Halloween Monster Pumpkin

I would like to preface this post by pointing out that I never in my life claimed to be an artist, or even the least bit artistic, so go easy on me! Ever since our dog, Gus, was a little monster Ryan always said that he had "bat ears", which is completely true. So, when the time came to figure out what to carve on our pumpkin the idea of Gus's "bat ears" popped into my head and I became inspired.  I decided to turn out "bat ear" dog into a bat-dog, and being that I quickly forget so many of my ideas I quickly sat down to sketch out an idea.  A few minutes and a ton of wadded pieces of paper later I had completed my drawing, I was thrilled with myself. I quickly e-mailed a picture of my sketch to Ryan, an e-mail to which his only response was "you're crazy".

Tracing my sketch onto the pumpkin was not difficult at all, but me, a pumpkin carving virgin, was more worried about how it would look once I had a knife in hand. I must say that the end product turned out a lot better than I was expecting (primarily because I managed to keep all my digits in tact) and the pumpkin actually resembles my sketch! Here are a few pictures of my artistic venture, go me!

Hope everyone has a very scary Halloween!

Green With Envy

Let me take a quick second to let you in on a recipe for THE most delicious salad that I have ever had.  If you find yourself putting hot sauce on nearly everything you are in good company because over the years I have come to find that hot sauce is my culinary Achilles heel. From Tabasco to jalapenos to Sriracha I do not discriminate, so when I stumbled upon this recipe in Ryan's Men's Health magazine I knew it was one I would have to try.  This recipe is incredibly easy and oh-so-satisfying, definitely allowing you to make a meal out of your salad! And now I introduce to you Asian Beef Salad with Sriracha Honey Dressing

What You Need:

• 1 lb flank steak
• Salt and Ppepper (to taste)
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 tsp Sriracha (add more if you want to make it hotter, duh)
• 1/2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce 
• 1 lime's worth of juice
• 1/2 cup EVOO
• 1 bag watercress (if you like the peppery bite) or a bag of spring mix
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 small red onion (unless you're a freak who likes raw onion, ewww)
• 1+ avocado, sliced (the more the merrier in my book)      
• 1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced
• handful of fresh cilantro  

What You Do:

1.

Sear the steak: Preheat a grill, grill pan, or cast-iron skillet on medium high. Season the steak with salt and pepper and cook it to medium rare, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Let the steak rest for at least 5 minutes and then slice it thinly across the grain.

2.

Make the dressing: While the meat rests, combine the honey, Sriracha, soy sauce, and lime juice with a pinch of pepper in a mixing bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil.

3.

Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, toss the steak slices with the vegetables and cilantro. Drizzle in the dressing and toss until the salad is lightly coated.

*As with any recipe, feel free to alter quantities to taste. For instance, with the Sriracha I put in a TON more than 1 tsp and about 1 tbsp soy sauce opposed to the recommended 1/2 tbsp. It is your salad, so go on ahead and do whatever you darn well please!* 

ENJOY! 

Engagement Pictures

This past weekend Ryan, Gus and I went to St. Louis to take our engagement pictures and to check out some wedding band options.  My friend Lauren and her boyfriend Trent, of Trent Broglin Photography, spent all afternoon with us, taking pictures all around the St. Louis area. We shot at Chandler Hill Vineyard as well as various locations around Forest Park. Initially I was nervous going into Saturday because it was supposed to rain all day, but thankfully the rain held off and we had a gorgeous day for pictures! As you know, I am obsessed with our 2 year old French Bulldog/Boston Terrier mix, Mr. Gus-Gus, so it was only right to bring him along and include him in the pictures!

The first place we took pictures was at Chandler Hill Vineyard in Defiance, MO (about 45 out of St. Louis).  The vineyard and beautiful sky was a lovely backdrop for some really great pictures.

 

 

 

 

Love this picture, Gus's tongue hanging out is just too funny!

While leaving Chandler Hill, Trent spotted an old barn-house so we took a 20 minute detour to take a few more pictures. This house was so dilapidated but so beautiful, really provided a pretty background for these pictures. Also, the yard of this house was scattered with black walnuts which Trent used to prop up my ring for a close-up picture

 

After leaving Chandler Hill and eating some lunch we headed towards Forest Park. If you have never been to Forest Park let me tell you one thing; you are missing out! My mom and grandma used to take me to Forest Park when I was little, so I cannot help but to think of them whenever I visit. We took pictures at various locations around the park and even took a dip in the fountain at the base of Art Hill. While Trent was taking pictures, Lauren was the official dog wrangler, keeping an eye on Gus and providing plenty of entertainment as he attempted to drag her all around the park!

 

 

 

As always, Gus was the true star of the show.Out of all of the pictures in the preview, this one of Gus had more likes than any other, proving just how popular of a monster he really is!

*all of these pictures are the property of Trent Broglin Photography*

National Coming Out Day

I am not a member of the LGBT community but many people close to my heart are. So, in honor of National Coming Out Day this post is dedicated to these amazing people and celebrate all of the amazing things that these individuals have to offer. From family members to co-workers to friends, I know and love many people who have been made to feel as though their love is less than their heterosexual counterparts and this thought is heartbreaking for me. Your love, friendship, strength and sense of who you are is truly a source of inspiration and I do not know that I communicate this as much as I should. So, cheers to you and all of your awesomeness, here's to hoping that soon everyone's hearts will be filled with love and acceptance!

Date For The Relationship You Want

I'll bet you an imaginary dollar that you have heard the expression "dress for the job you want, not the one you have" or something similar, right? Good! Well I dare say that a variation of the same is true for relationships. 

How many times have you gone on a date with a guy, made out in the back seat of his car and then cried yourself to sleep because he never called you back? Too many times is my guess.  There is this universal idea called the rule of attraction which postulates that like attracts like, aka girls putting out attract men who are looking for a little action and not a relationship (and quite frankly are not fit to be in one). So many girls go into dates thinking that the guy will be more likely to show interest if they put out, which is true, but in cases like this all that the guys are interested in is sex not what kind of girlfriend or wife you would be. Women also tend to think that you need to put out in order to keep a guy around, again this is true, but rest assured that these are not the type of men you want hanging around. Don't get me wrong, I am a big believer in the mythical "stripper with a heart of gold"-esque urban legend, but much like whoreish men, they are few and far between so holding your breath would be ill-advised.You may be asking yourself what this all means and to be honest it is quite simple, date for the relationship you want.

If you are looking for a fling or a hook-up buddy getting drunk and fooling around on the first date is a great idea because this is the type of "relationship" you are looking for, however, if this is not what you want I would strongly advise against this behavior.  Your behavior in the first few dates sets the tone for the rest of the relationship and puts you into the appropriate "zone" (friend zone, girlfriend zone, booty call zone). If you are looking for a relationship it is so important that you present yourself as someone who is girlfriend material: respectable, intelligent, classy and confident. All of these qualities (in addition to numerous others) are ones that are positively associated with the "girlfriend" prototype and depicting yourself in this manner lets the guy see you as someone who is girlfriend material, or at least it plans the seed in his mind. 

After the first few weeks of dating gone by it is so important that you keep up the classy behavior meaning no sex, oral or otherwise. Yes, you read that correctly, I am advising you against having sex and here is the reason why.  Most any guy can wait a week or two for sex, but a guy who can wait a month or more is someone who is into you for reasons other than your body, meaning that he is interested in who you are as a person. If a guy likes you for these reasons, the right reasons, he will have no problem keeping it in his pants for as long as it takes for him to win your heart. Plus, even the best guys lose interest early on in the relationship if sex is freely offered up. Not having sex early in a relationship forces the guy to get to know you and form a bond with you over something other than lust and desire, instead he begins to become attached to you because he cares for, and respects, who you are as a person. This early process can be tedious and frustrating, but if you are really and truly wanting a partner in life then it is one that needs to handled with patience and care because it really is one of the most important phases in any relationship.

Once this attachment has been established and exclusivity has been decided upon intimacy can be incorporated into the relationship. Having an emotional commitment to each other is so critical to having a well-rounded and satisfying sexual relationship. Granted, you can have great sex with some random person, but if it is with someone you care about then the connection goes so much deeper and makes the sex that much more satisfying.  Plus, if you are having sex with someone who cares about you they are going to be a lot more likely to take your sexual needs and desires into consideration which ultimately leads to greater sexual satisfaction. 

When dating it is so important to keep your eye on the prize and not let yourself be distracted by "bad boys" and those who are not worth your time. The more time you spend with these types of guys the more likely you are to let the right guy walk right by you. It is important to spend your energy seeking out relationships that are good for you and walking away from those that aren't. To be honest, I have been in (and stayed in) my fair share of dysfunctional relationships because I was afraid of being alone and I figured that something is better than nothing, but now I see just how wrong I was. After each of these relationships ended I would tell myself that love is a learning process and that the payoff would be well worth it and it totally is. Dating my exes taught me exactly what I want/need in a relationship and what I won't put up with and enabled me to refine my dating game and find someone who is very well-suited for me. The worst thing we can do is not learn from our past because it has so much insight to offer us for our future. Keep your eye on the prize ladies because I assure you that there is someone out there who is looking for someone just like you, you just need to keep your eyes open so you don't miss him when he is right in front of you.

Chicago For The Weekend

Whoa baby, to say this past week has been a whirlwind would be a gross understatement.  Ryan got back from Africa Wednesday afternoon and Thursday we left for Chicago to attend one of Ryan's high school friend's wedding.  Since Ryan's body was still on Africa time (7 hours ahead) he decided that our best bet was to leave KC at 2 a.m. Thursday.  I hate road trips because I get all agoraphobic (fear of being unable to easily escape) which results in a lot of anxiety, needless to say that I did not sleep much on that trip.  

We rolled into Chicago around 10 on Thursday morning and immediately went to meet up with Ryan's friend Christine, Mike and Pat who were staying at Christine's place. From here we went to a nearby restaurant whose name I cannot recall for the life of me, and had one of THE best meals that I have ever had.  I would describe this restaurant as a delicatessen-gastropub-chic-esque place with a menu that is drool-worthy.  I got a roasted chicken, brie, Fuji apple and sprout ciabatta sandwich that was killer and Mike got vanilla bean brioche french toast. This french toast blew my mind, so good. 

Vanilla bean brioche french toast with granola, blueberries, strawberries and blackberries with a custard sauce..yummm

Later in the day we headed to a Chicago suburb for the wedding. The groom was Hispanic so the ceremony was bi-lingual and the reception had so many neat Hispanic touches which was really cool.  The couple surprised everyone with a wonderful mariachi band who were incredibly entertaining and talented. 

Mackesiecker coming at ya!

Ryan and I

Mariachi band

The singer

The next morning we left to go back to Ryan's friend Andrea's apartment in Wrigleyville and spent the afternoon drinking and playing "bags" on the rooftop deck. Malorie drove down from Milwaukee to visit and Lindsay and her boyfriend Steve met up with us to go out for drinks.  Needless to say, but it was a good day.

View of downtown Chicago from Andrea's Wrigleyville apartment

Playing bags on the rooftop deck

Mid-afternoon cat nap, this getting married business is exhausting!

Malorie, Migs and I.... reunited at last!