New Music

Just a quick post to mention a couple CD's that I purchased this week off iTunes (thanks for the gift card, Dad!)

Superbass may just be my all time favorite workout song.  It is always on my ipod and I had been wanting to download the rest of the CD for awhile.  It's good but only a few songs are going to make it on to my workout playlist.

 

This one was a toss up.  I've heard Drake's songs on the radio and I know he collaborates with a lot of artists that I like but I wasn't sure how I would feel about his music.  I LOVE IT.  Best CD of 2011, just sayin. 

Christmas 2011

This year we spent Christmas with J's family in Seattle.  We had a lot of down time with the family and it was such a good time.  Christmas morning we got our ugly on and modeled our love of Walmart holiday attire.

J's sister won *hands down* with her lovely sweater with fabric appliques that were stapled on.  Classy.

J's hat was also quite popular

J's Dad, however, got the award for most creative.  He went for the White Trash Walmart look and rocked camo with his sweats and head gear.  It was awesome.

I think we may have started a new tradition of Christmas morning dress up.  It was a good time.  Then we got pretty and went to J's grandmother's house for dinner.

The rest of our time in Seattle flew by.  We had a spa day with the girls and got mani-pedis which was definitely a highlight.  J's parents also surprised us with dinner at Buca di Bepo and had reservations for the chef's table in the kitchen.  I think it was bittersweet being back there because we are unsure of when we will be able to visit again.  Residency is quickly approaching and the likelihood that we'll wind up on the East Coast for the next 5 years. 

Christmas flew by and now we have 3 weeks until our wedding!!  I'm going to try and be good about including more of our wedding details in my blogs and also try and keep it frequent.  I don't know how some people are able to post every day!



Christmas Festivities with the soon-to-be Brown's

Every year for Christmas, Jonathon and I get dressed up and try a new restaurant.  We started this tradition when we moved to Vegas and so far we have tried the following restaurants

Year #1:  Delmonico (Emeril's steakhouse at the Palazzo)
Year #2:  Table 10 (Emeril's seafood resaurant at the Venetian)
Year #3:  Terzetto (now named Anthony's, steakhouse at the M Resort, also where we are holding our rehearsal dinner)
Year #4: Vic & Anthony's (an old-Vegas steakhouse at the Golden Nugget)

So ya...we like steak.  Last night we went to Vic & Anthony's and were not disappointed.  We both agreed it was the best steak we had ever tasted.  We got the porterhouse for two which was a little spendy but worth it for the special occasion.  Service was excellent and it was fun to explore "old Vegas" - something we hadn't done before. 

Dessert was all I managed to get a picture of but the whole meal was delish.  It's bittersweet that this is our last Christmas in Vegas.  While we are ready to move, we've really made a life for ourselves out here and will miss certain aspects of living in the southwest.

Maui Baby

These past couple of days have been a little rough.  I had a colonoscopy this morning and rather than bore disgust you with the details of that (and how even under general anesthesia I woke up during the procedure and tried to get out of bed!) I thought I would take a mental vacation and discuss our honeymoon plans!

Growing up I had always dreamed of going to Hawaii.  J's parents honeymooned there and shortly after getting engaged we decided that we wanted to follow in their footsteps.  We have decided to stay in Maui at a fancy-shmancy resort.  Assuming that we will only be doing this once, a large portion of our wedding budget was spent on our dream honeymoon.

We will be staying here:

We already have a list of things we want to do, although topping that list is lounging at the pool, walking the beach, trying the various restaurants at the resort and frequent visits to the swim-up bar :)

It just so happens to be peak humpback mating season in January (in case you were wondering...) so we are really hoping to go on a whale watch while we are there

Although I will definitely pee in my pants if a whale comes this close!  Not ok!!

Another goal of mine is to visit a waterfall (and preferably stand underneath it and feel like a supermodel)

I heard about this place in Maui where you can swim with sea turtles!  How fun!

And of course since it is Hawaii after all, we have to go to a luau

In just 5 more weeks we will be married and on the vacation of our dreams!! 

Late Night Trips to Walmart

Do you hear what I hear?

Just 9 more days until Christmas!!

 

My soon-to-be sister in law and I decided that we need to spice things up this Christmas with some sexy holiday attire.  I'm not sure why, but we came up with the brilliant idea to dress up in ugly outfits on Christmas morning.  J and I went to Walmart the other night (at 11pm....bad idea) and spent $45 on ugly clothes and accessories. 

The unfortunate thing is that the Grinch pants turned out to be really comfortable.  What started out as a joke has turned into me actually wearing them around the house.  J is clearly thrilled about this.  And for the record, they are a size XXL as that was the smallest size I could find (ooohhhhh Walmart....)

And the shirt?  It says "Be naughty, save Santa the trip."  Keep it classy Walmart, keep it classy.

So Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and have yourself a merry little Kwanzaa :)

Christmas Questions

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Wrapping paper! I love pretty packaging and I think it's more personal than throwing a gift in a bag. Unless said gift is awkwardly shaped. Then gift bags for sure.

2. Real tree or Artificial?
Real!! We haven't had a real tree since moving to Las Vegas, but next year we are treating ourselves to a real tree for sure! Our current tree has seen better days. It was on Walmart clearence if that's any indicator of its appeal. It's sexy.

3. When do you put up the tree?
Thanksgiving day! Always.

4. When do you take the tree down?
Christmas day (horrible, I know). That's what we did growing up, but I think our tradition will change when we have a family so we can enjoy the holiday a little bit longer.

5. Do you like eggnog?
I like the taste of it, but it's so heavy I never drink it. I do like egg nog flavored coffe though. We just got the holiday K cup pack and those are the best!

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
A dollhouse built by my grampa and decorated/designed by my grandma. They personalized every room and also bought a ton of furniture for it. It was so thoughtful. Also the year I got an American Girl doll (Samantha) that I had wanted forever. My mom gave me the doll, and my grandma gave me a trunk full of clothes that she had spent the past several months sewing for my doll. I still have all of these things and hope to someday pass them on to my little girl.

7. Hardest person to buy for?
J!!! He is the absolute worst.

8. Easiest person to buy for?
My soon to be sister in law. She's girly and fabulous and anything I want for myself, I know she will love. Also my niece because who doesn't like shopping for little girls?

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
No.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Mail. Email is lame.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
Um...batteries. From my dad. Every year. No idea why but it became some sort of weird joke.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
Love Actually, Home Alone and 4 Christmases

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Early. Whenever I'm out shopping and I see something that would be perfect for someone in particular, I pick it up. Even if it's July.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
No way!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
My grandma's baked brie. It's rolled in filo dough that's brushed with butter. And it will kill you.

16. Lights on the tree (colored or clear)?
White lights. So classy.

17. Favorite Christmas song? “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey or anything off the Hanson Christmas album (ya, I went there...)

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Stay home! Although these days we are travelling and alternating to celebrate the holidays with each side of the family.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's?
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, DonDer, Blitzen
*I stand corrected, I forgot Rodolph (thanks J :)

20. Angel, star or ribbon on top of tree?
Nothing at the moment because Walmart tress are incapable of supporting weight of any kind on the tip of its shitty branches. Just sayin.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Morning.

22. Favorite children's Christmas song?
Santa Baby. Which maybe isn't so child-appropriate after all?

23. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
Crowded stores and traffic.

24. Favorite ornament theme or color?
White and gold. My mom started a completely impractical but fabulous tradition when we were younger of changing color schemes every year. This involves purchasing mass amounts of ornaments every. single. year. See? Impractical but awesome. (PS: next year is "my year" whoop whoop)

25. Turkey or ham on Christmas day?
Neither. My family has salmon. We're weird.

26. What do you want for Christmas this year?
Quiet time with family, 8 days off from work to spend with J, and snowflakes when we're in Seattle

27. Does anyone in your family dress up as Santa?
No!

28. Age you discovered who Santa was?
Wayyyy too old to admit on the internet.

29. Eggnog, hot chocolate, or apple cider?
Hot chocolate.

30. Traditional colors (red and green) or other colors?
White and gold is my favorite right now.

31. Do you have any Christmas decorations on your roof?
No.

32. How does Santa get into your house? Chimney or magic key?
Haven't quite figured that out yet.

33. Do you prefer gifts or gift cards?
Both.

34. Favorite children's Christmas Cartoon?
Charlie Brown Christmas (according to J)

Party Win.

J and I went to a Christmas party the other night and I was having a hard time deciding what to bring.  I am not a huge fan of cooking but I wanted to bring something homemade.  I happened to stumble upon this recipe in O Magazine and it wound up being a hit.  I substituted sesame sticks for popcorn and added more pretzels than the recipe called for.  Super easy and a great party food.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. onion powder
• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 3 cups cereal, such as Cheerios or shredded wheat
• 1 cup mini pretzels
• 10 cups popped popcorn (from ½ cup unpopped kernels; see "Popcorn Basics")
• 1 cup unsalted peanuts
• ¼ to ½ cup wasabi-coated dried peas (optional)

Directions

Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 60 minutes

Preheat oven to 250°. In a small bowl, whisk together 3 Tbsp. water, Worcestershire, salt, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and honey. In a large bowl, mix cereal, pretzels, popcorn, peanuts, and wasabi peas (if using), then pour spice blend over top and toss to coat.

Transfer to a large baking sheet and bake, stirring every 15 minutes or so, until mixture is barely dry, about 50 minutes. Let cool completely before serving.

My Week in Pictures

I've had kind of a blah week in the sense that I've been so busy I haven't had much time to myself.  I've been feeling kind of frazzled with the quickly approaching holiday season, wedding, and commitments at work.  I taught my last class of the semester on Friday and am relieved to have a little break (as in I will only be working one job, like a normal human being, for the next few months).

So here I present to you, my week in pictures

Apparently, I am very serious about my TV watching

And sometimes, when I'm watching TV, I like to judge people.
(that's my snotty judging face that I didn't know I was making...)

While I'm busy judging people, J is busy being theatrical.  And scary.

Oh how I love candid photos :)

Wedding Ring Reveal

I know I've already posted enough ring porn, however J's ring arrived today and I just had to share pictures.  Otherwise it wouldn't be fair, right? 

Men's wedding rings are somewhat underwhelming compared to their counterparts, however J loves the ring we found for him and that's really all that matters.  He didn't want anything fancy and was adamant that he didn't want to spend a lot of money on it since he isn't going to wear it a lot due to his line of work.  We wound up ordering his ring off Etsy and are thrilled with how it came out.

And the best part?  It cost $40!  Tungsten rings at Ben Bridge (where my rings were purchased) were in the $700 range and looked very similar.  We couldn't quite justify spending that kind of money on a metal that itself isn't particularly valuable.  Clearly in this case we would just be paying for the Ben Bridge name.

So if you're interested, I would highly recommend the vendor we used on Etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CustomTungsten?ref=seller_info

They customize and offer a variety of sizes (if your man is like mine and has gorilla hands...)

Christmas Wishes

Some people, when asked what's on their Christmas list, cannot come up with an answer.  They may say "I don't really need anything" or suggest money.  I am not one of those people.  On any given day I can rattle off 5 things on my wish list.  It's not that I'm greedy, I just love the holidays and gift-giving and basically all things girly!  I like the challenge of finding the perfect gift for friends and family and get so excited to see their face when they unwrap it.  I'm also pretty sure I am the easiest person in the world to shop for.  I like anything that smells lovely (lotions, candles and perfume) and promises to make me look fabulous (skin products, makeup and clothes).  I like anything for the home (throw blankets, decorative pillows and picture frames) and am a sucker for frivilous things that I certainly don't need and probably wouldn't buy myself (A Clairsonic?  I'd love one!)

So here's what I'm lusting over this year...

Betsey Johnson studs

VS overnight bag

Kate Spade "This is the Year" bangle

Giani Bini - Love That pumps

And if anyone has an extra $850 burning a hole in their pocket, I'd love a Movado :)

Loving the rose gold

so classy.

Inappropriate

It's inappropriate to share distasteful pictures with my coworkers...

It's inappropriate that my hair is this out of control and yet I feel no need to invest in hairspray...

It's inappropriate to take pictures of your bum and ask your fiance if these jeans are worth the $100 you are going to spend on them anyways, regardless of whether or not he likes them...

It's inappropriate to accessorize your nephew...

And lastly, it's inappropriate to spill soup all over the effing carpet and text a picture of it to your fiance with the caption "please don't be mad..."  (you know, instead of cleaning it up immediately)