Tales from the Open (House) Road

Oh, house shopping.  I was so excited for you!  Let's sell the townhouse, we said.  So we did, and now we need (read: are desperate to find) a new place.

I've been lucky enough to spend my Sunday afternoons walking/running/holding-my-breath through quite a few open houses in the area.  Thankfully, I have lots of people willing to go with me to these shindigs (well, at least one person- thanks Mel!).

Let me start by saying that I'm 100% aware no house will be perfect and I will probably want to change lots of things.  However, I didn't anticipate getting scolded out of houses, the number of bathrooms I'd see with carpet, or that I would keep running into the same listing agent, who we'll refer to as.... Bob.

The most interesting things to happen to date include:

• Walking through bedrooms to find more bedrooms and closets that look like they were used as torture chambers more bedrooms.
• Meeting "Bob" at an open house and having him strongly recommend we put in an offer in on the house (that we really wanted and was already sold when Bob told us this)
• Continuously running into Bob at additional open houses and exchanging incredibly fake pleasantries/agent trash talk on Bob's end
• Being reminded by a seriously condescending agent that "buying a house is not a joke" and that it's "very expensive to buy and sell real estate."  Yes, sir, I'm not actually here as a joke, I'm here to see the house.  And, no, I'm not interested in the haunted house your selling.

It's been an interesting process so far, for sure!  Anyway, some exciting news is to come because we just may have found the place for us.  Wherever we end up, there are lots of fun projects in our future!

27-Before-27

I've finally finished my new list! Take a look...

27-before-27

1. Finish writing our book about Dad
2. Attempt a food challenge
3. Watch all the Best Picture Oscar nominees before the award show one year
4. Host a family holiday
5. Learn how to use my camera better
6. Volunteer at least once a year
7. Ride a mechanical bull
8. Learn and practice calligraphy
9. Conquer an IKEA hack
10. Go to an Eagles game
11. Play a round of golf
12. Visit 3 new places
13. Make pasta from scratch
14. Go on a weekend retreat with Mom
15. Try beef wellington
16. Lose 10 pounds
17. Plan a surprise for someone I love
18. Host a movie night
19. Do something that scares me
20. Practice yoga (at least) once a month
21. Have a garage sale
22. Write my will
23. Make every recipe in my Sprinkles! cookbook
24. Buy a house
25. Go on a camping trip
26. Have a picnic in central park
27. Learn how to make sushi 

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There ya have it!  This one was a little harder to write, and I wish I would have started it sooner, but it's all set and I can't wait to start crossing things off.  I'll keep my blog up to date with my progress :)

Have a great weekend!

Weckerly's Ice Cream Sandwich Taste Test!

I found Weckerly's on Instagram a few weeks ago and having been dying to try something from them!  The pictures they post are not only gorgeous, but they look delicious.  I was also intrigued by the unique flavors they would share (this week was a mouthwatering banana fluffernutter - yes, please!).

When I found out my birthday dinner was going to be at Terrain last weekend, I connected the dots and remembered Terrain started carrying Weckerly's ice cream sandwiches.  The stars aligned and I was able to pick up four different flavors for Scott and I.  We tried a different one each night this week and I'm excited to share what we thought!

Little disclaimer, these puppies were $5.50 a pop which for locally sourced, small batch, micro-creamery ice cream, I was okay with.  But I definitely wanted them to be good (crossed fingers and toes).  Okay, on with the taste test!

The first sandwich we tried was the classic Black & White on chocolate chip cookies!

The cookies were nice and soft and the cookie-to-ice cream ratio was perfect.  I thought it was more chocolate-y, but Scott said chocolate just overpowers vanilla.  Not a bad thing - it was really good!  We obviously enjoyed the chocolate chip addition in the cookies; you can't go wrong with classic chocolate chip.  This sandwich made us excited for the next three nights!

Tuesday night it was time for Blueberry the Pirate which was a super blue blueberry ice cream on cardamom graham cookies.

This ice cream was such a pretty shade of deep purple-y blue; I could tell it wouldn't be lacking any blueberry favor.  Let me preface this one by telling you Scott is not a huge blueberry fan and I like-but-don't-love them.  I really, really enjoyed this sandwich!  The blueberry was such a true flavor and was not weighed down by a bunch of sugar or anything fake tasting.  This wasn't Scott's favorite of the four, but that certainly didn't stop him from finishing his half!

Next we tried Chocolate Cherry Malt on praline cookies (insert emoji with big ole heart eyes)!

New Orleans flashback!  These walnut praline cookies reminded me of the big easy in a very good way.  The chocolate ice cream was as delicious as the first Weckerly's sandwich we tried, but the addition of the sour cherry and the buttery, toffee like cookies took this sandwich over the top!  It wasn't the easiest to eat but the messiness was 100% worth it!

Last but really-really-really not least, Strawberry Lovage on lemon shortbread!

I am a huge strawberry and lemon fan, but wasn't sure what lovage even was.  It's a herb usually found in salads or soups, but in this ice cream sandwich, it provides an earthy flavor I loved!  The strawberry ice cream had the same realness as the blueberry, the preserves in between the two layers was heaven, and the lovage ice cream was a whole new flavor experience.  Cloud nine?  Reached.

You may have been able to guess through my reviews, but here's our official rankings of all four Weckerly's ice cream sandwiches we tried!

I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more Weckerly's treats to test.  You can follow them on instagram (@weckerlys) or visit their website.  If you happen to come across any of these bad boys, I would highly recommend trying them!  How could you resist from these pictures??

Have a great sweet weekend!

My Love of Lists Lives On.... a.k.a. I Need Your Help!!!

Ahh the 25-before-25 list.  What an amazing decision is was to write that list.  I am feeling so damn proud of writing and accomplishing 23(ish) things on it!  

I didn't get to jump off a cliff into water and I'm only halfway done the interview with my mom.  For number 25 (write a book with my mom and sisters about my dad), I didn't technically say that we had to finish the book, and I have been working on it! For the most part, I think I did a pretty freaking good job.

It feels amazing to have done things over the past 18 months that I had been wanting to do and always saying I would try. I saw new places, tried new recipes, read new books and made new habits. I realized how much people enjoy receiving letters and how easy it is perform random acts of kindness. I learned how to knit and finish a scarf (just a few days after the last snow of the season) and got an amazing tattoo.

Along the way a lot of people asked if I would make another list.  And if I did, what would it be and what would I change.  I have decided I will most definitely be making another list!  These really aren't rules, but considerations I will keep in mind when writing my new list.

Things to Consider When Making My (next) List:

1. Make realistic goals - Writing an entire book in 18 months may not have been realistic, but working on a book was.
2. Give yourself leeway - Jump off a cliff into water was pretty specific.  Do something that scares you or gives you an adrenaline rush covers the same premise with a little more leniency.
3. Start planning the big things earlier - Scheduling some time aside to take a trip or do something that requires more time/traveling will help keep me more on track to not leave things to the last minute!

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This is where you guys come in to help me!!!  My creative juices need to be refilled.

I've decided to give myself two years for the next list, 27-before-27 here I come.

I need your help adding things onto my new list!  Even if you haven't before, leave me a comment with a suggestion to add to it!  You'll see if your idea makes the cut when I share my list in a couple of weeks!

Thanks in advance :)

#21. Watch 3 Classic Old Movies

Three classic old movies watched, three classic old movies loved!  I found a new appreciation for both classic and current films.  With the classics I watched, I loved the innocence, which, at the time, was actually quite risqué.  Compared to the violence and sexual scenes shown in today's world, however, these were tame with a capital "T."  While it may sound cliché, there really is something so romantic about classic movies.

I loved seeing the actresses hair and makeup in comparison to current trends.  I found it funny how quickly they have to create a story line and move through the film, because film has come such a long way and directors and casts now have access to so much more than those of the past.  I definitely appreciate the movies that come out now for those advancements, but my heart to is torn between which style I prefer!

Breakfast at Tiffany's

The first classic I watched was Breakfast at Tiffany's.  Audrey Hepburn is so chic and beautiful.  I really fell in love with her demeanor and style in this film, and have since learned that she did so, so much more with her life than simply dress well and appear in films.  That's a conversation for another time, but she really was an incredible woman.

Back to the movie; one of my favorite things was the cat called "Cat."  It was endearing in a way that Holly (Hepburn) could not attach herself to anything, even a cat, enough to make it a part of her life.  She didn't feel she had the right to name the cat, so she simply called him "Cat."  And the rain scene??  I mean... this movie is adorable!

It Happened One Night

Classic number two was It Happened One Night starring Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable.  It's a sweet story of a woman who is set to marry a man and runs away from her father to avoid the marriage.  The story takes place over her journey home.

The hitchhiking scene above was considered very scandalous at the time, along with a few other moments in the film (Clark Gable is seen unbuttoning and taking off his shirt - so scandalous).  You might laugh at the cheesiness of the opening scene, but I really liked this film.

Casablanca

If you're like me, the first time you heard of Casablanca was on The Girls Next Door when the Playboy mansion had there annual "Casablanca" viewing party.... anyone?

The film stars Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in a love story set in the early 1940's.  There's a bit of a love triangle and things get dramatic, but hey, we'll always have Paris ;)

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While my initial thought when I turned on the first movie was "how am I ever going to make it through three of these," I quickly became a fan of the beauty of older films.

Take the time to go to the library and pay a buck to watch one of the classics; it will make you appreciate both the history of film making and the movies produced now!

A Totally & Completely Unplanned Trip

This past weekend my loveliest friend, Melissa, and I arrived at the airport, opened an envelope, and found out where we are spending the next 48 hours!  I should explain.

When I was making my 25-before-25 list, I was having trouble coming up with the last few things.  I was out to eat with Melissa and another friend, and they suggested taking a spontaneous trip where I didn't know where I was going to end up.

Cue my sister.  I called on Miss Molly to plan our trip!  I gave her our time guidelines, budget, and told her to run with it.  Here's a look at our trip!

Melissa - I cannot thank you enough for going with me!  It was a whirlwind of a trip and I'm really glad we were able to do it together.  I've already told you, but this was definitely one of my favorite things to cross of the list :)

Molly - THANK YOU!!! You are a total rockstar and picked a perfect place for us! 

While I have some stuff left on the list, I only have 43 days left until my 25th birthday! Gotta get planning!

Two Years Later

Two years feels like it went very fast.  I was talking to my sister the other day and told her how a part of me is starting to feel like my dad has been gone longer than he was here.  It's not true, I had 23 years with him, but it's getting harder to remember what life was like with him here.  This makes me so sad.  My mom pointed out that it really has been longer than two years, he was pretty sick for a while before that.

Similarly to last year, the lead up to today has been very hard.  A couple days ago, when I realized how close we were to today, it felt like my mind went into autopilot and everything else stopped.  Like I'm just going through the motions of my day and not really living them.  It's hard to describe, but it's the same way I felt leading up to the day my dad died.

Over this past year, a tough part has definitely been thinking about the future.  If I start to picture the next ten years or so of my life, one of the hardest things to think about is having kids without my dad here.  I won't get to tell him he will be a grandpa or get to watch him with my babies.  Every time I let my mind go there I get pretty upset and kind of shut down the thought process.

In my "One Year Later" post last year, I wrote about feeling jealous of seeing others with their dads.  That hasn't been as difficult this year.  I was able to watch a great friend of mine with her dad the other day and it made my heart so happy.  The jealousy comes into play when people aren't grateful or don't realize what they have.  One thing I've shared with friends is to be thankful for the time you have with parents and to really hold every moment close to your heart.  This way of thinking has helped shape a lot of relationships in my life for the better, and being aware of how insignificant some things are that could cause trouble in friendships or relationships.  Realizing what really matters and not letting the small things get to you is so important in life.  It's short enough as it is, why let stress or arguments that don't even matter get to you?

Another thing I've realized this year is how thankful I am for my mom.  I've known that I have a great mom, but after losing my dad she has shown me how strong she is and I've watched her continue to grow as a person even after losing half of her world.  I talked to her this morning and she told me that she shared a photo today with the quote "To the world you may have been one person, but to us you were the world."  The quote is originally "...to one person you may be the world," but, as she she, to me earlier "he was our whole world."

Writing about another year without my dad is hard because a lot of what I'm feeling is not easy to put into words.  I want to write about it so that I can look back on how I was feeling, and to give those going through a similar situation insight into my processing of life without a parent.

I would like to thank my husband, my family and friends for not forgetting about my dad and for being an amazing support system for me.  You make a huge difference even if it doesn't seem like it.

Here Comes the Bride! - Melissa's Bridal Shower

This past weekend kicked off the start of one of my best friend's wedding festivities!  Melissa is getting married this July, and the rest of her bridesmaids and I spent the last three months planning a special day for her.

Everything turned out beautiful, and it was amazing to see her so, so happy!  You know I was snapping away with my camera; here's a look at all the little details that went into Melissa's shower.

Of course one of my favorite parts of the shower was the gorgeous dessert table!  A bunch of the girls each contributed some desserts which came together so nicely.  We had mini cupcakes, strawberry macarons, pudding filled chocolate shells, chocolate dipped Oreo's, rice krispie pops, chocolate bars, and a beautiful cake!

We went for a pink and gold theme and the room turned out bright and beautiful!  The mother of the bride, Jane, put together a bunch of details, including the "M & J" letters filled with pictures of the bride and groom from throughout the years.

The appetizers were colorful and delicious; the MOTB came up with the veggie cup idea.  These looked easy to put together and definitely more convenient for guests.  We also had buffalo chicken dip, cucumber pita bites, a cheese tray, lots of salads, and a full barbecue buffet the groom's family made!  I think everyone was well fed at this shower.

The signature drink of the day was sangria inspired by the bride-to-be!  We had both white and red; Melissa definitely enjoyed it ;)

Melissa and her beautiful sister-in-laws!

The bride and her momma!

West Chester East Class of 2008

The bridal party :)

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Melissa, I hope you loved your shower!  I really cannot wait for the bachelorette and the wedding!!!  So excited to be a part of the party!

New Orleans - Part 2

Where did we leave off?  The Easter parades!  We watched the classic parade and then the Big Gay Easter parade.  I'll let you guess which one was more entertaining :)

In between parades, we walked through the French Market to try a few more pralines and get Liz a birthday drink!  We walked over to Frenchman Street, too, and the boys got some Hurricanes back on Bourbon.

Here's where pictures from the Big Gay Easter parade start!  Matt must have been a favorite barbecue he got a whole buncha beads!

We visited NOLA, Emeril's restaurant for Liz's birthday dinner that night and it was incredible.  The food was amazing and the service was unbelievable.  This place is definitely at the tippy top of my New Orleans recommendations list.

On our last full day we rented bikes and rode down to the Garden District and Tulane University.  It was a long ride but a really gorgeous day and we needed the exercise ;)

We also got to visit the Lafayette Cemetery Number 1.  Since New Orleans is below sea level, the majority of grave yards a full of individual and family tombs.  It's so different from cemeteries I've seen before and, even though it's obviously morbid, it was a very interesting and cool place to see.

We spent the rest of our trip visiting Tulane, enjoying a few more beignets, a po'boy at Johnny's Po Boys, and our last dinner at Kingfish (you might see a review of that eventually!).

We definitely had a fun trip, but I'm loving having some of that New Orleans weather up here now.