helloooo internet

where have i been? ugh i seem to have taken a serious break from blogging, and life in general. let's play a quick game of catch up and this time i promise promise promise i will be better at this whole daily blog thing. 

since the last time i blogged we have been through five holidays, and five months. god where does the time go. so let's begin there. 

November: 

I celebrated my birthday in Virginia for the first time in a really long time. It was so great to be able to celebrate with friends i've known since I was 14. We had a neon themed party and went out to a local bar and had so much fun someone asked if it was a bachlorette party. I'd say that's a good party huh? :) Bonus was that Mr. E was content staying home and picking us up at the end of the night. Wonderful? Yes!

 [missy, nixi, katemag]

I then got to spend Thanksgiving in Virginia with family and Mr. E :)

December: 

What would December be without an ugly sweater party...which clearly wally world was my go to place :)

 I quit my job...which looking at this picture wasn't all that bad :)

 Mr. E moved in with me...which has been wonderful. I love having him there when I get home every  night.

 We had to make a gift for our secret santa this year. This is my creation.

 Christmas in Cooperstown :)

 January: 

We celebrated Beep's birthday :)

 Spent quality time with great friends.

 Road trip to Vermont.

February: 

Celebrated the beautiful love between two friends :)

 Enjoyed the Super Bowl.

 Had Mr. E cook Valentine's Dinner.

 I cooked him breakfast.

That catches us up. It is now the first day of March, there's snow outside and it will be a high today of 30. Spring needs to hurry up...maybe start pushing people out of line..I feel it's only appropriate. I promise I will be better on here. Cross my heart :)

pumpkins. seeds. cooking, and a rant.

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. Our weekend was filled with pumpkin carving, cooking, football, and candy :)

I went to the store the other day to buy the ingredients for this delicious bread bowl dip I was making for tonight and saw this pumpkin carving kit. I've always wanted to be one of those people with the complex pumpkins so obviously I bought the kit. Mr. E and I got to town on our pumpkins Saturday night and I was very impressed with the outcome. Of course they don't look like the ones that I'm sure a professional did, but they looked pretty good for our first time.

 [mr. e digging out the insides.]

  [serious concentration tracing the pattern]

  [i was intent on doing this correctly.]

  [my finished product.]

  [his finished product]

After carving and a long break, I ventured into the kitchen to make some roasted pumpkin seeds. I  found a new recipe so I decided on taking half of our seeds and cooking them the way I normally do (salt & oil) and the other half with the new recipe (butter, season salt, and Worcestershire sauce). The first batch of normal seeds turned out perfect. The second set smelled delicious and we were so excited to try them but I left them in for literally one minute too long and they came out crispy...very crispy. I tried one of the ones that were less done but you know once you burn something the taste gets all over everything. So unfortunately I don't know how they turned out. I want to make them again but the whole carving a pumpkin just for seeds is a little time consuming. Do they sell pumpkin seeds already out of the pumpkin? Maybe I'll look for that. I didn't take pictures of the burnt seeds because I was a little upset. But here are the good ones :)

 Today Mr. E and I spent the day watching football and being lazy. In hopes of making  it up to him for handing out candy all day I made this amazing cheese and bacon bread bowl dip. If you want the recipe just let me know. I was quite impressed with myself because it came out tasting just like my mom's does. This is one of those things I request any time we have a family gathering. I'll probably regret putting this up here because now I risk being told to make it myself, but it turned out so well I can't help but brag. It was pretty simple too. Twenty minutes to make it and then popping it in the oven for an hour and half. So easy. 

 [prep. all the cheese mixed. bacon & green onions]

[ready to be put into the bread]

  [final product]

After all of this we only got ten kids at our door. No you did not read that wrong, we only got ten kids at our door. One of the parents even said their kids were afraid to come up because they weren't sure if we were handing out candy. Mr. E's reply was a simple "but our light is on". I always thought that was the universal come get candy sign apparently times have changed. I remember when I was a kid you had to go out early not because our parents were afraid of what would happen to use after dark, but to get there before the hundreds of other kids took all the candy. Clearly that's not the worry anymore. Now kids are out before it gets dark because we have become terrified of what can happen. I know I don't have children, but I don't think I or any of my friends turned out horribly wrong and I didn't have my parents with me 24 hours a day. I was allowed to walk to my friends house by myself. I was allowed to play outside and I didn't have to check in every twenty minutes so that my mother knew I hadn't been kidnapped. No, when I was young it was the opposite. If I came in every twenty minutes my mom would think I was hiding something. She knew I was smart enough to know that people don't give strangers candy except for on Halloween and if I don't know someone not to talk to them. I also had two sisters who if I had talked to them I knew for sure would tell  my mom and I wouldn't risk that. As kids we knew to scream if something happened. That's what my mom had ears for, the telling silence or the gut wrenching scream. She didn't need me to tell her I was alright because she knew I would tell her if I wasn't. 

I just wrote out this long rant, and then I accidentally hit the backspace button, and because blogger has been glitching lately instead of deleting a letter it went back. Clearly the auto save wasn't auto saving fast enough and I'm too tired to re write. Maybe another day :)

peace & love 

final days.

Day 29 - Something you could never get tired of doing.

Spending lazy Sundays in bed with Mr. E. There's something about waking up late, eating a good breakfast, and spending the day in bed watching football. My weeks are packed with school, work, and stress, so when the weekend comes around all I want to do is RELAX.  Mr. E spends Saturday doing the million things I want to do and we spend Sunday in bed watching TV. 

Day 30 - A photograph of yourself today + three good things that have happened in the past 30 days.

I took this picture while I was decorating the house this morning. So please excuse the roughness that is my morning face. 

I'm finally done with this questionaire, and while it took me a little longer than 30 days I'd say it was a success. I actually blogged more than I probably would have and you all got to learn new things about me. Now since we're getting into holiday season I'll be sure to blog as often as I was. So three good things that happened to me in the past thirty days... here we go. 

1. I was offered/considered for a promotion. My boss asked me if I'd be interested in become a Sr. Rep in the call center I work for. Initially I was very excited and said yes I would love to do that. After thinking about it over the weekend I went in on Monday and declined the offer. I've got so much on my plate right now with school and working that adding anymore res[onsibility would be stupid on my part. I understand you're only given what you can handle...but sometimes you have to make the choices yourself :) 

2. I was approved for a General Education Waiver. I found out when I went to register that one of the classes I took to cover my US History gen ed requirement didn't fulfill it. I was a mess and had to argue my case to about four different people in order to get them to count the class. I won't go into the gory details but lets just celebrate that I'm still able to graduate in May and that the crisis was avoided. Now I just have to get a 100 level class waiver. Oh school...it's amazing how much I won't miss you. 

3. I found a really cute bag for 10 dollars. I love bags, I love saving money...put those two together and you get a very happy Lauren. It was on sale at target for ten bucks...and I've definitely  used it enough to justify a ten dollar purchase :) here ya go  

peace & love

then & now.

Day 27 - A picture of you last year and now and how you changed since then?

 

[then]

 [now]

Friend/Relative: What are your plans for after you graduate?

Me (then): I have no idea. Right now I just want to live life and go with the flow. 

Me (now): I'm applying to PR Agencies. I want to move and start my life as an adult with Mr. E and hopefully find time to do some more crafts and photography. 

 

This past year has been quite the trip for me. I moved to a new city, started a new school and was in the beginning of a new relationship. Last year I was still that wide eyed college kid who had no idea what I was doing, what I wanted to do, or where I wanted to be. I've grown a lot this year. I'm realizing that it's time to take on the repsonsibilities that I had been avoiding for a few years. I've met a man who respects me and makes me happier than I could ever imagine. I can safely say that I've matured more in the past year than in the three years after college. I can only hope that I continue to grow in the direction I am. It will be interesting to look back a year from now and see if all of my goals and dreams have come true. 

Day 28 - Your favorite movie.

At the risk sounding cliche, my favorite movie changes with my mood. If I'm feeling romantic I always reach for The Notebook. I'm also a softy for Pixar movies. I love them, and have made it a mission to watch every single one. Monsters Inc. will always have my heart though. 

sisters. my purse. mini vacations

Day 24 - A photo of something that means a lot to you.

My sisters. They are my life. I wouldn't be the person I am today with out these two girls. They are my best friends and mean the world to me. 

 

Day 25 - What's in your purse?

 To most my purse would be used as a small duffel bag. I'm guilty of carrying the huge purse, and have recently graduated to a tote that has taken place of my large purse. Monday-Friday I'm either at school and carrying my books around or going to work and carrying my book, lunch, and work shoes. A tote fits my life right now. No apologies from me. I LOVE BIG BAGS. So here's what's in it today after a long day of class.

Day 26 - A photo of somewhere you've been to.

Mr. E and I took a weekend trip to the Adirondacks this past summer. It was one of the best trips I've gone on in a long time. The views were beautiful and I got to spend a lot of quality time with Mr. E. I'm hoping we can have another weekend getaway soon. What to you think Mr. E?

and here we go again

lets play catch up. I've been feeling under the weather so I took a break and now I'm back. Still not 100% but close enough.

Day 18 - Something you crave a lot.

lemonade. i always have some in my fridge and have been known to grab a bottle whenever, wherever i am if i see it. bagels are another, a good onion bagel with some fluffy cream cheese. 

Day 19 - Another picture of yourself.

Day 20 - The meaning behind your blog name.

I spent a lot of my teen years driving between nova and upstate ny and always asking are we there yet. The drive eventually got so normal that it didn't seem long and I now make that drive on a regular basis and it flies by. I have begun the long journey to being a grown up and constantly find myself wishing I could fast forward and just be there. Always asking myself "Are we there yet?" Mr. E constantly reminds me that I need to slow down and enjoy where I am in life because I'll only be here once...ah the knowledge of the old :). So my blog title is my tribute to that journey, and my blog is the documentation. If I can't fast forward I might as well enjoy it, and let you all enjoy it with me. :) 

Day 21 - A photo of something that makes you happy.

sunsets. no matter where i am when i catch a sunset it makes me happy. i am always smiling and then yelling at mr. e to turn down some dirt road to get the best picture. i've got some good memories that involve sunsets.

Day 22 - A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.

I am sitting here trying to think of someone and honestly I haven't been hurt in a while, which feels really good to say. Having said that there are numerous people who frustrate me, annoy me and make me just want to strangle them. Here's a letter that because of certain circumstances I won't be able to say out loud. 

Dear Annoyance, 

Every day I see you is usually a good day, that is until you insist on saying hi. Whether I'm in the middle of a conversation, on the phone, or busy you MUST say hi. I promise I won't be offended if you happen to walk by me without speaking to me...actually I'd be a little relieved. 

I also want to point out that if you're not involved in a conversation it's rude to respond to something that is being said between two people. I'm not sure if this social rule wasn't taught to you or if you decided to show your rebel side and just throw down with social norms. I can say from my side of your reblelion its frustrating, rude, and very annoying. If I wanted your opinion on something you have no idea about I'd simply say. "Hey you, what do you think?"  I don't though do I? 

Lastly, being wrong is ok. Letting others be wrong is ok. Insisting that you're correct when you have no education on the subject or are just clearly wrong is not. Please refrain from correcting me when a. i'm not speaking with you. b. you don't know what you're talking about. c. if i'm not speaking to you and you don't know what you're talking about. 

sincerly, 

the girl you must say hi to

.

Day 23 - 15 facts about you.

1. i have two first names
2. my dad is 80 years old
3. i chase ambulances
4. i love being cold
5.i have commitment issues with tattoos. but i have two.
6. i like pretending i'm famous.
7. i get a thrill out of being lost. especially in sketchy places.
8. i have a niece and nephew older than me.
9. i love the smell of gasoline.
10.i hate hate hate bridges.
11. i want to be famous for just being awesome.
12. i hate passive aggressive people.
13. i hate milk

14. i love thunderstorms 

15. i wish i could be more artistic