Last week.

I know, I know. Long time no bloggity blog. I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes it’s not the highest item on my list of priorities, and last week it fell pretty low.

Alas, I never know whether it’s better to try to catch up when I get behind on blogging, or just start with today and forget about documenting all the things I missed.

This time, I’ll meet in the middle and quickly summarize the past week or so. It’s been a busy one, full of ups and downs.

Let’s focus on the ups, starting with some birthday celebrations for this crazy girl.

She likes Reddi-Whip and being the birthday girl, and we love her for it.

Next on the good list is homemade ice cream- this version is chocolate mint with brownie chunks added. Delicious.

but we better balance it out with something a bit more healthy, like this frittata!

I need to be eating more frittatas and less ice cream. Not doing a very good job of balancing lately. But that’s another story.

Do you know who was in town over Memorial Day?

This girl:

she always makes me smile.

she even got in on bags at the cabin! Not to mention captaining the boat, taking me on a wild goose chase to rescue Winnie, and gracefully eating fettucine at midtown global exchange. Love her.

And, her too-generous mother got me this lovely necklace for a birthday gift. I love it. LOVE IT!

I’ve also been wearing quite a bit of peach lately. Who knew?

A slouchy peach sweater and a summery peach scarf, as well as a linen-ikat-esque tank and another chunky turquoise necklace!

and also enjoying my new teal watch and comfy danskos!

and finally, these are my brothers. They don’t get much press on the blog. Sorry, brothers. I still think you’re great.

That’s all for now, as life is a bit disheveled these days. . . ups and downs, ups and downs. Hopefully it will level out soon.

It only sounds old until you’re there.

As my sister-in-law so accurately stated: 30 only sounds old until you turn it, and then, it’s not old AT ALL! It’s strange- your twenties are the first decade as an adult (though those first couple years of them can barely be disguised as such!), and you learn so much. Thirty is all about putting that learning to good use and enjoying it! Intriguing, right?

I wasn’t so sure. My thoughts leading up to the day were alternating feelings of joy and self-loathing. Have I done enough? Am I where I should be? Did I make the right decisions? Some thoughts made me think, “that’s great, I’m way ahead of the game! Good for me!” and other times I was like “WTH, Bill Gates made $234 million by age 30? I might as well quit life now!” Well, retrospect is a bitch! I’m where I am today for a reason, and I didn’t get here by sitting around and sulking in the past.

So, in the end, JOY WINS!

I am oh-so-excited about what 30 will bring, and kicking it off was pure perfection.

It started with a morning yoga class, and a special delivery for breakfast- my favorite dark chocolate mocha and baker’s wife. Then it was off to lunch with my lovely mother, which left me wondering why we don’t do things like that more often (I see my parents a lot, but rarely is it one-on-one time. Note to self: spend more time alone with them, the conversation is different in many ways! Better realizing this at 30 than never).

In the afternoon I spent some time on party prep, which I’m so excited about. Color color everywhere!

And next came Bryan’s cards, which had me in tears at first glance.

Why did they have me in tears? Let’s talk about it.

One of the many things that I love and cherish about that boy is his 100% genuine acceptance of who I am. Even though I’m far from perfect, he encourages me to be proud of who I am and doesn’t go a day without reminding me of it. It makes me so emotional when I think about it. Perhaps, because I haven’t experienced that sort of pure love in the past?

I’ve dated in the past, and I’ve loved in the past. But with these other boys, never were we walking in step. We were racing each other, racing from the other. They were good people- and sometimes, in this big and complicated world, this is enough. A good person is hard to find, and sometimes it will do. Two good people can sometimes, sometimes make it work well with just that starting point. I probably could’ve settled for it, but it would have been hard, every day, like those relationships were. So hard.

But when I met the man that I would marry, this Bryan-who-writes-the-nicest-cards and loves-me-deeply-every-darn-day, it was not hard. As our friendship grew, and now our marriage, there are certainly things that are hard. Circumstances that are hard, disagreements that are hard. But being with him, it is not hard. Not at all, not one bit. Bryan feels like the most natural part of my life- not a perfect life- but perfectly placed together.

And maybe all of that, combined with the fact that I was turning thirty and often have moments of feeling far from perfect, is why his cards touched me so? Who knows, who knows!

But according to him, I was born perfect those 30 years ago.

and I am unique and special and cherished. Would you believe it if you heard it everyday? I nearly do!

And the words, oh the words inside these cards! I cried. I cried!

Love that man,

and the flowers he gave me,

and the totally overpriced and impractical duvet that he placed on our bed soon after the cards.

I had a few fun moments sprawling over the thing and laughing, but it will be going back. Can you imagine how paranoid I would be about it? Tilly rolling and snagging and slobbering on it? Someday, someday we will have a linen, dry-clean only duvet cover, but not in this decade. And probably not the next, or the next! Maybe that’s a 60 thing? We’ll see.

Next, we took aforementioned crazy Tilly on a beautiful, sun and chatter-filled walk, and then, then:

OH.MY.MEAT.

The Butcher and the Boar.

Go there!

We consumed:

• House pickle plate with pickled egg and sausage
• Lobster grilled cheese with smothered greens
• Bacon wrapped turkey, berkshire pork and cheddar sausage and blackened cauliflower
• Rhubarb shortcake, and
• a bottle of wine and one IPA

So insanely delicious.

And, did I mention that I got a dairy queen ice cream cake at work? I did,  I did.

I think that about sums it up!

For those of you approaching this milestone or anything similar, I have two words for you: FEAR NOT!

Love.

My birthday was perfect. Full recap coming soon.

BUT, seeing this the morning after- icing on the cake, man! She is EDIBLE!

Wined.

What happens on a Thursday night when:

1. Your husband was out of town for 5 days, only returning to
2. work until 2 am on the Vikings stadium bill. And you
3. had a day full of meetings that you had been frantically preparing for. And it’s
4. ridiculously beautiful outside and
5. you have a couple of bottles of wine chilling in the fridge?

This happens!

Complete with a Friday morning hangover:)

Happy almost weekend.

One!

The third and final of the niece trifecta turned one last week!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE LADY LUCIA LUNA!

And, it turns out Bryan can now add “florist extraordinaire” to his list of mad skillz. I came home from work the other day and he had clipped some lilacs from the backyard and displayed them to the best of his abilities (in our drinking glasses, no less) around the house. I’m a bit anal with our decorating and so badly wanted to switch them out to appropriate vases, but I let it be, let it be.

Speaking of Bry, he’s in Mexico all weekend, so it’s just a couple days of a girl, her dog, and a few fun projects.

Happy Friday!

Scoot.

If you live in or near MPLS/ST.Paul and have never been to Punch pizza, please go. It’s the best.

Speaking of pizza, Bry and I tried to go to the newer Pizzeria Lola a couple weeks ago, and the wait was TWO hours. Not okay.

My pizza date on Friday night lives in downtown and she and her husband recently purchased a scooter! To scoot around town! How fun.

Saturday night dinner: fresh brussel sprouts with blue cheese / pork AND some lemon dill salmon / awesome Alexia sweet potato fries

We also saw my parents again on Sunday (two weekends in a row!). My dad was excitedly preparing for their Kentucky Derby trip by serving us some mint juleps, and mom debuted new Pinterest recipes.

Finally, have you tried Hansen’s soda before? I picked these up at Trader Joes the other weekend and they are the best. Obsessed.

Busy busy at work this week and failing on outfit posts. I’ll start again soon!

15 minutes.

Our wedding photographer earned us yet another 15 minutes of local fame!

It was pretty fun to see a huge photo of Bry and I smooching on the front page of the variety section, and to again be reminded of that very special day.  

Wavy weekend wonder.

First and foremost, I got my haircut. I knew I wanted to keep it long, so she just cleaned up the ends and the layers. Then, my new friend, Terra the haircutter who doesn’t charge an arm and a leg and has cute kitty cat and squirrel tatoos all over her arm, said “let’s give you some waves! It’s saturday!” I happily obliged and left the salon looking like this, feeling rather hip and fierce. Not sure I have the skills (nor the tools) to do it on my own, but it was fun for a night.

I wore my hole-y cropped sweater because my hair salon is a bit of a hipster-mecca and I didn’t want to stand out too much. Total hipster, right?

Well, the hip fierceness of my haircut and waves lasted about 2.7 minutes, which was when I got pulled over by a buff cop on neighborhood patrol. He said the homeowners in the area had been complaining because people were driving too fast. That’s what happens when you live right off the freeway.

I was going 39 in a 30.

I’ve been emotional lately, so without any effort whatsoever, out came the waterworks.

The waterworks worked, and buff cop let me off with a friendly warning. I think it was the tears, and the hip, fierce waves.

Aye.

We had some people over for dinner on Friday, and it was delish and delightful.

That’s flank steak marinated in balsamic vinegar and shallots, a mint, feta, cucumber and toasted pita salad (loosely based on this), and one of our favorite dishes of all time: trenette al pesto.

And pie, french silk pie.

Saturday night was a low-key little birthday get-together for a lovely lady. Started the evening at a great new spot, and ended at the place where both Bryan and I had our bachelor/ bachelorette dinners (on separate nights!).  I had a burger and fries, and maybe one too many old-fashioned. Darn brandy.

We also walked back and forth along the Hennepin bridge, which is one of my favorite parts of downtown Minneapolis. Love.

Let’s take a little fashion break now. I stopped at the mall after my haircut (and after my run-in with the cop) in search of a birthday gift for a special someone (no success yet), and decided to see what this peplum craze was all about. I was skeptical. A little skirt attached to your hips? Didn’t seem right for a curvy gal like myself. However, surprisingly, I kind of liked the below shirt! It was a fun polka-dot pattern and it had a big gold zipper in the back. Semi-adorable, right? I didn’t buy it as I didn’t think it was really the most versatile or necessary item ever, and I kind of felt like a mix between an overgrown 4th grader and a pregnant housewife. Besides those minor issues, it was sorta cute.

I also tried on this fun floral dress- no purchase, but pretty pattern, right?

And check out this leopard and neon pink! Talk about trendy, right? The pink tank was on sale for $3.99 and the leopard blouse was $19.97. It reminded me so much of the J.Crew Natasha top that I’ve had my eye on for ages (too bad it sold out before it ever went on sale below the $98).

And below is what I wore out on Saturday night- one of my favorite striped tops from Urban Outfitters, my standby scarf, and check out that little bag! It’s khaki and lined with bright yellow- a Gap sales rack find and fun for weekends when you don’t need to drag around so much stuff.

Sunday morning we had my adorable parents over for a super casual brunch. They are so busy these days – jetting around the country on different adventures- that it had been a couple weeks since we saw them. I don’t know if it’s that I’m married now, or that I’m getting older and realizing more and more how important family and friends and the memories you make with them are, but I’m so impressed and intrigued by M&G. They worked so hard for so many years and have developed amazing friendships with a variety of people and just live such a full and wonderful life – woven together by all the people from their past and present, all those people who—weirdly, peripherally, slowly, surely—put into action the sequence of events that make their life whole. I just hope that Bryan and I do such a good job of living life to the fullest (and that my parents continue to make time for us in their busy schedule!).

Wavy Katie, signing out! Have a great week, comrades.

A run-on sentence about life, bright & white tops, a trifecta of bags and, meat.

First of all, Happy Friday. This week buzzed by in a blur of breezy runs, manic meetings, bathroom contractors and some dramatic conversations about the current and future state of my uterus (which is currently totally unoccupied, I promise). Future state: TBD. In my dreams it’s an effortless topic, and stuff just ‘happens’ when I let it. It’s such a romantic idea, but that’s not me. I want to be the very carefree sort but I’m not. I like to analyze things. A lot. Until I’ve exhausted every possible angle, I’m not done worrying about it. I try to be cool and calm, but that’s a front (and a not so well hidden one, most of the time). And the thing about this topic is that it’s totally unchartered territory, and it’s big. Big time emotional, big time investment, big time results that will change your life in ways you didn’t know possible.

I don’t like not having control. I want to know that when I do do things, I do them on purpose with a process and determination and answers. I want to prepare myself for the worst, so that if good things happen I am happily surprised. I don’t want to set myself up to be let down, so I stay down. But Bryan is the carefree sort. See, that’s why I married him, that beautiful blonde. He is the exact opposite of my temperament and is such a mystery to me. He can just let it be. Let it go how it goes, because that is how it’s supposed to go. And so open, and honest, and raw. And optimistic! Ever optimistic, but not in a fairy-tale way.

And that is good.

We are good.

I’m sure you are wondering why I am even talking about this, given the fact that we haven’t even wrapped up or touched on my latest rant about health and well-being, physically and mentally, but it’s all related into one big ball of ME. So you’ll just have to trust that my rants are serving a purpose, and I need to trust that all will happen when it needs to happen and how it needs to happen. I gotta believe that, right? I gotta.

Life is good. Especially now, when I say: here’s to the freakin’ weekend.

Onward.

See this bright orange/poppy/salmon sweater? I got it last summer, knowing it would be a fun Spring staple. I love the cotton cable knit, the gold shoulder zipper detail, and the punchy color. It’s extra cute with dark jeans, too!

Cotton Poppy Cable Knit Sweater: J. Crew / Gold Earrings: Target / Mix ‘o Bangles: H&M

And this top is one of my favorites- I bought it in Boston on one of my first business trips with my current job and it always makes me think of those early, nerve-wracking days in conference rooms with people (and work) you are unfamiliar with. But this shirt is the opposite of stifling and nerve-wracking. It’s so breezy and cool.

White Embroidered Top: Cynthia Rowley / Gray Floral Scarf: Birthday Gift (I think my mom got it somewhere in Stillwater) / Mix ‘o Bangles: H&M, etc. / Rubber band on wrist: Target!

Black & Beige Printed Tunic Top: TJ Maxx / Floral Scarf: Gift from an awesome bride for doing a reading in their awesome wedding (Shout out to LMS!) / Earrings: Patina / Leather Wedges: Aerosole

Also, this is random, but have you noticed the prominence of the “half-tuck?” Take a look in any recent J.Crew catalog and you’ll see it. Effortlessly cool and strategically laid-back. I like it, I like it a lot. I did see a comment questioning whether or not it looks like you just stumbled out of the bathroom, which is a very real concern. I’d say just make sure not to adopt the half-tuck WHILE actually stumbling out of a bathroom, and you should be okay. Right? Right-O.

Pop quiz: Which of the below image is an example of the half-tuck?

I knew you guys could figure it out! We are geniuses, geniuses I tell you.

And here’s another, to really nail it in:

Finally, this bag and this bag need to be added to my birthday list. The Brooklyn Industries one has been sitting in the shopping cart online for months after I saw a colleague with it and begged her to share the deets. It is so much cuter in person- perfect for work with plenty of fun compartments for various electronics, and with a bright orange interior to POP! Womp womp. I might just have to buy it for myself one of these days. This one is quite awesome as well (though less realistic and not-at-all useful for me).

Oh, and food! I’m doing fine. I lost a good 7-8 lbs during my “cleanse,” (most all in the first two weeks!) and while I haven’t lost any additional L.B.’s, I have been careful not to put any back on. I’m also quite excited to be eating meat again. Glorious meat, how I missed thee.

I’ve had my moments, but the learnings are pretty simple: eat less meat, less refined sugars and grains, and a bit less dairy. Eats LOTS and lots (and then eat more) of plant-based foods. Veggies, fruits, nuts, beans. And then more veggies. And fruit. And some whole grains. But don’t restrict yourself too much, and don’t be obsessive. Then, eat more veggies! Easy, right? In a way, in a way…

And finally, to make this officially the longest and most haphazard post ever, I like mint and stripes right now. The stripes are nothing new, but the mint is oh-so-of-the-moment.

Time is fleeting, my friends.

Do what matters! Act in the present and pursue progress to achieve a meaningful, fulfilling, and happy life.

How’s that for an ending:)

Top dog.

Like a lot of dog owners, we might be a bit overly obsessed with our little canine daughter. And now, we are proud to say she is a graduate! Summa Cum Laude, in our opinion.

Learning is tiring:

Color Me Thirty.

When I got married I used the wedding as an excuse to get my craft on. I’ve done little things here and there since then, but nothing quite like the next project at hand: COLOR ME THIRTY!
Talk about the perfect opportunity to get together with friends, whip up some delicious food and cocktails, throw on that party dress and celebrate. It’s not until May 19th, but there is never too much time to prepare the party, people.

The evite reads:

Then I blinked, and I was turning 30. 

We’ve heard it before: “birthdays aren’t about the number of years.” They are about celebrating growth & new experiences. 

Sure, sure. 

But they are about numbers too. And this is a big one.
30. 30. 30! 
A full-fledged adult! Oh my. 

Numbers or not, it certainly calls for a party. And as all you veterans know, it will be a THEME party. It’s been too long, and we will never outgrow them. 

I thought and I thought, and the one thing that kept crossing my mind was COLOR. Lots of color. Why? Because YOU ALL bring so much color to my life. At 30, it’s more colorful than ever, so let’s celebrate that. Rich and vibrant and lively! 

Wear your favorite brights. Neon, color-blocking, or just a really colorful collection of random colors from head-to-toe. A multi-hued masterpiece.

We’ll serve colorful snacks, bright cocktails, and try not to give you a headache with the kaleidescoped décor. Check out that color wheel and get ready for pantone-mania. 

As always, feel free to bring a friend or a significant other, or perhaps someone who is really colorful and will feel right at home around us. And please bring a drink or snack to share if you so desire. Come for a bit or stay for the night- we’re flexible and casual!

Be there, be bright, and be ready to rock.

 

And here are some images from my birthday board. I have to be careful not to overdo it, but this could be fun.

 

P.S.- Don’t get me started on how I feel about turning 30- that’s a post (or seven) in itself.

Cover photo.

I recently rotated to a new division at work, but my old friends at Yoplait left me with this:

The cover of US Weekly, with Jamie Lynn Spears no less.

Ah, the power of photoshop.

Fun, nonetheless!

Weekend wonder.

Another one of those weekends that makes you realize how lucky you are. We have our health, the best of friends, a comfortable home, a loving pet, animated discussions/disagreements (!), and the world at our fingertips. Nothing in excess, but everything we need. All.Is.Good. All is great!

No words or food diaries today. I’m going to let the photos speak for themselves. I had cupcakes and some cheesecake, pita chips and chex mix, and probably a bit too much beer and/or punch this weekend, but again= all.is.good.

Side scrunchy.

I needed a school-aged photo of me for a project at work, so when I was at my parents over the weekend I grabbed this one to scan. I think I was about 7, and remember thinking my hair looked so cool that day.

Clarification!

Okay! I realized that my last posts makes things seem a little more. . . desperate than they are in reality. I am fully aware that I have an awesome life and I am thankful for it every darn day of it. How awful would it be if I pissed (pardon the language) it all away? Spending each glorious day worrying about petty things? That would not be good. Hence why I want to take care of myself and focus on all the good that I am surrounded by. And it’s also the reason why I am constantly trying to be positive and work on me and my emotions and ups and downs. There is so much awesome stuff going on this world around me an I want to make the most of it, soak it all, and bask in the loveliness. We all have our hard days and I am totally aware that is 100% normal, I just feel like I might have a little too many (and I’m not the only one who is aware of it!). Life is good! I just want to make sure it is as great as I can make it (and that actually might be part of my issue- I expect too much from myself and might be a bit of a perfectionist:).

The point is that there is absolutely nothing to worry about. I’m awesome and I know it. Not perfect, but awesome.

Still, why not work on the things you want to work on? That’s how you learn and grow!

Back to the plan of action. I like to think of it as my own personal version of March Madness, which can be summarized as the below:

and this,

And please note that this is not a forever thing, it’s rather something to give me a little kick in the rear and set me on a good path of confidence and pride in what I have done. The end goal is more of something like this (read if you have a chance) .

I also realized that my plan was a little inconsistent with the plan as outlined on Whole Living- see revisions below.

It’s going to be tough, but I’m feeling confident (I must!). And Bryan agreed to stick with me at home, which is obviously very important.

Some of the delicious recipes we’ve found so far (mostly from our Moosewood cookbook- so perfect for this kind of eating!):

Week 1-

Sicilian Stir-Fry

Vegetarian Pozole

Potato & Asparagus Hash

Spinach & Sweet Potato wiht Peanut Dressing

Asian Cabbage Slaw

Cucumber Peanut Salad

Turnips with Green

Caribbean Sweet Potato Gratin

Roasted Carrots with Pine Nuts and Garlic

Week 2-

Basic Skillet Black Beans

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Hash

Ginger and Salmon in-a-packet

Pecan Crusted Fish

Dressed Up Salmon Cakes

Quinoa Stuffed Pepper

Instant Tamale Pie

I’ll keep you guys updated over the next couple of weeks and share full recipes when we make them.

WISH ME/US LUCK! The Madness begins tomorrow.

Oh, and guess what? I put away some of my thicker wool scarves and brought out my “spring” scarf collection. This is exciting. Also filled two big bags of clothes to donate- spring cleaning may have sprung.