Best Weekend to Kick off Summer

I had the best weekend to kick off the start of summer and being done with work! MG came home from his work trip early, so we caught up, and then made dinner plans with our couple friends. None of us really knew where we wanted to go but all settled on Ray's the Third. If you're in the DC area, you've heard of Ray's Hellburger, and Ray's the Steaks. Ray's the Third is a steak/burger type of place near the other two places and the food is bangin'! It's one of those places that's kind of hidden, but well worth the find when you get there.

I saw lobster mac and cheese on the menu and HAD to order it, while the other three got an amazing cut of steak. We had a fun waiter and the food and wine were awesome. Overall, it couldn't have worked out better!

The rest of the weekend involved more stuff revolving around moving into the condo, and then some time at the pool because the weather this weekend was absolutely incredible! 

We had dinner with another couple friend of ours randomly on Saturday night which was nice cuz they're in the middle of planning their wedding so we haven't had a chance to see them as much lately. During that dinner, plans to have a Girl's Night to see Magic Mike were made....yesssss....

MG and I also tackled building a storage cabinet together, called our dad's for Father's Day, and ran some errands to prepare for our trip to the beach this Wednesday--can't wait!!

Overall, it was a weekend with great weather, lots of time with friends, and spending time together as a couple that "lives together" (hehe). All of which made this weekend the perfect start to my summer vacation!

To top it off, I got to have breakfast with one of my friends from grad school, and her adorable son. I couldn't have asked for a better last couple of days!

Now, time to focus on what to bring for a week at the beach! :)

Happy Monday!

Friday Confessional

The day has finally come! The last day of work for the summer! My office is all packed up, and I'm ready to roll! Too bad I have to wait a few hours :( So, in the meantime, I'll be linking up with Leslie at A Blonde Amibition for Friday Confessions:

I confess that....

....it's the last day of work and I ain't sad about it. AT. ALL.

....I've been listening to one of my coworkers whistling for the better part of an hour in her classroom. Duct tape is sitting on my desk. I may have drawn a conclusion between the two a few times over already.

....I'm flipping excited as all get out that MG booked an earlier flight home from his work trip so that he could get back here earlier today. Even though that meant being at the airport at 4:30am his time. I think someone loves me...just a smidge :)

...I'm a teensy bit nervous for when MG gets back and sees just how many of my clothes are now in the closet (and how much room they already take up). I've warned him, but it will be interesting to see his reaction. That'll teach him to go away for a week! Muahaha :)

....I signed a petition to support regulation of air pollution the other day when some guy approached me while I was waiting for my shuttle. Now they are calling me at 8am and making extremely awkward conversation on the phone. I'm all for clean air, I signed the petition, why does that mean you need to now call me, too? Especially at 8am! I wish I'd never signed the dang thing...

....I'm trying to break my habit of using the R-word (retarded). It's one of several words that's offensive, and used in a completely inappropriate way, far too often. I work with students with special needs and I need to be SO much better about this. MG and I have been monitoring one another and I'm much more conscious of it. #AdmittingYouHaveAProblemIsTheFirstStep

....I'm breaking the rules and wearing jeans to work on the last day of school. Just call me "rebel without a cause" :)

...I'm not sure what I'm more excited for: Summer Break or Magic Mike. Lucky for me, I don't have to choose!!! 

I'm off to finish up last minute stuff around work and then get on with my Summer!

Happy Friday!

Quick Thursday Post

Hey peeps,

Sorry to be M.I.A. today, but I'm in the middle of end of the year chaos at work including last minute meetings, parent conferences and packing up my office for the summer....

As you can see, all aspects of my life seem to involve moving boxes and packing lately. Let me tell you, nothing spells fun like packing! NOT!!!

Next on my list, after I get this all packed is....where in the heck do I STORE all of this nonsense (that is, assuming all of this junk will even fit in my car with one trip!)? I think MG is gonna have an aneurysm when he sees these boxes from work and then the boxes from my apartment. Maybe if I put Cooper on top of them, with all of his cuteness, MG won't notice? I can dream, can't I? :)

Anywho, I'm off to finish up this junk, so I can get on with my summer! 6 days til the beach....oh dang, now I need to add "hit the gym like a maniac" to my To-Do List! Gaaaaaah!!!

WILW and Oh How Pinteresting!

Happy Wednesday, folks! I'm excited for some of my favorite link-ups of the week, so let's hop right on into them!

I'm loving that today is the LAST day with kiddos, and that there are only two more days of work after today. Basically all of the end of the year tidy up and packing things away stuff. I can't wait to be done!!!

I'm loving that I was able to move most of my clothes over to the condo this Monday while MG is away. Now it's starting to feel more like my place since I have all of my clothes readily accessible to me, rather than in a suitcase or overnight bag. Woop!

I'm loving that your good vibes helped me out on Monday. More on that soon, hopefully :)

I'm loving that it is now officially less than a month that I have to deal with stupid roommate. I came home Monday to find ANOTHER pizza box in the place of the other one (that is now stealthily hidden within the apartment, hehe), AND to find (and get scared like crap by) her hamster IN MY BATHROOM hiding behind the toilet (gross), running around free. Pooping on my floor. Did I mention that I despise her? Ugh!

I'm loving that I made another delicious meal from Pinterest this weekend. Read about it here! I now have TONS of leftovers, despite giving some of it away to my buddy who helped cook it with me.

Speaking of Pinterest, I love the heck out of that site!

Here's are some of the things that I've been pinning lately....

Love. Everything about this=love!

Yes please, I'll take this, too :)

Jalapeno Kettle Chip Crusted Chicken with Jalapeno Ranch Dip
Can you say "yummy"? :)

So cute :)

Beach pup!

A truer statement may never have been spoken before in the history of ever! :)

What have YOU been pinning?

Recipe Files: Artichoke Pasta Bake

Happy Monday, friends! I have an awesome recipe for you all to try, and it fits with my good blog buddy Shari's theme for Meatless Mondays! I'd seen this recipe on Pinterest a while back and had been wanting to try it, but never got around to it. Well, my friend Bree was coming over to check out the condo and hang out, so we decided to make it for dinner and BOY was it delish!

What did we make, you ask? Artichoke Pasta Bake  from Budget Bytes.

{via}

What you need:

• 1 lb. pasta (rigatoni)
• 4 cups pasta sauce (keep in mind, this means more than 1 jar of sauce)
• 1 14oz can quartered artichoke hearts
• 1 6oz can whole black olives
• 1 8oz jar sliced banana peppers
• 4 oz crumbled feta
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese 
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella 
• 1/2 bunch parsley (I used dried parsley and just sprinkled it in)

Step 1: Cook the pasta according to the box. Use a big pot because 1 lb of pasta is a lot, and you will be adding ingredients to it later, and you need room to stir. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Step 2: While the pasta is cooking, drain and chop the artichoke hearts and the black olives (I used a chopper for the olives and it worked really well....not so well for the artichoke hearts). Rinse and chop the parsley (or just use the dry kind). Remove the banana peppers from the jar.

Step 3: After you've drained the pasta and returned it to the pot, add in the pasta sauce, artichoke hearts,  black olives, banana peppers and parsley. Stir until even. Add the parmesan, feta and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Stir to mix.

Step 4: Transfer the mixture to a 9x11 casserole dish. Top with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. The directions say to cover with foil and add to the oven. We didn't cover ours and it made it a little nice and crispy on top. Choose what you prefer. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove it from the oven and add some more parsley.

It smells amazing as it's cooking. And it tastes SO good. I was a little wary of banana peppers in a pasta dish. I love them in subs, but I wasn't sure how they would go here. Let me tell you, they really work in this dish. The whole meal is awesome!

Bree and I were "mmmm"ing a lot while we were eating! It was hard to have just one portion.

So we both had two :)

Try it out. You won't regret it!

I confess....

It's Friday and I'm linking up with Leslie at a Blonde Ambition for Friday Confessions

I confess that....

......it is taking all of my energy not to smack my roommate in the face. Remember the pizza box from March 10th? Guess what's still not taken out yet! I placed the box in the doorway of the kitchen (*hint hint lady*) and she chose to pick up the box, and put it on top of the trash can lid, rather than take it out. GAAAHHHH. I also discovered this week that she decided that a good place to put her muddy shoes to dry outside was on TOP of my table on the deck. Guess who got to clean up that mess! Should have thrown her shoes over the edge....#HateHer

.....I convinced MG to go out for sangria last night since I was having a mean craving for it. Two pitchers and a stop for a burrito later.....I have a headache this morning.

......I'm annoyed that no one told me it's field day at school. Add that to the 3 emails that have gone unanswered from my supervisor in the past 2 weeks and I'm none too pleased with the communication (or lack thereof) at this place. 5 more days of work.... 

....I gleeked earlier this week, by accident (which is legit the only way I ever COULD gleek). Anyone know what I'm talking about? Throw back to the middle school days of on-purpose spitting.

....this made me laugh, multiple times (some of them while alone in my office) yesterday when I saw it:

Source: static.someecards.com via Jenn on Pinterest

Zombie-apocalypse! It's coming, people!! :p

....I'm UBER bummed that MG is leaving for a week on Sunday for work. Not so bummed that I'll take that opportunity to move my clothes into the condo tho!! ;) #NoClosetSpaceForYou  haha

....I'm hoping to have some exciting news to share with you all soon. Just do me a favor, and send me some good vibrations on Monday morning, please!

Have a great weekend!!!

Thirsty Thursday Virtual Happy Hour #8

Happy Thursday! You know what that means? Another round of Thirsty Thursday with myself and the lovely Trish. This is a place where you can share a drink (if you want), and gossip about what's going on in your life! You don't need to be a drinker to join in on the fun!

What's Our Drink?

Pomegranate and Lime White Wine Spritzer

What you need: - 1/2 Cup Seltzer Water

-1 Cup White Wine

-1 Tablespoon Pomegranate Seeds

-1 Lime Wedge

Directions: Add ice to a glass. Add the wine and top with seltzer. Add pomegranate seeds and lime wedge. Drink up!

Now, that we have our drink....

What's On Your Mind???

Real Housewives

I love me some Real Housewives. I've been an avid follower since the beginning...I even watched Miami (painfully). But I think I'm done with New York. Last season was touch and go for me with those ladies, and I can't stand Ramona anymore, or Sonja either really. And the new ladies. Blah. Whatever. I could barely make it through the first episode without being bored. What do you guys think of the new season? I'm pretty sure I'm over it. I'd rather watch Shahs of Sunset (and that is saying something).

Moving

I know this topic has come up quite frequently in some of my posts lately (and I promise in the next month, it will stop), but as I was sitting at home the other day, cleaning out things in my bathroom, I looked around and got an overwhelming feeling of being overwhelmed. I've moved before (more times than I want to count), but I've never moved IN with someone. Paring down my things is harder than I thought it would be. And not knowing if everything will "fit" is giving me some anxiety. I'm sure it will all work out, and when I have more time to focus all of my energy on it, it will be better. But right now, with work wrapping up and trying to tackle some of this, I'm feeling the pressure.

The Gym

I've been doing a better job of getting myself to the gym this week (yay!) and my workout mixes have definitely been helping (read about that here). But, I have a question for you all: Why do people go to the gym in any of the following?

-jean shorts (jorts)

-80's sweatshirt (yes the kind that hangs off the shoulder) with biker shorts

-flip flops

I dunno about you, but none of these, with a slight exception for the 80's sweatshirt, says that you are really there to work out. Today I saw ALL of these. Two of them on the same person (jorts and sandals). What the heck?? I guess I give 'em credit for actually going to the gym. I give them more credit for giving me something to be entertained by while working out :)

Magic Mike

Ohhhh emmmm geeeeee.....

Oh yes, ladies...if the 50 Shades stuff wasn't enough for you, we now get to glimpse into hottie Channing Tatum's past life as a stripper in the new movie Magic Mike. The whole premise of the movie is SUPER cheesy and probably a bit crass. BUT, will that stop me from seeing it? Absolutely not! Channing Tatum (or 'Charning Tartum" as MG likes to call him) is hotness personified. Miss an opportunity to see that? No way, Jose! As soon as MG saw the preview for this movie, the eye rolling began...(frankly, any time I bring up Channing the eye rolls happen haha). Will you judge me for seeing this movie? It's ok if you do....just make sure that before you do so, you give me a tissue so I can wipe the drool from my face as I watch it! ;) Are YOU going to see it?  

And on that hotttttt note, I'm back to my real world work life...I hope you guys had fun at our happy hour, I know I sure did! ;)

Don't forget to link-up!