lately

last weekend I went to Minneapolis for the weekend to spend some time with some of my best girls, and also to see New Moon...which did not disappoint :) I finally finished the whole Twilight saga last night, and overall, I was pleased. I suppose there was pretty good resolution, but did anyone else feel like she left it open to maybe do another separate series one day??

I would also like to add that these books were so, so far beyond anything I would normally get into. And yet, I loved them. I think the movies helped me get into the books a little more - or at least, put some very handsome faces with names :)

anyway, while I was in Minneapolis I took some photos of some girlfriends' babies, and I was so pleased with them...thought I might do a little braggin' :) the first little boy is Cole, who belongs to my good friends Amy and Peter. the second two are Lacey and Miles, and Brad and I are really close to their parents, Mike and Annie. You can check out Annie's blog here, Little Running Feet.

aren't they cute? seeing these pictures afterwards always makes me realize just how much I love photography.

i have turned into a 15 year old girl. sadly.

this Friday, i'm leaving work at 4 to drive 2.5hrs to Minneapolis so i can the movie that every teenage girl in America is dying to see....

yes.



okay, i'm not so embarrassed about how excited i am to see the movie as much as i'm surprised by how much the books have sucked.me.in. and i can assure you, i was the person that watched all my friends get into it and thought, "what in the world do they see in a book about a vampire?" but then i read Twilight....and i liked it. a lot. and now i'm reading New Moon, and i LOVE it. i'll admit, i still don't get into the vampire/werewolves thing - i tend to skim over those action parts - but the love story is so sweet.

and speaking on a more "gossip-y" note regarding the movie, this is what i would like to say to Kristen Stewart:

Robert Pattinson over Taylor Lautner? honey....have you looked at Taylor? all i gotta say is, it's just not right for an 18 year old boy (or however old he is - under 20) to be so dang cute. Taylor Swift is gettin' it right :)

because I'm 28

this week I turned 28, and it's funny because I always knew that I wouldn't be married until I was "27 or 28". Even when I was seriously dating a guy back in college when I was in my early 20's, I knew I wouldn't be married until I was older (although I will admit I always hoped it would be earlier!) but alas, here I am...married 2 months before I turned 28. I can't imagine being married at any other time in my life than now, but I've gotta say....I'm the girl that really wants kids NOW. and is constantly envisioning my ovaries shriveling up and wilting away with each passing day.

HOWEVER - my husband does not want kids right now. in fact, Brad doesn't want kids until we've been married for at least two years. do the simple math, folks...in two years, I will be THIRTY. 3-0. If I have my first baby when I'm 30, I'll have friends who will be raising kids that are in their pre-teen years! It's so weird to me. And I'll be honest, I struggle with the thought of being an "old mom". But one of the things I've learned about marriage is that it's more important to be unified in your goals and dreams - even when it's a huge self-struggle - than to have the things that only YOU desire for that time.

BUT ANYWAY....point of this post -

I told Brad last night that, if we're not going to have kids til we're 30, then dang it....we better live like we don't have kids!! When you live in a small town, I cannot tell you how easy it is to fall into that domestic-ness of life. Most of the young people in this town are married and settled with kids, and it's easy to see why cause it's not like there's this bustling city life to keep you occupied.

So, I want to travel. and I want to go out on the weekends and stay out late (sometimes!) and do things on a whim...be spontaneous! and for the time being, I will just have to be content with holding my friend's babies, and reminding myself that my time will come. Just not for a while. And while I'm waiting, I intend to make every moment count.

omg

1.) it is my 28th birthday, and I'm at home. sick. woke up terribly nauseous to my sweet husband making me a breakfast of sausage, scrambled eggs and microwaved (bless his heart) Monkey Bread. it was too sweet, but help me Jesus, my stomach was rolling...[and no. if you're thinking what i already thought this morning, i can guarantee you a negative on that one].

2.) i am L O V I N G this blog - My Blonde Reality. she wears expensive clothes, carries expensive handbags, is bleached to the hilt and i think might take advantage of the perks of working in a dermatology office...but the girl is nothin' but real. it's super rare to come across someone that lives the way she does and is yet so down to earth and just plain funny!

and, um...i guess that's it. i'm all out of thoughts. hope everyone is enjoying their Wednesday :)

time to get serious

just so you know, i drank the last drop of my wine as i posted on Facebook, "just bought Jillian Michael's '30 Day Shred'! so excited to try it out!' AND i'm getting ready to go cook steak and cheesy biscuits for dinner. for my husband. i'll be eating a little piece of steak with spinach casserole. (see, i did find some casserole recipes!)

but really, i did buy '30 Day Shred' because i'm in this workout class that meets once a week and our instructor, Nicole, is apparently always doing moves from The Biggest Loser, and can i just say that every class of hers i think, "it HAS to be easier this week! i almost died last week!" and it never is? after Nicole's classes, i'm seriously sore.for.days. this last week, my BUTT was even super sore! i really don't have that happen often.

so i'm really excited to get on the fitness bandwagon. so is everyone else at my gym cause i showed up tonight and there wasn't a single treadmill or elliptical machine available. talk about annoyed...i'm very much into routines and i was halfway tempted to either a) leave or b) sit until one opened up, but i decided to save face and halfheartedly do the machines. and while this is a little off subject....more and more i'm starting to realize that IN MY OPINION, light, skinny people were made for running. people like my friends Annie and Mike over at Little Running Feet. it just looks painful when large people do it.

note - i know it seems as though i've been on the food-and-fitness kick lately, but really? birth control did not do me any good and i'm happy to say i'm no longer on it. which is why i'm on a renewed mission to LOSE THE 10 POUNDS IT MADE ME GAIN. all in my butt and hips. thankyouverymuch.

us.

1. What are your middle names?

Brad's - Paul/Mine - Nicole

2. How long have you been together?

We've been together since May of 2006...on and off until February of 2008.

3. How long did you know each other before you started dating?

Brad was actually probably my best guy friend for about two years before we started dating. Definitely the way I would recommend doing it.

4. Who asked who out?

I don't think anybody "asked" anybody out. Basically, he kissed me one night in May '06 and the rest is history :)

5. How old are each of you?

Brad just turned 27, I'm 27 - but turning 28 on Wednesday. Sounds so old!

6. Did you go to the same school?

We went to the same college in Minneapolis.

7. Are you from the same home town?

Not at all. I'm from a college town in Illinois, and Brad grew up in the small town that we currently live in.

8. Who is the smartest?

This is a hard question...the answer might depend on the day :) Nah, I would say we each have our strengths in intelligence - Brad is super street smart, and sometimes I feel like he just knows a lot of things that I am clueless about. But as far as book-smart, student-wise, probably me.

9. Who majored in what?

Brad majored in Business Administration, and I majored in Cross Cultural Studies with a minor in Leadership Development. Brad's currently doing construction and I work at a bank...proof that you don't always need a degree.

10. Who is the most sensitive?

Oh, Lord. Me, easily. You should've heard our conversation last night. I was so out-of-sorts with life that Brad ended up laughing at me cause I covered about 76 different things that are currently bothering me.

11. Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?

When I lived in Stockholm last year we visited Sicily and Malaga, Spain together.

12. Who has the worst temper?

That would be me. Brad has the most laid-back personality ever.

13. How many children do you want?

My answer has always been - and still is - as many as the good Lord will give me. I would love to be a foster parent and adopt children, but also want to have my own. Brad's answer is around 4 kids. And he's quick to let you know, NOT FOR TWO YEARS. I always say, "We'll see" with a smile :)

14. Who does the cooking?

Brad's cooking abilities end at putting a frozen pizza in the oven. Does that answer the question?

15. Who is more social?

I think we're pretty even with this one. But in a crowd of strangers, Brad will be the one to make friends before I do.

16. Who is the neat freak?

Yeah, right. I'm actually pretty impressed with the way things are kept up in our home, it wasn't what I expected out of the two of us :)

17. Who is the most stubborn?

Brad. I'm always the first to cave.

18. Who wakes up earlier?

I do. And that's usually after going to bed later. My husband LOVES to sleep.

19. Where was your first date?

Probably to a Minnesota Twins game. I don't think we ever had a "first date" but we had gone to plenty of Twins games by the time we were official.

20. Who has the bigger family?

Brad. He's 1 of 8 kids.

21. Do you get flowers often?

Nope. I actually think the only time he did give me flowers was the night he proposed. They're not my thing, really.

22. How do you spend the holidays?

I'm thinking we'll spend more with his family than mine, since we're right in town with his.

23. Who is more jealous?

Me.

24. How long did it take to get serious?

This should be a blog post in itself! We weren't serious until February 2008.

25. Who eats more?

Brad does...but only because I restrain :) He's not a huge eater, but I always give him big portions.

26. What do you do for a living?

Brad is a self-employed sub-contractor, and he works for his Dad's construction company. I work at a bank as a banker.

27. Who does the laundry?

Me...

28. Who drives when you are together?

Brad always drives when we're together.

29. What is your song?

You know...we don't really have one! I have a million songs that remind me of him, of us...but none that are "our" songs. We danced to "Shelter" by Ray LaMontagne for our first dance...so maybe that one?

Alright...I'd love to see some of my blog friends post this with their answers!!

dilemma

It's Sunday, and that means bill paying and menu planning in our household. And I'm sure you can all make the correct assumption of who's doing the paying and planning ;)

anyway, my dilemma: planning meals for two people who prefer (and need) completely different foods. case in point:

Brad - tall, thin, endlessly burning metabolism.
Seanna - none of the above. (granted, i'm not heavy, but that is only because i have to eat and exercise to avoid the weight gain)

On top of it, I was raised eating incredible Southern foods...fried chicken, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, rich casseroles...YUM. Brad? He grew up eating rice with vegetables, healthy soups...AKA light, healthy food. Therefore, Brad doesn't have much taste for the foods that I love, and the same is true vice versa. The problem here is that the foods I love to cook and eat are the foods I shouldn't be eating, but the foods that I should be eating and Brad prefers are the foods that I HATE cooking. I attempted to find recipes on the Cooking Light website, but talk about pretty foods that you need sixty million ingredients to make, not to mention that their servings are like, ONE CUP. so where did I end up? On Recipe Zaar. Searching for casseroles.

Sigh.