Less than a week

It's really beginning to sink in our time here is coming to close. We have less than a week left and it actually was today as we were packing that it hit me, We are moving back HOME! Don't get me wrong i've been saying to myself we are moving, but I guess with all the packing its becoming real. It's definitely bittersweet (more sweet than bitter!) but Ak and I have enjoyed our first two years of marriage being away, just me and him. Last night we were talking about things that we will miss...

Cool summers - no humidity (ladies you know this makes for great hair days)

Jenni's Ice Cream - best ice cream

Huntington Park & The Clippers
Minor League baseball team, their stadium is right downtown in the middle of everything.

Thurman's - best Burger

Matt the Miller's - best Ahi Tuna flat bread EVER

Brazenhead - Best Fish & Chips, one of Ak's favorite places

Downtown Dublin in Columbus each suburb has their own little downtown

These guys

The Barn - our neighborhood hang out

As i'm looking over my list, i see one thing that's for sure, we are going to miss eating in Columbus! We were talking last night, that almost every weekend here is "date night" for us. We both said we have to make sure when we get back to Nashville that we still make time for just us.

As for AK, I'm so proud of him for all that he has accomplished while he was here. People are eating a lot more pizza than they were 4 years ago.

Lost in the Hallway {Part 2}

Ikea was a huge success this past weekend. My favorite purchase were the frames I bought for our "lost in the hallway" experience at the condo.

Unfortunately, I took this with my phone because i forgot my camera so it's not the best pic and I was literally laying everything out in the store. I got a few stares but wanted to make sure i was creating a good wall! We ended up adding a few more 5x7s and another 4x6. I have a few pictures in mind but excited to go through some really old ones and get some "classics" framed.

I can't wait to share with you what we found at Pottery Barn ! I bet you can guess it...

Dublin

Happy St. Pat's Day from Dublin...Ohio!

It's kinda a big deal here in Dublin. This pic is from the st.patty's day parade they had on Saturday. Today most of the bars/restaurants in downtown Dublin opened up super early for kegs and eggs!

Best part of today...the weather!! It's going to be 65 today!!!
Woo hoo!!

Ice Ice Baby

We have about a 1/2 inch of ice here in C-bus. It's all over everything! AK was trying to make the best out of a messy situation...

Please excuse my whiny voice at the end, it's pretty awful.

Mich Mich

Whew, what FUN weekend! AK went to K-town for a guys weekend and while he was away my dear friend Michelle came up for a visit. We had so much fun that we only took TWO pictures the entire time she was here! :( and they are both on Michelle's camera! I hope to post later!

Some highlights of our trip included:


Jenni's Ice Cream - The craziest flavors, but made with local products and organic!!

• We ate at Jenni’s ice cream, not once but twice – best ice cream ever!This is the type of thing you can do with your girlfriend and not feel guilty about! It reminded me of a time when me and mom went to Phoenix for a girls getaway and literally ate gelato everyday!!!
  

• Cheered on the Vols at our local pub - definitely had some stares as we were surrounded by Ohio State fans, but we didn't mind!

• We went out downtown one night and were told by college students that we were old, but looked good for our age, I guess that's a compliment.

• Ate Sushi in C-bus for the first time

• Had a full day of shopping at the outlets. Mich got a new pillow and some plates for her new/restored home at the Pottery Barn Outlet! She should be moving in in about 4 more weeks!!! :)

• Listened to a live John Mayer – well, not really, but he looked and sounded just like him!

• Plenty of good laughs and just plain ‘ole good girl time

• and last but not least, we enjoyed some good ole $2 buck Chuck from Trader Joes.

Y'all vs. You all

Football officially starts tonight!!

I found this comparing Northern and Southern football. It's pretty good and funny. Although we live in Columbus where THE Ohio State is, the fans here are crazy and love them some football! But of course the traditions are different. On some of the categories I have added in what I have experienced in the midwest. GO VOLS!

Women's Accessories
NORTH: Chap Stick in back pocket and a $20 bill in the front pocket.

MIDWEST: Jerseys, shorts, and tennis shoes
SOUTH: Louis Vuitton duffel with two lipsticks, water proof mascara,and
a fifth of bourbon. Money not necessary - that's why we have boyfriends.


Stadium Size:
NORTH: College football stadiums hold 20,000 people.
SOUTH: High school football stadiums hold 20,000 people.


Fathers:
NORTH: Expect their daughters to understand Sylvia Plath.
SOUTH: Expect their daughters to understand pass interference.


Mothers:
NORTH: Don't care if their daughters know what a football is.
SOUTH: Expect their daughters to buy a new outfit for Homecoming each year and marry a football player.


Campus Decor:
NORTH: Statues of founding fathers.
SOUTH: Statues of Heisman trophy winners.


Homecoming Queen:
NORTH: Also a physics major.
SOUTH: Also Miss America.


Heroes:
NORTH: Rudy Guliani

MIDWEST: Jim Tressel
SOUTH: Paul "Bear" Bryant


Getting Tickets:
NORTH: 5 days before the game you walk into the ticket office on campus
and purchase tickets.
SOUTH: 5 months before the game you walk into the ticket office on
campus, put name on waiting list for tickets, then still have to camp out.


Friday Classes After a Thursday Night Game:
NORTH: Students and teachers not sure they're going to the game, because
they have classes on Friday.
SOUTH: Teachers cancel Friday classes because they don't want to see the
few hungover students that might actually make it to class.

Parking:
NORTH: An hour before game time, the University opens the campus for
game parking.
SOUTH: RVs sporting their school flags begin arriving on Wednesday for
the weekend festivities. The really faithful arrive on Tuesday.


Week of Big Game:
NORTH: Don't even know who they are playing on Saturday.
SOUTH: Make sure clothes are color coordinated, make signs to support the home team, get shakers ready, pray for a victory, and bow down to football players when students see them.
This is too funny, I actually got out our tailgate bin today, loaded it up with cups, koozies, trash bags and counted chairs for next weekend!! I'm soo pumped!

Game Day:
NORTH: A few students party in the dorm and watch ESPN on TV. Wonder why Game Day Live is never broadcast from their campus.
SOUTH: Every student wakes up, has a beer for breakfast, and rushes over
to where ESPN is broadcasting "Game Day Live" to get on camera, cheer tirelessly, and wave banners.


Tailgating:
NORTH: Raw meat on a grill, beer with lime in it, listening to
local radio station with truck tailgate down.

MIDWEST: Brats and Sauerkraut!
SOUTH: 30-foot custom pig-shaped smoker fires up at dawn. Cooking
accompanied by live performance by "Hootie and the Blowfish," who come
over during breaks and ask for a hit off bottle of bourbon. Televisions set up with satellite dishes so that we don’t miss any football games shown before and after ours.


Getting to the Stadium:
NORTH: You ask "Where's the stadium?" When you find it, you walk right
in.
SOUTH: When you're near it, you'll hear it. On game day it becomes the
state's third largest city.

AK once told a Cal fan that he needed to buy ear plugs. The guy then asked if he could buy some, I felt soo bad for him!


Concessions:
NORTH: Drinks served in a paper cup filled to the top with soda.
SOUTH: Drinks served in a plastic cup, with the home team's mascot on
it, filled less than half way with soda, to ensure enough room for
bourbon.


When National Anthem is Played:
NORTH: Stands are less than half full, and less than half of them stand up.
SOUTH: 100,000 fans, all standing, sing along in perfect four-part harmony.


The Smell in the Air After the First Score:
NORTH: Nothing changes.

MIDWEST: chants of OH-IO
SOUTH: Fireworks, with a touch of bourbon.


Commentary {Male Fan}:
NORTH: "Nice play."
SOUTH: "Dammit, you slow sumbitch -tackle him and break his legs."
The guy behind us at our games at UT, who is in his 70s always says "Oh Lordy, come on boys"

Commentary {Female Fan}:
NORTH: "My, this certainly is a violent sport."
SOUTH: "Dammit, you slow sumbitch - tackle him and break his legs."

After the Game:
NORTH: The stadium is empty way before the game ends.
SOUTH: Another rack of ribs goes on the smoker. While somebody goes to
the nearest package store for more bourbon, planning begins for next
week's game....SO TRUE! We always go back to our tailgate spot, eat food, and relax while the traffic is bad!

Happy Football and Labor Day Weekend!

Alum Creek

Today AK and I ventured out to a state park for some hiking. Well, it wasn't so much hiking because it is pretty flat here, but it was a really nice trail. Along with trails, we also discovered they have a huge beach area complete with sand, lounge chairs and boats on the water. We definitely will go back for a longer hike and probably take a nice long walk on the beach.

Grilled Salmon Tacos

Yummy!! AK and I went to the cooking class on Saturday and had a blast! The food was amazing and we learned so many neat tips. I highly recommend looking into cooking classes in your area.

We made several things, but my favorite was the Grilled Salmon Tacos - AMAZING!!

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients: (this is based on a recipe for 6 people, 2 tacos per person)

1 salmon fillet, (1 1/2 pounds) skin on, pin bones removed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 Blackening Spice - (recipe follows)

Vegetable oil for the grill

12 corn tortillas

1/2 head cabbage (8 ounces) finely shredded

3 green onions, thinly slices on the bias (only use the green part)

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 1/2 limes)

2 ripe tomatoes - cut into 1/4 inch dice

Chipotle Sauce - (recipe follows)

Prepare a medium fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill to meadium. Arrange the salmon, skin side up. Oil the skin generously with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Turn the salmon over and rub the flesh side all over with the blackening spice. Using your fingertips lightly dab the remaining olive oil over the blackening spice.

When ready to grill, brush the grill grate generously with vegetable oil. Grill the salmon, skin side up, directly over fire. Cover the grill and cook on one side for 4 minutes. Turn and cover again. Cook until almost opaque throughout - thermometer will read 125 - 130, cook for 5 mintues more. Transfer to cutting board, let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, warm the tortillas on the grill or in the oven on 250.

In a medium serving bowl, toss together the cabbage, green onions and lime juice. Place the tomatoes in a small serving bowl. Serve with cabbage mixture, tomatoes, and chiptole sauce.

Chiptole Sauce:

1 cup mayo

3 tablespoons buttermilk or sour cream

2 minced canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

Mix ingedients together.

Blakening Spice: (this is great, would be good on chicken too)

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons paprika

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon dried oregano

Combine all ingrediens ina small bowl. Stire well to blend. Store in an airtight jar in a coll, dark place for up to 6 months.

Enjoy!

Rubbins Racin'

I had my very first Nascar experience last weekend at the Brickyard
400. I must say, I had a blast!!! Hands down best place to people watch!
We were very lucky and had garage and pit passes and we
also got to meet “The King” Richard Petty and the driver of the HBP
car – Elliott Sadler. He was very personable and nice. I never
realized how loud the cars were and how fast they went! Elliott told us
he would go about 203mph!!

If you haven’t ever been to a race, I highly recomend it!

The Fam

We had such a nice weekend! AK’s older brother and his girlfriend, mom and dad came up for a visit. This was the first time we have had family come for a visit so it was great to have them in town. We had a lot of fun showing them around Columbus and visited the neighborhoods of German Village, downtown Dublin and the Short North.

We ate and ate until we just couldn’t eat anymore!

The Rock Filet at The Elevator -
you grill it yourself on a 375 degree rock

Group Shot at The Elevator

AK and I in German Village being silly!

DMB

Last night we went to The Dave Matthews Concert. We had such a great time and it was a beautiful night! We had never seen him live before, but I think he is much better in person than on the radio. Here are few pics that recap our night....

Group Shot


Shane, Kristen, AK


Dave!



At the end of the night, we couldn't get a cab, so this guy offered us a ride home....
Pretty much sums up our night!! :)

Thankfully Shane and Kristen live downtown and he didn't have to peddle all four of us too far...it was defintely a adventure!!

My heart will go on...

Oh Yes! AK and I went to the Titanic exhibit this weekend at Cosi here in Columbus. We had the best time! We may have been the only people there without children, but we didn't mind, we pretended we were kids ourselves!

Here's a sneak preview of the exhibit



They had unopened champagne bottles, plates, cups, clothes, glasses, and china from the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd classes. They also had on display what a 1st class room would like look. To book first class it cost $2500 what would cost $40,000 today! This exhibit travels all across the country, I highly recommend you check it out!

Menchie's

Many of you know how much I LOVE Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt! Well this weekend I found my new favorite place for frozen yogurt, Menchie's.

What is so great about this place is you pay by weight and not by how many toppings you have. So you can put 5 different types of toppings or mix two different frozen yogurts and not have to pay additional! It's really reasonably priced too, 44 cents a ounce. So for AK and I to get two cups of frozen yogurt with any toppings we wanted it was $6.50!!

They have several different flavors, usually about 8 everyday. I went with the New York Cheesecake and mixed it with chocolate and topped it with reeses pieces, chocolate chips, cookie dough AND chocolate syrup. Needless to say, this may have not been a good find for me, I may have a slight addiction on my hands!

Between you and me, I went back the next day and got another frozen yogurt before I went to the grocery!! I felt like I just couldn't resist, it's right next to the grocery!! So here's my warning to you, if you are a frozen yogurt person, BEWARE!!

To find a location near you, visit

Girls Only!

My dear friend Vannie came and visited me this past weekend! We had a blast!

We ate at Thurman's,

leaving for a hockey game,


shopped til we dropped (yes, I have one of those pregnancy stomachs on!),



and visited the Franklin Conservatory.

10 Days

It's been a busy 10 days!! It all started with a trip to Nashville for an engagement party, work for a week in the office, catching up with girlfriends, and then back to Columbus to celebrate St. Patty's Day!

The Happy Couple!
Congrats Cody & Heather!

Late Thursday night, AK called to tell me that two friends were coming up for the weekend to celebrate St. Pat's Day. The inner planner in me, was trying to organize the house, go to the grocery store, plan the weekend (all from Nashville)! AK took charge and got this place all ready for guests! Since we live in Dublin, OH, there is a parade, 5k Run, and a live music that started at 11am! It was like the steeplechase of Nashville, but for St. Pat's Day! We had a great time!

Needless to say, I'm feeling like Lily B right now and want to fall asleep on the couch!

Potbelly

AK and I did some shopping this weekend, but before we hit the stores we had to fill our belly's!

We went to a place called Potbelly's and it was so tasty! They specialize in sandwiches, and they are SO GOOD! They run them through a toaster and they come out just perfect! They also carry Zapp's potato chips (made in Louisiana), which AK and I both love.

I got the T-K-Y skinny - so good and just enough! For AK it was a tough decision - Pizza or Italian sandwich, he went with the Italian and was very pleased! So if you want to fill your belly, you should check out Potbelly's! (okay, yes that was pretty cheezy!)

Record Breaking

February was a record breaking month here in Columbus....for snow!

The average snow fall for the month is 6 inches, in February we got 30.1 inches!!

So,I'm pretty happy today is March 1st! I'm also pretty proud of myself for not having a mini melt down due to all the snow. At least we could get out on most days during February, if not a cabin fever frenzy would of happened!

As I look outside today, it's starting to melt little by little.

Come on Spring!!

Every bit counts!

So, I didn't do as well as I hoped at the old grocery store! But it's a start, for sure. It's more then I saved then the last time I went!

I saved a whopping $9.24. Every little bit counts, that's almost enough for two burrito bowls at Chiptole! (Yum...I love those things!)

Happy Almost Friday!

Nature's Beauty

I awoke this morning to see that my roses have opened up so much and are absolutely beautiful!

Saturday

Today!

If only I picked these from my back yard - I guess I can pretend! So ready for summer!

Because...Right now we are snowed in - Level One Snow Advisory. Yes in the midwest there are advisory warnings - three levels! We are at the first level now, level two means - do not drive unless emergency and level three- roads are closed!

Up to the windows!

Check out the picture I took off the light post on Feb. 5th here

Glad I went to the grocery yesterday!

Snow Snow oh and more Snow!

It is dumping snow right now in Columbus! As of 10am we had none....

Just took this picture 10 minutes ago.... wishing the beach was only a short ride away!