Since there are 8 seats at the hibachi grill, they try to fill it. What’s funny is that it was Sean’s (choir) freshman buddy’s fiancee’s bachelorette party! We knew two of the girls there but they all went to BC. How crazy!! Then, at the table next to us, one of my friend’s really good friend in college was celebrating getting engaged that day. So, we have a bunch of BC people, one celebrating an engagement, one about to get married, and us celebrating a wedding anniversary. We had a great time!

And to the Capital Ale House we went. Again, we weren’t sure what we were getting into since it’s a beer place on St. Patrick’s Day. We got to the door and there were bouncers. We asked what was going on, but it was just 21 and over (I guess to make it easier?). So, Sean put on Facebook that we there and for people to join us. Our friend from BC, Sara, decided to come hang out since we haven’t seen her in so long. That was awesome. But while we waited I saw JoJo from Q101 who I had met in July and randomly see him around. So, I chatted with him for a bit and found out he’s getting married this weekend!!

The fun does not stop there! We got our table and across from us was another friend from choir. On the other side of him was my former supervisor at JMU with a guy I work with rather frequently now. Then, my former supervisor from BC walked in. THEN another BC guy we knew saw us and stopped by to say hi! That’s just the sightings. Sara came and hung out with us, then our friends Josh and Jamie came in and sat and ate with us too. It was just too awesome to see so many past and current friends. Honestly, it was one of the best nights we’ve had in probably a year.

Thank you all for making that an amazing evening! We both miss hanging out with friends so much and wish we could do it more. And I think that we are going to try and make it a habit to see more of you!

The Dress March 16, 2012

Many of you know that I will be working during  a black-tie event in April at The Homestead. While I am very excited and slightly nervous about this large event, I have been stressing over what to wear. I thought a dress I already have might work, but it was too formal and I needed help putting it on (they altered it a little too much!) I asked friends and was given many options and many offers. I have the best friends!! Thank you for all your help! BIG thanks to Dee who was willing to dig through all her dresses to find me one, she was determined. Love you!

I decided that I would take a look at Ross, because really, that’s where I dress shop. I found a dress in Winchester that I thought would work, but then checked Harrisonburg’s and found a better one that was similar but even more work friendly. So, here’s the one I will be wearing to my event…

Full Dress

 

Dress Top

 

Dress Bottom

Make Your Own Instant Oatmeal March 9, 2012

To help with keeping our budget, we want to get better at making some of our own food staples. One of mine is my morning oatmeal. I found a wonderful recipe at Once A Month Mom, which is an amazing website. The original recipe is for oatmeal “packets”. I don’t like to use baggies, so the recipe below is the same as the one at Once A Month Mom, it’s just multiplied by 10. I keep it in a Rubbermaid container that I already had and leave a 1/4 cup measuring cup in the container.

Instant Oatmeal

2 1/2 cups Quick Cooking Oats
3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon Powdered Milk
1 1/8 teaspoons Salt
1/2 cup Sugar

Pour hot water over (to your thickness liking) and let stand for 1 min before eating.

NOTES: I used dark brown sure and I really like it. It does clump a bit, but works fine once your put the hot water in the bowl. Also, I tend to add one “shake” of cinnamon to each 1/4 cup serving. I think most people would eat a 1/2 cup serving. We bought the quick cooking oats at Sharp Shopper and we bought organic.

Juicing March 3, 2012

Last week a weekly menu plan was not posted and this is why…

We started juicing!! Watch Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead a Joe Cross film and you will understand. I was first introduced to juicing by Kris Carr, author of Crazy Sexy Diet. It was really random. I saw the book in the library where I worked and it caught my eye. So, I read it. It’s a great book and I highly encourage anyone to read it to understand more about our bodies and food. Simply put, juicing gets micronutrients to your body without anything else in the way. The thought is that it gives your body time and resources to focus on healing and fixing all the things we mess up within our bodies on a daily basis.

After reading Crazy Sexy Diet, I found a good juicer at Costco on clearance for about $50. It’s the Breville JE900. It works really well for us. There are two downsides in my opinion: it’s really loud! And you really need to clean the mesh part as soon as possible. Otherwise, it’s a good machine and we would recommend it.

There are arguments between juicing and blending. It’s pretty simple for us. We have a juicer and do not have a blender. So, there you go.

I did a two day juice fast and Sean did four days. The hardest part is knowing you can’t have a burger or anything that you crave…and you will likely crave something!

In general, we are now trying to juice at least once a day, and some days, twice. Also, we plan on eating less meat and dairy. We’re taking in more whole grains and veggies, too. You only have one body, take care of it!

I’ll share a recipe I came up with and also give you a link if you are interested in trying to juice. I recommend doing it, if only every once in a while. Please leave a comment if you’ve tried it or have questions.

Join The Reboot-Joe Cross’s website
Some favorites:
Apples-Cantaloupe-Honeydew-Kale-Swiss Chard
Blackberry Kiwi
Great Green Fruity Juice
Purple Punch
Mean Green Juice
Lemon Lime
Sunset Blend (I had it without the pepper)

Jessica’s recipe:

1/8 cup coconut juice

~2 cups red grapes

1 golden delicious apple

4-5 large strawberries

1 lime

5 mini carrots