{My loves, getting ready for a walk} {This is what happens when I give my camera to Joey} {Stop it right now!} {A mid-week love letter…} {And a dozen roses} {Another after-work walk before going to the gym} {Tuckered out} {Hello there, handsome} {My breakfast every morning as of late: green smoothie and peanut butter toast}  Signing off for the weekend! On the schedule tonight: a trip to the gym for a light workout before our 10k tomorrow morning, a … Read More

I’m going to let you in on a little (not so) secret about me: I love to experiment with my hair. Over the years, I’ve had a lot of different hair colors and styles, never able to stick to one for very long, some more successful than others. Let’s take a little walk down memory lane, shall we?    Why, you might be asking yourself, am I posting about hair? Because I need your opinions, friends! I have a hair … Read More

Training for and running the Red, White and Boom! half marathon in Minneapolis this July was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences I’ve had to date. The twelve weeks of training, pushing my self-proclaimed ‘non-runner’ body beyond what I thought I could do and challenging myself mentally made finishing the race all that more gratifying.  One part of the process I absolutely loved: having a specific training plan and sticking it out day after day. Knowing exactly what … Read More

  It’s been a while since I posted a daily food log. Now that I’m back at work and settled into real life again, I figured it was high time I shared. Breakfast*2 slices whole wheat toast spread with 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter each and 1/2 sliced banana*Almond milk latte Mid-morning snack*Vitamin Water Zero  *Taste panel day at work so I sampled a few small bites of a few different recipes. Lunch*2 cups chopped Romaine lettuce*2 tablespoons honey-roasted peanuts*1 … Read More

Last weekend I… 1. Made a pasta bake filled with veggies, multigrain pasta and sausage (on the right, for him) in hopes that it would be a dinner success. Instead, it was flat, bland and dull. 2. Played every board game we own (well, those suitable for two people) with Joey over the course of two days. 3. Explored our new town while hunting down a disc golf course we spotted online. Joey played and Nutmeg and I walk alonside. … Read More

  Call me crazy, but I’ve always been more of a vanilla girl than I am chocolate. It’s not exactly as if I would turn down a chocolate dessert (hey, I’m not crazy), but I just prefer the simplicity and clean flavor of a vanilla-centric treat. Personally, I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for blondies. They often get thought of as the brownie’s less-attractive sibling, but I dare to disagree. What they lack in chocolate they make … Read More

This isn’t a post I ever thought I would be writing. To be completely honest, I’m pretty low maintenance and definitely find it hard to spend loads of money on expensive beauty products, no matter how wonderful they may be. But when reader Carla e-mailed me asking for my routine, I figured it would make a fun mix-up from my typical recipe-related ramblings. So, here it goes… Neutrogena Naturals Fresh Cleansing + Makeup Remover  Use: Morning and Night  Lately I’ve been … Read More

{Catching a San Diego Padres game on a beautiful night in the city} {Vegetarian hot dogs were available at the game, which pretty much made my night!}  {Since neither of us are really baseball fans, we took more pictures than most at the game} {The first part of the next morning was spent watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 in preparation for part 2 that night!} {During our time on Coronado Island, we stopped at a place … Read More

We’re back from San Diego and getting settled into life in our new digs! Much more on this later, but because Joey’s job and my job are in slightly different locations, we have moved to an adorable little loft apartment in Grinnell, Iowa, a small town that if a half way point between where Joe works and I work. As part of our new living situation, I will be working from a home office two days a week (Monday and … Read More

{Looking only half awake at the San Diego airport} {We had time to kill before checking into our hotel so we ate an amazing lunch at Zanzibar. Vegetarian egg white omelete and whole grain toast? Yes please!}  {A beautiful fruit and water greeting surprise from my family.} {My handsome hubby enjoying our first dinner in San Diego at La Fiesta. He said if he could have one meal be his last, this meal at La Fiesta would be it.} {Monday … Read More

  Our special day was truly more beautiful than words can even begin to describe. As soon as I have more photos to share, you better believe I’ll do a complete recap; but for now, I’m just stopping in to say hello from San Diego and give you a quick update with the handful of photos I could get my hands on.    Thank you all for your kind words and support! I can’t wait to share more with you … Read More

While I am away on my honeymoon, my dear blog-friend Lauren from the blog Keep It Sweet was kind enough to share an amazing summer treat. Lauren is an amazing baker and has an absolutely beautiful blog that you should make sure to check out. Thanks so much for sharing, Lauren! I can’t wait to try this when I get back home. Hi, I’m Lauren from Keep It Sweet. I’m excited to get a chance to guest post on Espresso and … Read More