WILW and Oh How Pinteresting!

It's Wednesday which means we're halfway through the week and that much closer to the weekend!

Can I get an "Amen" up in here??? :)

Since it's Wednesday, you know I'm linking up with Jamie and Michelle:

I'm loving that the weather hasn't been too chilly this week. By the afternoon, it's pretty nice as long as there's some sunshine out....upper 60's and low 70's is ok with me for easing into Fall!

I'm loving that I'm finally going to be part of the iPhone world! I ordered my phone this past weekend and am now eagerly awaiting the email to tell me that my iPhone has shipped. I already bought the case and the screen cover for it (which will sadly probably get to me before the actual phone does) and I can't wait!!!

I'm loving that this weekend is our friend's wedding--it will 100% be a fantastic time. It's going to be a total DC wedding, in beautiful places, with fun people. I'm definitely looking forward to it!

I'm loving the final part of the Real Housewives of New Jersey reunion and all of the drama that it brought with it. I'm also loving that Teresa was finally outed as being the snake that she is. I have no sympathy for people who can't accept their part in something and only pass the buck! You're a grown up--act like one!

And, as always, I'm loving Pinterest and all of it's awesome things!

This week I've been pinning....

Already have the boots...just need the shirt and blazer!

Love this idea for a centerpiece of Fall inspiration and colors!

I literally LOL'ed at this the other night

Enchilada Pasta Casserole   get in my tummy!!

hehehe

Just a little bit of cuteness to send you on your way!

What have YOU been pinning??

Happy Hump Day!!

Weekend Recap

Since I did my Minnesota recap yesterday I didn't get a chance to fill you in on the awesomeness that was my weekend, so I figured Tuesday was still close enough to the weekend to catch ya up!

Friday night MG and I went on a double date with a couple friend of ours who lives in our complex. We wanted to try out a new restaurant in Arlington called Fuego Cocina y Taquileria. 

The restaurant just opened at the beginning of October in what used to be Harry's Tap Room and Market Tavern. I hope Fuego lasts longer than the other two places did, because the food was really good!

The fireplace is a really cool addition to the dining room....just don't get seated next to it or you will start to sweat immediately. (Ask me how I know this.) Needless to say, we got our table moved so that the left side of my face didn't melt off.

Our server was nice, but not very attentive. He got my drink order wrong (I had wanted to try the twisted frozen margarita which was half traditional, and half hibiscus), and when I tried to tell him that he gave me the Lime, he was not paying attention and totally disregarded what I had said. Totally lame.

We ordered the guacamole and the quesadilla de jaiba (a quesadilla with crab meat) for appetizers and both were great. The only problem we had was with the chips not being sturdy enough to actually dip into the guac. But the guac itself was divine.

c/o

We then all ordered different variations of the tacos (the boys got two orders, and us girls only got one order each). We ordered the shrimp tacos, the fish tacos, the goat, and the steak and all were good except for the goat (according to the guys who tried it). The tacos were small, but perfect portions for us so that you didn't leave feeling overly stuffed. Each taco plate came with three different sauces....the middle was the habanero sauce which I kept my distance from. (The guys, of course, both had to try it...)

At the end of the meal we asked to see the dessert menu, so our waiter ran off to get it. About ten minutes later he came by, without the menu and said "I'll get your check and bring it to you"....um...ok. I guess no dessert for  us!

When we got our bill, the guys split the check and only when we left and were talking about the meal and what was paid did we realize that we got the wrong check. We were under-charged instead of over-charged tho. 

Overall, the food was good and the service was just ok. The drink I had wasn't that good, but it also wasn't the drink that I ordered. One thing that I did not like was that they charge you for extra baskets of chips. I don't know any restaurant that does that.

Would I go back? Yes, but if I got the same waiter, I'd ask for a different one.
~~~~~~

Saturday MG went golfing with his buddies and I got caught up on all of the reality tv shows that were waiting for me on the DVR....and I ordered the iPhone5!!!! I can't wait until it gets shipped to me and I can finally become part of the iPhone world!

 That night, MG's friend K (from Minnesota) was in town since the Vikings were playing the Redskins on Sunday so we went out to Churchkey in DC to meet up.

It was a super fun night and it was really nice to get to know K even better after last weekend's trip. He also said that his son (little man) told him on the phone that he wanted to come and see me and MG, too. Super cute!

After a fun night, we headed back to VA to rest up for the Skins game that K got us tickets to. This time we got to watch the game from the very top of the stadium, which was still actually really cool. The game started off rough for the Skins but they rallied on and pulled off a win against the Vikings. I was torn when rooting since I want my Skins to win, but I also wanted K's guy to do well, too. I felt like I was cheering for someone the whole game.

Luckily the weather was absolutely gorgeous out (mid 70's, sunshine), and perfect for sitting in the sun and watching a football game. Especially one where your team wins :)

The entire weekend was awesome and, once again, flew by way too quickly!

Now I'm off to stare at my email and hope for a shipping notification from Verizon about my iPhone! :)

My Mini Minn. Weekend (Recap)

I finally pulled myself together and got my recap of my trip to Minnesota together to share with you guys! So here goes!

Saturday morning, MG and I flew out to Minnesota and landed around noon. We were picked up by MG's friend J, his other bestie's wife and her two little boys. We went to lunch at this awesome place called Yum! 

That place lived up to its name cuz the food was SO good! I got the tuna melt and it was probably the best tuna melt I've ever had. After that we went back to the house and I met MG's other best friend, K, for the first time. We let little guy open some gifts that we had gotten for him and his brother, one of which included Hulk Hands--perhaps the funniest present we could have gotten:

Little man then proceeded to attack MG with his Hulk Hands (almost always on backwards). Hilariousness. 

~~~~~~~

K works for the Vikings--his job is ridiculously cool, but he works a ton during the season. You'd never know that he works with pro-athletes for his job--he's really down to earth and a super nice guy.

That afternoon we went to the Vikings training facility and got to see where they work out, their equipment, the locker rooms, etc.

MG tackling little guy

After that, we went back to the house and hung out for a bit while K had to go back to work to prep for the next day's game against the Titans. The four of us (MG, J, M, and I) all got ready to go out to dinner at this FAB place called Chino Latino. If you ever go to Minnesota, I HIGHLY recommend this place (but you need reservations in advance). The atmosphere is fun, the food is REALLY good, and the drinks are awesome too. The food itself is a fusion of different foods from popular places around the world. 

We ordered a bunch of food for the table, drinks, and sat and shared stories. J and M asked about what my thoughts were when I first met MG, they told stories from back in HS of all 4 of them, and K was able to meet up with us after his meetings--basically, it was a hysterical night that was tons of fun.

So much fun, that we forgot to take pictures. Boo.

We headed back to the house and after hanging out for a while, and laughing lots more, we all called it a night.

The next day was the day of the game. We had lunch at a place whose specialty was the "Juicy Lucy" burger. What's that?? Oh, just the best burger ever. It has the cheese INSIDE the burger, so when you bite in, it's cheesy goodness oozes out. Heaven!!

After our awesome lunch, we went to the game, and once we got there, we were able to walk onto the field before the game while the players were warming up. 

K saw us from across the field and came over for a bit.

Literally, we were this close. I'm not zooming in at all.

Us and the Vikings guy. MG told him he should be on Game of Thrones.

Vikings guy was silent, took the picture, and walked away lol

Watching the team warm up

After this, we headed to our seats where the players' family sits. Our view was awesome!

Adrian Peterson coming onto the field

Right before the Vikings scored....

It was a great game, the Vikings won, and we had an awesome time! 

Unfortunately, the weekend flew by crazy fast and before we knew it we were on a plane back to DC and real life.

I'm so glad that I finally got to meet MG's other best friend and his wife and their kiddos. They are some of the nicest people you'd ever meet. It's a shame we all live so far away because it would be wonderful to be able to see them more often. 

I'm glad that MG knows good people. Says a lot about someone :)

So, that's my recap! Did it look like a good time, because it most definitely was!!!

Friday's Letters

It's Friday!!!!! Hoooray!!!! This week wasn't too torturous (some 4-day weeks seem longer than full weeks), but the last day or so it's felt like Friday was taking its sweet time getting here.

Since it's Friday, I'm gonna make it a short and sweet post. Are ya ready?

It's time for some letters!

Dear Cough, I don't like you. Especially when you woke me up at 5am and kept me up til my alarm went off. Not cool! Dear Hairdresser, I love you--why can't I keep you to myself and have you do my hair every day? I would look so much more fabulous on a regular basis.  Dear LOFT, don't send me an email talking about a sale, let me buy some things, and then send me another email the next day with new things on sale that I want to buy, too. Wah.  Dear Big Bird, will you run for president? At least I know that I can trust you! Dear Paul Ryan, you need to know that the camera angle on your left side is NOT your good side. Next time you need to ask to be caught from the right side. That nose was out of control! Dear Gym, I promise we'll be better friends next week when I'm not as busy hacking up my lungs. Dear Upstairs Neighbor, you are tiny. Why do you walk so loudly? If I'd never seen you before, I would have thought you were a giant. Walk like the petite girl that you are, not like King Kong. Thanks! Dear Double Date, I'm excited for you tonight and getting to try out a new restaurant in the area with friends and the boyfriend. Woop!

And now, it's time to get through the work day so that I can enjoy the weekend!

Happy Friday!

It's OK!

It's Thursday, which means it's almost Friday, and that equals a happy face! 

Since I've been slacking this week with original posts (minus my awesome recipe on Tuesday--check it out here if you missed it), I'm linking up with Amber for It's OK Thursday!

It's OK that....
.....I've been totally lazy (either due to sickness, having trouble jumping into a 4-day week, sheer laziness, or a combo of all three), and I haven't uploaded my pics from my trip to Minnesota yet. Hence why there's no original post with a recap yet. But, it's coming!!
.....I didn't know what shoes to wear with my outfit to work today, and when looking through the closet, the shoes I use as my "outdoor slippers" (which are more like tan moccasins  looked mighty comfy. I slipped them on, checked it out in the mirror and decided comfy, furry-on-the-inside shoes was how I was rolling to work today. I'm ok with it.

Not too bad, right??

.....I couldn't resist opening a late-evening email from LOFT the other night and ended up purchasing two shirts (both of which I can wear at work or not) and spending about $50. It was a good deal, but those darn emails get me EVERY time (which is why I try to just delete them without looking). At least I have these two pretties coming to me...

.....I hate doing the leg-work to plan vacations. Can't someone just find me a really amazing deal and save me the trouble of endless hours of searching???

.....I have a professional development goal due in a week and I have yet to put a dent in it. I'm so overwhelmed by these state requirements for teachers now, especially since I'm not technically a teacher in the sense that I don't teach curriculum or have a classroom, but I'm being judged based on kids' performance. 

.....my abs and back muscles hurt from coughing the past couple of days....and that I counted that as my ab workout yesterday :)

.....it's almost Friday!

Catch you all tomorrow--maybe I'll have overcome my laziness and actually uploaded some pics for you guys!

WILW and Oh How Pinteresting

It's Wednesday!! That 3-day weekend's thrown me off, but at least the week is going by quicker (for now, anyway).

Time for some link-ups with Michelle and Jamie!

I'm loving that MG and I had such a good time this weekend in Minnesota (recap is coming, don't worry). Here's a sneak peek of one of the pics from the weekend:

On the Vikings' field before the game

I'm loving that the weather is supposed to be a little warmer these next few days. Perfect Fall weather....I'm not ready to jump right into Winter.

I'm loving Afrin. I came down with a cold this weekend while I was away and Afrin saved the day for me, letting me actually be able to breathe during the day (and the night). It did nothing for my voice that was going away, but being able to breathe is important, and I was thankful for it!

I'm loving Cooper. He was full of wiggles when my mom came to pick up MG and I at the airport on Monday. He could hardly contain his excitement when he saw us in the car. Love that little guy!

I'm loving having more vacations to look forward to in the distance future. More on that later!

And, as always, I'm loving Pinterest!

This week I've been pinning....

This can find its way into my closet, asap!

Love this idea for the home!

Confetti Mac and Cheese

Sleepy pups....so cute!

teehee

What have YOU been pinning this week?

Hope you have a good Wednesday!

Tasty Tuesday: Spinach and Artichoke Chicken Casserole

I'm back from my weekend away in Minnesota, which I'll be recapping for you soon, but in the meantime, I have a delicious casserole recipe that I promised last week I would share with you!

It comes courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats (if you don't follow this blog, you should--she has amazing recipes).

This one you can also make ahead of time, which I should have done, but I didn't.

{via}

It's Spinach and Artichoke Chicken Casserole, and let me tell you, it is amazeballs good!

What You Need:

• 8oz bow tie pasta (about 2/3 of a 12 oz box)
• 1 T butter
• salt and pepper
• 2 small shallots, chopped
• 2 cups chicken tenders (roughly slightly more than 1 lb), cut into small pieces
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cup skim or 1% milk
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 8oz package of grated Colby Jack cheese (trust me, you want this grated already--your hand will thank you)
• 1-14 oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained, and chopped
• 1-10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and wrung out
• 1 slice whole wheat bread
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 T. butter, melted

What You Should Do:

1. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Once it's done, drain and set aside.

2. Melt 1 T. butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the chopped shallots and the chicken. Season it with salt and pepper and then continue to cook until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Remove it from heat when done.

3. While the chicken is cooking (or after you're done if you can't do it all at the same time), get a large bowl and whisk together the eggs, milk, Italian seasoning, and  2 T. parmesan cheese. Then stir in the colby jack cheese, artichokes and thawed/drained spinach.

4. Combine the egg mixture, chicken, and pasta. Then pour into a non-stick (or sprayed) 9x13 pan. Cover the pan with foil. At this point you can leave it in the fridge overnight....

5. The next day (or the same day if you're doing it all at once), bake at 400 degrees for  20 minutes. While the casserole is baking, combine the remaining 2 T. parmesan cheese, the toasted bread slice, and paprika into a food processor (or Magic Bullet). Pulse it until you have bread crumbs. Then stir in the melted butter.

6. After 20 minutes, top the casserole with the bread crumb mix and bake, uncovered, for 10 more minutes.

7. Serve!!

This was a delicious meal. According to Iowa Girl Eats, each serving is only  330 calories. MG and I got 6 meals out of this (1 dinner for both of us, and 2 lunch leftovers for both), which makes it nice on the waistline AND the wallet!

Oh, and in case you don't know what shallots look like (because I didn't and had to look it up on my phone at the grocery store), they look like this:

You can find them where the onions are in the grocery store.

Try it and let me know what you think!