Coping...

This list will probably evolve as the weeks keep passing, but as of right now, this is my list of best ways to cope with true loss and sadness (you can read about the loss of my cat here).

First, I would like to note that I have never been especially skilled at coping. Growing up in a Navy family, I kind of developed a "just get over it/let go/move on" philosophy to emotionally draining circumstances. Not the most healthy way of dealing with tough stuff, but it worked for the most part. In recent years, however, I've developed other techniques.  Hallelujah! (that is my husband rejoicing... he wasn't a big fan of the 'if I don't talk about it, I'm fine' method :)

1) Prayer. Anytime, anywhere! A short (or long) conversation with God really gets me moving in a positive direction with my thoughts, no matter what.

2) Yoga. For those of you that think #1 conflicts with this, think again. My yoga practice keeps me centered, positive and grateful. Not a single session goes by that I don't send up a little thank-you prayer for the gift of yoga in my life.

Lately, I have been keeping an especially consistent practice by purchasing a membership to Thrive Yoga. Getting on my mat daily allows me to work through whatever emotions I'm dealing with while I focus on breathing through poses. Oh, and it's a pretty awesome workout too... I have the bakasana and pincha mayurasana to prove it!

3) A little retail-therapy. This one isn't quite as wholesome as my first two, but it is helpful all the same. Something fun and frivolous to focus on can be a good way to get out of your own head for a bit and think about something very un-serious. Not to mention pretty :)

4) Help others. This is my FAVORITE one, and something I have trouble balancing sometimes because I thrive on it. You can help others through a tough or stressful time even though you're dealing with some tough stuff, too. Sending a card or making them a meal are my two favorite ways to help. It doesn't have to be a huge gesture to offer a huge amount of support. And once again, you're putting yourself out there in a positive way.

5) This last one is kind of a reward for doing #1-4...not that they aren't rewarding enough themselves! 

Wine... specifically Sauvignon Blanc, right now. I think that good wine can be the perfect catalyst for relaxing and reminiscing, which is what one really needs to do in order to cope with a loss. It might not be the right choice for everyone, but Kim Crawford will always have a fond place in my memory for making an absolutely awful day a little bit better for my mom and me!

Side note- During all of this coping craziness, my husband and I forgot one of our most favorite anniversaries: August 6, 2008! This was the day we met for the second time after being apart for 10 years! Here is a throwback picture of us from about 3 years ago that pretty well shows what we think about forgetting to celebrate such an important occasion...

Life happens... don't take it too seriously!

Pike Place Market

On our very last day in the Pacific Northwest, we were able to actually spend some time in Seattle! 

We hung out at Pike Place Market and went to all of the quintessential places... I even tricked my husband into checking out the gum wall in Post Alley. In case you've never seen it, the gum wall is more disgusting than you'd expect.  My favorite memory from viewing this spectacle was a mom lecturing her child who was posing in front of the wall: "Stand away from the wall... NO! Don't touch it! Just stand still near the wall.... Don't lean on it!!" This seemed like a traumatic photo-op, so we just kept walking without documenting our disgust.

Obviously, watching the fish mongers throw around HUGE halibut and salmon was a must. What made it even better is that we had a pint of fresh raspberries from one of the farmer's market vendors to munch on while we took in the show. Yummy!

Those lobster tails were as big as my arm!!

I loved walking through all of the flower vendors. The dahlias, sunflowers and peonys were my favorites.

As we walked, we munched on a delicious amandine (the best almond croissant ever) from Le Painier. 

Holy cow... I could eat those every day and still marvel at how perfect they are.

Our view from a rooftop bar.

We also went to Beecher's for some of their "world's best" macaroni and cheese.  We took it to-go and ate outside in a park. We also shared a dungeness crab grilled cheese sandwich. Everything was superb! I only wish that we'd had room in our suitcases to take some of their homemade cheese with us.  Our favorite was the Raw Flagship cheese.

When we needed a break from walking around in the blazing summer heat (just kidding, it was in the 70s), we ducked into the Frontier Room for some local beer. We both had an IPA from Diamond Knot.

I guess we really ate and drank our way through Seattle!

One thing we did that didn't involve eating (or drinking) was our visit to Seattle Glassblowing Studio.  I imagine that I forgot to take a picture in the gallery because I was too busy trying to take it all in.  The vases, figurines, bowls, and sculptures were spectacular.  We bought a little evergreen tree to remember our foray in the Pacific Northwest :)

Last, but not least, we saw the first Starbucks shop. It was swarmed with people, of course, so we didn't stop in, but it was fun to see where the coffee magnate originated.

My Must-Have for Washington State

It is completely ironic to post about my North Face rain jacket today because there isn't a single cloud in the sky.  However, it has rained at some point during 11 out of the past 14 days here in the Pacific Northwest, so I feel this post is deserved, nonetheless.

This jacket is really perfection as far as rain jackets/wind breakers go. It is super lightweight (which makes it wearable during the drizzly days) and fits well, and most importantly, it is very waterproof.  The hood is adjustable so that it won't blow off during squalls (we've had some of those, too), and the color selection is fabulous.  

Mine is a really dark teal/forest green with mint green lining, but this jacket comes in a million colors. 

Side note: I did not pay retail for this jacket thanks to Navy Exchange, but I think its probably worth the $90 price tag if you get as much use out of it as I have!

Washington Things: Part 2

As far as I can tell, the Northwest takes beer pretty seriously.  For example, this was just part of the beer section at Whole Foods:

Holy cow, right??

Now, we've had the discussion (read- I talked, y'all listened) before about my thoughts on beer versus wine. We've also chatted (see above) about my husband's desire to explore local beers.  Given the fact that my husband would never see the sun shine except through hospital windows in the Pacific Northwest if it weren't for these freakishly long days (sun up at 5 am and down at 10 pm), I have made it one of my goals to find cool local beers for him.  I bring them back to our little abode, and he takes a few sips before passing out from exhaustion.  Sounds fun, right?! As fun as fun can be during inpatient internal medicine!

The Mens Room is a beer made by Elysian Brewing in Seattle, WA.  I bought it for two reasons: I generally like red beers (oh yeah, my husband does too :) and a portion of the sales from this particular beer is donated to the Fisher House on Fort Lewis (where we are located).

We both thought it was a pretty great beer.  Not too heavy (my criteria) and still really flavorful (his criteria). Sorry I don't have very much to say in the way of beer evaluation... I am far more versed in wine tasting adjectives! As we try more brews from WA, I'll try to hone my palate a bit more.

Washington Things: Part 1

Ok, y'all. By now you've probably started to see some patterns of things I like to do in a new place. Find good restaurants, do yoga, cook (if possible), and try almost anything and everything considered to be local. After being in Washington for a few days, I've realized that there are WAY too many great local things to just write one post about them, so I'm going to have a little series.

This first one is all about cherries!

When I went to Whole Foods yesterday (I happily ended up at Westlake, the one in downtown Seattle), I was on the hunt for local foods.  As commercialized as Whole Foods has become, I really like how every store tries to carry a unique selection of local items and labels them as such.

My husband loves cherry anything, especially the fresh ones, so when I saw local fresh cherries I had to pick some up.

Holy cow... these are the best cherries I've ever tasted! Like candy, but better! Stemilt gets four thumbs up from us!

Geez... all the exclamation points... you would think I'm trying to rub it in or something.  Basically, if y'all are going to visit Washington State, come during cherry season. Trust me.

I've had to stop myself from eating too many of these while my husband is at the hospital today... they were 'for him' after all!  On second thought....

Enjoy!

Ok y'all, I'm going to keep this post short and sweet... I think!  I just took a shower, and now I feel this burning desire to tell you all about the shampoo I use.  Strange? Probably, yes.

Oh well... I'm still going to tell you all about it. Lucky you!

About a year ago my MIL gifted me with a little kit of 5 different travel size Enjoy products: the hydrating shampoo and conditioner, the luxury shampoo and conditioner, and some kind of spray that I used as a de-tangler (idk what I was supposed to do with it, but it worked well for that!).  My MIL had built-up Enjoy products to be hair care superpowers, so when I tried the shampoo and conditioners, they had a lot to live up to.  They were even BETTER than I expected! I love it when that happens...

For me, the biggest merits of these products are as follows:

1) You can use less product for better results.  A little goes a long way (even with my long, dried out hair).  I used to buy the JUMBO sized bottles of other shampoos and conditioners because I went through them so quickly... definitely not the case here. I've been working on these bottles for over two months, and there is plenty of product left for another month or so.  Note: it took me awhile to get the hang of how little product I needed to get the job done... practice makes perfect!

2) My soft, smooth, healthy hair. Enough said.

3) The scents. I don't like an overpowering fragrance to my shampoo or conditioner.  All of the scents are nice and mild, but I am nuts over the Hydrating scent. So relaxing and lovely... not too floral or fruity. Perfection.

The price is slightly discouraging (around $25 a bottle, I think), but well worth the money. 

*Warning: It is pretty typical that as soon as I declare my loyalty to a product, it becomes impossible to find or completely discontinued.  I sincerely hope that won't be the case for Enjoy.  It's a tough life being a product junkie ;) 

The Best Pasta Salad

Yesterday, my husband and I had some of his fellow medical student friends over to my parent's house to have dinner and hang out.  Because there was going to be about 15 of us total, we decided to just order pizza from a local place called Y Not.  It's close by, quick, and delish.  

However, I still wanted to have some other things on hand to snack on before the pizza arrived.  So I made a Glazed Summer Sausage, and a big batch of pasta salad inspired by this Pioneer Woman recipe. I must assert, though, mine is better!  I'm finished being humble now... here's how you make it.

The Dressing:

2/3 Cup of mayonnaise (or veganaise if you have it)

3 tsp white sugar

2 Tbs sweet and spicy pickle juice (plus more if needed to thin out the dressing)

1 Tbs red wine vinegar 

Whisk all the ingredients together.  Give it a taste.  Add sugar or pickle juice if it is 'missing' something.

Chop one purple/red onion

Chop up six of the sweet and spicy pickle spears (the same ones that you used the juice from in the dressing).  I used a brand called Famous Daves Signature Spicy Pickle Spears, and they were outstanding! I think it makes all the difference in the world to use yummy, flavorful pickles and pickle juice in this recipe.

Dice up two green bell peppers.  You could use any color you like, but I like the green ones in this salad.

Doesn't that look pretty? Pickles and onions and green pepper... yum.

 Next you toss it all together with cooked pasta that has had time to cool down.  I used Dreamfields Penne to up the nutritional value of this dish a little bit.  I probably used about 16 oz, which is slightly more than one box.  It is all about preference, though... You might want more veggies or more pasta or more dressing.  This ratio was pretty spot on for me (and our guests)! Enjoy!

Carrot Muffins

Once known as "Refugee Muffins" (long story short, the word "refuse" does not belong in the title for anything edible), this is the recipe for muffins that I came up with when my MIL and I started juicing.

When we were making our "orange" juice, we just hated to see all of that carrot pulp go to waste.  Therefore, I created a healthy (read- the healthiest ever) recipe for yummy, gluten-free, and nearly fat-free, carrot muffins. 

Healthiest Ever Carrot Muffins

1 Cup Cup4Cup Gluten Free Flour*

1/2 Cup Flax Meal

1/2 Cup Gluten Free Rolled Oats

1/2 Cup Unsweetened, Reduced-Fat Shredded Coconut**

2 Tbs Cinnamon

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 1/2 Cups Walnut pieces

1/2 C. Brown Sugar OR Brown Rice Syrup

1/2 C. Unsweetened Applesauce

1 Medium Banana, mashed

2 Cups Carrot Pulp OR Grated Carrot

1 Small Can Crushed Pineapple

2 Eggs OR 4 Egg Whites (1/2 Cup)

I Tbs Vanilla Extract

2 Tbs Canola Oil

*This is the best gluten-free flour on the market, in my opinion.  It is pricey, and you can find it at Williams-Sonoma. Otherwise, use any gluten-free flour you like.

** The most important aspect of this ingredient is that it is unsweetened.  Whole Foods carries the unsweetened, reduced-fat shredded coconut, but I realize it may be impossible to find in a regular grocery store.  Just go with any unsweetened shredded coconut in that case.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine wet ingredients and dry ingredients in separate bowls. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry, without over stirring. Add oil or flour as needed to get a thick batter consistency.

Spoon batter equally into 12 well oiled muffin tins.  Bake for at least 25 minutes.  It is difficult to test for done-ness with these muffins, so make sure to bake them for the full time if not longer. Remove from the oven and immediately transfer to a cooling rack.

These little guys are so packed full of goodness that they are practically a meal! Great for a quick breakfast!

Furniture

A couple of things in my life collided during the past few weeks:

1) My affinity for pretty coordinating furniture.

2) My parent's beaten-by-who-knows-how-many-moves furniture.

3) My desire to try new things/tackle new projects.

For those who haven't guessed yet, all of this adds up to me refinishing my first piece of furniture! It will definitely not be my last piece because (for the most part) I really enjoyed the process.

Here are some before and after photos (because that is all anyone really cares about when reading about a project such as this one), and then I'll get to a few tips that I learned along the way.

These are not the greatest before shots, I realize, but you can see the big chip on the bottom left, general scratches and malaise, and the scarring left behind by some truly heinous hardware.

 Close up of the brass hardware... I think I thought it was pretty when I was a toddler. Maybe.

No more scratches, a little darker (to coordinate with my parent's other furniture), and much more contemporary hardware.

 No more chip!

Ok, so this was obviously more akin to a face lift than an extreme make-over (although much more than a couple of Botox injections, if I really need to take this metaphor any further), however, there was a bit of a learning curve to get here.

Products needed:

Citristrip (I liked this product because of the lack of fumes)

Metal Bowl

Plastic Drop Cloth

Odorless Mineral Spirits 

Plastic Scraper

Coarse Stripping Sponges

Fine and Coarse Sandpaper

Paper Towels

Paint Brush (and/or foam brush)

Stain and Polyurethane (or a combination product such as Minwax Polyshades)

Stainable Wood Filler

Putty Knife

Gloves

Mask/Eye Protection for sanding

Things I learned:

-Stripping furniture is messy: have plenty of plastic grocery bags and paper towels available.

-Odorless Mineral Spirits will clean pretty much anything if the mess gets out of hand.

-Minwax Polyshades is a finicky product, and next time I think I'll stick to separate stain and polyurethane products.

-If you must use a combination stain/polyurethane product, foam brushes produce a better result than bristle brushes.

-Hand sanding takes a lot of muscle power... become ambidextrous if at all possible (or get an electric sander... but where is the workout in that!?)

-Cooler weather is better when you are refinishing furniture in a garage

If I remember any other gems, I'll be sure to pass them along!

The Little Things

We have stayed at a wide array of hotels so far this year.  They have ranged, in my opinion, from mediocre to downright sad.  I have never had a propensity for motels, despite my mother's warnings that being a "hotel snob" was not an endearing quality. However, my standards have yet to be lowered (and perhaps may be reinforced) by the exterior hallways and poor temperature controls that plague the Army, Air Force and Navy lodging.

My expectations, which were realistically low in January, have now become non-existent.  This jaded mentality has been one of the best additions to my repertoire of military-medical-student's-wife tricks to get through anything with a smile on my face.  Now, the little things that would normally make my day a little better seem downright magical.

Example: The Keurig

Anyone that was around when we began receiving wedding gifts last year knows that I raved about a little coffee-making appliance called the Keurig. I was so enchanted (read: caffeinated) that I convinced nearly everyone in my vicinity to buy one.

Mine was this dainty little model...

Then, when it came time for the storage unit to steal all of our belongings for the year, the Keurig (along with my caffeine habit) and I parted ways... until we moved into the Navy Gateway Inns and Suites in Portsmouth, VA, two weeks ago! I saw this little beauty when we walked in:

As an added bonus, housekeeping leaves the tray to the right of the Keurig stocked with k-cups at all times. I don't want to lose ground in my fight against caffeine, so I've stuck to the decaf and black tea options for now... but I have the feeling that another 5 AM morning in the near future might cause me to relapse. It's a slippery slope...

But for now, I'm keeping it positive and enjoying being reunited with one of my favorite appliances. Enjoy the little things everyone!

The Sweet Lobby

Just a few blocks from Capitol Hill in the District (that's Washington, DC for those of you non-locals), there is a neat little neighborhood called Eastern Market. Located on its own metro stop, Eastern Market is home to lots of cute shops and restaurants.

My reason for going to Eastern Market is always the same, though: The Sweet Lobby! The Sweet Lobby is a bakery with a teensy little storefront (read: three really is a crowd) selling specialty baked goods. They have gourmet flavored eclairs, madelines, and cupcakes (they actually won an episode of "Cupcake Wars" on Food Network). However, the best thing they sell is their macarons. If you have never tried a macaron (notice the absence of another 'o'... This is not the coconut confection 'macaroon'), your life is not yet complete.

Basically, a macaron is the Parisian version of a sandwich cookie. The huge difference between a macaron and an oreo (besides everything) is that the actual cookie parts are made with an almond flour batter. This makes them light and chewy and crispy and gluten free! The beautiful thing about macarons is that they can be flavored in so many different ways, with colors to match. The Sweet Lobby sells on average, ten different flavors of macarons daily. Sometimes more, sometimes less, always delicious!

I can tell you from experience, the macaron is a finicky and labor intensive cookie to produce. Therefore, they are quite pricey. This makes them inaccessible for daily consumption (and all the more special) and even lovelier for gifting.

We gave my father-in-law a big box of macarons as a thank-you gift at our rehearsal dinner.

My sweet in-laws had The Sweet Lobby send us a gift box full of different flavors (in pairs of two!) for our anniversary. They were such a wonderful surprise :)

Underwood Jewelers

If I were Holly Golightly, Underwood's would be my Tiffany's. (For those confused, see Breakfast at Tiffany's, or better yet, read Breakfast at Tiffany's).  Nothing bad could ever happen at Underwood's.

Underwood's is a jewelry store in Jacksonville, Florida.  It is the old fashioned kind of jewelry store... the kind that also sells china and crystal and silver.  Just another reason that I linger in the store every time I visit! There are four locations, but my husband and I always go to the one in the Avondale neighborhood.  Partially because of its convenience, and mostly because of Cindi Rivera, the most genuinely helpful jeweler I have ever come across.  From Christmas presents to my engagement ring, Cindi has been a part of our relationship in such a fun, sweet way. Even now that Michael and I are rarely in the Jacksonville area, we always call or email Cindi to get help with gifts for each other.  I really can't speak highly enough of our experiences with Cindi or Underwood's.

Cindi's wedding gift to us- a small silver folding frame, so that we could take it with us on our travels this year!

These are Underwoods' boxes, and in my opinion, they are superior to the robin's egg blue kind :)

My reaction to seeing an Underwood's box is probably comparable to actually opening it up and seeing the contents:

 Our anniversary gift to each other... four years ago we were walking around the campus in Gainesville and Michael made sure to stop by the trophy case to show me the real version :) 2008 was also the year we met, again.

Inside this little pouch was a chain for Michael to wear at the hospital so that he has a place to put his wedding band when he has to scrub in for procedures or surgery.

Anyways, Underwood's will definitely be a place that we revisit for many, many years to come!

One Year

Michael and I celebrated one year of marriage on Friday!  What?!  The "Big Day" was June 30th! How could we possibly be celebrating one year already?!

Turns out that even though our "Big Day" was June 30th, we had a small day to ourselves on February 15, 2012.  It was sweet and lovely and now we have a two-day long Valentines celebration to look forward to every year!

The happiest day of my life...

We had a little 'reception' together last year before I had to head over to George Mason for class (our appointment to get married was at 2:00 and I had to leave for class at 4:00... we really fit getting married into our schedule :)  So we sipped on a glass of my favorite champagne (Pommery Brut Royal) and enjoyed a cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake (because how can one get married without cake, right?) for a quick celebration.

For our anniversary, I wanted to sort of re-create that.  You're supposed to share the top tier of your wedding cake together on the first anniversary, so I decided that cupcakes again would be the only appropriate way to go!  So off I went (after a semi-traumatic haircut detailed here) to The Sweet Factory to get a strawberry cupcake for me and a carrot cake cupcake for Michael, because that is what we had last year :)

Add two flutes of champagne into this equation, and it was the perfect evening! 

Side note: I didn't pack the flutes we used last year (a lovely gift from my MIL for the occasion) because I was fearful of them being broken in all the moving, so we had to buy a new pair to use.  Of course... plastic wouldn't do on our very first first anniversary :)  have I confessed my love for stemware?  Anyways, the flutes came in a box that looked like this:

So they will definitely be keepsakes of our first, first anniversary!

Must Love Mail

Mail is an important part of my life. I like sending mail and receiving mail, of course, but for me, it's more than that. Mail and I, we go way back.

Probably the most important thing mail and I have gone through together was my long distance relationship with my now-husband. For three years, Michael and I were never together for more than a week, and even two consecutive days was rare at times. Therefore, I wrote lots of letters, sent many cards, and pieced together quite a few packages. If I had to ballpark it, we're probably talking 600 pieces of mail. Minimum.

So, where has all that love and devotion to the post office gone? All over the place! I've always been a thank-you note sender (thanks for that habit, mom!), but now I send notes and cards to loved ones whenever the occasion arises or there is a spare moment in my day.

I just think that getting something pretty in a non-electronic version is so special now-a-days. I'm not sure that everyone understands that, though.  During one of the last card purchases I made, the cashier commented on my purchase: "Geez! $10 for just four cards... isn't that awful!!"... My response: "Maybe, but they will brighten the days of those I send them to!"... her response: "Yea, and then they are in the garbage."  I am a little too tirelessly optimistic to think of anything besides the smile on someone's face when they open a nice note or a card (not to mention the fact that I have a system for keeping meaningful cards), so I just told the cashier to have a great day.

My favorite cards and stationery come from Papyrus, Curly Girl Design, and Paper Source.  It's a little bit of an addiction for me, but I think that's ok, right?

Here are two of the cards I sent out for Valentine's Day.

They are both made by Papyrus, and I thought they were perfect.

Chances are, if you're in my family or are one of my close friends, you've been the beneficiary of a piece of mail from me.  However, if you have somehow missed out on some paper-love, just message me your address, and I will remedy the situation very quickly :)

Wine in the Hood

Fort Hood, that is.

As a side note, my husband and I just finished watching a documentary last night about the beer industry: Beer Wars.  We like to watch lighthearted documentaries over dinner every now and again, and this one was pretty interesting.  It made us want to continue drinking beer from independent breweries, that's for sure (Shiner, Dogfish Head or Point beers, anyone?)! This isn't a post about beer, though.  The documentary just reminded me about the issue at hand.

I don't drink much beer.  I like it on occasion, but one is usually my limit.  If I have more than two, I start to feel like a whale, and I don't like feeling whale-y.  One of my loftier goals in life is to feel like a whale very infrequently.

Therefore, I am a wine girl.  I realize that I have posted about liquor, liqueur, and beer, prior to this, my first post about wine, so you will just have to trust me with this fact.  Above anything else offered, nine times out of ten, I will choose a nice glass of wine. Some of my favorites are: 14 Hands Cab, Wente Merlot, and Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc. All of these are around $10 a bottle, and I've never had much difficulty finding them in the past.

This is a HUGE problem in Texas.  Specifically Killeen and Fort Hood, Texas.

1) We are in beer country. Obvious for the following reasons:

• There are over 170,000 military personnel stationed at Fort Hood.  A large number of these are young (18-23 years old) male enlisted soldiers.
•  Barbecue is the local fare.  Even I would rather have a beer than wine with barbecue.
• We are in the middle of nowhere.

This is one of two beer aisles at out local H-E-B (a Texas chain of grocery stores).

2) The wine selection that does exist is an anomaly to me:

• I do not recognize most of the brands.
• The brands that I do recognize are the big bottle brands: Barefoot, Sutter Home, etc.  Nothing wrong with that, just not what I'm looking for.
• Most of the wines (red and white) carry the descriptor 'sweet' on the label.

The wine aisle at H-E-B.  Two things I have never seen before: 

a bottle of wine for $2.98 and the brand "La Di Da"

3) We came here from Bethesda, Maryland.

• The wine selection in the DC area is impeccable, although overpriced.
• I am in culture shock!

Good things came from my adventure to H-E-B, though!

After scouring the shelves, I found these two for me, and now I know where to find them!

I also found a six-pack of Shiner Seasonal for my husband.

Because I found some decent wine, I was able to finally use my Riedel "O-to-Go" wine glass :) I have a thing for pretty glassware, and it makes me happy to have a pretty glass among our paper plates and plastic forks!