Impromptu Date Night

Friday night is our usual night out on the town- just me and the hubs.  Last weekend we were kind of running out of ideas for what to do.  We had a gift card to the gateway that Braedon found from when he was fifteen- get this- it still worked!  We knew we'd already started the night off right.  We headed to Happy Sumo for dinner and filled up on sushi and miso soup.  As we were leaving we heard some live music coming from an Art Gallery nearby.  We wandered inside and discovered that they were having a contest between all these new artists and they invited us to cast our vote!  We had fun walking around and eating the (free) cookies provided at the event.  Why did we not know about this guys??  With City Creek being so awesome, we kinda forgot about the Gateway.  After the winner was chosen and they started speeches, we snuck out and headed to barnes and noble.  It's sort of a problem- I could spend days in there!  And also a lot of money.  While we were walking back to our car we stopped at a gum ball station and laughed our heads off trying the most outrageous flavors of gum.  Plus Braedon almost chipped his tooth. 

^^ Five gumballs later... ^^

Finally, we noticed this drink/candy shop on our way out and headed in to purchase a little dessert (I guess you could say I have a sweet tooth -_-).  Little did we know we had hit the jackpot!  This place had over 500 different flavors of sodas, and 

tons of old school/ new school (?) candy!  We left with some spearmint flavored root beer and vintage squirt + sour spaghetti (and a layer of fuzz on our teeth).  I was a happy girl (besides the sugar fuzz).  

^^ Anybody up for some sweet corn & bacon soda?? ^^

What we thought was going to be an ordinary night turned out to be just the opposite!  I love my spontaneous, up-for-anything husband.  

The Weekend: According to My iPhone

Monday's are hard which is why I'd like to just reminisce on our perfect weekend...

I had Friday off work so we kicked off the weekend with some golfing.  Braedon had been begging me to go for a while and I finally gave in....it's safe to say I could use a few lessons.  Maybe next time I'll just drive the cart and bask in the sunlight? (Don't think Braedon will allow it but it's worth a try). I'd actually really love to be a great golfer someday...

My Dad gave us some words of wisdom after we golfed.  He said, "It's not about how you play, it's about how you look".  So here's my thought... if Braedon wants me to make golfing with him a regular activity, I should at least indulge in a legitimate golf outfit right??

Friday night we spent the evening at my mom's while my musically talented siblings + Braedon put together a nice song to perform at my Grandpa's brother's funeral.  I tell ya I really missed the boat on the whole musical thing.  I was on Caden duty while they practiced and didn't mind one bit! 

After they finished practicing the boys played a little Fifa and then we saw the new Spiderman movie with my parents!  We ate ourselves sick with popcorn and treats.  It's all about the treats. 

^^ Look at that focus ^^

My cousin Morgan and I decided recently that we'd like to learn how to sew.  You know, to be domestic and all.  So, Saturday afternoon was spent getting a basic sewing lesson from my amazing sewer of a Grandma, and then Morgan chopped my hair off!  My Grandpa Nate kept telling us to post a picture of my hair in foils on instagram and title it, "New Hair-Do". Yes, my grandparents use instagram.  

^^ "New Hair-Do" ^^

^^ Hit up my cousin for a hair/eyelash appointment! She rocks ^^

Saturday night we went to this amazing Mexican restaurant called Taqueria 27- we'll definitely be visiting again soon.  Bonus- it's in walking distance from our apartment.  They served us the most amazing guacamole w/ warm chips and our tacos were delectable.  I love Holladay.  

After church Sunday we had dinner with the Aiken clan, went on a Sunday drive, and watched a few episodes of Prison Break. It was the perfect weekend- I'm already looking forward to the next!

Finals Week

Finals week reminds me of summer drill team practices.  Basically they just suck.  No one wants to get up at 5:30 am to run around a track with 21 other girls when all your other friends are sleeping in. 

Luckily, I can now call myself a stranger to finals week.  Sadly, my husband is still a frequent flyer and won't gain the stranger title for, oh, ten years or so.  While he's been locked up in the office studying for four hours I've been online (window?) shopping (not sure what the term is when you don't buy anything), watching Harry Potter, blogging, and napping.  My poor husband.  

I'm really just so grateful for how dedicated he is.  

Tonight, during our weekly planning session, we went over some goals and one of his really stuck out to me.  He told me he was sorry for making himself so busy with school, volunteering, lab research hours, etc., and that he wanted to focus more on the family.  See, I figured all this "stuff" he's been doing was just that-focusing on our future family.  

He told me he would make time for something I wanted to do this week, because some of that other "stuff" just wan't as important.  Talk about make my heart melt.  

So take that finals week.  

An Update

Stefani...

...is working at the Reproductive Care Center and loving it

...is frantically trying to put together our new apartment

...is feeling the "domino effect" after re-doing our bathroom

...has started a new routine of watching Harry Potter after work while studying up on infertility

...is almost finished with her Bachelor's degree

...plans to celebrate graduation by heading to Barnes and Noble and purchasing her very own copies of the Harry Potter books (and then read them all this summer)

...is feeling puppy hungry   

Braedon...

...is always studying

...has completed his volunteer work for U-fit on Friday nights (Stefani is really happy to resume the regular Friday night Date Night schedule)

...has been working in the genetics lab at the U and studying obesity

...is going to continue volunteering for the program "Running Forward" as the site leader

...is running his own Window Washing business, tutoring company, and working for a Marketing company 

...plays his guitar almost every night and serenades Stefani to sleep  

...still keeps up on talk radio and could tell you about almost every (good) video on youtube 

...is not feeling puppy hungry  (plus our apartment doesn't allow it. boo)

Braedon and Stefani...

...are addicted to Prison Break on Netflix

...are feeling sad that we have to be grownups this summer (Stefani is working full time and Braedon is preparing for the MCAT)

...are considering enrolling in some type of couples dance course- salsa, hip-hop, tango- we'll see

...are still having weekly date nights, arguing every once in a while, and are still in love.  

Our New Apartment + Yellow Curry

We are finally (almost) moved into our new apartment!!  I'm just in the very fun stages of organizing and deciding where to put all of our stuff.  How can two people have so much stuff??  I swear I've donated about three garbage bags full of things we don't need anymore and the stuff just keeps coming!  

On a side note, I feel like I need to re-write all of my thank you letters for my wedding gifts.  All of our kitchen gear was in storage while we lived at my Dad's and it was so fun unpacking!  I kept saying, "Mom who got me this?? It's so cute!"  I've found things I haven't even used yet.  Oh ya, and I have about 37 mixing bowls.  So if you ever need one....

P.S. thanks Mom for helping me put together my kitchen.  Don't know what I'd do with out you

P.S.S. thanks family for helping us move our storage units!  Especially Sara and Brent who let us use their truck.  They bought a truck cause they love helping people move so much- so anyone moving let me know and I'll just give you guys their number!  (don't worry Sar I'm kidding)

When we moved into our first apartment I made us a little Mexican fiesta for our first meal.  I decided to stick with the "international foods" tradition and went with Thai Yellow Curry for the "first meal" celebration.  To say it was a hit would be an understatement.  Braedon told me it was the most legit curry he'd had since his mission and he was having flash backs to the curry dishes he ate in Siem Reap.  I think it was the best compliment of my cooking to date!  

*I modified a few of the ingredients/ directions and took out the peas and the cashews* 

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts cut into cubes

4 tablespoons yellow curry paste (I only used 3- the recipe said add to taste. I thought it was spicy but Braedon didn't feel a thing)

2 (13.5 oz) cans coconut milk

1/2 cup bamboo shoot- drained (you can get this at Walmart)

1 cup water

1 cup crushed pineapple-drained

1/2 cup chopped carrot (I just used two large carrots)

5-8 basil leaves

4-6 cups steamed jasmine rice

I honestly think the yellow curry paste made all the difference.  I've made curry recipes before using several store bought spices and it just isn't the same as the "real deal".  I would recommend hitting up your nearest Asian market.  I think I could get lost for a few hours there....

Also, I think I have enough curry paste to last me for three years and it was only like three dollars.  Get ready for some more curry recipes.  

Directions: 

1. Add the coconut milk and the curry paste to a large pan. Start with half of the curry paste if you are unsure.  Heat until boiling

2.  Add the cubed chicken and potatoes and continue to boil

3.  Once the chicken is about 1/2 way done add the carrots and cook until the carrots are tender

4.  Add basil, pineapple, and bamboo shoots and cook 2 more minutes

5.  Add water.  We like our curry a little thicker so I only added about a 1/2 cup.  

6.  Serve over rice

7. Find husband to stir while you continue unpacking (wink wink)

We used our Wok to make the curry and it made it SO easy!  A large pan will do, but we are convinced a Wok is necessary for authentic Asian food ;)

^^ I know I look scary, however, I've been moving all day, K? ^^

Hip hip hooray for a new place!  We toasted with some Martinelli's and finished off our night eating frozen yogurt at Top It and talking about how much we love Holladay. Can't wait to see what this new adventure has in store for us!   

Moving Means Decorating... Right??

This weekend we will be moving to an apartment in Holladay.  I am beyond excited!  Our stuff has been in storage since we left for Texas almost a whole year ago.  It'll be just like Christmas opening up all of our boxes! 

Moving to a new place has really kicked in the decorating fever for me.  Poor Braedon.  I've promised him not to get too carried away until we unpack all of our stuff and figure out what we actually have. We had some surprises when we packed it all up to move. (eh hem, wedding presents that hadn't even been opened) So, I'm sure there will be a couple surprises now that it's finally being all unpacked.  Hopefully no rodents hiding in the storage unit though!  I'm sort of scared.  

Speaking of this decorating fever I've created a few "inspiration boards" to help me reign my creative juices.  HA! I wish.  I'm no interior designer, that's for sure.  However, it's a task that's been keeping me busy, even if it's just wishful thinking!  

A few things I've been really eyeing are a new sofa chair, some great lamps for our nightstands, and a great mirror for our entryway/ something to put above our headboard (mirror, antlers, Abe Lincolns face).  Ok it's late, and I'm getting weird.... here are a few of my wishes (p.s. opinions welcomed)

Table Lamps

As of now I think my favorite is number 3, the geometric lookin lamp.  I'm kicking myself though because I didn't write down where I found it, and I think I spent a good 45 minutes trying to track it down again.  No such luck.  

Sofa Chairs

I'm also loving these chairs I found at TJ Maxx Home Goods the other day and I just might have to go back to get one...

^^ Pretty, but so NOT comfy ^^

Doesn't it just look like you can curl up and fall asleep in that chair ^^ (NOT).  Unfortunately you have to sit as stiff as aboard. 

You guys, I have a serious case of what my Father-in-law would call the "domino effect".  Once I decided I wanted a sofa chair, I figured I needed a new couch too.  Then I would also need to get a coffee table to round it out.  The table lamps for our nightstands would also need some prettier stands to stand on because if I have a pretty lamp I need a pretty nightstand too right??  Geeze-O.  Tone it down Stef, tone it down!  

For now, it's fun to look.  I'm perfectly happy searching for that perfect deal, and making/ repurposing things on my own.  There's something so satisfying about it!  

 

Our Engagement

Two years ago (tomorrow) Braedon and I were getting engaged.  I've been wanting an accurate documentation of this day and have put off journaling it for all this time so I figured I'd better finally have it written down somewhere!  

Early Saturday morning on February 11th, 2012 we went snowboarding for a half day and had a blast.  

As we were driving down the canyon I started feeling sick, but I figured it was just motion sickness combined with being tired.  Braedon dropped me off and I was ready for a nap!  When I woke up I was so sick- throwing up- you know, eh hem, the good stuff.  Braedon had told me we had an appointment to go look at rings (again) that night and I was thinking there was no way I was leaving the house!  I texted him to tell him I was sick and asked if we could just lay low and watch a movie.   He just kept telling me to take some medicine and keep resting because we HAD to make this appointment.  

My parents came up to my room and told me they were leaving and to have a fun night.  They don't usually give me their itinerary for the night but I figured they were just checking on me cause I was sick.  I remember getting ready and my sister Emily was asking me what Braedon and I were doing that night with such a goofy smile on her face- still, I didn't catch on.  

Braedon picked me up in his Dad's car and we started driving downtown.  His dad called him and said he had left his cell phone at work and asked if we could go pick it up on our way to our "appointment". Since we had his car and his access card was in it, plus we were going downtown, it just made sense.  Little did I know, this was all staged.  

We get to the Wells Fargo building and take the elevator to the 23rd floor.  I said something like, "Wow, your dad's office is really high up here".  Braedon just nodded.  We walked into this huge room that apparently used to be used for parties.  It had an amazing view of the valley, and there was a table set up with candles, roses, and dinner in the center of the room.  

Me: (in my head: we're getting engaged tonight!!!)

Braedon: I just wanted to do something nice for you for Valentines day, especially cause I haven't talked to your Dad yet about getting married and I know you're really excited to get engaged.  

Me: (in my head: dangit.  oh well, this is a pretty awesome Valentine's gift)

I really didn't have much of an appetite, still felt pretty sick, but Braedon turned on some music and we danced for a while and then ate dinner.  

Then he pulled out this poem called "23 reasons" that he had written for me.  We have it saved, but Braedon would probably kill me if I shared it. One line I remember went something like this, 

17: the number of times in a day you tell me, "I fell".  

So true.  

I reached for a fortune cookie and Braedon jumped right in.... WAIT!  I get to open mine first.  Um... ok?  He opened it and made up some weird fortune cookie (every single one had "Will You Marry Me?" written inside) while walking over to the music that was playing.  I guess he had the ring hidden behind the speakers.  So I opened mine and....

You know how the rest goes.  

Since Braedon knew it would be really dark in the room, he had engineered this LED light in the ring box so I could actually see the ring.  He kept telling me to put it on but I was hugging him and crying and just so excited! 

Little did I know our parents were actually downstairs in Kelly's office eating their own dinner, and they came up to celebrate with us after.  Explains why my parents were being so weird earlier.  We had red velvet cake, and Martinelli's! I loved having them around to celebrate right away.   

Madi was hiding in the room the whole time and filmed the event.  It's kind of hard to see since it was so dark but you can hear Braedon and it's super cute.  

I usually catch on to surprises and it's become kind of a game for Braedon to truly "surprise" me.  I blame it on being sick- probably a good thing so I didn't ruin it!  

Once everyone left Braedon and I were just snuggling, spreading the news, overlooking the city, and enjoying the sound of "fiancé".  Next thing we knew there were fireworks going off literally right below us, and popping right at eye level.

Me: You did this too???

Braedon: I wish! 

Apparently it was the 10th anniversary of the Olympics and the Gallivan Center, which is right next to the Wells Fargo building, had put on a firework show.  We like to pretend it was really just for us.  Safe to say it was the best fake Valentine's present I've ever gotten!  

The rest of our story to be continued....  

Budget 2014 // yikes //

Yet again, I'm writing such a grown up post.  I'm really not very grown up, nor am I really qualified to be giving "budgeting" advice.  Actually, how about not qualified at all?  Ok, now that we have that out I can get to the point...

Braedon and I didn't really budget our first year of marriage.  We would pull up an excel sheet and figure out numbers/ talk about a budget but we (I) didn't really stick to it.  I needed a bigger motivation and something that I could track my spending with other than our online account.  Braedon is much more savvy than me and has this great app that he uses to track our spending.  He keeps asking me to use it but I prefer to just write it all down.... I am trying though.  I mean, the app is at least downloaded on my phone.  

When I stumbled upon this post I decided we would try a new budgeting system.  Braedon was just happy that I wanted to budget- he didn't care how we would do it!  Head over to Rylee Blake's blog to see her original post about this budgeting system.  We tweaked a few things for it to fit for our us.  

Here is how we do it....

1. Figure out your average income per month (kind of self explanatory).  

Depending on my hours and the type of work I am doing with my patients my income varies so we just took the average of the past three months. 

2. Create a "bills" list 

I prefer to use a notebook, Braedon prefers to use an excel spreadsheet.  Our bills include things like: cell phone, rent, car insurance, gym membership, gas.  We also included our tithing, date night, and how much we wanted to save each month under the bills category.  Date night has always been important to us and Braedon has made sure that every week (since we met) we've gone on a one on one date.  I guess I have his parents to thank for setting that example!  

One you have this list, subtract your bills from your income. 

Example:

Total Average Income Per Month

- Total Average Bills Per Month

=

"Everything Else Money"

3. Everything Else Money

Ok so now you get to figure out what you want to spend on groceries and "other things" each week.  If you watch the video below (she is the original budgeter and knows way more than me) you will learn that the average budget for an American for groceries should be $100 per person per household per month.  So for Braedon and I we should be spending $200 per month on groceries.  This even includes toothpaste, paper towels, shampoo....ya....harder than I thought!  We decided we would shoot for $225 per month.  The "other" category is just spending money.  This would include eating out, that lipstick I really want from MAC, iTunes purchases, a McDonald's diet coke, etc.  We are on money saver mode (as are most newlyweds) so we agreed on $20 per week, which is $100 per month (for those of us slow with math).  What we don't spend we can add to our vacation fund, or save up for a bigger purchase like a new pair of Nike Free (hint hint, Braedon, cough, Valentine's day). 

This "other" category was mostly made for me.  I was feeling so guilty whenever I bought something for myself.  But with a set amount we've both agreed that we can spend each month it's made shopping much more guilt-free!   

Alright, now that you have these numbers you can make your envelope.  (I know, I know) You even get to carry this envelope with you everywhere you go, and keep your receipts inside if you'd like.  Side note: January is kind of a weird month because it doesn't have four weeks, but it all works out over the year so we just kept our weekly budget the same.  

You can create it however you want, but just make sure to have two columns.  One for groceries, and one for "other".  The side columns divide each week out.  I had to put the last week of January on the back.  

Ok, here's where you have to set some rules or this system will not save you any money.  Let's say one week we only spend $26 on groceries, so I have $30 left over.  Say I have been eyeing a new article of clothing and it's over the $20 limit for the "other" category that week.  If this is the case, I am allowed to borrow from that week the $30 I didn't spend on groceries, and add it to the "other" category (or just take the $50 and save it).  However, you CANNOT borrow from the next week!  If you borrow from the next week you'll just keep doing it from week to week, and won't be saving any money.  

This system can work whether you want to use a card, or cash.  We started out using our card but I was too tempted to just go over the limit so we decided to switch to cash.  I divided out what we're allotted each week and stuck in in the envelope.  I keep each weeks money separated with a paper clip.  You guys, this is serious budgeting!  

Here are a few tips that help us out with sticking to our grocery budget each week.  First, I write out what we'll have for dinner each day of the week (usually done the week before).  From there, I can create a grocery list of the items we will need to complete the meal if I don't already have them.  Buying groceries every week seemed really inconvenient to me at first, but after trying it I've decided it's not so bad.  We save a lot more on produce since we aren't wasting it from not eating it fast enough, and my lists are usually pretty short so the trip is super fast.  

The picture above is not a usual week for us, but with the holiday's we ate out a lot with family.  Bonus- my grocery list is a lot shorter!  

Side Note: before Braedon and I even started this we set goals for what we wanted to save for.  This definitely helped me feel like these goals were more tangible instead of just dreams we had.  Our big goals are saving for a house, a future family, and med school.  We set an amount we'd like to save for each of these things by the end of the year.  

We also created a vacation fund.  Braedon and I are in a unique situation in that we have income from random jobs that we don't include in our average monthly income because it's so sporadic.  This includes modeling money from me, and money from Braedon's window washing business.  We decided to put this "extra" money towards a vacation fund with the goal to save up to visit Cambodia.      It all just depends on what your priorities are.  Whatever money you have leftover from each week you can put towards something fun like an iPad, furniture, etc.  You'll be surprised at how fast it adds up! We have our "fun" money in a separate savings account and it's exciting to watch it grow.  Plus it  makes it easier for me to put our "extra" money towards our vacation fun rather than spend it on eating out, or clothes.  

I'm sorry this post was ridiculously long and probably really hard to follow.  You should just watch this video about it...