Happy Holidays

It is finally Christmas break. I just barely made it through finals and I am now sitting in North Carolina with my husband and In-laws ready to celebrate for the Holiday. It is such a joy to spend it with this part of the family. Having grown up in an extremely dis-functional family, Christmas often ended in tears and disappointment. Christmas with the in laws is loving and exciting and is always filled with lots of memories. We will eat Chinese food and watch Christmas movies tonight. Tomorrow we will open gifts and enjoy a Christmas Feast followed by a trip to the movies. It has been so wonderful to see their Christmas traditions and I love the idea of someday taking some of their traditions and some of my own to create a Christmas that is just as joyful for our family. Iwish everybody a very Merry Merry Christmas!!!!

It's the most wonderful time of the year

I love Christmas... I realize it's a cheesey thing to say because most people love Christmas but I'm still psyched. We have decorated our beautiful 8 foot tree along with the rest of our home. My Christmas shopping is finished and I have only one final left. I feel so relieved the end of the semester has arrived and I am extremely excited about our trip to NC. We usually spend the Holiday in North Carolina with my in laws. I am hopeful this next year will be amazing filled with lots of surprises. As soon as I get the picture of our tree uploaded it I will add it to this post.

I AM BACK!!!

This has officially been the longest blog drought ever. I am going to do my best to sum up what I have been up to. This will fill you in and then hopefully I will be better about sticking to it.

Keep this next part a secret. Harldy anyone reads this so I am not to worried about it getting around. In July, Ben and I decided we wanted to try to have a baby. We were super excited and it has pretty much been all I can think about. We were unsuccessful in our effort obviously.

In August, I was diagnosed with Papillary Carcinoma which is a form of thyroid cancer. I went to my yearly physical and my primary care noticed a nodule on my thyroid gland in my neck. Baby making had to be put on hold :( This was somewhat devestating for me. I realize it is over dramatic but now that 5 months have passed I feel the need for a baby all the more.

In September, I underwent surgery to remove my thyroid. The recovery process was difficult but not unbearable. For those that don't know, your thyroid controls your body temperature, energy levels, appetite, and metabolism. I am now on medication that takes the place of my thyroid. While it has taken time to get regulated on the correct dose of medication I should be leveling out this month. Pray for good results from my lab this week. The great thing about all of this, is that it was caught really early and I am now cancer free.

The surgery set me back quite a bit because I had just started a new nanny job and was in school full time. It has been torturous trying to survive these last few months. I have been exhausted beyond belief and have had to fight against my body to maintain my life. Fortunately, next week is my last week of the semester and I can say I survived it.

The best news... once my medication levels out with my system, Ben and I can go back to our original plan from July... A baby. Lets hope we have no more emergencies.

Now you know why I have been so consumed with other things. I'll try to keep you in the loop here on out.

Summer Lovin'

I just LOOOOVE summer time meals and so I thought I would take a moment to share some of my favs with you. In the winter there are hot meat dishes, warm breads and baked goods, chili's, and soups alike. However, in the summertime there are delicious options that are fast and easy. Plus there is a wide variety of fruits and vegetables in season. Here are some of the easy meals Ben and I have had on the hot days when we needed a light and refreshing dinner.
Sometimes there is no cooking necessary. Just a lot of slicing. We made a dipping oil with Parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper. We had crackers, a baguette, sausage, cheddar cheese, tomato, and mozzarella cheese!! Sometimes we subsitute out the tomato and mozzarella for pop corn and grapes.Other times you need to break out the frying pan, but only for a moment, and you can still have a light meal. Ben had made grilled chicken the night before and we had left overs. We decided to slice the chicken thin and add tomato and mozzarella on wheat bread. With it there is romaine salad with lite olive oil vinagarette. :) One of my favorites.













This is a new recipe I came across from good old Betty Crocker. It is Romain Lettuce, layered with a pasta salad with black beans and corn, shredded cheddar cheese, and cherry tomatos.The recipe calls for olives but Ben despises them so I left them out. It pairs really well with blazing buffalo dorito chips and sour cream and guacamole. This is one of our new favorites and it looks great all together on a plate.

What are some of your favorite summer time meals?

Young Love

I have really been enjoying this stage of my life. Ben and I have been married for a year and a half now and it has been everything and more. We have really made the most of our summer and we are relishing in the opportunities we have as a young married couple. While we want kids, eventually, we still love the freedom we have now to take random weekend trips. Stay out late for drinks. And just roll with the flow of life. Ben is the kind of husband that is usually helpful around the house and takes the initiative to handle all of our finances. In addition, he shares most of the household responsibilities with me and often will do some of the grocery shopping. I feel so blessed to have such an involved husband who takes care and pride in our life. I am sure that when we settle down for a family he will be an amazing father. In the mean time we are happy to be where we are at, but at the same time we are always excited and looking forward to the little surprises God throws in for us.

Summer where are you?

It is nearing mid July and we have had very few summerlike days here in Boston. Most days have been rainy and glum and have failed to even break 75 degrees. Despite this, I am determined to make this summer worth while. Tomorrow will be a sunny day with a high of 73 and I am headed to the Beach. Pretty chilly for beach weather, but at this point I will take what I can get. I have packed lunch and snacks, bathing suits, chairs, and the towels are ready to go. Come 9am Ben and I will be heading out to pick up our friends Chelsey and Tim to pretend it is a hot summer day.

Since summer will not come to me, I have to make it appear. Summer to me is supposed to be vacation time to gear up for the sad and cold winter. With that in mind, we are heading to Vermont for Beer fest next weekend. The weekend following Ben and I will be taking a Stay-cation right here in Boston. Then we will spend a weekend in Indiana with family and I will head to Seattle for a week long vacation in mid August with my sister and my beautiful nieces. It may not be sweltering hot outside, but there is no fun lacking in the summer department.

Feeling Blessed

Well readers, it has been a while since I have shared my life, but while I have been gone I have been enjoying lifes simple pleasures. I returned yesterday from a week long vacation in North Carolina visiting the in laws. It was a BLAST. There was so much laughter, many tears, and deep conversations. We sat under the sun by the pool, ate at delicious restaurants, played card games and monopoly world, played practical jokes on one another and over all enjoyed each others company. If even possible, I feel like I got even closer with my sister in law and my mother in law. That is a wonderful blessing in itself.

On the fourth we attended a beautiful wedding. There is something about Weddings that makes me feel more in love with my husband when I didn't even know it was possible. I think it takes me back to the day we exchanged our vows and it excites me to think about our future. How many kids will we have? When will we have them? Where will we live? There are so many surprises still left and I can't help but feel excited about the unknown.



Unfortunately, I am back home and about to get ready for work. I am hoping to remain positive throughout this rainy day and look forward to next weekend when we will hopefully be at Vermont Beer Fest.