Lent, books, and babies

I'm not Catholic so I don't observe Lent but last year my friend Amy and I took it as a challenge to eat healthier and we nixed sweets from our diets. I was surprised how well we did...until a week before Lent ended and then we both said forget it and had cookies. Well. Lent is upon us and I decided to take the challenge again and I roped encouraged Mark to join me so we could support it each other. He is giving up precious Dr. Pepper and I am giving up cookies, brownies, and my beloved ice cream (and making Mark too since it would cruel and down right rude for him to eat that stuff in front of me!) *moment of mournful silence* Except we're allowed small cheats on Sundays because the dietitian in me realizes that I HAVE to have some cheat days or I'll go mad. MAD. So far it's been good. I haven't been tempted or craving anything, though every time I open the freezer and see Bluebells' "I Love Chocolate," I have a split second cringe moment. 

Anyway, I also have been trying to cook about 3 times a week. This week we had grilled salmon, grilled asparagus, and rice. Mark got to bust out his grilling skills and did most of the heavy work. It was yummy! But seriously, I should have gotten salmon completely skinned or whatever the correct term is because there was skin on the underside that I ripped off before we grilled it and I nearly threw up from the smell. I don't mind fish but that smell was a little too fishy for me. Yuck. 

And I realize this picture is not very appetizing, if at all, but we've also decided (aka I have decided and Mark is being a good sport and going along with it) to try to have a vegetarian meal once a week. I could tell Mark was really skeptical but I was determined to prove to him that I could find some tasty entrees. So, tonight I made black bean and quinoa enchilada bake. It was SO good (despite this bad picture)!! I topped mine with sliced tomatoes, avocados, and green onions. DEE-LISH. Even Mark was impressed. Wahoo! You know it's a successful dish when the red meat lover likes a vegetarian dish (I think it helped that it was a Mexican dish). 

And what do you know just in time for Lent I got this cookbook in the mail (which I had ordered months ago and have been waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiting for it to finally be released!). April is not that far away. I can do this. I can.

Since we're on the topic of one of my favorite things--books--I have to tell you about a new author that I LOVE: Juliet Marillier. Holy cow. I'm addicted to her books. One of my new friends here recommended one of her books and I can't get enough. So, let me back up. The first book I read was, "Wildwood Dancing." It's based on the fairy tale "Twelve Dancing Princesses," but she also intertwines that story with some of the folklore of Transylvania (NO not vampires but alludes to that). It is SUPERB. Also I should tell you that I am not a science fiction fan but I do have a very soft spot for fairy tales, and well written ones. FABULOUS read. It was one of those books that I thought about all day long and longed for some time to read. Well. There's a second book, but about one of the other main characters, and the library didn't have it so I did what was necessary...bought it off Amazon (and Wildwood Dancing!). If I am willing to purchase a book, it's a big deal; it's got to be good. I've read a lot of good books, but few that I buy to read again and again. While I was waiting for my parcel of books, I did some research on the author and discovered she had several other books. Well, like I said, I love a good fairy tale but get too science fiction on me and I'll lose interest. But desperate for something to hold me over, I picked up a series she wrote called "Shadowfall." It started off slow and I almost stopped reading but WOW, once it took off I was hooked. I finished the first book in a few days and then HAD to have the second one. It's so good. Riveting. Very creative. She's good. I am enjoying it so much I read while I bike in the mornings and yesterday I was truly angry that I had to go to work because I just wanted to read and find out what happens! I thought of the book the entire day. Ok, I admit, I do, at times, get emotionally attached to books I read. But, I think that's a sign of a good book. So, I was looking to borrow the third one from the library only to find that the third book ISN'T EVEN OUT YET!!! I have to wait until SEPTEMBER?!?!?!? CURSES!!!!!! THAT IS SO CRUEL!!!!!!!!!!! I'm going to die from curiosity. DIE. Oh my gosh it's going to be torture. I almost considered not finishing the second one (that lasted for about 0.00003 seconds). I'll have to check out some of her other series. You're lucky I am using up some reading time to blog. But I had to share.

I never really understood why my mom referred to her flowers as her children but now I understand why. I am growing grape hyacinths from bulbs, which I have never done before and I'm scared that I will fail. And friends I BABY these flowers. I check the weather, bring the pot outside and bring it in if it's going to be too cold. It's kind of silly but I am determined. So, yesterday I walked outside to head to work and I looked down and saw this:

THEY ARE PEEKING THROUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I kid you not I dropped everything, knelt by the pot and just stared incredulously. They are growing! WHAT!!!??!!?? Oh happy day!!!!! I was so proud I Instagrammed them and kept talking about it with Mark when we got home. 

Now, this is what they look like today. 

I am SUCH a proud "mom"!!!

It's true.

I've been avoiding my blog. 

Except this past week I keep thinking of things to blog about but then I feel like I have so much to catch up on and then I convince myself that most of the people who read this already follow me on Instagram or Facebook so they already know what's going on. But then again those are only snippets and it's not narrated. And Mark pointed out today that it's been awhile. So, I'll do my best.

First of all...I got married!!!!!!!!!!! In December. Now I'm a Sadie! (Sadie, Sadie Married Lady. Name that movie. Streisand! Anyone? Anyone?) And it was the most perfect day. There is not one thing I would change about the day. I know lots of friends who have said they wish they could go back and do things differently. I don't. It was exactly as I wanted it to be. It was cold, miserably cold (low teens and then got down to single digits in the afternoon), but beautiful and I didn't care because, hello!, I just got married and I was surrounded by dear, darling, wonderful friends and family. And it snowed!!! Perfection. 

Here are some of my favorite shots:

We got married in the LDS Boston Temple

My brother, Dane, is currently serving a mission for the LDS (Mormon) church in Australia and since he couldn't attend the wedding in real life and I wanted him to "be there," we had a life-size cardboard cut out of him. This is one of my favorite pictures! 

And since Mark and I are both avid baseball fans, we took pictures around Fenway Park, which was a blast! 

Three of my very best friends came for our wedding. My only regret is that I didn't have enough time to catch up with them and have more "girl time." And when we had our reception in Dallas in January, two more surprised me and showed up. I don't know how I got so lucky to have these INCREDIBLE friends!

Now you have to understand, I am a food snob at times and if you know nothing about me, I LOVE Regina's Pizza in Boston. Well as luck would have it, I knew they had opened up a shop near Fenway and our photographer, Jennifer White--who was *wonderful* and I HIGHLY recommend her--was cool enough to take some shots in the pizza place. 

Yes. We ate pizza after we took pictures. In our wedding get-up. We were starving! And cold! 

Now for the "reception," we opted to do more of an open house. I envisioned an intimate, fun setting. I wanted to greet and chat and hug every single person that came to celebrate with us because I want them to know it meant a lot and that I love them. I think it was a success. Even with snow storms in the forecast, I love my New Englanders who braved the looming storm to come. My mom made the desserts. Yes, all of them. Thirty-something cookies/brownies, etc., including our three-layered chocolate peanut butter with ganache wedding cake. 

As I said, it was perfect. Mark and I spent a few days in Boston on a "mini-honeymoon" and then the craziness began. I worked for 2 hectic days when we got to Myrtle Beach and wrapped things up. Gosh it was a whirlwind. We loaded my stuff in a U-haul and headed to Texas. (Fun fact about Gabe: I do not enjoy road trips. No I do not). We arrived in San Angelo on a Sunday, spent two days getting the keys for out apartment, me filling out paperwork for my new job and getting an official start day, and then we headed to Dallas for a few days for Christmas, and then headed back to San Angelo. Lots of time in a car...

San Angelo is...

I don't even know what to say. It's artsy, country, unique. It's isolated but a nice jumping point to Dallas, San Antonio, Austin and some smaller towns that have a lot to offer. My favorite town that we have visited (aside from Dallas because a) Mark's family is there and I love them and b) it has every shop I could think of to shop at INCLUDING the biggest Whole Foods I have ever seen!) so far has been Fredericksburg. THANK GOODNESS Texas has antique shops. I found a darling kitchen hutch in an antique store here in San Angelo a month ago that I fell in love with, had to have and is one of my favorite purchases ever. 

I wouldn't live here by choice but having someone (aka Mark) to do things with has made all of the difference. We have a list of things we want to do while we are living here. I've turned our apartment into a bit of a sanctuary. I love coming home to our apartment. It's cozy and our little haven. I love decorating and planning  and in the mean time, dreaming of our future home. We have several little projects that we are working on. We painted an accent wall in our living room (only one because we have to paint it back before me move) and I love it. We still need a few pieces of furniture but it's fun to hunt and wait to find the piece and then to see rooms come together. I'll post pictures in a little bit. Right now we have laundry to fold, it's gloomy, and Mark is studying so there are papers and binders askew. 

I cook more, which I was scared of when I got married because I don't think I'm a good cook or even a cook and it seems daunting. Plus, Mark's mom is an aaaaamazing cook and now I have to feed her son? Umm...intimidating. I bake. I like sugar and flour and a vanilla and the myriad of ways I can manipulate a small bit of ingredients to produce delectable treats. It thrills me! But, thank you Pinterest, I am becoming a bit more confident with cooking and it's been quite fun. Also Mark likes to cook so when I don't want to or don't have the energy, he will! Or we just go for cereal. Can't beat it! I haven't burned or completely botched a recipe yet. Plus it makes it much more worthwhile when you have someone to cook for beside yourself. I actually do enjoy it and have a goal to cook at least 3 times/week (and then we have leftovers!).

 Last night I made buffalo chicken stuffed peppers with guacamole (well, Mark made the guac because he's the master). INCREDIBLE. Recipe here

San Angelo is barren, dry, and reminds me of Utah/Nevada/Arizona. Not my favorite geography (I'm sorry, the desert does nothing for me) so I've decided to create a "garden" of potted plants indoors and outdoors. I need greenery! Yesterday I planted pansies, pincushion flowers, and white knights. Our neighbors even commented on them! *smug face* I finally planted the grape hyacinth bulbs Mark's Mom got me. I'm scared I did it all wrong and that they will die but time will tell. I must have read several articles about how to pot grape hyacinths and what pot is the best, the best weather conditions, how wet the soil should be, how deep to plant them. etc. For the love. Please just let them bloom. And I got some succulents because I just think they look so cool!

So here's a day in the married life of Gabe (or close to it):

*Mark wakes up around 5:15-5:30am because he has to be on base around 6:15. I half consciously listen to him get ready, he leaves, calls me when he gets to base a little after 6am to make sure I get up because snoozing alarms is easy and talking to him wakes me up so that I will get out of bed and work out.

*I get up and work out. I never thought I'd be a morning exerciser but in the short amount of time I have been doing this, it has become a favorite part of my day. It's quiet and I get some time to myself. Exercising before work is also genius because then it's done and out of the way! 

*I go to work, where I work at a hospital in town. Ok pause. Let's talk about work. I don't mind San Angelo that much. I don't (also it helps to know that this is not a permanent situation. Also Mark is a wonderful husband--seriously, I really lucked out--and makes life blissful). I'd rather live in the Dallas area if I had to live in Texas but whatever, we didn't get to choose so here we are. I do, however, at times DESPISE San Angelo because my job often makes me want to cry and/or rip my hair out and/or seriously consider a new career. Truly. I try not to complain but, I'm often miserable at work. I even started covering our ICU unit, which was my goal/dream and one of the major reasons I worked for my CNSC, and even then, eh. I miss my old job. I desperately miss my partner in crime and fellow redhead Amy. Desperately. I walked into a very divided and tense department. It's a disaster. And why the heck did I chose a field predominantly female? Good gracious. WAY. WAY. WAAAAY too much estrogen for me. Plus you cram 6 females in an office the size of shoebox and that's enough to drive me mad. I think it's also a mix of being the new kid (I had WAY more freedom at my last job, a lot less people breathing down my neck, and among the defining characteristics that make me up, independent is most certainly one of them, and I feel suffocated), starting to get burned out clinically (I'd love a job that recognizes holidays), and the constant drain of working in a very dramatic, negative environment. I find myself trying to find more reasons to avoid the office and delight when I am so busy I only take breaks for lunch and then to drop my stuff off at the end of the day to go home. Culinary school looks better and better by the hour. I'd rather cook, bake, and create fun, yummy things that make people happy. I mean how can someone get upset over a cookie? Seriously! But hey at least I can wear scrubs to work. I have cool colleagues that help. I look forward to the day I can go part-time or not work at all and be a stay-at-home-mom. Alas, I endure.

*After work I usually run errands (usually to the post office, the library, or the grocery store) and either meet Mark on base to work out, or go home and work out at the gym in our apartment complex. 

*Then we have dinner and Mark usually studies and I read, clean, do laundry, Pinterest recipes, plan menus, online "window" shop (usually for furniture, and more recently clothes since I feel isolated and there are maybe 2 good clothing stores here), and then sometimes we may watch Gilmore Girls (I've got Mark hooked! HA!) 

*Usually we're in bed by 10-11pm (I forgot how wonderful it is to go to bed before midnight and actually get more than 5-6 hours of sleep!)

Fridays are date nights. Saturdays we usually sleep in (until a whopping 8am, but I'm actually ok with that. Can't waste a precious day!) and then we have something planned, be it projects, a day trip somewhere, a trip downtown for antiquing and lunch, etc. Lately we've started visiting Petsmart Saturday mornings to look at puppies because I am not baby hungry (far from it actually; the thought of having a child right now is frightening. I'm not ready. I am so not ready), I'm puppy hungry! So we agreed that if Mark's next assignment doesn't bring us overseas, we're getting a puppy. HAPPY DAY! I'm been looking at miniature schnauzer puppies for weeks. So cute! 

So, that's that. Being married rocks. I was nervous the transition would be challenging since our entire courtship was long distance, but I think in a weird way, it made the transition very easy. And it helps when your husband is so wonderful, super easy-going and extraordinarily patient with his, at times, high-strung, impatient wife. And I am madly in love with him. I lucked out, majorly.

Pictures of the apartment to come soon!

P.S. Dude! Did you hear? Jimmer is going to the Bulls! Maybe now his career will finally take off. Yesssss! Give him a chance! He's got such potential, I just want to see a bit of the BYU Jimmer in the NBA. He's so talented! Hopefully this is better than the stupid Sacramento Kings. And...baseball season is just around the corner! 

Now off to bake cookies while Mark studies...