well, this is new.

first, an update: here's where our italy blog is located. we're only through the first part of our trip, but I'm working on the second part. :D

so, this weekend, for the first time in a long time, and definitely for the first time since algebra II, I felt like a math whiz. specifically the math whiz who, in let's say high school, the cool kids buddied up to so they could get math help, and then totally ignored as soon as math was over.

maybe it was jet leg, maybe I was hormonal, maybe a whole lot of things--but that's how I felt. and it was kind of surreal because I just kept thinking about how I'd made damn certain not to be that girl in high school. and in college we were all working our tails off, so that person rarely existed in ChE.

and yet I found myself feeling that way. I didn't even realize we were on the path until we got to the destination--but in retrospect I should've known the whole time.

thankfully, it was about nothing terribly important. or that could result in detention. :) but gee whiz. very disconcerting.

also new? thinking about the timelines of life, and wondering when/if there will be a baby/fetus and whether or not I need to (or will need to) change things because of that. the not knowing is kind of obnoxious but also kind of refreshing. and that, for lack of a better word, surprises me. I LOATHE surprises y'see (well, honestly I should clarify--I loathe surprises that I know are coming--I'm peachy with a side of keen about surprises that are a total surprise) So it is kind of fun that I think this whole not-knowing, not-getting-to-plan thing is delightful. :)

who knew?

also delightful...
-yesterday I won $75 from des!gn @glow, a very cool ph0tographer resource!
-yesterday I also won a free acupuncture session at the place I've been wanting to try out (I've never done acupuncture before but have heard amazing things)
-yesterday I got free strawberries, too! I'm going to try making fruit leather tonight! (like fruit rollups!)
-I get to photograph a wedding this weekend! woohoo!
-and I get to go meet little Lily, the wonderful daughter of Mary Alise and Michael. Seriously can't wait to meet her!

Oh yeah--and also...IT'S FRIDAY! Thank goodness!

if people do it in a 5th floor walk up in new york, I can do it in my townhome.

the thing I'm talking about is having a baby.

but let me clear something up real quick: NOT PREGNANT. got it? good.

so, the trip to Italy was incredibly incredible, and I will tell you about it post-haste. but I'm going that on a whole separate blog because, well, I want lots of people to get to read it and I don't want all those folks reading this one. capisce?

matt and I have been jibbering and jabbering about buying a house. I already own a nice little townhome. 1600 sqft, with patio and a deck and a two car garage, 2.5 bathrooms and two bedrooms. yes, it's sans a much-missed coat closet and you have to immediately walk up stairs to enter into it, but it's pretty cute and functional and in a good location.

however.

we (okay, maybe *I*) seem to have house-lust. and I seem to have fallen victim to one of the classic blunders--thinking that just because everyone else is doing it, you should too.

aside from my next door neighbors and one couple we know, I can't think of anyone in my area that has a baby or is anticipating the arrival of a baby that does not have a biiiiig sprawling house. one with 3+ bedrooms and seventeen bathrooms and a spacious yard. and one that does not have steep steps that you must climb in order to enter. I think I might have had a case of the Joneses.

except not anymore.

it's a crummy time to sell a house. and now that we've been in it for nearly 3 years (as of the 16th, actually) we have enough equity that we could, potentially, sell. and at least break even. but really, truly...it just doesn't make sense. or cents.

so, if they can do it in a 5th floor walk up in new york, I can do it in my townhome.

and in the meantime, we will be playing the rearranging game.

currently there are THREE couches in our mostly-unused downstairs bonus room. Two of them need to be outta there. The third, Nicole's old couch that's a sleeper, needs to have sole billing. Along with Matt's recliner that he loves so very much. And I have plans.

Our current guest room/Carrie's crafty stuff room/catch all will remain as a guest room. And a potential future nursery.

Our downstairs, aka bonus room, which we call the "basement"--I have big plans for there. I think it requires drawing a picture. But I think we'll rearrange it and add some desk space and integrate some storage so I can put my crafty stuff in there. We initially thought it would be a cool "party space"--but in reality? eh. Not so amazing.

And I'm still wondering about our living area. We have the same quandary as before--how to arrange the couch...I'm thinking we need a bigger TV so we can put the couch across the room and really open up that space. Matt isn't a huge fan of this idea, but I am! I definitely want the TV to be visible from the kitchen and dining area, but otherwise I'm up for options.

so, yeah. focus on decorating and changing. and maybe just maybe some painting. (matt might keel over at this too. shhhh don't tell him yet)

I promise I'll give before and after pictures. We just have to stay in town enough consecutive weekends to accomplish something!

all my bags [aren't] packed and I'm ready to go!

fo rizzle.

I keep looking at my calendar of italy and the names of the cities we're visiting that are written on it for every day we are there.

I keep talking about the trip, and every time someone asks me about my ventures out of the states (a two day trip to vancouver when I was 14 doesn't count) I almost tear up thinking about how long I've wanted to go to italy. (interesting sidenote--it was about, oh, 4 months after my little family trip to vancouver that I first wanted to see ancient rome)

I keep thinking I need to pinch myself.

I keep making lists. And learning words. And preparing the best I can. Oh, and I keep having crazy dreams. Like, last night I had a dream I felt like I was pregnant, and I wanted to take a pregnancy test, but things kept keeping me from it. One bathroom had no toilets. Another time I had to hide the pee-stick and it snapped in half. And then I had to steal another pregnancy test because I had ruined the other one and had no cash. It was all very weird.

The night before I dreamed I was jumping/flying up things. Like, crouching and lifting off. There was a building and I think I was trying to sneak into a room. Weird too.

right. I'm crazy, I know.

back to list making... :)

I feel a little like a messed up dr. seuss rhyme.

I have misplaced some earrings. I have been looking for them everywhere. It is making me crazy.

but it seems they are nowhere to be found. I'm sure they're hiding out somewhere, and one fine day they'll glimmer and shine at me to let me know they're there. but now? I keep thinking of green eggs and ham.

I did not find them in their box.
I did not find them with a fox.
I did not find them in a house
I did not find them with a mouse
I did not find them here or there.
I did not find them anywhere.

sigh. I've made a list of everywhere I've gone since the last time I had them in my hot little hands. They were in my wallet, y'see. Along with another pair of earrings and some change that I found safely in my purse. (The zipper to my wallet came un-zipped). So, the laws of physics are definitely not happy with this, methinks.

so yeah.

I do not like green eggs and ham.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

alright alright, hey-hey, alright alright, yeah.

I wish I could remember what that's from. I don't. Oh well!

I am having an "I hate money" kind of day. I always hate money. There's never enough of it, it seems, and even when you make your mind up to be thankful for what you have, something happens to make you feel all brokedy-broke again.

case in point:

we have been saving for italy. planning for italy. thinking, breathing, sleeping, reading, learning for italy. so what happens less than a week before the italy trip?

a) a $270 convention that I want to go to but I'll be late to it, I'll have to take PTO to go to it AND I am supposed to pay for it by tomorrow night or the cost goes to $300,

b) a trip to Tulsa over the 4th of July (which we were also planning for, but not quite yet, but then realized we only had two weekends could go), accompanied by a credit card fiasco (long story) that means that instead of getting to take advantage of spending after the due date, thereby delaying that expense, we owe it sooner and

c) owing for the next session of the CSA already.

Now, I'm sure you're thinking: "But, Carrie, you've got a roof over your head and you eat well and you aren't, like, poor or anything, buck up!" And I know this. But I think I can explain.

Y'see, in my neck of the woods, money isn't something I think about eeeeevery day. I don't figure and analyze and add and subtract and take money out of savings all in one day. I don't obsess. I think about it, I try to be mindful, I pay my bills and I use what's left over to pay off debt/flights/etc. But because this Italy trip is costing quite a few more clams than we expected (our hotel costs were higher than anticipated by ~$50 a night, which is another long story, but is what it is), and because we don't want to be overly frugal the whole time we are there (why bother traveling to Italy if we're going to obsess over every penny and, like, choose mickey d's over pasta because of the $5 we'd save or whatever), money has been on my mind.

And it's making me crazy.

annnnd, full disclosure, I also feel a little sheepish because I just posted on my arch nemesis, aka FB, that I wish the $270 wouldn't've had the increase in price deadline happen in the middle of the month. If it were the 1st of the month? golden. but it's not. so, now I weigh the value of delayed paying v. paying $30 more. UGH. but now I feel like whiney-mc-whinersons because of it.

I mean, I'm going to friggin' ITALY. I should be rolling in the money, yes? Um, no. We saved. We shopped around. And we're gonna owe some after this (sorry for anyone who is a D.R@msey fan who just shuddered at that notion). We are going now not because we're rife with cash, which for the record, we're not--but because we can manage, and because we know we won't be going once there's a bambino in the picture--not on a 10 day overseas excursion. So we're making it work now because that makes the most sense to us. Capisce?

Right. Anyway. When it rains it pours or whatever. It will all be fine. I am sure that this is just the way I'm focusing my crazy right now since I've already made enough lists, done enough searches and learned enough words in Italian to make anyone a little nuts. :D Please do excuse my ranting. I'll return you to your regularly scheduled programming...

crazy insane or insane crazy?

(when I say husse!n you say shady)

~em!nem.

I have been wondering if I am crazy insane or super-dee-duper-practical. y'see, in not long at all (cough*cough*less*than*two*weeks*cough) Matt and I head to Italy. And I am getting annnxious.

I mean, okay, so I just told the blogiverse when we leave. But most of my readers are people I know, friends of people I know, or people who don't live in my general vicinity. And a few random visitors and/or lurkers (hi there!). And the beauty of this blog is that you don't find it using g00gle, at least not if you're trying to find *me.*

right. so.

I am WAY worried about the whole random-folks-knowing-I'm-gone thing. Like, we have someone taking care of our cats and our neighbors are gonna keep an eye out. And that's just amazing! But I'm still nervous. Yesterday, this thing we do that I can't talk about unless you come watch television at my house (seriously!) told me they wanted to know the exact dates we were gonna be gone and a local contact who could let them in if necessary. Um, nope. Not letting a stranger into my home while we're gone, for one, and for two I'm not asking any friends to do that--don't want to put them in that position.

I wondered if I was being a bit paranoid. Or very practical. Or both. And then...

then I started contemplating a temporary change on FB so that no one could write on my wall. Because I don't want a lot of "have so much fun in Italy! hope today's flight goes smoothly" all over the place. 'Cause if you can find me on FB, you can find my home address. And not just because I have a business. But is that too extreme? I mean, on one hand, FB posts have caused actual real drama in my life. Oh the other hand, who is really going to break into a piddly little townhome, and what's the actual value of the things they could take (honestly, it's not like it's nothing, but it's also not like it's 100k or anything).

So, yeah. I dunno. I'm either crazy insane or insane crazy. Or totally practical. Or both.

Where's the extreme? I really think not letting repair folks in my house (with someone I designate) makes sense--whatever it is, it can likely wait. Or it's so bad that there won't be any second thought and I have no control of it. (e.g., fire, plague of locusts, flooding, acts of God, etc) (ps, the phrase "acts of God" makes me want to add "no tag-backs!") I dunno. Is taking away my FB wall too much? Is it too little? Should I have pretended we were going in, like, July and then surprised everyone when we left and came back? What do you think?

chiedo scusa per il mio stupido amico ubriaco americano

I've been brushing up on my Italian. AKA memorizing phrases and numbers because, well, that's all I've got. I have had aspirations of actually learning to speak Italian for a looooong time, but that's just not in the cards. And I don't think I really want to put forth that level of effort.

I have been in a very contemplative mood recently. I've been thinking a lot about choices. And change. And money. And decisions. And life. I've been wondering about a final foray into grad school, and if I'm ready for that again. Or if I even want it. Or if I'm prepared for what might happen if I don't get in. I've been thinking about whether or not we should try to move into a house this summer. It's a lot to consider.

And I've been trying to decide where I want my photography business to go. I'm getting a little burnt out already and the busy season is just beginning--and I'm once again considering limiting my clients to only couples, weddings and children over X age. Little kids are super cute and I love them, but it's much harder work and I find that the majority of the unreasonable requests I get come from parents with, like, a 3 month old. And I always have the most fun working with couples. But then sometimes the kiddos are amazing! I just dunno.

I've also started translating expenses (such as a flight to Tulsa, or that dress I want, or a new lens) into their equivalent in travel. e.g., when looking for flights to Tulsa last night I realized that for two plane tickets to Tulsa + a month of cable and internet we could fly to Italy again. (well, at the deal we got) That's insane, friends. Insane.

Right.

In exciting news:
-My work will be featured on a wedding blog next week.
-It's not too long until we head to Italy!
-Delicious, amazing, beautiful strawberries are in season.
-Softball is happening SOON!
-and I'm alllllllmost free of the evil clutches of TAP. Next Tuesday I am OUT. And I'm thrilled.

the end.

except, oh yeah. the title is "please excuse my stupid, drunk, American friend." just thought that would be a good one to keep in my back pocket, just in case we have another round of ridiculous hand gestures while saying names of cheeses and pastas. :)

the thoughts in my head...

viva italia!

in 24 days I will be embarking upon what I hope will be the most amazing trip of my life to date. don't get me wrong, the engage-a-cation was incredible, and I saw the first view that literally rendered me unable to speak, and it was so.much.fun--BUT....it is no Italy. Today I am thinking about walking around Monterosso al Mare and seeing the Roman Forum. I keep thinking about the Via Appia and Romulus and Remus and the Tiber River.

and in a very strange way, part of me wants to not bring my camera all. to just drink it all in with my eyes and hear the sounds and smell the scents. logical carrie knows that I'd cry and cry and cry if I didn't have my camera. perhaps I'll just need to be careful that I don't constantly have my camera connected to my face. :)

loss

today I have received word of two friends of mine who are experiencing losses--one of a grandparent, the other of a dear friend who was fighting breast cancer. this gal was diagnosed when she was 24 and has been fighting for two years.

while talking about it with another friend, via text, she mentioned that she just hadn't had too much experience with death. which made me realize that, sadly, I have. since stacey in the third grade. two grandparents, two aunts, my dad, other relatives, close friend's parents and relatives, cousins, even a softball team member. it makes my heart heavy to think of it.

how my life might be different a year from now.

I've been contacted for an august 2012 wedding. I'm not sure if she wants one shooter or two, yet. But then I though about the potential factors that I just don't have to consider yet that I might then. What if we're pregnant? What if we have a little bitty baby? Will we live in a house or will we still be in a townhouse? Will I still be working full time? What, if, when, how, why?

crazy...

why am I suddenly very interested in cooking everything random under the sun?

right now I'd like to make homemade marshmallows, graham crackers, my pizza from scratch, fried chicken, a lemon meringue pie, beer rolls, brew more of our own beer (yes, we brewed our own!) and perhaps also make my own chips or crackers or something on which I can spread cheese. oh yeah, and make some chevre or another soft cheese. jennifer and I successfully made mozzarella (pictures soon, I promise!) and I am SO proud of us for that, although we do need to hone our technique. and I did make cadbury creme egg brownies, too. I guess I'm all for new, strange recipes.

along that line, I want to redecorate my entire house.

okay, only sort of. I want to repaint the kitchen in a muted color (which isn't totally crazy since we're considering considering (yes, that double word was intentional) putting our home on the market). I want to go with a pretty paler muted yellow. That whole yellow-kitchens-catch-on-fire-thing be damned. Remove the bright yellow and orange and get a muted yellow. We shall see. And I want to paint our living room in a muted version of the spinach color we used. the littlest green wall in this post.

hair.

I'm slowly taking my hair to a color that's less red and more brown. these new vitamins are making it grow like a weed! and in the process I *think* I'm growing it longer. Like, put-in-a-bun-or-braid longer. It'll go in a teeny tiny ponytail now. we shall see. opinions appreciated. unless your opinion is "dye it blonde again." if that's the case, please kindly keep your thoughts to yourself :) No offense to you blondes out there! Y'see,I was a blonde-blonde for some of the worst moments of my life, AND I learned that people are not always very respectful of blondes in the engineering-type-workplace (or at least that they're less disrespectful to brunettes and redheads, ha!) so I am going to stay far away from blonde. Plus, it washes me out. :)

fry family vacay, 2011

highlights of the trip (in no particular order!):

1. meeting little alexis rose, the newest of my nieces.

2. getting to see katlyn's personality and finding out how awesome it is. she is such a precious little girl.

3. a billion hugs and kisses from bridget, who made us this ADORABLE sign saying she loved us(I think we'll be framing it) and who told aunt tonya that it's totally okay that bridget loves matt & me just a liiiiiittle bit more than any of her other aunts and uncles because matt and I gave her the really important job of being a flower girl in our wedding. (nevermind that is wasn't possible for anyone else to do that!)

4. french braiding katlyn and bridget's hair. and then tonya's. and then mine :)

5. seeing these wonderful folks that I got as family 'cause I put up will silly old Matt. ha! okay, well, they've always treated me like family (and I LOVE them for that) but it just makes my heart feel good to know that being a part of it is officially official. AND when the people called from the front desk and asked for "Mrs. Fry" I got to say "well, technically I'm one of them, but there are two others, and I think you want one of them."

6. playing outside with bridget and katlyn. pushing them on the swing, taking pictures of them playing and getting lots of hugs.

7. (this is possibly the most amazing part of all) successfully going to the beach for half an hour. I wore my spf50 cover-up the WHOLE time, and I put on spf110 sunblock (which does make a difference if you've got a complexion & allergy like mine!) and I wore my hat. But I actually helped build a sandcastle and somehow did not actually burn! WOOHOO!

ahem.

anyway, let's see some pictures, shall we?


love them. all of them. we missed trevor, but otherwise everyone was there, and it was splendidly splendid. :) I'm already looking forward to seeing many of these wonderful people at Christmas!

"she moves in such a way, I still fall in love with her every single day"

~sk6ers

We danced to that song in the kitchen last night for our anniversary. And we drank spumante from hillside winery, which we visited on our honeymoon. And we ate little cupcakes, too.

We went to eat at a local fancy-schmancy mexican restaurant, M3z (that 3 is an e!) and I love it. They have this unreal corn soup that I would gladly eat every day of my life. And delicious everything. And and and--on our reservation on 0pen t@ble, I noted that it was our anniversary. THREE of their staff members wished us happy anniversary and they brought us complimentary champagne! Super-full glasses, even. And when I asked the name of the champagne ('cause I liked it!) they actually brought us more--one of the mini-bottles that was about half full because it wouldn't fit in our glasses. It wasn't super-ritzy of course, but it was totally unnecessary and very generous of them!


After that, we drove to see if Mad Hatter's was open, but alas, no. So we got cupcakes at Whole Foods, and headed home. That's when we had the spumante, danced, ate the cupcakes and watched a show. Can you guess what it is? A hint: we watched it on the night we got engaged, on our honeymoon and when we got back to town after we got married. Second hint: it's in its last season. Third hint: it airs on fridays. :)


Please pardon the photos. I heart my iphone, but sometimes its picture quality is only so-so.

Oh and last but not least--the gifts :) I did three things for Matt, all written on pieces of paper. 1. I'm taking him to a movie on Saturday (he loves movies only slightly less than he loves soccer, which is only slightly less than he loves me. I call soccer his mistress.), 2. a new, nice watch ('cause the modern gift is clocks!) and 3. the very best one--I designed our wedding album! Okay, honestly I'm only through the ceremony, but I'm getting there and I'll be finishing it up this week!

And Matt? He knew all about the paper/clocks thing, but totally disregarded it because he wanted this first anniversary to be extra-special. He bought me something I've wanted for a long time--diamond earrings. He says there was tissue paper in the bag, so that counts! :) I was VERY surprised and totally impressed :) And I like that many moons from now I can tell people how my husband got them for me for our first wedding anniversary!

More about the weekend soon (yes, there's more!) but I had to share this today. Matt's definitely a keeper. :)

this time, a year ago....

I was on my way to Oklahoma. For our wedding.

And here we are, 361ish days later...and it has gone by so very, very fast.

For your first anniversary, the customary "traditional" gift is paper. And since it mimics the gift I got him a while ago that he loved so very, very much, I think I'm going to get him (slash us) a wedding album. We don't have one yet. (sidebar--the album I gave him for our two years of dating-iversary is his very favorite present I've ever given him, according to the questions fabulous renee and jessica asked before my bachelorette)

So, since he's out of town this weekend (and yes, that probably makes me the very most awesome wife in the universe for permitting my husband to go on a boy's trip the weekend of our first anniversary) I figure that's a splendid time for me to design it.

I have the photos and the design all picked out. I just have to DO it. But I think it will be a gift that he will love! Sadly, I won't be giving him the printed version on Sunday. I thought about it, but then decided that if I am shelling out for one of those really nice albums, then I need to let him see it before it goes to press.

I'm also thinking about getting him movie tickets for Friday night. Maybe for a late show, so I can go get a tattoo beforehand. Well, I *think* I'm getting a tattoo beforehand. I know I want a little little sunflower. What I don't know for sure is where...

I am seriously considering getting it on my left side, right below where my bra sits. Alternatively, I'm also thinking about above the elbow on the inside of my left arm. I want it to be somewhere that I can cover pretty easily, and I don't want it to show when I wear dresses or tank tops. And in case you just did the math--I only get tattoos on Good Friday. It's a thing. Good Friday 2003 and Good Friday 2007. And since I like odd numbers, perhaps it's fitting that I might get my final tattoo on Good Friday 2011.

ps: it is kind of hilarious to me when people look all shocked and amazed when they see my little nautilus shell poking out of my flat and say "you have a TATTOO????!?" I enjoy saying "yes, two." and I think I'll get an even bigger kick out of saying "yes, three!"

any suggestions? and any other ideas to add to the anniversary gift?

when I grow up.

little girl Carrie would have told you that she wanted to be a lawyer or an artist or a scientist when she grew up. She would have imagined a house with lots of rooms, pretty (but not fancy) things, a handsome husband, kitty cats, kiddos and a fruit bowl on the table. She would have told me I'd have lots of nice friends, that I'd go to church and that I would think bagels, fried chicken w/ mashed potatoes and corn and pumpkin pie were there best foods ever. And she would have told you that you should be nice to the world, nice to each other and that nothing was better than beating someone at Scrabble.

I suppose, to seven year old-ish me, I am all of those things. Not yet a mother (y'all know bring pregnant in Italy is soooooo off the table), but to her, I think I am, as my neighbor would say, "livin' the dream."

And it's funny because, well, I think I am. I was talking to my Granny last night (you know this can either be amazing or a total disaster ending in tears and super-analyzing a conversation, yes) and we ended up talking about money. About not spending $250/night on a hotel room in Italy because it was foolish, and because I'm not taking the kind of vacation where you spend money like that. We talked a little about how wealth is all in your mindset--Matt and I have plenty. We pay the bills every month, we have some savings, we indulge and scrimp depending on the time, and we though sometimes we fail at this, we try not to complain about our lot in life. Because, well, we've got it good.

But it also got me thinking about how little Carrie would be blown away by my paycheck today, and how I should remember to be thankful even when I'm not feeling so thankful. When my stepdad was the breadwinner for six people, he made less money per year, after having worked for decades, than I got at my first job out of college. And although I vividly remember crying hysterically when my mom couldn't buy the beautiful box set of prang art supplies, and I often loaned my parents my babysitting savings the three or four days before his next paycheck came in, I never felt like I was lacking. We always had the air conditioning on somewhere in the house (usually in the living room only), and we didn't have central heat until I was in high school, but some days I secretly hope our next house has floor vents, only so I can stand over them to warm up.

Anyway, this all brings me to the title of the post...because I don't feel like a grown up. I mean, yeah, I pay for my financial obligations and dental work and clothe and feed myself and all--but I don't feel like a grown up. I look at other people who are in their early/mid thirties and some of them I totally regard as a grown up, and some of them I don't. And I can't quite put my finger on it--I mean, mom jeans are totally a tell--but barring that, what makes one 30 year-old a grown up and the other not?

Maybe one day I'll wake up and feel like a grown up. Maybe I need a yard or a baby or a promotion or to not be in a workstation. Maybe it's something else. Maybe I'll never feel like a grown up (and in a way, how wonderful might that be?). I'll keep you posted. :)

Anyone else feel this way? Or have they had the moment that made them realize they were a grown up? And I'm not talking about too loud of music or whatever--that's just getting older, ha!

flash back to november 2006

I was in need of a couch. I was in a sad place in life. (relatively for me, I should say. clearly my level of sad doesn't even compare to many other horrible things going on in the world. but anyway...)

And my fabulous amazing friend, my dear Mary Alise, took me to Richmond. You can read about the full encounter here. It was during this trip that I bought my most favoritest-est-est shoes I own (see their cameo in my October is Awesome series?) and, even more importantly, found the couch of my dreams.

Okay, that miiiiight be a bit much. I mean, I know I sound doubtful in the post--but it was doubtful about spending the cash, not doubtful about the couch.

But now? Now, four years and four months later, that couch resides in our humble abode. Officially. We registered for it and asked for gift cards for our wedding. In July we actually went to sit on it when we visited Renee and Mike in Atlanta (and Jessica and Cody were there too!) and Matt fully gave the thumbs up.

We got swatches. We waited. And waited. And used our C&B registry coupon to lower the price of set couch when we finally ordered it in November.


And now? It's here! And it's Hazel approved, see? :)

I love love LOVE it. I was so worried I wouldn't like it in that space, but it is GORGEOUS there. I love how it's leggy. I love how you can see more of our adorably cute rug from the dining area and the kitchen. That really makes me happy.

And it is SO much better than our old couch. It's great that the fabric is darker, that it looks better in the room, that it's wider so we could even fit four people on it if we wanted, and, for me, the best part is that it means you can see our rug from the back side too! (excuse the turned up corner!)

Some time I will also have to show you our couch that we bought from Nicole and Dave--it's light blue microsuede and a sleeper and totally cute. It's in our "basement" along with two other couches that will soon be departing from our home--one is a 7+-year-old Ike@ Klipp@n loveseat that was used when I got it, and the other Michelle and I got for $85 from one of our neighbors many years ago.

They both did their job, but neither is in great shape and we have definitely gone from the hand-me-down/used/will-do-for-now look to a much better, more grown up look. Our house is starting to look like we are actual grownups. Hurrah! :)

Now I must decide--do I recover my accent chairs? Do I buy new ones? I think I need to start looking at fabrics. And I think I need to make some accent pillows!

operation: decide to eat mushrooms.

is, so far, marginally successful. as in, I have not yet decided that I won't ever eat them again.

on monday night I made myself a mushroom frittata. I only had red onions so I used those instead of white or yellow. and I also made myself some mushroom crostinis. I got to use the delicious cheese from the farmer's market (whose name I cannot currently recall) and it was pretty good.

I also tried a bite of the mushroom raw--and though the flavor and texture of a shiitake is far superior to whatever it is that comes on frozen pizzas, I've got to say I'm still not totally convinced. Let's just say I still won't be ordering anything "marsala" anytime soon. :)

BUT because I know mushrooms are very good for you, and your immune system, and because I think that they can save the world (hello, mushrooms for bioremediation--e.g. cleaning oil fields!), I am going to try again. And, to further commit myself to trying (even if it means cooking the mushrooms and breaking out ye old m@gic bullet and making them into a paste so the texture doesn't plague me so) I am going to grow my own.

I will be purchasing one of these bad boys. When we get a real house perhaps I will even incorporate some of these into my gardening. We shall see.

Any mushroom recipes y'all want to share?

"I'm gonna run right up this hill..."

"summer sky or winter chill." ~mindy gledhill

let's be clear--that running thing is a metaphor. I'm not going to actually be running. because, as you may know, I don't run unless there's a ball involved. or, I suppose, someone is chasing me. :)

anyhoo, my dear friend renee introduced me to this song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URR_4i5gIFU&feature=player_embedded and I love it.

so, let's do a "1.5 weeks after lent began" update.

the good: I've been very very good about avoiding the word "busy."

the bad: I haven't been so good about that whole exercising thing. I was SO GOOD for three consecutive days. but then I had a weekend with a fabulous bridal shower followed by a one year old's bday party followed by a St Patty's night out. And the next day I had three photoshoots. And the last thing I wanted to do was exercise.

and then? well, then I got lazy. I actually did exercise on St Patty's Day (don't judge!)--I think that dancing to 4 (or was it 5) wii dance song things totally counts. I broke a sweat and I was a little sore the next day. :)

And then we walked yesterday. So....that brings me to 5 times of exercising. We have, what, 34 days left. I need to exercise 25 of those 34 days. Looks like I'll be walking or visiting the gym when we're in Ohio and Florida!

on the positive side: I'm exercising tonight and I already have plans to go to the Power Yoga class at work during my lunch tomorrow. SO I will knock out two more days that way. :D

also, this weekend? me and Durham? yeah, we got hitched. You can see lots of pictures here but I've uploaded some of my faves below. Basically, this event involved local beer, food trucks and a commitment to the fabulous city in which I live--to take care of it, to say nice things about it, to elect responsible officials and hold them to their promises. Oh, and to shop locally when you can.

We TOTALLY do all of those things already. But now it's official :) You commit to do so as long as you live in Durham (and, I imagine, as long as you hold Durham in your heart, which I'm sure I always will).

Fr@nk St@sio from The St@te of Things was there, and Jennifer and I got a picture. He's the one with the Bull horns. And when the marriage ceremony called for a ring? Yep, they put a bull ring on his nose! Ha! That's some Fullste@m beer you're seeing here AND the food truck with the eyes and top hat? Yep, that's my very favorite one, Kl@usie's pizza. I would drive for an hour to eat their pizza! MMMM! Also, please note Matt's funny note on Fullste@m's bar--"If we get divorced I get the ballpark." The "more cowbell" is also his doing. He makes me giggle.

anyway--the pictures. feast.your.eyes. :D

a few other highlights from the pictures--that's Jennifer and me doing the hokey pokey, and that's our dear friend Camper at Fullste@m. Thought Jen and I were quite sad that all of the first frost persimmon beer was gone (despite being mentioned TWICE on their chalkboard) he hooked us up with some red pepper hefeweizen (which was sold out for good before 8pm) and gave us a beer on the house, even. I told him he was a fantastic salesperson. Because he is. That man featured in the picture? Bought the same beer we had. And I bet he loved it, too.

and, on a totally-unrelated-but-still exciting note, tonight once I'm home and it's dinner time I'm doing something I've never done before--cooking with mushrooms. you might know that I'm the girl who says "I'll eat pretty much anything without mushrooms or mayonnaise." But today, I'm going to enjoy some local shiitake mushrooms. I am planning on having a frittata today and we'll have pasta with mushrooms another day this week. WHOA! watch out world, Carrie is eating mushrooms. voluntarily. :)

ps: yay for the longest post I've written in a loooooong while. and with pictures! (pats self on back)

I feel like I always give up something weird for Lent.

and by weird I really mean "unconventional." and no offense to you chocolate/wine/caffeine giver-uppers out there (because really? QUITE a commitment and sacrifice, imho), but it gave me great validation last year when my pastor's sermon was about how in an ideal world, he believes that the very most worthwhile lenten offering is something that's a part of a permanent lifestyle change for you.

and as the girl who has given up worrying, over-scheduling, the word "like," and my temper, and who has chosen to decrease her carbon footprint, this was music to my ears. I mean, it's not like I ever thought "what could I do differently for 40 days that might make a significant change in my life?" Instead I just thought "what's a source of frustration, or what could I improve upon, or what would make me happier?" And it's not like I have 100% or even 50% succeeded at these things.

but I've made a start. and that is all that matters to me.

so this year? this year is a double whammy because I think one will be kind of easy, but it's also really important to me.

I realize that there is a word that I hear EVERY day. Often, many times a day. And it makes me crazy. People use it to describe everything. How they are, what they've been up to, how their weekend was. That word, friends, is "busy." And I'm going to try not to use it anymore, or very seldom, anyway.

It's a word with negative connotations and it's keeping us from actually really conversing, and I just hate that. We just say "things have been busy" and move on. So, yeah. And with that, of course, comes changing things in my life so "busy" isn't such an appropriate description--but that's not an official part of it, just a tertiary goal.

The other thing is about exercise. Sometimes I am very good about this. Sometimes I am not. Which is fine. I'm a healthy weight, all of my stats are good (they recently checked) and all that jazz. And I generally eat very well and I've gotten much better about taking my vitamins.

Wen I have something like softball going on, I'm definitely good about exercising. The rest of the time it's harder. I mean, earlier this month I exercised five days in a row, skipped a day and then exercised two more. And then stopped.

So, my other is exercising. My goal is to exercise 30 times over lent. It might be spending time on the elliptical, it might be yoga, it might be walking the 1.5 mile path in our neighborhood one evening. Any of these count. But yes. 30 times before Easter, at a minimum. That's going to be a little challenging since I'm out of town for at least ten days between now and then--but hotels have gyms or have lighted places to walk. So. We'll see. I think I can, I think I can....


happy mardi gras everyone!

it seems all of the pictures I've taken recently have either been of food or my cats.

no seriously.

look: monday's dinner. it was AMAZING. I will share the recipe. mmmmm salmon.

wednesday's lunch.

sunday's brunch.

and hazel. in a basket.

I had this whole other post in my head, but as I'm heading to like four hours of meetings in five minutes (okay, two and a half hours of meetings) I'm'akeepingitshort.

I am not a fan of Valentine's Day, BUT...

1. I love it that Matt and my plans tonight include wearing pajamas, catching up on smallville and going to bed early. He owes me a dinner out, but I'm liking the low-key plan.

2. I like getting valentines. Especially from my in-laws. :D Did you know they make "dear son and daughter-in-law cards?" They SO do.

3. It helps a LOT that it's on a monday.

4. And I've been LOVING those commercials that are about how Valentines this year is not about "I love you" it's about "I love US" cuteness indeed.

Happy Valentine's everyone :)

[insert corny joke here]

aka "The Awesome Corn Soup I Made Last Night."

There is this amazing fancy mexican restaurant in Durham that I LOVE. It is expensive. It is delicious. They make GOOD margaritas. They are sooooo not Tex-Mex, but they have yummy, yummy food. And this delicious creamy corn soup that I've been craving for days.

So, after talking myself out of going there for lunch repeatedly, I decided it was time to see if I could make it. I'm pretty sure theirs is better--but I'm pretty sure theirs also contains cream, and mine is healthier than that.

I started out with this recipe. It wasn't quite right, though, so I made it my own...for me the KEY was adding more flour and pureeing the corn--it thickened the soup and helped it have a yellow color.

Ingredients

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups milk (I used a mix of skim and 2%)
  
• 1 cup chicken broth
  
• 3 (15ish ounce) cans whole kernel corn, rinsed and drained
  
• 3 tablespoons cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ground cayenne pepper, adobo seasoning, cumin and garlic powder to taste

Directions

1. In a large pot over medium heat, combine the onion, garlic, parsley and butter or margarine. Saute for about 5 minutes, or until onions are tender.
2. Add the flour, stirring well, to make a pasty mixture. Whisk in the milk and the broth.
   
3. In small batches, puree 2 of the three cans of corn, adding liquid from the pot to help it blend smoothly. Add pureed corn, remaining canned corn and the cream cheese to the pot and allow to heat through. Add the garlic salt, black pepper, adobo seasoning, cumin and cayenne pepper to taste. Stir together and serve.

I forgot to take a picture of it cooking, but I'll take one when I heat it up for lunch! mmm mmm MMM!

bHaObUiSeEs and BhAoBuIsEeSs

babies and houses and houses and babies and babies and houses....

repeat ^ infinity.

I feel like eventually, at some point, everything I ever talk about eventually boils down to a discussion about a baby. or a house. or a baby in a house. or a house 'cause we're having a baby. you get what I mean.

except WAIT--I AM NOT PREGNANT AND WE ARE NOT TRYING. (yet)

That sentence about should have read "a house 'cause we're eventually having a baby." (fingers crossed)

But oh my goodness--talking about going to Italy? Babies. Seeing our friend's house? Babies in houses. Heck, even a really rude comment someone made about a breastfeeding mother (OMG don't even get me started!) eventually turned into a conversation about--you guessed it--babies. (And in my head I was thinking "where will I go to breastfeed when I'm cube-bound?") But I digress.

I have like eleven thousand pregnant friends. Okay, like more like at least three. But still. And then I have many friends who either a) had babies recently (and their little babies are SO cuddly!) or b) are with me in the "waiting to try to have babies but thinking about it anyway" boat.

I mean, we talk about baby names and baby clothes and cloth diapering and whether or not baby food tastes like real food and will we make our own? And how will we raise them? And is spanking okay? And will we be crazy parents? And oh my goodness gracious. Whoa.

okay, I think that's it for now. until the next time I need to tell you about a baby. or a house. I'm crossing my fingers that I'm not talking about either until June 1st at the earliest--because that's when we get back from Italy!