Lately

I haven't done a huge update post in a while but life has been just as hectic as always!

I got to chaperone the trip to state basketball and it was a fun game, even though we lost!

Husband finally got a chance to put together our Christmas present from my parents now that it's finally nice weather and he has grilled out quite a few times! I will never complain about a delicious steak on my plate :)

We got rid of the old fan in our bedroom because the blades no longer turned...

And here is our new fan! And the blades turn! It ended up that poor husband had to rewire something and put something somewhere else... he finally got it all taken care of, at least :) what a handyman I married!

As far as my health is concerned, not a lot has changed. I guess I haven't really updated since my initial problems, so here's a giant update. I got a CT scan mid-February and it showed nothing. So I went to a gastroenterologist and they ordered up a colonoscopy and endoscopy for me. Those both looked normal, so they did biopsies of my stomach and intestines, and nothing there either. They tested for Crohn's and Celiac, both came back negative. The colonoscopy prep wasn't horrible because I did a liquid diet for two days prior, rather than just one. I felt like I was dying the entire time I had to do the prep, but the prep only lasted about 6 hours, so I was feeling decent again by about 9 pm and I still got a full night's sleep! I only did about half the prep and I was still good to go so I would highly recommend a 48 hour liquid diet to anyone who has to get this done! Sorry if it's an overshare, but I figure someone somewhere is going to read this and will be glad they did :)

The day after my colonoscopy I had stomach pain that was about a 9/10. I tried to make it through work but it just wasn't happening, so I made it through half the day and went to the ER. They X-rayed my abdomen to make sure my stomach and/or intestines weren't perforated during the colonoscopy - scary! Luckily, it was just super strong stomach pain and nothing was perforated :) They hooked me up with more fluids (I never have enough fluids, apparently) and some pretty decent pain meds, and as they were getting ready to send me home, my mom goes, "I think you're allergic to the pain meds..." I looked spotted. Like a dehydrated, pink dalmatian. So they got some Zyrtec in me and sent me on my way!

So far, they've tested me for Ebola, measles, pregnancy (a million times), hepatitis, Celiac, ulcers, pancreatitis, Crohn's, and cancer. They've tested my blood about 10 different times, plus my urine and stool. I've had a CT scan, colonoscopy, endoscopy, and X-ray, and they have absolutely zero answers. So frustrating!

That's all that's new at the band life house. Husband finished up his final two concerts of the year and we both helped with the choir's musical review show! We only spent one day of rehearsal under a tornado watch, so that's not bad, right? ;) He's now on summer break, and I'm a little jealous when I'm getting up to go to work at 6 am and he is still comfy cozy in bed! But I guess we're even, because I definitely don't envy his 5 am rehearsals during marching band season...

Things That Change When You Get Married

I tell people that marriage makes problems worse. When you live with someone and know that they have committed to you through thick and thin, it makes things a lot more real and raw. I don't mean this in a bad way at all. If you have problems before marriage, they will probably not get better just because you put a ring on it. If you dislike things about your partner, marriage will not make you magically like those things. And a lot of things change after the I Dos! Here is my (lighthearted) list of what changes after the honeymoon is over...

1. Taking couple selfies every day

I totally admit that I used to take selfies with husband back when he was boyfriend. They weren't even selfies with cool things in the background or in funny poses, just pictures of our faces taking up the entire frame at hockey games, family outings, or just hanging out on the couch. It was part of my way of saying "look how cute we are and how much we hang out!" And I know I'm not the only one guilty of this! But once you get married, people obviously assume you hang out with your spouse. Except for our honeymoon selfies, I've barely taken any compared to how many I took before we got married! I've noticed most married couples really tone down the selfies after they get married also.

2. Cute texts

Pre-marriage, I would text boyfriend "have a good day, I love you and miss you!!" with eight or nine heart emojis at the end. After marriage? "Did you pick up milk?" "What sounds good for dinner?" I actually saw a Buzzfeed video about this very phenomenon. Married-people-texts are 90% informational and 10% romantic.

3. Hand-holding in stores

We still do this, but not nearly as much. When we went grocery shopping before we got married, we would wander the aisles with our fingers intertwined and have cutesy conversations about our favorite cereals. After marriage, it's a divide and conquer situation. "You grab the bread, I'll grab the crackers... and BREAK!"

4. Dating

We still go on dates and we make time for each other, but it's in a very different way. Now, the time I look forward to is laying in bed together before we fall asleep, talking and joking with each other. We don't go out for fancy dinners as much because we aren't trying to impress each other, and because we have a mortgage now ;) dates involve watching Netflix with the cat or chatting while I fold laundry. It's not a bad change, it's just different than before. But as a self-proclaimed homebody, I have absolutely no problems with sitting at home with my better half after a long day at work!

5. SSB

Sex and the City has a whole episode revolving around Secret Single Behavior, or the things that you do when you're single that you would never do in front of someone you're casually dating. In marriage, or at least in our marriage, the SSB is no longer Secret. There is still some mystery to each other, like we don't use the bathroom with the door open. But husband knows way more about my body than I ever thought I would be comfortable sharing even a year ago, thanks to my recent sicknesses. Living with someone who you know won't judge you for various Secret Behaviors really breaks down those walls. With all of the times husband has peeled me off the bathroom floor in the last three months, there's no point in being shy around him anymore!

6. Social media posts

You know those couples that always upload cutesy Tumblr quotes and tag their bf/gf? Or the couples that check themselves and their bf/gf in at every place they go? "BF and GF are at McDonald's! BF and GF are at the gas station!" Living with a person cuts down on the check-in opportunities. Monday: "husband and wife are at home!" Tuesday: "husband and wife are at home!" It's much less exciting. And as I mentioned before, people kiiiinda expect you to be hanging out together.

7. Looking cute

Not to say that you don't want to look cute for your spouse, but when they still love you after a three day bout with the flu or after seeing you first thing in the morning every day for a year, the pressure to look perfect every single day is really lessened. My husband and I hang out together at home with me in sweatpants and him in basketball shorts, and it's much more gratifying than the days where I spent hours trying to look perfect just to go run errands.

8. Tagging along with your spouse

When we were dating, I had serious FOMO (fear of missing out) with regards to boyfriend's life. Every single time he had something going on, I wanted to go too. Now that he comes home to me every night, I'm perfectly fine with missing a work party or dinner when I have something else going on. We have things going on together and separately and it has done wonders for our relationship! Having separate interests means you actually have things to talk about!

Marriage is so, so hard, but also the most fun thing I've ever done in my life.

Wedding Card Book

We got so many beautiful cards for our wedding and I couldn't stand to just put them in a box and never look at them again, so I decided to make an album of cards!

I went to Michael's and picked up this little album, a two-pack of pearl flourishes, some decorative letters, and a hole punch.

I started punching each card and quickly discovered that I could only punch your standard greeting card, and the more extravagant cards were impossible for me to punch through. So I went back to Michael's and got a heavy-duty hole punch. Problem solved!

The front of album #1.

The pearl flourish!

The album only held one-third of our cards, so back to Michael's I went. Luckily, the same albums were buy one get one free, and I needed two, so I was a pretty happy girl!

Album #2:

Album #3:

I would recommend this project for wedding cards, graduation cards, shower cards, or any cards that you want to keep organized in a cute place! 

Things My Husband Doesn't Understand About My Hair

To be fair, my hair has a mind of its own. But after 5 1/2 years together, there are some things that the husband still doesn't understand. 

1. All of my hair products. 

This one didn't really become an issue until we got married and moved in together. Husband took one look at my arsenal of hair products and went, "do you REALLY need all this?" Yes. Yes I do. This mane does not like to be tamed. Husband also doesn't realize that these products actually do different things. One is for scrunching, one is for anti-frizz, one is for detangling, one is for volumizing... It takes a village. 

2. I don't wash my hair every day. 

As every major beauty magazine and website can attest, washing curly hair every day is really, really bad for it. Husband cannot wrap his mind around why I don't wash my hair every time I shower. I've tried to explain, but I don't think he actually wants an explanation, he just wants to be perplexed. 

3. Blonde ponytailers and bobby pins. 

He's finally starting to get on board with this one, but he still doesn't get why I prefer to use blonde hair accessories over brown or black. It just looks nicer to me! Mystery solved. 

4. Why I don't straighten my hair every day. 

When we first started dating, I straightened my hair regularly. Two years into our relationship, and nine years of regularly straightening had taken its toll on my hair, so I decided to embrace my curls. Husband has asked me a few times why I don't always wear my hair straight like I used to, and I feel like I break his heart a little when I remind him that in order to have healthy hair, I can't straighten every day. Poor guy fell in love with a straight-haired girl but married a curly-haired girl. 

5. Why I dry my hair with a t-shirt, not a towel. 

Again, the fashion mags can back me up here. It makes my hair less frizzy and poofy to wrap it in a cotton shirt, but that doesn't mean I don't get a weird look every now and then. 

Boys have it so easy. They wash their hair, rub some gel into it, and go. My hair has to be on a schedule! It takes soooo loooong to air-dry that I have to plan my day around it on days I wash it. I can fully see why women go for mom-cuts. Way less maintenance. 

Netflix Docs

I’ve gotten really hooked on Netflix true crime stories and documentaries lately. Here are my top five documentaries recently!

1.       First Position

This documentary is my absolute favorite and I could watch it over and over. It follows students throughout their ballet careers and all of the rigors that come along with it. The dancing is so lovely and it’s a really interesting look into the world of ballet.

2.       The Woman Who Wasn’t There

This one is a close second. This lady pretended to be a 9/11 survivor for six years and helped found a 9/11 survivor group. Once a major news station started digging into her story, they found that she had lied about everything, including her name and occupation.

3.       Tallhotblond

This is a really interesting story of catfishing gone very wrong. There are a lot of connections that are woven within each other and the ending isn’t one you’d expect.

4.       I Know That Voice

This is a fun documentary that looks at the voice actors that have provided the voice of so many popular cartoon characters. I really enjoyed the interviews with actors who’ve voiced dozens of characters. Watching them switch from character to character without skipping a beat is amazing!

5.       The Waiting Room

I found this documentary to be a little too long, but it was still interesting. It goes inside the waiting room of an inner-city ER and really sheds a light on all of the problems with our medical system.

Happy Things

Sometimes when life isn't the best, it's all about the little things that make a girl happy. Here are some of my happy things lately!

My number one happy thing recently is Bethany Mota's perfume. She has a whole clothing line at Aeropostale, but I am having a quarter life crisis and can acknowledge that I am too old for crop tops and mini skirts. However, I am in love with her perfume, and I've never gotten so many compliments on a fragrance! Bethany describes it as "cotton candy, peaches, bergamot, and vanilla sugar, with a smooth, musky finish". I have never in my life bought a fragrance with vanilla or cotton candy in it, but I cannot get enough of this scent! Sometimes if I catch a whiff of the perfume during my work day, I get happy all over again :)

My next happy thing is a book I just finished called An Amish Buggy Ride by Sarah Price. I love all things Amish {and am impatiently waiting for the next season of "Breaking Amish" to premiere...} and this book was a really fast read that really made me feel like I was in the Amish culture. It's a sweet little love story with a message on the importance of forgiveness and perfect for anyone looking for what I call a "fluff" book. 

I've always loved the music from Beauty and the Beast, but I have been obsessed with the song "Belle" lately. I bought it on iTunes after using all my data playing it on YouTube on my phone when I was driving anywhere because my CD has mysteriously gone missing. Tragic. It's an amazing song with so many layers and a huge finale. I try to sing all the parts at once, pretty unsuccessfully, and husband is not amused when I try. Haters gonna hate.

I am super picky about Chapstick. I don't like mint or anything that tastes like food, so I usually stick to just plain old original Chapstick. My mom put this Softlips thing in my Christmas stocking and I am in love. She got me the blueberry pomegranate flavor, and as I am a huge fan of tropical fruits, I highly appreciate this flavor combination. It keeps my lips soft all day long and doesn't flake off or dry my skin out after a few hours. 

I'm not sure if I blogged about this last summer, but a coworker tipped me off to the fact that you can get other flavors of limeade at Sonic, not just cherry. Specifically, he got me hooked on mango limeades. When husband and I were looking at houses last year, we would stop at Sonic during happy hour to get half-price drinks and I started mixing it up a little. My favorites included peach mango, mango raspberry, peach raspberry, and mango blackberry, but my all-time favorite is still my usual mango limeade. The sweetness of the mango balances out the lime without being sickly sweet, the way cherries are. I could honestly drink one of these every day, and it's my mission to convert as many people from cherry limeades to mango limeades as I can.

Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken

As you've probably figured out, I'm a big fan of quick and easy recipes, and this one is probably my favorite recipe that I've tried lately! It's sweet, but not too sweet, and the chicken turned out super moist. The spices give it a really nice flavor but it's not too out there.

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

4 cloves garlic, minced (I cheated and used garlic powder. Still turned out well!)

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, skin side down, and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Set aside.
3. Melt remaining tablespoon butter in the skillet. add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in brown sugar, honey, oregano, thyme, and basil until well-combined. Return chicken to the skillet.
5. Place into oven and roast until completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 175 degrees, about 25-30 minutes.
6. Serve chicken immediately. Garnish with parsley if desired.

This one was a big hit with husband and me! Highly recommend!