paul + emily

Apple Yoho-maplesauce Muffins

2012-03-06T10:05:00.002-08:00

Ok! New favorite recipe, and I'm proud to say we mostly made it up. Between Paul's innate kitchen sense and my ability to google substitutions quickly on my iPhone, we made quite the team last night when it came to making the ultimate healthfood muffin... while we waited for our Adriatico's pizza delivery to arrive. (Hey, we're good most of the time so we can be bad some of the time, okay?!)

Healthy Apple Muffins

Dry:
2 C whole wheat flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Wet:
8oz Greek yogurt (we used Chobani 0% vanilla)
1 large egg
1 Tbs maple syrup
1/2 Tbs honey
1/4 C unsweetened applesauce
2 Tbs skim milk

Add:
2 sweet apples, chopped into small chunks (we used ambrosia)

Topping:
Oatmeal
Brown sugar
Ground Cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 375F
2. Mix wet and dry ingredients separately, except for the apple chunks, then gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk. Once blended, fold in apple chunks.
3. Scoop into oiled or papered muffin tins, optionally sprinkle top of each muffin with a mixture of cinnamon, brown sugar and oatmeal.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
4. Let sit for 2-3 minutes, then turn onto a cooling rack.

12 Large Muffins, 120 Calories Each

They're a great grab-and-go breakfast. I think they'll be my replacement for the processed sugar-packed cereal bars I've been trying to ditch. May I also highly recommend a trail mix of almonds, raisins, dark chocolate chips and whole grain cheerios as an on-the-go snack? Yum!

I'll check in again after finals. Maybe you'll get to hear about running, volunteering, and next quarter's undertakings!

Love,
Emily

leap day ramblings

2012-02-29T19:13:00.000-08:00

It's 9:41pm, the weather is unusually warm, and I'm sitting in the parking lot of the drive-through starbucks across the river from campus. I'm thinking about how I ended up here, clattering out a blog in the driver's seat of our accord, sitting in this parking lot with the windows down in february (or whatever month today is) and listening to acoustic covers of classic rock songs humming along blandly on npr.

I'm feeling a little meta. I don't get meta as often as I used to, so this might be a good time to write a blog.

At least three hours of my day. Every. Day.

Today: my best chemistry exam of the quarter (finally) and beautiful weather. Hard to believe there's only two weeks left to the quarter. It's like this: not enough time to get my grades up to where I wish they were, but too long until a much needed break. Cognitive dissonance at its finest.

I'm so happy these days. So is Paul. In a weird way, we spend more time together now that I'm busier with pre-med life. We study together, we take dinner breaks together and overall, I'd say we're better about communicating... out of necessity, we've become really efficient at being happy.

It's not that happiness is new to me, but I really love where I am right now. I love science. I love the feeling of fulfilling a million childhood dreams. As a child, I didn't want to be a doctor, I just loved knowing that someday I would be a doctor. I'm THRIVING on pre-med life, a strange mixture of childish enthusiasm and grown-up responsibility.

Paul's at school late tonight, and I'm done with my pile of lab paperwork (that's due every Thursday) much earlier than usual. I love how hard he works, and how much he enjoys his field. I think he deserves a bouquet of flowers tonight for his extra hours in the studio. Without further ado, I will stop talking to you, a phantom reader, and go buy something for the man I love (shh, don't tell.)

Fingers crossed for a successful last week of classes/labs and then a GREAT finals week.

again & again (january wrap up)

2012-01-28T16:06:00.000-08:00

I've been horrible about blogging, and I'm not really sorry (so I won't pretend.) I spend a good deal of time at the library--I study all the time. I know that's one of those things people say, but I mean it literally. All the time. I work, I study, I sleep, I study more, and I just don't think to blog. My classes (College Algebra, Biology, Chemistry) are not harder than the Senior level classes I took last quarter in Education and Human Ecology, it's just much more time consuming and less familiar.

But I do have something to say, to share.

Find the things you believe you can't do and try again.

Try again and again and again until you do them.

Do it once and I promise you'll be making a list of the rest of the things you can't do... so you can try them, too. Because there is nothing more empowering, more inspiring, more energizing, than finally getting it right. And most of the assumptions we make about our own limits are lies. Why do we tell ourselves these lies?

Because trying again and failing is frustrating. Because trying again after that and only getting a little closer gives us a feeling of defeat. Because failing hurts and because working at it is hard. And if we just say, "I can't," we can move on and do easier things.

And that's an option. You can avoid little, individual defeats by avoiding things that challenge you. You can let those things defeat once and for all so you don't have to to duke it out with them. But each time you say, "I can't do that." you cheat yourself out of an opportunity to learn something, to be something great and to inspire others to do the same.

What is it you're not good at? What is the thing you can't do? What have you given up on?

Go do it.

Fair warning: you'll have less time to blog. But you won't care.

welcoming this new year

2012-01-02T12:29:00.000-08:00

No matter how hard I try to recognize New Year's as just another day on the calendar, it isn't. I can't let it be only that. This year the arbitrary significance is confounded by several other beginnings: the start of the new academic quarter tomorrow, the start of a new course of study for me, and the beginning of so many wonderful new things for me, Paul and the people we love.

Exciting, overwhelming, wonderful--We woke up this morning to snow on the ground, and I have a new backpack full of science books, ready for the quarter (and career?) ahead of me. It's a good day, and a good time.

2012 will be a year of transitions for us. My transition to pre-medical. Our move into a new (smaller!) apartment in late summer. Helping my parents settle into their new homes. All of the choices, changes and new experiences that come with all of those things. And more. Of course, there will the things that we find along the way, the things we could never have expected, and the things learned from life that you simply can't imagine beforehand. May all of those things build us. And I wish the same for each of you.


Top: Our new apartment is in this beautiful house in a historic neighborhood of Columbus Bottom left: Dad's new house in sunny Arizona. Bottom right: Mom's new house, in progress. Right up the hill from Grandma and Pap's.

Ready for 2012? I'm not sure. But I'm excited. So, here we go.

Love,
Emily

Dinner (Brussels sprouts, mostly)

2012-01-01T17:42:00.001-08:00

Dinner:
Sirloin
Brussels Sprouts
Honey Oat Bread
Red Wine

Delicious! Most of it was easy... The bread was from the bakery and the steak was just boiled medium-rare. So, I'll share our approach to the brussel sprouts... In my opinion, the best part of the meal.

We made enough for the two of us... About half a pound (6 pieces each)

1/2 lbs Brussels sprouts
1 Tbls olive oil
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper

Pare off any yellow leaves or bard stems. Toss all the ingredients together. Put on a baking sheet and place in a 440 degree oven. Cook around 30 minutes. Eat.

More later! Happy 2012.

Love,
Emily (and Paul, who did most of the actual cooking)

drafts of both kinds

2011-10-24T11:18:00.000-07:00

It's cold! Hooray, fall is here! Every day that I get to wear a cardigan AND (or) a jacket, I die of happiness a little bit. Fall is the perfect time for everything in my opinion. For fashion, for running, for cooking, for going on vacation, for studying, for ANYTHING. Our old house is a little chilly, but that's a reason to snuggle under the flannel and down bedding and drink hot tea all day. Did I mention how perfect fall is? So, I have that joyful thought: the crisp, cool drafts of autumn are seriously the best part of my year.

And I also have an apology. I haven't written much. That's because I've been writing drafts. I do that a lot, actually. I write posts that sometimes get published later, sometimes get deleted, and sometimes just sit in my dashboard while I decide whether or not it's something I want to share. October has been a month of drafts. Some of them I just decided were boring or not worth cluttering up your minds with, but some of them are things I want to share, but am not sure about yet. Something about fall makes me retrospective, prospective, introspective... just very spective in general. And because of that, you all have a lot of unpublished content instead of fun stuff to read about how cool our life is (since I KNOW that's what you come here expecting.)

So, here's the news, in a post or less:

-Today is Paul's mid-term project review. He's gotten so good at architecture that he only spends a handful of late nights, instead of all nights, at school. I love that.
-My parent's house is on the market, please buy it.
-Mom has retired and moved to Indiana to take care of my grandparents...a big job, but one that also offers the thrills of quilting and occasional trips to Wendy's!
-My dad is working in sunny Arizona and loving the weather and related lack of snow.
-We got a french press and nice coffee grinder. Mornings are AWESOME and you should come VISIT!
-I graduate in a 6.5 weeks. YIKES. More on that later.
-The first batch of holiday presents just arrived on our porch. It's never too early to start Christmas shopping. She & Him released their Christmas record today, and I'm giving it a first listen. It's... Christmassy.

Today I am going to: go running, study for midterms, make cookies and take a nap. I have never been so unsure of the chronology of my to-do list. Ever. That probably means the nap comes first.
That's all.

Emily

No more Thanksgiving (for us.)

2011-10-16T16:37:00.000-07:00

We won't be celebrating Thanksgiving this year, or any year in the foreseeable future. It's not that we're not thankful for the blessings we have, we just don't see the historical roots of "Thanksgiving Day" as something to celebrate. Instead, we see a history genocide, violence and cultural insensitivity that should be acknowledged with solemnity, but not celebrated or covered up with a day that creates a false sense of peace.

Our convictions about the settlement and colonization of America are pretty simple: we think it was wrong and can be classified as genocide of the native peoples of America and conquest of their land, things we are firmly against. Further, we feel it's insensitive and naive to have a celebration that fictitiously convinces Americans that, at one point, "Pilgrims" and "Indians" sat down and enjoyed a bountiful meal together in peace. Even if this happened (which, as far as I can tell from the historical record, it didn't) it would have been an isolated and highly exceptional event.

It's pretty easy to forget the plagues Europeans brought, the communities of native peoples they massacred and the land they literally stole from its original inhabitants, who they generally killed (or forcefully displaced) in the process. We don't really teach that aspect of American history heavily in schools, and as adults we don't discuss it either--it makes us uncomfortable.

Because it should.

So, this "Thanksgiving Day," I encourage you to think critically about the cultural construction of peace and coexistence between peoples that we "celebrate" every November, and instead remember with respect the tribes, families, and individuals that were brutally abused, stolen from and killed in the process of colonization and expansion.

Most modern Americans of European descent are sensitive enough to agree that our ancestors behaved inhumanely and unforgivably toward the native peoples of America, when we really think about it. We see the obvious flaws in Manifest Destiny and we feel horror when we read about the Trail of Tears. But we avoid it, because when we're honest, we're only here because of egregious acts of violence perpetrated by our ancestors. Uncomfortable?

This year, out of respect for the native inhabitants of America and peace among all people, Paul and I will refrain from celebrating the "Thanksgiving" holiday, and instead remember with grief the violations of human rights that happened on the soil we're now so willing to call our own.

Emily

P.S. We're not the only ones who dissent from the celebration of Thanksgiving. Learn more about the National Day of Mourning and Unthanksgiving Day as a start.

My Happier Closet, 10/03

2011-10-03T15:38:00.000-07:00

So, I figured I should start sharing some of my "new" outfits in order to keep myself excited about the privilege of shopping only second-hand for a whole year. I'm sure you know how it is... with projects like these, it's exciting some days and others it's all like "What the heck? Why, Emily?"

In an effort to be less incoherent (I'm blaming the chilly living room I'm writing from--no heat for us this early in the season!) I'll get down to business:

Type of outfit: School/Casual
Items included: High Heel Shoes, Hounds-tooth Bag/Duffle, J. Crew Jeans, GAP Turtle Neck, Target Sweater, Vintage Necklace
Items thrifted: ALL.
Total Cost: $20
Favorite find: That's too hard on this outfit. Love the turtle neck because I haven't had a good one in years, love the jeans because they make me look 2 sizes smaller, love the sweater because it's sooo fluffy.

lessons on being us.

2011-09-22T17:00:00.000-07:00

As a late first anniversary present to ourselves, I compiled this list.

I've learned a lot in the last year or so, and I feel like we're always learning more about cohabitating and coexisiting. Here's what I've found to be true for us... maybe not true for every couple, but I think it has the potential to be pretty universal advice. Some of it is reinforced by my studies in college (Human Development and Family Science turns out to be a personally beneficial type of field) but some of it is just pure experience.

In any case, these are the 13 things I was privileged to learn alongside the person I love with mutual respect and a truckload of patience.

1. Everything in moderation to make room for everything else. Snuggling, wine, time together, time with the neighbors, time with extended family, kettle chips and blogging. Life-management is so different when the calendar, bathroom, fridge and budget accommodates two.

2. It's harder to keep in touch with your friends. Many assume that since you have a partner now, you're suddenly less interested in them or don't need them anymore. Don't let it happen--chase them. Friends don't get any less important, and not every friend needs to be a mutual friend.

3. The loudest fights are not even close to being the worst ones.

4. Sharing everything seems sweet in theory, but toothbrushes, pillows and sets of keys deserve to be clearly distinguished and assigned to individuals.

5. One partner's apathy about an important decision is worse than disagreeing vehemently about it.

6. Alone time, personal goals and maintaining individual identities couldn't be more important. Negotiating and compromising to help each other accomplish those things is important too.

7. Building a unique, shared emotional vocabulary is ten times more important than saying token phrases like "I love you."

8. Trying and successfully doing are different things, but as long as you're trying as hard as you can, they're equally meaningful.

9. Spend lots of time (5+ years) without pets, children or other every day distractions from learning to live together. You'll be better at sharing your love once you get better at sharing it with each other. Role confusion is a distraction and doesn't help anybody.

10. Your partner is a person, which means he or she will change throughout the course of your relationship. Ask important questions every now and then, be prepared for answers you've never heard before, and be excited to constantly learn about the person you love.

11. A messy home is not a sign of a bad relationship. Neither is frozen pizza or forgetting to take out the recycling.

12. Staying happy together has more to do with friendship, trust, and cooperation than it does with mushy-gushy romantic love.

13. Let "me" and "we" be separate sometimes. Don't speak for your partner, and speak up when you disagree with your partner. Respect is built on acknowledgment of someone's capacity, not complete interdependence.

I'm sorry... you say you were hoping for a chronological poster-type collage of us through the years? Yeah. I have that, too. It's a nice reminder that while we may have only been married for a year, the first picture in this collection is from 1999.

something blue

2011-09-18T11:24:00.000-07:00

The other day in a fit of post-eye-exam blindness I dropped my iPhone and its case in the parking garage. It shattered. And by it, I mean the case... thank goodness. So, since my phone is intact and my otherwise sturdy incase is in multiple pieces, it's time to buy a new case before I shatter the actual phone.

As has been demonstrated, I need something sturdy but I also craved something unique and beautiful. A few months ago, I started drooling over Uncommon Cases. You can put your own photos or artwork on them or choose from a gallery of artist images, which is what I did. They have several case designs and although they're not cheap, they get rave reviews. I chose some crocheted art by Magda Sayeg, the mother of yarn bombing on one of their capsule cases. Cool? I think so.

Can't wait for it to arrive... and until then, I'll be treading ever so lightly wherever I carry my iPhone.

Keeping my klutzy fingers crossed this week,
Emily

Happier Closet Project

2011-09-10T15:08:00.000-07:00

I'm going to do something. I am going to shop exclusively at second-hand stores for a whole year. Why?


Recent find: new (with tags!) Ann Taylor Loft long-sleeve t-shirt. Paid: $4. Original price: $35. Lots of compliments when I wear it at work.

Reducing demand for new clothing supports human rights by reducing the market for clothing produced in sweat-shops.
The industrial production process is harmful to the environment, as is the amount of waste produced when clothing is thrown away--less demand on my end means a healthier planet.
We are on a tight budget, and high-end clothing purchases are not at the top of our shopping list right now.
This offers the opportunity to shop vintage, which is almost always awesome.
I work with children, and I often end up a mess at the end of the day. Spending less on my clothing means I can make them the priority, rather than protecting my outfit from mud, paint and snot.

Those are my reasons. They're convictions I've always had, but let's be honest: It's easier to run to a store that has the same items in every size, that is specific to your style and where you don't need to inspect every item for bed bugs (AH!) or damage and be hit-or-miss when it comes to fashion. Here are my ground rules:

I will purchase no new clothing from retail stores.
I will only purchase clothing that has been liquidated, donated or consigned to a second-hand store.
Sewing of new items is allowed, as is alteration or repair of second-hand items.
Exclusions apply for undergarments, shoes (if necessary) and gifts.

I'll post pictures of my best finds and occasional updates on how it all goes.

Wish me luck.

Love,
Emily

welcome autumn

2011-09-07T07:31:00.000-07:00

I love fall. Here's to jacket weather, seeing your breath and hearing kids get off the school bus in crisp afternoon sunshine. It will probably warm up again before autumn really begins. But that won't stop me from reveling in the chill winds and orangey-yellow tinges. I've had the insatiable urge to make pot roast and apple pie for a couple days now, so there's no denying that autumn has begun in my soul. Another cup of french press coffee, then it's off to the Montessori school--hello, September!

Late nights full of local ale and local pizza: adriatico's thin crust

Warm spiced teas and warm happy hearts.

Midnight trips to Buckeye Donuts, sitting on the trunk of the car and dreaming big dreams.

Our chalkboard-wall calendar filled up with September.

Back to school haircuts and the emergence of scarves.

labor day weekend

2011-09-04T18:34:00.000-07:00

Know what we did this morning? NOTHING.

We have this whole month off from school and this long weekend off from work as well. It has been at least a few months since we had such glorious free time.

In the Short North after Jeni's

Friday after work we picked Becca up from college and she spent the evening with us in Columbus... and we had so much fun! We grilled, caught up, and went out for Jeni's. (Yes, eating Jeni's ice cream consumes about 83% of our free time this summer.)

For the weekend, we are up at my childhood home. This is possibly the last weekend we'll spend here because the house is going on the market later this week. It's pretty much empty now, which is emotional (of course) but also exciting because I know good things are ahead for everyone in my family.

All of the things from my room are packed up and sorted--to be donated, taken home or thrown away. It was difficult at times to let things go, but it feels good have less stuff. In the end, it's the memories that matter, not the things that remind you of them. I don't know how I managed it, but it seems that I turned out to be quite the purger.

We spent the afternoon with my mom and Mischelle--ate at Aladdin's and came home to conquer a couple bottles of wine and paint our nails. We had a great time reminiscing and laughing.

I feel that I have so much to write about right now. Hopes and fears. So much is changing, but engulfed in the sound of gentle rain outside and the warmth of the mint tea with me here in the dark of this September night, I feel that so much good is ready to happen. And I'm ready for it.

Love and goodnight,
Emily

grad school short list: assembling the candidates

2011-08-28T06:27:00.000-07:00

There is no question: we are going to grad school. Our intended careers both require at least a Masters degree (and for me, a Ph.D. as well.)

Here are the facts:

Both of our programs need to be offered by the same school or two schools within commuting distance.
We want schools with excellent programs in both of our fields.
We won't be starting whatever program we choose until fall of 2013.

I don't have my official GRE scores back, but my approximate range at the end of the test tells me I'm in pretty good shape. Now that I have a general idea of which programs I can get in to, here are the candidates, in no particular order:

UC Berkeley: We love this school. Across the bay from S.F.; perhaps a top pick right now.
University of Washington: We love Seattle. This school has pretty good programs in both our fields. Good chances of getting in, and a good school overall.
Columbia: Honestly, probably not going to happen for multiple reasons. But we like the idea of being grad students in New York.
Northwestern: They have a M.A. or Ph.D that I'd love to have. No program for Paul, so it might be something to consider for later... like after we've both done our Masters.
Harvard: I was surprised to learn that my GRE scores could get me into their M.Ed programs. Not sure I'd like the location, but for an Ivy credential, I'd be willing to sacrifice.
Cambridge: Has both of our programs, plus an international experience.
King's College London: Good programs for both of us. And who can say no to London?

doing columbus right

2011-08-27T15:35:00.000-07:00

The first part of date night: getting ready.

After weeks of intense homework for a 24-credit hour schedule of summer classes (which ended on Thursday) and constant studying for the GRE in my "spare time," it all culminated with that exam Friday morning. Needless to say, we haven't had a lot of time to do nothing--i.e. enjoy ourselves--so Paul pulled all the stops and planned an "epic" date. After I came home for my GRE (it went well, thanks for asking.) he gave me a letter which outlined the evening: starting with a bus ride to dinner at 5:30 and ending with a bus ride home around 11:00. And so, it began. We hopped a bus to the Short North (the best part of Columbus--the best restaurants, art galleries and stores) and arrived at Haiku, one of our favorite restaurants here. Paul had made reservations and (fabulously) ordered champagne in advance, which was brought to our table at the beginning of the meal. Everyone at the restaurant thought he was proposing, but no. That's just a typically-planned date night in my husband's mind. After some Calamari and Pad Thai with shrimp, we walked to Jeni's. Probably the best ice cream in the world, if you're unfamiliar. Here we enjoyed some waffle cones full of goodness--most notably, my favorite goat cheese ice cream--and talked about life, work and all the things we haven't had a chance to talk about in so long.

What next? Grabbed a 2 bus and headed to the South side of the city. We passed the food truck convention at Columbus Commons on the way--which also looked like fun--and then walked to Bicentennial Park. That place is off-the-hook-cool. They have a huge water-play area, which was quite populated with happy children, and a pretty decent bar. Every Friday they have some sort of live arts entertainment. We enjoyed some live organ-jazz while sipping cocktails (and local ale, which was pretty good.) and talking as night fell. There was SO MUCH ENERGY. Sitting there in the park, kids laughing and screaming, jazz playing and a Mint Julep carrying away the stress of that morning's GRE, I finally started to like (maybe even love?) Columbus. Also, notice Paul's ear piercings/wooden plugs, which are new and highly celebrated around our house. They look fabulous and he couldn't be more pleased with them. It's something he's wanted to do for a long time now, and so... he finally did!

On the bus home. tired, happy and glad we live so close to a bus stop.

summer in its latest stages

2011-08-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

recently:

We acquired an armchair from Goodwill. Pictures to come. (teaser: It's vintage and houndstooth and totally irresistible.)
The landlord made us remove our urban farm... no more garden or compost bin behind the unit. -3 hipster cred points.
Our brother Mark visited, our friend Dan visited, and we've shared meals with so many other wonderful people as well.
Amazing weather and the re-emergence of our down comforter to stay warm at night.
My new obsession with jogging and the delicious smoothies that it entitles me to.

soon:

Emily's GRE on Friday... and so much studying before then.
Our first anniversary and the camping trip that will accompany it!
Paul's completion of bar tending school. +4 hipster cred points.
Summer quarter will be over (two more days!)
Autumn. On that note, a recipe for you as we all celebrate the impending onslaught of delicious apples:

Cinnamon Almond Apple Dip
1 Cup Ricotta Cheese
2 Tbs Almond butter (chunky or creamy)
1 tsp Honey
1/2 tsp Cinnamon (and/or nutmeg, pumpkin pie seasoning, clove, etc.)
1 tsp Milk
Salt (to taste)
Blend it in a food processor. Dip apple slices in it. Store in the fridge for up to a week.

Update: As good as this was, it was missing something. I added a pinch of salt (or two) to the container... and I highly recommend doing that. I've added it to the recipe above.

Love,
Emily

Metamorphosis: Pallet to Compost Bin

2011-07-29T06:46:00.000-07:00

I found a pallet by a dumpster and brought it home on my bike to make a compost bin for behind our rowhouse.

around the house: family mailboxes

2011-07-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

You know when a family member leaves something lying around, and in your head you're like, EH! Just put it away!

Well, we have a solution for that. We have mailboxes where we can file things away for the other person, in a place they'll know to look. Or, if we're being proactive, we can put our own things there, too.

metal organizer and curtains: IKEA. college ruled (!!) composition book: office max (those are hard to find!!)

how to soften butter

2011-07-23T12:10:00.000-07:00

As you know (or, you will in a second) you should never microwave butter in order to soften it. Even if you use a low percentage power setting (as I did for years) the microwave heating process with compromise your butter's texture and make it less suitable for baking.

Then again--what other choice do you have? There's methods using nested saucepan/bowl that are similar to chocolate melting, but I always find it hard to control the heat and avoid melting with that.

SO...

After some quick Googling, I found this method, which is absolutely incredible. It takes a little elbow grease, but it's certainly quicker than waiting for frozen (or fridge-temp) butter to reach a soft state by sitting on the counter.

	1. Start with cold butter. Mine was frozen when I started and I'm guessing that this process would be WAY easier to accomplish if the butter was already fridge-temp or sat out for at least a while. That being said, it did work with frozen butter, but it took a little effort.
	2. Unwrap your butter and place it between two sheets of parchment paper (or wax paper.) The sheets should be pretty big, because the butter needs to be able to spread as it flattens.
	3. Go grab your rolling pin.
	4. Roll it out like cookie dough--be warned that when your rolling pin slips off the edges and hits the counter, it will be LOUD and that this process is NOT very gratifying at first. You're using friction here, so fast and clumsy is better than slow and careful.
	5. After rolling for a few minutes, flip both sheets over and keep rolling from the other side. My parchment paper got a little warn-out as I went, so halfway through may be a good time to replace it if it's showing signs of wear. In this picture, the butter is softening, but still very cold in the middle.
	6. I flipped the butter over every minute or so and kept rolling until it was about 1/4" thick. Once the butter is soft (you'll know because you can make an impression with your finger) don't keep rolling. If you over-roll, the butter will stick to your paper and also be too soft/melted to use for baking.

Good luck!

Love,
Emily

"Not Recommended For Use in Hot Beverages"

2011-07-21T17:01:00.000-07:00

around the house: knitting bunny

2011-07-20T17:48:00.000-07:00

beautiful chaos is the name of our game.

-ecrw

self-determinism...

2011-07-15T18:40:00.001-07:00

...has made me a better person than religious fatalism ever did.

5 Ways to Wear a Scarf

2011-07-09T13:44:00.000-07:00

We went thrifting this morning, and we had a blast. My Volunteers of America haul included a couple blouses, but was mostly scarves and bandannas. I've been meaning to get some to wear in my hair, etc, because all the hipsters around here are doing that. Also, I'm lazy and I'd like to be able to cover up bad hair days. So, I bought some scarves, came home and did some research. Here's what I found.

1: Wear it as a cuff
At first I thought I would only do this if I wanted to take a scarf along for later, but it ended up being pretty cute and not terribly annoying to wear. It's also the easiest to do. Simply fold two opposite corners in until they meet in the middle, and then continue folding the same outer folds into the middle until it's the width you want. Wrap it tight around your wrist and tuck the ends in underneath.

2: Wear it as a headband with the tie on top
You end up with a cutesy bow on the top, so that's either fun or tacky depending on where you're going that day. Start with the same fold as above: fold two opposite corners in so they touch in the middle, then fold the same edges in to meet in the middle. Wrap and tie.

3: Wear it as a headband with the tie on bottom
Exactly the same as above, except toned down because the bow is hidden by your neck instead of being smack-dab on top of your head. Would be a good way to keep bangs out of your eyes or held back with a pony-tail.

4: Wear it like a Tichel
Many women who cover their hair for religious reasons wear scarves known as Tichels. These are larger than your typical dress-scarf, so it's a little hard to pull this wrap off if you've got a typically sized scarf. That being said, it's by far the most hair coverage (why it's preferred for modesty) so it's worth trying if you've got some seriously ugly third-day hair to hide. I didn't tuck all my ends under, but you could if you wanted to.

Fold the square scarf in half diagonally. Place it on your head with the straight fold forward (forehead) and the 90 degree corner facing straight back. You should have the two folded corners hanging down/by your ears. Pull these back and tie them together at the base of your head. Leave the corner that's pointing back on top, and then pull it over your knot and tuck it underneath. Take the tails of the knotted corners and wrap them around the bun created by your hair and the tucked in corner. Once all of the length is used up, tie together.

5. Wear it like Rosie the Riveter
A classic mid-century look associated with Rosie and pin-ups. This is hard to do with a traditionally sized bandanna and requires some serious bobby-pinning to hold it in place and keep the edges where they should be. Not particularly comfortable, but maybe I'm still getting the hang of it.

Fold the square in half. Put it over your shoulders like a cape, with the unfolded corner pointing down toward your tush. Then pull the folded corners up so they go over your ears and meet at the top of your head. Tie. Pull unfolded corner up and tuck it underneath the knot prod, pin and pat until it looks right. To get mine to look the way it does, I teased and pinned my bangs for a few seconds before I started.

the american dream

2011-07-08T07:53:00.000-07:00

Is the American dream home-ownership anymore? I really don't think so, and it's certainly not our dream. We've always been committed to the idea of paying rent rather than a mortgage... so I found this video to be a thought provoking [Apple's 1984-esque] bit of advertising.

bagel + veggie sandwich

2011-07-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

It seems so simple, but it's something I've never done before. Please try it, it's so good.

Bagel Sandwich (Veggie)
1 Plain Bagel
Assorted Veggies
I used:
Tomatoes (sliced thin)
Green Onions (sliced into ribbons)
Sprouts
Cucumber (slice thin, no peel)
Salt/Pepper
Basil (fresh from our garden!)
Cream Cheese (I use reduced fat)
1) Toast the bagel lightly, just to give it more bite, not to get it crispy.
2) Spread both halves with cream cheese.
3) Layer on veggies, whatever you have/is in season, and the basil.
4) Salt and/or pepper to taste

This is SO easy, so yummy and uses a lot of fresh ingredients that we can get locally in the summer. It's going to be a good breakfast to take along to work/school and I just ate it as dinner--filling and easy dishes to do afterward! I won't claim it's healthy (bagel = carb city, loads of cream cheese = pure fat) but at least it gets me a small dose of veggies and is super yummy.

Love,
Emily

P.S. DRINK MORE WATER. Your body needs it. Don't forget to water your plants. They need it too!

around the house: well-stocked

2011-07-04T18:24:00.000-07:00

come visit sometime and we'll mix you a drink!

around the house: ongoing photo project

2011-07-03T05:39:00.000-07:00

I've been working on this all spring/early summer. It's at a stand still right now because I'm out of pictures (and money to print more pictures) but I'm hoping I can continue to add to it as we get more snapshots of important moments in our life. I'm hoping to move this with us wherever we live next/after that/etc. and always have a wall like it.

I'm too cheap to buy picture frames, and I really like the way this came together. It's just masking tape, the careful use of a level, and photos, but it ends up looking nicely curated. As I add more, the earlier events will always be closer to the center, and I like the timeline-like feel of that.

All of the fabulous wedding photos you see here are from our amazing wedding photogs Ashley and Kellen at WeeNo Photography and I'm certainly thrilled to finally have printed some of their pictures--I didn't know it was possible, but it seems they look even better in print than they do on the computer.

thrifting: slide case becomes writing utensil organizer

2011-07-02T17:34:00.000-07:00

The other day I was at Goodwill, and I happened upon these two tin slide cases, with their shiny mustard-colored paint job still looking fresh. In fact, they were still in their original boxes--from the 60's. They were $1.99 each, so I grabbed both... the perfect use came to mind immediately.

Yes. Now they sit above our desk and hold our pens, pencils, stapler, dry erase markers, crochet hooks, etc. All of the stuff that used to be jumbled together in a Kassat from IKEA is now neatly divided... for under $4.

The key isn't buying lots of junk from Goodwill, the key is knowing WHAT to do with the junk you buy.

Love,
Emily

general things.

2011-07-02T13:09:00.001-07:00

'sup?

1. I'm currently in the process of looking for a weekend and evening job. Nothing will make you feel worse about yourself than needing a job and not being able to find one.

2. All the pictures are up, so you can now see our whole trip through English, Indiana, St. Louis, Missouri, and Kansas City, Missouri.

3. Got a haircut at the Aveda Institute. They're still learning, so it takes a long time and it's hardly the best haircut you could ask for, but it's about $20 and still pretty decent looking, which is awesome.

4. We have a Silver 2000 VW Beetle for sale at below Blue Book value. Interested? Please email or text one of us.

5. It's summer, therefore it's hot. It's summer and I'm a teacher, therefore the money is tight. Solution? Eat greek yogurt smoothies with fresh fruit every day, for almost every meal.

That's all for now. The news around here is steady but uninteresting to most of you who actually bother to read this stuff we post. Does anyone really read this? I mostly write it as a journal/record of our life... it's mostly for us, but I do sort of hope other people read it, too.

Love,
Emily

english, in. [grandma and pap ritchie]

2011-07-02T11:53:00.000-07:00

our roadtrip begins on a good note: with some freshly-popped kettle corn from a roadside vendor in a tent. it was utterly delicious.

we arrived at grandma and pap's house. the week awaited: bible study, feeding the cows and many delicious frozen dinners lay in our future.

pap's magnetic holistic medical bracelet (left arm) might be helping him. he's not sure, but the "boys" he drinks coffee with all swear by them.

paul drew and drafted, because that's what paul does with his time.

she's an amazing hostess. woodfires to keep us warm in the morning (yes, it was june. don't ask.) and piles of extra blankets to keep us warm at night.

his quintessential pap outfit, with the new addition of his magnetic bracelet.

meticulously drafting his life away.

my grandmother stores quilting pins in these little vintage tin. they have such classic charm, just like her.

i liked the juxtaposition of these pictures. that's little me in the left picture, if you're confused.

if there's a beautiful picture to be taken at grandma and pap's farm, this is it. i've always loved that old concrete rooster.

no matter where you go, barefoot is a risk. in the city, it's glass and hypodermic needles. in the country, it's cow dung and copperhead snakes. i'm a risk taker.

this is grandma's tree. it's across the street from their house, and she's watched it grow, through every season. for 50 years.

it was new refridgerator day. we were there to help. my mom wrote them this note in permanent marker, so they wouldn't forget.

all of the food was unloaded into coolers on the porch to keep it cold during the fridge transfer. this ended up being especially great because the power went out that morning and we were able to keep the food on ice all day.

pap was going to take the old fridge to the amish, but they decided they didn't want it. now it's in the shed at the top of the hill. if you're looking for a fridge, please go steal it.

there's something beautiful about old kitchen appliances in front yards. classic country.

i couldn't stop taking pictures of it. it was too perfect.

don't worry! as you can see from this picture, we had plenty of food to fill the new fridge.

the vintage touches all around the house remind me that no matter how far out in the country they were, my grandparents were always quite stylish. i love this clock and the mirror wall under it.

good granddaughters pick wildflowers for their grandmas.

this bathroom looks exactly the way it did when i was a child.

all packed up and ready to go. notice the two green pieces of luggage? vintage, from grandma. we love them.

waving goodbye. just like always.

favorite iphone apps

2011-07-02T10:50:00.000-07:00

I love my iPhone. I love its versatility, its design, (most) everything about it. It has its downsides, too, of course... I've pocket dialed a couple people when I forgot to lock the screen and I always sometimes forget to hang up because it lacks a physical "end call" button. Also, I'm sure you've seen the websites that list hilarious autocorrect mishaps... and I'm no exception to the numerous iPhone users that have accidentally sent embarrassing texts because their autocorrect thought it knew better. But, these are minor and mostly issues with learning to use it.

The best thing about my iPhone, though, is the accessibility to a wide range of amazing applications. So, here it is... the best of the best.

Sleep Cycle is an alarm clock that wakes you up when you aren't in a deep sleep. It's pretty brilliant. You give it a window of time when you'd like to be woken up (mine is usually 6:00-6:30am) and then leave it on the corner of your mattress at night. Whenever it feels you stirring in that window of time, it plays the song of your choice to wake you. It sure beats a loud alarm noise at exactly 6:15!

Smart Vocab (GRE) is probably the best GRE prep tool I've found. It reviews vocabulary words with you and then tests you on them multiple times. It's a (FUN!) simple way to get ready for my GRE (at the end of July) whenever I have spare time: on the bus, waiting for class to start, in line at the grocery store, etc., without having to carry around a huge, heavy deck of cards. Better yet, instead of the $20+ these types of flashcards cost in a box, the app was just under $6.

iBooks is the free reader app for iphone and ipad. I love two things about it: It's well designed, and it also reads PDFs. When combined with JotNot Pro (which I'll talk about in a minute) this app enables me to read my textbooks anywhere I go, whether I'm able to buy them in digital form or convert them to PDF for my own use. It's easy to migrate your content between iPhone and iPad, which is nice for the dual-users (like me) out there.

AutoStitch Panorama is amazing. You take a bunch of pictures of a view and it pieces them together to create a panoramic picture. the iPhone camera lens is nowhere near as fish-eyed as other camera phones--which is great, because the pictures are much less distorted. The downside is that you can generally capture less area in a picture. AutoStitch not only fixes that, it offers even more opportunities. Also, it's a great way to impress people.

Mixology is my secret weapon at parties, when we entertain or if I want to try something new. It's recipes for drinks and it's easy to use. My favorite feature is the "mix it up!" feature, where you put in one or two factors, and it finds drinks that fit the profile. (i.e., whiskey, cocktail... it will find all the cocktails with whiskey.) It also has a handy feature where you can tell it what you have in your cabinet and it will tell you every option you have. A must have for anyone with a liquor cabinet and drink shaker.

Instagram! I love you so much! It's free, and it converts normal pictures into amazing works of art with a vintage feel. I've been posting a lot of my instagram pictures here on the blog recently, so you can see them for yourself. We love our real vintage cameras... our Polaroid and Retinas and our Diana mini and our 35mm Canons and Nikons. The trouble with 35mm cameras is 1) it's expensive to process the film and 2) you don't always have them with you. Instagram is the best way to cheat the system and get cool pics without lugging around cameras all day and processing expensive film.

JotNot Pro. Where do I begin? Simply: this app turns your iPhone into a scanner. Scan books, scan receipts, scan documents you need to e-mail.. it even faxes. I'm not going to condone using it to break copyrights (would I ever...?) but it's a great way to make a digital copy of books you own so you can just have a digital file on iPhone/iPad instead of lugging around a textbook. Is it also handy at the library? I'll never tell.

Mint.com has a mobile app. It's not as user-friendly as their website, but it's a good mobile look at our monthly budget. We've been using Mint for a while now, and I really do love it. This app alerts me if our account is low, our spending is high, or if big transactions (like paychecks and rent payments) have cleared. It's handy to be able to see how much we've spent in certain areas or what our account balance is, at a glance, when I'm out shopping or about to write a check. All in all, this isn't the best app ever, but as a Mint.com user, I'm glad it exists.

Flashcardlet is pretty darn cool. I'm not much of a flashcard person, but I'm becoming one because of this app. You create flashcards with a free account on quizlet.com and then can flip through them, test yourself or find/use other people's cards from the same courses on your phone. Like with Smart Vocab, it's a great way to use extra time in the day... reviewing notes from classes. It's easy to make the cards and even easier to run through them whenever I have a spare minute.

Tiny Wings is just plain fun. It only has one control, and is very simple. But the objectives make it challenging and I'm only a little embarrassed to admit that I'm addicted. Flashcardlet and Smart Vocab are productive ways to use downtime, but sometimes I end up paying Tiny Wings instead.

st. louis, mo.

2011-06-24T09:53:00.000-07:00

	we drove in from louisville. not too bad of a road trip... much shorter than the trip from st. louis to kansas city that we'd make the next day.
	paul passed along a game his family used to play: first one to spot the arch and say so wins... I won.
	If I had to describe st. louis in just one word, it would be: cute. (demeaning? yes. deserved? also yes.)
	the view from our room in the hyatt regency. we paid just $90 for it: $60 on priceline, plus $10 tax, and $20 for overnight parking in their garage.
	the room was beautiful, too. small, yes. but beautiful, well-kept and very mid-mod.
	the very, very comfy bed.
	equally nice bathroom. (oh my god, I've become one of those people who posts pictures of their hotel room on the internet with a caption and the price I paid for it... gross. I just became a middle aged woman with no life.)
	forget the above description, I'm not a middle aged woman. I'm young and I'm married to this sexy man.
	myspace pic. they're not as lame as they were in the early '00s, right?
	picking a dinner venue. we chose....
	the old spaghetti factory. turned out to just be a version of spaghetti warehouse. wish we had found something truly local.
	we ate in the trolley car. see? spaghetti warehouse.
	this is our reflection in a mirror while we waited for a table.
	here, I'm almost eating some food.
	we did something we simply never do: we both ordered our own entree. this is paul's and it looks way better than it tasted.
	this is an important building by an important architect.
	this is (apparently?) a classic angle of a classic building by a classic architect.
	this is a picture where I managed to include the whole building and paul. (and, hooters. although, that wasn't as intentional.)
	it should be noted how well his hair matches the brick of the building.
	texting all his architecture friends? or something?
	reading about the building. learn here: it is the wainwright bldg built by louis sullivan.
	oh, hey. it's me.
	the same, only it's paul.
	the same, only just the building.
	toms on the dashboard: the essence of our roadtrip.
	parking garages: I hate them, so here's a picture.
	ted drewes frozen custard. it's so good. no, seriously. it's so good.
	sun down over st. louis.
	like I said, it's so good... so good that we went back again first thing in the morning. (and, on our way back through after kansas city...)
	we have similar pictures from last year. maybe this will become a yearly thing for us. that would be okay with me, because it is SO GOOD.
	us, together. a nice lady in cargo capris got out of her subaru to take this for us and recommend that we get some frozen custard. thank you, helpful hippie!
	so, then we started driving to kansas city. as soon as we hit the road: this. if you can't tell what this is, it's....
	...rain. torrential rain on our windshield. we pulled off and waited the storm out in a parking lot off the freeway.
	pulling off was a good decision because...
	...it ended up also being really windy. like, really totally windy.

kansas city, mo. [grandma + grandpa miller]

2011-06-22T15:39:00.000-07:00

Left to right, top to bottom: (frames 1-5) Upon our arrival to grandma and grandpa miller's house, we went out to gather and subsequently baked a Papa Murphy's pizza. (I don't know if you've ever had one of those, but it's a rather peculiar concept... You, the consumer, go to the Papa Murphy's store, which is set up like most other pizza shops, and they make you a pizza. But in exchange for paying half the price you would for a pizza made at any other store, Papa Murphy's only does half the work. Specifically, they refuse to bake it for you. So, you tote home an uncooked pizza, preheat the oven and end up doing all the work of cooking at home. But, it's unique and affordable and therefore all-american.) of course, grandma also made us a delicious salad and it was followed up with ice cream. (they're good at being grandparents!)

(frames 6 & 7) the next morning we awoke in uncle scott's home-away-from-college/not-childhood-but-in-his-parent's-house room. It's awesome.

(frames 8-10) we did a cool driving tour of K.C.with Paul as our architectural expert tour guide all morning and then hit Hometown Buffet. More all-American Midwestern dining. Mmmmm! ;) the trick, we learned, is to go at the tail end of senior discount lunch in the afternoon and then stay for dinner, which is immediately afterward.

(frames 11 & 12) our adventures concluded with a field trip to the parking lot where grandma and grandpa showed us something remarkable: hundreds of Ford trucks and SUVs that had been recalled and parked by the manufacturer in the parking lot of an abandoned mall. A highlight of the trip. We headed home and watched both the original and remake of True Grit (something I will probably blog about later) which was a fine, all-American ending to our fabulous visit in K.C.

our brand new 2002 honda accord

2011-06-11T14:29:00.000-07:00

to begin, a tom sawyer-style eulogy:

The volkswagen beetle we have all come to love lives on--both literally (in the possession of new owners) and figuratively (in our memories, duh.) Many a memory will remind us of our time in the beetle: going to college, getting married, and all the holidays, roadtrips and picnics in between. Beetle, it is hard to let you go.

next, a simple fact:

My mom got a new car and we are the lucky recipients of her old car!

now, the pictures:

Love,
Emily

P.s. I wrote this on my phone, so congratulations to me for being a dedicated and really capable iPhone user and apologies to you if it turns out I'm not a capable as I think I am and this post looks awful.

It's June. Again?

2011-06-07T19:07:00.000-07:00

I was very young when I absorbed this thought, and I only vaguely remember obtaining it into my consciousness. It seems I heard it while listening to a book on tape in my father's Mazda Miata as a child, but it could also have been in a film or at a family dinner. The point isn't that I don't know, but the point is the concept:

Life is like a roll of toilet paper; it unrolls faster the closer it gets to the end.

A caveat (or 4): I hate sayings that start with "Life is..." and especially those that contain cutesy analogies that seem clever but are really insipidly stupid. Even more, I hate oversimplification. I also hate sharing things I have to preface with excuses.

That being said (oh, what a wonderful phrase that showcases the human condition of embracing paradox and complete contradiction of thought!), this little tidbit of wisdom has stuck with me for years. So, I (perhaps wrongly?) assume something in my consciousness relates to it, finds it true, or otherwise indulges imagery involving toilet paper.

I don't know why life seems to go faster the longer we live, but it does, doesn't it? Each day is shorter, relative to how long we've been alive and each moment is one moment closer to the cardboard core.

Is there a question here? A statement? I don't know. At the very least, there's a cry for help.

Embrace the youngest generation, they have hope (they are false hope?) and are the future (because they're not in the future yet?) at least until they decode the quiet, stifled secret of their parents' generation: that everyone was the hope of civilization before they become its scourge, its timid laborers, its medicated masses.

And soon it will be July. Again.

Some things.

2011-05-24T13:32:00.000-07:00

1. We just got back from Ft. Lauderdale, where we spent the weekend for our sister Rachel's wedding. The wedding was beach-side and beautiful, the sand and waves were perfect and laying on the beach for hours on end produced two very tan (not burned! miracle of miracles!) and refreshed Witt-Millers. Pictures on Facebook.

2. My new obsession is Pinterest. Basically, it's just way to share pictures you find online, but it's a crazy-great way to find amazing ideas and beautiful things. Check out my pinboards here.

3. We finally found a local place to get amazing frozen custard. Consider our summer saved from any impending disaster.

4. Right now I'm reading a really engaging book called Higher Education. It's about the troubles plaguing the higher education system in America. I'm happy to report that while I agree with many of its criticisms, I've found a way to make myself a more rounded person via my college education. In the same way I love Paul despite my disenchantment with romance and the idea of traditional marriage, I'm afraid I'm in love with academia despite my disenchantment with the current state of its vehicle. Engage the system to change the system?

5. Wearing my first pair of Toms. They're comfy.

6. Happy birthday to Bob Dylan. Also, my dad, who's birthday is tomorrow.

7. I forgot to post this, so I'm posting it on June 7, even though I wrote it weeks ago. Mea culpa.

love letter to an undiscovered band

2011-05-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

To the band who plays almost every summer evening in my neighborhood: I love you.

You're better this summer than you were last summer. You must have practiced and written and improved all winter long, with the garage door down or in some other corner of Columbus. I haven't heard you since last September, and I've missed you.

I don't know what your band is called, or who your members are, or if you have any albums. But I know every chord of every song, I know every melody and all its improvisational variations. I do homework with the windows open and I read on the porch so that I can hear you play.

Someday, when I don't live in Columbus anymore, and I live in Chicago or New York or Seattle or some other beautiful place, I hope I hear you on the radio. Your music makes me nostalgic for last summer and inspires me with the warmth of the summer that is coming, hastening the verdant beauty of each day, and I know that nothing will remind me so strongly of my years in Columbus: of times with dear people, of moments of perfect bliss, of the daily hopes, anxieties, hassles and tasks that I currently, but will not always, call my life. I hope I find your album on the shelf of a consignment shop someday.

You blend so well with the barking dogs across the road, the lawnmowers next door, and the church bells on Indianola. Your sound is intermingled with Bob Dylan tapes played by the sedans driving down my street, and with laughing boys on bikes, and with the grating of the skateboards on warm pavement. And it is beautiful.

I say all of this because I love you, and because I hope I never forget what it's like to be 21 and tucked away in a corner of Columbus that revitalizes itself more each day to the soundtrack of your song.

Love,
Emily

Spring in Columbus

2011-04-24T12:26:00.000-07:00

April has been a good month. It hasn't been particularly eventful, but it's been good. There hasn't been much to blog about, but here's what I've got.

We grill at least three times a week. We love sitting on the porch in the rain, and we love sleeping with the windows open. Seriously, rain storms are our shared favorite thing in the world.

Paul built a garden in the back of the house, just big enough to grow a few fruits and veggies. We replanted the pots out front on the porch: herbs, flowers and other foliage. It also got swept and tidied up, which it needed after a long winter of neglect.

School is good. I will be graduating at the end of autumn quarter if all goes as planned. We've begun to seriously discuss our best options for graduate school and where we'll be living after OSU... which is exciting and a little scary. I can't wait for the next phase, but I'm definitely not done with where we are right now. I would like a couple more years of Columbus, OSU and this home... thankfully it looks like we'll be around here for a couple more years.

I finally printed some wedding pictures. Those are going up in the stairwell. I'll post pictures when it's done, because it's looking AWESOME.

We're continuing the purging efforts around the house and it's freeing up so much space. The house feels like it's constantly "in progress" right now, but I think that's healthy.

Here's some photos of this spring's grilling and gardening efforts so far.

Love,
Emily

P.S. Happy Easter if you're into that sort of thing.

Purging.

2011-04-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

This weekend was purge weekend. I suppose it's similar to deep cleaning, to spring cleaning, to de-cluttering, but it's unique in its pervasiveness. This weekend we purged our home of:

dirt, grime + dust
clothing we don't wear
household items we don't use
e-mails filling up our inbox
poorly used space in our home
trash and recycling from around the house
expired food
the "bottle graveyards" under the sinks
books we don't/won't ever read
un-fulfilled responsibilities
etc.

This is something a woman I respect very much inspired me to do years ago, and it's something I try to do at least once a year, but hopefully more often in some form or another. Why?

Because it's impossible to appreciate what you have when you have stuff that you don't appreciate or use or want cluttering up your life. Because it's easier to take care of what you've been given when you have fewer things. Because other people need the things in my home that I shuffle around but never use. Because there are more important things in life than stuff.

And, we had a blast doing it. After we filled the whole car (twice!) with things to donate, we rearranged some furniture and reorganized our storage spaces. There's still a little left to be done today, but on the whole, the house looks a million times better than it did before we started. It also feels good to know that the things we don't use can be used to help people who need it via Goodwill, and that lots of the "clutter" from around our house can be recycled into new things. We'll make some money on the books we'll try to sell and hopefully save some money by using what we have wisely.

We also took care of administrative stuff: paying bills, dealing with insurance issues for the year, fixing things around the house that have been otherwise brushed aside. (visitors will be glad to know that our toilet seat is now anchored again!)

It feels good to start this spring and this academic quarter fresh, with a tidy, happy home... and enjoying a weekend of fun with my husband in the process!

Our favorite aspect of our "new" home? The most comfortable, eclectic breakfast nook EVER.

From April 2011

Love,
Emily

P.S. This weekend also led us to the decision that our home in the next city we live in will be significantly smaller--maybe a spacious studio or small loft? More on that later.

Spring Break: Day 9

2011-03-26T18:38:00.000-07:00

Bright and early we met Erin at West Side Market and then she showed us the area, including Horizontal Books and Room Service Boutique. Super awesome local shops! Spring break is awesome.

Day 9: West Side Market and Ohio City

From March 2011

Spring Break: Day 8

2011-03-26T18:12:00.000-07:00

Friday we chilled. And then we went cosmic bowling! Yeah! I even got to bowl with the custom bowling ball my dad had made for me when I was younger... fun memories

Day 6: Bowling with Justin

From March 2011

Spring Break: Day 7

2011-03-25T10:34:00.001-07:00

We've seen lots of family this week, but on Thursday we finally got to see some friends... lots of them. But mostly we spent time with Erin, and we had pretty much the best day ever. We went to the Botanical Garden and then went a little crazy in Target. I seem to attract friends that are unbelievably and embarrassingly fun.

Some of the photos are a little dark/fuzzy because all the places we went were un-friendly towards flash photography and I'm still learning how to take full advantage of existing lighting.

From March 2011

Spring Break: Day 6

2011-03-23T15:27:00.001-07:00

Another outstanding day in Cleveland. I'm so glad we're finally doing the stuff in Cleveland that we've always wanted to do. The museums and sightseeing, etc that we usually don't have the time/energy/money for. It's been a great week of experiences.

Day 6: Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, Picnic at Lakeview Cemetery, Natural History Museum of Cleveland

From March 2011

Spring Break: Day 5

2011-03-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

This day! It could not have been better. First of all, we slept in... thank heaven for a break from work and school, if for nothing else than the chance to sleep for more than five hours every night!

We puttered around the house all morning: took care of school registration stuff, watched my parents' neighbor angrily rip up a letter from Waste Management and throw the shreds in the trash can they refused to empty for some reason, and at leftovers. As if that weren't enough, we had an even BETTER afternoon.

On our way to the Cleveland Art Museum, we stopped in Cleveland Heights to take pictures and more thoroughly examine the "fenspiration" installation on Cedar Road. We usually just drive by, in a hurry to get somewhere, but it was AMAZING to look at up close.

Then, we continued to the art museum, enjoying a slow drive through Little Italy and University Circle. Cleveland is beautiful. Exponentially more so than Columbus, in my opinion.

Fun fact: The art museum in Cleveland is FREE, every day. It's a great museum, too. Again... better than Columbus.

Day 5: Found-Material Art + The Cleveland Art Museum + Steaks on the grill

From March 2011

Spring Break: Day 4

2011-03-22T19:14:00.000-07:00

We Monday chilling... slept in, made breakfast, tried on expensive clothes at J. Crew and got Chinese food with my dad. A fabulous day, no doubt about it.

Day 4: Chillaxing + Retail Therapy

From March 2011

Spring Break: Day 2

2011-03-22T19:10:00.000-07:00

Bad about taking pictures this day. I took a lot at the airport while waiting to pick my dad up, but they weren't really blog material. Had a great day: got haircuts, celebrated Rachel and Rob's impending marriage at a wedding shower, watched a comedy from the 70's with my dad.

Day 2: Nobody makes better food than my family...

From March 2011

Spring Break: Day 1

2011-03-22T19:07:00.000-07:00

The frat boys and sorority girls go to the beach, the evangelical kids go to "inner city" areas to save people (but mostly to party with their friends and take pictures with minority children so they can have a good facebook pic), and the sensible, mature grown-up types to their parents' houses. Right?

We're having a blast on spring break. Even more fun because we have our new camera with us!

Day 1: Dinner and games with the Millers

Playing Apples to Apples with the whole family From March 2011

Sarah shows us her avocado tree From March 2011

Our new camera is here! (And so is Mischelle.)

2011-03-12T15:38:00.000-08:00

We're having a beautiful weekend with Mischelle and we're also having fun documenting it with our very first SLR camera, a Canon T2i. Check it out!

From March 2011

She & Him: In the Sun

2011-02-27T10:12:00.000-08:00

A bit of Zooey to usher you joyfully into March and springtime.

We can fix education...

2011-02-22T18:50:00.000-08:00

...if we stop stripping students of their innate abilities because an outdated system and No Child Left Behind tell us what success looks like. What should education look like in our century? Sir Ken Robinson has an idea:

Paul makes sushi, Mischelle visits and Emily talks about art and Goodwill.

2011-02-20T06:39:00.000-08:00

Where do I even begin describing my weekend? It all started on Friday, when Mischelle and I decided rather spontaneously that it was a GREAT weekend for her to visit. So, she drove down and the fun began.

On Friday evening, Paul made us homemade tuna and salmon sushi. It was SO DELICIOUS. He and I also collaborated on making some Udon, which he kindly supplemented with homemade shrimp tempura... also SO DELICIOUS. The three of us ate on the living room rug while watching Modern Family and drinking red wine--it was the perfect evening, hands down.

Saturday, Mischelle and I hit up the Columbus Museum of Art. Their new exhibit (Shared Intelligences) explores the relationship between photography and painting... totally an amazing exhibit. From Rockwell (photorealism) to Warhol (pop-art), the exhibit shows the tensions and the integration of the photographic image into the creation of art.

After our morning there, we had a Mediterranean lunch and spent the afternoon talking over coffee. Is there any better way to spend a Saturday afternoon?

Sadly, Mischelle had to go home, but the fun continued in spite of her absence. I took yesterday evening to create some goodness: a custom logo shirt and some coconut macaroons!

First, I hit up Goodwill's clothing racks and found some great items, including a pullover I used to make my own logo shirt, and a sweater and some jeans: all for just $9! Such a good deal, and they're all brand name (GAP and Levi's)

I also made some delicious coconut macaroons, though perhaps not as good as those made previously. Paul and I disagree on which are better. Read the macaroon post to help us decide.

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Love,
Emily

Shirt + Spraypaint + Stencil = custom logo shirt!

2011-02-19T07:46:00.000-08:00

I love making my own logo shirts, so I thought I'd share a little "how-to."

Next week, I'm going to a peaceful march in support of Planned Parenthood. Why? Maybe I'll post more about that later. But, I thought it would be fun to have a sweatshirt or t-shirt to wear to the march and around campus to show my support. But, being a penniless college student, I have no money to buy fancy vintage-style t-shirts, and it turns out there aren't very many Planned Parenthood shirts available anyway. This was the perfect opportunity to whip out the spraypaint and get to work!

You'll need:

A shirt
A contrasting color of spray paint.
A printer and paper
Cardstock
An exacto knife or box cutter and a cutting board
Paper/plastic to protect surfaces and shirt
A well ventilated area

1: Procure a shirt.
I like to get my shirts from Goodwill: they're affordable and there's a wide variety of colors and sizes in a wide array of styles. It's pretty easy to find exactly the style shirt you want if you look around for a while. And, perhaps most importantly, since you'll be DIYing a paint job on this shirt, it's nice if it only costs $1-$3 to begin with, just in case something goes awry.

2: Print your logo.
I knew which logo I wanted, so I just used Google Images to find a black and white GIF that I could print. If you are designing your own shirt or want to use a custom phrase, etc, you may have to do some designing here. If you want words, it's pretty easy to print big block letters from Microsoft Word. I wanted my logo to take up most of the shirt, so I printed a full page image on some 8.5"x11" printer paper.

3: Attach logo to cardstock and cut.
Using a light mist of spray adhesive on the back of the printer paper, center your printed logo on some cardstock or thin cardboard. Let it dry for a few minutes while you make some tea. Then, using an exacto knife or box cutter on a cutting board, carefully cut out the interior of your stencil. Remember: the part you cut out will be the part that is painted on your shirt. Also, if you have letters like O's or P's or B's, make sure to cut and keep the little circles on the inside of the letters.

4: Prep the shirt
Make sure the shirt is washed and dried. Lay out several sheets of newsprint, about a 6'x6' area if you're working inside. Open a window, too. Put a piece of cardboard or cardstock on the inside of the shirt, between the front and the back, then lay it on the newsprint and smooth it until it's flat.

5: Attach the stencil
Using packing tape, attach the stencil to the part of your shirt you'd like to paint. It's important to make sure the stencil is laying flat. I use loops of tape or double sided tape to tape down the edges so the paint won't seep underneath. Use brown paper, plastic bags or plastic wrap to cover the rest of the shirt so it won't catch overspray.

6: Paint, repaint and dry.
With the can about 6"-8" away from the shirt, spray a light mist of paint over the stencil. Do not saturate the fabric with paint! If you do, the paint will seep through the fabric and you won't have clean lines. Let the light layer dry, and come back in a few minutes to spray another light layer. Keep doing this until you have the opacity and color of paint desired. Then, let it dry for a half hour or so. Carefully remove the protective coverings on the shirt, and then gently and slowly and carefully peel the stencil straight up off the shirt. Hang or lay the shirt to dry for 48 hours, keeping the front and back layers separated so the paint does not bleed through.

7: Care
Your shirt can be machine washed and dried, but I recommend hand washing and hang drying to make the design last the longest. Although, washing and drying by machine may give it an more vintage look which is sometimes fun.

Coconut macaroon vs. coconut macaroon

2011-02-19T06:59:00.000-08:00

I have two coconut macaroon recipes. I had made one of them before, and I tried the other one last night. The first uses egg whites and the second uses sweetened condensed milk. But we're in a bit of bind because I realized immediately upon tasting the second recipe that I strongly prefer recipe #1 and Paul vivaciously exclaimed that recipe #2 had produced the "best macaroons" I had ever made... it would seem an impasse, but I'm sure I'll make both recipes in the future depending on which ingredients we have on hand... also, Recipe #2 is noticeably less advanced to make, so it'll be on hand as a quick fix.

Here are both recipes. PLEASE try making them and let me know which you prefer!

Recipe #1: Egg whites
4 egg whites, from large eggs
1 pinch of salt
8 oz. sweetened shredded coconut, lightly toasted

Preheat oven to 350.

Whip egg whites and salt together until they become white and begin to stiffen. Gradually add in sugar, continuing to whip mixture into a stiff consistency. Fold in the coconut using a rubber spatula. Form tablespoon sized haystacks and place on parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes.

After cooling, dip footprint of each cookie in melted chocolate and refrigerate on parchment.

And, the quicker, easier, much harder to mess up second recipe:

Recipe #2: Sweetened Condensed Milk
2/3 cup all purpose flour
5/12 cups flaked coconut
1/4 teaspoon salt
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat to 350.

Mix together the flour, coconut and salt. After dry ingredients are mixed well, add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract. Blend evenly using your hands. Create tablespoon sized haystacks on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake 12 minutes.

After cooling, dip footprint of each cookie in melted chocolate and refrigerate on parchment.

They both end up being coconut macaroons... so... either way is really fine with me. :)

(this is recipe #2, if you're curious. Recipe #1 browns much more nicely and has much more volume.)

Love,
Emily

what paul has been up to...

2011-02-16T13:34:00.000-08:00

So, I thought I should make an appearance again and share with you some of the things I have been doing at school.

This last week I have been working hard on making perspective renderings of a building. We're simply practicing graphic skills in this class, so we re-created a building in a 3D modeling program, and then rendered it with materials and worked with it in photoshop, etc. You get the picture :) My building was the 4x4 house my Tadao Ando.

Here are some pictures of the house I designed for the first half of the quarter. I call it "The Trapezoid House". There is a brief description on the first board.

I'm really enjoying working on these projects. I'm getting to the point where projects start to take on character and you really have something tangible, whereas before I didn't have a clue what I was doing :)

Hope you enjoy getting an idea of what I do ;)

Shalom,

Paul

The (second) paradoxical post: bathing suit season and bacon for lunch

2011-02-11T09:50:00.000-08:00

I love to eat.

I also want to look totally killer in the navy polka dot bikini I just ordered for this summer.

I tried Julian Michael's 30-day Shred DVD last summer before the wedding, but with the business of wedding planning, job hunting and school it sort of got pushed aside. Also, let's remember that my house is as hot as the outside temperature (no AC here!) in the summer, so at-home workout DVDs are pretty impractical in the peak of summer. But, my house is freezing right now and there's a bikini on the way from J. Crew that warrants some toning so I'm going to try again.

"They" say that simple lifestyle changes can really affect mood, energy and health. Let's try it.

In just a couple weeks of trying to eat healthier, I've found some new favorite meals. Today's BLT was particularly yummy: sprouted wheat bread, light mayo, three strips of bacon, a whole tomato and some spinach. Delicious, filling and only 359 calories. Yesterday's lunch? Even better:

Lemon Tuna Salad Wraps:
(We get four servings out of this recipe. Total Calories per serving: 320)

Mix together
12 oz. light chunk tuna, drained
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves
3 tbls olive oil
1/2 tsp lemon zest
2 tbls lemon juice
pinch of salt and pepper

put it on an 8" whole wheat tortilla and wrap it up with some spinach and a quarter of a vine tomato. It's YUMMY and so filling. I had never tried tuna before (I was a picky eater as a child) and this was a great introduction to an affordable, healthy protein for me.

Let me also point out that pre-prepping these types of meals is saving us loads of money. Those tuna wraps came out to about $1.75/serving. That's less than half the price of a frozen meal (what I would otherwise have packed for lunch at work) or even a meal off the dollar menu at a fast food restaurant.

[BORING POST, I realize. Please enjoy the recipe and ignore the rest. My next post will need to be double worthwhile to make up for the self-absorbed ramblings of this one.]

Love,
Emily

The paradoxical post: filet mignon and february's budget

2011-02-01T07:34:00.000-08:00

This post is about two things: First, our goal for the month of February. Second, the absolutely delicious grass-fed filet mignon dinner we had last night. Stick with me.

Part One: Where Paul and Emily Judiciously Spend and Save Money

Have I told you about my obsession with Mint.com? It really is an obsession. Mint.com is a budgeting site where you can track your income, expenses, savings and investments. It's actually fun.

The trouble is that every month since we started using Mint, we've actually ended up going over budget--some months, just slightly, others, pretty significantly. The budget that is set is not terribly restrictive, really. It still gives us money to buy new clothes, eat out, get coffee at coffee shops and buy entertainment like Netflix and the internet. Yet, we always end up justifying just a little more.

So, this month, we're dedicated to staying on budget. Because, when we stay on budget, we have money left over, which means we can put more into our savings account each month. And savings now make grad school easier. This is my public commitment to February's budget. Starting today.

Now that I've talked about saving money, let's talk about spending money... on something oh-so-delicious.

Part Two: Where Paul and Emily Make a Delicious Dinner

We were both vegetarians for a year or two, but now we tend to avoid meat most of the time and only eat grass-fed, ethically farmed meat very occasionally. Last night we treated ourselves to some filet mignon from Whole Foods. Paul fired up the grill and cooked them to perfection (it took about 5 minutes... the rarer side of medium rare is so tasty.)

Meanwhile, I made some asparagus, hollandaise sauce, and steak fries. We paired it with WOOP WOOP (one of our favorite Australian cabernets) and had quite a gourmet meal.

The whole dinner (steak, veggies and wine) came out to be about $30. Yes, that's expensive compared to ramen and tuna. But, really, it's not so bad as an occasional meal... they were high quality grass-fed steaks, and it was almost a pound of steak total at that. What restaurant is there where you could order that kind of meat for less than $15/person, let alone with wine and sides? I think we did pretty well.

Grass-fed filet mignon from Whole Foods... yummy.

Fresh baked steak fries at the center of our table.

Let the budgeting games begin.

Love,
Emily

Accent lighting, an orange colander and red wine.

2011-01-30T18:19:00.000-08:00

I needed two orchid planters. So I decided to check at World Market. First, let me say, I've claimed before that I "hated" World Market. And I thought I did, based on a time I thought I had been in there. I don't know WHERE I had been, it wasn't World Market. Turns out, World Market is AWESOME and although they didn't have the orchid planters I needed, it turns out they had a basketful of other stuff I simply HAD to have.

I've been looking for ways to add lighting accents throughout our house. Both Paul and I love to light a room using indirect light sources (read: NOT the overhead light.) I found a couple of awesome options at World Market for $12.99/string:

(pardon the poor quality, these were hastily taken with my BlackBerry. Paul has the camera at school.)

In the living room/dining room arch:

On our headboard:

I also grabbed four red wines for our enjoyment:

and some totally adorable kitchen stuff like this mini strainer (I'm planning to use it for washing grapes):

and lots of jewelry, which I'm not going to take the time to post pictures of.

It was a good day.

Love,
Emily

Mrs. Miller Is My Mother-in-Law

2011-01-29T17:27:00.000-08:00

This post is was written as a note on Facebook several months ago. Since I no longer have a presence on Facebook, I am re-posting it here with minor edits.

I have a million and a half more words to share on the topics of marriage and equality, but those are filed away for another evening. Here are the ones for tonight:

When I was born, my parents made a choice to name me Emily Carolyn Ritchie Witt.

I'm really proud of that name. Although I have my father's last name, as most babies born into American culture do, my mother is also very much represented in my name. My last name isn't Ritchie-Witt, as it could have been, but my family chose a way to include both of my parents in my heritage without inflicting upon me the hassle of a hyphenated last name. Thanks, mom and dad! Let's hope Paul and I can be so original and humane in naming our own children.

When Paul and I were making plans about married life, one question that came up was whether or not I should change my last name. Ultimately, we decided that I should not. I don't believe that a woman has to keep her last name in order to keep her identity, nor do I believe that true feminists always keep their last names. There's a lot to be said about the family unity that comes with sharing a last name.

As a woman, however, I'm thankful that my name is my choice. I consider myself a feminist, as do many of my female friends who have chosen to change their last names when they got married. But I'm sure each of them was thankful, as I am, that the decision was theirs. In years previous, a woman didn't have much of a choice when it came to keeping or changing her name. She was expected to take the name of her husband, in part because she was now "under" him and, in some cultures, his property. In American culture, it's still the norm for married couples to share a last name, and a woman can rightfully choose to take her partner's name without buying into the headship or ownership model.

That being said, I had a decision to make. Paul was so gracious as we made the decision together. Ultimately, the conclusion was that he had fallen in love with Emily Witt, that I had long loved being Emily Witt and that my life (and even our marriage) isn't defined by the fact that we're married.

I'm more than a wife. I am a student, and a budding professional. I am a daughter, and I am proud of my family. I am an individual, with my own aspirations, beliefs and opinions. I am a woman, and unlike so many women before me, I am able to make decisions about my life, identity, family, community and nation. I value all of those aspects of my identity and at the end of the day, I made a choice to be named Emily Carolyn Ritchie Witt for the rest of my life.

Free Amazon Prime = Happy Students

2011-01-29T10:33:00.001-08:00

If you're like us, you buy a lot of stuff on Amazon: books for school, books for happiness, fish tank supplies, car repair manuals, beauty products, orchid fertilizer, thumb tacks, thread, discontinued teas, puffy paint, graphite for mechanical pencils, chalk for your chalkboard wall, etc, etc. The list never ends.

If you're even MORE like us, you're also a student.

Guess WHAT. Your life is about to change.

Amazon.com/Student

If you have a .edu e-mail address, you can get a free Amazon prime account for a year. If you're already an Amazon prime member, you can still sign up for a year's worth of service for free.

What does a Prime account mean?

Free 2-day shipping on all Amazon-fulfilled orders
Upgrades to 1-day shipping for $3.99/item
No minimum order size (as with Super Saver) for decreased shipping

I REALLY hope they continue this promotion for the next 5 years. Here's my plan for maximum savings:

2011: use Emily's OSU e-mail address
2012: use Paul's OSU e-mail address
2013: use Paul's e-mail address from his Master's program
2014: use Emily's e-mail address from her Master's program
2015: use Emily's e-mail address from her Doctoral program

Being a student would be SO lucrative if it weren't for tuition costs...

Love,
Emily

Sunday afternoon: War Literature, Brownies and Vodka

2011-01-23T10:47:00.000-08:00

Sunday afternoons are my purest retreat. I love them. Right now I'm snuggled into one of Paul's cozy flannel shirts and I've got a cup of tea with me on the dining room table as I bury myself in Badenheim 1939--this week's War Lit. novella. So far, it's not my favorite, but it's a quick and engaging read. I think the imagery suffers a little with translation. The book was originally written in Hebrew, and I imagine it's much richer in its original language.

There are brownies in the oven and I can hear the faint sounds of airplanes and snow shovels outside. The house is warm and smells like chocolate and Chai. I'm so blessed.

My new favorite brownie recipe:

1/2 Cup Melted Butter (1 stick)
1 Cup White Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup AP Flour
1/3 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/4 Tsp Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp Salt

Melt the butter in a medium glass bowl. Mix together with sugar and vanilla. Beat in both eggs. In a separate medium bowl, mix together try ingredients. Slowly add dry ingredients to egg mixture. Pour into a 9" pan and bake at 350 for 20-25min.

Our favorite way to eat these is to put some ice cream on top of them while they're still warm. They're nothing fancy, just basic brownies, but they're quite a delightful texture.

While I'm thinking of it, may I suggest making your own vanilla extract? It's something I've done since I was 16, and I can't imagine baking without it.

You'll need:
Vodka
Fresh Vanilla Beans
A bottle for storage with a pouring spout (like something you'd use for olive oil)

You need pure vodka, not diluted. This can be hard to find depending on where you live. If you have trouble finding it, buy the diluted kind and store it in the freezer to separate the water (which will freeze) from the vodka (which will remain liquid).

Pour your vodka into the bottle. For every 5 oz. of vodka, use 1 vanilla bean. Put the spout on and let the vodka and beans soak for about 2 weeks. After 2 weeks, check the color. It should be the color of typical vanilla extract--a little lighter than a cola, a light amber sort of color. If it's not dark enough or doesn't have a light vanilla smell, add another bean or two and let it soak another week. Then it's ready for use. Leave the beans in the bottle. As you run low, add more vodka and rotate out some of the beans.

Brownies are done... so I'll wrap this up. Enjoy the last week of January and come visit us soon!

Love,
Emily

Witt-Miller Household Update

2011-01-18T08:26:00.000-08:00

Our life goes nonstop. Sometimes I look at our Google calendar and just marvel at the lack of empty space on it. Between the two of our schedules, every single time slot is filled up. But, we're doing things we love (for the most part), so every second is a treat.

Work for me has been super. I've been spending a lot of time in the classrooms for ages 3-6 (Pre-K through Kindergarten, if you will. Montessori programs combine children from a 3 year age range into one classroom) and loving it. Pre-K through K has always been my favorite age to teach, and I'm in my element when I'm with those sweet kiddos. Our kitchen bulletin board has spilled over onto the fridge with drawings and art projects from my friends.

Paul's been busy at work, around the house and also juggles a full schedule of Architecture classes and homework up to his ears. In his spare time, he takes care of his beautiful fish tank, stays up to date with Architectural Record and Dwell, and teaches me how to do awesome stuff like play Risk and get all of the gas I paid for when I fill up the car.

Despite our full weeks of work and school and the excitement of having visitors at least two days a week, we find time to make each other dinner and keep the house spic-and-span... We're finally getting the hang of playing house. Tonight Paul's making me dinner after my Exceptional Child evening class, as usual... I can't wait. :)

Enjoying the snow, but eager for spring.

Here's some pictures of our trip to the Columbus Art Museum this weekend while Dan was here! We followed the museum with some Sushi from a local Japanese restaurant and it was delicious.

Paul with his favorite artwork of the day.

Love,
Emily

Erin! (And other January happenings)

2011-01-15T14:24:00.000-08:00

Hip hip hooray. Erin came to visit. I've said it before, but I'll reiterate: our house is the happiest when there are friends in it. What's more is that there's another friend in my living room RIGHT now. Does that make me a horrible hostess? Sitting here blogging while Dan is here?

While Erin was here we made SO MUCH FUN. Yummy dinner, late night laughs (courtesy of Dinner for Schmucks), a tour of campus and a visit to one of the happiest places in the world: Aquarium Adventure. All of this while reveling in 5" of freshly accumulated powdery snow. It was fabulous.

Paul took us through Knowlton (the architecture building at OSU) and showed us some pretty nifty sights: in particular, the laser cutter.

And then we watched the snow fall...

And looked upon some poor fools doing homework on the big stairs on such a beautiful day.

----------------------

A few days before Erin, Mischelle was here visiting for a couple days... we LOVE it when Mischelle is here. After we said goodbye to her, we spent the weekend road tripping to Chicagoland to attend a friend's wedding (congrats DP and Talitha!) and visit relatives. Paul looked fabulous as we trekked through snowy, icy, uninhabited expanses of Indiana.

----------------------

But wait. There's more! More recently, we enjoyed a date night to our favorite Japanese restaurant, Akai Hana. It was, as always, the most delicious thing in the world.

Anticipating our food...

Yum.

----------------------

And now Dan is here. So many adventures! That brings you up to speed on our January so far. It's been a great new year... so much snow and so much happy. Peace out!

Love,
Emily

Goodbye as the most hated form of closure.

2011-01-02T17:34:00.004-08:00

summer lingers not
like an old friend, it slips away
goodbye has no joy.

-e.c.r.w. 10/2010

I've lived a blessed enough life that each summer seems to be a happier, more fulfilling summer than the one before. Part of this serendipity is that I have been young my whole life so far and have been in a constant state of starkly awe-inspiring discovery, and the other part is that I have been placed in such circumstances that all of my needs and most of my wants have been met with constant and increasing plenitude since I was born. I'm fortunate for all of that. Probably more than I realize.

As the autumn previous rolled out its beautiful colors, crisp winds and fresh school year, I spent a considerable amount of time thinking on the topic of change: of endings, of transitions, of goodbyes. That summer had been my best yet. I don't know when it left, but it certainly did. It picked up its hat, found the door and swaggered down the sidewalk without even saying goodbye or closing the door behind itself. I didn't miss it until I noticed it was gone, and then I missed it more than I imagined I would. The voices of peepers and crickets, the touch of a warm breeze on a damp morning, the comfort sun-soaked hair brushing across bare skin.

I have a friend who hates goodbye. What a foul word it is, and even fouler a sentiment. The very construction of the word goes against the very thing it stands for: what is good about leaving the company of a dear friend? I dare to suggest that even the most unsentimental of fellows has felt the uncomfortable jabbing of tears uninvited and only to be resolved in the solace of a pillow. Goodbye hurts, and the wise avoid it. But I wonder if avoiding goodbye hurts more. I wonder if the ache predicated by a lack of closure is more severe than the aftermath of a farewell.

Before writing down these thoughts, I was meticulously pulling the strings of tinsel off of our dead Christmas tree. The Christmas season has ended and past experience tells me that I would miss it sooner or later.

But tonight I'm coming to grips with the outcome of last fall's musings. As I pulled the shimmering strings off of the wilted branches, I couldn't help but feel a pang of something--was it nostalgia or grief or guilt? I couldn't tell, and I still can't. But tonight I'm saying goodbye to our first Christmas together, and it's hard to imagine that letting it quietly slip away into the new year would hurt more. But maybe it would. Because I'm still convinced that true heartbreak is looking up and realizing happiness left without saying a word... even if the only appropriate word to say would have been, "goodbye."

Love,
Emily

Friends in our Home = Holiday Cheer.

2010-12-23T13:59:00.000-08:00

We LOVE having visitors. Grilling with neighbors on the porch, sharing memories with family members late into the night and making fools out of ourselves with old friends around the kitchen table--our home feels the most like a home when people are willing to come and spend an evening or weekend of their lives with us.

Part of me has been seriously dreading winter break from school. I knew what it was going to be: work, work and more work. I tried and tried to get in the Christmas spirit and enjoy the snow and the cold nights, but mostly I felt like having work and no school would make the weeks seem long and perhaps a little monotonous.

But we got guests! And that saved December. Nick and Jon and my dear family have all graced our home in the last week and it made our warm little home feel happy and ready for a holiday. I judge the success of a given month by the number of times we have to change the guest room sheets in preparation for its next tenant--and this has been a very successful month.

My daddy will be here in a couple of hours and then the Christmas festivities will begin. My first year sharing Christmas day with my best friend--who couldn't be joyful?

Snowy Morning

2010-12-10T06:35:00.000-08:00

Moving to Columbus has been difficult for me this winter because it feels like everywhere else has snow except for us. I know it isn't bad, (we're still in Ohio). But, I still assume all winters should be the way they were growing up. Last week everyone was talking about the "big snow storm" that was coming through. We got maybe half an inch. I woke up and thought "where's the storm?" A storm should be 12+ inches!

This morning I was pleasantly surprised when Emily looked out the window and said "We'll have to leave a few minutes early for work, hon. The roads are bad." I was so excited! I didn't know it was supposed to snow!

Not a very meaningful post today, but I was quite happy to drive my wife to work on the snowy roads. I love the way our house looks and feels in the snow. Thank you Emily for helping make our house so cozy and warm :)

Love,
Paul

He even loves me on the grumpy days...

2010-12-07T14:47:00.000-08:00

I was having a bad day yesterday--just one of THOSE days. You know, the driveway is impassably covered with ice, the back tire goes flat halfway home, the gas light is on, the work schedule changes suddenly, something important is at home instead of in the car like you planned, etc, etc. The little things that add up, making EVERYTHING feel like a catastrophe. I was also, arguably, overreacting to the whole day, and had quite a little pity party at home by myself for most of the afternoon.

Meanwhile, my husband worked a 12 hour day--bringing home the bacon and being there when his coworkers needed him. Go Paul! That's a long day at work, and it made me feel even worse about myself that I just wanted to complain about my day when his probably felt so much longer. So, more self-pity ensued... I'm a horrible person, etc, etc.

But, my husband is pure magic. He texted me "look on the porch." about halfway through his long work day, so I did. And there were flowers. And a beautiful hand-drawn snowman card. Magical carrier pigeons had brought them, I was told. A while later, he texted again, "Look on the porch!" so I did, and there was an adorable bottle of pop with a sweet little message written on it. He went to such great lengths (and roped his sweet coworkers into it.) to make my day better, and it worked.

It's things like this that remind me why I fell in love in the first place. I really couldn't have found a more wonderful man to spend the rest of my life with.

Village Lights and Snowy Mornings

2010-12-06T08:26:00.000-08:00

SNOW.

Last night we walked in snow, this morning we drove in snow... winter is like totally here.

The light dusting and romantic flurries came just in time for Village Lights in German Village last night. We had a blast! The entire German Village district of Columbus is filled with the sounds of carolers, clopping horses and happy voices. There's paper bag luminaries along the sidewalks and all the stores have holiday specials. The candle lit walk through the snow interrupted by free hot chocolate and Starbucks Christmas Blend made for a beyond perfect Sunday night.

Before Village Lights, we got a lot done around the house. Wedding Thank-Yous and some DIY projects that have been accumulating. Paul got some spice shelves up--a project that's been in some sort of half-progressed stage since we signed the lease almost a year ago. But, the shelves look awesome, my great-grandmother's antique lamp has a new socket and switch and most of the Thank You notes are FINALLY written. We've let them sit on the desk for too long!

This morning we both had finals at 7:30 a.m... Gross! My first snowy driving experience of the year--always a thrill. Our exams went well, and now it's time for another afternoon in our cozy little home.

Wedding Photos: Reception

2010-12-05T09:25:00.000-08:00

It feels like Christmas at our house. Our tree is decorated, strewn with tinsel and lit up with big, bold bright colorful lights. The whole house smells faintly of pine, and occasionally of cinnamon or orange or clove or peppermint incense, too. Presents are accumulating under the tree. There's a half-played game of Monopoly occupying our coffee table (Paul is clearly winning...) and a fresh pot of Starbucks Christmas Blend in my mug. A dusting of snow outside, a faint train whistle three blocks away and the crisp, chill air that numbers among my favorite things about winter. I love this part of the year... and every year I think I love it more for the sake of all the memories I have of Christmases that are just memories. Nothing brings on nostalgia like the smells, feelings and sounds of your happiest times--and so many of my happiest memories are wrapped up in this season.

And, as a gift to you, here's a large batch of wedding reception beauty. All photos taken by the fabulous WeeNo Photography and featuring happy, wonderful friends and family. Every time I go through the wedding pictures, it's been a little longer since that wonderful day, but I'm even more thankful for how well it went and how many happy wishes and moments were shared with us the entire day long. Thanks, everybody.

Wedding - Reception

The end of the quarter

2010-12-02T11:07:00.000-08:00

This week, the quarter ended. We have finals next week, but are done with classes. Hooray! It's been a great school year so far. We've both really enjoyed taking classes in our fields and are loving OSU more and more each quarter.

In the mornings, we ride the bus to campus together. It's so fun to eat breakfast together each day, drink our coffee as we walk to the bus stop and then go to school knowing we'll come home to dinner together and a snuggle in front of the Christmas tree, or on the porch, or watching a movie.

We have the happiest life! We're both really looking forward to the holiday break that's coming up--it will be great to get more hours in at work before Christmas and then have a little vacation time. But, I'm also looking forward to getting back into our happy little routine of coffee and chilly mornings at the bus stop, sharing earbuds and listening to The Cure's greatest hits and NPR podcasts.

Love,
Emily

tree day!

2010-12-01T10:48:00.000-08:00

Let the holiday festivities begin! Last week we decorated the most perfect little tree.

It's going to be a very happy first Christmas together.

Christmas Tree Day 2010

Love,
Paul and Emily

Paul.

2010-11-29T07:36:00.000-08:00

I wake up in the morning and I can't believe how lucky I am. I'm lucky to be best friends with a pretty fabulous guy.

He works hard every week at his job.

He get his studio work done in time to spend every evening with me, with a few exceptions during midterms and finals.

He shares equal responsibility for the household work (how many wives can say that, even in egalitarian marriages?!) doing laundry, dishes and cleaning whenever it needs done.

He makes time to do fun things with me, like watch a whole season of Glee or West Wing, or go on an evening trip to the Short North, even though we're both busy.

He respects me as a person, a professional and an equal member of our relationship when it comes to decisions and time management.

He's always quick to offer to do something for me, let me have the leftovers or give me a foot massage. Whatever it is that I secretly want, he figures it out and lets me have it without making me feel completely selfish.

He rides his bike and takes the bus, even when it would be easier to take the car.

He takes time to give me back rubs and paint my fingernails.

He cares for his fishies with the greatest devotion imaginable.

He does sweet things like calling my grandma during family Thanksgiving even though he couldn't be there.

He takes me to my favorite Japanese restaurant as a surprise every now and then.

He picks me up after my evening classes so I won't have to ride the bus home alone in the dark.

He tells me he loves me all the time, in person, via text message and with quick phone calls.

I could go on for hours. But, you get the point: I'm so proud of Paul for being who he is.

Love,
Emily

No Impact Man

2010-11-28T08:27:00.000-08:00

For those of you with Netflix instant, definitely take the 90 minutes necessary to watch the documentary "No Impact Man."

I've been wanting to read the book, by the same title, for a while now, and the documentary was incredibly easy to squeeze into my routine.

For those who don't know, the premise of the project (both book and movie) is that a man and his family (wife and daughter) make the decision to go a whole year while attempting to live entirely carbon neutral in their New York city apartment. This means no trash, no electricity, no buying newly manufactured products, and buying only local foods.

The man and his family admit the obvious: this is extreme. No one is going to live their entire life like this, and in most cases, even those who are environmentally conscious won't go to such extremes. But, his purpose is this: we constantly choose to "go without" the things that aren't necessary, like disposable shopping bags and driving places that we can easily walk to, but do we really "need" the rest of the things that fall into the "justifiable" camp?

It's a very interesting film and an interesting concept. He's not really an extremist, he's just doing something extreme for the sake of the experiment. It's certainly an inspiration to second-guess some of the excess that is otherwise apathetically justified and think more environmentally and more locally when it comes to what we use.

I used to be all about environmental sustainability when I was a student living in the dorms at Cedarville and eating from the cafeteria. But things have changed, and I'm constantly trying to quiet my conscience.

Now that I have a job in my field, I justify buying clothes to wear to work.

Now that I have a house, I justify buying harmful cleaning products and throwing things away for the sake of "getting the house clean."

Now that we buy our own groceries, sometimes I don't always stop to think: "do I really need the box and plastic bag that this cereal comes in?" or "how are these animals treated?"

Now that I'm busy with work and school, I drive places I could easily busy or bike to.

Now that it's Christmas, I feel okay buying manufactured excess like wrapping paper and tinsel and glass bulbs made in China--under what type of work conditions?

I have to confess that I've become incredibly apathetic and incredibly guilty of not doing everything I can to minimize the amount of trash I produce and the industry I support. No Impact Man was a great reminder of what my values are and a good exhibit of some of the ways that I can live those values.

As a religious person, I believe we live on an earth that is a gift from God. How disrespectful would it be to just trash the place on our way out the door? No, we should be proud inhabitants of this beautiful planet, caring for the ecosystems around us, the people who produce the goods we use and thereby benefiting all of humanity by ensuring that future generations will have a healthy, verdant and sustainable earth to enjoy.

Digging up the past and finding out I was good at it.

2010-11-21T12:44:00.000-08:00

Friends, family, and lover (I know you read this when you're supposed to be building models in the studio!),

I was just digging through the past. I do this sometimes. About 50% of the time, I end up realizing it was a horrible idea and moping over a delicious homemade brownie. About 40% of the time, I realize I've just wasted several hours that should be have been devoted to homework, and I eat a delicious homemade brownie to cheer myself up. And 10% of the time, I end up doing the only type of worthwhile backtracking: realizing how good my life was and getting some sort of distant inkling that I was an okay person who did something okay with my young-adult life. Have a brownie to celebrate!

Today was one of those days. I realized I used to have a REALLY AWESOME BLOG between the ages of 16-19 or so. I used to make cute, hipster art! I used to compile lists with awesome links to relevant sites everyone else wished they had known about first. I used to get comments on almost every post... multiple comments! There were photos in my posts and fun colored text and really sincere, meaningful thoughts--they bordered on the profound.

I'm rambling. My apologies, I've had too many brownies today.

All of this being said, I'm going to try harder to make this blog interesting. Because obviously I'm capable of it... or, at least, I was. But I was also a little naive then. And also a little heartbroken. And also less "professional." But I think I've always been 38 years old at heart, so maybe I'm not so different at the age of 21.

We shall see.

Love,
Emily

proof I used to be creative and produced interesting things.

Wedding Photos: Portraits and Parties

2010-11-21T11:37:00.001-08:00

Our wedding attendants were FABULOUS with a capital F-A-B-U-L-O-U and S. Seriously, we love these friends! These are the pictures of us with them, just them and also some bride/groom shots from outside the reception.

We love you guys,
Emily and Paul

Wedding - Portraits and Parties

Wedding Photos: The Ceremony

2010-11-18T08:40:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends!

Time for pictures of the ceremony, which was beautiful and flawless thanks to our friends, family and our dear Reverend Peter. Again, thanks to WeeNo Photography for the fabulous pics.

Wedding - Ceremony

Waiting for Superman

2010-11-16T07:24:00.000-08:00

I will do my best to be both succinct and sincere in this post. I've known for a couple years now that my career will be in the field of Child Development, lower-elementary education and more specifically, education reform. Occasionally something comes along that is both heart breaking and inspiring. For me, that's the documentary film Waiting for Superman.

I will try not to parse words or tiptoe around issues. I firmly believe one of the biggest problems with our school system is our teachers and the way our system educates, rewards and retains teachers--especially the bad ones. Of course, there's a myriad of other issues and sub-issues. Like the film suggests as credits begin rolling, the problems are complex, but the steps to fixing them are simple.

I'm uncomfortable with the number of my professors who have openly criticized the film for "not appreciating teachers." I've read this in numerous press releases from local and national teacher's unions and heard it from friends. Let's be realistic for a minute and consider the facts.

550 teachers costing $30 million/year: the number of teachers in New York City's "rubber rooms" and how much they cost the system because of poor teaching practices.

24th out of 29 leading industrialized nations: where American students rank in basic math skills.

7,200: the number of students who drop out of high school each day, on average. That's 1.3 million students per year.

10-12 weeks: the amount of time undergraduate students seeking teaching certification spend in a K-12 classroom environment, including student teaching, observations and practical field experiences.

It seems to me that simply looking at the statistics suggests some of the problems with our system and why they emerge so prevalently. Yes, there are many, many teachers that do an effective job in our public education system. But let's be realistic: most of those teachers are in stable suburban schools and aren't paid any more than their lower performing peers.

Education reform isn't designed to attack the teaching profession, but it is necessary to define it as a profession and not just an easily obtained, easily retained job. In years past, the reform movement has centered around standards for students and rewards for high performing districts. These are admirable goals, but they miss the real issue: low standards for teachers and a system that offers no rewards for high performing educators.

See the film and see it with an open mind. Those who accuse the filmmakers of openly attacking the education profession and American public educators are clearly missing the point, blind to the issues plaguing our system and showing an alarming imbalance of favor toward a broken system, in the interest of keeping the peace among adults at the sake of giving our children the education they desperately need and rightfully deserve.

Wedding Photos: Getting Ready

2010-11-10T08:29:00.000-08:00

Friends!

Can I say I'm tickled to bits with our wedding photos from WeeNo Photography? Seriously, those two are BRILLIANT. I promised myself I would only post a few pictures.... like... 50 total. But, I couldn't pick. So, I'm going to post them in sets. They're still trimmed down to just my favorites, but there are an awful lot of favorites.

This set is "getting ready pictures." See here the makeup, the ironing, the hair-styling that went into our wedding day. This was honestly my favorite part of the day. We had Chinese take-out and Kelly brought some chill tunes. So much fun with our closest friends--what happy memories.

Wedding - Getting Ready

Eating at home: more fun, cheaper and waaaay delicious

2010-11-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

We're trying to eat out less. After long days of school and work, heading to a restaurant, picking up some sushi or even throwing in a frozen pizza is EASY. But, it's not the most affordable option, and in a lot of cases, it's not the healthiest either.

As a result, we've been having some ahhmazing meals and a blast making them. (Easy for me to say... I'm blogging about it and Paul's doing the dishes...)

I've really be craving Panera recently, but at roughly $8-$10 per person, it's hardly practical to eat there. So, we brought it home.

Tonight we made cheddar soup with broccoli and carrots, and an out of this world rendition of the familiar Fuji apple salad you can get at Panera. I think our meal was actually better than Panera.

Fuji Apple Chip Salad:
equal parts mixed greens from the local farmer's market and Romain lettuce
fresh tomatoes, cut into 8ths
thinly sliced red onions
Gorgonzola cheese
Fuji apple chips

for the dressing:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup oil
2 tsps dried onion
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt

Cheddar Broccoli Soup:
1/4 cup butter
1 white or yellow onion
1/4 cup AP flour
3 cups free range chicken broth
3 cups organic milk
1 lbs shredded cheddar cheese
salt, paprika, turmeric, black pepper and hot sesame oil to taste
steamed broccoli
steamed shredded carrot

Use only the lowest setting while making this soup! Melt the butter, and once it's hot, saute the chopped onion in it. Gradually add the flour. Once you have a paste, add the broth and milk. Let that mixture warm up, and then add the cheese. Melt it all together, stirring constantly. Add the spices, oil, and veggies. Let it cook down on low heat.

November is here!

2010-11-01T09:55:00.000-07:00

I personally LOVE late fall. That holidays-are-almost-here magic is building in the air and fuzzy sweaters are necessary on most days. I'm excite for this month--Thanksgiving, bringing home our first Christmas tree, lots of spiced teas, hot chocolate and cinnamon sticks in apple cider.

This week our photographer sent us the disk with HUNDREDS of beautiful wedding photos. We can't stop looking through them. I'll post a sampling of some of our favorites here at some point.

We spent yesterday at home with my parents and had a great time. The two hour drive to Cleveland is more than worth it.

This week we're working on wedding thank you notes, picking out Holiday cards, scheduling next quarter's classes and making Holiday plans. All exciting stuff!

Love,
Emily

Pumpkins and pancakes

2010-10-16T15:17:00.000-07:00

Our weekend has included several wonderful things. First, our friend Dan, who is here visiting during his fall break. Second, carving pumpkins, which occurred last night and might have been a first for some of the people involved. Third, some fabulous pancakes this morning in lieu of the farmer's market (which we slept through.)

That's not to mention the delicious curry and naan Paul made last night, the fondue we had two nights ago or the fabulous political rally with an amazing lineup that we're going to tomorrow. This weekend has been ideal in every way. I even got to have lunch with my mom yesterday--hooray!

Let me share the love through pictures and recipes.

These were the best pancakes I've ever made. I got the recipe out of a book for children last weekend--who would have guessed?

1 Egg
1 1/4 Cup Buttermilk (I like to use 1 1/4 cup skim milk and then add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, but any type of vinegar will work)
2 Tbls Vegetable Oil
1 1/4 Cup AP Flour
1 Tbls Sugar
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
Butter for frying

Combine dry ingredients. Make buttermilk, then add wet ingredients to the buttermilk and mix well. Using a whisk, gradually add the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients. Batter should be thin but a little lumpy. Put a little butter on the skillet/griddle and let it heat up using a low heat. Once the butter is bubbling, you're ready to make pancakes. I like to make mine 4 tbl of batter each. Once the puddle of batter starts bubbling on the uncooked side, flip it over and let it cook all the way through. Refresh the butter on your cooking surface every few pancakes. It's mandatory that you serve these with some fresh fruit and REAL maple syrup. :)

welcome to our home.

2010-10-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

Time for a house tour! It's almost as fun as house hunting in big, clean, empty houses... only this one's lived in, is starting to be well decorated and is our cozy, happy home!

Come on in!

We'll take a look at the porch, and then head into the living room:

Now we're inside! First we'll take a look at the living room. As with the rest of the house, it's very much a work in progress.

Heading into the dining room now...

Heading into the small but important and tidy kitchen!

Heading back through the living room and upstairs...

First we see the bathroom...

And then, heading down the very, very short hallway we come to our bedroom.

School, Work, Love.

2010-10-13T14:36:00.001-07:00

Life has been CRAZY in the best way possible. I'm starting in a job as a substitute teacher at a local Montessori school... a job I couldn't be more thrilled about. Paul is still working at Potbelly. We've also got a full-time course-load on top of that. We're pretty tired at the end of the days, but we almost always get to eat dinner together and it's perfect to be able to come home to each other every evening.

The house is shaping up. I'm hoping to post some pictures soon. We had an influx of wedding gifts, housewares purchased with wedding monies and post-wedding-clutter last month. It's been a process getting thing organized, assembled and put away (especially with the business of school/work) but we're finally getting there.

This evening Paul's at an architecture speaking series and I'm doing (what else?) homework and eating mac 'n' cheese with peas. Yum!

Love,
Emily

P.S. I'm agitated about Michelle Rhee's resignation. I'm even more agitated that no one in my education classes knew what I was talking about when I brought it up. God save America's children.

San Francisco Snapshots!

2010-09-28T15:41:00.000-07:00

Wanna see how much fun we had seeing the sights in San Francisco? Check out this lengthy and commentated photo album!

San Francisco Honeymoon

My Husband.

2010-09-25T14:45:00.000-07:00

"I bet I can fit my head inside of this!" -Paul

Wedding Photos (Part 2)

2010-09-24T10:34:00.000-07:00

Wedding portraits from WeeNo photography. They are AMAZING!

Paul and Emily Part two

Diposable Camera Art

2010-09-23T08:47:00.001-07:00

There's a simple beauty in the grainy, underexposed print from a disposable camera. These are the little masterpieces that our friends and family took at the wedding:

Wedding Pictures - Disposable Cameras

Wedding Photos (Part 1)

2010-09-22T13:35:00.000-07:00

You KNOW you're just as itchy to see these as I was! Yikes, they're AWESOME! Please check them out, and keep watching our fabulous Photogs' blog for Part 2.

WeeNo Photography...: Part 1.

Home!

2010-09-22T07:07:00.000-07:00

We're home from a fabulous honeymoon. San Fran was as beautiful, interesting and quietly busy as it always is. Here's a couple pics of our adventures... MANY more to come!

Today is the first day of classes. So far, they are AWESOME! I'm taking all education core classes, and no general education requirements. It feels good to be dealing with just major related topics and not have to worry about the other stuff.

Love,
Emily

2 weeks!

2010-08-29T17:59:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody! I'm excited to say that the wedding is two weeks away. The time has FLOWN. Wow. When you pick a wedding date is seems so far away, and gradually the time starts to go faster... and faster... and then it's here.

I'm so excited to marry the love of my life in just a handful of days. We've been so busy with trips to the florist, baker, seamstress, jeweler, etc. I'm thrilled to know in two weeks all of the business will be over and I'll be married to my best friend!

We'll spend a week in San Francisco, and then we'll be back to everyday life--classes, work and wedded bliss.

More updates later. Although, I've promised that before.

Love,
Emily

30-Day Shred: Day 1 (and other things)

2010-06-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

In preparation for the wedding, I started doing Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred workout. Tonight was workout one and... oh geeze. It's only 20 minutes long, but I can't make it down the stairs because my muscles are so tired. Sad, but true. I can totally believe that this would make a person super toned in 30-days. I just don't understand how anyone would stick with it that long. Yikes. But, I'm gonna try.

In other news: Paul and I both presented our final projects for the quarter today. My research project on the benefits of Montessori education was well received by my Child Development professor. Paul's final architecture model got good remarks from the architecture program admissions panel. With just a handful of finals and two more quick papers for me, we'll be done with our first quarter at Ohio State. The classes and campus are great. Constantly thinking of (and missing!) my friends from Cedarville, but so glad to be here learning and growing.

Love,
Emily

Oh, geeze.

2010-06-01T21:22:00.000-07:00

I'm really bad at updating! Things have been busy with wedding plans, decorating the house and finishing up the spring quarter's classes. Paul and I are both looking forward to a lighter courseload over the summer. Tomorrow marks the end of Paul's extremely homework intensive pre-arch class, and both of us will be totally relieved when that happens.

Summer in the city is beautiful. So many sounds, LOTS of music from open windows of cars and houses and lots of interesting people to watch on porches and streets.

I'm looking forward to the end of classes next week, and a trip to visit relatives right after. Wedding planning is in full-gear and is SO overwhelming.

Sorry for being so negligent with the posts recently--what do you want to hear about next? Wedding? The house? The delicious organic foods I make to feed a pre-wedding diet? I know it's all fascinating (right??) and I'm more likely to write if I have people nagging me.

Love,
Emily

P.S. The police helicopter is circling the neighborhood with the spotlight on! How exciting.

Paul moved in! Here's some pics.

2010-02-05T16:19:00.000-08:00

Paul has moved into our new home in Columbus. He doesn't have internet yet (hopefully by next week) so, he can't post pictures himself. He can, however, check e-mail on his phone and I'm sure he'd love to hear from all of you. :)

Paul texted me some pictures of how he's gotten things set up. (I've been waiting to see the move-in process very patiently!) It's fun to see how he's set getting things unpacked. Have a peek. :)

Love,
Emily

moving week pictures

I got flowers. :)

2010-01-27T08:35:00.000-08:00

Paul bought me a beautiful Orchid yesterday. Just because he loves me.

One of the stems broke a little during transportation, but we fixed it with a straw and some quick thinking.

Thanks, honey. :)

Love,
Emily

Our first home!

2010-01-23T13:43:00.000-08:00

Got an apartment in a beautiful vintage brick building! We're really excited about the wood floors, new appliances and the claw-foot bathtub. Can't wait to furnish the apartment to make it into a home.

p.s. the pictures show things under renovation a little bit. That's because we got the place before it hit the market. yeah!

love,
Paul and Emily

Our first home. :)

Athrifting we go...

2010-01-22T17:57:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a thrifting marathon. Paul and I visited 8 stores on the East side of Cleveland in preparation for his move into the new place in a week and a half. Here's what we got!

For $25 total, we found vintage beauty:
-lamp w/ bird applique
-family of owls for the upstairs hall
-pink serving dish w/ flower transfer
-4 bread plates w/ strawberry transfer
-tea kettle w/ strawberry transfer
-glass salt shaker
-3 graded drinking glasses
-2 tureen soup bowls w/ flower transfer
-1 set of yellow bedsheets
-1 matching yellow insulation blanket

Averages out to about $1.60 per item. Not bad. ;)

Browse the pics below to your heart's content!

Love,
Emily (And Paul, in spirit)

thrifing 1/22/10

Since a lot of people have been asking...

2010-01-20T18:16:00.000-08:00

...yes! We did change the wedding date. :)

The (final) plan is to be wed this September (2010). We haven't settled on a location yet, and therefore we haven't settled on a totally final date either.

We'll keep you updated with fun wedding details and let you know when we get a final date.

Love,
Emily and Paul