Weekending Done Right (mostly)

The right part is that I secured myself a nice 4-day weekend by working straight through a few for my big event and was finally able to relax a bit - whew! I haven't taken a day off since April, so it was very much needed.

The caveat is that I forgot to take photos. #BloggingFail

Thursday was all about celebrating our 4th anniversary (more on that later), but the rest of the weekend lived up to every expectation you have for a long weekend.

Friday
I met up with Amy (yay for her being back from Chicago!) and we trekked out to College Park for an IKEA trip. One rarely needs an IKEA trip, but you can always find a few things to pick up. I found some dish towels and bought a cute little cactus for Layne's nightstand that he quickly informed me he did not want. I also bought this vest from Old Navy. I am not usually an Old Navy shopper, but I've been sitting on a gift card for a few years (literally, it's been in my wallet for almost three years) and finally decided to get rid of it. And after sitting on the decision to buy the vest from J. Crew until it was on back order until sometime through late October or December, I just went for it.

What do you think? Yes, it's a poor substitution, but I think it will do.

Saturday
We have had amazing weather here in D.C. lately, and Saturday was no exception. I had brunch with my mother-in-law at Farmers Fishers Bakers. They offer a delicious brunch buffet right on the Georgetown waterfront. Afterward, we walked along the Potomac for a bit and then headed up into Georgetown for some window shopping. We found this cute furniture store with actual reasonable prices - unheard of in that neighborhood! It has already lodged itself at the top of my list next time I need to buy a new piece.

Sunday
Don't you love lazy Sundays? After such a lax weekend, it is hard to face a new week. But it's a bit easier after dinner at my in-laws. Layne grilled up some streaks, and my mother-in-law made her awesome potatoes au gratin with gruyere cheese.

What did you do this weekend? I hope you soaked up the last rays of sun before fall is fully upon us!

Linking up with B Loved Boston and Champagne and Suburbs.

I'm So Lucky

Today is 4 years married to this sexy guy.

Amazing photos by Sanae James

I am feeling romantic, so be prepared for some mushy, gushy love posts next week. But, for now, I'm going to celebrate with my man.

Dying to Get my Craft On

Have you felt it? The chill in the air? The first sign that the season is changing?

It can only mean one thing....

Time for fall crafts and decorating! I am very lucky to have a crafting buddy who is always up for anything I throw at her. And now that fall is on its way, I am preparing myself for fun projects. Here's a collection of some things that have inspired me...

Wreaths - I am not usually a huge fan, but I have been wanting to hang a wreath on the inside of my door for a while now. (I live in an apartment, so who cares about the outside?)

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Pumpkins - is it even fall before you buy your first pumpkin?

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P.S. I found this tip on making your pumpkins last long. I live in a damp climate, so I am definitely giving it a try this year!





Knick Knacks - My mom always decorated for the seasons with just a huge amount of stuff. I hope to follow in her exact footsteps. :)

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Do you decorate for the seasons? What are you hoping to add to your home this fall?

In Other News...

Last week was big for me. In addition to finally hosting the biggest event in transportation technology of the year with my co-workers (whatever - nbd), I also got a job offer!!!! 

I am beyond thrilled to be joining a local marketing group, where I will get to focus exclusively on e-mail and social media. Or, as some may call it, living the dream. I'll get to work on a national campaign, and it'll be for another company that I believe in! I don't start for a few weeks, but I wanted to share the news now because I am just soooooo excited!

 I feel awesome. : )

Back in Business!

So... I pretty much disappeared there for a few weeks. But, I'm not going to make an excuse. I hate when people go on and on about how busy they are, as if they somehow have fewer hours in the day than the rest of us. We are all busy. We all have a lot going on that we have to juggle and find a way to prioritize and get done what we can. Over the past few weeks, I have had more to get done than I usually do, and at the end of the day my priority was to relax (aka - binge watch Netflix and turn off my brain). So, the blog kind of fell by the wayside.

Instead, my focus has been on work. Last week was my big event. THE big event. The event that my every action at work this past year has been focused on and building to. And I couldn't be more thrilled with how it went! It was surreal, and rushed, and over before I even had a second to catch my breath. Overall, I just kept pinching myself that I was involved in an event of this caliber.

For those that don't know, I work in intelligent transportation. It was a new industry for me this year, and it has been incredibly welcoming. It's a niche group of people that are dedicating their lives to making transportation safer, more efficient, more connected, and more environmentally-friendly. By now, you probably have heard of autonomous or connected vehicles  - those are my guys! But they're also doing incredible things with traffic and weather monitoring, parking, traffic lights, emergency response, and connecting with your cell phones to make getting around easier. It is mind-blowing and I'm incredibly proud to be able to help in telling their stories.

If you have any interest in experiencing the magic that is the future automobile, I'd recommend googling "ITS World Congress" or visiting the YouTube page.

I'll be back later this week with normal content.

The World is our Oyster, Right?

Earlier this week, Layne texted me at work and asked if I wanted to go to the Nats game because - why not? So, off to Craigslist we went and found some tickets.

Our seats were amazing, maybe 10 rows back, parallel with the pitching mound on the third baseline. As we sat down I said, "Wow - you really got these tickets for only $15 a piece!?" And Layne, nonchalantly replied "Yeah, but he wanted $70 each."

HOW?! How do you talk someone down from $140 to $30?! The game wasn't until 7 p.m. and Layne had these tickets secured by noon, so this was no desperate Criagslister. I don't know about you, but if someone tells me $70, I'm offering $50 not $15!

But that's Layne. He never takes no for an answer. He asks for things that nobody else asks for. Once we were at ColdStone, and he asked for a sample of Birthday Cake Remix and they mashed it all up and gave it to him. Who even thinks to ask for that? Just Layne. I know it's small, but it's an example of his overall attitude toward life.

He has this amazing way of viewing the world - it's his for the taking. He operates under the guise that he can and will do as he pleases, and he is relentless once he sets his mind on something. Instead of asking "why?" he always asks "why not?" I am the kind of person who is determined, but can quickly become deterred if an obstacles apppears. If Layne wants something, absolutely nothing will stop him or he didn't really want it. Being with him is like magic. People give you things and do things for you that would never happen if you were on your own. Free sodas, seat upgrades on airplanes, cuts in line, and casual job offers fall into his lap.

I do not possess that kind of charisma. But, I can adopt that attitude. When I, too, act like everything will work out for me, it almost always does. I don't necessarily believe in karmic energy or anything like that, but I do believe that a positive outlook and strong work ethic will take you far.

Why don't we all view the world this way? It's a vast place, but we can conquer each day if we decide to.

Tasty Tuesday - Fresh Strawberry Sauce

Quick and SUPER simple recipe for you today! I love pancakes, but sometimes want a break from the norm. Although, normal pancakes for me involve bacon, chocolate chips, peanut butter, whipped cream, and maple syrup... but that's a recipe for another day.

A lighter option is to whip up a strawberry topping - and it is seriously amazing. The tartness cuts through the heaviness of the pancakes, and topping the whole thing with a generous (always generous) helping of whipped cream is the best way to start your weekend. This would also be really good on an ice cream sundae - yum!

So, basically, all we're doing is speeding up the process of mascerating the strawberries and bringing out their flavor.

First, rough chop some strawberries. You could dice them if you wanted to, but I like to just give them a rough chop and keep a bit more texture. Second, throw in some sugar and lemon zest. The amount of sugar depends on how sweet you want it (obviously), but it will become looser and more like a syrup the more sugar you add. I like it a little more tart, especially if I am adding the whipped cream, but Layne likes it to be more syrupy and sugary sweet, so I add a bit more for him. Next, toss the strawberries in the sugar and put them on the stove over low heat. You can just let it sit and give it a quick stir every few minutes while you whip up your pancakes. Finally, I give it a quick turn with the hand blender. If you added more sugar earlier, you probably don't need to do this, but if you want it completely like a syrup, then I'd still recommend it.

1 lb strawberries, 1/2 cup - 1 cup sugar (preference), 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest