May Favorites.....Mayvorites

Let's do this. I should have millions of favorites because I missed March and April! Woops. I'll try to catch you up.

• Herb garden. Either we're getting old, turning into cheapskates, or being super Washingtonians. Not sure. But growing our own herbs, and someday when we have the room, vegetables and junk, suddenly seemed like the most amazing idea EVER. Dude, you don't have to buy them if you grow them. Genius!!! We already killed one batch, so I'll keep you updated on round #2.

• I am obsessed. I'll tell you more about how we got her in the wedding blog. But it makes the HUGEST difference having a little furry to come home to when Mr. Husband is gone. Yes I talk to her. She definitely talks back. Sometimes when I don't want her to like at 5am. However, she cuddles with me, and lets me brush her (she thinks its better than catnip in fact) and those were my only requirements for a cat. When we first got her I, no joke, looked at her and said, if I love her this much already I wonder how people feel about babies?!?

• Toddlers and Tiaras. Yes it's trashy. Yes it's addictive. Yes it's like watching a train wreck. I had no choice before the new season of The Bachelorette came on. I feel as if Andrew leaves me no choice when we have no cable. He drew the line at Bridezillas. Ok, that makes sense. For some reason I feel like I would have been really good at child paegents! Mom, why didn't you dress me up like an 18 year old in a 5 year old body so I could be Miss Tiny Kansas??

That's all I can think of at this moment, but I am sure June's favorites will be a doozy. I know you're already anxious.

Until next time....

Cheers!

KLB

U is for Uncommonly Contentful

So I'm not sure if contentful is a word but I feel full of content, therefore, I made it a word.

Today is Wednesday, aka "Sunday" in Kelsey's world. There is no such thing as a Saturday/Sunday weekend in the zoo world, those are the busy days! I actually enjoy having odd days of the week off work: stores are quiet, the park is not full of people, no weekend hustle and bustle.

Third time's a charm, right? Hopefully. Our third deployment as a couple commenced earlier this month. I have kept SUPER busy with work:

 a new child :

acclimating to a new town/organizing all our junk in the new condo:

and exploring our new surrounding wilderness:

(That's a trail I now run on regularly. So secluded, quiet, peaceful! LOVE.IT.)

I absolutely adore our new place. We hope to stay here for the remainder of Andrew's assignment. Our Seattle place was brand new, nice, close to public transportation, a 20 minute ride to downtown.....had constant traffic noise and/or gangster rap music, an hour commute for Andrew, a building with 200 other residents, and a cost that took up the housing allowance.

Needless to say, we are so thankful to now live where we: are within walking distance of my job (which is in the middle of a giant, forrested park full of trails and beaches), have a 20 minute ride to base, within walking distance to Puget Sound, have a view of the water, on the edge of the cutest Pleasantville neighborhood, and oh my lord the biggest difference is HOW QUIET IT IS! We noticed we have already sat outside on our small balconey 10x more than we EVER did in a year on our ginormous Seattle deck. Andrew even installed a hammock :)

(I am sure a blog ALL about Meownt Rainier Barrier will be in the making on my next weekend)

That's about all that my life has been as of lately. Wedding (blog soon to come!), getting settled, entertaining a cat, and working on deployment goals. Oh, for those of you who don't know, or have not experienced the suck of a deployment. Husband and I always like to make goals for ourselves (or each other?), and that gives us something to focus on besides being apart. Pretty smart I think :) Here are a few of mine:

1. Teach Rainy at least one trick. I know she's not a dog. But the animal behaviorist in me can't help myself!
2. Get the condo in order. Yes it is a large task. We currently have the "2nd bedroom" as a "put-everything-in-here-and-close-the-door room." Got to fix that.
3. Reception plan. Obviously. I hope this is on Andrew's list too....
4. Write the companies I use most, that are on the RSPO and thank them for using sustainable palm oil. Yea yea, it's my new thing. I'll let YouTube explain it for me. The Northwest majorly emphasizes Kelsey The Conservation Biologist :D
5.Work out/Run 5 Mile Loop. This is always on my list haha It is a good thing to pass the time with, not that I'm terribly obese or anything. But you don't want your husband, wait, new husband, coming home after x amount of months to a squishier version of your former self. I signed up for 6 weeks of yoga and am taking full advantage of the running trails in Point Defiance (the park). Let's hope his homecoming doesn't make him want to go back to the desert.

Haha, you've got to love fat, happy post-wedded bliss.

Until next time!

Cheers,

Kelsey B!

O is for Oh My I'm a Terrible Blogger

Pardon MOI! Life has gotten SEVERELY in the way of writing any blogs. I've missed TWO editions of monthly favorites, a blog about the aquarium, my new job, mom and sister's visit to Washington, a pair of new road bikes, a Napa Valley weekend trip and random everyday adventures of Kelsey. Do not fear, nothing too exciting has gone on in my life lately...

 

Kidding, that is the opposite of true.

 

Here's what my life's to-do list has recently consisted of:

 

End of internship, aka find a job

 

Find a new place to live

 

Move

 

Not too bad right? Then Andrew threw a nice little element in there, and we GOT ENGAGED!!

 

So now, my to-do list is a little bit longer:

End of internship, aka find a job CHECK

Find a new place to live CHECK

Move CHECK

Unpack, reorganize, make a home DEFINITELY NOT A CHECK YET

Get married

Plan a reception


Mind you, each of those new tasks has about 92389 additional details within it. Change your name, buy a dress, find a venue, decide on a date, get military friendly, send invitations, make a guest list, don't go broke, get a marriage license, contemplate having Subway cater to save money, taste cakes, buy waterproof mascara, and the list goes on. and on. and on. As the list continues to grow, I just have to keep telling myself "I will not be a bridezilla. I will not get an ulcer. I will not take Xanax."

 

 

So. That is where I have been. And despite that list, here I sit and a Starbucks (because, of course, our new condo has no Internet yet), JUST to fill you in. Yes that's right, this latte is for you. Cheers.

The trip to Napa Valley was not only amazing because Andrew proposed, but SUPER AMAZING because we got to share it with two of our very best friends. The weekend was filled with a very special vineyard tour, a rained-out bike tour that turned into a private shuttle tour (just as fun, less soggy), LOTS of yummy food, purple teeth, 9 bottles of wine, visits from Oklahoma friends-turned-California friends, and of course, laughs and fun.

 

 

Other than the amazing engagement, our new condo is close to Tacoma, and saves both Andrew and I about 2 hours of commuting each day. My newest career adventure is a temporary biologist at a zoo in Tacoma; doing just what I did for my internship, but getting paid! The temp title is common in this field, although that doesn't make it any more comforting, because in a few months I'll be right back on the job hunt. Perhaps I'll just start my own business so I can avoid the stress of job searching/starting over each time we move stations.....food for thought....

My latte is getting cold, so until next time!

 

 

Cheers, x's and o's,

 

 

KLM not for long!

 

February Favorites

Ok so I'm a day late. And if it wasn't a leap year I'd be two days late ;) You would think with my dear manfriend gone on an 7-day-just-kidding-14-day trip, I would have plenty of time to be blogging it up. Truth is, I've been going to bed earlier than my Grandmother (Love you G-Unit!) and have spent my spare time doing projects for my internship, or just plain relaxin'. Overdue, but here nonetheless, (I know you were just HANGING ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT for this post) are my favorite things from February.

• Spaghetti squash. This is a terrible picture, but I am OBSESSED! I put a squash in the microwave for 5 minutes, then bake it at 375 for about an hour. I mist on olive oil, add green onions, tomatoes, feta, S&P, and sometimes a little marinara. Just eat it. So good, and its healthy!

• Condescending Wonka. Because it's funny. And it's true. He says things like "Oh, you are engaged and in high school? You guys will be in love forever." Sarcasm + The Look on Wonka's Face = Love.

• The Bachelor is getting ridiculous. Ok, so maybe it always has been. I've forever been a proponent for true love and all the mush that goes along with it. For those of you who are unaware, The Bachelor is a show all about finding true love and ends with a proposal of marriage. Eeeeeeexcept the bachelor is dating/falling in love/going to exotic locations, (where, eh hem, of COURSE you're going to feel all lovey) with 25 women at once. And this season, the one girl who he shouldn't be picking for obvious reasons, (such as taking her clothes off to get attention, and being all around rude) he is going to propose to. At least I think he is. Before this season, I had mild respect for the idea behind the show, because there are some couples that came from the show, and are actually happily married, having a life together. Though now, I think all hope is lost. Besides giving Andrew unbelievably unrealistic date expectations, The Bachelor is now entertaining because I am watching a man use his penis, instead of the head between his shoulders, to make life choices. You go Ben!

• The END of February is my favorite because it means the BEGINNING of March! It also means my wittle sister's birthday, which I love, but then again, do not, because it means I am older too, ek. But, yes! MARCH MADNESS IS UPON US! I love me some bracketology and watching 8 games a day. Let this be the year that I beat Andrew and all his guy friends again with my bracket predictions. Rock Chalk pleasedon'tembarassme Jayhawk!

Until next time....

Cheers,

KLM

B is for Big City Times for a Small Town Dude

Andrew and I had the pleasure of showing our 2nd guest ever around Seattle. His parents visited during the summer and then, in cold, dreary January, my dad came to see us! Having guests always gives you the opportunity to do the "touristy" things that you don't normally think of doing after you become accustomed to living here. Here is a pictureful post to show everyone what fun we had!

On one of the first days we walked all the way from the stadiums to Olympic Sculpture Park, which is a few blocks from the Space Needle. Round trip, its about 6 miles of walking, yee haw!

We took the infamous Seattle Underground Tour! Andrew and I had wanted to go, but he was at work. Luckily it was so fun, that I would love to go again. Andrew would love all the historic stories involved. The story basically is, that when Seattle was settled the first time around, they messed up, and ended up having to build new Seattle, on top of old, flooded, shitty (literally) Seattle. Pictured below are the skylights from the underground looking up to the current "1st floor" level Seattle.

Here's what the skylights look like from above. I always thought they were some artsy purple amethyst thing that Seattle just did because. Which is often the case. For art's sake of course. 

Old storefronts in underground Seattle. Super creepyish.



Underground Seattle's famed "sewing circle." The most lucrative business in Seattle's early days. I won't give it away but these seamstresses weren't exactly making quilts. Can you find anything odd about the picture below?



 We took an inexpensive ride on the ferry to Bainbridge Island. Walked around for the day, had a great lunch, and saw some great scenery. Here's the skyline as seen from the ferry. Gorgeous.

And a view of the Needle and Mt. Rainier from Bainbridge. Aren't the houses SO CUTE!? Right on the water. Those people are such luckies!

All smiles for father-daughter time, and an artsy sunset :)



We induldged in great sea food, and many trips to Starbucks during Dad's visit. Also, I had to work for a couple of days, so Andrew and Dad also had their man time to go see strippers and talk about sports, or whatever men do. Just kidding, they went to the Museum of Flight.....as far as I know. Ah shucks I missed it! Thanks for taking the time to visit Dad, it was a memorable time!

U is for Up All Night Crafting

Crafts > Laundry

Back in the good ole days when I had cable, I would have a show to watch almost every day of the week. It helps to pass the time during deployments, and gave me little things to look forward to. Thats a roundabout way tellling you, I was watching a hillarious show, Up All Night, and they had an AMAZING wreath on their door. I couldn't find a still shot of it, but its basically a peace sign with metal studs all over it.

So here is my Up All Night inspired wreath that now gracefully adorns our front door. We're so trendy ;)



Instead of purchasing the usual wreath frame from a craft store, I went to the hardware store for almost all the materials for this wreath. A Pinterest tip prompted me to buy pipe insulation for the frame, which costs about $1, compared to $4 or $5 at the craft store. I simply made a circle, then guestimated the 3 inner sections after that. If you measure correctly, they should fit in place like a puzzle without any glue.

I chose to wrap the pieces individually with ribbon, and then assemble them inside of the larger circle. Because of the angles involved, ribbon wrapping the peace sign as a whole might've been a little too complicated.

Finally, for the studs, I used, get this, upholstery nails!

They're like thumbtacks with little domes on top, which was perfect! Costs about $1 per package of 25. And here's the finished product! A great everyday wreath for those times in between holidays.

Until next time....

Cheers,

KLM



A is for Appetizing AND Healthy? No way.

I try to dabble in healthy food, and I would like to think of myself as a pretty healthy eater (besides the recent sugar cravings, that is). A while back, I subscribed to Women's Health Magazine Online, and recently, probably as some kind of subliminal messaging about not getting lazy, Mom got me a Fitness Magazing subscription. Just kidding Mommmmm!

My fellow coworkers at the aquarium are also eat really healthy. They eat things like chia seeds, hemp seeds, bran, seaweed, quinoa, and everything organic and/or vegan and/or gluten-free. Being surrounded by that kind of stuff makes you think about what you eat. So here's a recipie from an old Women's Health, that I tweaked a little, but its still healthy and yummy!

• Roughly 1 cup of crumbled cooked tilapia. Cook however you like, I just used lemon juice, salt and pepper on the George Foreman grill.
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced kale
• 1/4 diced tomatoes, drained
• 3 Tbsp crumbled feta
• 3 tsp lime juice
• 2 tsp olive oil
• A couple sprinkles of cumin
• Wheat tortillas, warmed

Mix it all together and wah-lah! This is great for leftover fish or chicken. And did you know kale has been found to protect againt breast and ovarian cancer? Red onions contain chromium, which can help protect against diabetes. And tilapia is a great source of phosporous, which keeps your digestive systme and skin healthy!

Now go try this recipie and tell me what you think!

Cheers,

KLM