Plans are falling into place

How amazing is it outside? Fall has to be my favorite season, despite the allergies that naturally tag along with it.

I'm incredibly excited about today and not just because it's Friday. In just one year Devin and I will be getting all spiffed up for our wedding. Oh, yes, we're engaged, remember?

Now, I'm not going to get all countdown-happy on you because that's a bit obsessive and doesn't make for an enjoyable read. If I feel the need, I can always have The Knot remind me of how many days we have left to finalize everything.


I've been dress shopping a few times, but until just a few weeks ago, I hadn't had that one moment. The moment when your standing in front of a bridal salon mirror, and everything becomes real. The moment when you want to say "Yes" to the dress.

I didn't expect to have that moment. Seeing dresses all day, every day has almost made me numb to the process. Certain designer gowns are more my taste than others, and I've done all the pinning and browsing I can possibly do to get an idea of the dress that will be just right.

Even still, I haven't said "Yes," and I still have a desire to shop around, but one dress has caught my attention. And it's been on my mind a lot. That's a good sign, right

So, the planning and organizing must continue. I'm just thankful we agreed on a super-small celebration. I don't know how I could possibly handle planning for hundreds of guests.

Here's to being one step closer to walking down the aisle. *Cheers*

Tonight is alright

The kitties and I are hanging out at home tonight. We (I) got some dishes put away and another load in the dishwasher, laundry washed and dried and tiny bit of tidying up accomplished. They're both so helpful.

Then a craving hit, and I had no choice but to give in.

Ice cream topped with toasted almonds and drizzled with Amaretto. This is my life, and it is good.

Here's to a truly happy Tuesday. *Cheers*

PIN ALL THE THINGS!!

Work will be busy again soon. It had been fairly uneventful until this past week or so because we're starting up our regional print cycle again. When I walked in one morning last week, I was greeted with a 2.5-inch stack of ads (yes, I measured them), and before I could get through them all, the designers brought another pile to be proofed. And that marks the beginning of it all.

So, ads and text have been coming in almost non-stop. Another Bump book successfully uploaded to the printer and approved. A few marketing spec sheets needed fresh information. Now begins the waiting game until the first book.

Next week I'll flip my calendar to April, and the schedule goes from a few books a month to two or three each week. I'm actually looking forward to it.

We have long periods of down time, usually lasting a couple months twice a year, and it's great for the first week. Take some vacation days, do some archiving, all without deadlines. But then I just want something to do. This week is probably my last chance of real down time until summer. As much as I'm dreading the constant stacks of magazine pages being brought to my desk, it's time to do something productive. So,what got me through the previous couple of months? Pinning stuff.

With several nudges from my co-workers and future sister-in-law, I jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon, quickly finding joy in corralling my wants, needs and things to potentially DIY or cook--all in one place. It started out pretty modestly: I added a board for some of my favorite recipes Devin or I have made in the past, a board for wine-related items and a space for some of the decor I've always wanted to incorporate into various rooms of our apartment.

And that's where I am now. It's ridiculous. I follow the boards of co-workers, friends, popular interior designers and people who just simply have good taste. Why? So I can pin all the cool stuff that they think is cool. PIN ALL THE THINGS!!

I now have a wedding board (I work at a New York-based wedding magazine; I have to visualize the more realistic ideas somewhere), a board of things I want to wear (because I could rock that $300 dress if I had the money and an occasion to wear it) and a board of cocktail recipes (because, well, some days are like that).

Parmesan kale chips

I've already made a few of the newly discovered recipes, like smoked mozzarella and penne spinach salad, which was just ok; eggs with bell peppers (easy and yum!); and quinoa cakes with poached egg and parsley, which turned out to be rock-awesome.

Most recently, I got brave and made some Parmesan kale chips.

Verdict: Devin and I agree it must be an acquired taste. I tried to like them, I really did. The kale became so delicate after baking and practically shattered as soon as it met my mouth. And the flavor just didn't wow us enough to want them again. Unfortunate but I'm glad I tried it. Only 493 more recipe pins (and counting) left to try...

Here's to productively killing time, keeping upcoming-wedding thoughts in the forefront (hey, it's work-related!) and trying that popular recipe that's been repinned thousands of times in the last three days. It has to be amazing, right? Happy pinning! *Cheers*

Midsummer nights in the middle of winter

January ended much like December, and it was just as memorable.

***

On New Year's Eve afternoon, Devin and I celebrated the unseasonably warm temperatures (and lack of holiday snow) to get the motorcycle out one last time in 2011.

We went from our place in West O all the way east to the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. Though it was 50 degrees, the ride was a bit chilly but totally worth it. It was, of course, a moment we had to capture.

Ringing in 2012 a little early.

***

I was so eager to get outside Monday and see if the temps really were climbing past 60 degrees. I didn't bring a lunch, so I had a great excuse to leave the building and soak up the sun, if only for a few minutes. At home, the heat went off, and the windows, opened. Putz enjoyed time on the deck with me as we watched families riding together on the bike trail.

When Devin got home, he brought some beer, food and a new grill because when it's just shy of 70 degrees in January, hells yes you treat it like summer! Unfortunately, there was more assembly required than expected.

Devin gets to work on that new grill.

The food may be delayed, but the guy knows how to keep me happy: Woodchuck.

Temperatures were no longer in the 60s by the time he fired up the grill. In fact, it was dark. I guess we can't expect too much extra daylight in winter. But we did get to witness a fab sunset during the process.

It was all worth it in the end. The smell of grilled hotdogs and brats made LoLo a happy girl. Tuesday night was even better when Devin grilled steaks.

Steak! Woo!

And then to ring in February, we grilled dogs again Wednesday! Who needs summer? Oh yeah, it's supposed to snow this weekend...

With the luck of the Buddha, here's to hopefully enjoying time outside (especially with the grill) every month in 2012! *Cheers*

Lucky Buddha beer

A good friend and a glass (or three) of wine

Monday night Devin came home and asked if I was ready to go out. It's not a common question lately because Devin has been cooking again, and it's all pretty healthy to complement our gym routines. Well, I wouldn't call my on-again-off-again appearances a routine, but I'm making a half-hearted effort, so I deserve points for that.

Brix wine bistro | http://www.brixomaha.com/promotions/

And wine, apparently! Yes, I was excited. Brix, the wine store not far from our place, has half-priced (thankfully) wine in its bistro on Mondays, so Devin thought it was time to check it out. They give you a card to insert into the wine serving system, you push a button to choose a one-ounce, two-ounce or a glass pour and the controlled portion streams into your glass. The price is added to the card as a tab, and you pay before you leave. And they have a ton of red and white options from which to choose.

So, we had a few samples; perused the wine, cheese and liquor selection in the store area; and had a pretty nice evening, glass in hand.

We ended up returning home with a couple bottles of wine, some meat and several cheeses (including an aged Gouda and some Parmigiano-Reggiano Devin previously bought for me because he's awesome) and enjoyed some episodes of Friends. Good night.

Parmigiano-Reggiano. What a gift. What a guy.

Here's to taking time out of the schedule to enjoy life, live a little. *Cheers*

I'm comfortable with my effort

I put in almost six miles tonight. Between the elliptical and the treadmill, it took me about an hour with only a couple breaks. I survived. Need I say more?

Goal for tomorrow: Write an actual blog post.

For now, here's to Devin, who put in three times as many hours and is still at the gym. At almost 10 p.m. Ridiculous. I'm going to bed. *Cheers*

The four-day weekend (part two)

Devin and I aren't huge on the shop-til-you-drop Friday madness, but we did end up going out (really without thinking about it) that afternoon to a bookstore. We're really cool people. Really.

They had some nice deals, and we ended up getting a few books, one of which is this huge cooking textbook (seriously) that Devin couldn't leave on the shelf. I really don't blame him. I'm excited to see what new levels his cooking takes on as he makes his way through the pages.

Before going back home, we picked up some halibut and sea bass at WholeFoods for a hearty yet healthy dinner. Leeks, carrots, an herb bundle and the flaky white fish made for a great meal.

The rest of the weekend, Devin was in the mood to bake. The only bad part: If you can't give it away, there it sits, tempting you with its sweetness and calories. Devin didn't just make a pan of brownies. Oh, no. He ended up making three recipes in one night. What did I do this whole time? I measured out a few things on the ingredient lists, but I mostly watched from the sidelines, took photos (obviously) and drank SoCo and Coke with cherries from a champagne flute. I'm classy like that.

Let's not get sidetracked by the booze.

Recipe one was a pan of peanut butter fingers. They weren't too bad but not what we were expecting. Still, I like peanut butter, so I ate a couple bites.

Recipe two started out like this:

Devin's all about the mise en place. Look at that prep work!

Some chocolate, some vanilla extract, a touch of orange zest...I was sold immediately! He had that orange chocolate torte in the oven in no time. Sounds amazing, right? Just you wait. While the chocolate goodness was baking, Devin pulled out the neglected espresso machine and made us some tasty drinks.

A cinnamon-sugar-dipped rim and a cinnamon graham cracker garnish. Am I spoiled? I think so. Back to the torte.

After the treat was baked and cooled, Devin sliced it in half, spritzed each piece with orange liqueur and spread orange marmalade over the bottom half before putting it all back together.

You ask, "Can this possibly get any better?"

Why, yes. There's frosting!

Look at that proud baker!

You know we had to immediately sample it. Let me just say that I believe this was Devin's proudest baking moment. This torte was simply incredible. And rich...ooohhWEE!

But wait -- there's more!

Remember that graham cracker garnish on the espresso drink? Yeah, the others created a crust for a cheesecake, which is most certainly one of my guilty pleasures. So bad but so, so good! Unlike the other recipes, this wasn't Devin's first cheesecake. But for something different, he tweaked the recipe by adding some mascarpone cheese with the cream cheese. It was, in a word, beautiful.

The baker was excited the dessert didn't crack!

I've sampled some of each of these creations in the past couple days, and instead of going to the gym tonight with Devin to continue working off the last five bites (Who am I kidding? Fifteen bites.), I stayed home to blog. Eh, it happens. So, what does a couple who is trying to be active and healthy do with all the leftovers? Apparently Devin's co-workers have claimed them, which makes me happy...except I really wanted that cheesecake. I guess it's better this way.

We can be healthy all we want, but it all comes down to being able to enjoy a small slice of happiness in those forbidden foods occasionally. And believe me, I do.

Here's to savoring four-day weekends when we can get them and thinking really hard about working off those holiday pounds. *Cheers*