I should have left the house already!

Some of the newly planted trees at our place are hot red! I will take pictures of campus this weekend. Vandy is a national arboretum and the changing leaves look amazing.

Off to the airport to pick up Josh's parents. Our very first Nashville visitors!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

I am bald and dad has a fro. Lovely.

Me Chelsea and Dad at Grandma's (patio piled high as usual). Love You, Dad!

Happy Birthday Mom and Sean!

My Mom's sr picture! Love it!

Me and Sean, and Full House in the background! My Mom, Sean, Me, Aladdin and Chelsea at Disneyland!

My little brother turned 18 today! I can't believe it. I feel old, and sad. I wish we were still kids!

My Mom had a BIG birthday yesterday, although you couldn't tell she looks so young!

I wish I was in Colorado so I could celebrate their big birthdays with them.

Of coarse I ate some Rainbow Chip cake today in their honor.

Eat, Sleep, Study, Blog

I am sitting in bed with this stack of enlightenment (or torture, I can't decide). Each clip represents a week's worth of reading in my History of American Education Policy and Reform class. I have a midterm this week that is comprised of 5 essays... and will cover the 30 readings, 2 books, and 8 lectures we have been assigned so far. It is nearly a thousand pages of information. I have just completed the organization process, and the outline document. Now I am delaying going through all of the readings again because I know I slacked on some of them.

So if you need me, I will be holed up until Wednesday, buried in the theories of protestant republicanism, common schools, progressivism, domestic ideology, intelligence testing, sterilization, life adjustment, and desegregation.

At least the sun is shining! I have my windows open and life is good.

Brrrr

Lola keeps warm in style.

It is friggin cold here! Like you can see your breath at night cold. I spent all day yesterday trying to find cold weather clothes. I bought some cute tights, an olive wool pencil skirt and a knit black dress. I am trying to update my look to something a little more mature. So far Chelsea and I decided I need to start wearing heels and lipstick and I will look at least 5 years older. I bought the heels, working on the lipstick. Any ideas for a mature hairstyle?

PS. Lola wants you to know she does not have a gut...she was just sitting weird. And as for the eyes...I don't know what happened.

Opposites Attract

Josh is watching the Def Jam 25th Anniversary right now, and he is seriously like a kid in a candy store. He keeps telling me to look at this person and listen to this song and did you know blah blah blah. I can still remember hopping into his old, beat up '74 Chevy truck when we first started dating and being mortified while he blasted rap music ... but smiling and sittin pretty because he was soooo cute.

Josh and I are total opposites in so many ways, I can't even name all of them. But, then again he is eating a bowl of raspberry sherbet while watching the show. Maybe we aren't so different.

Picture from March 2004. Josh's brother Anthony, me, Josh and my sister Chels. Don't you love Anthony's face!

*Edit: Apparently I have selective memory. Josh has informed me the truck was actually a 72 and according to him had no stereo. Really? Ok, maybe the loud rap music was in his other truck, but I could have sworn! Ugh, details...whatever.

Dear Tempe,

I can't stop thinking about you on this exceptionally dreary day. Nashville is grey grey grey today. My skin misses the warmth of the sun and my hair misses the dry air. (Who knew I had wavy/frizzy hair?) When I return to your beauty, I will do just as I had done before. I will focus my gaze on your clear blue sky and let the sunshine wash all over me.

I miss my family and friends a lot today. I want to go home, go through my sister's closet (her clothes always smell good) and then grab dinner at LGO with Dad and Wendy. I want to watch a football game at my Mom's house with my brother just for the amusement of his loud emotional outbursts. I want to drive down the street to my Grandma's house when I am having a bad day and lay on her couch for an entire afternoon. I want to gather with my family at the "Fall Birthdays" party and play with my cousins, before they are too old and decide that I am really not all that cool.

And to my friends, I miss you like crazy too. I am learning how rare it is to find people you always have something to talk about with. Please don't forget about me, even though I am not on Facebook, I still exist!

Pic: Mill Ave bridge, via Flickr; Palm walk at ASU, via Wikipedia

Attitude.

As per your request (Dad), here is more Lola on the blog.

When I asked her to pose, she crossed her arms and turned her head.

She has a total attitude problem.

I have no clue where she got it.

Eat Local

Image via Yelp Last night Josh and I had dinner at Caffe Nonna, a neighborhood Italian eatery that is really close to our place. We currently live by Sylvan Park, which is a neighborhood with little intersection in the middle where the golf course meets with about 6 restaurants and some small shops. Josh and I have been to Star Bagel, the Local Taco, Sylvan Park Restaurant and now Caffe Nonna. It is a sweet little joint that is dark, cozy and has a wall of wine (not that we drink the stuff). Hopefully by the time we have visitors we will know where the good food is!

And now I am heading to Bongo Java, famous for their NunBun (the roll that had Mother Theresa's face on it). I have about 500 pages to read in the next two days so hopefully a steamed chai will motivate!

More apartment pictures!

The patio!

Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Sandwiches

Pumpkin and cream cheese cookie sandwiches: Perfect fall treat!

This recipe yields about a dozen cookies, or 6 sandwiches.

Pumpkins Cookies: 1/2 c sugar, 1 stick unsalted butter, 1 egg , 1/2 can pumpkin , 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, pinch of ground nutmeg, 1 1/4 c flour , 1 teaspoon baking powder, pinch of salt ,

Frosting: 1 8oz package of cream cheese softened at room temperature , 3/4 c confectioners sugar, 1/8 c of milk, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract ,

Directions: Cream butter and sugar in a medium bowl. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla. In a separate medium bowl sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to the batter. Mix well. Drop tablespoons full onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350* for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on baking rack. Cookies will be a cake-like in consistency.

Frosting: Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add sugar and mix until smooth, then add milk and vanilla.

For Easy Frosting: Fill a sandwich size zip lock with the cream cheese frosting and cut one of the bottom corners off. Push frosting down and out of the hole.

Once cookies are cooled, frost the bottom of one cookie in a circular motion from the center of the cookie out, add another cookie and squish together for perfection.

Then eat!

The New Crib... part dos

You know the drill....1. Bathroom 2. Bathroom 3. Bedroom 4. In the kitchen

We are soooo stoked! Checking out the goods at CB2 for inspiration.

The New Crib...part 1

Here are some pics of the new place. Starting top left and moving clockwise we have 1. the view from the front door 2. the kitchen (don't worry the fridge is on its way) 3. standing in the living room looking into the bedroom 4. The small, just enough room closet

Headboards, Updates and Love

We need a new bed, preferably just a headboard. I am loving the idea of framed pictures as a headboard or one large painting. Any ideas?

Life Update: School is going really well, I had a presentation about a week or so ago on Economic and Budget Policy. I was nervous as always, but maintained composure and did fine. Which by the way dad, check out this article on California. I attended a Brown Bag the other day with the Director of Federal Relations at VU. She gave great insight into life/careers in DC. I have no interest in working in a partisan position whatsoever, I can barely make up my mind about a headboard let alone the party I want to commit myself to!

Work has also been really good. I am out in the elementary schools collecting data. While some might see it as the grunt work, it really is giving me great experience in Policy. The best policy is informed by research!

Josh got his Ruckus last week and took me for a ride the other night. It really only seats one, and I felt like I was going to bounce off the back, but it is so much fun! He has been cruising on it and is thinking of starting up a Ruckus Rough Riders club. Not.

Josh and I have bumped our move up to the 23rd of Oct! We are so excited and can't wait for visitors! My wonderful in-laws are coming the following weekend for Josh's birthday! I wish Anthony was coming too.

Which reminds me of my brother. I was at Moe's today when this song came on and reminded me of Sean, down in the basement, rockin it out on guitar hero.

I love my familia.

1. Fabric via Sunset.com 2. Wall Decal via Etsy 3. Upholstered via Country Living 4. Painting via ZGallerie

Blast from the Past

Do you ever forget how long you have been with your sweety? Josh and I decided to count the other night {while playing Yahtzee!} and it has been about 6 1/2 years since we started dating. Really...almost 7 years? That is almost a freakin decade. Ok, not quite a decade but, it makes me feel old....

Picture from my senior prom. I love Josh's face, I love how skinny we are, and I love that my bf Steph is hanging out on the left. I also love that the color of my dress was watermelon.

Quinoa - "Something Different"

I do our weekly grocery shopping at Trader Joe's, every Sunday. This week Josh requested "something different". Apparently I have been boring him as of late, because as he claims, "I know you can make more than 5 things". Whatever. If I find something I can cook, that is delish, healthy AND Josh will eat it, I will make that dish as often as I can!

In the back left corner of our Joe's they give out samples of new recipes and products. Today they served quinoa {keen-wah} mixed with shredded chicken and Arrabiata sauce.

Oh My Yum

It was SO good!

I have never heard of this stuff, but of course I bought it and can't wait to eat it this week!

So take that Josh...

XOXO

I am obsessing over the Gossip Girl wardrobe this season. Go HERE to find out where you can get the duds. Totally out of my grad student price range, but it's fun to pretend no less.