I'm over here!

I'm not here today! Nope.
Instead, I'm over HERE. (click on through! I'm talking about my study-abroad trip to Malta.)

yuuupppp. that's Malta. interested? thought so.

Four-eyes

 

I'm here today to talk glasses. 

I know, I know, you've seen a few of these reviews before and are probably rolling your eyes, but hear me out. I'm not going to be so noble in saying I would never do reviews on this site, or give you some kind of a disclaimer that I'll only do reviews that are a good "fit" for me. 

Actually it kind of took me by surprise since I have like, an M&M bag worth of followers (but I lurve all of you M&M's). 

Bottom line is: I wear glasses and contacts and my glasses are scratched to shit and 5 years old SO when Firmoo contacted me about participating in their blogger affiliate program I was all HECK YES!  

Actually, I let the email sit for a while because I'm lazy sometimes and then Antonio at Firmoo sent a follow up email and despite my poor response time and bad manners, still wanted me to participate (YAY!), and despite my usual "eye roll" at reviews, I am so glad I did. 

Their website was clean and easy to navigate. First, choose your glasses (I tried to find my exact pair on the site but they must have been a  HOTT seller because they're MIA. They have similar styles however in the #BD30003, #CP6061, and #SD2326). 

They asked for my prescription, obviously, but also the distance between your eyes so they can fit them to your face. After a quick phone call to my eye doctor to figure out how to read my prescription (der.) I was a few quick clicks away from a confirmation email! As I'm sure you know I've been trying to get more comfortable with my personal style, so I was excited to try a pair of glasses that weren't so "safe" for me, and were more trendy.

Imagine my delight when these pretties showed up (10 days after submitting my order, nonetheless):

They also came with a pink glasses wipe, and a teensy tinsy screw driver and spare screws to fix my glasses, should I ever need to! I have never seen anything like that included with the glasses, so that was a really nice assurance to have!

See!? teensy tinsy.
They also came with a pretty, solid case, which is good, because tossing my glasses in my purse pocket is what got my old pair scratched. That AND my old pair's case wouldn't snap shut fully. 

I LOVE my glasses. They're very "hipster" but they make me feel more sophisticated. They have a pretty studded detail on the arms, and they fit perfectly. They're light on my face and don't give me headaches the way my old glasses used to, because there was so much pressure on my head from how snug they were. 

They also make me feel more studious. I was inspired to read an old book about the Ojibwe from college. Just kidding, I thought it'd make for an appropriately dorky blogger-photo-op. 

The nice thing about them is they DON'T make me feel so dorky when dressed up, and that if I hadn't already put in my contacts, I would've actually worn them out to my work party Saturday night (which is what I took these photos before).

I'll admit, I feel like kind of a hypocrite for saying all this, after seeing 100 reviews for the Hana products that I was all "OK, we get it, whatever." and ignored the overall message. Also, I was a twee bit jealous of peeps gettin' free stuff.

That being said, I think it'd be 100% worth the 5 minutes it would take for you to participate in Firmoo's "First Pair Free" program which means you get to try glasses FREE by only paying the shipping.

Want to hear something even better? Glasses aren't just for four-eyes like me anymore. Glasses are trendy, and Firmoo has all of the trendiest frames, in prescription or NON-prescription! They also have sunglasses available in both options!(Do I sound like a salesman? I feel like one right now. Oh well, these glasses are awesome. I'm wearing them RIGHT NOW).

Worried about ordering from an online store? I'd be lying if I said I wasn't, but while I took a leap of faith in the fit/look, you don't have to! They have an option to upload a photo of yourself to virtually "try on" the glasses! I didn't have a good photo of myself to use whilst at work, which is when I ordered, but it's nice to have some visual confirmation that you won't look like a total dweeb in your new specs, even if they ARE fo free.

I found myself excited on Saturday night at the prospect of wearing glasses on Sunday, and giving my contacts a break. You guys, that NEVER happens. I avoid my specs like the plague. I'm so thrilled I got a chance to participate in this program and M has told me no less than 4 times how much he likes my new glasses.

GO GET YOURSELF A PAIR, stat.

Weekend Wrap Up, yo.

Another weekend gone, and here we are again... Mr. Monday. 

Is it just me, or was last week especially brutal? 5 full days? no looming holidays? oof. 

This weekend was pretty low key on the whole, but a lot of fun. 

Friday we just hung out at home.

Saturday morning I lounged and played with the kitty. 

I posted this photo on IG (kellybea14)

 

This is what TJ looks like mid-tweak. 

All it takes is a finger wiggle and he's ready to pounce.

Saturday night was my firm's holiday party. I was a bit nervous, since I'm still pretty awkward around a lot of these people, but I was excited to meet my coworkers significant others. 

We went bowling at Pinz in Oakdale, and had our own private room and private set of lanes.

 

One reason I wasn't as nervous as I may have otherwise been, is M has met a few of my coworkers.
One is my uncle, so, obviously he and Matt have met on multiple occasions.
Another is my neighbor! We figured this out after a few months of working there. We've seen him around the neighborhood and chatted a lot. He also hosted a summer party a in 2011 and M met a few of the other paralegals as well. SO, it was nice to go into it with a bit of familiarity.
That familiarity quickly turned into my neighbor buying M a white russian because, well, apparently it has something to do with the Big Lebowski (a movie I haven't seen).

A plan was quickly formed to make me watch the Big Lebowski in the near future with he and his fiance and drink more white russians.

 
 Things not pictured:

• one of the partners climbing on a chair and saying "I'm doing it! I am doing it." for no apparent reason
• shots, bought by a paralegal, taken by some of the attorneys and secretaries, OH and M
• one of one of the oldest partners leading some Gangnam Style

They had some prizes for highest single game, highest total, most strikes, etc.  Well, one guy happened to win highest game, highest total AND most strikes, but since he couldn't win all 3... they gave highest game to the runner up -- M!

 

Ta Da! M and I have a fancy date to the Bee in our future.  

Mushy side note: there's something about Saturday that just warmed my heart. Those of you who have met me (and based on the way I write) may not believe, but I can be painfully shy in social situations. I've gotten a lot better in recent years, and I attribute a large part of that to M. I know it's super cliche but he makes me a better version of me. A more confident, outgoing version of me. The fact that I can bring him to work functions and not for a SECOND be nervous about how he'll do, and be 90% LESS nervous about MYSELF because I know how charismatic he is, how well he blends with any group of people,... it's really, really nice. Mostly I am always eager to introduce him to new people because I'm SO proud of him. I kind of enjoy leaving functions thinking that others may be all "she snagged HIM? who woulda thunk it."  It's a mystery to me too sometimes. Not because I don't think I'm cute, or have good things going for me, but because I can be so. awkward. that I'm glad he saw past that. :) 

Moving on...

Sunday morning included more lounging, and then Molly came over for a bit before work to chat. 

Sunday night M and I met Leah at the movie theater to see Zero Dark Thirty.

MAN you guys, it was good.
In case you don't know, this is based on the events leading up to the murder of Osama bin Laden. 
I will add these disclaimers: it was long, and it wasn't high action most the time (it had its moments) but I find the "back story" regarding things we all know the ending of (i.e. Miracle, Argo, etc.) to be fascinating. What THEY were doing while we were living our lives all unassumingly. M told me they pulled the girl who was the "Osama expert," so to speak, out of HIGH SCHOOL to join the CIA. She'd been an operative for 12 years by the time they got bin laden.
Yeah.
I was crying over getting asked to the prom in high school. So, there's that.

Anyway, solid weekend. Sad about another 5 day week ahead of me. Wah.
Hope you all had a good weekend as well!

lemon pepper chicken and sides

The other night Leah came over and I made us dinner and we had some girl time. Leah requested something moderately healthy, like a good girl, and I decided it would be a good time to try spaghetti squash. 

Apparently, I don't know what food is in season in each respective season because there was no spaghetti squash to be found at Byerly's. (side note: shopping at a new grocery store is SO HARD. everything is all backward and it takes me twice as long to find things and gives me so much anxiety) 

SO, after stumbling around the grocery store, I decided to just go with a fresh but simple chicken recipe. Enter: lemon pepper chicken (with rosemary). 

Things you'll need (for 3 chicken breasts, you can adjust accordingly):
2 lemons (duh)
1 tsp pepper (double duh)
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp garlic (I prefer fresh)
1/2 tbsp rosemary (optional, but SO GOOD)
2-3 tbsp olive oil

I just kind of made this up on the fly, so these measurements are approximations.
The only thing you may have to watch is the olive oil to lemon ratio: I'd start with the lemon juice, and then add olive oil one by one until you have enough total liquid to coat the chicken breasts. Too much olive oil and it ends up smelling more oily-and not tasting as lemony- if you catch my drift.

whisk everything BUT the rosemary together, and drizzle over pierced chicken breasts.
sprinkle rosemary on top.
let marinate for at least 30 minutes.



Since the chicken takes a bit longer to marinade but is quick to cook (at least on the foreman), I decided to make a snack/side of Kale chips.

 

Things you'll need:

1 bunch of kale

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

 

Wash and dry kale, then tear into small "chip" sized pieces. (I prefer to take out the main 'vein' of each leaf- the piece that runs up the center).

Toss lightly in olive oil and spread on a cookie sheet in one layer.

Sprinkle salt over the kale.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes (I fluffed once halfway through and rotated cookie sheets since I was making a lot)

Sorry but I'm not sorry if you're grossed out by my cat's snout in the kale. 

He is quality control around these parts. 

But really, besides bugs, few things germ/health wise "gross" me out- cat hair included.

BONUS: pour yourself a glass of sprite in a wine glass, to feel fancy. Squeeze a tsp of extra lemon in, and then slice up 2 lemons to make it pretty.

I also made sides of roasted cauliflower and steamed broccoli.
I think you guys can handle steaming broccoli without a step-by step.
As far as the cauliflower goes-- I always avoided cauliflower on vegetable trays, that is until I tried it roasted.
holy. cow. is it tasty.. sprinkle a little salt on top afterwards and it's a fantastic veggie.
I chopped it up into equal pieces and roasted it at 350 for about 20-25 minutes.. or until it's started to turn brown and can be pierced with a fork.

chicken on the foreman

Ta da! so tasty. Lemon on top of the chicken was purely for looks.

SUPER simple recipes, and if you're anything like me, you already have salt, pepper, a head of garlic (maybe just me....) and frozen chicken on hand, so it's super low cost too.

HALP! (The Wedding Registry Edition)

I don't often ask for thoughts about the wedding because I'm super decisive about my style and what I like but I figured, for this topic, I'd reach out for  wee-bit-o-help from you people.

The Registry. (capital R. because it deserves some respect). 

So, here's my issue: by the time this wedding rolls around, M and I will have lived together for 2 and a half years. My point there is, we have everything we need. I'm at a loss for what to register for. 

Here are some points of interest: 

1) I know people usually use a registry to "upgrade" some items that they may already have, like silverware and dishes. I'm iffy on this. M is rammy, and has chipped 2 dishes already and broken 2 wine glasses. I don't even blink at it now because we have super plain black IKEA dishes. If we have much nicer ones, I may freak out. Also? IKEA will always be around if I need to add to the set

 (and it's $20 for 4 plates, 4 small plates and 4 bowls at IKEA. CANNOT BEAT THAT). 

2) I feel super tacky registering at places that I'd never shop at myself: Crate & Barrel & Williams Sonoma, primarily. I already feel weird about people buying things for me, but especially feeling like I'm putting my family out. I'm weird.

3) I'm not sure what's "tacky" or not to register for. So far this is pretty much all I have (from Target):

-serving bowls/tray (all white. notice a pattern? I like clean)

-new towels (that actually match our bathroom color now)

-a few sets of sheets (just the plain jersey ones)

-a blender (M broke ours.. notice another pattern? ;) ...) 

annnddd that's pretty much it. 

I handed M a computer and told him to pick something and he clicked a $200 sound bar stereo system and I died laughing. He got embarrassed and unclicked. Is that something that's tacky? What about home decor accents? like throw pillows? I'd LOVE some fancy throw pillows (and by that I mean the $30 ones at Target that I JUST can't really bring myself to buy, because..well..they're pillows.

4) I have a browser open for Bed Bath & Beyond but don't even know what I'd register for? 

5) HELP!? 

We don't really want to register for a ton of stuff "just because" ...and would honestly rather prefer money, but we fear not registering for ENOUGH stuff means people might take creative license and add things they think we may like. You know, like that embroidered pillow with wild stallions on it. yeah. 

SOOO here's my ultimate question(s): 

For those of you that lived together before marriage, what did you do about a registry?

Are there things I'm not thinking of that I already own but should "upgrade"? 

What were some things you got that you may not have thought to register for but are grateful you have?

Even though we're not trying to register for a bunch of stuff, should I add another store? So far it's just Target. 

please and thank you.

(This Weekend I)...My weekend with the plague.

I'm linky shtinkyin up with Syndal and Sar:

I'm sure you guys get tired of reading blogger excuses. Like, "I didn't take any photos this weekend" and I really don't have a lot of new content other than what I posted on Instagram already.. but that's all I got for you today. I took a FEW photos with the fancy camera this weekend, mostly of the cat (who's surprised!?)... but I just feel weird about bringing out my camera. I feel like it has to be a legit/important event to haul out the "big" camera. It just feels different than carrying around a little point and shoot. I need to get over that, I bought the damn thing to take nice photos!

This weekend though, I think I have a decent excuse. M came down with the plague sometime late last week and this weekend involved a lot of couch and sweatpants. This doesn't differ from other weekends in many respects but I felt the need to mention that.

This Friday ... my friend Molly came over for a few hours and we chatted and I made dinner. After she left, M and I split some ice cream under the assumption that it'd help his throat. I instagrammed the following photo, with a caption indicating that M and I had created an ice cream wall between the healthy side of the pint and the plagued side:

 

You guys had a lot to say about that, and Syndal even suggested that germs could JUMP from side to side. PREPOSTEROUS! What, like she's a doctor or something. (;-)). 

This weekend (Saturday).. I cleaned the house and M laid in the man-cave.. alternating between blowing his nose, chewing on ice cubes, and sleeping. I went over to my dad's Saturday night to watch the Vikings game (which we won't discuss after this point) and M went to watch with some of his guy friends. I could've gone with M and the guys, but my dad loves when I come over for this kind of stuff (I think he misses having me around the house) so I went over there. He was also having some of his friends over, and I've known those guys my whole life too.. so it's always a good time. 

I tweeted the other day that my dad texted about beanie babies (he's trying to declutter before the wedding) and I howled that he better not throw out the Princess Di one. I'm a child of the 90s, what can I say? Mostly, I'm not crazy, but I got this beanie baby from a pen pal (from LONDON) so it seemed extra special. I'm also curious if it's worth any money, since I was smart and I kept its tag in a protective case.

Also, it's hard to not be a pack rat with some of my old things (not necessarily just the beanie babies), but when I see adorable nurseries pimped out with vintage toys it makes me want to save ALL THE THINGS.

This weekend (Sunday) we slept in waaayyyy late and I lost any ounce of energy I was going to use to go to Caribou to work on my brief. There's serious irony in the fact that I rejoiced in finally being done with school and not having to do homework on the weekends... only to enter a career that has me working, more often than I'd care to admit, on the weekends. Alas, a deadline is a deadline and motion practice is often like this. Our initial brief was due 4 weeks before the hearing, we filed replies to their briefs and briefs of our own and those were due 14 days before the hearing, another set of replies due 9 days before, and the last ones are due tomorrow. If you're confused, so am I. Hearing is on Wednesday.

I spent the morning Sunday chasing TJ around the house and blowing on his pooch. He HATED it and retreated to the highest point in the house.. the fridge:

Then he decided to help me with my brief...

And when he got tired of that, and decided the desk was not a suitable place to nap, he crawled his uncoordinated ass onto my lap. TJ isn't a HUGE cat, but it's a tight fit. 

Annnyway, that was pretty much our weekend. I started rounding up addresses for save the dates. I have my entire side of the list finalized (dad was easier than I imagined!) and have all but a handful of my side addressed. Just need M to wrangle his side and we'll be good to go! We don't plan on sending them out until March.. but, I'm a Type A. So, that's that.

Hope you all had a good weekend! M and I have some dinner plans this week, I have that hearing Wednesday, and then my work party this weekend, so hopefully I'll have some better blog fodder ;)

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post.. the alternate title is: The Wedding Registry: WTF.

New Year's Eve and our Anniversary

Is it New Year's Eve? or New Years Eve? Does the "eve" belong to the year? I think it might.

Monday was M and I's 3 year anniversary! For a girl whose previous "relationship record" was a whopping 7 consecutive months (the ex and I had our fair share of on's, then off's...1.5 years total) sometimes I'm surprised that it's been 3 years. It's felt both faster and longer than that. I suppose that's what happens when you are in love (awwwww!) and comfortable with someone.

We celebrated just like we have the last two years, by going ice skating at the Depot, where we met.
See?! Here's year 1 and 2:

on the way, I made a wee pit stop to revisit the exact spot where M proposed.

You see, it was kitty corner from The Depot (in front of the MacPhail performing arts center, for those familiar with the area).

We laced up, skated, and added to our "anniversary photo" collection

and then I took out a 4 year old who skated in my path. She spun me around, but thankfully I stayed on my feet, corrected myself, and kept skating. I felt like I was getting the stink-eye from fellow skaters for not stopping to check on her. Rest assured, she bounced back to her annoying "I'm trying to be Michelle Kwan" self in no time.

We headed over to Republic (at seven corners) in Minneapolis. It used to be called Sergeant Preston's and was kind of a fratty place. I heard it underwent a bit of a transformation and wanted to check it out. The food was FABULOUS and it was empty, even better. My guess was everyone was home pre-gaming NYE. 

We headed home, watched a movie (Pitch Perfect, which was surprisingly funny.. "I ate my twin in the womb." ---the asian girl killed me..hahah), and I was doing this by 12:06:

I'm just not as wild as I once was.

New Year's Day involved a lot of lounging with my 2 favorites

NYD night we watched Moonrise Kingdom with some popcorn.

and M sported a very necessary bib. It's like he had giant holes in his fingers because no matter how many kernals he grabbed, at least 2 wound up on the couch or down his shirt. Special guy. :)

As far as New Year's resolutions... I've never been good at that. I'd just like to improve all around. What, that's not vague enough? Mkay, here are just a few things I've thought about that I'd like to see happen in 2013

1. Nail down something on the job front. I haven't talked about it much here but I'm still clerking at the firm I have been with since last summer. I've started taking on more work that a first year associate would, but due to the economy and work slowing down, they're hesitant to hire on full time. That being said, they're letting me stay in the capacity (and at the pay rate) that I've been working at, which has been really nice. I'm grateful to have a job in this economy, a LEGAL job at that, since many of my friends do not yet have one.

2. Work out more consistently. I have the gym membership, but I can't seem to find a schedule that works for me. I need to pick some days, and have my bag packed. I've found the easier I make it on myself (going straight from work with a bag packed vs. coming home to change) the more likely I am to go. In that same vein, I need to buy some more work out clothes. It's too easy of an excuse right now when my 3 sports bras and 2 sets of shorts are dirty and then I don't do laundry for 2 weeks. woops.

3. Improve my wardrobe. I know this sounds super vain, but hear me out. I have this problem where I only shop with a certain event in mind. I.e. "a new dress" or "a new top for this one party" etc. THEN I wear that new item to death because it's new and trendy (unlike the rest of my closet) and before long its worn out and just as frumpy as the rest of my clothes. I want to move items in and out on a more regular basis, and shop more periodically instead of the "all or nothing" approach. I've found I'm happier and more confident when I feel like my outfit is put together. I also want to style what I already own in different ways. I get so stuck in outfit ruts.

4. Be a better blogger. I wouldn't consider myself BAD, but much like the gym, I need to get into more of a rhythm. I need to jot down a little list of topics other than weekend recaps and "M and I did this, this and this" posts. I always think of good posts after the fact or after seeing another blog. Granted, I do consider this blog my virtual scrapbook, so I can't see myself straying far from that.

5. Learn how to use my camera. Self explanatory. I feel remotely confident with it, and I got some great pointers from my cousin. I can't wait for spring/summer and longer days of better natural light.

sooooo.. those are just some of the things on my mind for 2013.