Sunday, March 8, 2015

Here's What He Should Know

I was scrolling through Facebook this morning while having my morning coffee & I clicked on a Thought Catalog article. The title intrigued me enough so I started reading, & then I started furiously typing.

Yes, I've been dreaming of my Prince since I was three years old. Walt Disney and Rogers & Hammerstein movies kinda set me up for a false reality of romance. I've always been friends with boys & growing up in a family full of male cousins & with two brothers of my own, I learned from an early age how to be comfortable around them. (Talking here as if we're dealing with an endangered species or something). I've only had one "boyfriend" and we all know how that ended, so I'm hesitant to even call it a legit relationship. Maybe it was at first, but it's not exactly one that I want recorded in my love-life-file. 

I'm in college now, I'm going to be 20 years old in three months &  I'm going to admit it. 

I've never been in love. 

The revelation hit me the other day while stopped at an intersection after Rachel and I had picked up Starbucks. This is what my wise best friend told me: "that's good." Now that I think about it, I realize she's right. I thought I was in love and that screwed me over. I've liked multiple guys, even kissed multiple guys, but I can now say that I have never loved any of them. Does that make me sound trashy? Sorry. I am after all, a college student & trust me, we do a lot of stupid things. 

Why haven't I loved any of them? Because I'm actually smarter than I give myself credit, and I know that I haven't found him. I haven't found the one that God has created to be my person. I haven't found my future husband. He's out there somewhere, and it's really mind-boggling, but I may have already met him. He may be at this very school right now, who knows! Regardless, I haven't found him yet. And that's okay. 

Being single pretty much all of my teenage (& so far my adult) life, I've had a lot of time to discern what exactly it is that I am looking for. And all those boys along the way have either helped me realize what I don't want, or given me a sample of what I do want. So s/o to them. Basically what I'm getting to, is after reading that article & thinking about this a bit, I came up with a few things.  


I’d rather find someone who’s highly ambitious about his career. I’d rather find someone who’d like to wait a few years before starting a family but who would be open to one whenever God blessed us. I’d rather be in a relationship where we both work, but I’d like to eventually work from home. I’d rather be with someone who loves to travel but is also content with being a homebody. I’d rather be with someone who is confrontational & approaches a problem as it occurs. 

I’d rather be with someone who enjoys parties & social events but knows when to stay in & enjoys watching Netflix. I’d rather be with an early bird so we can have our morning coffee together & watch the news or get ready together. I want to be with someone who watches dramas & comedies instead of thrillers. I want someone who is affectionate & open about his feelings but not dramatic. It’s important that I find someone who can make me laugh but who I can also have an intellectual conversation with. I want someone who has many of the same interests & tastes that I do & I want us to be able to discover new things together. 

I need someone who is Roman Catholic or who will become Catholic before marrying me. I’d be content with settling down & establishing a life in one place rather than moving all the time if we still had the opportunity to travel. I’m interested in someone who decides on dates spur of the moment, but plans out when it comes to the important times (anniversaries, holidays, birthdays). I need someone who is able to be independent, as I am independent, but who enjoys spending a lot of time together as this is obviously what makes a relationship work. 

It’s important that I find someone who’s a wine-and-beer drinker but who enjoys a good Jack & coke or martini every now & then. I’d rather be with someone who isn’t extremely involved in sports but I won’t complain if he is. I want someone who is more of a city person but who is open to spending time in the outdoors. If we go on vacation, I’d rather be someone who lays on the beach with me, drinking margaritas & reading books rather than someone who wants to go skydiving & parasailing. I’m more interested in the person who sits calmly & who strikes up a conversation with me rather than being the life of the party. 

I want to be with someone who is more of an upbeat go-getter. I’m looking for a strong & romantic relationship in which we can still be quirky and boring together. If we’re watching a movie, I want someone who will make homemade popcorn and watch Breakfast at Tiffany’s or Bridesmaids with me on the couch. He can be a dog person but not a cat person. He doesn’t have to be a neat freak, but he shouldn’t be lax in his messes. I’m interested in someone who will cook meals with me the majority of nights per week. I want a movie-watcher who appreciates a good book & hasn’t passed reading off as “old-fashioned”. I need someone who’s opinions are in the same ballpark when it comes to politics, religion & style (that means Republican, Catholic and pretty please... preppy).

I’d rather be with someone who is open to having a big family but who will be happy with as many children as God blesses us with (I’m thinking three, maybe four?) 

And last but not least, I need a cuddler. 

Maybe I'm picky/needy, or maybe I just know exactly who I want. Oh, & honey, if you're reading this, I hope you know that I'm praying for you and I can't wait to find you. 


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Friday, March 6, 2015

Musings of a Foodie: Sushi Friday

Tonight is our last night in Fargo as we head back to school tomorrow afternoon. It's been a very low-key spring break & I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in an actual home with a family who has lovingly adopted me. 

Fridays during Lent are meat free, so sushi seemed like a good option. (Who am I kidding, sushi is a good option pretty much all the time, with very few exceptions). We had a 15% off coupon for this place on 45th street, so we hopped in the car and drove over. It was pretty decent sushi (considering we live in a state where the nearest large body of water is the Red River) & coupons are always appreciated, especially for broke college students. 


Rachel ordered the eel & avocado roll and crunchy roll which had tempura & avocado. 


I had the spicy salmon roll with cucumber & avocado.



Miso soup is my favorite. 




I am adding "exemplary third-wheeler" to my resume. 


And to top it all off, salmon sashimi because a few more months until I get hour old fresh fish can't come soon enough. 

If you're looking for a light Lenten meal in Fargo, try Samurai. Tonight was my first time going, but I'm generally a good judge of restaurants the first time around.  

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Thursday, March 5, 2015

Clay Your Way

Spring break is starting to be a lot of "break"... so this afternoon we decided to get out of the house and get crafty. We drove to a pottery place called Clay Your Way and got to work on our masterpieces. I haven't done anything like this since I was very young and it was so much fun to get my creative juices flowing. 




Picking out colors.


My beautiful best friend and roomie. 


So much concentration. 


And we brought along Rachel's mini me...I've adopted her as my little sister too. 




You can never have too many monograms. 


I always end up with red, white and blue. 


And elephants! Oh my. 


I guess they're cute. 


Rachel's artwork. 



Did my bowtie make you look twice?


We have a thing for mugs, okay?

I had a great time creating something super personal and it was refreshing to get out and do something totally out of the ordinary. These should be done in about a week and I can't wait to enjoy my morning coffee in something I made myself. 

Have you ever been to a shop like this? What are some other ways you like to channel your creative genius?

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Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Hooked On...

This kitchen: House of Cards has a way of drawing you in and not letting you go. Especially for the politically wired viewers like myself, the show is the perfect balance of suspense, scandal and senators. But regardless of the perfection of the show, can we talk about the interior design that is the Underwood's home?! I am obsessed. From the sleek appliances to the subtle lighting, Claire really knows how to plan out a kitchen. 

This water bottle: My bottle is actually the brand Contigo not Camelbak, because that's all Target had but it's literally the same thing except mine has markers on it that signify the ounces. I love the color because it is bright and cheerful and color is important. I have been infusing my water with lemons, grapefruit and strawberries and I've noticed that I drink so much more during the day when there is a hint of flavor. The labeled ounces make it easy to track how much water I am consuming and I've been taking a full bottle with me wherever I go. 

This graphic: Two of my favorite things, GOP and Lilly Pulitzer. Yes please. I have this set as my desktop image and I am completely obsessed. 

This journal: I recently decided that I need to start journaling again. Blogging is a wonderful outlet for me, but as I have made it public and the more it grows, I have to be careful about the more personal aspects of my life. I am a writer by nature, so having a place where I can jot down my private thoughts, fears and plane is key and having the right journal can make all the difference. I wanted one with spirals so I can write on a completely flat surface regardless of which page I'm on and I wanted one that preferably had quotes throughout it as I find a lot of inspiration in other's words. This one fit all my criteria and was under $10 at Barnes & Noble. 

This wallpaper: Are you noticing a theme here? Lilly Pulitzer prints are my favorite and anything with the American Flag is totally happening. This one is the lock screen on my iPhone. I'm really patriotic, okay?

This quote: What else is there to say? This quote speaks volumes. 

This mug: I'm on spring break and my best friend, her boyfriend, and I are spending the week at her house in Fargo. (We are so blessed that her gracious parents let us stay here, they are always so welcoming). Coming here is like coming to a second home and I'm so happy that I have a place that makes being so hard away from my own family a little bit easier. Anyway, I digress. Rachel's little sister has this Lilly Pulitzer mug that I steal every time we come home, and I'm pretty sure I'll have to get one of my own this summer, but in the meantime, we'll just pretend. 

This nail polish: I accumulated Ulta points (however that works) and had a $17 credit, so Rachel and I headed over the other day and I picked three new nail polishes because I mean, duh. We got a light, almost periwinkle blue, a bright red and a navy blue. We painted our nails with the navy as soon as we got home and so far, so good! It's such a rich, unique color and Revlon polishes generally have a good staying power so win win. 

This show: Spring break means sleeping, eating way too much, and binge watching SVU on Netflix. I'm not sure how many episodes we've watched since Friday, but it's upwards of fifteen for sure. It's just so good

Anything new you're hooked on?


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Monday, March 2, 2015

Weekly Grateful Heart

I made it to spring break! I sacrificed watching Season 3 of House of Cards the night it was released on Netflix and I didn't blog for about a week, but I made it through my midterms week (at least somewhat) alive and now I'm enjoying a very low-key spring break at my best friend's house in good old Fargo. I have so many things to be grateful for these past few weeks; God is so good. 

1. My uncle's successful open heart surgery that was performed early this morning
2. A place that I can call a second home
3. Redeemable points at Ulta 
4. Multiple cups of coffee per day
5. Phone calls from my little siblings
6. Being a reporter for my school newspaper (absolutely love it...you should check us out here)
7. Navy blue and red nail polish (because I'm patriotic, obviously) 
8. Finding Lilly Pulitzer on sale
9. Seeing so many babies at Mass
10. Snapchat (no real reason, I just don't know what I'd do without it)

What are you thankful for this week? What has been keeping you positive?

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Sperry Wishlist

Sperry Wishlist

While it may not feel like spring just yet here in North Dakota, I know that it will before I know it. As crazy as it may sound, I have not yet worn a pair of winter boots this year, even in -16 temperatures. I honestly haven't found the need. My feet haven't gotten cold and the snow hasn't been too much for my Sperrys. Of course, experiencing so many different climates, they have worn through and while they are always my first choice, I have begun looking to expand my collection. I currently have the Bluefish 2-Eye Boat Shoe in Linen Oat and Tan. I compiled a list that is rearing more towards spring and summer, but really, Sperrys are my go-to year round. I should probably give away the rest of my shoes because besides my riding boots, I don't wear any of them...

Rainbow Laceless Boat Shoe in Red


Bluefish Critter Print 2-Eye Boat Shoe in Washed Red/Whale Print


Authentic Original Anchor Embossed 2-Eye Boat Shoe in Sahara


Bluefish Mariner Stripe 2-Eye Boat Shoe in Navy


Calla Core Sandal in Ivory


Leslie Tassel Flat (similar) in Navy


What are some of your all time favorites? 





 
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