Monthly recap: June

Okay, I know that I say this every month, but seriously ... where is the time going!? I can't believe it's already July. 

Some of my favorite moments of June were having my sister and brother-in-law home, going wedding dress shopping, and of course, my birthday!

My birthday wasn't really that exciting but it included a lot of good food, and I am pretty easy to please in that regard. 

Birthday dinner - I love ribs!

Unfortunately, in the morning, for some reason we both felt kind of sick. Mat's passed quicker than mine. We went out for breakfast at Toast where I ordered some amazing bourbon french toast, but I couldn't really eat or enjoy it. 

We tried to walk around after but had to retreat home to take a nap. Sleeping wasn't exactly how I wanted to spend my day, but at least it did make me feel better... after all, I had ribs and cake to eat.

Cutest funfetti cake that my Mom got me!

The next morning my mom and I went out for breakfast and I treated myself to my all-time favorite coffee drink, Biggby's peanut butter cup chill. Do people know about this? It used to be a seasonal drink but then thankfully they decided to make it a permanent staple. However, it's not on the menu. If you haven't had one ... it's basically a caffeinated peanut butter cup.

I also tried on a few more wedding dresses on my birthday, but I think i have decided on my dress (eep).

In July, I'm looking forward to hopefully making it to a beach one day and also for Detroit City FC playoffs! The team is currently undefeated and #1 in the league. The playoffs are going to be a good time, for sure. If you're curious but haven't been to a game, now is the time! Tickets are for sale here: http://www.detcityfc.com/great-lakes-txts/

You will get to experience this craziness:

stolen from Northern Guard's instagram... and that is me in the center

What were your highlights? What are you looking forward to this month? I'd love to know!

Hope everyone has a fun, long 4th of July weekend!

May Recap

I can't believe that it's June! June is my favorite month, but I may be a little bit biased -- it is my birthday month, after all. But it's also the official start of summer and just a happy month all around. 

May was fun too, as we unofficially kicked off summer and started filling our weekends with plans, but the best part was definitely this past week. 

I had Monday off for Memorial Day, and then on Tuesday we went with Laura of Ginger Bloom and her husband to see Of Monsters and Men!

It rained all day but thankfully stopped for the outdoor show! Our seats were up on a grass hill, so we kept ourselves entertained by watching everyone slip down it -- which thankfully we did not (success).

The next day, Mat and I headed down to Cleveland to see the US take on Belgium!

We lost, but truthfully, since it was just a friendly, we were pretty pumped to see some Premier League players.

Fellaini's afro!

Vertonghen! Vermaelen! Fellaini! Lukaku! Kompany!

Uncle Sam

USA

The game was really fun and then we looked for ourselves on TV afterward ... can you find us? 

The next day we visited the Cleveland Aquarium and then went to Melt before we headed back.

Look at this weird little turtle!

At Melt, we split a Cuban:

And "The Dude Abides," which was meatballs, marinara, cheese, and cheese sticks:

Yeah.

We found out later that they were actually shooting the new Captain America movie just a few streets from our hotel.

(our hotel)

We had to go back to work on Friday, but I can't complain about a two-day work week! All in all it was a fun trip. Friday night I took my mom to her first Detroit City FC game. It had rained during the day but we thought it had cleared up -- it started pouring the second we got there and didn't stop until the game was almost over, ha. But we had fun!

Now, what am I looking forward to in June? Lots, but a few big ones that stand one include seeing the Postal Service on June 10, my birthday on June 29, and having my sister come home !! :D 

It's going to be a great month!

Monthly recap

Honestly, April was pretty uneventful. I'm sure some things happened, but I was too busy wishing I didn't have to wear a jacket every day and waiting for May! Now it's finally here and there are lots of things to look forward to this month:

We're going to Motor City Comic Con

Detroit City Football Club season starts May 12! Cannot wait!

(source)

I'm going to see Of Monsters and Men with Ginger Bloom

We're going to see the US v. Belgium in men's soccer

And more inbetween! It's going to be a great month. :) 

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend (TGIF)!

Monthly wrap up

I can't believe it's already my third end-of-the-month post! Crazy. 

Happy Monday, and I hope everyone had a great Easter, if you celebrate it. My mom made a delicious meal. I meant to take a picture but accidentally scarfed everything down the second it hit my plate. I also bought this insane cannoli cake from Costco. The middle layer was basically cannoli filling... ohhman. 

One of my favorite parts of March was going out with friends for St. Patrick's Day, it was quite fun. 

hooray for crappy iphone pics

We tend to be hermits in the winter, so it felt good to get out! Which also ties into what I am most looking forward to in April ... warmer weather !!! I hope it is coming. I took my bike out on Saturday for this first time this year and it felt great. I love riding ... maybe I will do a post about that soon. 

Another great thing in March was that I bought my wedding shoes! :) I saw them on clearance at DSW about a week before I bought them. I really liked them but thought it was too early to settle on a pair of shoes. I also was planning on wearing flats so that I wouldn't tower over everyone (I'm 5'10"). 

I kept thinking about them all week, however, so I finally went back. Thankfully, they were still there! They fit like a dream and are actually super comfortable, which is the first pair of heels I have ever said that about. Feels good to keep crossing things off the list. 

And last night Game of Thrones returned! I was ready...

from Urban Outfitters!

I love to rewatch the last season of my favorite shows before the new season starts... the second season was definitely better the second time around. I remember thinking it started off slow at the time but it definitely flowed better watching them straight through. I haven't read the books but do really want to. Maybe if I ever finish reading The Walking Dead...

Anywho, how was your weekend? Feel free to share the best moments of your month below (or do your own post and leave it in the comments!).

Peanut, Peanut Butter ....

I had something else planned for today, but I just found out that March 1 is National Peanut Butter Lovers Day! So, hopefully you won't mind another recipe roundup. 

(source)

First, I wanted to do my quick monthly recap and looking forward. My favorite parts of February were definitely Valentine's Day and the Murder by Death show. Other highlights included setting our wedding date (June 21, 2014!) and putting down our first deposit! :) I also realized that our date is the first day of summer, which could not be more perfect. 

Like Jenny, I'm definitely hoping that March brings some warmer weather. I'm looking forward to the start of spring and hopefully the end of all this snow. (Unlike Jenny, I'll be pretty happy with some 50-degree days, ha.) I'm also looking forward to St. Patrick's Day. Even if we don't go out, I at least make a point to watch The Boondock Saints and listen to all of my Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys CDs.

*Side note -- we actually met David Della Rocco at Motor City Comic Con last year.

Okay, on to the peanut butter. I love peanut butter. Maybe too much. I buy it at Costco. The thought of that dollop* on my oatmeal literally gets me out of bed in the morning. 

*I use that word very loosely

White Chocolate Wonderful is crack. That stuff is so delicious that I can't even buy it. I went to town on that jar. It tastes like Inside-Out Reese's, which were the greatest, most delicious candy of all time.

(source)

Speaking of Reese's, did you know that they know have frozen Reese's eggs!? I spotted them by the Klondike bars.

(source)

I also need to get my hands on these (The Impulsive Buy is pretty much my favorite blog, if you can't tell):

(source)

This post has kind of gone off the rails, but let's just roll with it. I just found this recipe, which sounds pretty good and a bit healthier than the Reese's items featured above.

Anyway, the moral of the story is, I love peanut butter. I've tried other nut butters but honestly nothing is as good as some creamy Jif. My favorite sandwich when I was younger was peanut butter, banana, marshmallows, and chocolate chips. I also might have eaten a peanut butter and butter sandwich or two in my day. (I am have serious deja-vu about writing about that ... I don't think I've already said it?) 

They say that the serving size of peanut butter is equal to approximately the size of a ping pong ball. Perhaps because I wished it were true, for some reason I thought that meant per tablespoon, so I happily scooped two large scoops into my oatmeal every morning. I'm trying to relearn but some days are harder than others.

Clearly there is not going to be a recipe roundup in this post, but please do not let that stop you from enjoying some peanut butter today! If you have any favorite PB recipes, send them my way -- I will do a recipe post in the future. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful, wonderful weekend!

Love and peanut butter,

Kristin

Recap and looking forward

At the end of each month, I want to share my favorite memory of the past month as well as things I'm looking forward to in the coming month.*

My favorite moment of January was definitely our friends' wedding!

I love weddings (uh, free booze?), but friends' weddings are extra fun! It was also special because it was the first wedding we attended after being engaged, so I was taking lots of mental notes. Everything was beautiful, the bride looked absolutely amazing (and had the most perfect dress), and they gave out champagne favors! It was really nice to be a part of their day.

I have to admit though that I am really happy January is over. It's so dreary after the holidays. February is still cold around these parts but at least it is full of hearts and love and pink. I kind of love Valentine's Day, even if it's just an excuse for me to wear pink and bake. I'm obsessed with Valentine's Day decorations (and every holiday really), and somehow cupcakes have come to be associated with Valentine's Day, which is just fine by me. 

We will be celebrating our V-Day at the Love Castle for the second year in a row. (Yes, I am serious!) Haha, it's a lot of fun and the only time I will eat White Castle (Mat loves it). Afterward, hopefully we can fit in a screening of A Good Day to Die Hard.

I am *so excited* for this move (and don't act like you aren't, either!). 

Another thing I am looking forward to this month is seeing Murder by Death on Feb. 23! 

Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon - for sale here

I have loved MBD for a long, long time, but also haven't seen them in concert since I was in high school. They put on an amazing live show, and I can't wait to see them again! If you haven't heard them, check them out! 

What are you looking forward to this month? I'd love to hear about it! 
*I'll try and think of a better name for this feature... any ideas?