Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Congratulations to my sister-in-law!!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
The Little Things
Lately we've both been so busy, I feel like we haven't had any time to breathe. This weekend changed that. Finally. We got to sleep in past nine. There is just so much about the world that seems better when you've gotten a good night's sleep.
This week has already started out kindof crazy-weird. I've spent the first two days working at home because there are no classes this week. I'm really trying to make the best out of it, even though it feels like this semester will never finish.
So, I'm trying to enjoy the little things. Like homemade ginger lemon tea - it's delicious! It starts out sweet and then goes down spicy and warm. {See below for my 'recipe'}
My other favorite indulgence this week: oatmeal with dried cherries. I LOVE dried fruit, but my favorite is definitely cherries. They are tart and sweet, and just the right size to pop in your mouth.
Ginger Lemon Tea
I apologize that the measurements arenot exact non-existent. I tea is a strong personal preference, but I wanted to give you my tricks for making this tea. I might try to measure a next time I do this, but most of it is based on your own flavor preferences. Just play around until you find the right balance. What's great about this recipe {besides that it is cheap!} is that you can just keep adding ingredients {or more water} until it is strong enough or weak enough for you.
You'll need:
ginger root
lemon juice {or fresh lemons if you're feeling ambitious}
honey, agave sweetener, splenda {I use a combination of honey and splenda}
Instructions:
1. Peel and shred ginger root. Use 1-2 inches of ginger root for one cup of tea, and scale up accordingly.
2. Boil shredded ginger root in water for at least 20 min. {You can do more if you like stronger tea, less for weaker tea.}
3. Strain ginger root out of tea.
4. Add lemon juice and sweetener to taste.
I find it easiest to make a large, strong batch of just ginger tea, without any measuring - just water and ginger. Then I store it in the fridge until I want some. To serve - add enough water so that it is not so overpowering to your tastes (sometimes this means 1:4 dilution), add lemon juice until you can taste the lemon, and add some honey. Heat in the microwave, add Splenda until it is sweet enough.
You should be able to taste the lemon and ginger, and the honey gives it a little more 'earthy' flavor.
This week has already started out kindof crazy-weird. I've spent the first two days working at home because there are no classes this week. I'm really trying to make the best out of it, even though it feels like this semester will never finish.
So, I'm trying to enjoy the little things. Like homemade ginger lemon tea - it's delicious! It starts out sweet and then goes down spicy and warm. {See below for my 'recipe'}
My other favorite indulgence this week: oatmeal with dried cherries. I LOVE dried fruit, but my favorite is definitely cherries. They are tart and sweet, and just the right size to pop in your mouth.
Ginger Lemon Tea
I apologize that the measurements are
You'll need:
ginger root
lemon juice {or fresh lemons if you're feeling ambitious}
honey, agave sweetener, splenda {I use a combination of honey and splenda}
Instructions:
1. Peel and shred ginger root. Use 1-2 inches of ginger root for one cup of tea, and scale up accordingly.
2. Boil shredded ginger root in water for at least 20 min. {You can do more if you like stronger tea, less for weaker tea.}
3. Strain ginger root out of tea.
4. Add lemon juice and sweetener to taste.
I find it easiest to make a large, strong batch of just ginger tea, without any measuring - just water and ginger. Then I store it in the fridge until I want some. To serve - add enough water so that it is not so overpowering to your tastes (sometimes this means 1:4 dilution), add lemon juice until you can taste the lemon, and add some honey. Heat in the microwave, add Splenda until it is sweet enough.
You should be able to taste the lemon and ginger, and the honey gives it a little more 'earthy' flavor.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Our Love Story...
1. How long have you and your significant other been together?
It will be five years in April.
2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?}
We met the first day on our undergraduate campus during an honors course orientation. We talked about both having gone to Germany and liking science {We're real nerds-can you tell?}. T asked me out after a couple of months but I wasn't really sure. So he waited a few more months and asked me out again at the end of the school year - right before going to Japan for a month {good timing, don't you think?}. We were apart for most of the summer, but we spent hours on the phone every night talking. T went so far over his cell phone minutes that his parents had to change the family plan. I wouldn't change anything about it though. We became best friends that summer and we still share absolutely everything - even the weird stuff!
We got married in July of 2011. Best day ever, hands down.
4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding? If not, where would you like to get married? And will it be big or small?
We got married at the church in my hometown. It was a medium wedding - just over 100 people.
5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share!
Haha!
T calls me: My Favorite, hon, baby girl
I call him: honey,smoochums, whatever comes to mind
Since we're still newlyweds we've been using hubby and wifey as jokes, but we might drop those soon...
6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.
Just 3? I guess if I have to pick:
1. His crazy dances/songs that he does just for me. He'll sing songs he's listening to, or make up new words to old songs to make them into cheesy, silly, ridiculous "love" songs. Then he'll swing me around and we'll do a combination of swing dancing, ballroom dancing, and whatever else comes to mind.
2. T is a medical student so he spends most of his day learning all about diseases and treatments and he always wants to share what he's learned with me. It's another way for us to connect. I'm working toward my PhD in Pharmacology so I study new ways to treat diseases - you can read more about that here. Anyway - I love that we both work in science/medicine so that we can talk about it. He's always teaching me something new!
3. T is the best listener. He always listens to my problems/concerns, even if he can't fix them {although he certainly tries}.
7. Tell us how he proposed? Or your ideal proposal?
We went on a walk (the day before my birthday) on a trail near campus that we frequently used to get away from school. It got really cold right before we left, so I wore my winter coat, but he didn't wear any coat. He was shivering the whole way. Isuspected didn't suspect a thing so I kept asking him if he wanted to head back. T insisted we at least get to the river. When we got to one of the benches by the river, we sat down and he got on one knee and proposed. It was perfect and very us. {Although it would have been equally romantic if he had worn a coat}.
8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?
Neither really. He did flowers this year and in the past he's done chocolate. I'm not really demanding about Valentine's Day.
9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?
Definitely a movie and couch girl. We did sunset dinner on the beach on our honeymoon, and it was very romantic and lovely. But I get cold easily {even in Aruba in July}, and I love cuddling on the couch.
10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?
I would love to travel around Europe - top of the list is probably Iceland, Switzerland, and Italy. We've both been to Germany, and Travis traveled all around Europe on a band tour during undergrad (he plays saxophone).
11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine's Day.
Well, I started writing this after V-day, but we didn't end up really doing anything. Like I said, we're both in school, so we were busy studying. But when I came home from work, T had done all the dishes (which is a nice treat for a Tuesday!) and he bought me flowers. We spent the evening hanging out and studying.
12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day?
I didn't ask for anything - V-day isn't really that important to me. I would rather celebrate on our anniversary or birthdays. But, that being said, I don't mind a little recognition of the day anyway.
13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.
Our rule has always been: Share everything - good, bad, embarrassing. We've found that even if we don't really want to talk about it, that eventually a good heart-to-heart makes both of us feel better. T has a remarkable ability to calm me even with my worst worries {even when they come in the middle of the night}.
14. Show us a picture of what love means to you.
The day of our wedding - we had just seen each other for the first time and we were both speechless, soaking in the "this is really happening" moment.
It will be five years in April.
When we started dating {Gosh-we both look so different!}
We met the first day on our undergraduate campus during an honors course orientation. We talked about both having gone to Germany and liking science {We're real nerds-can you tell?}. T asked me out after a couple of months but I wasn't really sure. So he waited a few more months and asked me out again at the end of the school year - right before going to Japan for a month {good timing, don't you think?}. We were apart for most of the summer, but we spent hours on the phone every night talking. T went so far over his cell phone minutes that his parents had to change the family plan. I wouldn't change anything about it though. We became best friends that summer and we still share absolutely everything - even the weird stuff!
Our first concert together - Summer 2007
3. If married, how long have you been married? If not, is this the guy you hope to marry? {do tell} We got married in July of 2011. Best day ever, hands down.
4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding? If not, where would you like to get married? And will it be big or small?
We got married at the church in my hometown. It was a medium wedding - just over 100 people.
5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share!
Haha!
T calls me: My Favorite, hon, baby girl
I call him: honey,
Since we're still newlyweds we've been using hubby and wifey as jokes, but we might drop those soon...
6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.
Just 3? I guess if I have to pick:
1. His crazy dances/songs that he does just for me. He'll sing songs he's listening to, or make up new words to old songs to make them into cheesy, silly, ridiculous "love" songs. Then he'll swing me around and we'll do a combination of swing dancing, ballroom dancing, and whatever else comes to mind.
2. T is a medical student so he spends most of his day learning all about diseases and treatments and he always wants to share what he's learned with me. It's another way for us to connect. I'm working toward my PhD in Pharmacology so I study new ways to treat diseases - you can read more about that here. Anyway - I love that we both work in science/medicine so that we can talk about it. He's always teaching me something new!
3. T is the best listener. He always listens to my problems/concerns, even if he can't fix them {although he certainly tries}.
7. Tell us how he proposed? Or your ideal proposal?
We went on a walk (the day before my birthday) on a trail near campus that we frequently used to get away from school. It got really cold right before we left, so I wore my winter coat, but he didn't wear any coat. He was shivering the whole way. I
8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?
Neither really. He did flowers this year and in the past he's done chocolate. I'm not really demanding about Valentine's Day.
9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?
Definitely a movie and couch girl. We did sunset dinner on the beach on our honeymoon, and it was very romantic and lovely. But I get cold easily {even in Aruba in July}, and I love cuddling on the couch.
10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?
I would love to travel around Europe - top of the list is probably Iceland, Switzerland, and Italy. We've both been to Germany, and Travis traveled all around Europe on a band tour during undergrad (he plays saxophone).
11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine's Day.
Well, I started writing this after V-day, but we didn't end up really doing anything. Like I said, we're both in school, so we were busy studying. But when I came home from work, T had done all the dishes (which is a nice treat for a Tuesday!) and he bought me flowers. We spent the evening hanging out and studying.
12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day?
I didn't ask for anything - V-day isn't really that important to me. I would rather celebrate on our anniversary or birthdays. But, that being said, I don't mind a little recognition of the day anyway.
13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.
Our rule has always been: Share everything - good, bad, embarrassing. We've found that even if we don't really want to talk about it, that eventually a good heart-to-heart makes both of us feel better. T has a remarkable ability to calm me even with my worst worries {even when they come in the middle of the night}.
14. Show us a picture of what love means to you.
The day of our wedding - we had just seen each other for the first time and we were both speechless, soaking in the "this is really happening" moment.
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