one of my best friends got married this past weekend, and i got to take the photos. so exciting/nerve-racking. i've never photographed a wedding before, and now i have a better appreciation for the pros. it goes by so fast and you're just trying to make sure your lens is switched in time to take the next photo. it was crazy and hectic but a lot of fun, too. and jessica looked ilke a barbie straight out of the box. the ceremony was beautiful and i loved being with her all day. literally. i stayed at her new house the night before, and started taking photos as soon as the hairdresser arrived at 7 a.m. very fun. and very exhausting.
hair time. :)
kyle and i spent time with family on sunday for mother's day, and then drove back to tn. we got back after midnight, and next weekend we'll do that all over again for a wedding reception of another friend. eek! oh, wedding season.
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also, my friend casey chose me for a liebster award on her blog, which is a blog award for those with less than 200 followers. the rules are:
1. choose 5 blogs to give the award.
2. show thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
3. post the award to your blog.
4. list the blogs you gave the award to with links to their sites, and leave them comments letting them know they received the award.
and i also wanted to link a couple other of my favorite blogs, but they definitely have more than 200 followers. whatev.
my friend Sarah Tolzman at note to self. she's awesome and i'm glad i know someone so wonderful and awesome.
and someone i've followed for a long time, but never met, Golriz at the cozy hunter. she and her husband are part of the team at soulpancake with rainn wilson, and i love everything she posts.
check them out!
and here are my facts.
1. my first dog was a black yorkie named cricket and he got stolen from my yard.
2. my favorite animal is the peacock. and owls.
3. it's really hard for me to pick favorites of anything because there are too many great books/songs/movies/things to pick just one. (see number 2 above)
4. i don't like for my dishes to match, because i'd rather have a collection of different pieces from different places and people.
5. i often daydream about conversations i would have with people if they were with me at certain moments. i'm pretty sure that's also called schizophrenia.
i'll be working on wedding photos all week, and preparing for the next haul to west virginia. it's such a busy time, but i would rather it be like this than boring and slow. agreed?
sometimes you just need to talk to a girlfriend. and most of the time, you also need a margarita.
i was so pumped to see two of my closest/oldest friends this past week when i was in wv. we just talked about random stuff and caught up while we had some delicious food and drinks at BlackSheep.
brooke's husband, derek, came too, but who else would take the pictures of us?!
i'm excited to see them and other friends i missed last week during one of the 6 upcoming weekends kyle and i have planned in the next two months. we might as well move back, right?
i mentioned in my last post that i was in west virginia all last week. i had some appointments, but also, and possibly more importantly, i had to see my little brother at his senior prom. yes. senior. prom. my sister and i cried most of the day. we're close, in case you hadn't caught on to that.
it's sad growing up, and the fact that my brother, who i still look at and see as a tiny little boy with blonde hair who likes to make obstacle courses with tape across the hallway, is about to graduate high school. when did that happen? moments like this make me super nostalgic and sad. add that in with driving to wayne and back about ten times last week listening to some old favorite tunes and Brady turning 5, i'm a basket case.
i love where i grew up and the things i experienced when i was my brother's age. there are so many memories sitting along the curves of I52, so it's impossible for me to be anything but nostalgic. and more than just about anything, i want my siblings and other kids in wayne to love it as much as i did when i was growing up there.
anyway, i'll try to not to get into that too much, as i know i write about this like once a month. i'll just show you how freaking cute my brother is, instead. as if he needs more of an ego boost. whatever.
casey and his date :)
lavalette elementary kids!
everyone
<3
kill me.
lia!
sister and brother
also, i took his senior photos, like i did for my sister when she was a senior. and omg. some of them turned out so great.
so if anyone needs any photos taken, let a poor girl know. (shameless self-promotion)
i'll leave you with this song, that i've (no surprise here) cried over about as many times as i've listened to it, which according to my itunes is somewhere between 1 and 47 since sunday. kyle made me listen to it on the way to my parents' house to see casey, and i begged him to turn it off because i was such a mess. maybe i'm nuts, but just humor me.
seniors, you have like two weeks left before graduation, and then a summer before your new life starts. drive with the windows down. sing loudly with your friends in the backseat. go to waffle house at 2 am. eat junk food. go to the beach and live off of cereal and beer. have the best summer ever. be safe. love the life that is around you.
there are things that are good for my body, and things that are good for my spirit.
delicious, pretty much healthy recipes — body. drives to wayne with good music and pretty weather — spirit.
here are a few examples of both.
baked kale chips
i've read so many blog posts about people making these and how great they are. i was skeptical because i'm pretty sure kale is that green sprig of crap they put beside your steak at restaurants. but i just figured i'd try it out for kicks. i found this recipe here from skinnytaste, but from what i've read you can use whatever spices that you want.
long story short, they really are delicious. they are crunchy like real chips and sort of just melt in your mouth. i made two batches the first day i tried them. kyle liked them, too, and this week in west virginia i made a batch for my sister and i to eat in the car on the way to wayne. she liked them, too! no, they're not as good as a pile of Snyder's BBQ chips, but they're crispy and salty and a lot better for you.
one serving of the kale chips has about 50 calories, 3 carbs and 3 grams of fat, while a serving of regular chips has 150 calories and 14 carbs and 10 grams of fat. so, yeah, they're better for you.
Baked Parmesan Kale Chips from SkinnyTaste
1 bunch kale
1 tsp olive oil spray
a sprinkle of sea salt or kosher
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray two large baking sheets with oil.
Wash and dry kale. Remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite sized pieces.
Place on baking sheet, spray with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
Bake about 10-12 minutes, turning and moving them around as they shrink to make sure they evenly crisp up.
Top with shredded parmesan cheese, keeping a close eye on them, bake an additional 5 to 6 minutes until the edges are crisp but not burnt. Time will vary depending on your oven.
stacked roasted veggie enchilada
i found this recipe here on perrry's plate and it was something i had been wanting to try for a long time, then finally got around to it and then danced around because it was so delicious.
i didn't use exactly what it called for, but rather just used what vegetables i had laying around, which were red peppers, an onion, spinach, a can of smoked tomatoes, a can of corn and a can of black beans. it's not nearly as much as the recipe says to include, but it was still so filling and huge, i don't know if i could have fit everything into the pan otherwise. i used whole wheat tortillas, too, instead of corn ones. it was seriously so good.
the original recipe says it will serve 4-5 people, but i think mine served more like 9-10. it's huge. once i entered the recipe into myfitness pal, it has only 229 calories per serving, 28 carbs and 9 grams of fat. so even if you go back for seconds, your dinner is still under 500 calories. and think about how much fat is probably in a regular enchilada. at Abuelo's, just one rolled enchilada has about 18 grams of fat, and you usually get 3 or 4 for a plate. yikes. so anyway, here is the original recipe, but do as i did and add or subtract anything you want. just use a lot of vegetables.
Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchilada from Perry's Plate
1 poblano chile, cut into matchsticks
2 red bell peppers, cut into matchsticks
1/2 head of cauliflower cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium onion, halved and slivered
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
3 T heat-safe oil
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 cups salsa
2 ounces baby spinach
9-10 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded cheese
sour cream and thinly sliced scallions (optional)
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a large shallow roasting pan or rimmed cookie sheet.
Place poblanos, red bell peppers, cauliflower, sweet potato, onion, and corn kernels onto cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle the cumin and minced garlic over top. Add a generous pinch or two of salt and black pepper, then use your hands to mix everything together. After everything is coated well, spread the vegetables evenly in the pan. Roast for 30-40 minutes until vegetables are tender and begin to brown in spots. Stir or shake the pan every 10 minutes for even roasting. Remove pan from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
Prepare an 8x8x2 or 9x9x2-inch square baking pan with nonstick spray. In a small bowl, stir the cilantro into the salsa. Spread 1/4 cup of salsa into the bottom of the baking pan. Add a layer of tortilla pieces, to completely cover the salsa. Top with 1/3 of the vegetables, a handful of spinach, and 1/3 of the cheese. Make a second layer of tortilla, salsa, vegetables, spinach, and cheese. Top with with a layer of tortillas, salsa, vegetables, and cheese. Cover with aluminum foil.
Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and everything is heated through.
Let it sit for 5 minutes and cut into squares. Serve with sour cream and a sprinkle of sliced scallions.
as i said, i'm inwest virginia this week. i drove from tennessee on monday. the weather was perfect and the traffic wasn't bad. as much as i hate driving alone, it was a nice trip and i sort of liked just being with myself and some music and the wind.
i listened to a lot of the Oh, Hello's, Jason Mraz, The Civil Wars and Miranda Lambert. perfect driving music, if you asked me. below is a video of my favorite song from the Oh, Hello's. my friend zachary told me about them, and i'm in love. check them out.
i know i've moved away from my hometown, but i miss it all the time, and each time i come back, it gives me time to clear my head before i go back into my crazy world. i love my crazy world that kyle and i have started building, but he and i both know that there isn't much that a drive to wayne can't cure. or just a drive anywhere.
when you have good music like this in the car with the windows down on a sunny day and your hair is whipping around your face and the sunshine is slowly tanning your left arm darker than your right, a lot can happen inside. it's rejuvenating. it's eye-opening. it's cleansing.
