On Reading, Relaxing, and [resisting summer's] Rest.

It's a drippy, humid Sunday here in Oregon, and here I am doing another late High Five for Friday post. You'd think from all my delayed posting that I was SUPER busy or something. That is totally not the case. It's just that Friday is Adam's day off, so we spend it together. Plus it has been perfect weather, so we've been outside.

1. Adam and I are twentysomethings full of energy, wanderlust, and a love for life. We live in a small town (retirement community), so we get out of town when we start feeling trapped. Then we drive home along 101 [Pacific Coast Highway] and gaze out on the Pacific Ocean, and realize how blessed we are to live here. We are truly living a dream life.

We timed it just right so we'd hit up the tide pools at low tide. So beautiful!

#nofilter

2. I made this delicious pizza for dinner last night. (No recipe to link to, because I just whipped it up using leftovers: spicy italian sausage, grilled onions, cheese, spaghetti sauce, and lots of love.)

3. We have been playing tennis almost every day that it doesn't rain. It is good exercise, and we are both equally not good at tennis. Plus I get to wear my tennis skirt, which makes me feel totally profesh.

4. Summer is for reading, and while it can be hard to relax, it is important. I spent my whole life go, go, go, going; I collected degrees and memories and worked hard. The final push was overflowing with finishing school, moving across the country, planning a wedding, and becoming a wife.

Then it all screeched to a halt. It's last summer all over again. In a new place, with different people, but with the same quiet. I'm trying hard to enjoy it: to rest, rest, rest, because life never stays still for long. I'm soaking in all the new memories Adam and I are making.

I finally found this book in the library. I literally squealed out loud when I saw that it was on the new book's shelf. I'm about halfway through it, and will continue taking it everywhere I go until I devour every single word.

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5. Before we headed up to Newport, Adam filled the Crockpot with Indian spices and other ingredients that would magically become Butter Chicken while we were gone. We got home and our house smelled like heaven. 

Serve with a squeeze of lime, a generous shower of cilantro, and a warm piece of naan.

What have you been up to lately? Have you read any good books, gone on any cool day trips, or made any delicious food? Do you find it hard to relax during less-busy seasons of life?

On [karaoke] Date Night, Hiking, and Hamlet.

So...it's another Saturday High Five for Friday post. Get used to it.

I had such an awesome week. I accomplished a lot, ate some delicious food, and made some wonderful memories with my husband.

1. This week I finished two major craft projects: my curtains and my seeking sole mates sign for the laundry area.

2. I found an app on the iphone called, "What the Font?" and am absolutely in love. You take a picture of a word (anywhere! a restaurant menu, a bar of soap, a billboard), and it tells you what font they used! Brilliant. The app is free too! Fabulous!

3. We had date night on Thursday night, which included a delicious dinner at a place that wished they were based in Portland. We had marionberry rosemary crumble for dessert--straight out of the oven. Yum!

After dinner and dessert, we went to karaoke night. Adam and I squished into a booth with two retired couples we had never met. It was seriously so much fun! We sang a duet together, which the sea of white-haired folks ate up. Oh, the romance of it all! It was a great night.

4. On Friday, we went on a beautiful hike along some waterfalls. The weather was wonderful. We met some guys hiking who were absolutely thrilled that we just got married (the decorations are still on our car). People are awesome. So were the views! Feast your eyes!

This was my favorite spot along the hike.
I like to imagine tons a colony of little fairies living among the roots of those big trees.

For dinner, Adam made a crock-pot version of Indian butter chicken, and we made mango sticky rice for dessert. Oh, mama, it was good! We were quite literally licking the sauce from the sticky rice off of our plates.

5. Today we attended a homeschool production of Hamlet put on by the kids of some of our friends. It was the most comedic tragedy I've ever seen, and also wonderful.

The perks of living in a small town, seriously!

How was your week? Have you found any fun things to do nearby that you didn't know were there? Have you tried any new recipes lately?

On [a married] High Five for Friday.

I'm married now, so high five for friday is a day late. Priorities.

Yesterday, Adam asked me about my blog and why I hadn't posted much lately. I told him I've been enjoying real life too much. So much happiness. I'm savoring the temporary slow pace of life while I look for a job and settle into being married and living in a small town. So basically, there has been a lot of baking and decorating our apartment this week.

1. I made creme brulee and I caught my oven mitt ON FIRE! The heavy cream also gave me a killer tummy ache, thanks to my underperforming gall bladder. However, it was delicious soooooo NO REGRETS!

2. I got the obligatory (because I was DYING to) post-wedding hair cut. It feels so light and healthy now. I love it! Adam doesn't hate it either! :)

3. We are having a fabulous time starting marriage traditions. Almost every night we have hot tea after dinner, while we read Anne of Green Gables aloud or watch one of our shows on Hulu. We've been buying tiny amounts of bulk tea from the grocery store, because that's how you keep life exciting in a retirement town. It's basically the best. I'm very much cherishing these memories we are making during the early weeks and months of our marriage.

4. I'm making curtains! I have one panel done, and one to go. They will look fantastic in our dining room!

5. Adam turned 25 this week! We went to the "big city" (lol) to eat some delicious waffles for lunch, see the matinee of The Great Gatsby (we LOVED it), and indulge in some fabulous Thai food for dinner. In between, we ran fun errands like changing my name at the Social Security office and returning my oven mitt that went up in flames, because that's what you do when you go into the city.

My YUMMY waffle from Off the Waffle. It's called the "No Really Though..."
It's a sweet waffle with bacon, caramelized onions, chevre, basil, strawberries, and olive oil.
Essentially, it was heaven in my mouth.

How was your week? Does your family have fun nightly traditions? Have you ever had a waffle that made you droooooool?

I'm linking up with The Lauren Elizabeth for High Five for Friday.

On [not having time for] High Five for Friday.

There was no way to fit in a High Five for Friday last week. It was overflowing and full from beginning to end, which is good since it makes the days leading up to the wedding go faster and faster.

Since we've last talked:

Saturday: we did our final walk-through at our venue.

Sunday: I drove to the coast to spend the day with Adam. After church we attended the children's theatre production of The Music Man Jr. that one of our youth group students was performing in. Then we tackled more "nesting" projects, like hanging this fabulous light fixture my mom and sister found at a Goodwill.

Adam channeled his inner-Jamie Oliver and made us a fabulous dinner spread. During the grocery shopping for this dinner, we scored petite sirloin for 3.99/lb., but failed to find any salted lemons. I'd never heard of salted lemons, but Adam and I decided they will be all the rage in the hipster cooking community in less than a year.

Our first meal together in our first little home.

On Monday and Tuesday we went to our fellowship's district council, where I saw lots of people and pastors I'd known as a kid. However, what I really must tell you is how we stumbled upon some salted lemons (imported from Egypt!!!) at a tiny mediterranean market! The man was so friendly and wanted us to stay there for hours and sample ALL THE THINGS! We needed to go, but indulged him in trying some Syrian spices and purchasing said salted lemons.

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On Thursday, we had our weekly pre-marital counseling session in Portland, followed by DATE NIGHT! It was my turn to plan, so we ate at a food cart pavilion and then took a roller dancing class. Neither of us broke any bones, so let's consider that a success!

Friday and Saturday were filled to the brim with taking our youth group to Acquire the Fire. I've probably never felt so old in my life, especially when I could hardly stay awake playing Apples to Apples at 11:30 p.m. We introduced the students to awesome things in Eugene like Off the Waffle and Voodoo Doughnut. During one dinner break we all played Lazertag, where Adam got to see a new warrior-side of me he had never fully experienced.

Sunday I slept and slept and recovered from the crazy week, with lots of resting breaks to work on more wedding stuff, which is what the last two days have also been full of: wedding, wedding, weddddddinggggggg.

We're at 17 days to go, and I'm SO READY! The centerpieces are done, the programs are ordered, I have my dress, so LET'S DO THIS THING!

 

On [a long-awaited] High Five for Friday.

Hi, friends. Oops, I did it again. I came to Oregon and abandoned the blog. My apologies. Between all the wedding planning (one month from yesterday!) and getting used to being in the same state as Adam, I've neglected ye olde bloggie.

Let's all high five because it's Friday, and we can!

1. FIRST THINGS FIRST!!! Adam and I were reunited. He greeted me at PDX with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. My flight arrived early, and he'd still been waiting there for over an hour. We get to have date night every Thursday in April! It's so good to be back together. Three months was too long; 2,000 miles was too far; and we're just meant to be together.

2. We scored this fabulous table for the entry way to Avocado Estates (our first home together!!!) for only $15. My mom suggested we look at a Shabby Chic Craft Fair Extravaganza (my name for it) that was full of Pinterest-ing finds. We were stoked when we saw the same table (unpainted) at a different store for 40 bucks! Please note the Amtrak magazines and A Year of Biblical Womanhood. 

3. It's official Wedding Preparation Central around here lately. My mom and I went shopping last Saturday and found my veil, shoes, jewelry, and get-away dress. We also found a fabulous dress (and jewelry) for her! My sister came up and has been helping us arrange centerpieces and other ceremony and reception decor, which has caused every inch of the living room to look like a wedding threw up. 

Special shout-out to every Goodwill from Eugene to Wilsonville. Also, Mecca.

4. My mom and I have been jogwalking in preparation for our upcoming 5K. It's slow-going...and it rains a lot here. But we're doing it. :)

5. I GOT AN iPHONE! PRAISE THE LORD.

On [yesterday's] High Five for Friday.

I was SO busy yesterday, that I didn't have time to write/post High Five for Friday! Oops!
This week was FULL of celebrations!!!!

1. Amanda and I celebrated St. Patrick's Day by Jazzercising and eating Irish grub at Galloway Station.
2. Some friends threw me a bachelorette party where we celebrated with lots of laughter and food! (Some people left before we thought to take a group picture!)
3. I went to KC to celebrate my cousin's 1st birthday!
4. I celebrated my last day of work with Starbucks.
5. and 6. My small group celebrated my departure with crepes.

On [a sunny] High Five for Friday!

We're looking at highs of 79 here today, folks. This makes me happy. Warm weather sans humidity in Missouri is delightful. So, high five for that! Today I'm linking up with Lauren at From My Grey Desk Blog with a few highlights from my week!

1. We passed the two-month mark! Wedding planning is a total blast and a headache. I'm excited to enjoy the day and be married!
2. I went to Red Lobster on Saturday for a friend's birthday celebration. I realized as I was getting ready that my hair is SO LONG! I love love love it, and have always wanted long hair, but part of me (the part that doesn't want to spend forever drying it) wants to chop it all off!
3. Adam is loving getting our apartment ready for me to arrive. He stained and painted a dining room table for us this week. It is BEAUTIFUL!
4. Possibly my final Andy's before I depart. Delish.
5. I got to babysit this little love this week. He is basically my favorite little dude. Adam sometimes gets jealous. :)
BONUS #6. I had breakfast this morning with Laurin and our boss. All three of us ordered the Mediterranean omelet (the best).

My last couple weeks here are so full! I also had my work bridal shower this week. Sadly, I didn't take any pictures, but there were peanut butter chocolate cupcakes (so it was a win). Did you all have wonderful weeks? Is the weather getting warmer where you live too?

 

On [uncovering the mystery of] The Horse Beef Scare.

 

In a high five for friday post a few weeks ago, I mentioned that someone had found my blog by googling "horse beef scare."

I just thought it was humorous, and didn't think anything of it. But then one of my awesome friends I met in Germany last summer messaged me and educated me about the matter.

Evidently, some fast food restaurants in Europe have been secretly putting horse meat into what they claim to be beef burgers. Woah. Am I the only one who has completely missed this juicy little bit of international news?

Reminds me of the rumors that nutria meat is being passed off as chicken in the mall food court.

On [returning to] High Five for Friday.

I already did an update post earlier this week, but this one has more pictures! I'm linking up with Lauren at From My Grey Desk Blog.

1. Eclair date night! We don't have to talk about how I'm horrible at choosing good Redbox movies. I prefer to think I just have a special talent for choosing awful Redbox movies.

2. Beautiful weather in the SGF (after back-to-back ice/snow days) allowed for a three-mile bike ride with my adopted family. Also, the sunsets around here have been GORGEY!

via my instagram

3. I finished grading a massive stack of workbooks for my job. I was feeling uninspired in my windowless office (since it's Spring Break there and everyone is gone), so I packed all the workbooks up and headed to a coffee shop.

4. I got locked INSIDE my apartment while I was cleaning it to move out. The maintenance guy had to come by after-hours to bust me out. When I called the office, the girl who answered the phone laughed at my predicament. Final ruling: a spring broke inside the locking mechanism, which caused it to not be able to open.

5. Living in a house with children means I had the opportunity to read Diary of a Worm, which I have hereby deemed: Best Picture Book Ever! It's great when the writing is clever enough for adults to enjoy children's books too!

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Anything exciting going on in your world? Let's high five it out!

On Giving High Fives for [cupcake week and] Friday.

Can you believe it's Friday again!?!?

Can you believe there will only be six more of these High Five for Fridays with me complaining about how much I miss Adam?!? Seriously!

What I've Been Eating

Holy Cupcake Week! Apparently this week was unintentionally determined to be cupcake week! First, Laurin and I visited The Cup downtown for a spontaneous trip to try their Maple Bacon Cupcake in honor of my half-birthday. (PS: Their coffee is amazing!!! I don't think I'd ever tried it!)

Yes, those are little piggy sprinkles on the cupcake. Brilliant.

Then, we celebrated one of our small group leader's birthdays with more cupcakes (see below)! And that was all pre-Valentine's Day! Needless to say, all this cupcakering has left me feeling fat and sassy and craving Jazzercise!

What I've Been Reading

I started a Lent reading plan on my phone's Bible app. It seems pretty cool so far, mostly because it incorporates both Old Testament and New Testament passages as we remember the life of Jesus leading up to Easter weekend.

What I've Been Watching

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The Bachelor. Still.

I don't have strong feelings for any of the four girls that are going on the hometown dates, but I LOVE Seattle, so I'm excited to watch Catherine's. Also, Lindsay is from Fort Leonard Wood, which is super close to where I live, so that will be a fun one to watch.

Tierra and her famous eyebrow that apparently she can't control.
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Other than that, it seems like most of the drama is done for the season. Until, of course, the Women Tell All episode where everyone will destroy Tierra and she will cry a lot. No one will be surprised.

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I'm also totally addicted to Nashville. Who doesn't love a little country music drama?

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One more thing, where is Grimm??? Is it ever coming back?!??!?! I miss it!! I used to watch it while Adam was valeting at night (on the streets of Portland), and get scared that he might get attacked by a Wesen. Thankfully, he never did.

Instagram of the Week

The list of things I anticipate missing about Springfield is relatively short: my friends, Pineapple Whip, and  the sunsets. Seriously amazing sunsets. Of course, I'll be trading that in for ocean sunsets...so, I'm not complaining! 

Blog Update of the Week

Someone definitely found my blog this week by searching "horse beef scare." I'm not sure what that means, or why it led them to my blog, but I know I'm glad it didn't say what I read at first glance: horse beef sauce!

What were you all up to this week? Are you watching/reading anything interesting? Did you have a great loving Valentine's Day?