Guitar

I consider myself lucky to be married to a man who can sing and play the guitar.  He really doesn't bring his guitar out much.  Usually the only time I hear it is when I am dusting it.  But he has pulled it out a few nights this week, and I am enjoying listening to him while he strums away, singing songs he knows and songs he's written.

♥

What is it about a man who can play the guitar?

Blog, Anniversary Edition

Today is our two year anniversary. In some ways, I cannot believe that it has really been two years already, while in another sense it feels like we have been married forever. The excitement of it is still there. I still get excited that I get to come home to him, get to fall asleep next to him, get to share everything with him. He is hilarious, forgiving, hard-working, passionate, loving, and so much more. I am one lucky lady!

Some photos of the most wonderful day of our lives... so far!

Getting dressed. I couldn't believe the day had finally arrived!

My handsome guy.

We got married on a windy day. I love what my veil did here.

Our amazing families.

My beautiful girls!

What's so funny, guys?

Off we go!

I love you babe, and look forward to many more wonderful, funny, amazing years with you! ♥

Fatty no more!

Wow. I cannot believe that it is already March. This year is flying by!

I'm starting off the month of March in a much healthier way than I have started any other months recently. Since I got married, I have gradually been putting on more and more weight. Jon and I both enjoy food, probably a little too much, and so it's been like a wonderful party of delicious food since March of 2009. Good for the taste buds, bad for everything else! I'm guessing here, but I have probably gained at least 25 pounds in just 2 years. There have been many times that I have decided to try to lose weight, but then Jon or I cooks a delicious, not very low calorie meal, or we go grocery shopping and find something yummy, and it kind of goes out the window. Obviously, I haven't been very committed.

But Sunday morning I woke up and for some reason decided that enough was enough. I decided to begin writing down what I was eating on a daily basis (at least for awhile - this helps me because I tend to forget portion control and how much I am really eating), drinking more water, and begin an excerise regimen that I can stick too. So on Sunday we went for a 60 minute, 3.6 mile walk, and went for another 55 minute, 3.2 mile walk today. I found a website where I can record what I am eating and how much I am exercising, and I am hoping that it will help keep me on track. I know that weight loss is all about lifestyle changes, not "dieting" and calorie counting, but I need things like this to at least get me started and get past the first few weeks until it all becomes a habit. My goal is to lost about 50 pounds by September, which comes out to about 2 pounds a week. I know that this is completely do-able! The great part is that Jon and I are going to do this together - the family that gets fat together, loses weight together!

On a completely un-related note, we ran to Target for a few things tonight. I forced Jon into trying on a St. Patty's day tie. He felt sad wearing it, as you can see by the picture.

Sad husband is currently weighing my lunch for me so I know approximately how much I am eating. Sad husband is the best husband! ♥

Unicorns!

So every once in a while Katie doesn't take a picture during the day to post to her blog. This leads to her running around the house looking for something to photograph. Hence you get pictures of vitamins, trail mix and Netflix envelopes. In order to alleviate her stress, I have decided to post a picture of unicorns for her. Majestic unicorns. At stonehenge.

You have no idea how long it took me to get this shot. Leading the unicorns through the Salisbury plain, combing their manes, getting to jump just as soon as a star shined through one of the arches, etc. I'm exhausted. So is Katie. She's sleeping on the couch right now. Hence I get to hijack her blog and post some nonsense about unicorns. Goodnight!

Where's Katie?

I'll give you a hint:

Poor thing has come down with a case of what appears to be the plague. So I'm updating her blog for her. After an exhausting week, she finally succumbed to the sickness festering inside of her. Since coming home on Friday, she's done nothing but sleep - 15 hours straight Friday night (that's like a world record, isn't it?!), 4 hours this afternoon (that's all me - I gave her nighttime medicine at 3 P.M. so I wouldn't have to hear her cough while I watched TV), and she's back in bed for the night. She's so worn out she couldn't even finish her dinner without having to take breaks to lie down in between bites. And if you know anything about Katie, you know she has to be in rare form to not take interest in her meals. Not me though. I ate like a champ. Always do. But that's because I'm not sick. Let's see how long that lasts.

I blame those gross little kindergarteners, you know, always wiping their noses on you and coughing with their mouths wide open. Little, walking CDC petri dishes. I'm going to buy Katie a hazmat suit to work in.

Feel better, my love!

-Jon

Roses

The beautiful purple roses I had waiting for me when I came home from work yesterday. They are opening up and looking even more beautiful today!

Jon thinks he's luckier because he got cake to eat, and all I got was flowers. I think I'm luckier because I got cake to eat AND flowers.

Thanks for the roses and for sharing your cake, babe!

Aloo Gobi

It's hard for me to believe that this year was our 7th Valentine's Day together. We met each other in January of '05 but didn't become "official" until March, so maybe that first Valentine's Day wasn't official... but since I haven't solemnly sworn that this is our 7th "official" Valentine's Day together, I'll say that it is.

Whew. Glad that's over.

Thanks to some wonderful coupons from Groupon, we went out for a delicious Indian dinner. I've had Indian food several times, but we don't get to eat it often so it was definitely a treat. My favorite dish (actually, it's the only dish I've ever ordered from an Indian restaurant) is Aloo Gobi, which is potatoes and cauliflower in this tasty sauce. Jon ordered Chicken Vindaloo, which is chicken and potatoes in a curry sauce. We also ordered simosas and naan. I ordered my dish mild, because they can make it pretty spicy. It tasted anything but mild, so I was glad I had ordered a Mango Lassi, which is a mango yogurt smoothie to help sooth my sissy throat (I stole that description from my father, and I really can't think of a better one.)

The yummy naan bread.

Aloo Gobi and Chicken Vindaloo

My Mango Lassi. Sweet enough to be dessert!

I love you, my favorite Valentine!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tonight Jon decided to make some cookies from scratch.

My husband is a wonderful cook. He really doesn't need recipes, like me - he can just come up with dishes on his own. However, baking is a different story. He claims to be a terrible baker, and since I have known him I think I have ever know him to bake one pie. So I think he was a little nervous when he took on this adventure.

We decided we wanted peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, so I found a recipe for him and he went to work.

Here he is cracking an egg into the butter, peanut butter and sugar mixture.

The mixture, after adding in the chocolate chips.

The final (delicious!) product.

The cookies turned out wonderfully, thanks to my husband the baker!