Let's Talk About...Guys

Today I am linking up with Andrea and Erika for their monthly "Talk". This month the topic is the guys in our life.

When I think about the important guys in my life I assume no one is surprised that the first person I think of is my wonderful husband.

We have known each other about 4 years, been together about 3 years, got engaged 14 months ago and got married just over 3 months ago.  We are already technically married but are still going forward with our original plan of getting married in Hawaii this summer. I am so glad that about 3 years ago he got up the courage to ask me out and I am so thankful that I said yes.  The rest is history.

I have talked about in our love story in the past so I have decided to just talk do a random facts type of thing in general.

My husband is the third of four kids. He has two older brothers and a younger sister.

He moved to the US as young child after living/visiting 3 continents.  He did more traveling in his first 5 years than he has done the rest of his life!

He played football and wrestled in high school and continued to wrestle in college.

He has put himself through college and then through his MBA program (where we met) by working full time.  I only worked during my MBA program (and that was a lot) so I so proud of his dedication to his education.

My husband is a nerd in the cutest way. He and his brothers have these conversations about all kinds of superhero/sci-fi characters in games and shows and remember it all in such great detail.  I just sit their in awe of their wealth of knowledge on a topic I have no background in.

He had a bit of a mustache when we were first dating and he asked me if I like it.  I told him I wasn't so fond of it (it tickled) and he has never had one since.

He wears polo shirts to work almost everyday so he has them in many colors.  Sometimes he has to ask me he has already worn a certain color that week!

We both have siblings and loved it so we can't imagine only have an only child. Hopefully the universe is on board with this plan.

My husband has the kindest heart and goes out of his way to make sure I feel loved everyday.  

I know he is going to be a fantastic dad because if he cares so much about his niece his love for his children is going exponentially larger.

He loves most beers but hates IPAs.  He says they taste like licking a pine tree and I kind of have to agree. Someday I am going to take him to the Guinness Factory in Dublin because I know he would have a fabulous time.

We have had many adventures so far and I have not doubt we have many adventures coming up.  I am glad I get to share those adventures with him.

While my husband holds a very special place in my heart I can't talk about the guys in my life without talking about my dad.

My dad is fabulous!  He also holds a very special place in my heart (as does my mom) that can never be filled by anyone. He has taught me too many things to list (so I won't try) so I will just pass on the highlights.

He is 50% responsible for my love of travel and has accompanied me (and paid for) many of my trips. I am not sure I always want to thank him for this expensive habit but I am grateful for all the experiences he has given me all over the world.

I know he is responsible for showing me what it looks like to be a good person and a good husband.  Because of him I knew what to look for when selecting the person I ended up marrying.  My dad and my husband are very different in many ways but deep down the important qualities my dad has are the same ones I see in my husband.

I can also thank my dad for humoring my love of shopping.  My mom doesn't love shopping so it often fell to my dad to take my sisters and I on long shopping trips. I didn't realize this was anything special until I was at least a teenager!

All in all I have some fabulous guys in my life and I can't imagine doing life without them!

What's Up Wednesday!

I missed this last month but I am linking up with What's Up Wednesday again this month.

What we're eating this week:  Last month I went out to dinner with my husband's family to Sweet Tomato. They had a really fabulous siracha carrot soup that I loved so I decided to try and recreate it at home. I ended up making a carrot and coconut milk blended soup with siracha in it and it turned out wonderfully.  I am definitely adding this to my repertoire of soups.

What I'm reminiscing about: I am reminiscing back to my bachelorette party this past weekend. I had so much fun and took a million pictures so be sure to come back next week for the full recap. My sister did a fantastic job planning it.

What I'm loving: I am loving that I have a few trips coming up in the next few months.  I am heading to NYC to meet up with my sister and if our last trip to NYC is any indication this trip will be fantastic. I am also heading to my 10 year college reunion this spring. I can't be old enough the have a 10 year reunion but that is another story.

What we've been up to: Well, now the holidays and all that comes along with the are over I have been trying to do some cleaning, tidying and general cleaning out of our condo.  I spend many hours over President's day weekend cleaning things out and took many bags to Goodwill.

What I'm dreading: I am trying to keep a positive attitude at the moment.  There are some things happening around me that I have no control over so I am just trying to focus my energy on the positive and not dwell on what I can't change.

What I'm working on: Even though we legally got married in November we still have a wedding in June and it is coming up fast.  I went with my mom and got my registry all set up so my next project is to finalize the logistic details so that I can order the invitations and get them sent out to all my lovely family and friends.

What I'm excited about: I am super excited about my bridal shower that is coming up in just a few weeks. One sister threw the fabulous bachelorette party and the other one is throwing me a bridal shower.  Judging by the invitation it too is going to be fabulous.

What I'm watching/reading: I am still watching Grimm, The Blacklist and Agents of Shield with my husband along with Agent Carter which I love.  I think the clothes have a lot to do with my love of the show.

What I'm listening to: Mostly whatever comes on my Pandora which is usually a mix of country and a random mix of 90s-00s pop music.  Everyone needs some Britney in their life every once in a while. I have been working on a project at work that is a bit repudiative so my headphones have been on a lot this week.

What I'm wearing: I actually haven't bout much recently but I did buy a green new little racer back dress to wear at my bachelorette party.

I also got a cute flowered dress that I am thinking would be perfect to wear to my bridal shower next month.  The model looks a bit odd in this picture but the dress looks better on me than on her!

What I'm doing this weekend: Not too exciting on my agenda this weekend.  I think it will be a combination of cleaning, cooking and finishing putting up my St. Patrick's Day decorations. After a few eventful weekends and more coming up it will be nice to have a quite weekend at home with my husband.

Stitch Fix #9

Last week I got my Stitch Fix box but my handsome photo taker has been dog sitting so photos of the clothes on the bed instead of on me will have to do.  Well, that reason and the fact that one of the pieces didn't fit me.

Let's start with the good this month.  I got this fun printed dress and decided to keep it.  It has 3/4 length sleeves so I can even wear it to work without having to worry about wearing a cardigan with it.

This black and white blouse was cute but not terribly different from anything I already own so I decided to send it back.

The color of this sweater actually looked better on me than I thought it would.  I ended up liking the color but I didn't like the way the neckline laid so I sent this back too.

This sweater fit me really oddly.  I am super short waisted but this sweater was too long to be a cropped sweater and way to short to be worn as a regular comfy sweater.  I also do not like cowl necks on me so this one definitely went back.

The last thing in my box was a pair of jeggings.  Off the bat I am kind of opposed to jeggings especially on me but I tried them on anyway.  These pants did not do anything to sway me to the jeggings camp. They were too big in the waist and when I finally got them over my hips it was very obvious that they were too small in the hips.  For obvious reasons these went back.

Last month my box was almost completely black so I requested more color this time around. They listened and sent me more color and even though I only ended up keeping one piece I was happy they listened.

If you want to try Stitch Fix for yourself you can use my referral link and I will be back next month with my next review.

Favorite Pinterest Pin

We all know that Pinterest is a great place to get inspiration for all kinds of things.  Need decorating ideas. Pinterest. What to make for dinner? Pinterest. Want to make a beer themed dinner for you boyfriend? Pinterest.

Ok maybe that last one is not something people think about everyday but that is what I was looking for when I came upon this Beer and Mac and Cheese with Bacon.

The very first year I was dating my now husband I decided that I was going to make a beer tasting themed dinner for his birthday. I went to BevMo and got 5 different beers and set up a beer tasting complete with scoring cards and little tasting cups.  I knew his favorite brand of beer so I made sure to include one of them.  No one was surprised that it was the one he rated the highest. After the tasting portion of the meal was over we got to enjoy our favorite beers over dinner.

Our first course was a salad with a beer vinaigrette. Next for the main course I went to my trusty Pinterest account for inspiration. My husband likes bacon about as much as he likes beer so when I saw this recipe for Beer Mac and Cheese with Bacon I knew this was the winner. This dish is by no means a light dish so ignoring your diet for the day is a prerequisite. We had his favorite ice cream for desert and called it a night.

The whole night was a success and I think I made a good impression on my then boyfriend because I am now proud to call him my husband.

A Whole Bunch of Disneyland Pictures

I hoped on a plane super early last Saturday morning and was in Orange County in time for breakfast. 

I hung out in the lobby of the Hilton Anaheim for a little while waiting for a friend to pick me up.

I had to wear my cute Mickey and Minnie Mouse shirt because if I can't wear this shirt to Disneyland than really where can I wear it.  That green cardigan didn't last too long.  The weather warmed up pretty quickly.

The park is still celebrating it's 60th anniversary so there are diamonds and sparkles all over the place.

Obviously all the cool adults ride the carousal and then take selfies. This proves we are cool adults.

Sadly it was a windy weekend so the fireworks were cancelled both nights I was there. Fortunately the tea cups are so pretty at night so that makes up for some of not getting to see the fireworks.

The second day I channeled my inner Belle with a big flowered headband.  Since I had to suck it up and wear tennis shoes for walking around I decided to go comfy with the rest of my outfit too.  I wore my Zella yoga pants with my favorite camisole and a heather grey henley tunic.

The Matterhorn has a single rider line so I got to go on it twice during my weekend trip.

On most trips I don't go on the Teacups because the line is not worth it but when I came into Fantasyland Sunday morning and the line was super short I decided to take a spin.  I bet no one is surprised that I decided to ride in the purple teacup.

My family likes Star Wars but when I got married I joined a family of super huge Star Wars fans so I decided to head into the Star Wars Experience to see what it was all about.

I even stood in line (the line was only about 20 minutes) so that I could take my picture with Chewbacca. He was so funny and kept patting the flower on my head.

My husband and I (and his family) are working our way though all the Marvel movies/TV shows in chronological order so I decided to venture into the super hero area.

It wasn't part of the exhibit but as I was leaving the park one night I saw a poster for Agent Carter and had to stop for a picture.  She may not technically be a super hero but she is definitely my favorite.  All the fabulous clothes she wears might have something to do with it.

I couldn't get the whole poster in my selfie #selfieproblems despite my best efforts so I just had to take one without me in it.

I ended up bringing home the box that my chocolates came in even though those chocolates were long gone.

My view of all the pretty lights from my dinner at the Alfresco Tasting Terrace was just so nice I had to take many many pictures.

 California Adventure was celebrating the Lunar New Year so one whole side of the part was done up for the celebration.

I picked a good day to go because I just happen to be there on the 15th anniversary of the opening of California Adventure. They were handing out special buttons and news papers as people walked into the park.  I kept the souvenirs but forgot to take a picture of them.

While I chose to go to Disneyland this particular weekend partly because the Super Bowl was being held near my home it followed me.  Monday there was a parade celebrating Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos Super Bowl win.

I am not a huge football fan but I decided since I was there I might as well watch the parade.  The best part of this whole thing was seeing the looks on the faces of Peyton's two little kids as they rode on the float down Main Street. Those two little kids were so excited to be riding in a parade on a float with Mickey Mouse.  They had huge smiles on their face and were waving to everyone.

All in all this was a fabulous trip but I was also happy to come home to my husband and my own comfy bed.