3 Days and Going Strong

Forgive crappy and unformatted posts. The blogger app for the iPhone is kind of ghetto.

We spent last night in Denver and kind of fell in love with Colorado. If you've never been to Denver, you don't know what you're missing. It's kind of granola-y but less grungy than Seattle. Still feels west coast in a sense. And it's CLEAN. We ate dinner at a local brewery (Wynkop Brewery I think?). It was delish.

It has been brought to my attention that I look like a homeless person when I travel. Which is a pretty accurate observation. I haven't worn makeup in DAYS and have been alternating the same 2 shirts, justifying it by wearing a different tank top underneath. It's pretty gross. Tomorrow I am aiming to wear real clothes. Get excited.

Also, we are about 20 hours into our trip and I've driven zero miles. I'm basically pretty useless on roadtrips. I do make a mean playlist though, so that should count for something.

Let Them Eat Cake!

Last night, Jonathon and I ate the top tier of our wedding cake. Nope, it's not our one year anniversary. And no, we weren't drowning our sorrows in cake. We just thought it would be appropriate to eat it on our last night in our Las Vegas home (plus we are moving and couldn't bring it with us) So stuff our faces we did. And it was GOOD!

Goodbyes Are Hard

Can you spot The Strip in the background??

Tonight is our last night in our little place in Las Vegas.  The movers come in the morning and I am SO SAD.  4 years ago I never would have imagined this crazy city would feel like home.  It took some time to feel settled and like we fit, but somehow we found our niche and got comfortable here.  We made a little life for ourselves and accomplished so much both personally and professionally.  

IN THE PAST 4 YEARS:

Jonathon and I took a leap of faith, relocating from Pennsylvania to Nevada and also moving in together!

Before we knew anyone and relied on each other (and self-photos) for entertainment :)

First trip out to Vegas for apartment hunting/job interviews - 2008

My beloved grandfather passed away after a courageous battle with lung cancer

Our beautiful niece was born and I became a Godmother (and yes, I make her refer to me as Fairy Godmother because I think it's awesome)

I was baptised and confirmed in the Catholic Church

Pretend the date is correct and that I'm not wearing running clothes to church!

I spent 2 years as a PICU nurse where I met BFF Lindsay

I was in said BFF's wedding during the summer of 2011

I transferred departments, accepting a NICU position and fell in love with NICU nursing

I earned my Master's degree and taught BSN students at a local college

We got married!!

Can you spot BFF Lindsay??

...and honeymooned in Hawaii :)

Jonathon became a doctor!

I can't believe that what once seemed like a lifetime away from our family turned into a whirlwind 4 years.  So many blessings have come into our lives and I know new adventures await us in Philadelphia.  It's been real Vegas, we love you :)

Present to Myself (we all deserve one)

I'm taking a break from packing to talk about handbags.  This is completely reasonable I think.

Yesterday I met up with one of my favorite coworkers (and fellow former Philadelphian!) to go shopping at the Kate Spade Outlet.  Kate Spade is pretty much our favorite thing ever and whenever one of us makes a new purchase, we immediately need to share it with the other (if only to be validated that it was indeed money well spent).

Jeannie shares my love of all things Kate Spade and surprisingly had never been to the outlet before.  We met over there and literally spent an hour and a half trying on all of the handbags and accessories before deciding on matching striped canvas purses (its ok, you can laugh at us).

This is pretty close to the one she bought, but not quite as awesome.  Hers is more like the signature square Kate Spade bag with leather handles and no belt-buckle hardware.

THIS is the one I bought:

It clearly goes best with leopard print VS leggings and a stained old T-shirt

It kind of reminds me of this Henri Bendel bag I pinned on Pinterest several months ago

Jeannie also surprised me by giving me this lovely Kate Spade bangle bracelet

So sweet :)

Isn't she the best?!? 

Graduation

SO.  Guess what?  My husband graduated on Sunday and I am SO PROUD of him!!

Please ignore how awkward my shirt/boobs are in this picture.  No idea what was going on there :)

Proud parents

Hubby and my lovely SIL

Sometimes I struggle with expressing how proud of him I am.  I worry that people think I'm bragging about him being a medical student/physician.  And after being together for over 5 years, I still don't always know how to handle that.  People sometimes make comments to me about how I "don't HAVE to work" (um, yes I do!) or suggest that I found myself a "Dr. Husband" (as if that was intentional or something)  I find this offensive for two reasons.  The first being that I have a great deal of pride in the work that I do and I really feel that nursing is my calling.  I do it because I LOVE IT.  Secondly, people fail to realize we were together long before medical school was even applied to. 
I know the majority of people who make these comments either don't understand what it means to be a doctor (as in the debt that is incurred and the amount of time it takes to pay it off) or don't really matter in the first place.  And many times these things are said by people I love and not in a malicious context by any means.  I am just super sensitive to it so any suggestion that I live this charmed life which I don't have to contribute to, I get a little grumpy over it!

So anywho....
It was a really exciting weekend.  Jonathon's family flew out here to celebrate with us and we had a busy weekend of eating at yummy restaurants, playing around on the Strip and looking for celebrities (the Billboard Awards were being held here and we literally spent all weekend down town and saw NO ONE note worthy.  How disappointing.)

Recipes!

Pinterest has seriously changed my life.  Never have I wasted so much time online than since I joined this fabulous site.  I seriously love it more than Facebook.  Here are some recipes I'm planning on trying:

Reese's Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 8 oz bag of Reese’s Mini cups

How to Make

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Grease your loaf pan (I used an 8 x 4 pan) with butter or shortening.
3. In a medium bowl whisk together your flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, set aside.
4. In a large bowl stir together your bananas, peanut butter, oil, egg and sugars.
5. Pour your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Batter will be lumpy. DO NOT OVER-STIR.
6. Fold in your Reese’s Mini cups and spread batter into prepared pan.
7. Bake for approx 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
8. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then loosen the edges of the pan with a knife and remove from loaf pan, transferring bread to a cooling rack.

Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

Ingredients

• 1 acorn squash
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 6 scallions, sliced on a bias
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded hard goat cheese
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

How to Make

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Slice the acorn squash in half, from the tip to the bottom. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and discard. Place the 2 pieces on a baking sheet. Divide the butter in half and place each pad of butter in the center of the squash. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the baking dish so the bottom of the squash doesn't burn. Place the squash in the oven and let it roast for 60 - 70 minutes.
3. Remove squash from the oven once the insides of the squash is fork tender.
4. In a large skillet add the olive oil over medium high heat. Saute the onion for about 7 minutes until they are translucent. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute more. Add the scallions and stir until just together. Remove skillet from heat.
5. Season the onion mixture with salt and pepper. Add the cooked quinoa, shredded Parmesan cheese and lemon juice. Toss together and adjust seasoning as needed.
6. Place half of the quinoa mixture in each of the squash cavities. Sprinkle the shredded hard goat cheese on top. Place the squash back into the oven for about 5 minutes, just until the goat cheese cheese slightly melts.
7. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

No-Bake Energy Bites

Ingredients

• 1 cup (dry) oatmeal (I used old-fashioned oats)
• 1 cup toasted coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla

How to Make

1. Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed
2. Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour
3. Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like. (Mine were about 1″ in diameter)
4. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week
5. Makes about 20-25 balls

Chilotple Hummus

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, 3 tablespoons of the liquid reserved
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 – 2 chipotle peppers in adobo
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon lime zest

How to Make

1. Combine garbanzo beans, reserved liquid, olive oil, chipotle peppers, paprika, cumin, lime juice and kosher salt in a food processor. Pulse until smooth.
2. Transfer the hummus to a bowl, sprinkle with lime zest. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve.

A Day for Moms

My posting has been a little sparse as we have been SO BUSY packing our lives away.  In just 2 short weeks we will be PA residents.  My last night at work is quickly approaching (Wednesday!) and all of these changes = little time for blogging.

I couldn't, however, let today pass without acknowledging Mother's Day.  Both my mother and grandmother have played such a positive and important role in my life and honoring them for one day a year really doesn't do them justice.  These women showed me what it means to provide for your family.  My mom was a single mom, working as a teacher and raising 3 children.  She sacrificed a lot for her children and provided us with a wonderful life.

she's also a fabulous grandma :)

My grandmother is also a remarkable woman who deserves to be recognized on Mother's Day.  My grandfather made a good living and despite it being the 1950's, my grandmother chose to work full time in addition to being a mother and homemaker.  I have always looked up to her for being a hard worker and instilling that work ethic in me and my siblings.  She inspired me to pursue a career in nursing and for that I am forever grateful. 

At my nursing pinning in 2008 (my sister is about 9 months preggo here and may KILL me for posting this :)

So today, in honor of our mothers, grandmothers, and maternal figures in our lives that took time out of their busy lives to make us feel special and loved. 

Fremont Street

With only 3 weks left of living in Las Vegas, we are trying to make the most of our remaining time here.  I've been brainstorming and coming up with a list of things we would like to do before we leave.  This list is constantly being updated with restaurants we'd like to eat at and shows we'd like to see.  We certainly don't have the funds to do everything, however a few things have stuck out in our mind that are a must.

It was recently brought to our attention that after living here for 4 years, we had never ventured down to Fremont Street.  We rectified this last weekend and it was kind of awesome.  Fremont Street is a large area in "Old Vegas" where the streets are shut down and a huge screen hangs overhead and plays classic rick music videos ALL NIGHT LONG.  There are numberous bars that run into one another, casinos and a ton of weirdos pan handling.  If you're not down there to party, at least check out Fremont Street for the people watching.  You won't be disappointed.

The boys were really excited about their beer mugs.  The girls were just happy to discover you get free drinks if you sit down at a slot machine and pretend to be playing.

The highlight of our evening may or may not have been seeing a pregnant cocktail waitress who looked all of 16 (where's MTV when you need them?!) with tip money hanging out of her bra.  Classy.

We discovered this fool wearing angel wings and briefs bunched all up in his business taking pictures with tourists.  He was like 60.  Awkward.

...and people dressing like KISS

And this guy in a cheetah print unitard doing really dumb tricks like squishing himself into a box that really wasn't that small.  I have a video of it but am not sure how to upload it here....you're welcome.

So if you ever find yourself in Las Vegas and want to do something a little crazy, you should check out Fremont Street.  If for no other reason than to feel instantly better about your life choices.  And I would also recommend getting drunk while you're there.  It enhances the experience.