Work Wallowing

Alas, another school year started, and I am already super busy. I don't think I'm going to be posting much unless I write my blog posts over the weekend. Just wanted to say I'm alive. =)

Summer Vacay Reflect

Oy!! I didn't leave my classroom until six last night, and I still don't have everything I needed to get done accomplished. Alas, this means I will be spending one day in the classroom this weekend. Major bummer.

As I was driving home thinking about my summer vacay this year, I thought back to the goals list I made at the beginning. Let's check in to see how I did:

1) Re-watching the first season of Felicity- I only made it to episode eight. Oh well, maybe it will be my afternoon treat on Wednesdays.

2) Savoring the new episodes of Entourage, Hung, and True Blood- Definitely, did this! It makes me want to cry knowing there is only one more episode of True Blood left!

3) Taking a SLR photography class in my town's community center- Totally forgot I wanted to do this, so I never signed up. Since I am too late for the fall classes at our community college, maybe I will try to take a winter class instead.


4) Finishing up a number of projects for the house I have planned- I did manage to do a couple of little things, but nothing major. I have a new vision for our guest room after visiting the Parker once more, our office didn't get touched, and our new buffet stands un- painted. The husband is going to be in for a lot of weekend work in the next few months!

5) Playing all of the new games we have for our Wii- I didn't even get to play the Nancy Drew game I know we have on a hard drive once!

6) Losing 15 pounds (Ouch, let's not talk about this one.)

7) The free concerts at the lake we get to attend (Hello, Kenny Loggins!) Missed the Doors concert....though we do still have the Kenny Loggins show to look forward to next weekend.

8) Mimosas at our new patio set- I think I might have had a bloody mary out there once, but no mimosa.

9) Baking all kinds of cupcakes using the new mixer I just purchased- I only managed to make once batch. I am planning on making one this weekend though.


10) Trying all the recipes from the Martha Stewart, Sunset, and Rachael Ray magazines that I bookmarked
I did make a few, though not as nearly as many as I had hoped. I was also going to organize my magazine in a binder, pulling the recipes from them that I knew I would use. Didn't happen.

11) Long afternoon naps- I accomplished this one quite nicely.

12) Lounging in my backyard- No again.=(

13) Finishing off the pile of books on my bed stand that I haven't gotten to tackle-
I actually ended up buying more on the Kindle and reading those instead.

14) Hopefully getting to see Tonic and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals-
Neither group played out here! Though I did get to go see Kings of Leon and Tool.

15) NOT WORKING (well, at least as hard as I do during the school year; I'm actually planning on going over my curriculum and updating things)-
This one I Managed somewhat. I went to conference all throughout the month of July, so that shot that month. As for August, I probably relaxed TOO much, so now I am majorly stressed out for the school year thinking of everything I didn't do.

All in all, I think I had grand plans for the summer which failed to materialize. This was the first summer where I wasn't planning a wedding, working on my master's degree, moving, working summer school in a VERY long time.

Anyhoo, I hope all you lovelies enjoy your labor day weekend! It's back to school for me come Tuesday!

L'orangerie

I have become obsessed with the scent of oranges. Ever since we stayed at the Venetian and used the bath products by Agraria in their Bitter Orange scent,I just haven't been able to get enough.
I busted out the orange and vanilla candle by Trapp, which I had been saving.

I even looked through the photos of Versailles I took on our honeymoon to look over Marie Antoinette's L'orangerie.


I highly suggest you check out http://www.agrariahome.com for their products. The bitter orange scent is just to die for. I'm not bananas for anything; it's all about the oranges!

Easiest Dinner Ever

While visiting my parents up in the desert, I happened to catch a couple of episodes of Giada on the cooking network. I don't really watch her show, but I was pleasantly surprised to find her recipes so simple and tempting. She made a pasta dish with only four ingredients that I knew I just had to try.

All you need for this dish is:

• pancetta
• arugula
• a carton of cheese ravioli
• a can of stewed tomatoes

I'm not kidding; that's it.

Cut the pancetta up into tiny little chunks and cook it over medium-low heat in a frying pan for about five to six minutes until it gets a nice brown color. Once it's done cooking, remove it from the frying pan using a slotted spoon and place it on some paper towels so the excess oil can be soaked up. Next, dump that can of stewed tomatoes into the same frying pan, and let them cook for about two to three minutes. At this point, you can place on another burner a pot filled with water and a dash of salt. Set it in on high, and once the water starts to boil you can place the raviolis in it. In the frying pan, you are now going to add a whole bag of arugula to the tomatoes. Using a wooden spoon, stir until the arugula wilts down; this takes about three to four minutes.

Be sure to follow the instructions on the package for the ravioli and cook accordingly. Once they are done, carefully drain out the water, but leave the ravioli in the pot. After the arugula has cooked down, add the pancetta back in and mix. Now, you can add the ravioli to the sauce mixture as well, being careful not to break the ravioli.

I didn't think this meal would taste as good as it did, but trust me: it is insanely good. And my little sister agreed!

In and Out Secrets

Sure, everyone knows you can get your burger animal style with extra sauce and onions. But did you know that you can get pepperoncinis on your burger??

Just ask to have them put on. Somehow my husband found out about this. I will never order a burger without these again.

Viva Vegas Anniversary

Agh, where does the time go? My summer vacay is dwindling down so quickly. Two weekends ago, the husband took me to Vegas for our two year anniversary. He's been there numerous times and I've been a few, but we had never gone together. We started off our anniversary weekend early on Friday, going out for drinks at the St. Regis. I just had to get my hands down favorite bloody mary: the Great Wall Bloody Mary.




BTW, did you know that the first bloody mary ever was served 76 years ago at the St. Regis in New York? It was created there. Crazy!

Next day, husband tried to throw me off where we were going, but at the last minute told me we were flying. As soon as I found out it was Vegas, I was psyched. However, we faced a three hour delay, which meant drinks in the bar!




We stayed at the Venetian, which was absolutely gorgeous, and went out dancing the first night with friends. Dinner was at a darling french restaurant in the Venetian called Bouchon. We were also introduced to the most insane restaurant in Vegas: the Peppermill. I almost got a picture with Holly Madison there (however, she was a bit mean and blew me off); however, Nick drinking "The Scorpion" with an ex-coworker there more than made up for it.









Yeah, that last photo up there is the closest I got to taking a picture with Holly. The next day, the husband was a true romantic. We went to Paris for our honeymoon, and he surprised me by taking me to dinner on our anniversary in the Eiffel Tower restaurant. It was probably the nicest meal I've ever had. He even had flowers waiting for me.






I was in blue cheese heaven!



And then we finished off our last day with lunch at Serendipity. Now, their famed iced hot chocolate was a HUGE letdown, but their burgers were AMAZE-BALLS. Nick had a burger with brie and avocado, while I went for their barbecue burger with blue cheese and bacon. Their burgers are definitely near the top of our list!







It was an absolutely unforgettable anniversary, and I don't know how I'm going to top him next year. Thank you, Love.

Year Two

Hey Lover,

Still smoking hot...

And I love you more and more each day...

Happy two years, Babe!