Living the Good Life

Today was 73 degrees, the hottest day of the year thus far. Ben and I decided to take advantage and ventured out into the city. Boston's North End is one of my favorite places. We walked down the small one way streets, with the older Italian Man sitting in chairs smoking cigars outside of their apartment buildings. It is so quaint, but so rustic at the same time.



We visited the seals out side of the aquarium, which is something we actually do several times a year. I love that animal! We walked to Christopher Columbus park and sat at the edge of the dock to take in the scenery and remember when he proposed to me in that very spot 24 months ago. I love being married and having the freedom to take small day trips, whether it be far away or near by. There is something comforting knowing, that with your other half you can be happy and content anywhere on any day. Of course, the famous Mike's Pastries does seem to make everything seem wonderful!

Shopper Extraordinaire

Still in the early years of our marriage, it is important that we spend our money wisely. So, my husband has put a cost limit on our weekly grocery shopping. This has taught me to shop carefully and shop sales, sometimes using two groceries stores:) Here's what I bought this weekend that came in at a whopping $49.

1 pk Hot dogs
1 pkhot dog buns
5 apples
1 lb strawberries
2 loaves of bread
1 Gallon of milk
3 bags frozen vegetables
2 boxes pop tarts
1 box sausage links
2 avacados
3 lbs boneless chicken breasts
2 lbs coffee
1 box taco shells
3 cans refried beans
sour cream
2 bottles salad dressing
lettuce
bananas
2 frozen pizzas

Isn't that amazing?!!!!!

Confessions

I hate to admit this, but I have in fact gained ten pounds since I got married. I am sure there are a combination of reasons. Higher stress... i went from an office job with routine hours, to a combined schedule of school full time and a part time nanny position. I guess, in my case the saying is true. You know the one, "Once she gets married, she lets herself go." Well, I am determined to turn that right around and defeat the stereotype. I want to feel good about myself and know that my body is healthy and with the spring approaching, it is as good a time as any. It's back to eating healthy and daily workouts and in a few months I will be back to myself :)

Baby Bug

Yep that's right. I have the baby bug. The babies are every where. I know three people that had babies last week and I am seeing pregnant people everywhere. They are jumping out at me at the super markets, the bank, post office, and any where you can think of. I know that my husband and I are not at an ideal financial place. Still, it is comforting to know that if an oopsie baby were to make an appearance we could make it work. I have had this infamous baby bug before and I know it will pass, but until then I will be ooing and aweing in my head at the sight of every baby and every expecting mom.

The Luckiest!!

I have not blogged in quite a while so I will have to back track to some very important events that have passed.

Last weekend we went on a marriage retreat with our community church group. It was AMAZING!! We returned from the weekend away in beautiful portsmouth feeling really great about where our marriage was at and how our first year finished, but at the same time we felt encouraged to make more positive changes within our marriage. For example, really express the appreciation for the little things we do for one another. Sometimes it can be so easy to forget to share my gratitude. So here, I will list all the little things I love about my husband Ben.

I love...
When he kisses me on the nose and cheeks
makes my coffee for me every morning
brings home little surprises just because... like my favorite candy or a starbucks coffee
waits up for me when I have homework so we can go to bed together
takes me out for a date night every week
pays all of our bills to take the worry off of me
...and so much more

He really is so good to me and I couldn't ask for a better husband. I am definitely a lot to handle and very emotional so it is crazy to think he actually puts in the time and effort to understand me. I really am so lucky!

Kids quotes

Keep in mind Katie is 4 and Jack is 6.
I will update these as I think of more."

"If I were a super hero i would save everyone." - katie

"I love Ben, but don't worry I'm not in love with him." - katie

"I don't know what to do. I don't know who I'm going to marry yet." - jack

"isn't it funny that chili is called chili went it's not cold at all." - jack

" can you be a grown up and not be an old person at the same time?" - Katie

"When a house is for sale it just means it costs less dollars." - jack

" do dolls have blood in them?" - katie

" I eat a lot of carrots so my eyes work better than everybody else's. I can see through my eye lids. Watch turn off the light and i will see it go off with my eyes closed. - katie

after getting katie's hair cut it was really soft and tangle free and i asked her if it felt good and she said "yes, but does it look good?"

People Move

My sister is moving to Georgia next week. People move as we all know and honestly they do it alot. It's a hard concept all of a sudden for me to wrap my mind around. I have lived in different apartments and houses, but they have all been in the Boston Area. I have 4 sisters. We are 21, 22,23, and 24. The youngest is 8. Those of us closer in age are extremely close. One sister lives in Seattle, one in Vegas (although last week moved to GA) and the other who was here with me in Boston is leaving for Georgia on Thursday. She drives me crazy, but still I will miss her. For me it sort of feels like the end of that dream. It was fun while it lasted. Once upon a time, we were all unseperable and our biggest problem was what we were going to wear everyday. So fast we all grew up. 2 of us married, 2 of us with children. New families have been made. It is bitter sweet, we all lose some but we gain some too.