hey, it's ok (tuesday) 3.13

hey, it's ok


...to begin this list on monday and publish it on wednesday (but keep the date as tuesday)
...to hope peyton signs with the titans...it would be nice to have him in town for awhile (especially while the colts rebuild which is code for 'suck for a few years')
...to be a slight bit obsessed with swagbucks. if you haven't joined yet, you totally should. (and if you click on that link i get your referral :-)
...to be oh-so-glad that spring has arrived in tennessee.  it was 80 yesterday. anthony and i had cocktail hour on our deck when we both got home from work. this is bliss -- when the temperature rises but the bugs haven't appeared yet!
...to have only just borrowed the first hunger games book.  hey, i still have not read/watched either twilight or harry potter (and won't) so i'm way ahead of my own game on this one!
...to make a recipe that flopped. i'm usually pretty confident in the kitchen and spotting recipes that anthony and i will both like, but the south indian mac and cheese (while it looked and smelled great) was just not our favorite. i'll still eat the leftovers, but i won't be making it again. (i put the link there since i won't be putting it on the blog, just in case anyone wants to try it...)
...to have a standing date with a friend to watch good bad tv 
...to just really be creeped out by some people


please visit amber's blog!

hey, it's ok (tuesday) 12.27

hey, it's ok


...to get choked up while watching ellen.  or the soldier appreciation episode of rachael ray.
...to see someone giving design/creative ideas on a talk show and thinK "she totally got that off pinterest"
...to toooootally have baby fever after cuddling our friends 11 week old for an evening
...to have paused everything to watch drew brees break the record last night, and to be genuinely happy for him.
...to talk about football (or hockey) in everyday conversation ;-) and your blog
...to have LOVED your Christmas celebrations, been totally overwhelmed by all the generosity given to you, and to just feel completely blessed by the whole season
...to be glad for a quiet day after Christmas to unwind a bit from ALL that family time, as good as it was
...to have been really spoiled over the long weekend by going to bed (too) late and still getting a solid 7-8 hours of sleep
...to still not understand why people want sweet stuff on their meat.  pass the spice and savory; keep your apples away from my roast


visit amber's blog and link up with your own list of what's ok in your world!

what i'm loving wednesday (11.30)

i'm loving that emi has similar tastes to mine :-)

(spinach and sour cream dip from trader joe's)

i'm loving this sweet puppy who lived with us for about a week and a half while her family was visiting texas -- she's so much fun!
(emi was not so much loving her though...)

belle :-)

helping us decorate

i'm loving the holiday season, as i do every year.

one of our trees (red and turquoise)

i'm loving the new traditions we're creating while we combine good things from both our families and things we want to do on our own :-)

the wreath on our front door: pine for him, berries for me = perfection

i'm loving the boots i mentioned yesterday

i'm loving my cell group girls...such amazing Godly women...so important in my life

photo by our AMAZING wedding photographer

i'm loving friends i can simultaneously cook and be silly with :-)

i'm loving this, which i'll be explaining a bit more about on a monday soon!

i'm loving going to sporting events with my husband

football (go titans!)

hockey (go PREDS!)

i'm loving that he's my HUSBAND! :-)


i'm loving the sacredness that surrounds this time of year...or at least i'm loving the reminders that all of life is sacred

our advent wreath next to the nativity

hey, it's ok (tuesday)

hey, it's ok

...to really not like yogurt. like, at all.
...to sometimes wish that all the batteries would disappear out of the noisy and annoying toys
...to reaaaaallllly be ready for the new iPhone to be released already.
...to totally lay down on the couch and take the shortest catnap* ever while the baby is strapped in her chair eating breakfast. it was an early morning and it's the only time she's contained! ha.
...to be excited about the gifts for my bridesmaids. i'd get detailed, but a few of them read this blog...
...to have found it a total blessing that the second family i was working for switched childcare options on me. it has made my mwf schedule completely flex, and i can now babysit those days as well as working in the office. frankly, i'd rather work for clients i know and adore than the people who "broke up" with me via a text message!
...to be really looking forward to my lingerie shower/bachelorette party this friday. mainly because it means most of my best girlfriends will be in the same place as me for several hours! the other stuff is just gravy :-)
...to have hung out in the room with all the guys instead of the girls this past sunday afternoon. hey, football was on. just because my trams both lost doesn't mean i don't watch!
...to still be getting used to the new look for blogger dashboard.  but i like it?
...to be ready for naptime. for baby g. and who am i kidding...for me too :-)

*by "catnap" i mean i laid on the couch with one eye kind of closed and relaxed for 10 minutes while she ate the healthy and nutritious breakfast i'd made for her.  i just needed to rest! :-)


go here and see the original "hey, it's ok!" (and to read some pretty awesome other posts...)

meal planning tuesdays

my friend casondra who is an AMAZING cook has started this little blog deal...and i love it! so i'll make every attempt to join in on a weekly basis!  hopefully it will keep me accountable not only with healthy options, but also with financial meal planning :)

because of my crazy schedule mine is a bit scattered...but here's my best guess of how this week will look.

tuesday (today)
breakfast: coffee
lunch: pita bread, hummus and veggies
dinner: taco soup at anthony's

wednesday
breakfast: coffee, bagel and cream cheese
lunch: at my nanny gig...most likely from their freezer
dinner: chick fila on the way to babysit IF there is time, otherwise i'll bring leftover thai noodles as a backup :)

thursday
breakfast: coffee
lunch: again at the nanny gig -- take leftover thai noodles if i didn't eat them wednesday night
dinner: we're celebrating a friend's birthday at a tapas restaurant

friday
breakfast: coffee, bagel
lunch: nanny gig -- take leftover burger
dinner: date night...all i know is that we're going somewhere "nice". :)

saturday
breakfast: coffee
lunch: leftover greek meatloaf
dinner: we've been invited over to anthony's aunt and granny's for dinner...so naturally we've accepted :)

sunday
breakfast: coffee
lunch: leftovers
dinner: it's superbowl sunday, so whatever is at the party :)

monday
breakfast: coffee and bagel
lunch: at nanny gig
dinner: sausage and ravioli lasagna

shopping list:
since i'm eating outside my own house a LOT this week, i'm just picking up coupon deals and the following ingredients for the sausage and ravioli lasagna at trader joe's

• pesto sauce

• tomato basil sauce

• sausage

the rest i have leftover from making it this past monday!

hopefully next week will be a bit more normal around here!

Thursday's Ten: fall stuff

last week i shared one of my favorite fall things

fall tv

this week...the rest of the good stuff :0)

for the record, i'm not a huge fan of what comes after fall.  but these initial days of breezes blowing through the screen door, tickling the wind chimes, crisp leaves to crunch, warm beverages to delight in...they are what i like.

winter can be skipped.

(although, yes, i'll try to come up with a top 10 list when winter comes too.  most likely #1 will be 'tennessee's is short')

soooo,

my favorite things about fall

1.  bonfires and outdoor activities

2.  starbucks: pumpkin spice latte.  yes please.

3.  actually, pumpkin anything.  and the cinnamon pumpkin fragrance mixes...to.die.for

4.  gorgeous scenery to capture in a picture

5.  pumpkin delights from little debbie.  i haven't seen them yet this year...i hope they're actually back!

6.  being able to walk/run/jog without being completely drenched in sweat from the moment you step outside

7.  football...yes, i'm hooked.  love going to NFL games, love watching it on tv

8.  blankets on the couch and robes at the ready.  and slippers.  ahhh.

9.  fall clothing.  i do love me some comfy clothes

10.  soup season.  oh, how i love comfort food.  oh, how i love an excuse to make soup!



join me, yes?  what are your favorite things about this season?

Thursday's Ten: The KCMO edition

we had a GREAT trip to kansas city last weekend.
and while i meant to post the trip update earlier in the week
clearly that didn't happen

and so because i'd like to comment on other blogs
and, i dunno, have a life
outside of car shopping
ughhhhh
i thought i'd combine the weekend wrap-up with my thursday's ten this week

hey, it's my blog
i can if i want :)

it began pretty eventfully

1. the plane ride for example. beautiful. for the first hour and 15. the last 45 minutes were spent first circling the greater KCMO area and THEN pummeling through the air in a sickening, treacherous, tumultuous, turbulance. when the flight attendant walking down the aisle immediately stops and buckles herself into a passenger seat, you know you're in trouble.
(and yes, a part of me was wishing for an island crash landing. but alas, we made it safely. all on friday the 13th)

my facebook status upon landing was:

Lora B was definitely on a flight worthy of being on friday the 13th...but she and anthony are safely on the ground in KC.

2. we had a bit of trouble with the rental car (like, we couldn't figure out how to unlock the steering mechanism and turn the key and had to go ask for help like idiots). but once we got on the road we called my brother who had assured me they would be "partying til late". it was nearly 11 when we called. i'm 80% sure we woke him up. so much for late...
so we headed to his ex-wife's, where we were staying, and ended up staying up until 2ish talking. this was the first time anthony had met any of my KC family, and they hit it off.

on our way, however, we stopped by a taco bueno (which anthony had never seen outside of texas and i had never had) and split a quesadilla. this sort of set the tone of the weekend: food, food, food!

3. the next morning, we woke up, showered, and went to oklahoma joe's for barbeque. now, anthony is a HUGE lover of all things bbq. so he had REALLY been looking forward to this one. along with karen, we ate with my niece liz and her partner melissa, and my other niece aimee. scott (my nephew) wasn't able to join us since he was the best man and stuff.
the barbeque was awesome. the company was even better :)

4. after lunch we quickly went back to karen's house and changed. and then ran to hallmark to grab a card (which thankfully i found on the first try). we headed to the church, taking note of one set of directions in particular which prompted the following facebook status from anthony:

Anthony N is driving towards Rainbow Boulevard... Oh, the irony.

the ceremony was tasteful and short, and we visited with "the kids" some more at the reception. headed out when the cake had been eaten :) and gave gaylen our love...with hopes to see each other again before we left.

(anthony, me, tommie, melissa, gaylen, liz, scott and aimee)

5. while we were in kansas city, anthony really wanted to see arrowhead -- where the chiefs play. several people had told us it was a pretty quick drive from where we were, and not too far out of the way. after my iphone took us through the projects and down a street that was closed, i began seeing signs that we were near the stadium -- there were street signs that had pictures of football players on them. i also noted that it was strange, there were also pictures of baseball players...but i supposed that made sense because that's the season we're in.

when we drove onto the grounds, we noticed there was a sign that said "toll plaza ahead". we thought this strange, but didn't think much of it since it was off season...until we saw that there were indeed attendants. anthony at this point said "never mind, just turn around..." to which i replied "uh...i can't..." as we both looked in astonishment as cars began to FLOOD in behind us. what the heck?

we were able to explain our situation to a nice parking attendant, who explained to US that the chiefs stadium is indeed next to the royals stadium. and the royals were playing the yankees in just a couple of hours. he told us that he'd give us a ticket, and as long as we got out of the stadium in under an hour we could get our money back.


we didn't stay an hour. long enough to take 4 pictures and speak to about 13 other parking attendants.

(this experience prompted my facebook status of:

Lora B ‎'s notes to Kansas city visitors: 1. the chiefs and the royals have side by side stadiums. 2. they share a parking lot. 3. it's ill-advised to attempt to visit the chiefs stadium on a day the royals play the yankees. Oops.

6. we left the madness that was the baseball game (by the way, yankees won that night, royals won the next day) and headed down to the plaza. now, kansas city is known as the city of fountains. my mom tells me stories of going to college back in the day and ice skating on them when they froze. something i think is *way* cool, and i totally canNOT picture my mother doing!

i was excited to see some of the fountains, but mostly i was excited to be spending time with my wonderful boyfriend. although our 2 year anniversary is the 21st, we decided to spend saturday evening as our "anniversary date" for two reasons. 1, we were in a new city and thought it would be fun. 2, his birthday is the 17th, and we decided to celebrate his birthday over our anniversary weekend so that he could celebrate in nashville :)

(even starbucks has a fountain...)

7. our first stop? the apple store. the real reason was for me to get a new cable for my iphone (my cable was shot). however, that didn't stop us from playing for awhile. which prompted THIS facebook status from me:

Lora B is out celebrating her anniversary with her wonderful boyfriend...currently playing with ipads at the apple store in the plaza. Dorks? Nah...

8. we took liz and melissa's recommendation of a tuscan restaurant, and went to brio to eat dinner. omgoodness, y'all. if you have a chance to ever eat at a brio (or it's sister restaurant, bravo) please do yourself a favor and GO. i can definitely say that anthony and i plan to go back there next time we visit kansas city!

our waitress was amazing. when we told her we were flying out of town the next day she immediately said "and you don't want leftovers, right?" and suggested not only a meal that we could split, but a soup/salad to go along with it to stretch it out some...and her favorite dessert to top off the night. we LOVED her.

our menu that night consisted of minestrone (me) and lobster bisque (him), both of which we shared--just kept passing the bowls between the two of us
gorgonzola lamb chops
and a dessert trio with chocolate hazelnut cannolis, chocolate chip brad pudding and caramel mascarpone cheesecake

after our dessert we asked her to take our picture. she obliged, and then said

"ok, this kind of looks like your first date. get together or something."

and took another.

(yeah. we hearted her)

after dinner we walked around, took some more pictures, and headed back to karen's (which was an adventure in itself). a couple of fun pictures to note:

there was a diamond store being built or remodeled on one of the streets. on it's temporary walls was a simple question: "kansas city, how do you know you are loved" and surrounding it were answers that people had texted or tweeted in. i thought that was SO cool.

my favorite

anthony's favorite

the one i think is "us"

and us in front of the wall

we also found these romantic streetlights on a bridge, and i decided to snap a picture of the city street just as an older couple strolled by. i LOVED the way this shot turned out. yes, i had romance on the brain, but it was still sweet :)

9. the next morning we went to church with karen, then to lunch at her family's favorite tex-mex place, jose pepper's. the choices were endless!

we both ended up with amazing things (anthony, by the way, chose barbeque chicken quesadillas. told you the boy likes his bbq) and enjoyed chatting with karen, her brother kevin, his wife mary, and their cousin paul.

sadly, we returned home only to throw things in a bag and have a fun little photo session. then we were off to our last stop.

10. my brother had invited us to brunch, but since we were going to church we asked if we could meet later. he then suggested lunch, but i thought that might be a little too much for him to eat brunch AND lunch, so we suggested dessert or coffee. i called him as we were packing and he suggested a gourmet ice cream place. considering the kind of food we had packed in over the weekend, ice cream was about the ONLY dessert that we could have added to the mix, so we gladly agreed and set out.

we ended up at a place called glace, right off the plaza (which we had already fallen in love with). i loved this place--because it had iced lattes, first of all, and i hadn't had any coffee that day. considering it was already 2 pm, i was all set to be pretty grumpy if i didn't get any in me soon!

but the ice cream flavors...omgosh. i settled on strawberry thyme mixed with lavender. and while you may be gagging on the other side of your screen...let me just tell you it was AMAZING.

gaylen and i laughed, because we matched that day...

we really, really enjoyed our visit with gaylen and tommie. since they had been rather busy the day before, anthony hadn't really been able to properly chat with gaylen, and i hadn't been able to size tommie up :) he won me over though, just with his attire. ireland shirt? gets me every time :)
my final status of the weekend was:

Lora B is preparing to board a plane back to nashville...kind of wishing she could stay longer or bring a few people with her...

anthony's the next day was:

Anthony N's weekend was complete Saturday by lunchtime when he got to eat at Oklahoma Joe's in Kansas City, where Adam Richman from Man Vs. Food visited for that very show. Add on to that celebrating two years with Lora B.. yes, it was a good weekend :)

so that was our kansas city trip. definitely different, exciting, crazy, wacky, and wonderful. all in all...pretty much the perfect weekend. we're already planning our next trip up there :)