Wedding Weekend

What a weekend I had!  Friday evening we met with the priest who will be officiating our wedding ceremony and I had no idea how much paperwork I would have to fill out.  On one questionnaire it asked if I was aware of any relation to the groom and also whether I felt I was being forced into the marriage.  I jokingly told Aaron I thought about putting yes to both; in the small town of Seneca, it seems almost everyone is related somehow, so I always tell Aaron he was lucky to find somebody from a different city.

Here is the church that the wedding this weekend was in and the church we will be getting married in.  It is quite beautiful.

After our meeting we headed to the rehearsal for our friends who got hitched this weekend.  I don't think you could find a more entertaining couple.  In fact, they were the ones who introduced Aaron and I at a Royals game and now look at us!  The rehearsal was full of laughter and love and turned out to be just a preview to what would end up being a beautiful wedding day.  

My hair for the wedding--I absolutely loved it!

It began with a very early start to the day.  I was up at 6:00 in the morning to go get my hair done and drove up on the most beautiful sunrise.  The steeple of the church above looked just magnificent and I wish I would have captured a photo.  Once we were all ready it was time for pictures, lunch and then the ceremony.  Following the ceremony, the bridesmaids, the bride, and a few groomsmen changed into their dancing shoes for the evening--cowboy boots.  The day flew by and lots of laughter, sunlight, wonderful weather, family, friends, and dancing added up to a pretty darn good time!  I can only hope my wedding day goes as smoothly.

The beautiful bride, Jo, and I.

My future groom and I :D

My dancing shoes for the evening.   These were a Christmas present from Aaron last year and this was the first time I wore them.  He gave me a hard time for it but I told him a city girl has to have an occasion to wear boots.

A Day for Baking

One more evening of work tonight and then I am off for a few days with a very busy weekend ahead. Tomorrow evening I have a meeting with the priest who will be officiating our wedding followed by the rehearsal for my dear friend Ashley's wedding.  I am so excited to be a part of her big day and cannot wait to dance the night away at her wedding dance.  Sunday I am scheduled to work, but before I go in I plan on making an appearance at Cider Days.  I look forward to Cider Days every year.  In fact, I am certain that I have had it written in my calendar since March or April.  I am ready for this fun-filled weekend!

In the meantime, I have a few recipes for you to try should you have a sweet tooth right now.  My parents are going camping this weekend and my mom requested I bake a few treats for them and while I was in the kitchen I decided to whip up a chocolate cake to take to work this evening.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting (known as "choco choco" in our household)

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups cold water
2 tablespoons white vinegar

Frosting:
1 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar, divided
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 cup softened butter
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.  Add the liquids, adding the vinegar last.  Grease and flour a 9x12 inch pan.  Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.  Let cool before frosting.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup boiling water
2 cup quick cooking oats
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I use the mini ones)

Beat butter, sugars, and vanilla until light and fluffy.  Add flour and salt; mix well.  Dissolve baking soda in boiling water and add to mixture.  Stir in oats and chocolate chips.  Drop by teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Power Muffins-Blueberry+Greek Yogurt+Oatmeal

Find the recipe here.

I had a busy day in the kitchen.  Have a good weekend!

America the Beautiful

Many hospitals have a nurse residency program for new nurses to be a part of when they begin their career to help them feel more comfortable in a new setting.  It just so happens that  the hospital I work for has exactly this program.  On Tuesday, I was in class from 7:30 to 4 which meant I had an early start to my two days off.  It felt like an extended weekend and it was so refreshing.

I headed up to Aaron's place in the country with my computer, the first disc of Season 1 of Game of Thrones (my dad has been trying to get me hooked), and my book.  My days were pretty quiet since Aaron was at work but I enjoyed my time nonetheless.  

I was able to make some headway in my book, We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver.  It's the December book club choice but it was available at the library so I snagged it and it's proving to be very good.  The rest of my time was spent indulging in House Hunters on HGTV, making dinner, doing dishes, and wedding planning.  On Wednesday, I took a stroll through the pasture and captured the image below.

Wednesday was a day that brings back so many memories of heartache for the people of our country.  I remember sitting in my 7th grade gifted classroom when another teacher came in and said the World Trade Center had been attacked as she turned on the television.  I had no idea what the World Trade Center was, but what I saw on the news that morning is a moment that is forever etched in my mind.  My heart hurts for the lives that were lost and the lives that were forever altered by that senseless act of terrorism.

That being said, I think the way our country came together on that day and continues to do so in times of despair shows the world what we are capable of.  For us as Americans, that day was not about political parties, religion, or race.  That day we were human beings who hurt for each other and helped those in need despite our differences beliefs.  We can argue day in and day out about gun control, healthcare, and taxes, but in times of need we are there for each other.

I am proud to be an American citizen and stand up for what I believe in.  I commend each and every individual who fights for our country.  I am proud to be the cousin, grand-daughter, niece, and friend of members of the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines.  I am proud to work at a veteran's hospital and give back to those who have given up so much for me to be able to feel safe.  God bless the U.S.A. and may we never forget how blessed we are.

The Season of Beginning

"Aprils have never meant much to me, autumns seem that season of beginning, spring."

-Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany's

I love autumn and while I know it has yet to officially arrive, in my mind it is here.  The smells, the colors, the food, the festivals, the football-I love it all!  To me autumn means:

• Pumpkin-pumpkin donuts, pumpkin candles, pumpkin lotion, pumpkin carving, pumpkin anything
• Jeans, sweaters, and boots
• Corn mazes
• Crisp air that leaves your cheeks with that just flushed look
• Football games and tailgating-Rock Chalk Jayhawk! 
• New school supplies-something I don't get to do anymore and it makes me quite sad
• Fall festivals
• Warm drinks and bonfires
• Apple cider and caramel apples
• And best of all, October (my favorite month) and Christmas (my favorite holiday) are just around the corner

Here is a list of things I hope to do this autumn:

• Carve a pumpkin
• Go to the corn maze
• Tailgate for a football game
• Drink lots of cider and maybe visit the Louisburg Cider Mill
• Go to Cider Days, the Apple Festival, and the Maple Leaf Festival
• Bake my sweet friend Molly's Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread (yummy!)

And lastly, a look back at past autumn festivities.  Enjoy!

The beautiful colors of the leaves.

Pumpkin carving--mine is on the left and the mister's is on the right.

Apple nachos I made for a pumpkin carving party in college.  They were tasty!

Some of my lovely friends and I at the corn maze :)

My youngest brother and I at a KU football game 5 years ago (I absolutely cannot believe this picture was that long ago!)

The wonderfully delightful autumn scents I stocked up on at Bath and Body Works.  I also got a candle.

TGIF

It's Friday and thank goodness for that!  I think that is how most people who work in the real world feel on this lovely afternoon.  Being a nurse, especially a new nurse, my weekends off are few and far between.  In fact, I do not have a weekend off until September 21st and that is because I requested it off since one of my dear friends just so happens to be getting hitched that day. Sadly, it isn't even a full weekend because I work the Sunday after.

Here's how I got asked to be a part of her big day.  Pretty cute and, in my opinion, you cannot go wrong with a bottle of Moscato! :)

When I graduated, I knew I wanted to continue to work with the geriatric population (I love old folks), and a position opened up on the unit I wanted so I took it.  The shift is 3:30 to midnight, which is great since I am a morning person.  I go straight to bed when I get home and then get up at a decent enough time to have most of the day to get everything on my "to do" list checked off.  However, I have come to the conclusion that it sucks in terms of having any sort of normal social interaction.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the people I work with and the patients on my unit, but I also would like to spend an evening having dinner with a friend or spend a Saturday afternoon at a family get together.  My days off generally fall in the middle of the week when those of you who work in the real world spend all day working and want to relax as soon as you get home.  It doesn't help that the future husband and I are on completely opposite schedules, so most of our days consist of a text when we get a chance and a 30 minute phone conversation on my lunch break.  Can you tell I am having a hard time adjusting?

I know I will get used to it eventually and, as always, adjustment takes time, but I am not a very patient person (ask my mother).  For now, I am pushing through and making it work the best that I can.  I love my job and I am thankful and fortunate to have a job at a wonderful hospital working with a population that is near and dear to my heart.

I am so glad that it is Friday for most of you and I hope you have wonderful weekend!

Book Review: Life of Pi

Earlier this year, the writer of one of the blogs I read pretty regularly had the brilliant idea of starting a book club.  She had her readers vote on the top 12 books they wanted to read and each book was assigned a month.  To check out the book club at The Life of Bon go here. 

With my last semester of nursing school underway at the beginning of this year, my reading for personal pleasure was non-existent.  My nose was spent in books about critical care nursing and leadership and management.  Then May came around, I graduated and had TONS of free time on my hands-commence reading!

I'm trying to read each book on The Life of Bon's list, but I'm not necessarily doing them in the correct order. However, I did finish up the Life of Pi by Yann Martel a couple weeks ago just in time for the August discussion.

I had been wanting to read this book since the movie was up for so many Academy Awards and I am a firm believer in reading the book before watching the movie.  When I first started the Life of Pi, I made the mistake of not reading the introduction or preface (NOTE: if you choose to read Life of Pi, read the intro or you will be beyond confused).  I was lost, so I went back and read the introduction and the book began to make slightly more sense.  However, this was a very hard book for me to get into.

The character of Pi ends up lost at sea on a lifeboat with a tiger named Richard Parker.  His family was on their way to Canada with a variety of zoo animals when a storm struck and the ship sunk leaving Pi alone in the middle of the ocean not knowing whether his family had survived or not.  Pi's perseverance and faith astounded me.

Overall, Life of Pi was a good novel; it did get better the further along I read and it also become much easier to understand.  Now I can watch the movie!

This Fairy Tale Life

I suppose you could say that I have been a member of the blogging community for quite some time now. There are many blogs I follow faithfully, but this is my first time blogging and I am beyond excited to get started!

Now, do not let the blog title fool you.  My life does not in any way, shape, or form consist of unicorns, castles, or princesses.  However, I do think my life is my own unique version of a fairy tale and there are bits and pieces I want to share along the way.

I love reading and have created a list of books to read this year, so I will most definitely be letting you know what I think of them.  I also enjoy baking and crafting and may or may not share a few recipes or crafts that I try in my free time (disclaimer: I am not a professional baker or crafter-my profession does not require either skill).  Lastly, I am about to begin the BIGGEST adventure of my life thus far; next August I will become the wife of the man of my dreams and there is a ton of wedding planning to go!

My fairy tale is just beginning and I cannot wait to share each exciting, scary, sad, and funny moment with you!

My future husband and I at the Sandbar in Lawrence, KS.  It is one of my all time favorite places and if you haven't been you need to go.  Try the Shark Attack; you won't regret it.