Aunt Chelsea.

I love being an Aunt.  It is one of my greatest joys in life. My nieces and nephews are the cutest kids ever...I'm not even just saying that because I am their aunt.  They are really adorable children!  I love them much.  Be prepared, in my next few posts the children are the stars!  I just can't help myself.

Churrasco.

I was meant to be a Brasilian.  I love Brasilian food!  Specifically desserts.  My favorite is a sort of flan or this delicious pairing of cheese and guava jelly (called Romeo & Juliet).  I could eat them all day.  

I was lucky enough to have three Brasilian meals while I was visiting the Midwest.  A Churrasco is basically a cooking of large quantities of meat. My father-in-law is somewhat of an expert in this.  We ate rice, beans (not me), and meat meat meat! Eric and I have tried to replicate the magic, but have done so unsuccessfully.  

20 Miles.

Over the break Eric and I went out on a 20 mile bike ride.  We started in South Haven, MI and rode for about 2-3 hours.  It was such a beautiful day and a wonderful time, just Eric and I.  We were able to buy a bike rack and brought back bikes so there will be more fun to come.   

Bacon, Arugula, and Peach.

I have a new love in my life. Arugula. I would always see people on the food network use Arugula, but never really knew what it was or tasted like.  Oh man, is it good!  It is a more sophisticated spinach.  It has this spicy quality that I fell deeply in love with.  We have been home for less than a week and I have already gone through a huge container of it.  

My love blossomed from making Peach, Bacon, and Arugula sandwiches with my mother in-law.  They were so delicious we made them twice while I was there.  How could you go wrong with those incredible ingredients?  

Farm Fun.

I have always been fascinated by farm life.  Eric grew up on a farm (or rather farm land) and thinks this fascination is rather silly.  Over the summer I was approached by my sister-in-law, Katie.  The conversation went as follows:

Katie: "Hey, do you want to go play in the irrigation system?"

Me: "Yes!"

It was a thrill of a lifetime.  Don't tell the farmers.

Berry Picking.

I love fruit very much.  Summer is the wonderful time of year when you can actually go and pick your fruit.  I went two times and have plans to go again before the summer is over.  Nothing is better than fresh picked fruit!  Fruit is my passion.

My Sister is a Rock Star.

My sister is amazing.  The year before I got married I lived about 10 minutes away from my sister and took full advantage of the proximity.  I loved being able to hang out with her, be with my nieces and have a free meal every other day.  Being away from her has been one of the hardest transitions in moving to Virginia.

Over our summer trip we were able to spend a good amount of time sleeping in my nieces toy room on an air mattress.  I would have slept on the kitchen floor if it meant that I would get to spend time with them.  At the beginning of our trip I went with Brooke to Indianapolis to help her with an craft fair that she was entered in.

My sister is extremely crafty. I aspire to reach her level creativity. She has built her own business around kids super hero capes.  She makes capes and accessories.  Her capes have been in craft magazines, the Tori Spelling show, and will be in Elle magazine this fall.  I was super pumped to help her with her sale.  It was a great day for it and we had a primo spot. Great sales. Great fun.

Check her out here. And here.

friendship date.

This has been an eventful summer.  Eric and I have traveled through five states and have spent over a month visiting friends and family. It has been an amazing but exhausting trip.  Since I have been on a bit of a blogging hiatus during the last month, I have some time to make up for. So for the next two weeks I will do my best to catch you up!

On the first leg of our trip to Indiana, I was able to have an old school slumber party with my BFF Hannah.  She lives and works in Indianapolis, so we spent some time hanging down town.  It was so amazing to spend time with her.  I never laugh as hard as when I'm hanging with my bestie!  We even made our friend an interpretive dance video in honor of her upcoming wedding... we are very talented!

 

1 Year Later

Yesterday Eric and I celebrated 1 year of marriage.  Later this month we are planning a trip, but as for yesterday, we traveled home from our tour of the Midwest, bought groceries, unpacked, and ate our wedding cake topper.  Even as I think about the day i can't help but smile.  I love my husband and I love our life together.  It's simple yet wonderful.  

I love Eric more and more each day we spend together.  He makes me smile, laugh, and comforts me when I cry. The encouragement he has given me in this past year of change and challenges has kept me going when things were hard. Looking back at our wedding day, 1 year ago, I still feel the excitement and anticipation...but now I feel it for the next 75 years of our life together. 

Happy Anniversary to my love!