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. :)