Blue Apron Could Change My Life :D

The last couple weeks we've had a surge of cool nights and mild days, it has been absolute bliss! I do enjoy the summer but I love the Fall, so this weather has me excited for what's to come over the next few months :) Last week I took the kids I babysit to the Arnold Arboretum in JP and it was a perfect day...

                                                                                                        

  So gorgeous!                                          Does it get any cuter? 

Besides the gorgeous weather, I have been enjoying my weekends so much lately. Last weekend I spent time with good friends, and it's only after a day with a girlfriend that I realize just how important they are to my life. Whether we're talking about our significant others, our jobs, our parents, by the end of the conversation I always feel like I've just learned a little bit more about myself and have grown as a person (even if it's just a teeny bit!). Besides that, it's ALWAYS a good way get out some stress and get in some good laughs! 

This past George had a frisbee tournament out in Western Mass so I spent time with my family, kayaking on Saturday and hiking Mt. Monadnock on Sunday. I was a bit hesitant about how Liv would do on the hike but she was such a rockstar, she loved every minute of the three hour hike!

                Very proud of herself!                                         Liv jammin' out. 

 
             
Life is good.

It's especially good because we've decided to try out a meal, delivery service called Blue Apron. Once a week they deliver fresh ingredients for three delicious meals, and it's $9.99 for each meal; for two people it's typically about $60 a week but they're running a great special right now, 3 meals for only $40 - go check it out! I can't wait to try this for three reasons:

• We buy lots of veggies and meat that we end up throwing away because it's too much for just the two of us. Blue Apron serves the correct proportions for each meal so there should be very limited waste.
• We often have the same sort of meals every week, there's little variety. This new approach will allow us to learn new recipes and enjoy unique foods that we wouldn't typically purchase.
• Less time grocery shopping! Seriously, this is a big win for me. My main focus for grocery shopping will be breakfast and lunch food - easy peasy! 

At first the thought of only 3 meals being delivered was a negative but I thought about it and there's usually a night or two during the week where one of us isn't home or running late, so we'll just have cereal or a sandwhich and then on the weekends we typically eat out or at our family's homes. I'll be sure to write about our Blue Apron experience next week! :)

One of the meals for next week: Spice-Rubbed Pork Medallions with Peach Salsa, YUM.

Image Courtesy: Blue Apron

It Does the Body GOOOOD.

There is nothing like vacation, nothing at all. Half the fun is the build up to it, having something to look forward to and knowing that you'll soon have a reprieve from the daily frustrations/monotony of life. I don't consider myself a very high maintenance person but one thing I truly need in my life is vacation. When I first met Geo, he was pretty much the opposite. However, I'm happy to say that I think he's come around to my way of living :) We really treasure our escapes and that's why pictures are so important!

Here are some from Mexico that I've been meaning to post:

I love these top three photos because I'm never this excited about going home but this time we had such exciting news to share with our friends and family (our engagement!) that you can tell I was happy :)

                           

Mexico was amazing for many reasons but our family trip to Maine last week was also a great time.

First ice cream trip of the week (with many more to follow...), with the roof off. Who brought the cool kids? 

Our wedding venue offers wifi in their canoes... do I need to say more?

G's first time looking at where we'll be married! It was so beautiful and such a nice touch to our already lovely week. The food was delish and the DYI tour was fun too :) 

Liv fell asleep in the sun, so naturally her family members came to the rescue.

On a side note, Geo and I moved our mattress into the living room a couple weeks ago so that my sisters could sleep over and we'd all be in one room together (minus Geo), however the bf and I have gotten a little too comfy with it being right in front of the tv...

PS. Yesterday we ended our night by doing the NYT crossword puzzle together, it was silly and dorky and such a great way to end the day :)

Things I loved today...

Not every day is a great day but I'm realizing it's important to notice even the smallest, more insignificant moments and find greatness in them. So in an effort to do so, let's talk about today... It was a fairly typical day but there were some things I really loved about it :)

1. Geo and I commuted into the city together. Usually I work from home but today I spent the day in the city for a client meeting and to review some things with my business partner. Did I enjoy the sweaty, stinky, stuffy ride in on the T? No. Did I enjoy every second of sitting next to my fiancee during a time of the day that we normally aren't together? Yes. Who wouldn't want to T it in with that face? :D

2. The smell of coffee in the morning - is there anything better?

3. Reading quotes by Gretchen Rubin in a Good Housekeeping magazine. I read her book, "The Happiness Project" last year and took so much away from it. Gretchen suggests that everyone create their own list of commandments, that they then live by, here are hers" 

1. Be Gretchen.
2. Let it go.
3. Act the way I want to feel.
4. Do it now.
5. Be polite and be fair.
6. Enjoy the process.
7. Spend out.
8. Identify the problem.
9. Lighten up.
10. Do what ought to be done.
11. No calculation.
12. There is only love.

Her book really struck a cord with me but if you're looking for just a snapshot of what she has to say about happiness, check out her blog! :) http://www.happiness-project.com/

4. Lastly, I really loved ending my day with Geo. Our schedules are so busy lately, it's truly rare that we spend a night alone, on the couch, cuddling and watching our favorite shows together. Tonight was one of the nights we did that and I loved it.

Now that I'm sitting here writing this post, I realize I could go on and on about the things I loved today, which just goes to show me that maybe it wasn't just a typical day, maybe if I sit down and think about my days more often, I'll realize how special each one is. Not a bad idea, not bad at all!

Grooving

Ever feel like your brain is just twirling and swirling and there's no end in sight? That is how I feel this week. There are so many loose ends in every facet of my life that need to be reeled in and sorted out.

Here are some of the issues at hand...

1. We spent much of our 4th of July weekend with Geo's family and it was the first time we saw many of his family members post our engagement, so there was lots of wedding excitement going on. Which was great and so much fun to talk about, however I had kind of stopped thinking about wedding planning (I mean it's over a year away, I've got ages to sort it out, right?), but after talking about it with them I started to think of ALL the things that need to get done, one of them being figure out the music. 

How are we going to get everyone off there butts, on their feet and GROOVING?! 

Since we aren't serving alcohol at our wedding, we need to have killer music! We've started to put a playlist together but I'd love to hear if any readers (if there are any!) have song "MUSTS". Two of our favorites are: 

AND

2. Since our wedding isn't until October, 2014 we are going to use this year to save and hopefully purchase a house before the big day. I've been drawn to coastal towns for a long time and George grew up in one, so needless to say, we are both in love with a coastal town :) Scituate, MA is perfectly us. 

One thing I'm not over-thinking or stressing about is my family vacation to Maine next week. I. CANNOT. WAIT.

Flash back here: http://www.lifeofaub.blogspot.com/2010/07/my-maine-squeezes.html 

I love this image...

I love this image! If a book is good it will transport you into another world, bring you on a journey, and if it's really good, you won't just read about the characters, you'll become the characters (those are my favorite!).

I LOVE this image because Geo and I have started to talk about honeymoon options and we're leaning towards and adventure filled one! :) Yes, a tropical island would be amazing but going on an adventure and EXPERIENCING new things together - those memories and moments would be with us forever. I'm thinking fly out to Wyoming, drive to Vancouver and cruise up to Alaska... thoughts?!

This just made me laugh :) 

Pinterest... I'm officially a Bride.

Being a social media junkie (personally and professionally), I've had a Pinterest account for quite some time now but up until, oh about 3 weeks ago, I rarely used it. Oh, have the tides changed. I go on it every night, I'm serious, every night and sometimes during the day too... and what are my searches, you ask?

- weddings
- wedding flowers
- wedding dresses
- wedding colors
- bridesmaids fun
- groomsmen attire

Snapshot of my pins! 

http://pinterest.com/aubss44/big-day-ideas/

You get the general picture. I've become Pinterest obsessed and all I can blame it on is my newest title, "Bride to Be".

Since I obviously have nothing else on my mind lately (besides getting my company off it's feet), let's talk about my wedding ring :)

Just typing it literally makes me smile! haha

I'm not a super flashy person (like, at all, I'm at Starbucks right now in gym gear, no makeup, no jewelry and messy hair - oy), and although diamond rings are beautiful, I just always loved the idea of a sapphire ring. So when Geo got down on one knee and presented me with a sapphire ring, I was beyond excited. I was even more excited when I recognized the ring as my Grandmother's :)

My family was very close to my Mom's parents, Grams and Da, so much that my Da lived with us for a few years before he passed away. My Grams passed away when I was in elementary school but I (and probably my brother, Cullen) have many memories of her and were lucky enough to spend much of our childhood with her. And my grandfather, Da was just an amazing man. Truly a one of a kind gentleman. Before he got sick with Alzheimer's, I don't have a single memory of him ever getting angry or frustrated, I'm sure he did but he was always full of happiness and kindness when around us kids. Beyond his kind demeanor, he was also an incredibly devoted and loving husband. Driving my license-free Grams around for their entire marriage, always going out of his way to help her in the kitchen, garden, household duties, and working overtime to purchase her this ring that he knew she loved. He really just wanted to make her happy, and he did whatever he could do to make that happen. My Mom gave Geo this ring, knowing that I'd love it, and I couldn't be happier. It means so much to me for so many reasons :)

He's a Great One :)

Happy Father's Day! So many great memories and so many more to come :)

Thanks Dad!