hitting the road

In six short (yet long) days, the husband takes off on an adventure -- his audition rotations. This marks the beginning of a crazy season for both him and me. Audition rotations take place all around the country at spots where the husband feels he has the best chance of getting matched for his future residency in Orthopedic Surgery. So for those of you who like to keep track, here's the reader's digest version of our next six months:

June: The husband is in Harrisburg, PA; I am soaking up CO summer and taking a summer class
July: The husband will be splitting time in Denver, CO (with me, yay!!) and Cleveland, OH; I will be enjoying my time with the husband, taking my summer class, and studying for the Math Content PRAXIS exam
August: The husband will be in Lansing, MI; I will be starting my 2nd teaching internship at Adams City Middle School
September: The husband will be in Detroit, MI; I will be fully immersed in the busiest semester of grad school thus far
October: The husband will be at a different program in Detroit, MI; as for me, see previous month
November: The husband will be in Akron, OH; and again, as for me, see previous two months
December: TBD - either the husband will take on an additional rotation or he'll be back in Denver and I'll be finishing up my semester

The husband and I will try to visit each other when we can, but due to our demanding schedules and limited funds, the visits will probably feel few and far between. My hope is to visit each location so I can scout each one out. I mean, one of these places will be our future home for 5 years and I've never been to any of them before!

Although this upcoming season seems completely absurd and undesirable, it is truly an exciting adventure. The next six months will play a huge role in determining our next 5 years and that is an incredibly alarming yet thrilling thought.

After the husband completes his tiring six months of audition rotations, things will slow down for him. He will have completed almost all of his 4th year medical school requirements so he'll finally be able to breathe and relax. The residency match process takes place in February which is when we'll find out where we get to move to in June 2014.

I know this next year will be a whirlwind and I'm sure we'll face challenges unlike any others that we've faced thus far, but I am looking forward to this season - a season that is truly building our future.

The husband and I truly appreciate prayers all along the way. In six days, we leave to drive across the country to get him settled in at his first rotation. We are making the most of this trip by visiting friends in Kansas City, stopping in Indianapolis, visiting my sister in Baltimore, and making a quick 36 hour trip to NYC. I'm really looking forward to this trip but I'm not looking forward to saying goodbye to the husband. Please pray for safe travels, great time together, and an easy departure.

                        

the in-laws came for a visit

Why is it that whenever you announce the word "in-laws" people immediately grimace, cringe, and comment? There's such a negative connotation around the idea of in-laws. Even if you think your own parents are great, once they become in-laws, there is apparently something wrong with them. It's a weird concept and I don't really understand it -- maybe because I'm one of the lucky few who has been blessed with some pretty great in-laws.

My in-laws are laid-back, happy-go-lucky people. They are easy to be around and they bring such joy to both my life and the husband's. We've basically been begging them to come for a visit (well, really, we've basically been begging both of our parents and our friends to visit). Either way, we were beyond thrilled to finally have them back out to Colorado.

Colorado has been overly snowy and blistery of late (despite the fact that it's spring) but our little weekend was full of warm sunshine just to greet our guests. The combination of having visitors and seeing my oh so beloved sunshine again, made me one giddy girl. I love exploring this great state and having visitors gives me the perfect excuse to do so.

Our weekend was the perfect amount of go-go-go and relaxing. As soon as the in-laws arrived, we wanted to get things started off right so we took them to a great patio happy hour spot in Denver, called Root Down. I highly recommend it! The next day was our adventure day -- a trip down south to Colorado Springs with a slight detour to gawk at the husband's cadaver that he's been so meticulously working on. While in the Springs, we wondered around the Air Force Academy, Garden of the Gods, and Old Colorado City. After a full day of driving and sunshine, we had a laid-back night of tacos and card games. Oh and of course, an inaugural trip to Yogurtland for the in-laws!

Sunday consisted of some of our "must-go-to" spots for our out of town guests -- Snooze for breakfast and Wash Park for fun. Since it was the first nice weekend in what felt like ages, the park was a zoo of volleyball nets, dogs, exercisers, and so on. We happily contributed to the masses and enjoyed our little spot of grass. Sadly though, the trees have no leaves since the snow keeps preventing them from blooming, hence, no shade to hide from the first intense heat of the year. Bring on the tan sunburn!

The in-laws last day in town was a little more low-key. The husband had to start his Orthopedic rotation in Denver and I had to study. But my attention span for studying when I have visitors is quite small, so a detour to go shopping with my mother-in-law was a must! She treated me to quite the shopping spree as a sweet early birthday present. I absolutely loved the gesture and of course, adored the added pieces to my wardrobe!

Overall, the weekend was quite a treat and the husband and I feel so blessed to have had such a wonderful weekend.

Here are some visual representations of the weekend:

Thank you Jim & Dana, for everything!!!

Easter Celebration + Veggie Frittata Recipe

Easter always seems to sneak up on me. It's one of those holidays that is here and gone before you know it. I don't know exactly why that is. Maybe it's because it's always on a weekend so no one gets any extra work or school off. Or maybe because it doesn't necessarily require much preparation. No matter the reason, Easter doesn't get it's fair share of attention. It's this incredible holiday of celebration and jubilation. This year, I wanted to really soak that in.

Soaking in the spirit of the season meant preparing my home for Easter and spring. I created this sweet little banner with pastel springy colors and bunny cut-outs. I loved the pop of spring time color and the message is a great year-round reminder, "He is Risen!" In addition to my banner, I created my own bouquet display of springy flowers and busted out my homemade place mats. My one and only go at sewing. Maybe someday I'll pick up that craft more consistently. Today is definitely not that day though.

I know Easter isn't really about gifts, Easter baskets, or eggs, but I couldn't help but give in to the cliches and traditions of the season. I bought some plastic Easter eggs and spray painted them with glitter paint for a little sparkle. I filled the eggs with candy. I used these to add to the baskets I made for the husband and a sweet friend who joined us to celebrate. I forgot to take a picture of my friend's basket but here's the husband's "basket".

The fun thing about Easter is that it can be a week long celebration if you celebrate Holy Week. It kicks off with Palm Sunday and is followed by Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and then Easter itself. To reflect on Maundy Thursday and the last supper with Jesus and his disciples, I gathered with a large group of friends from my church and we enjoyed a massive meal together. It was such a great way to remember history. I usually like to spend Good Friday a little more somber, but my Friday was already booked up and I couldn't help but enjoy the wonderful spring time weather we were having. So instead of my usual somber Good Friday, I set out to hiking with some friends from school. It was the first hike of the season and it got me amped for the rest of hiking season. This hike was one of the many in Boulder, CO. 

Sunday finally arrived and the day couldn't have been more beautiful. We started out the day with a delicious breakfast consisting of an egg & veggie frittata (recipe to follow), fruit salad, and turkey bacon. After breakfast, the husband, my friend, and I headed to church. Before the service began, we watched and celebrated people getting baptized outside. It was so great!

After church, we celebrated with a huge church potluck at a park in downtown Denver. There was so much amazing food and great company. The day consisted of lounging in the warm sun, eating great food, playing bocce ball, and a boys game of shirts vs. skins soccer.

With full bellies and full hearts, the husband and I napped and rested on the couch for the rest of the evening. We forgot how much a full day of sunshine can take it out of you!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter celebration as well!

Here's the Veggie Frittata recipe:
(recipe adapted from a friend's recipe)

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup chopped spinach
• 1 cup chopped broccoli 
• 2-3 Tbsp chopped onion
• 10 eggs (5 full eggs, 5 egg whites)
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1/2 cup Swiss cheese, shredded or chopped small

Preparation Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees
• Melt butter in oven-safe skillet on medium-low heat
• Sauté veggies - spinach, broccoli, and onion for about 3 minutes or until soft
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients (except cheese) until light and fluffy, then add cheese
• Pour ingredients from bowl over cooked veggies
• Cook frittata on stove for about 4-5 minutes
• Transfer to the oven and bake for an additional 12 minutes or until the frittata is set
• Slice and enjoy!

I love mixing up this recipe with different veggies or adding various meats to it - you could do ham, bacon, breakfast sausage, etc. Every time I make this, it's slightly different but every time it's delicious!

remember when?

Remember when I was a blogger? Yeah, I don't really know what happened. I mean, I have my list of excuses but still, I'm shocked by my disinterest and complacency with blogging lately.

A big part of it is that I appreciate the style of many different kinds of blogs -- food blogs, craft blogs, style blogs, personal blogs, and the list goes on. Some blogs are used to promote a blogger's small business and some blogs are simply there to share life with far off family and friends. As I read more and more blogs, I lost sight of what I wanted my blog to be about. I had so many goals but they weren't necessarily cohesive. I told myself I wouldn't blog until I figured out how I wanted to approach my blog and how I wanted others to see my blog. Well, I haven't actually answered those questions yet. I still want to but it's taking longer than I expected. Instead of completely ignoring my blog while I search for my blog's identity, I think I will still try to post a few things sporadically. The posts will probably vary quite a bit - some might be about food and recipes while others will just be updates about my life. Whatever they end up being, I hope you like it and I hope somewhere along the way, I'll rediscover my passion for what I want this blog to be.

A lot of life has passed and some events warrant a post of their own, but for now, here's a quick instagram photo recap of our lives over the past few months. 

I love finding new recipes and this Thai Turkey Burger was a big hit. The husband and I recently decided that cooking with ground turkey is way better than cooking with ground beef.

I made my first pie!!! Well, that's a bit of a lie. I've made a few other pies but this was my first "classic" fruit pie. I can't quite call it classic because it wasn't apple. But, I'm proud of my pie. It was a Pear Pomegranate Pie. Have you even heard of a Pear Pomegranate Pie? Probably not. I made it up. BUT IT WAS DELICIOUS! I promise to post more details about this another time and provide the much needed recipe. 

I visited one my best friends in Couer d'Alene, Idaho for her baby shower. Since then, her sweet baby boy has arrived and he is more precious than I could have ever imagined.

Snow. Snow. Snow. We've had our fair share of snow storms. In fact, I'm currently typing this while sitting at Starbucks drinking a hot chocolate and looking out the window as more little white flakes fall. 

The snow hasn't stopped me from going to school. Not once has anything been canceled due to snow. Unlike Seattle, Denver doesn't shut down just because of snow. 

The fun side of snow is skiing. The husband and I haven't made it up much this year but spring skiing is where it's at in Colorado so we hope to make it up a few more times. 

I've been fortunate enough to have a few weekend getaways to recoup and relax. This beautiful cabin was gifted to my Younglife team for a team retreat weekend. It was a much needed getaway. 

Being in school always means lots of studying but it also means making new friends. This is my sweet friend from my graduate teaching program. We are even student teaching at the same school!

Some great friends of ours recently got married here in Colorado. They both went to college with the husband back in Seattle so we had a fun night seeing old friends that came into town.

Pictures usually capture the sweet and fun memories of life and often don't fully capture the realities of life. Our day-to-day life over the past few months has been a bit less interesting. It's been full of studying, car problems, and doctor's appointments. I know, ICK! Despite those things not being so great, the husband and I are doing well and we're so thankful for the fun moments that have been sprinkled throughout. 

christmas tree tutorial

This tutorial may be a little belated for this Christmas season but is it ever too early to get some inspiration for next year? 

The husband and I moved into a smaller loft apartment in September and as Christmas approached we faced the reality that we had no space for a real Christmas tree. Don't get me wrong, I adore the smell of fresh pine but it just wasn't practical for us this year. As we debated and considered our options, we finally let go of our losses and got creative with our small space. 

As much as I love real Christmas trees, I absolutely fell in love with our wall tree. It's still up and I don't want to take it down...like ever. It lights up our home. It's cozy. It's pretty. It adds sparkle. I just love it. I don't know how I'm going to part with it. Our wall will be so bare and lonely without it. Who knew I'd get so attached? Our little wall Christmas tree might just be a yearly tradition even if that means two trees - one real and one wall. That is, once we have the space for both!

Most supplies you should have laying around the house. If you don't have scrap wood, do like I do, scavenge the scrap wood section at Home Depot. I liked the knots in the wood so I picked extra knotty pieces. The husband probably didn't love that decision because it made drilling harder. He's a champ!

Use painter's tape to approximate the size of each wood piece and the spacing you'd like. This isn't an exact science. You can visually approximate, or if you're type A like me and the husband, you can measure each piece exactly. The fallen piece of tape on the ground, the huge gaping space, and the sloping line do not properly indicate our perfectionist tendencies but I guess we all fall short.

We didn't have the tools necessary to do the cutting ourselves so the nice gentleman at Home Depot helped us cut our pieces to the measurements we wanted.

The husband tackled the drilling which turned out to be a bigger task than expected. Each piece of wood gets drilled four times -- two holes on each side. The picture below will give you a better visual. The holes on the wood pieces need to be lined up with the wood piece directly above and below to guarantee level hanging. While the husband drilled, I cut pieces of twine (and took pictures). I know, I had it easy on this project!

Just because all the pictures are of the husband does not mean I didn't participate... I swear! I worked hard... he just worked harder. 

Most of our walls are concrete and therefore almost impossible to drill into so our sweet little tree is balanced on one screw.

Aww, yay. Pretty lights! My favorite part. 

Once the tree was up, it was finally time to decorate it. After nailing in a ton of little nails to each wood piece, we hung the ornaments and stockings. Our normal tree topper is a beautiful gold angel but there was no way we could get that to work so I used the resources of our front lawn. A few twigs later, I had a glorious star to finish off our tree. So there you have it, ten steps to a creative Christmas tree. Hope this gets you inspired for next year and Merry Belated Christmas.