currently || october

cooking || Everything in the crock-pot recently. I have been loving the ease of using the crock-pot, and that you can throw all the ingredients in and have dinner ready when I come home from work. I have already made a chicken and sausage gumbo-type dish, and I ma trying a baked ziti in the crock-pot this week. If both turn out okay I will put up the recipes somewhere on the page.

smelling || ALL THINGS CINNAMON! I am in love with the Fall for this exact reason. I currently have a cinnamon and clove melting in the Scentsy and burning Crisp Morning Air by Yankee Candle. On the weekend I love to wake up and immediately light the candle and let the house fill with the lovely scent of Fall.

traveling || We are headed of for our annual Griswald family vacation later this month to Nashville. We got an AirBnB on the river and plan on seeing the city for a few days. Hopefully the weather is nice and we can make a stop in the Great Smoky Mountains and check out the awesome Fall foliage on the way there. Stay tuned-I'm sure there will be a post and photos to follow.

watching || I am in LOVE with some new shows on both ABC and NBC in the prime-time hours. I don't usually get to watch them live, so I catch up the following day or on the weekend. If you are looking for a few good shows check out This is Us on Tuesday nights, Designated Survivor on Wednesday nights, and Speechless on Wednesday nights. Each show is completely and totally different from the other so it creates a nice balance in my TV watching, which is usually just Bones, CSI, and Grey's Anatomy. 

buying || Trying to buy NOTHING. I am trying to save as much money as possible for the holiday season and the wedding fund. I am keeping a running list of Christmas gifts I need to buy and who I need to buy them for.

weekend in pittsburgh

Over the weekend Cam and I made the trip to Pittsburgh to visit a friend, explore the city, and go to a baseball game. We left on Friday after work and came home early Sunday morning, so we only had one full day to explore. I wish we were there a little longer, but I know I will be back to explore more. 

We started the morning by eating brunch at a place called Deluca's and it was DELICIOUS. The meal kept me full for the full day of walking around the city. After brunch we headed straight to the Duquesne Incline to avoid all the crowds, and I'm glad we did, because when we left the line was across the bridge. I had been on the incline before, but it's always fun to go to the top of Mount Washington and see the city skyline-along with the million dollar houses on Grandview Ave. 

After the incline we headed down to the strip district to walk around and see some local shops and markets. We ran into a petting zoo in the middle of town and got to hang out with some cuties for a minutes. After walking around I worked up and appetite and decided to stop in at Peace, Love, and Little Donuts. HOLY COW, these donuts are to die for. They are miniature sized cake donuts, with a ton of creative flavors like Samoa, Boston Cream Pie, Oreo Cheesecake, and Apple Pie. I wish I had ordered a dozen to take home-also secretly hoping they ship places so I can have them at my wedding. 

After a fun filled day of walking, snackign, and shopping we ended our night at PNC Park. Once you step foot in the ball park you realize why it's always in the "Top 10 Baseball Parks to Visit." The stadium is STUNNING and it offers amazing views of the city skyline. To top of the entire trip, the Nationals ended up winning the NL East title after they finished playing the Pirates-WOO!!

Can't wait to go back and see more of what the city has to offer!!

currently || september

wearing || A brand new shiny accessory.....an engagement ring!!! Cam proposed at the end of August so I have only been "rock"ing the ring for about a week, but it goes with everything. He picked out such a great ring and I couldn't be happier to be spending my life with him.

planning || If you read the first thing on the list you can probably guess what I am planning.....a wedding. I ordered an Erin Condren planner the weekend after I got engaged and I can't wait to get planning in that thing. We have a venue visit this coming weekend so fingers crossed that we enjoy the place and can get the ball rolling.

traveling || Cam and I are planning a trip to Pittsburgh to visit a friend and go to a Pirates baseball game. I am always excited to go to a new stadium and that will help me check off things on my 30X30 list. I 'm not sure what else we will do while we are there, but I'm sure it will involve being touristy and eating lots of good food.

watching || Even though I am not the biggest football fan-I prefer to wait for hockey season-our house will constantly have the TV tuned to something football from hereon out. College football starts this weekend, and the NFL season starts next week. I am looking forward to college football more than professional football,but since we only have one TV with cable in our house I will be forced to watch football. Here's to a great season!!

tracking || I have recently started using My Fitness Pal to track food intake. I have only bee doing it about a week, but my goal is to try and do it for a few months and see if there is any progress on the scale. We will see how it goes. I have been trying so hard t=not to snack on sweets and candy, but it is so difficult when you work in an office where people bring in donuts and other baked treats.

hershey park-anniversary weekend

This post is quite overdue....like two months late.Whoops. But better late than never right?!?

Cam and I took an anniversary trip to Hershey, PA in June. I know it's not quite a glamorous trip, but it's close to our house and we don't have to use up a ton of vacation time from work to go for a long weekend. 

We stayed at the Hershey Lodge, which I normally wouldn't do, but it got us late entry to the park the day before our printed ticket date and they had a shuttle that took you from the front door of the hotel to the front door of the park. That might not sound like much, but after a full day walking around in the park the last thing you want to do is walk ALL THE WAY to your car in the huge parking lot. It was a nice convenience to have and I would do it again if I went back for the weekend. 

There is a zoo connected to the amusement park, so we spent the morning at the zoo while most of the animals were still awake. I love the zoo at Hershey Park even though it's small and only showcases animals of North America. It's a great zoo with a lot of information and they educate the visitors about the animals so everyone can learn something new.

The day after the amusement park, Cam and I decided to stay for a Hershey Bears playoff hockey game. The Bears are and AHL team based in Hershey, and they feed into the Washington Capitals. The game didn't start until 7:00 pm so Cam and I had a whole day to explore the town. We visited the Hershey Museum and the Hershey Gardens-which we had complimentary tickets to from our hotel stay! We loved the gardens and the museum was so interactive and kid friendly. We even got to taste six different hot chocolates from around the world.

Even though the Bear's lost that night and would eventually go on to lose the Calder Cup, Cam and I had a blast on the long weekend trip to Hershey, PA. It was a nice weekend to get away and have some fun at the amusement park!  Happy Anniversary!

currently || august

watching || Baseball season is in full swing-no pun intended-so I have been watching the Nationals play just about every night. They are away on a West Coast road trip right now so I can't watch the entire game, but they are coming home in a few days so I will be able to watch the entire game. I have tickets for the Nationals vs. Orioles game at the end of the month, so I am pumped about that!

crafting || On my recent trip to Wisconsin I realized that I hadn't touched my cross stitch supplies in over a year. I finally dug out a pattern I had been working on for a few months, and have been stitching when I get home from work for an hour or so. I forgot how relaxing it is and I am able to drown out the TV and leave my phone on the counter to focus on the pattern.

traveling || NOWHERE. I finally have a month that I have no travel obligations. Hallelujah!! I plan on using this time to relax and get some much needed housework and home projects done. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and let me work outside for more than 30 minutes at a time.

reading || I am almost finished reading Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close. It is an interesting read so far, and I am interested to see how it ends. It takes place in NYC and is about a group of young professionals trying to work their way through weddings, engagement parties, and baby showers of other friends. The book can jump around a bit with different characters and different time frames, but so far I have found it to be quite entertaining. 

snacking || I have been loving cheese and crackers as an after work snack in the evening. My favorite are the Cracker Barrel "Cracker Cuts" style cheese in the Colby Jack flavor, paired with the Roasted Red Pepper and Red Bean Triscuit Crackers. It is seriously the most delicious snack because it combines something cold, but also something savory and crunchy. When it comes to snacks I like a good balance of flavor and texture and this hits the nail on the head. YUM!

currently || july

drinking || I love the Strawberry Acai Refreshers from Starbucks, but sometimes going to Starbucks is out of the way. When I can get my hands on one from Starbucks I like to add lemonade instead of water. It makes it taste like a strawberry lemonade with less sugar and calories. If I can't get to Starbucks I will pick up the canned strawberry refreshers from the grocery store. I pour those over ice and it gives me the bubbliness of a soda-without the soda.

watching || Netflix has recently added Bob Ross: The Joy of Painting and I am LOVING it! It amazes me how such simple techniques can produce such a beautiful masterpiece. His soft voice is incredibly soothing and can put me to sleep within one 30 minute episode. Cam and I enjoy watching that after a long day of work and softball. Kudos Netflix. Great choice!!

traveling || I just booked my flight for my trip to Wisconsin. I realized while I was booking it, that this is the first flight I have taken truly by myself. No friends, no family, no co-workers. Let's hope I can navigate the airports smoothly and seamlessly.

reading || I am still in the middle of a book called Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner. So far it it really good and I can't seem to put it down. It reminds me a bit of When Harry met Sally, but younger kids from totally different backgrounds. Not sure how it ends, but I'll let you know. 

snacking || Costco has what's called "cowboy caviar" and the simplest way to put it is that it is a some what spicy bean dip. I've had it before, but didn't know Costco carried it until this week. We had some for the Fourth of July cookout we attended and went home with a container that I can snack on throughout the week. This stuff is delicious!

st. thomas- a week in paradise

About a month ago I went to St. Thomas for a destination wedding and decided to make a week long vacation out of it. 

I seriously had a blast exploring National Parks, beautiful white sand beaches, and a marine preserve deep in the mangroves. St. Thomas is an interesting place because it was once under Danish rule- so they have hints of the culture throughout the island. The oddest thing is probably that they drive on the left side of the road-like Britain-but the steering column is on the left-like the United States. It is a very strange thing to see, but the locals say it's easier because the island is so hilly and mountainous. If your steering column is on the left, but you are driving on the rleft, the driver is on the edge of the "mountain" therefore can get as close as possible and see perfectly. 

You don't need a passport to go to St. Thomas, so that 30x30 goal will have to wait until another time. There's always Canada :) I couldn't have asked for better weather. The entire week I was there I think it rained once for about 25 minutes. Very similar to Florida style storms that pass quite quickly. 

I was fortunate enough to hike in the St. John National Park-which is made up of about 85% of the entire island. I also snorkeled and kayaked  a marine preserve in St. Thomas through tons of mangroves. The mangroves are there to protect the tiny island from hurricanes and tropical storms. The government allows peoples to tie their boats to the mangrove trees before a hurricane because the roots can sometimes be buried up to 30 feet in the sand. 

Such an amazing experience with lots of old friends and some new ones. Enjoy!

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