Random Ramblings

Hey, lovahhhhhs! It's a gloomy/dreary Tuesday here in the Nation's Capitol, and all I keep thinking is "Where is the sunshine??" I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's gonna decide to wake up at some point today and shine down!

In the meantime, I had some random-ness going through my head and I thought I would share:

First up, Kristin Cavalarri is preggo?? Ok, before I even get into that, I saw this picture on Yahoo when I saw the story, and I almost didnt recognizer her:

{via yahoo.com}

So, I dunno about you all, but I thought she was splitsville from Jay Cutler, but apparently they were still doing the late night booty romp. Maybe Kristin will grow out of the "mean girl" thing and parenting could be good for her? Maybe?.....

Secondly, Heidi Klum and Seal broke up? Say WHAT??? I dunno about you all, but I did NOT see this one coming and was kinda shocked when the news broke about it yesterday. I dont know if you all have seen the clip of Seal talking about it on Ellen, but it was actually reeeeally heart felt. He's still wearing the ring because he feels connected to Heidi, and said in the interview that she is still the best woman he knows. I'm upset that they are separating, but I'm at least glad that they are being adults about it, and trying to do it with as much dignity as the media will allow.

Third, as much as I want to be informed about the political situation in the US, I can't freaking stand hearing about it 24/7. I can't believe it's going to be almost another year of this nonsense. 

Fourth, it's looking like MG is no longer going on his business trip out of town. He was reeeeally bummed about it last night since he has put a lot of effort into this project, and he was finally going to see the fruits of his labor pan out. This is the second time a work trip out of the country has been cancelled for him since we've been dating, both of which got cancelled within a week of when he was supposed to be leaving. Even though a part of me is happy that he won't be gone for 2 whole weeks, the other, non-selfish part of me, was really bummed for him. It's hard to work super hard on something, and expect to see it through, and then have that taken away. If the trip does happen, it won't be until after he starts his new position/job and he won't be able to go or be a part of it. I just tried to be supportive...

Dang, there was something else I wanted to write, but my mind totally shut down. Must mean it's time to get coffee....

One of those moments....*cheesy alert*

Have you ever been watching a movie, you hear the soundtrack, and you think "if life had a soundtrack, it would make certain moments THAT much better..."

The other night, after getting back home for the night, MG pulled up his iTunes account and played three songs, all of which have romantic sounds to them (altho the lyrics weren't necessarily lovey dovey)....

...but it felt like magic....


It was one of those moments that makes your tummy do flips.

Then he said "I love you" right when I did....

I'm sitting at work listening to the Bon Iver and Snow Patrol stations on Pandora. It's the perfect music for my day, and totally giving me flashbacks and warm feelings from that night.

Definitely gonna hang onto that when MG is gone for 2 weeks. And, any other time I need that happy feeling.

Cloud Nine.

Sometimes one special moment can get you through anything...


"....sometimes the most ordinary things {can} be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people" -The Lucky One (Nicholas Sparks)

Weekend Review

Happy Monday, pretties (and handsomes, if there are any dudes reading)! I hope you're having a good start to the week.
Today is my professional development day at work which means I have lots of time to get work done (and blog)!
So I thought I'd give you a little recap of my weekend:

 this pic made me laugh (and it's in PINK, p!nky)
hehe

Friday night I went to dinner with Miss p!nky for our second ever BLATE, and it was so awesome! I had been telling her about this delish sushi place near where we both live, so we hit that up and had some yummies for dinner along with a glass of vino! P!nky and I talk daily via gchat, but it was fun to be out, hanging out, and continuing to talk about all of the stuff we talk about online! All in all, great fun and I can't wait til we get our men together for a double-blate haha

After dinner I met up with MG and some friends, one of whom is going away for training for a few months, so it was kind of a "last hoorah" type of thing. We had a good time at the bar, and next thing we knew, we looked outside and it was SNOWING. Like, sticking to the ground snowing. And then we were all like "no wonder the bar cleared out"....(observant ones we are)...
So, after finishing our drinks we headed into a cab, which proceeded to fishtail and do a 180 within about 1 minute of getting in. Luckily, we made it home in one piece!

Saturday we ended up not having dinner with my parents--they didn't want us to drive if everything was supposed to freeze up again that night. The roads near us were ok, but we didn't know what they were like between us and my parents, so we all thought it better to put it off til another, safer, time. Super bummed, but MG said he would try and see if he could do it before he leaves for work out of the country (next week), which was nice. I know he knows this is important to me, so it was nice that he's trying. Stupid weather!

Sunday we watched the football games with a few friends at Hard Times Cafe--MG and I didn't really care who won what game since both of our teams suck aren't in the playoffs. It was fun to hang out with friends, tho, and eat yummy wings! Mmmmm....

And today I'm at work, despite it being nasty weather outside, and having the government open at 11am. Did DC Public Schools, where the government actually IS, shut down? Nope! So, guess who got to come to work on time today? And, boy, could I tell the govt was opening late since there was no one on the metro this morning! No one! Luckily today is relatively easy, and I think I'll be going home to an empty apartment (I think roommate has class tonight)...thank goodness!

And, in closing, I'll leave you with 3 things I learned over the past few days:

1) UGG's are heavy and really hard to walk in when you're trying to walk fast (aka, how I walk every day when I'm commuting). Altho super comfy and toasty, seriously, they are heavy (at least the knit ones I have). I still love them, I can now just claim them as ankle weights and add this to my commute "workout" :)

2) When you try not to spend money, and make a conscious effort not to, you spend more than you would otherwise. At least, that's the way that the law of spending seems to play out for me. And, I still have nothing fun to show for it all. Yay new windshield wipers, and expensive @$$ birth control prescription (went from $21 for 3 months worth to $70....ouch). My credit card was sweating this weekend with its workout on "essentials"

3) It's nice when boys do things like scrape the snow/ice off your car, or fill up your gas tank so you dont have to get out of the car when it's cold out. And when they make you breakfast? Even better! And, it's important to thank them so that they know you appreciate it...it's the little things, right?  (I already knew this one, but reminded myself of the importance this weekend when MG did all of these things)

Ok, after a long post, that hopefully wasn't too boring, I'm back to doing real work! Boo!!
Hope you have a good Monday!

Movies movies movies...

Happy Friday, bloggie buddies!

Do you have fun plans for the weekend? Are you thinking of seeing any movies at the theater, on DVD or on-demand?

I've recently seen two movies, and I thought I'd do a little review for you of three movies I've seen recently....Ready??

#1 (at the theater): A couple of weeks ago, MG said he wanted to see Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (which I loving referred to as 'that movie about Tinker Toys'). I may or may not have bargained that I'd see it with him if he saw The Vow with me in February. He agreed (there may have been a sigh, or rolling of the eyes in there, but I chose to ignore that), so off we went.

So, let me preface this by saying that I never read this book (I didn't even know it was a book, actually), and according to some of the other people in the theater at the end of the movie, it would have been helpful.

I was totally bored throughout the majority of this movie. There were a TON of long pauses, and people sitting and starring at each other with nothing really happening. The last 20-30 minutes started to pick up, but other than that, I was having a hard time not getting wiggly and antsy in my seat. MG, who wanted to see the movie, leaned over and told me he thought he had fallen asleep for a few minutes. Once it was over, he turned to me and said "Yeah, you earned The Vow on this one"...

It was just too slow. If you wanna watch this, I suggest renting it at home--don't spent $12 to see it in the theater. At least at home you can take a nap in a comfy chair :)

#2 (at the theater): Warhorse: MG and I both had wanted to see this and I think we went the week it came out (or maybe the week after). I love a good heartfelt story, especially about animals (also note, during the preview they showed a documentary coming out called Chimpanzee....I die. So cute looking). So, overall the movie was good. A little slow, and spent more time in the beginning building up to the actual story (by the end I understood why, but this definitely contributed to the slow feeling at the beginning). The whole movie was about 2 1/2 hours. All in all, it was pretty good, a heart-warming feeling. MG and I both agreed, it would have been a better movie to wait and watch at home. But, we didn't feel like it was a waste (like we did with Tinker Tailor)

#3 (redbox rental): Ides of March. I honestly didn't know what this was about (and frankly didn't care, since Mr Gosling was in it, that's all I needed to know). The movie was pretty good, had a good pace, and some twists and turns that kept me intrigued. And....some nice eye candy (*wink wink*). It's about political stuff, which isn't typically my thing, but I found this one interesting. I'd recommend it!

So there you have it. My take on a few movies, that you may or may not have already seen. If you've seen these movies, what did you think? Do you agree with my thoughts on them?

I hope you guys have awesome weekends filled with fun and relaxation! I'll be out with my girl p!nky tonight and having dinner with my parents and MG Saturday. Recaps to come next week!

It's OK Thursday....

It's Thursday, which is one day closer to Friday and the weeeeeeekend!!! I also like Thursday cuz I can link up with Amber at Brunch with Amber for It's OK Thursday!




It's OK....
....that I wanted to claim the yummy Pretzel Chicken (with mustard cheese sauce) as my own when I made it at MG's place last night. But, I didn't. It was REALLY yummy, and pretty darn easy to make! I really liked the pretzels as the "breading"...it added something different than the traditional breaded chicken does. This was our end result:

The breading was great, and the sauce was really yummy! Would totally make this again!

Here is the recipe, in case you want to make it, too. RECIPE!

....that it has taken this long for MG and I to have dinner with my parents. If you recall, or have followed for a bit, the last time we had this dinner scheduled, back in October, my dad had his heart attack the week before, and has been on the recovery road since. But, since he is feeling better and more strong, we are attempting a dinner out, so that they can finally meet for more than a few minutes! I'm looking forward to it :)
....that I'm excited that today is the last day this week with kids. We have parent conferences tomorrow, so this week has only been kid-packed for 3 days, and I LIKE IT! :)
....that it's taken us a bit to make a plan that sticks for our second BLATE, but Miss P!nky and I have a sushi/wine date planned for tomorrow night and I can't wait! Wooohoo!
....that I think brain freeze is entirely possible from the OUTSIDE....it was SO freaking cold on my walk to work from the metro this morning that my head started to hurt, almost like a brain freeze. Call me crazy (and you might be right), but I think it's possible. Future Nobel Prize winner for this revelation??? :)
...that I skipped working out yesterday to do laundry and catch up on DVR. BAD, Jenn, BAD! I know. But, in all fairness, roommate wasn't home, I desperately needed to get laundry done, and it was calling to me. But, I will do it tonight if it kills me, I promise! 
....that MG doesn't like to watch The Bachelor, but the other day when we turned it over to that before he went to hop in the shower, it happened to be Ben's date where they went skiing in San Francisco...in bikinis. All of a sudden, MG didn't have a problem watching the show and wasn't in a rush to shower anymore! I wonder WHY! lol Totally made me laugh, silly boys...
....that I feel like I'm breaking out like a high schooler....I'm on new BC pills this month, and maybe thats why, but this week, particularly today, I felt like I fit the bill for "pizza face" quite strongly this morning. Ugh! Zits, zits, go away....I'm closer to thirty than I am twenty for cripe's sake!
....that I really enjoy blogging, and all of the cool people I've met and talked to by doing this. You guys are awesome, and I 100% mean that :)
What are YOU finding "ok" today? Go link up!!

WILW and Oh How Pinteresting

It's Wednesday, and it doesn't feel like it's already the middle of the week which is a TOTALLY awesome thing! :)

So, as per usual, I'm linking up with some of my fav link ups of the week: WILW with Jamie and Krystina and Oh How Pinteresting with Michelle!

 

I'm loving that it is already super close to the weekend, and that Friday here is parent conferences (read: no kids), and that Monday is professional development day (read: no kids), so all in all, not too shabby!

I'm loving the sweater I am wearing today, that I got shopping this weekend at Macys with MG. 

Guess how much??

It was only $9.99...and it is SOOOO super soft and comfy. I feel like I'm all wrapped up in a blanket, which is a nice feeling when I would love to be in bed wrapped in a blanket instead of at work! WIN!

I'm loving that this is my roommate's idea of "fashion":

Can we say, "cruella devil"??

I came home to this 'beauty' one evening after work, laying on the sofa, among all of the wrappings from roommate's birthday gifts (this was not one of the gifts, I don't think....) I believe the best response from my friends thus far was "What the what?!?!?!? Did a cat die in your house?"--P!nky!

Teehee

I'm loving  that I am finally trying out this recipe tonight that I posted on one of my Pinterest posts, that my blog buddy Meg over at Deviled Megs tried out and said was fab:

{here's where to find the recipe}

And, as always I'm LOVING me some Pinterest, so I'm linking up with Michelle at The Vintage Apple for Oh How Pinteresting!

This week I've been pinning:

love love love this outfit, and have worn something similar quite often this winter

Roasted Mediterranean Chicken With Lemon Parmesan Pasta
I dunno about you, but my mouth is watering as we speak...

I want to do a headboard like this for my place!

And, some simple cuteness

teehee

Seriously...it is always a battle!

What have YOU been pinning lately?

Recipe, Review, and Award!

Happy Tuesday, peeps!! It's my first day of the week (thank you, MLK for being awesome), and I've already started the day in a parent meeting...and the day will be ending the same way. Boo! Oh well, nothing like jumping back into the week, full force, right?

Anyway, I'm bringing to you today a Book Review, a recipe and talking about a blog award I recently received! First up, the book review!

This weekend I finished the book Blood Red Road by Moira Young:

It took me a while to get into the book and I think my main two issues with it were that it is written how the girl speaks, which is not in correct grammar (ex: She will say things like "ezzacly" for exactly, and "an" for 'and') which threw me off a bit when I first started reading. The other thing that made it hard for me to get into the book was that there were no quotation marks for when someone was talking, so many times I would be reading and not realize that someone was talking, or WHO was talking and would have to re-read.

These things aside, once the story picked up, it was pretty good and I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened. Her twin brother gets taken by strangers and she vows to go and find him and get him back. Along the journey she encounters some crazy things and has to fight through in order to reach her twin. That's putting it lightly. But, it's a good book filled with some interesting characters, about a land much different than our own. I would recommend reading it! (Thanks Trish for the recommendation!)

Now, for the recipe piece of this post. I made the Penne a la Betsy that I posted from my Pinterest loves last week from the Pioneer Woman:

{link to website with recipe here}

It was QUITE tasty, just as promised on the site! Mine did not have the basil because MG thought that he had basil at home, which he ended up not having, so maybe this would have been even more flavorful. My recommendation? Let it sit for a few minutes (maybe 10) after you are done cooking to let the sauce thicken up and the flavors come together a bit more. We ate ours right away, but when MG had seconds (after it had sat for a little bit) he said that it was even better.

I highly recommend this recipe! And, I think throwing in something like some really soft broccoli would be really good too, and add a bit of healthy stuff to the recipe as well!

And, finally, my award that the lovely Miss P!nky @ p!nkpers!stance gave to me yesterday! The Kreativ Blogger Award!

Woot! How awesome??

Here are the rules for the award:

1} Link back to the person who gave you this award.

2}Complete the form.

3}Award 5 blogs and let them know in a comment or email.

4} Share 7 random thoughts about yourself.

The form:

1} Name your Favorite Song: I dunno if I can choose just one, but I do enjoy me some "Say Hey" by Michael Franti...it always makes me happy and bouncy

2} Name your favorite dessert: Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. YUMMMM!

3} What ticks you off? People who are rude, self-centered, dont care or think about anyone else

4} When I'm upset: I need someone to talk to. Sometimes I need my alone time but I always need someone to talk to whether it be my mom or my friends, or the boyfriend.

5} What's your favorite pet? Obvi, it's Coop-monster, my little fluff ball of a pup

6} Black or White? Depends what it's for....

7 }Biggest Fear: drowning or ending up alone (or ending up alone while drowning haha)

Seven random thoughts/things about me:

1} I can't swim but I am obsessed with dolphins. OB-sessed!!!

2} My longest relationship ever was 6 years (acckkk!!)

3} My favorite number is 3 (I thought it appropriate to write that in the 3rd slot, hehe, I am a nerd)

4} I am a reality tv JUNKIE....like, I seriously might have a problem!

5} I had 5 wisdom teeth...yes you read that right, 5. That must be why I'm SUPER smart, right?:)

6} I used to insist on being called Jenny when I was little, and now I can't stand it when people call me that--it makes me feel like a little kid. The only people allowed to call me that are my grandma and my parent's 90+ year old neighbor.

7} Part of me wishes that I had joined a sorority in college--it's so hard to find good female friends, especially after college, and I think it would be a nice connection to have in the post-college world. I don't have a ton of really close friends, but the ones who I do are awesome and I love them to pieces. It would just be nice to have that bond, I think, so that's one thing I regret not doing.

The blogs I would like to pass the Kreativ Blogger award to are:

                                              1} Casey @ Poodleism

2} Trish @ Tales From Trish

3} Amber @ Brunch with Amber

4} Shari @ The Daily Dish

5} Jenn @ Perfectly Imperfect

After that marathon post, I'm out! Hope you guys have an awesome day!