Wits and Wagers.

12:38am.

that's what time I checked the clock on my phone Saturday (technically Sunday, I suppose) night. It wasn't to see how much longer I had to wait to go home, but instead, a wishful glance in hope for time to stand still. I was out on the town in Cincinnati with some of my oldest, and dearest friends, and I literally didn't want the night to end. Almost always, I enjoy being out with friends, but it's been a while since I felt that specific way.


So today, I'm thankful for old friends who are willing to put the effort into maintaining relationships. Friendships that move along with life's changes, and successfully cross state lines. Knowing people well adds a whole new dimension to friendship. And the older I get, the more and more I appreciate it.


In front of Sarah and Jeff's house! Ready for dinner @ the Montgomery Inn.



Hanging out at our first stop of the night, Monks Cove, in Mt. Adams!

blog monday: crushed ice and green trees

what are 4 things you like about living where you do?

CrushedIce: my all time favorite ice is the kind that seems as if it was molded in a straw. The tube-like ones. I just love it. Growing up, we never had an ice maker, and instead, made our own tray ice, and more often than not, ended up buying the big bags of ice. It's just not the same when you have to pull an 8 pound bag of ice out of the freezer, and pound it on the kitchen floor, before using your hand to retrieve a sufficient amount. Having an ice maker now, is probably my favorite thing about living where I do. I love pushing the crushed ice option. especially to couple with DC.

Disclaimer: fridge actually produces water.

{i love it anyway}.

WashingWhites: I think i'm one of the few people who actually enjoys doing laundry. you might have already known this about me, but I love the process of dirty to clean, and hate the process of putting away. One thing I really like/appreciate about where I live is that along with city water, I no longer have to do my whites at grannys due to fear that the rust in the well water would prematurely ruin my whitest whites!


GreenTrees: Probably my favorite thing about my street are the trees that create a bright green canopy leading me home. It's a similar feeling to when I was a kid and would get excited to drive through the tunnels on I-96. My dad would prep us girls from the front seat, and as we would pass through, we would all oooh and ahh over the yellow box lights. It's fun to revisit those feelings of, "this is so neat to drive through"

SquirrelGrey: This is the color that I've painted my room. It's not quite what I had in mind when I picked it out (mainly b/c it's not that far off from the previous color), but I love it! Walking into my room is calming. And despite being grey, when paired with my white duvet cover and bright red pillows, is rather cheerful! I've still got some work to do on the place, but the walls are set, and already the perfect backdrop for a #5 favorite thing (that will sneak its way into this post), the wonderful artwork my friend Erin Sweeney created just for me (and my color scheme!)

love!

20.huge.bagels.

Costco does everything big.

Even Bagels.

Earlier this week, Audry bought a huge bag of 'em, and after failing to pawn some off to our parents, returned home with roughly 20.huge.bagels.

Today was the first day I had one for breakfast. It was asiago cheese, delicious, and filling. So much in fact, that I ended up throwing the last quarter of it in the trash. This in turn created a predicament that I don't often face... When 12 'o clock rolled around, my stomach wasn't hungry. So, I stayed at my desk, and as each subsequent half hour mark passed, I became more and more (irrationally) concerned with the fact that lunch hours were fleeting, and I was now creeping into that weird in between time separating lunch and dinner.

Finally, I came up with the only logical answer for my situation. I opted to have frozen custard. Raspberries in vanilla with chocolate chips, to be exact. So, up to now, I'm 2 for 2 on good meals for the day. I can't wait to see what dinner will bring, I have a feeling I'll be hungry early this go around :)

looks like there was just enough room for it to all fit after all.

blog monday: what's that you smell?!

Cesar Millan, the infamous dog whisperer, says that the reason dogs like to stick their heads out car windows, is due to their keen sense of smell. He says they love to smell everything that's going by them, and my pup is no exception.

That's Dasha on her way home from the groomer yesterday, enjoying anything and everything that passed her little, wet nose. Which brings me to the topic of this weeks blog monday:


What are 4 of your favorite smells?


ThanksgivingMorning: I don't even love stuffing, and I hate seeing that gizzard thing floating in the gravy the morning of. But the overall smell of Thanksgiving morning is the gateway to all things I love about that day. Growing up, Thanksgiving was always the one day a year I would wake up (early, even) to the most delicious combination of smells. I'd make my way downstairs to find my mom and dad working together to create all the staples of the meal. The turkey, potatoes, cranberry sauce, bread, and yes, gizzard gravy.


CampFire: This is my F.A.V.O.R.I.T.E. Anytime I smell it, it's more likely than not, to hear an, "mmm" or a, "campfire! my favorite!" from, yours truly. Interestingly enough, although "fresh" (for lack of a better word) campfire is my all time favorite, "day after" campfire is one of my absolute LEAST favorite smells. It's such a disgrace to the real thing. Am I wrong?!


MomWasHere: This one is a flashback. way way (way) back when, when I was a little girl, my granny used to get me and my sisters up for school. Granny never lived with us, but with 2 working parents out the door before 8am every morning, she stepped in to fill the gap. As sleepy as I was, it was always comforting to walk into the downstairs bathroom. I knew my moms routine, and the last thing she would do before she left the house was spray on her perfume in that very place. Sometimes I would stand there, in hopes that some of that leftover mom scent would find its way onto me. The thought of that memory still warms my heart, and give me much appreciation for a working, loving, and good smelling mom.


AudrysBakery: fine. so she doesn't have one yet. But, if her bakery smells anything like our kitchen did tonight (baking both classic and gluten free chocolate chip cookies), yesterday (making chocolate croissants), or how it will tomorrow (making cherry cream scones), there is no way it will not be one of my favorite smells!

Blog Monday: Accomplishments.

What are 4 things you'd like to accomplish by Friday?

finish.the.book: Sometimes I'm too tired to read before bed. I'll think I want to, then I find myself reading the same paragraph a couple times over before I tell myself, "this isn't fun". Forced reading is never fun. However, most of the time, I enjoy reading a little before I fall asleep. I only have a few chapters left in my latest read, Love Walked In, and in hopes of taking a new book to Grand Haven with me this weekend, I'm going to invest some time in finishing that up! It's also a little incentive when today, a new patient came in with a Sparks book i've never read, and recommended another... assuring me that the main male character in one is the epitome of a true romantic... swoon.

correct.the.bad.dog.mom.status: Even though Dasha spends these days with my parents, I still consider her my pup. In recent weeks, it's been brought to my attention {multiple times} that she's in dire need of having her nails trimmed. When they get too long, she bites them. and an 80 pound dog biting her nails, isn't quite the same as one of those pixie dogs. I should add that part of my hesitation in taking her in lies in my most horrific "dog mom" moment to date. A while back, I thought I'd save time and money by clipping her nails myself. Good idea turned to bad idea in one snip. Dasha yelped, I winced, blood everywhere. I started crying because I hurt my dog baby, and then I felt like a losebag for crying over a dog(s toenail?!). Well, after bandaging up her foot {in an over protective motherly fashion}, I vowed never to walk that path again. To this day, it's still hard for me to know that I'm subjecting her to the same possible torture every time i drop her off at the groomer. All I can say is, God help my future children... and I'll call Petsmart tomorrow.

get.over.the.shock: I think you guys might know this already. I sold my older nikon, and updated to a newer one. I'm so overwhelmed with my new toy, that I've found myself a little scared to use it. It's like I have a 1959 Corvette Stingray in the garage, and I won't drive it! Okay, so maybe that analogy isn't quite comparable, but kinda. It's beautiful, and does so many things I'm excited about; but the multiple lenses, and added features are overwhelming me! This week, I need to just take a deep breath, and start with step one: read the manual {and stop using the box as a nightstand}. In the meantime, let me know what photo shoots I can sign you guys up for. say cheese :D

visit.granny: A few months ago, my family set up a schedule where someone would be stopping by to spend time with granny daily. In all honesty, I haven't made my Thursday granddaughterly duties a priority. This week I will. Can someone make sure that I do?

Monday Blessings!

The proof is in the pudding... or cinnamon.

Last night, we celebrated birthday week at granny dinner. My family has 3 members with birthdays within 4 days of each other, and it's not me and Aud!

As part of the celebration, Audry made 2 cakes. One for Cory, and one for Teri. She is mindful on the subject of: 2 birthdays= 2 cakes.

Audry has established herself as family baker, and as if she needed any more incentive to open her own bakery, this statement may have sealed the deal.

Lucas (my cousins 7 year old son upon tasting the cinnamon bunt cake): "this is my favorite cake! It's better than chocolate!"

yes. you read that right. better.than.chocolate.

and from a 7 year old.

place your orders now, folks.

Blog Monday :)

For todays blog monday, we (Krista, Katie, and I) are taking a few minutes to remember what made us smile today.

Superfan: Today at work, I explained to Melissa how Tom was in fact one of the superfans that went to see New Moon at midnight on opening night. The part that really had me smiling/laughing was the part I may or may not have made up... where Tom dressed up as Jacob. If you could imagine that scenario, you'd be smiling too.

BadGuys: I've never hunted so many bad guys on a lunch break in my life. explanation: With Katie and Bryan still being in town from Mr. Stolmans 60th birthday bash (additional reason to smile), they invited me and my namesake Em (stevenson) over for lunch. After a chatter filled lunch, I had a duty to live up to, seeing as Katie had leaked information to her nephew on my bad guy catching skills. Of all the brilliant conversations that can go on between a 27 year old woman, and a 3.5 year old boy, the moment that gave me the biggest smile, wasn't due to conversation at all. After hunting behind Nana and Papas shrubs, ICS turns to me, says, "let's go hunt somewhere else", and then with the ease of his turn, puts his tiny hand out for me to hold on to. :) At that moment, I decided that there couldn't possibly be any more enjoyable form of hunting than this.

rollin.with.my.homies: As I was driving home from work, I was already in a good mood. Seeing as work was over for the day, a monday nonetheless, and I just heard Kid Rocks new "country" song on the radio, I was actually feeling really content to be in that moment. I switched lanes on Greenfield, to find myself behind a red honda civic, packed 4 deeps with friends that were also glad to be where they were on that monday afternoon. The windows were down, the music was up, and arms were out each window, grabbing after each beat as it left that car. They were embracing that moment, and loving on life. There is a big difference between listening to music, and feeling music. There is no doubt where these guys fell. As I passed them up the road, they were nothing but smiles. I couldn't help but be the same.

free.ride: There's a reason why the mice are still at the pet store. who wants a mouse? I mean, besides to feed it to another animal. Which, yes, is a little sad... but not really when you stop to think about the food chain, and the fact that it's a mouse. With that being said, I still squatted down by the little tank to watch this tiny white mouse on his tiny yellow wheel, get wayyyyy more exercise than me today. The best part is that he would run so fast. like seriously fast. and that wheel would crank, and those four little mouse feet would go! and all the sudden, he would STOP. and keeping his feet on his tiny yellow wheel, he would take a ride on that wheel until he almost flipped over! it was so funny, and I can't help but think that if mice could smile, he'd be doing so.

:)

Sunday Truth.

"Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you" - Jeremiah 32:17

whatever may be worrying or stressing you this morning, I pray that you find peace in this truth.

Have a blessed Sunday.

Blog Monday: weekend snapshot.

Today's Topic: If you had a camera at your side 24/7 this weekend (Friday night through Monday night), constantly taking pictures of your every moment, what were your most favorite "snapshots"?

channel.the.inner.diva: Friday night, I had the opportunity to do something that actually made me want to get my picture taken. For the first time in years, I went to a make up counter at the mall, and asked them to do my eye makeup. I knew I'd be going out to celebrate a friends bday, and figured it was a good excuse to have this kind of fun. Kristen, Audry and I went to Nordstroms, split up to 3 different counters, and let the artists show their skills. It was great, and I felt maaaarvelous. I could get used to that. Ironically enough however, no pictures were taken of the finished product.

out.of.work.early: Need I really say more? There is something about getting out of work unexpectedly early, on a Friday nonetheless, that creates feelings of bliss. These feelings, if bottled, would be stored and shelved right next to "last day of school". You're excited, and energized, and the world that confined you, has now set you free! It was brilliant. I vacuumed, cleaned and washed my car, shopped for bday cards, scrubbed the bathroom floor, walked the dog, took a shower, and 3 pronged my hair all before 5pm. ahhh, to steal time back from the man. a perfect start to an already long weekend!

beautiful.lake.beautiful.food: Saturday, I spent most of the afternoon on a dock at Pine Lake. It was wonderful, and exactly what I wanted to be doing with the entirety of my being at that very moment. I feel like moments like that are few and far between, and I was constantly thankful to be living it then. I took a ride on the boat, swam with the dog, caught up with friends, lounged on a raft, read my book, and ate cheeseburgers with side dishes of fresh mango and cheddar and sour cream potato chips. It couldn't have been better!

not.letting.selfish.desires.win: Sunday was a morning that I really didn't feel like getting up for church. I felt selfish, and that I deserved to get extra rest. I mean... it was a holiday weekend. I wanted it to be okay to sleep til noon, b/c I made the decision to celebrate with friends, and not go to bed until 3am the night..errr. morning before. But I pulled myself out of bed, and went. I love the days when sitting in church {even if watching at a table from the lobby} that God props you up in the midst of the message. I struggled with understanding the entirety of it, but I was glad to be there to hear it, and let it work at me. Sometimes we all need reminders of what we are not expected or can't do, but God can.

loving.my.country: I'm probably one of the most least political people I know. I don't like talking politics, and I didn't even register to vote until I was well into college. I have a hard time believing that I matter in the scheme of the entire country. but for real. However, I love and am proud of my country. I love how I feel when I see an American flag, and the words "God Bless America" on display just about anywhere. I'm a sucker for patriotic packaging, and I buy red white and blue sprinkles to put on cupcakes, b/c I think my country deserves to be recognized. even in dessert. I, by chance, ended my Sunday/started my Monday by watching the moving "Brothers". If you haven't seen it, I recommend it. It shows a side of war that a lot of people don't talk about. It's one of the most intense movies I've seen in a long time, but I went to bed thinking how thankful I was that I live in a country that is full of men and women braver than I'll ever be. Men and Women who endure hellish conditions, and no promises of return, in order to defend our country. These brave heros leave their homes, in order to keep us the land of the free. I think I would literally be scared to death if I had to stand on those lines. With that being said, I went into memorial day with tremendous thanks for those who have, are, and will serve to protect not only me, but my country. God bless, and Happy Memorial Day.