Stuffed...

The Facts

We made quinoa stuffed bell peppers - a meatless dish with beans.

His Side

As a man, I need meat to survive. In the hunter-gatherer sense of the word, yes, I “need” it. It’s something that is just born in most men. Bacon, steak, BBQ chicken, lamb chops, ribs, pulled pork, etc. I am a carnivore. Not only is all of this meaty deliciousness simply better tasting than a salad, but it also is packed with protein which is an important part of any diet. So, when Kristi suggested we don’t eat meat for a week, I said that we need protein so we can’t do that. To which she replied “we’ll eat beans.”

Whoa… hold up… beans? If you know me, you’ll know that I get pegged as a “picky eater” because I don’t like beans. It’s the texture (they are like eating paste) AND the taste which don’t appeal to me. I like guacamole and Kristi says it has the same texture as beans; but guacamole tastes good enough to overlook the texture issues and you dip chips in guacamole so the crunchy element helps rectify the pasty texture. 

With that being said, I agreed to try some new things because I love my wife. I even told her I wouldn’t complain. I would, however, tell her my un-sugarcoated thoughts if she asked. And Kristi didn’t waste any time taking full advantage of my willingness to try some meatless, bean filled dinner options. She made quinoa stuffed bell peppers. This was a decent start to our meatless journey because I liked all the ingredients in it except for the black beans. I also think you could put some ground beef or something in there and it would still taste great. But that’s neither here nor there. When she did put the beans in, she graciously didn’t add as many as she probably would’ve liked to, and I thanked her for that. 

I have to admit that these stuffed peppers looked and smelled good, so I was kind of excited to try them. When they came out of the oven, we popped them onto plates and dug in. The first bite I took had two black beans visible on the spoon staring right at me as if daring me to eat them. Kristi looked over and didn’t see the beans at first and she commented on how my first bite didn’t even have any beans. I showed her the beans, then accepted the challenge and plunged the fork into my mouth, beans and all. I am happy to report that I liked it. I didn’t taste the beans, which is good. Also, I didn’t bite directly into any of the pasty nuggets, so the texture didn’t affect my enjoyment. 

I ate the whole thing and thought I would be hungry in about an hour because it was a vegetarian dish. Surprisingly, I wasn’t. So, now Kristi has a new dish she can make when she has a bean craving or we want to save some money and not eat meat one night. I’m sure there will be other things I try in the coming weeks but I’m keeping an open mind and trying them out of love for my wonderful wife.

Her Side

There are two things you should probably know about Nolan and me. I’m not the world’s best cook and Nolan hates beans. Now, when I speak of my cooking abilities, I don’t mean that I can’t cook… I just mean that I cook the same four or five recipes over and over because I know they are good and I do a decent job with them. When I speak of Nolan’s hatred of beans that is no understatement. He really doesn’t like them. In fact, he has been known to pick around them in a meal, gag while attempting to eat them, and of course he makes that face that seems to say “why are you trying to hurt me by putting these beans in perfectly fine food?”

In a Pinterest fueled moment, I pinned a plethora of healthy meals that didn’t involve meat. I sat on these recipes for a few days before bringing up the idea of going a week without eating meat to Nolan. Please don’t mistake my attempt at going meatless for a week as a weak attempt at pushing us into a vegetarian-ish lifestyle… that’s simply not the case. I like meat too much. The idea came to me because meat is so stinking expensive. We have a strict grocery budget each month and it seems as if we (more often than I’d like to admit) end up going the tiniest bit over. In an effort to rein that in a little, I wanted to explore the idea of meatless recipes and convince Nolan that you can have a fulfilling and delicious meal without one ounce of meat involved. Just as I suspected, Nolan retorted with a simple, “I’m a man… I need meat to survive.” We volleyed back and forth on this idea and, naturally, I came out the winner.

So, that brings me to the newest dish that I’ve added to my repertoire. Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers. YUM! I told Nolan all of the ingredients (which sounded like a great combo) and ended the list with a whisper of “…and beans,” hoping he would somehow miss that tiny addition. He didn’t and I received a little hesitation. Nolan graciously agreed to try out this recipe with me and even promised not to complain (too much) about the addition of beans. Nolan stood by my side as I prepared the meal and, when it came time to add the beans, he requested that I not overload the recipe and I happily obliged. So, without further ado, here it is:

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups cooked quinoa (I cooked mine with chicken bouillon cubes and added mushrooms and onions)

1(4oz) can green chiles (I left these out since we didn’t have any)

1 cup corn kernels

½ canned black beans, drained and rinsed           

½ cup petite diced tomatoes

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese

3 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro leaves (again, we didn’t have any so I left it out)

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. onion powder

½ tsp. chili powder

Salt and pepper to taste

6 Bell Peppers, tops cut, stemmed and seeded

**We didn’t use the quantities listed here as I didn’t want an overabundance of a meal I wasn’t sure we would like… basically we eyeballed everything**

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine quinoa, green chiles, corn, beans, tomatoes, cheeses, cilantro, cumin, garlic, onion and chili powder, salt and pepper.

Spoon the filling into each bell pepper cavity. Place in a baking dish, filling side up, and bake until the peppers are tender and the filling is heated through, about 25-30 minutes. (I ended up cranking up the heat and leaving them in a bit longer)

Serve immediately.

Even though we didn’t follow the recipe to a tee, it smelled absolutely delicious and I couldn’t wait to dig in. Once we sat down to eat, I awaited Nolan’s response as to how it tasted. Yes, I creepily stared at him and watched as he didn’t pick out the beans and ate them along with the filling. I was shocked and probably had a weird grin creep up on my face. I don’t know if I could go as far as saying he loved it, but he definitely would eat it again (at least that’s what he told me).

I am so excited that I’ve found a meal that is something new and different and something that Nolan enjoyed. So, to all you picky eaters out there:  if Nolan can do it, you can, too. You never know what you’ll like until try it!

Reading and Watching...

The Facts

We saw Gone Girl. Kristi had read the book. Nolan hadn’t.

His Side

I don’t read much. I know, as a writer, I should probably read more than I do; however, I want to write movies, so it’s a little different. Still, though, I probably should read more and I might start with reading “Gone Girl”. Kristi read the book and told me it’s very good. And, more importantly, the movie is fantastic.

I’ve only read the book AND seen the movie for a handful of things. I think the only ones are “Holes,” “Great Expectations,” “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Grapes of Wrath”, and “To Kill a Mockingbird”. Each of these were books I was required to read for school and most of them are older movies. So it’s not a great sampling to decide if I like comparing books and the movies that they turn into. I hear, though, that reading a book first is a bad plan because the movie never lives up to the book. I feel the opposite. In each of the instances listed above, I liked the movie better except “All Quiet on the Western Front.” That’s partially because that movie was one of the first movies with sound… yea… but it did win best picture… in 1930. I actually did enjoy the book, though.

As a movie lover, I actually prefer exploring a different kind of adaptation. Book to movie is fine and dandy, but I enjoy watching a foreign film then the American remake. Or an older film and it’s more recent remake. That, to me, is a more interesting look at a film’s relation to its source material but that is coming from a guy who loves movies. 

But, to get back on topic, I enjoyed Gone Girl immensely. You can read my full review on my site, but to sum it up:  it’s a tightly wound thriller crafted by the deft hand of a director at the top of his game and will keep you guessing until the bitter end. And it certainly is bitter. I also like that it explores the marriage relationship. So many movies these days are just empty entertainment (which I have no problem with) but exploring social issues give a deeper movie-going experience and makes a movie more satisfying. Also, I have to say that I really did like Tyler Perry in this movie. I never thought I would say that, but I did. He was great. 

Gone Girl is one of my favorite movies I have seen in theaters in a while. And getting to go with Kristi is certainly something that makes the experience even better. It’s not every day that she looks forward to seeing a movie that I am excited to see, so I have to capitalize on those opportunities. We did and we both enjoyed the experience. So maybe, just maybe she will be more likely to go more often with me. Fingers crossed!

Her Side

It should come as no surprise when I say that I’m not a huge fan of movies, but more specifically of going to the movie theater. The whole experience is one that I’d be perfectly fine doing without, BUT there are just some things I do for the sake of making Nolan happy… and seeing the occasional movie in the theater is one of them. Lucky for him, this particular movie is one that I actually had a decent amount of interest in seeing. What makes this particular movie any different from the rest? Easy. I read the book. I love reading, and when a co-worker told me about “Gone Girl,” I was intrigued by the premise so I decided to give it a shot.

I hadn’t sat down to read a book in a while even though it’s something I love to do; so I was very excited to start a book that very much seemed like it was up my alley. I began the book and was honestly disappointed at first. It goes back and forth between the two main characters’ points of view and the female main character’s sections were less than thrilling to me. I was finding myself bored and wondering if the book would ever pick up. After all, I knew my coworker would not lie to me about it being a book you literally wouldn’t want to put down… would she?

Thankfully, it definitely picked up and I didn’t want to put it down. I easily could have finished the book in a day or two, but Fletcher didn’t like that plan. Every time I would pick up the book he tried to eat it or steal my attention away. Since he can be pretty persuasive (borderline annoying) with his tactics, he won every time. Normally my speed of reading a book is not an issue, except I expressed interest in seeing the movie and wanted to finish the book FIRST… and Nolan was waiting anxiously for us to see it in theaters. So, I finally finished it and was quite pleased. Was it a dark story? Yep, but it had me on the edge of my seat for the majority of the book wondering what would happen next. I can normally guess the general way a book will progress, but I was WAY WRONG with this one… my guesser was off!

Normally movies based on books disappoint the avid reader. The director is at liberty to interpret the book in their own way which is ridiculous considering it’s based on a BOOK, but you can’t tell a director that. So, when I heard that it was pretty spot on with the book’s storyline, I was even more excited. Nolan and I planned a matinee movie date (matinee because we are CHEAP even though it’s still ridiculously expensive to see a movie during the day). We stuffed my purse full of candy and soda for the movie, again because we are too cheap to buy that five dollar drink that contains so much beverage it is practically impossible to drink the entire thing without taking a zillion trips to the restroom (which is crazy since you can’t pause the movie you just paid an arm and a leg to see). Once inside, we got comfy in our seats and waited for the previews to begin.

The movie finally began and I was so excited to see Nolan’s reaction to the movie. I was pleasantly surprised that the movie did indeed follow the book to a tee. I, however, was disappointed with how some of the scenes were delivered. I thought a few scenes should have been more dramatic and shocking (as they were in the book) so that was a slight disappointment for me. My main complaint was the choice for the female lead role in the movie. I don’t know what I didn’t like about her, but she wasn’t exactly what I envisioned for the role. But, if that’s my only complaint, I’d say that’s okay!

In the end, I think this movie was great. I would highly suggest seeing it whether you have read the book or not! It gets two thumbs up in my book… and that’s gotta say something!

Artists for a Night...

The Facts

We painted Fletcher… well, pictures of Fletcher.

His Side

I consider myself an artist. But, I am an artist with words, not pencil or crayons or markers or paint. With that being said, I do enjoy a good challenge and am always willing to try new things. So, when Kristi suggested we do this wine and design thing, I thought it would be fun. It’s different than our usual date nights and there is an instructor walking you through the painting process, so how hard can it be? I realized just how hard it can be.

First of all, we wanted to go on a “paint your pet” night because Fletcher is the cutest puppy in the world and the other, regular options for classes weren’t great. After a bunch of phone calls and asking around, Kristi was able to get us in to the paint your pet class even though it was a few days after our Groupon expired and it cost a little bit more than a regular class. Not only does it cost more than a regular class but it is longer and, I found out, much more difficult.

It seemed easy when I first arrived. We had sent in the pictures of our adorable little guy that we wanted to paint. Then, they blew them up in black and white on the canvas we would paint. So, we were painting over the picture itself. Sounds easy, right? Not really. The instructor had us start with the eyes and nose. Those were easy. I rocked those parts. Then, however, we had to do the rest of the pup… and fur is really hard to get right. Then there’s the whole thing of mixing paint to make the proper colors. The instructor would help mix a good color but she would only mix a tiny bit of it. Once I ran out of that, I was on my own to mix a color that looked similar. It turns out I wasn’t too great at that. Then, of course, there’s the aspect of blending colors and doing highlights and layers of color… all very foreign concepts to me. Even with the instructor’s help, I wasn’t able to really get the picture (pun intended).

My picture looks interesting. I actually like how it turned out even though the skill level is clearly not the greatest. I say it has a certain amateurish charm to it. It didn’t help that I was next to Kristi who knocked it out of the park. She was, hands down, the best in the class. Her painting looks just like the picture she was basing it on. I was thoroughly impressed. I mean, I knew she could paint because she has made stuff to decorate our house and to give to people for gifts, but it’s never been an actual animal. She’s very good and I’m happy to have her picture hung up in our house. And, I’m just appreciative that she’s willing to hang mine up, too!

It was a fun experience for sure; I just wish I was better at it. And I’m pretty sure this class was way harder than most of the classes in which everyone is painting the same thing. It’s a tough place to start my career as a painter and it may be where that career ends. I guess I’ll keep my day job and stick to writing.

Her Side

This is all about a date night that Nolan and I just had. Our date nights are normally spent at home, at a restaurant, or at a movie theater… we apparently lack variety in that aspect of our lives. So, a few months back, I found what I thought to be the perfect outing for Nolan and me (at least in my mind). I was perusing my e-mail that is filled to the brim with subscription based propaganda… I’ll admit I really need to click “unsubscribe” so as not to tempt myself to make impromptu (and unneeded) purchases. Unfortunately, I’m a sucker for Living Social and Groupon. This is NOT because I actually need anything from them, but because they suck me in with the promise of saving money!

Earlier this year I went to a Wine and Design class with my coworkers and it was a blast. So, when I saw a Living Social deal for the same thing, I knew that Nolan and I just had to go! I ran the idea by Nolan and the deal was purchased a few moments later. After going back and forth about what class to attend and after some back and forth dealings with the folks at Wine and Design, we settled on a class entitled “Paint Your Pet.”  I know what you’re thinking:  “How cruel! Why would they want to paint their pet?!” To put your mind at ease, we didn’t paint Fletcher, but rather a picture of Fletcher.

Nolan chose a picture of Fletcher from right after we got him and I chose one from a photo shoot I made Nolan do a few weeks ago for the purpose of having a “glamour shot” of Fletcher for me to paint.

Neither of us really knew what to expect going into this class. I had more of an idea since I’d gone to a similar class before, but I wasn’t quite sure how they were going to instruct us on painting our own pets since most classes focus on one painting that an instructor paints alongside the class… a very different scenario than what we were embarking on.

I was surprised to find that they blew up the photos that we previously e-mailed them of our pets and wrapped the blown up photo around a canvas. I’ll admit that I thought to myself that they had done the hard work for us and of course everyone’s photo would turn out looking great since we didn’t really have to “work” for it. I’ll be the first to admit that my mindset was totally wrong. I’m so thankful that they blew up the pictures because, without that, I’m not sure what Fletcher would have turned out looking like… if I had to guess, I would say an alien.

We had a small class which provided more one on one time with the instructor, making the process so much better. When you have no concept of how a painting is created, it’s easy to get discouraged and think that your creation is going to look nothing like the picture right in front of you. So, we had to put a lot of faith in the instructor and she had to have a decent amount of patience with her skeptical students! The air was full of comments like “this doesn’t look like my dog” and “this doesn’t look like fur at all.” Even though there were only four of us in the class, we were a lively bunch and that definitely added to the experience.

At the end of the night, we had spent nearly three and a half hours obsessing over our paintings and perfecting them to our liking. Each one turned out very different from one another, but perfect for the person who painted it. While I can only speak for myself, I’d bet that Nolan had just as great of a time as I did. We got to spend time together being creative (something we both enjoy, albeit in different capacities) and we ended the night with some wonderful artwork that has already found a place in our home!

Sometimes spending time together just needs to include something outside of the norm. I got to see an artsy and creative side of Nolan that doesn’t often come out. And while I know that doing crafts will never really be his thing, the fact that he jumped in feet first to this experience (and didn’t complain once) means a lot!

Never Baked, Always Delicious...

The Facts

Kristi made “no bake” cookies.

His Side

My first ever job was in high school. I was a bakery clerk at a Lowes Foods in Fort Mill, SC. Despite working professionally in a bakery, I did not learn how to bake. Luckily you don’t have to know how to bake to make some delicious treats. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of “no bake” cookies, but they are awesome and, as their name implies, you don’t have to bake them. The other important thing to know about these cookies is that my wife makes them and she makes them very well.

I came home from work one day and noticed a bunch of rows of cookies sitting out on the counters in our kitchen to cool. I had known she was going to make them because we bought all the stuff at the grocery store a few days prior. What I didn’t know, though, was that she was going to double the recipe. It was A LOT of cookies but I’m okay with that. And so are the people with whom we have shared them.

Now we have our freezer full of no bake cookies so, if we get a craving for something sweet, we can pull out a couple and munch. Hopefully they last us a while but, if they don’t, we’ll just have to make some more! 

Her Side

I have an undeniable sweet tooth. Anyone who knows me knows this fact. It should also be noted that my sweet tooth is pretty specific… it ALWAYS wants chocolate. Nolan and I have been trying to eat a little bit better recently and, in line with that effort, we have tried to keep sweets out of the house. Unfortunately, this plan doesn’t usually work in the long term. We do well for about a week, and then I go crazy. “I. Want. Chocolate”… says my sweet tooth. So, I come up with some excuse for needing to go to the grocery store and then manage to swing by an aisle carrying some type of chocolate. I’m not picky, well, as long as it’s not dark chocolate (that’s just nasty).

Recently, in an effort to watch my waist line and be mindful of our budget, I decided that making some sweets and keeping them in the freezer would be a good compromise. That way, if I do get a hankering for something sweet, I don’t have to run to the store and inevitably spend way more than is necessary (and let’s be honest… if it’s a trip for chocolate, none of it is necessary). Also, when making cookies, there is only a finite amount and if they are good enough (and trust me, these are) I would be more inclined to make them last and think twice about stuffing my face with them just because they are there.

I grew up on these cookies; they were a favorite of my dad’s. I also just discovered that my father-in-law loves these cookies… I knew there was a reason I liked him! (haha) Taste them and you will see what the hype is all about. I’m not great at cooking or baking, so a recipe that doesn’t require me to bake and watch for that perfect golden brown top to appear is pretty amazing. Seriously, try these bad boys out… they will not disappoint.

This is how you make them...

½ cup cocoa

½ cup milk

½ stick margarine

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

½ cup peanut butter

3 cups quick oatmeal

Combine the first 4 ingredients in saucepan. 

Bring to a boil over low heat. 

Boil for 1 minute.  

Remove from heat.  

Stir in remaining ingredients.  

Drop onto wax paper.  

Let cool then ENJOY!

It yields approximately 2 dozen. 

Let us know what you think of this recipe! We are certain you will love them.

Fletcher's Traumatic Loss...

The Facts

Fletcher got neutered.

His Side

Bob Barker may not host “The Price Is Right” anymore, but his effect on our society is still felt every time someone gets their pet spayed or neutered. I never understood why he always encouraged us to do that at the end of each episode until I realized how many animals are without loving homes. We were also required to get Fletcher neutered in accordance with our adoption agreement. I’m not sure what they would do if we didn’t but I didn’t intend to find out. 

The poor guy lost part of his manhood and I thought he would be depressed after such a traumatic loss. It turns out that he isn’t. Over a month later, he is the same hyper, sometimes annoying, fun-loving, needy, but cute-as-a-button pup that he was before he was neutered. Even right after the surgery, he wanted to run around and play. We received strict instructions to not let him jump up on stuff or run around too much in an effort to keep his stitches in place while his incision healed. He made it very difficult to obey those instructions. 

He did, however, have to wear the “cone of shame” as it’s called. Well, we put one on him and he promptly figured out how to get out of it. So we tried this inflatable neck thing that helped keep him from licking. It looked more tolerable on him but he didn’t ever tell me which one he liked better. It stayed on him (except for this one time… he’s stubborn), and his incision healed perfectly. He did, somehow, get his stitches out before his follow-up appointment when the vet was going to take them out. It was okay, though, because he was just fine. At his follow-up visit, they took him to the back for about two minutes and brought him back out. They told us “he looks great, and everyone loves him back there!” He must really put on the charm for them!

The other thing to note is that we got some pain pills to give him to help with the pain he may experience during healing. The vet told us that they may make him tired, which I would have been cool with. Despite him acting like he had no pain, we gave him the pills because the vet suggested it. They didn’t make him tired. Not at all. All they did was make him use the bathroom a lot… the smelly kind. And it was more smelly than usual on this medicine. Like, remarkably smelly. He had never really had an issue with waking up in the middle of the night until this medicine. And he was waking up to go to the bathroom. When we told the vet this, they said he may be having a slight reaction to the medicine and, if he seemed okay, we could take him off the medicine. Oh, if only we had known this three days before! 

It comes as no surprise to me that Fletcher acts the same now as he did before his surgery but one thing does surprise me… he still humps stuff. He has his favorite towel that we allow him to do with as he pleases and he certainly still does as he pleases with it. I guess I figured that kind of behavior would cease once he was “snipped” but I guess not. His energetic behavior, biting, and scratching must not have had anything to do with his manhood and have everything to do with him being a puppy. Hopefully he will calm down a little as he gets older but, if not, we will love him all the same!

Her Side

So, our little puppy has grown up so fast. We knew the day would come, but we didn’t think much about it. Yep, he had to get neutered. Even if the shelter from which we adopted him didn’t require such an action to be taken, I assure you we would have done this of our own accord. We scheduled his surgery a month in advance and by the end of that month we were more than ready to take his “manhood” away from him, after all, some his actions were becoming a bit graphic. We dealt with his mannerisms by telling ourselves that once he was neutered he would be a changed dog. It’s the little bit of hope we had left to cling to.

Fletcher had to be at the vet bright and early on the morning of his surgery, so we both got up and took him. We were told he wouldn’t be able to go home until that evening, so that they could monitor him after being put under anesthesia. I nervously awaited and finally received the call from his vet that the surgery went well and he was waking up nicely. She mentioned that he might be groggy and may not act like himself for at least a day (something I was, honestly, completely okay with). Well, I’m here to tell you that’s not what happened at all. I picked him up and he literally acted like he had nothing done to him at all. He wanted to jump up and down and run around and play. I tried to discourage his behavior, but there is only so much you can do to keep a dog calm and still… and none of my tactics seemed to work.

As a result of his surgery, Fletcher was bound to the cone of shame. I felt like a horrible pet parent for making him wear it because he looked absolutely pitiful with it on and I can’t imagine it would be very comfortable. Nonetheless, I wasn’t about to have him pop out stitches and have to go back in for another surgery. So, we stuck with it. I’m pretty sure that Fletcher was trying to get back at us for making him have this surgery done because he began to wake up in the middle of the night… at 1:00, then 3:00 and then 5:00. Each time we tried to make sure he wasn’t in pain, and he wasn’t… he just wanted to play. How can such a small puppy be such a big jerk?

Well, we followed the vet’s orders of keeping him in the cone of shame until we noticed that he had somehow removed both of his stitches. Thankfully he was completely healed at this point, so we didn’t have any trips back to the vet to fix anything.

Now, I don’t know if we had just been misinformed all of our lives about what neutering does to a dog… temperamentally speaking (we know what the physical manifestations of it are), but what ensued after he completely healed is not at all what we thought it would be. We thought Fletcher would calm down a bit and not be so graphic with some of his mannerisms. We thought that his energy level might mellow out just a tad. We thought that he might somehow be less naughty and realize that he isn’t allowed to do certain things (well this one is more out of wishful thinking). NONE OF THIS IS TRUE. He is just as hyper as he was before and he absolutely does not act like we had him neutered.

So, now that we have let the reality of the situation sink in; that our dog is un-phased by his surgery and that he’s destined to be a hyper puppy for at least another year, we are slowly trying to figure out how to deal with him. There are still days that I would like to give him a doggy chill pill (I’m only halfway joking about this) and we are now awaiting the day that he grows out of his “puppy” stage… if that ever actually happens.

Turns out we might have chosen the most hyperactive dog to call our own but we love him despite his hyperactivity. Some days it’s harder than others, especially when he destroys something that is near and dear to your heart, but at the end of the day he is ours… and that is something I wouldn’t dream of changing.

Comforts of home...

The Facts

We bought a new sectional.

His Side

Kristi and I usually differ on our attitudes toward money. I generally take the approach that we make money to spend it. I’m not against saving or anything, I just think that having steady jobs affords you the opportunity to get things you want sometimes; it’s not just about getting the things you need. With Kristi usually taking the opposite approach of saying “well we don’t really need that so why spend the money on it,” I was shocked when she texted me one day and said “we should get a couch.” It shocked me because we have a couch that works just fine. But I’m not one to turn down the prospect of a new couch, so I said “let’s go shopping.”

The shopping part took a lot longer than I expected and we saw a lot of comfortable things. It seemed like each place we went had something we liked better than the last place. We eventually finalized the fact that we wanted a sectional with built in recliners. I wanted built in recliners all along, though, because there is something inborn in all men that makes them want to sit in a recliner.

Before the couch

We finally found what we wanted and I went into negotiating mode which was more successful than I expected. We got the price we wanted so we signed on the dotted line and ordered the pieces to our sectional.

That week of waiting for our sectional to arrive was bad. I just wanted to lounge on the new couch already! But the day finally arrived and I had confirmed a 2-5pm window for the delivery. That was perfect because my nephew’s first birthday party was that same day and ended at 1pm. While at the party, though (around 11:30am), I got a call saying that the delivery truck would arrive in thirty minutes. That was frustrating, but I left the party, let the delivery guys in to set everything up, then hightailed it back to the party.

After the couch

When we got home, though, I realized that I had overlooked a minor flaw in the couch. Two of the pieces don’t fit exactly like they should. Kristi noticed this and I felt like I should have seen it while the guys were there so they could fix it. After some phone calls and getting stern with customer service, they sent a technician out to fix the problem. He was very nice and tried a lot of things, but couldn’t fix it. It seemed that the pieces were just slightly defective.

Luckily, the manager at the store from which we bought the couch has been very helpful and we will be receiving replacement pieces later this month. Hopefully they fit better than these do! In the meantime, we have been thoroughly enjoying our new couch. And so has Fletcher!

Her Side

I’ll just come right out and say it… we bought a sofa. It’s not just any sofa, but one that is so comfortable I might be willing to give up sleeping in our beloved king bed (ok, well not exactly since I LOVE that bed). This sofa is one that puts comfort above all, and I’m ok with that. Now, let me walk you through how we went from being content with our previous sofa to the proud new owners of this brand spanking new sofa. It all happened rather suddenly. In fact, it really came out of nowhere and I’m pretty sure Nolan was blindsided when I casually brought up the idea of a new sofa one day about two weeks ago.

New look of the office

Nolan and I have actually been tossing around the idea of getting a new sofa for a while. It’s not that the one we had didn’t suffice, but it simply did not allow us to comfortably have another couple over without feeling like sardines lined up on the sofa. I have always dreamed of having a sectional… and honestly that dream has come from very selfish reasons. I want that corner section all to myself. After all, everyone knows that is the most comfortable spot there has been and ever will be. So, my heart has been set on finding the perfect one. The only problem we have had up until now is that the space we have in which to fit a sectional is rather small. In past times, we have fallen in love with sofas only to find out they were inches and sometimes even feet too large for our room. I thought we would never be able to find the perfect fit.

So, when I suggested that we start the search again, we wasted no time. Before we started our search, we made sure to take specific measurements so we would know what we could and could not fall in love with! We went from store to store and found a few that would fit in our space. It seemed that in each store we went we found one we liked better than another at the previous store. After sitting on sofa after sofa we finally found one that we both loved and our wallet wasn’t as unhappy about. If it were up to me, I would have chosen a sofa that was first and foremost aesthetically pleasing and, if it were up to Nolan, comfort would be the key. Well, when we stumbled upon THE sofa, I’m pretty sure we both knew it was the one; it was both stylish and comfortable. It was the right color, we could configure it to fit our space, it was so comfortable, and even though we weren’t even looking at this feature… it had reclining sections. As soon as we sat down we both knew we would have that sofa in our home.

Nolan took some lessons from the agents on Million Dollar Listing and did some hard bargaining to get the sofa at our “magic number.” He did great and we left the store with huge smiles on our faces!

Now, with every great thing comes some hiccups (at least in our household that’s the case). We had to wait a whole week and a few days before we could actually enjoy this new sofa… a definite test of our patience! Once delivered, we discovered that two of the pieces don’t quite fit together like they should, so we are in the process of having new pieces delivered to fix the issue.

New look of the living room

Even though we purchased only one new piece of furniture, the result was a makeover of three rooms in our house. We were able to rid our living room of a hand-me-down sofa and love seat and put our old sofa in that room. We moved my piano out of Nolan’s office and down the hall and it now has a new home in the living room. Our living room was one that we NEVER used before, but now it’s so inviting that I can see myself wandering out there to play a little piano or maybe just to sit down and read a book! After moving my piano out of Nolan’s office, we were able to move our nice recliner that was previously in the family room into his office (lucky guy) and my stationary bike found a home there as well thanks to Nolan’s generosity in giving up some space!

It feels like we have a new home now, and that’s kind of refreshing. Sometimes you just need to rearrange a few things to have an entirely different outlook on your home. It’s not that I wasn’t excited about our home before, but now I find myself walking through the house with a silly grin on my face.

So, if you come over to our house in the next few months, kindly oblige us and go on a brief tour of our “new” home. We’re proud and definitely want others to enjoy it just as much as we do!

Happy Anniversary...

The Facts

We went to Lake Lure, NC for our one year anniversary.

His Side

One year. Sadly, a lot of marriages don’t even make it that long. That puts us ahead of the curve, I guess! To celebrate that, we took an extended weekend trip to Lake Lure, NC. Why Lake Lure? Because “why not?” It’s secluded, pretty, relaxing, and we could get the hotel for free. Thanks, Mom and Dad! Also it’s not that long of a drive. 

Since check-in wasn’t until later, we decided to have a lazy morning and sleep in. Sleeping in, these days, really just means 8:30 or 9:00, but that’s okay. We had a leisurely morning, dropped Fletcher off at my mother-in-law’s, and hit the road around 1:30 or 2:00. The drive wasn’t so bad to be honest. We just chatted and listened to music. But, when we finally got there, things took a very negative turn.

Another reason (which I didn’t mention) for choosing Lake Lure is because we could get a king bed and a whirlpool tub. These are two things we did not get on our honeymoon last year, so we wanted to be sure we got them this year. When we checked in and went to our room, though, we found a queen bed and a whirlpool tub. That was unacceptable. Now, before you call us divas, think about how you’d feel if you specifically chose accommodations to have certain things, got excited about those things, confirmed that you had those things TWO DAYS BEFORE CHECK IN, and then didn’t have those things. It’s not a good feeling. Also, the room smelled like a damp, dirty basement. 

Needless to say, we were very discouraged; but, with some phone calls and a good bit of waiting, we got moved to a suite with a king bed and a whirlpool tub. And it was a very, very nice place. We were more than happy with it and excited to finally be able to unpack our stuff and prepare for our dinner reservations that night. 

Dinner was at The Treetops in the Lodge at Lake Lure. Fancy is a good way to describe it. Delicious is another good way to describe it. It is literally the best dining experience I can remember. It helped that the company was great! We had to get to bed at a reasonable time, though, because we had signed up for a ziplining excursion the next day, bright and early. 

You can read more about the ziplining experience in our last post; but, to sum it up:  it was a blast! The rest of the day was spent relaxing at the pool and playing some mini-golf as we waited for our scenic boat cruise to take off that night. I love a good boat ride. Being on the water is relaxing and I absolutely love it. Kristi doesn’t share my enthusiasm. It means a lot to me that Kristi was willing to do the cruise, though. She even suggested it! She’s just lovely like that. 

On the cruise we got to see some ridiculously fancy houses on the lake, learn a little about the history of the area, see the alcove where a lot of Dirty Dancing was shot, and see a lovely sunset. I found it very fulfilling and Kristi didn’t hate it. That’s a win! After the cruise, we had a low-key evening relaxing and cooking our own dinner to save some cash. 

The next day we became outdoorsy people (which we aren’t). We had planned to go to a diner my brother-in-law told us about for breakfast, but we were pretty lazy in the morning and didn’t get out of bed early enough to make it to breakfast. We were okay with that. So, instead, we went for lunch. The cool thing about this diner is that it’s on the Blue Ridge Parkway which is a very scenic, winding road. There are a lot of nice overlooks to stop at and it’s just a beautiful drive. The food and service were great, too.

portions of Dirty Dancing were shot here

After lunch, we headed to another landmark suggested by my brother-in-law (and some folks on our ziplining trip):  Sliding Rock. Here, you wait in line a long time so that you can slide down this super smooth rock into a freezing cold swimming hole. And I mean FREEZING! Doesn’t sound like fun? Well, it is. We only slid down once, but it was worth the trip.

Once we toweled off and warmed up, we got directions to a state park where we planned to hike to a bunch of waterfalls. It turns out we only hiked to two waterfalls because neither of us are huge hiking fans and it was hot outside. The waterfalls we went to, though, were gorgeous and it was a nice trip; but, both of us were ready to get back to our home base. We had been driving a lot that day and wanted to relax.

We relaxed with some s’mores on the beach. The place where we were staying had organized a bonfire on the beach and it was the perfect way to finish out our trip. We watched the sun go down over the lake while enjoying some always delicious s’mores and chatting with some fellow vacationers.

The next day, our blissful trip had to come to an end… sort of. We had to leave Lake Lure, but we still had another day off from work. So Monday was a little “staycation.” We didn’t really do anything which was perfect. Simply not having to work and getting to spend the whole day together was fantastic. Going back to work on Tuesday wasn’t as fantastic, though.

I couldn’t have asked for a better year with Kristi or a better way to cap off that year than the Lake Lure trip we took. I look forward to many more years with Kristi by my side and many more anniversary trips!

Her Side

It seems like just yesterday that Nolan and I were finishing preparations for our quickly approaching wedding. Our wedding day went by way faster than I expected, but I didn’t think that would spill over into the first year. It has flown by! I have now been Mrs. Collins for one whole year… that’s crazy to me, and I certainly wouldn’t change it for the world. A few months back, we started planning an anniversary trip because, after all, I think one year of being married is definitely something to celebrate. As sad as it is to say, there are a lot of folks who don’t make it to the one year mark (I’d presume they didn’t take the sanctity of marriage very seriously). So, we wanted to get away and just celebrate US. We picked a location but had no idea what there was to do there, all we knew is that it was within a reasonable driving distance and would provide some relaxation. Leading up to our trip we talked about what we might like to do but ultimately didn’t commit to anything and decided to be spontaneous the whole time!

Our trip destination was in the mountains of North Carolina and, to be more specific, we went to Lake Lure (a super tiny town that you can miss if you blink… no joke). Our reservations began on a Thursday; but, unfortunately, we couldn’t check in until later in the day. So, our morning was spent lazily starting the day (I wish everyday was like that) and slowly packing up Fletcher’s stuff to take to my mom’s since she graciously agreed to watch him while we were gone. Once we finally decided to hit the road, we had to prep ourselves to say goodbye to Fletcher. He’s just a dog, right? WRONG! He’s like our child, so leaving him was a quasi-big deal to us… well, me. But, once we finally said goodbye, we were on our way.

We arrived at our destination and discovered that the room we were given did not check off all of our boxes. We chose a room with a whirlpool tub (because we don’t have one and the tub we do have is basically only comfortable for a small child) and, more importantly, we chose a room with a king bed. What can I say, we like our space! Well, when we opened the door to our suite, we discovered that it did have the whirlpool tub, but did not come with our requested king bed. Also, it smelled like mildew and stale air. So, we weren’t staying there. After a number of calls and complaints, we worked it out and were moved to a two bedroom unit that was MUCH better and I’d even say we loved it!

Our first night in Lake Lure, we decided to go out to a fancy dinner. Nolan had done some investigating and found a spot to which he was told he HAD to take me. I’m so glad he did, because it was the most delicious meal with the most amazing views of the lake. By the time we were done with dinner, it was time to get back to our place and relax. Before we could relax, however, we had to decide about our adventures for the next day. We both expressed interest in ziplining, so we looked into places and settled on one that seemed to have the better and more adventurous course (albeit more expensive… go figure). We booked it and paid the fees online and got in bed because our day would have to start ridiculously early so we could make our 8:30 am ziplining adventure!

Our zip lining adventure started out rocky, but ended with smiles stretched across our faces. By the time we were done, we were starving… so we started the 30 minute drive back to our place and devoured simple homemade sandwiches as fast as we could. I am fairly confident not a word was spoken between us during that meal… how awkward! Even though our morning was spent outdoors, the weather had been wonderful. Once we got back to our place, the tune had changed a bit and it was HOT. So, we decided that we would take a quick jaunt to the resort pool before getting ready for our evening plans.

If you know me, you might know that I HATE wearing a swimsuit in public. I’m not model skinny and I definitely have some meat on my bones. I’m not suggesting I’m ashamed of my body, but let’s be honest… we live in a world where women are told they should look a certain way and be a certain size… one I’m certain not even one of my legs would fit into. All of the “good chairs” were taken by those wanting to get some sun, but not too much sun; basically, they took all of the desirable shaded spots. So, we opted for chairs that were closest to the least populated section of the pool. I dropped my stuff, took off my swimsuit cover up and pretty much ran, er, briskly walked to the edge of the pool and got in immediately. The water was brisk but oh so refreshing! We commandeered an unpopulated corner of the pool and did some serious people watching:  one of our favorite pastimes!

Once pool time was over, we had to get ready for our evening excursion - a scenic boat cruise around Lake Lure. Fun fact about Kristi:  I don’t like boats. I don’t like boats for the same reason I don’t like planes. Because I can’t immediately step out at any time and be on solid ground; also, I’m not a fan of waves rocking the boat. It FREAKS me out. Nolan has become accustomed to this, but I assure you he still thinks I’m crazy. Well, the boat ride turned out just fine, although the water got bumpy a few times and I had to squeeze Nolan’s hand to keep my cool. By the end of the boat ride, I didn’t want it to end since the views were gorgeous and the breeze on the water was incredible! But, all good things must come to an end, right?

Our final full day in Lake Lure started with a ride up to the Pisgah Inn (a fantastic place to eat with great views) along the Blue Ridge Parkway. My brother suggested we get there for breakfast but, since breakfast is only served until 10:30am and it was about an hour and a half drive to get there, we opted to get up there in time for lunch. The drive up was full of twists and turns, literally… oh and a bunch of tunnels. I guess that’s kind of what you have to do when you build a road in the middle of a mountain range, huh? After our lovely lunch, we decided to go to Sliding Rock where you slide down a HUGE smooth rock into ice cold water. Now, I don’t know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t what we saw and experienced. There were tons of people and an extremely long line to walk up the rock and slide down. Again, I tried to talk myself out of sliding down the rock. I didn’t want to be in a swimsuit in front of people and the thought of ice cold water gave me flashbacks to that time myself and a bunch of cousins and family jumped into the canal in Kuna. What I remembered was that it was frigid. Well, I sucked it up and made my way to the top of the rock and like the cute couple we are, Nolan and I opted to slide down the rock hand in hand (I know… how lame, right?) We slid down the rock and the breath was quickly knocked out of each of us upon the realization of how cold that water actually was. Once was enough for both of us… now that’s something we could agree upon.

Sliding Rock

Next, we decided to do some small hikes and see some gorgeous waterfalls. Again, I wasn’t expecting there to be so many people and I certainly wasn’t expecting to get winded while on our journey to see the waterfalls. The parking lot was packed and we had to “hike” up a long hill, that we admittedly stopped hiking halfway up because we are THAT out of shape.

We took the winding roads back to our place and got cleaned up and ready for a marshmallow roast on the beach at the resort. I love marshmallows so, as soon as I heard about it, I was IN! I was curious as to why only marshmallows were being roasted, but was pleasantly surprised when we got to the beach and discovered we were doing the whole sha-bang. S’MORES! Music was playing and everyone was enjoying the delicious s’mores. What a wonderful way to end our anniversary trip.

This trip has been a conclusion to a wonderful first year of marriage together. I’m thankful for every day that I have spent with Nolan. If you were to ask me a year ago what I thought marriage would be like, I would have no idea what to tell you. It’s a lot harder than I expected, but that’s not a bad thing. I actually consider that a great thing. If it were easy, it would be easy to take for granted. Instead, when you have to work for something you appreciate it much more.

So, like our vows said a year ago… Nolan, I STILL promise to encourage you, inspire you, and stand by your side for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health for all the days of my life. I will forever be there to laugh with you, to lift you up when you are down and to love you unconditionally through all of our adventures in life together… and I hope there are many more to come!