Things are getting much better

Hey Friends,

Sorry for the vague / sad posts lately, and for the lack of posting at all!  The big news is, John and I have decided to end our 2 1/2 year relationship.  The last couple of weeks I've been in a bit of turmoil - finding a new apartment, figuring out how to pack & move with a full-time job, while also dealing with the emotional stuff.

But luckily, John and I will still be friends.  And I actually mean that this time.  I've never had much luck with staying friends with ex's in the past (emotionally it's just hard), but I know that John and I came into each other's lives for a reason, and I can't imagine my life without him in it.

Honestly, I know this was the right move for us.  He's going to take his path and find the right girl for him, and I'm going to take mine and find the right boy for me.  Perfectly imperfect pairs, as I see it. :)

So over the past couple of weeks I've been focusing on me - working hard, finding a new place, finding a way to pack with a full time job, and moving in and getting set up!  It's been quite a whirlwind!  I still don't have internet at home either, so posting will be hard for the next couple of weeks.  I'll do what I can though!

I can't wait to post pictures of the new place.  It's so freakin' cute, and perfect for me.
Thank you to everyone who was there for me during this difficult / crazy time.  You know who you are.  I knew I could count on you, and I love you with every inch of my heart.

Here's to a new chapter in my life!
Love,
Beth

Image via Pinterest

Head VS Heart

Sometimes, things are hard

Sometimes the right choice isn't the easiest choice.
Sometimes a bottle of wine is the only thing to make you feel better (for at least a short amount of time).
Sometimes you just need some time to yourself.
Time away.
Time to listen to your heart (no matter what it says).
Time to grow and understand.
Time to figure out what the fuck is going on.

Sigh.  Things are tough right now.

I know they will get better.  But right now it sucks.

Luckily I have good friends that can console me with some good company, and some good food.

And wine.  Lots of wine.

Image via Pinterest. 

Two Years!

Two years ago today I went on my first date with John!  
I can't believe it's already our 2-year anniversary - how time has flown.  This is officially my longest relationship ever (it beat my 2nd longest by an entire year)!  And what's great is that it's been so easy.  Sure we have our rough patches as every relationship does, but love wins out every time. 

What do I love most about us as a couple? 

We can always make fun of ourselves. 
We make each other laugh. 
We both love to dance. 
We find happiness in the little things. 
We love to cook together. 
We know when a hug is needed. 
We are there for each other in the tough times. 
We are excited to tell each other things. 
We respect each other. 
We love each other! 

Here's to two pretty fantastic years, John - and for more to come!

St. Baldrick's Event - We shaved our heads!

Well, this weekend we did it!! 

Just a reminder - here is what we drove to Durango for, and why. :)

Taryn and I packed up some things (along with John), got up at the butt crack of dawn on Saturday (her birthday), and drove about 7 hours down to Durango.  It was a beautiful drive - the Aspens have started changing and they were all beautiful yellows & oranges scattered through the evergreens.  It was gorgeous!

We stopped at a tiny diner along the way (I think it was called Rooster's Crow or something), and got some coffee and breakfast, and a cinnamon roll the size of my head.

After breakfast we were back on the road again!

A nice "we still have hair" shot, with our big huge coffee mugs.  It was a bit chilly that morning!

John, contemplating breakfast with a beard scratch.

When we arrived in Durango, we decided to stop for a quick beer and some snacks.  We went to Steamworks, which had some pretty amazing beer!  Taryn even got a free drink because it was her birthday.  Win!  I had their Oktoberfest beer - it was absolutely fantastic.

Then we headed down to the center of town (it was such a beautiful & super cute area - I am now a fan of Durango for sure!), and we found out that it was Oktoberfest that day!  How fun!

John and Taryn - striking a pose at Oktoberfest!

Sisters & sunglasses!

We realized we were pretty pooped, so we got checked into our hotel and took naps.  My dad arrived shortly after (he rode his motorcycle down to spend the weekend with us), and after we all got cleaned up we headed to the Irish Embassy where the big event was going down!  We had to have some dinner first - I got their fish & chips (probably the best fish & chips I've ever had), and we all enjoyed some drinks.

They had an amazing Irish band there that struck up in song towards the end of our dinner.  They were awesome!  They had violinists, a guitar player, a flute player, a woman on the keyboard - and even an accordion!  They were so much fun!

Shortly after that - the head-shaving began!!

Taryn went before me...

John thought she looked like Tank Girl in this shot - haha!  Look at that smile! :)

Just about done! 

My turn!  I was a little freaked out at first - had some butterflies in my tummy, and a moment of "what the hell am I doing!?"  But it was awesome.  And the band played a little jig in the background while each of us were shaved.

Off it comes!

Taking off the last few bits!

Oh my gosh - it's all gone!  Ha!

It was so sweet because he gave us a special little shout out and had us tell our story.  They were thrilled about how much money our team had raised - over $3,600!  They even gave a shout out to our team member that couldn't be there (Megan) - Taryn told the guy that she was our "friend in Derby", and he thought she said "friend in Germany" - so that was pretty hilarious.

Here is Megan's lovely finished product!  She rocks it!

And here are the "after" pictures for Taryn & I!

John's hairier than I am now!  Haha!
He was so supportive of this whole thing - it only made me love him more.  Such a great guy. :)

Taryn got a free car-bomb for her birthday.  It was her first!  And after the hangover, probably her last... ha!

Such a happy girl!

Us with some of the other ladies that got their heads shaved that night - such amazing women!  They were fantastic!

Our new Scottish / Irish / English friend Richard - he told us jokes & stories, and his friend Roy was awesome too.  We had a really wonderful night!

This is one of my favorite pictures of the evening too - before & after!  Ha!

The next day we had some breakfast at the hotel, and made the long drive back to Denver (rubbing our heads in amazement).

All-in all it was a wonderful experience.  I'm so glad I did it, and that we could help such a great cause.  THANK YOU to everyone who made our team so successful, and who supported us in this endeavor!  You are all SO amazing, and my heart was so happy with love that I thought it would burst.

And by the way, showers are an absolute breeze.  :)

Dealing with stuff - Song For Sid

I know I haven't been around as much lately...  I got sick this week with a pretty bad cold, and only just started feeling better last night.  Luckily it was just in time for the Langhorne Slim show at the Bluebird (he's probably my most favorite singer/songwriter and live performer on the planet).

He performed a new song that he wrote about his grandpa, Sid - and I was tearing up pretty bad.  Here is a video:





It's just such a lovely simple song, and with all of the stuff I've been going through lately with people getting older, people on the verge of dying - it made me sad.  I've been thinking a lot about how precious life is and how we need to enjoy every moment, and make our lives the best they can be.  Eat well so that we can live our lives fully.  Exercise so that we can be strong enough to chase our kids or play with the dog.  Educate ourselves so that we can always continue to learn.  Love deeply.  Cherish friendships.  Dance. 

After seeing my grandmas in Pennsylvania I thought a lot about life and death.  Happiness and sadness.  I think a lot about John's mom too, who may not be with us much longer due to cancer.

People come into our lives, people go.  Every story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. 

Just thinking about these things right now...

Our Valentine's Day Dinner (Eggplant "Parmesan" and Beet Cake recipes!)

Last night John and I celebrated Valentine's day (and his birthday)!  I made him stay in his office until I finished making dinner and setting up a little picnic in the living room for us... 

Yep, that's $4 champagne right there.  'Cause we're classy. ;)  

I'm just so happy that we could still make Valentine's Day special - without having to do a big expensive dinner out.  So it was really lovely, and I could stick to my Spending Fast!  Woohoo! 

Dinner was my own made-up version of Eggplant Parmesan - without all the cheese.  It turned out DELICIOUS!  I've never cooked with turnips before, but I've always wanted to try.  I bought one at the store over the weekend, and figured what the hell - I'd just wing it!  It actually cooks up really nicely - it has kind of a potatoey flavor.  I really liked it!

Here's how I made everything...  

Beth's Easy Eggplant "Parmesan" with Veggies 
(no cheese, but still YUMMY)

Ingredients
- 1 eggplant (sliced into 1/4 to 1/2" pieces)
- Panko bread crumbs
- 2 eggs (beaten in a bowl)
- 1 zucchini (sliced)
- 1 turnip (sliced thinly & quartered)
- 1/2 a yellow onion (diced)
- 3 cloves of garlic (minced)
- Pasta sauce (about 2 cups)
- Butter
- Olive oil
- Salt & pepper (to taste)

Directions
In a small pot, pour in the pasta sauce and set at a low heat so that it can warm up.
In a large pan, add a pad or two of butter, then add the onion, turnip, and garlic.  Saute for about 5 minutes or until slightly soft.  Add the zucchini & mix well - cook for another 3-4 minutes, season with salt & pepper, and set on a back burning over very low heat.

In another large pan, add enough olive oil for frying.  Coat each slice of eggplant in the beaten eggs, then press into the panko breadcrumbs.  Fry in the oil on each side for about 5 minutes, then set them on paper towels to drain.

To serve, cover the bottom of the plate with pasta sauce, add the sauteed veggies & turnips, then stack 2-3 of the fried eggplant on the side.

I couldn't get enough if it - and I totally went back for seconds.  After dinner, John and I watched a couple of episodes of "The Walking Dead".  

Aren't we romantic? :) 

The cake in the top left corner of the picture above is the beet cake that I made!  It actually turned out REALLY GOOD - even after refrigerating it overnight.  Here is the video that inspired me to make it: 



beet cake from tiger in a jar on Vimeo.

Isn't that just beautiful??  I had to give it a try, so I watched the video carefully and gathered all of the ingredients.  The video doesn't give much guidance as far as method, but I did my best with the information I had!  Here is what I used, along with what I did for the frosting: 

Beet Cake

I know it sounds a bit of a strange combo, but the beets somehow made this cake really soft and spongy - I really enjoyed it.  You can't really taste the beets once you have all the sugar & chocolate mixed in, but they add kind of a sweet & tangy flavor in the background.  

It made 1 cake in a 9" pie pan, and about 6 cupcakes - so maybe a 9x13" baking pan would fit everything, but I didn't have a pan that big!  Haha! 

Ingredients
- Beets (2 cups), canned whole (or sliced)
- Flour (2 cups)
- Brown Sugar (1 ½ cups)
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate (4oz)
- Baking Soda (2 tsp)
- Salt (1/4 tsp)
- Butter (1 cup)
- Vanilla (1 tsp)
- Eggs (3), beaten

For icing
- Powdered sugar
- Red food coloring
- Soymilk

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Put the beets in a blender or food processor, and pulse until smooth.

Wow, those are some REALLY red beets, huh?

Pour into a bowl, and add vanilla and eggs - mix well.  Add the brown sugar, and mix.  In a separate bowl, melt the chocolate and the butter - mix together and set aside.  In another large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda - sift to combine.  Mix the chocolate & butter into the bowl with the beets, then slowly add the flour mixture to combine everything.  

Pour into a lightly oiled baking dish, and place in the oven for about 15-30 minutes*.  Poke a toothpick in the center - when it comes out clean it's all done!

*Looking back - I actually used 2 CANS of beets instead of 2 CUPS of beets - so my cooking may have taken a bit longer because of this.  Honestly I'll probably make it this way again though, since I liked how light & fluffy it was!  Basically just keep an eye on it while it's in the oven so that it doesn't over-bake. 

To make the icing, add some powdered sugar into a bowl and add a splash of soymilk.  Mix well, and add a teeny bit of soymilk at a time to thin it out.  Add a couple of drops of red food coloring to make it pink!

I really liked this recipe, and I definitely think I'll make it again.  I think it was fantastic as cupcakes too!

On top of all that cooking fun I had yesterday - I got a FREE Starbucks coffee!  I LOVE GETTING FREE STUFF!!  I just filled out a survey online, so they sent me an e-gift certificate for $5 at Starbucks.  I was super excited.  So on my break yesterday I bundled up, and went to get myself a Grande Salted Caramel Mocha.  My favorite treat - and it was lovely. 

That there is my special backpack I got with my big sister when we were in Coney Island last year.  It's probably my most favorite thing I've ever purchased in New York, and it was only $20!  

We're off to the mountains for some snowboarding this weekend, so I hope you all have an AWESOME one!!  YAY FOR SNOWBOARDING!! 

Moving In...

So, it looks as though this crazy fellow and I are going to be living together in just a couple of months!  Kinda crazy!  Personally, I've never lived with a fella before.  I've had roommates, sure - but never a BOY roommate, let alone a BOYFRIEND roommate.  

Although I did move back in with my parents for 2 years.  That should give me some extra points on the "patience" and "compromise" charts. 

Anyhoodle, we're figuring out how to make this work well for both of us.  John has had experience w/ this sort of thing, and I haven't.  Since we'll have the space though, I'm going to have my own room.  What I mean is, that it'll be a room all to myself to do with what I like.  It'll be my little "Beth" space! :)

Also, we'll get to have separate bathrooms, which is pretty awesome.  Not that John has a typical "boy" bathroom - he's actually rather clean!  But it will be nice to have all of my girl crap in my own space.  

There's something about separate / togetherness that just feels right to me.  I've been independent and living on my own for so long, that it will be quite an adjustment.  I'm sure it'll be an adjustment for John too!  I know we'll have a ton of fun together though, which puts me at ease.  It's a big step, but I'm sure it'll be a fun one!

Bridesmaid Dress Shopping

Because Meligrosa (from Bikes and The City) told me to get my darn camera fixed, I felt a bigger push to do so! :)

OK, to be honest, it's not exactly fixed. But the good news is, my lovely mother has been gracious enough to let me use hers until mine is back up & running again. Good woman!

This weekend Katy, Molly (Katy's sister) and I went bridesmaid dress shopping for Katy's wedding. It's not 'till next year, but she wants to get a jump start on everything (and apparently thinks that none of us will be gaining any weight before August of next year). ;)

The pics are kind of blurry (eh, I didn't really know how to use my mom's camera entirely), so bear with me here...

This one I call the "Sex & the City" bridesmaid dress. I thought it was super cute, but someone mentioned that maybe we should all wear a huge hat with feathers & birds in it too...

This one I call the "Fish" dress (because of the scales). I think we kinda ruled this out after all of the other more exciting ones we tried on.

This one I though of as the "Roman" dress - very elegant - I felt like a princess. It was WAY too long (I'm wearing 5" heels in this pic, and it's still dragging), but that can always be fixed. Molly looked lovely in it too.

This one was by far the surprise of the day. On the hanger I called it the "Grandma" dress, but once Molly & I tried it on I fell in love! Shows you can't tell a dress by it's hanger. (Get it? Eh?) It looked really classy & modern - although doesn't really go with Katy's HOLLYWOOD GLAM theme for her wedding.

Now THIS one definitely goes with the theme. The fit wasn't perfect, but it was very cute. We liked the ruffles at the top near the bustline.


This one was very cute, but utterly crappy compared to the earlier dresses. Everything at Nordstrom was absolutely lovely (the first pics), but the ones we found at Macy's were icky. Bad fabrics, bad stitching, and the fitting rooms seemed downright prison-cell-like. We still took a snapshot of this dress though (nice face by me), since we liked the look of it.

The last ones here are from Jessica McClintock, and boy, Jessica - you sure don't like ladies with figures, do ya?? To be honest I was kind of sickened by the sizing all together. At Nordstrom I fit into a size 10 in most of the brands they carried, but at Jessica McClintock I could BARELY fit into a size 12 - which really meant I needed a size 14 - which most of the dresses weren't even carried in. BALONEY.

All in all we had a pretty successful shopping experience! Now we just have to get everyone on the same page with which dress Katy chooses, and all into the right sizes, etc.... yikes. ;)

Dating.....again?

So guess who's gettin' back on the ol' horse again?

Yep, that'd be me.

I actually met a nice fellow recently....how, do you ask? OnLINE!! Crazy, huh?? I'm quite surprised myself.

It's still really super early on, but I like him. He's funny and cute and smart and seems to think I'm funny and cute and smart too. I think that's a darn good start.... ;)

Friendship & shit...

I think I've reached a point in my life where I only want to keep the good people around.

I know I'm not the only one who has put up with a lot of bullshit in the past from people that considered themselves friends. After a while, it starts to wear on you. You begin wondering why you keep letting these people stick around - shit, you've dumped boyfriends for less!

On another note, I believe in forgiveness - wholeheartedly. I believe that everyone screws up every now & then, and nobody is perfect. However, when someone keeps screwing up in the same ways and begins to expect your forgiveness, the scales become tipped. It gets all thrown out of whack, and you end up being the schmuck that somebody is walking all over. That ain't friendship, folks.

Since my camera is still broken (I'm hoping to have a new one to borrow by tomorrow - thank goodness!) I've attached some inspiring friendship / love photos from www.wehartit.com, accompanied by a little list of things that I think true friendship should be all about. Not what it shouldn't...

It's about laughing with someone, even if you're not particularly happy, but you're appreciating that they're trying really hard to cheer you up.

It's about spending time with someone unselfishly. Being with each other because you love each other.

It's about someone being there for you in your happiest moments, and your saddest... even if it means them sacrificing something else to do so.

Not just giving advice, but listening.


Doing a favor for that person, not because you expect anything back, but because you love them and you know they'd do the same thing for you without you needing to ask.

Understanding the right time to speak up, and the right time to shut up.

Giving really good hugs.


Guess that's all I needed to say for today!

Katy & George - ENGAGED!

I am so happy for these guys!! Katy is one of my closest friends, and I couldn't be more excited for the two of them. Here are some photos of the day George popped the question, as well as the story behind it....

Katy had no idea what I was planning, which is just how I wanted it. I bought the ring the week before and knew I wanted to go to some pretty nature spot to ask her. I suggested taking the motorcycle up to Estes Park because we have not really gotten a chance to ride together yet this season. We made the 90 or so mile trek up to Estes, and our butts were very sore when we arrived! Like anything, you have to work your way up to such a long ride - lesson learned. Anyways, so we go to Estes, continued on to Rocky Mountain National Park. I was running low on gas, and I was not quite sure where the spot I had picked out with my cousin Jason the week prior was. I guess it didn't really matter, because Katy got cold (the sun is shining in RMNP, but there is still 3 feet on the side of the road). We were almost on our way out of the park, so I pulled over and found what I hoped to be a semi-decent place. There were lots of people around, so I suggested we go exploring off-trail. The spot was not exactly what I had planned, but I could not really bear it any longer - I was too nervous! So, I got on one knee and proposed. She was very surprised, but very excitedly said yes. Then I forgot to put the ring on her finger. Whoops! We hung out for a bit there (pic 1), climbed back up and had someone take a pic for us (pic 2), and then grabbed lunch in town and rode home. We went out later to watch the roller-derby bout and meet up with some friends. That's the story!


CUTE, eh? Katy is already talking about doing some kind of destination, which fits perfectly with her adventurous personality. I will have to start saving up my money now, as I'm definitely going to be there (wherever they go) to celebrate! Sigh, love is certainly in the air! :)