Life Lately {vol. 28}

One of the first things J and I did in Concord is go to my favorite restaurant: Siam Orchid!

They moved down the street & have a brand-new look! It's a lot smaller, but the atmosphere is great!

Tom yum seafood soup is TO. DIE. FOR. If I had a vat of this soup, I would eat this for every meal and be thrilled!

I knew James would be thrilled to have his cat tree back, but I didn't expect Leif to love it so much! He's typically a "ground" (or "bush") kind of cat.

Abby, Andrew, J and I headed to IKEA in Boston! It was my first time ever visiting an IKEA!

J was very helpful. ;) I hear that it's almost a rite of passage for a couple to go to IKEA, and if they leave without fighting, they're meant to be. I'm proud to say no fights occurred!

As I'm sure you've figured out, I'm a bit of a leggings-and-sweatshirt kind of girl, so I've been trying to dress up more this year while it's warm enough. I loved my outfit at IKEA!

I debated between the real sheepskin rug and the fake one ($30 v. $10). I ended up choosing the fake rug, but J and I had fun making Game of Thrones jokes. "You know nothing, J Snow!"

I'm trying to channel some Ygrette realness.

These are the two big things I got from IKEA: a latter bookshelf and a cart, both of which I've wanted for YEARS! Thanks, Pinterest. Thankfully, I love them both!

J and I have slowly been making our way through the Animorphs series on Netflix. This was the screenshot Netflix chose to watch the "next" episode, so obviously we had to at that point, haha!

J and I went to the Concord farmer's market on Saturday & treated ourselves to homemade soap! Mine smells like sage, & I'm completely obsessed! J chose one with mint & ginger.

James slept pretty much 24/7 after the road trip. There were a few times where we had to poke him because we actually wondered if he was dead... :P Clearly the cat's a deep sleeper!

Leif's adjusted really well to the new apartment! James was very welcoming (which I had been a little concerned about), which I think helped Leif feel more comfortable.

It's been really fun putting my room together again and trying new things! I've moved around a lot of the pictures in my room, which helps make it feel a little fresher. I really love having all my books on display on the new bookshelf!

We went out with Abby & Andrew on Monday night for Andrew's birthday! Afterwards, we went back to their house and mostly watched cat videos, so obviously it was awesome. Not so awesome? This super sweet wine I bought. It said it was "medium dry," but that was a blatant lie.

I don't know if you know this, but Abby's a badass.

My boys are the best. :)

I love cooking breakfast, but it seems like I never have time!

My tiny school is beautiful, and I really love it!

For his last dinner in Concord, J wanted to go to Siam Orchid again!

I had veggie Pad See Ew and it was AMAZING. First time I ever had it, but it won't be the last!

On Thursday, I drove J to the Boston airport. I'm sure no one's surprised that I cried, but it was easier letting him go knowing that I'll see him in September!

Leif has been okay since J left, but he's definitely not as happy without his daddy around. He's a daddy's boy if there ever was one!

On Friday, I had an entire day of Daniel Webster Scholar Orientation! When I got back, I was absolutely exhausted, so I treated myself to Chinese food and a night in!

This was my fortune in my fortune cookie. Maybe one of the deepest fortune's I've ever gotten, and definitely one I'm taking to heart.

We're best buds. I don't know if you knew. ;) Say what you will about James and me, but we understand each other.

Leif is such a little ham!

I totally thought I brought my Grimm Fairy Tales with me to Iowa, but obviously I didn't! I'm still working on my 12x12 project, so I've been reading this every night.

One of the best/worst parts of moving? Restocking your kitchen and fridge!

Someone seems to know exactly when I'm doing homework, which is when he wants to cuddle. ;) I'm never too mad about a distraction, especially such a sweet one!

I got supplies at the grocery store to make bran muffins!

I wasn't sure how they'd turn out since they were made from scratch (and from healthier ingredients), but they were AMAZING! I'm going to make more this weekend!

I was worried about how difficult it would be to get back into the "groove" of law school, but it's been pretty typical so far! Time-consuming and difficult (especially tax), but no surprises so far!

I know everyone loves summer and wants it to last longer... but I'm dying for fall. I love the green grass and the plant life, but I hate this oppressive heat. I want to layer my clothes!

I looove making stir fry! Even the leftovers are amazing, even if they're not as fresh and green.

What a handsome little guy!

As much as I miss him, my heart is very full. :) My fiance's a really amazing guy.

I made homemade Popsicles for the first time, and they are AMAZING! I made a smoothie, and popped them into molds I bought at IKEA for $1 - best $1 I ever spent, and the smoothies were SO healthy! I used berry mix, spinach, almond milk, and nonfat Greek yogurt.

Today, we were given the first of many free pizzas of the semester! It was from Sal's (which I guess is a Northeastern chain) and it was AMAZING. I could have eaten so much more, haha!

It's been another crazy week - saying goodbye to J, starting law school again, seeing all my friends, organizing my apartment, starting the Daniel Webster Scholar Program, navigating the lack of AC in my apartment...

But I definitely feel that this is going to be a GREAT semester. I feel it in my bones!

I've loved trying out new, healthy recipes! As much as I love to cook, baking is usually not my strong suit, so I was thrilled that the bran muffins turned out as well as they did. Would you be interested in a link to the recipe and/or a blog post about them? I'm totally going to make them again!

I hope you had a great week as well! Good luck to all my friends in school, whether it's college, grad school, or any other kind. :)

First Day of School!

Hey all! Yesterday was my first day of my 2L year of law school, and boy was it a long, fun day!

I knew I had a busy schedule this year, because... well... I was the one who signed up for classes, haha. In reality, my schedule doesn't look too bad, but a couple of the classes I'm taking this semester are really time-intensive.

On Mondays, I have three classes: an hour and a half of Wills, Trusts, & Estates and Evidence, and then three hours of Personal Income Tax in the evening. Tax is not my strong suit so far... It's going to take me a lot of time and effort to understand this stuff, but I guess that's life! Thankfully, Tax is only on Mondays, so my Wednesdays are a little less hectic.

Today, I just have two hours of Pretrial Advocacy since my Professional Responsibility class was cancelled! Pretrial Ad's going to be a ton of fun (and even more work, haha).

Even better: I have Friday's off! Which in reality, means I'll be doing homework all day. THE GLAMOROUS LIFE OF A LAW STUDENT.

I'm so legitimately happy to be at UNH Law studing the law again this year. Obviously I miss J (and I wish the weather would cool down), but it's sooo nice to see my law school friends again! I've been hugging so many people! :)

Did you start up school again? Is your schedule killer this semester? What's your favorite class so far?

Snacking Healthy

On Monday morning, J and I headed back to Concord, New Hampshire!

For my last night in Iowa, we went to Peking Buffet in Coralville, and then watched Animorphs and Velvet Goldmine back at the house. We drank a lot of wine. I may or may not have almost cried over a future child's name. Who's to say.

I wrote a post a few months ago on Healthy Road Snacks, which I took into account while getting ready for this trip! Unfortunately, on that list and on a lot of lists I've found on Pinterest, these "road trips" are apparently shorter and these people presumably have some kind of cooler. We don't have room for a cooler, and obviously we really need food so we wouldn't have to stop constantly for snacks!

So, here's what we brought for road trip snacks:

• Bananas
• Apples
• Celery
• Peanut butter
• Water
• Caffeine (for each of us - I like Starbucks, J likes Monster)
• Wheat Chex
• Cheddar Bunnies
• Pretzel Crisps - Buffalo Wing flavor

It certainly isn't a well-balanced group of foods, but it's better than I ate this May when I drove down!  The fruit worked really well for me, because I like eating fresh. The water was a life-saver to keep us hydrated, and the celery and peanut butter was delicious! The Wheat Chex and Cheddar Bunnies were good, but we didn't come near to eating them all.

We didn't use a ton of the caffeine, but I'm still glad we had it! It's like a safety net. :)

All in all, I think I would bring less food next time, but I loved what we brought! It helped keep me alert and I think it saved us a lot of time on the road.

I had one amazing summer, filled with lots of love and lots of family. I got engaged. I lived downtown. I saw so many of my friends, and I learned a lot about myself and about being a lawyer. Now I've left for another year of law school. Part of me is scared, but mostly I'm just excited. I'm excited to start school again, to see Abby, to see my other law school friends, and to be one year closer to being a real lawyer!

What travel snacks are you obsessed with? What would you bring? Are you excited for the upcoming school year?

Life Lately {vol. 27}

I made some really fabulous fresh fish a few weeks ago! It was the walleye my grandpa and I caught, and it was delicious!

I also made two kinds of shrimp won tons, which I could have kept eating for days (if there had been nearly enough).

Between packing up my clothes, I watched X-Files and drank hot tea! After working hard all week and working out a lot, it was nice to relax.

I worked out at Power Life Yoga a ton during my last two weeks in Iowa. It's one of the things I'm going to really miss about Des Moines, because there's no substitute in Concord...

My friend Mallory got married!! So a few days before, we celebrated her bachelorette party at Jasper Winery!

It was such a great night! I loved meeting Mallory's friends, and I hadn't seen my friend Shelby in a really long time.

I lived with my mom for about two weeks, but after she left for South Carolina again, my life was mostly... packing, haha.

My last Farmer's Market was a huge success! Saloo's Indian is my favorite part every weekend. Veggie cutlets are one of my favorite foods ever!

How beautiful is this city?!

I tried wheat grass lemonade for the first time that weekend, and it was a REVELATION. So delicious!

I also met this tiny Boston Terrier puppy named Millie! She was ridiculously cute!

I got a chance to visit Hill Vintage before I left! I didn't buy anything, but it was still fun.

I also checked out Raygun and got some SWEET loot!

Saturday night, I hung out with my friends Maddy and Erin! We went to Hessan Haus and Up Down, which are two of my favorite bars in downtown Des Moines.

We tried to get Tacopacalypse on Saturday night, but they closed early... so naturally, I went there for lunch on Sunday. AMAZING!!

I got a bunch of fresh veggies at the Farmer's Market, and it was really fun to be able to cook with them. I hadn't cooked while my parents were in town, and I really missed it!

My last week in Iowa, I was really busy at work and was exhausted. I told J that I wasn't going to work out the rest of the week, and he told me that, while he supported my decision, he was pretty sure working out would actually be the best thing for me. And you know what? He was right!

My friend Macy hosted book club on Wednesday, and boy does that girl know how to host!

Thursday evening, my friend Veronica brought me to a Mary Kay event and I got all dolled up there! I usually don't wear this much makeup, but I did like the overall effect!

I was up super late on Thursday, cleaning up and packing!

I got bagels for my going-away treat at the Fiedler Law Firm! How adorable is that sign?!

By the time I left after work on Friday to drive to Iowa City, I was STARVING! J worked until 8PM at HyVee, so I got delicious, brown meal from the Chinese department!

I had missed my kitties (and J) so bad! :)

Leif wasn't totally sure about me right away, but I think he's gotten used to me again!

Everyone thought that this coffee table wouldn't fit in my car... BUT I DID IT. With pure strength of will, haha.

For breakfast on Saturday morning, I made fried eggs with goat cheese and tomatoes! They were sooo good! Goat cheese is already amazing, but the combination of runny yolks and the goat cheese is to-die for!

I let the dogs out while J was at work, and it was a delight to see lil' Winston again! Just look at that face!

Look at these cute babies!

On Saturday evening, J and I headed to Oyama sushi for a "goodbye" dinner to my favorite restaurant!

Ever since I wrote my review of Oyama, they've given us this free appetizer of tempura white tuna with a crazy-delicious sauce!

We both paid for ourselves, so both of us splurged! How amazing does this looks?!

My sushi was PERFECT. I've never had this good of sushi for this great of a price!

While J was at work, James decided to burrow in his pants... XD

J and I spent my last night in Iowa at Peking Buffet, and I got this fortune in my cookie! :)

We left for New Hampshire on Monday! I knew James would be fine (he loves driving), but I was really worried that Leif would cry the whole time... Lucky for us, he only cried for about 10 minutes, and then he was quiet and miserable the rest of the trip!

Beautiful Vermont! The last few hours of the trip are especially hard because EVERYTHING looks like the area around Concord, haha! It's makes you think you're closer than you really are.

We finally got to the apartment and took the cats inside while we tried to sleep for a few more hours. The trip was exhausting, and I didn't sleep very well. I didn't really sleep well once we got back, either, because I was still so anxious! Thankfully, James knew exactly where he was and felt perfectly at home. Leif was nervous, but James kept snuggling him and grooming him!

I love seeing Leif get more comfortable around the apartment! Look at this cutie!

It's been chaotic trying to move my stuff in and reorganize, but it's coming together well!

My parents got me this light-up arrow, and I finally got to put it together! I love it so much! :D

I brought out James' Spider-man chair to the living room, and he's barely left it! Adorable!

It's bizzare (in a good way) to be back in Concord! I think what I love is that I know exactly where I am and where my stuff is. I'm no longer living out a suitcase or worrying from afar. It's also really nice to be able to "settle down" again with J and the cats!

I have about a week and a half before school starts up again, so it's nice to have some free time to get organized and enjoy my time with J before he has to fly back. I'm definitely not prepared for him to leave, but I'll be back in Iowa in late September! My cousin Brandee is getting married, so I'll be able to see my family and J again. :)

Are you excited for school to start back up?