Category Archives: Life

Festival of Lights

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Yesterday was Diwali, which is the Indian festival of lights! It is also the observance of good over evil and is celebrated with clay lamps lit, sweets eaten, and in the company of those you love.

Diwali literally translates to “row of lamps” and so it is customary to light clay lamps along your pathway, in and around your home.

Since it was our first Diwali in our new home, REB and I celebrated! We had some delicious food for dinner, some sweets (I made his favorite – homemade kheer [Indian rice pudding] and we bought Jalebi (jah-lay-bee) [Indian version of a funnel cake]) and we lit some clay lamps outside! :)

Here are some scenes:

I hope you all have a wonderful year full of light, joy and happiness!

Current Favorites and Other Scenes from the Weekend

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Currently I’m loving….:

This mug:

Using this mug on Saturday during our release:

All these teas. Yes, all:

Skinny Peppermint Mocha’s from Bucky’s:

…And laughing because they never seem to get my name right…

Making my hubby a welcome-home dinner of homemade mac and cheese:

Making a mess in the kitchen is totally worth it for someone you love :)

This L’Oreal nail color titled Now You Sea Me:

…That’s already chipping despite their 10-day guarantee…

All the people I work with who I spent 12 hours with on Saturday during the release:

…And who I got loopy with when the 11th hour of work came around:

This half-order, nosh-sized [read: thinner bread, less filling] #38 from Zingermans Deli:

Finding bugs like it’s my job (bad joke):

Seeing every task sticky drop into Task Complete after 12 hours of work:

The continuing scandals of the 1900s in Downton Abbey in Season 2:

 

Being able to relax after a somewhat stressful weekend this way:

How was your weekend?

Good Bad Good

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Happy Monday, friends! How was everyone’s weekend? I had quite the busy weekend and some of you may have seen the evidence of that from my Instagram, which was overflowing with pics all weekend long!

The weekend started out great by having Friday off to drive up to the northern mitten for a friend’s wedding. Me and Amber left early Friday morning (after a quick pitstop at Tarjay to get some accessories) and then made the 4 1/2 hour trip up to Charlevoix, MI!

The weather was anything but pretty: gray, gloomy and rainy. BUT with the right company, any road trip is fun. DJ Amber kept the tunes upbeat (and threw back to the 90s quite a bit – WIN!) and it made the drive enjoyable and fun. We reached Charlevoix, which is exactly what the photo says: quaint. It’s old money so the houses are lavish, there aren’t many people, and I think really, it’s where people from down state go visit over the summer. Regardless, it’s a cute town. We met up with two of Amber’s friends, who were also invited to the wedding (she and one of the girls work with the bride) and got a quick bite to eat. Then we set off to get ready for the big event!

We beautified ourselves while watching Ellen and sipping some woodsy vino, then did what every girl does: take 9374893 photos of each other and got to the hall via complimentary shuttle bus!

We met up with the other girls, who by the way, are two of the craziest  most fun girls ever! But they went to State, so it’s pretty much a given, right? ;)

The wedding was beautiful! Our friend Sarah looked absolutely stunning and the ceremony was short, simple and to the point: my kind of wedding! It was meaningful and you can tell all the cute details Sarah put into the entire day!

The reception was a lot of fun. Then again, any wedding with open bar is deemed fun in my book. The pair provided a photobooth, which ended up being our favorite thing to do after a few drinks were thrown back. But really, it was just a good time with fun girls dancing, drinking and seeing how happy the newly married couple were! <3 Gah, I get so emotional and giddy about weddings!

Congrats Sarah and Doug! We’re all so happy for you both and wish you endless years of love and happiness! Thanks for letting me be part of your special day! xoxo

So the next day, slightly hungover and filled up on coffee and carbs, we headed back to A2. We got home in time for the Michigan State-UM game at 3:30. I don’t need to go into details of this game. kthx.

It was, hands down, one of the worst games played on both teams parts.  Mostly, I want to forget it ever happened. This just isn’t Michigan State’s year and it shows. Badly. But the day wasn’t a total wash. I drowned my sorrows with a full DVR to catch up on: Project Runway finale, Top Model and the weekly Greys episode! Then I headed over to Amber and Richard’s to watch Insidious. The movie scared the living daylights out of me and re-affirmed my belief that I shouldn’t have kids.

The weekend ended on a good note, though. I bought a LivingSocial a while back for visiting a corn maze, hay ride and pumpkin patch near us, for two, for $9! So REB and I headed out to Dexter, MI to the Blast Corn Maze and had a fun little afternoon.

We finished the maze in about 15 minutes, using my nerdy hubby’s algorithm of “always go right”, picked up a few pumpkins for front-porch decor and also carving, and also saw some cute farm animals. We drove around A2 after that taking in the colors, and seeing some beautiful houses on the edge of town.

So the weekend was good, bad and then good again. I feel like I have another busy weekend coming up this weekend, but I’m hoping my weekends die down. I think I put too much on myself for the weekends and then end up feeling drained the whole week after…and before the NEXT weekend that comes. But at least they’ve been fun weekends!

Have you gotten pumpkins yet?
What are you favorite fall activities? 

Birthday Weekend Part Two

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Well, I’m officially a year older and a year wiser! The big 2-9. Only one more year until the next big milestone in my life since turning 21!

Part two of celebrating birthdays happened this past weekend and it was such a fun time, so as promised, I will share it with you!

It all started on Friday after work. REB got some tickets from RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) for the hockey game against Michigan. This past weekend was homecoming at Michigan, but it also had a homecoming event for the hockey game against RIT. So he got tickets for the two of us plus two of his coworkers. He and one of the coworkers came over and we were famished so we decided to get a bite before heading to the arena.

REB suggested tacos and it was a no brainer that we went to TMaz Tacqueria. My friend Amber introduced me to TMaz and I refuse to go any place else for tacos now. It’s seriously the best, authentic tacqueria in town and so ridiculously cheap!

I opted for two black bean and two potato tacos. They are so legit. I’m not even kidding. I can’t even begin to thank Amber enough for introducing me to this place! And for re-affirming REB to Mexican food. Like, legit Mexican food (he isn’t a fan usually, but he’s sold!)

After that, we headed to Yost Arena for the RIT/Michigan game!

RIT lost, but it was a valiant effort. They actually won on Friday night, so it ended up being a 1-1 series. I didn’t care who won, but was rooting for my hubs’ alma mater. The Michigan student section there was cracking me up! They have so many chants, it’s like a workout for the entire game.

The fun weekend continued on Saturday! REB’s uncles came down to see our house and also brought us brunch!

They made two vegetarian crustless quiches (one spinach and feta, and one just egg and feta) and also that delicious Bavarian cream cake with almonds. We drank some wine, chit-chatted and some how decided that REB and I would be hosting Thanksgiving in our home this year instead of theirs! I’m so thrilled to have family over in our new home, and entertain such a big event! I can’t wait :)

So Saturday night we had dinner reservations at this amazing wine place downtown called Vinology. They’re known for their immense collection of wine and small plates and unique take on food. I love this place. Two of my friends couldn’t come since they were sick (something is definitely going around!), but Amber, REB and I headed down there for a most delicious meal.

I realized  after the fact that I had forgotten to take any pictures of the actual meal. Trust me, though. It was delicious. I got the smaller portion of their sweet potato samosas and also got some pita tostadas. It was muy delicioso.

The weekend ended on Sunday with football (of course), watching the Tigers ALCS Game 2 (we’re 2-0 right now, woohoo!), watching Space Jump (so cool!) and doing a bit of shopping with Amber for sweaters.

All in all, I can’t complain one bit about my birthday weekend. It was fun, made me feel special and was unforgettable. Thank you, to all of you, for all the birthday wishes, too! <3

Have you ever hosted Thanksgiving dinner?

Birthday Weekend Part One

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Hello friends!

I hope everyone has been doing well. I feel like I don’t give enough love to the bloggy, but things are just so busy! [broken record]

Regardless, I think October is officially the busiest month we ever have because there are so many birthdays to celebrate!! So for two weeks out of the month, every year, we celebrate birthdays of those near and dear to us.

Last weekend was my dad’s birthday and REB’s birthday and mine is coming up this weekend!

On Saturday October 6 (my dad’s birthday), my parents came down so we could treat my dad to some delicious Ethiopian food at Blue Nile in downtown Ann Arbor.

For those of you who follow me on Instagram or Twitter, I’m sure you’ve seen the food I take pictures of there. We always get the Vegetarian Feast, which is unlimited portioned out veggie curries, plus all you can eat of the delicious Injera bread. My parents really enjoyed it and I think they also had a fun time at the restaurant trying Ethiopian food for the first time! The great thing is that it’s so similar to Indian food since they share a lot of the same spices and cooking methods. My mom, being some what of a picky eater, found this to be very much to her liking. Another great part to the weekend was being able to see my aunt, who was visiting my parents for a few weeks! The last time I saw her was at my wedding a year ago.

The night ended with looking at photos of their adventures showing my aunt around the mitten! I’m so glad she had a nice visit and was able to see just how beautiful parts of Michigan are.

So on Sunday I took a break from birthday celebrations so I could play photographer to my friends Amber and Richard. They are quite the gorgeous couple and it was so much fun finding new locations for photos and also letting them be celebrities for a day! They have really become two of REB and my closest, nicest friends here in A2 and we’re grateful to have friends like this close to home.

No lie, I am really proud of these photos! Some of you may know that I’m trying to start up a photography business on the side of the every day 9-to-5. My web site, Aparna Photography, is still a work in progress, but I seriously can’t wait to showcase these photos and the senior photos I did for a friend’s niece last month, on the site! It’s also really nice having friends who are open to your ideas for photos, and having them be creative and coming up with their own! Thanks Amber and Richard! I’ll gladly photograph you two any time you want :)

Oh and if you want to see all the photos, check them out here on my photo Facebook page!

When I was done playing photographer, I went home, started editing, but took a break to prepare REB’s birthday breakfast! His birthday is October 8, and my office was closed for Columbus Day. He also took the day off because we wanted to spend the day together but also do my birthday present to me that he got me (more on that in a second..).

I made baked French toast for his birthday breakfast and prepped everything the night before so the batter could sit overnight with the bread.

I followed the basic recipe on Annie Eats web site, but only changed two things: I used half a loaf of Challah instead of a French baguette, and I used skim milk instead of half-and-half. I don’t know if these changes made a big difference, because it tasted pretty good to us! :)

So once we were done with breakfast and cleaned the kitchen, we headed out for my birthday present. My birthday isn’t until this weekend, October 13 (dyscalculia Halloween!), but apparently what he had in store for me could only be done on week days.

Best surprise ever!! I’ve been wanting to go horseback riding for the longest time and even though about putting it on my 31 before 30 list, but decided not to. I should have, because then I could have crossed it off. Either way, this was a really fun day at a privately owned stable and horse training area about 40 min from our house.

The ladies who teach lessons and take care of the horses were so nice! We got a one hour private lesson where we learned how to brush a horse (there are four three different kinds of brushes!), how to properly get hold of a horses leg so you can clean out the hooves (they are HEAVY) and also how to properly bridle and saddle a horse before getting on. They also taught us how to steer on the horse, give commands, and how to achieve trust between you and horse. The hour flew by! The horses were two of the sweetest creatures I’ve ever been around. They’re a little intimidating since they’re so big, but they were so gentle and kept wanting peppermints. REB actually took lessons when he was a kid. Although he hasn’t ridden in like 18 years, it all came back to him when got up there.

So there we have it! Our birthday weekend part one. Stay tuned for part two where we celebrate my birthday this coming weekend. REB and I are five days apart and celebrating birthdays are always a fun time. This weekend I’ll be seeing some family, and then seeing friends at night for a fun dinner out on the town!

What are some of your favorite birthday celebrations?

31 Before 30

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Ah yes, it’s that time. In exactly one year and three weeks (that’s 386 days y’all!) I’ll be turning the big 3-0 and unlike the stereotype, I’m not really freaking out about it. We all get older! That’s a fact. Just embrace it and hang on for the ride! I’ll welcome 30 with open arms.

So it’s time to make the obligatory list of things I hope to achieve before the milestone birthday rolls around. I’m hoping to achieve 31 things. Why 31? In Indian culture even numbers are bad, so how about a challenge to do one more than the usual? I don’t know if I’ll do all of them, but I’ll be more than satisfied if I could even do just half!

In no particular order, here we go:

1. Run a race (Specifically this one…but any 5K would be good!) – (completed 4/6/13)

2. Get ooga’d in Rose City, MI – (completed 3/22/13)

3. Work on the house (paint, buy decor, whatever! – hello Pinterest) – (completed 2012-2013 – fence put in, rooms painted, pictures hung!)

4. Trip to Stowe, VT in April with REB to family time share. I freaking LOVE Vermont <3

5. Learn to ski or snowboard while in Stowe

6.  Start a garden and maintain it

7.  Host any kind of shower (bridal or baby) or party for a friend or family member – (pampered one of my pregnant bestie’s to a day of beauty and rest, which I consider to be like hosting her a party ;) completed 4/27/13)

8. Work on gaining more exposure for photography business – (completed 3/23/13)

9. Book & photograph a wedding – (completed 3/23/13)

10. Do a portrait session in Detroit

11. Go on a hot air balloon ride

12. Visit seester in Chicago more than twice a year

13. Go one week without TV – (completed 3/6/13 – 3/13/13)

14. Redesign blog and logo – (completed 11-29-12)

15. Ride 500 miles on my bike

16. Attend a Red Wings hockey game

17. Learn how to change a tire

18. Cut caffeine out of diet for one week (this means you, coffee!) – (completed 1/5/13 – 1/12/13)

19. Go vegan for one week (I’ll miss you Greek yogurt :-[…)

20. Go camping (backyard doesn’t count bahaha)

21. Attend a Steelers game at Heinz Field (black and yellow!)

22. Go to Cedar Point (been far too long <3)

23. Buy this camera (time to upgrade!) – (completed 5/19/13)

24. Sell one or more of my photography prints on Etsy

25. Prepare and cook at least two recipes from of each cookbook I own

26. Host a vegetarian + wine pairing dinner party for friends…or just a wine tasting party

27. Read 31 books

28. Try a new DIY project each month – hello again, Pinterest!

29. Create a meal entirely out of farmers market finds

30. Replace my Mac (mine has seen better days) — (completed 1-4-13)

31. Trip to NYC with bestie for 30th birthday celebrations (we’ve been planning for a year, so you know it’s going to be good!)

Like I said, if I can complete even half, I will be pretty happy. Stay tuned and check back to see what I’ve crossed off the list!

Have any of you made a bucket list before?
What’s on your list?

Biking. Bees. Football.

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I would say Happy Monday to everyone, but Mondays are gross and I don’t welcome them with happiness.
However, I will say this: I had quite the good night’s sleep last night. The first in a very long set of nights. I don’t know why I can’t sleep well. I go to bed at a decent hour every night and get well between 6-8 hours of sleep each night! I honestly think we need a new bed. But I digress.

How was everyone’s weekend? Ours was…good. It had a lot of ups and downs actually.

As most of you probably already know, REB and I participated in the Tour de Troit in Detroit over the weekend. It’s a bike ride through the city. There were two rides to choose from: the 62-mile metric which was more hardcore and more like a race. Then one we did: the 30-mile leisure ride through the city.

But first, the weekend kicked off with a date night downtown at one of our favorite breweries, Grizzly Peak. It was a beautiful night downtown and also very busy since it was a home game weekend for Michigan (who killed the Minute Men I might add). Nevertheless, we enjoyed waiting outside while we waited for our table.

Even though I am not a fan of the school here, I can’t deny how fun the downtown atmosphere of Ann Arbor is. Especially in the summer and fall! It’s like a big, little city and we love it here. We ordered a few beers (I got a pale ale and he got an amber – both local), then we split some warm pretzel sticks for an appetizer, then split dinner: he got the chickpea sandwich and I got a margherita pizza. Delicious!

We went home after walking around a little bit, relaxed and hit the hay early since we had to be up very early to make it down to the D before the ride began!

The Tour de Troit starts at the iconic Michigan Central Station: the old train station in town. The same guy who designed this building also designed Grand Central Terminal in NYC. It’s so sad to see MCS in the state it’s in now :( It closed down in the mid-80s, but apparently people still sneak in there (risking receiving a trespassing citation!) to get some beautiful shots of the city and the architecture inside.

We got there super early to pick up our packets and also enjoy the light yogurt, granola and fruit they were offering as a quick breakfast. The metric began at 8 a.m., an hour before we started our ride, and then by 9:30 we were off!

 We were two of 5000+ people who rode that day! We rode all over Detroit, through some run down places, but also through some beautiful neighborhoods with huge homes still occupied today. It was a really fun way to see the city, and safe because it was a completely closed course that was also police-escorted.

We had a few stops here and there, but the main stop was on Belle Isle Park where they provided us with apples, bananas, granola bars and Viatmin Water to fuel up. We opted for the fruit, and packed our own bars in the back of our bike shirts. I also downed a ton of water during that stop. It was 18 miles to Belle Isle, and then another 11 or 12 back to the starting point!

I’ve never been to Belle Isle, but it’s a beautiful little island in the middle of the Detroit River and from there, you can see both Windsor, Canada and Detroit and its skyline!

The race was a lot of fun, but I don’t know if I’d do a leisure ride again. Both REB and I like to maintain a steady speed (he can go REALLY fast. Me? I like to do around 15-16 mph) and because there were so many people going so slow, we couldn’t do that. It took us like 3 hours to complete the whole ride because we averaged about 10 mph. There were pockets where we could go on the outside and speed up, but I don’t know. Cruising around isn’t really my thing on a bike, I came to find out. But hey! It was a fun way to see the city, do an extended ride for the first time and also a pretty good workout!

The rest of the weekend was spent trying to take pictures of bees in mid-flight – which is VERY hard to do – and also watch football! It was just not my weekend for football this weekend. Michigan State lost to Notre Lame and I was pretty pissed. I wasn’t happy, it was awful, and I don’t want to talk about it.

My fantasy team didn’t do as well as it could have either since all my players decided to get hurt or not show up to play ball. I didn’t do terrible, but last week was a lot better.

All in all, not a horrible weekend, but I wish it could have been better sports-wise ;) I hope this week in football makes me happier!

Lots to look forward to this week and weekend too. One of my best friends is celebrating her 30th birthday and she and I are finally doing a girls night together! Should be a lot of fun!

Does anyone else take football as seriously as I do? 

Healthy from A-to-Z

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I promise PROMISE to upload the pics from our vacation from the northern mitten and give a full break down of how it all went, soon. I took so many photos, so I’m in the process of editing those! So for now, I’ll treat you to a dose of my healthy a-to-z! I saw this on Andrea’s blog and just had to participate! She and I see eye to eye on a lot of these ;) P.S. If you haven’t visited her blog yet, you freaking need to. She’s one of my healthy heroes (among others!)..!

A – Antioxidants…especially these blue beauts!

B – Biking! I’m officially obsessed and love pretending to be Andy Schlek alongside my Lance Armstrong. We’re taking over the streets of Ann Arbor! We’re also doing the Tour de Troit September 15. I seriously can’t wait.

C – Couscous. I haven’t cooked it a lot, but I do know I like it. Whether it’s Israeli (pearled) or traditional, I’m always trying to create new recipes using it like this recent creation of Caprese Israeli couscous!

D - Derriere. I married a man who likes big butts and he can not lie. Mine isn’t like the ones in the video – haha – but squats and lunges are a big part in helping me have what he refers to as a nice one ;)

E – Edamame. An incredible source of protein and great to add to salads! There’s always a bag of it in my freezer.

F – Fiber! I crave it, I love it, I’m not ashamed to admit it.

G – Greek Yogurt. It’s my go-to breakfast, snack, dessert, you name it. Plain yogurt topped with natural granola and fruit is the only way to fly (for me anyway…)

H – Hiking! I got bitten by the hiking bug while we were up north with our friends (who we rented the cottage with). We hiked the sand dunes up there and my friend and I even did a little trail running for part of it!

I – Indulge. I allow myself to indulge every now and then. Life is about having fun and not feeling guilty if you want to eat something you’ve been craving. The one thing I love to make when we feel like indulging is mac and cheese. No lie, I’ve kind of mastered this recipe and the most recent one I made (Wednesday night) was a winner! Baked mac and goat cheese with a Panko-thyme topping!

J – Jillian Michaels. Before our wedding, REB and I did the 30 Day Shred six days a week as well as other workouts to get in shape. I have a love-hate relationship with her, but there’s no denying that her program works!

K – Kale. My salads are naked without it.

L – Low-carb diet. It’s what I live by. With this and the addition of daily exercise, I was able to shed major pounds pre-wedding and have managed to keep it off and maintain a healthy weight for more than a year.

M – Meditate. I try to do some kind of meditation every single day. It might just be 10 minutes standing outside my patio in the backyard, watching the sun come up, trying yoga, or the 5 minutes I get to  think by myself while waiting for the bus. The point is: just stop yourself from your busy day, clear you mind, and think. Meditation is healthy for the mind, body and soul.

N – New Balance. My feet love to run in them.

O – Organic. Both REB and I love to buy local from the farmers, and buy organic. I can’t wait to start a garden in our newly-fenced backyard!

P – Protein. It’s vital part of any diet, but being a vegetarian means having to find other means of protein that isn’t meat. My go-to’s are tofu, eggs, lentils and tempeh!

Q – Quinoa. Hard to think of something better for Q ;) I need to use it more in recipes, but I do love the texture and flavor. Plus you can’t beat the source of protein and fiber it has!

R – Running. Enough said.

S – Snacking healthy. I eat six smaller meals a day instead of three large ones. I’ve found this helps with the low-carb diet, daily exercise and my metabolism. Afternoon snacks help me get through the 3 o’clock slump at work.

T – TEA! My drawer at work is filled with boxes and boxes of flavored teas, homemade chai mixture and green tea. Plus my office kitchens have a cupboard stocked with all kinds of tea too! Hot or cold, I’m drinking the good stuff.

U – Unconventional. Some might say this about me. I don’t follow a strict workout plan every day or week, or a meal plan every day or week. But I do what works for me and it seems to work great!

V – Vegetarian! I’m going on 7 years of being meat-free and REB is going on 12 years. We love it and have adapted pretty well to this lifestyle. It helps being in a city that agrees with this lifestyle too! I fully believe you can lead a healthier lifestyle by switching to a vegetarian diet. I’ll repeat this mantra every day :)

W – Water. I strive for 100 oz. a day! It’s important for my body and health.

X – X-Plain Back Exercises. I suffer from horrible lower back pain. These exercises are great and work even better with weights.

Y – Youth. Stealing this from Andrea, but my trick to “staying young” is a plant-based diet, drinking lots of water, exercising and taking my vitamins! I’m ready for you, 30 ;)

Z – Zest. I love to cook with and live my life with zest. You only live once, so make it a good one!

What does your health alphabet look like?
Share yours! I’d love to read it. 

Northern Mitten

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This how we Michiganders do it! It’s a blessing having your state be the shape of a hand. It’s easy to tell people where you’re from, and we already accept the weird looks we’re likely to receive because of this.

I’ll be MIA for the next week! REB and I are finally taking a long vacation to end the summer right. We’re heading up to beautiful northern Michigan with Gryff, Amber, her hubby and their two dogs and renting a cottage right on the lake! It’s going to be glorious. Plans include: the sand dunes, hiking, runs, bike rides, wine tasting (YES!), Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island and all around fun with friends.

I’ll be sure to give highlights when I’m back! But for now, I need to go through the two (yes, two!) lists I made to ensure I don’t forget anything. I thank Sarah for giving me the list-making bug ;)

Have a good weekend everyone!

Year of Bliss

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There it is. The big O-N-E year anniversary!

After the busyness of the trip to Dallas, it was so nice to spend three wonderful days with REB celebrating our first anniversary.

I can’t believe it’s already been a year! Where did the time go? It feels like it just whooshed on by us without a second look. So much has happened since then, and I’m so grateful for all of it!

We decided earlier in the year, after we bought our house, that the deed/title to our house was going to be our “paper” gift to each other. So we didn’t exchange gifts and instead, spent the entire weekend together, not taking calls from anyone or using our phones (except to upload some pics to share with you ;)) so he and I could really just focus on each other.

I was welcomed home from Dallas by the four-legged fur kid and then immediately had to do some work for a few hours. REB was nice enough to get us some Indian take out so I could work and not think about anything else. Delicious! I was also glad to be home in the land of 70-degree weather. The 104 crap I was having in Dallas was getting old.

On Saturday we just chilled at home, did some work around the house, ran a few errands, and enjoyed time on our deck drinking wine and reading.

We also did some photo-related projects for me, but I’ll write it up in another post. I will say that it might have something to do with how I made that sign you see there in the first picture ;)

On Sunday I booked REB and I couples massages at the same place I got my hurr did for the wedding (and where I go to get my hurr did all the time) and it was a-ma-zing. Our girls were so good at what they did and got all these knots out I didn’t even know I had! Note to self: book more massages!

After we were thoroughly relaxed and light headed, we chilled a bit at the spa and then headed downtown for brunch.

I had a LivingSocial coupon for brunch for two (plus two cocktails) at Grange Kitchen and Bar. We’ve never been here before but their brunch menu, and menu in general, is all about free range food, organically grown and then made for you!

I started my meal with a Michigan Mary (our version of a Bloody Mary) and we got some spicy fried chickpeas for the table. REB ordered the bourbon and bubbles (not pictured) for his cocktail…and my oh my…it was bourbon-y! I ordered the goat cheese omelet which comes with veggies and potatoes and sausage. Since we don’t eat meat, they gave me more veggies – delish! REB got a vegetarian hash that was so good! I ended the meal with a mimosa. By then, I was feeling pretty good, so we walked down to get some fro yo and walked around downtown taking in the beautiful day!

We had to get home though, because my friend Nick of Round Town Cupcakes (who did our wedding cupcakes),  was delivering our anniversary cake that afternoon! He had given us some cupcakes on our wedding day for us to freeze, but we kind of ate them during the week – whoops. So he agreed to make us a new cake: a giant cupcake, with a flavor not on their menu (but now is) and he even made it Indian-themed for us! It was PERFECT.

He and his mother always amaze me with their creations and designs. The cake was delicious by the way, but I think it’s easy to tell that it was ;) The rest of Sunday was spent relaxing, going on a long bike ride (hooray!) and me doing some much-needed laundry!

On our actual anniversary, Monday the 20th, we slept in (also much needed), cleaned a bit, and relaxed at home. We played with Gryff in the backyard, got ready for the work day. We got ready at night though to head downtown for our dinner reservation at The Earle. It’s this French/Italian restaurant in town that changes their menu every season and it’s just delicious. We ordered a bottle of wine, got some appetizers, ordered some dinner, had some dessert and even got a gift certificate for them for our anniversary – so sweet!

All in all, it was the perfect end to an all-too perfect weekend with my love. I can’t believe it’s been a year already, but it’s been a wonderful year!

From the wedding <3

I fell in love with a guy from my high school, who became my best friend, who understands me better than anyone and loves me for who I am. I feel like the luckiest girl and can’t wait to celebrate more anniversaries with him.

Married or not, how long have you been w/ your significant other?