The Big Apple

I want to move to New York City.  

The big apple.  The city that never sleeps.  The melting pot.  The metropolis. 

Each time I have visited this city, I have become absolutely enchanted. 

It truly speaks to me. 

Would I want to live there permanently?  Heaven’s no. 

But… do I dream of living there for a few years?  Yes. Definitely.   

Don’t get me wrong, I love Utah.  It is a wonderful place to live and raise a family.  However, I have lived here my whole life and I am kinda itchin’ for a change. 

A change of pace, lifestyle, and surroundings.

I think skyscrapers and studio apartments would do that for me, don’t you think?

While I was at work this week I looked up some apartments and job opportunities in Manhattan.  Because, believe it or not, if Ryan gets accepted to NYU, it might be our home for three years. 

Who knows though... 

Plans can change all the time.  

But a girl can dream, can’t she?

Germanfest

I love anything out of the ordinary when it comes to date night.

The Germanfest comes to Utah?  We are sooo there…

25 Weeks

In 25 weeks  Ryan and I will be going to France.  Not just France but Paris, the city that I love and absolutely adore.  After Paris, we are taking a train to my Grandparents house in the small village of Luc sur Orbieu located southern France.  There we will spend two weeks and head to Spain to visit and take a flight back home.   

Sounds great right?  It is going to be great… that is if I can lose all this weight I have seemed to have accumulated while being married. 

I can’t even blame my weight on being pregnant because I am not pregnant nor have I been.   

What is my excuse for all this weight?!?!

Is there a statistic for the weight you gain in your first year of marriage?  I would like to see it.  We have all heard of the freshman fifteen.  Is there like a honeymooners hundred?  Newlywed ninety? 

Okay, in all seriousness I have not gained that much weight (I have only gained 25-30lbs) but still I have gained too much for comfort at this point.

So, my goal?  I have 25 weeks to lose 50 pounds and I know I can do it.  That will put me at the lowest weight I have ever been in my entire life (aside from what I weighed in kindergarten). 

Plus, I have lost 100 pounds before so I know I can do it. 

Anybody with me? 

Us

Here is a recent picture of us.  

Don't we look so cute?

Chopped

If I were to say, “You have been chopped.”

Does that mean anything to you?  Do you even know what I am referring to? 

If you know what I am talking about, you and I have just bonded on another level of friendship.

Seriously. 

I am obsessed with the show Chopped.  I record every episode and rerun that I can find. 

It basically drives Ryan crazy with how many shows I make him watch with me.  (Secretly, I think he really enjoys watching it even though he makes a big fuss when I turn it on).

I wish I could compete on this show.  But alas, I am only a measly little cook that can only dream about being star chef.  Sigh. 

I do have to say that when the mystery ingredients are revealed, I try to decide what I would whip up then one of the chefs has the same idea as mine and does it.  I think I would make a mean competitor if I were on the show!

Anyway, enough blabbing on and on.  I am really grateful that Ryan puts up with me and watches Chopped.  Little does he know that it means a lot to me. 

Oh and one of these days I am going to have Ryan pick four random ingredients from my kitchen and I am going to make dinner from those items.  Stay tuned…  I will be sure to blog about how it went.

September

This past september has brought back a lot of fond memories for me.

I have come to realize that I am really fond of this particular month.   

It is the month that Ryan and I went on our first date.  

It is the month that we shared our first kiss.

And it is the month that I knew I was going to marry him (he hadn’t figured that out yet). 

It has now been one year since all of this happened. 

Phew!  Talk about some big life changes, eh? 

Seriously, if you would have told me last summer that I would be married within the year, I would have laughed in your face. 

And…. probably thought you were a big bloomin’ idiot….

Lo and behold, here I am a year later…  married.  Happily, I might add.  

Who would have known?!?! 

Definitely not me... 

I am sad that September is over.  But alas, October is here and that makes it one month closer to Christmas.  

I can't wait.    

      

Wicked

Have you ever seen this musical? 

You have not lived if you haven’t…

Seriously. 

I went to New York and saw Wicked about five years ago and fell in love.  The scenery, characters and costumes are enough to make you want to move to Oz.  And can I just say that the story line is so creative?  It is just amazing. 

But don’t take my word for it, go see it yourself.  I promise that it’s worth it. 

When Ryan and I first started dating, his dad had just purchased 12 tickets to see the play the following year.  I remember thinking “I hope Ryan and I are still dating by then because I want to go see Wicked again!”

Low and behold, a year later, we are married… so I got to go. ;)   

Last Thursday was the big night we had all been waiting for.  The clan - Chuck, Scott, Annalee, Denise, Janette, Brad, Nanci, Jed, Ryan and Me. 

 

As soon as the lights went down and the play started, I was glued to the stage.  Ga-lenda or Glenda (whichever you prefer) was my favorite.  The person who played her was fabulous to say the least.  I was laughing pretty much the whole time.  And the music?  I could go on forever with how impressed I was…    

By the end of the musical, I was sobbing like a baby.  A baby.  It was so good that I just got caught up with the emotion of it!    

Seriously, I loved every minute of it.  I wish I could go again…