welcome, may!

And what a beautiful day it was here yesterday, for the first Saturday of the month!

The farmers’ market opened…

…and Carolyn and Abigail joined us for brunch at Charlie’s on the porch! Definitely one of my all-time favorite places. And only on the porch; inside is a little cramped when it’s busy.

Per my usual, I can’t NOT get the blueberry pancakes, but I also wanted some savory breakfast components, so I opted for a spinach and mushroom omelet, home fries and one pancake on the side. (The cinnamon toast was forced on me…too bad I couldn’t have gotten fruit instead.)

I’ll have you know that half of everything (minus the toast–I nibbled on a couple pieces, though) went into a to-go box as soon as I got my food. To-go box = more room on the table + more room in my tummy + more deliciousness to enjoy later = VICTORY! Therefore, following the previous equation, a to-go box = victory. (Obviously, the Chemistry is starting to go to my head…)

Speaking of Chemistry… As my test is beginning to loom in the distance (May 14th!), there was some of that going on yesterday afternoon as well.

Mid-afternoon, we met Regina and her kiddos, Kevin and Vivian, on Elmwood in Buffalo for some walking around. We’d thrown the idea out about getting margaritas (it was Cinco de Mayo, after all), but with the two angels that wasn’t going to happen…

We walked around for a bit, popped into Penzey’s Spices (I was in desperate need of cinnamon and powdered ginger–two of my staples–and also got some Za-tar spice and grinding salt).

Regina and I wanted ‘real’ food before we treated ourselves to ice cream (the kids and Andrew had already gotten cones at Watson’s, which serves Anderson’s Ice Cream), so she and I popped into the uber-crunchy (a.k.a super natural/hippie-ish) Globe Market for some bites. I ended up with tiny amounts of an Israeli Couscous dish and an almond and cranberry chicken salad.

After a bit of a run-around, Regina opted for some blood orange gelato–I had a taste and it was amazing–I ended up BACK at Watson’s for the same flavor Vivian had, White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle, atop some Chocolate Chaplin (chocolate with coconut, marshmallow and cashew).

OK, bit of a rant here: I definitely asked the lady for a small with two different flavors, but she obviously did not understand what I wanted, since I got a giant one. Now, the old Holly would have been super excited and used this as an excuse to scarf the whole thing because, after all, I had at least tried to order less. No, not the NEW Holly. My first thought was, ‘OK, now there is no reason to eat all of this since I didn’t want this much to begin with.’ This is growth, people.

And I’ll share the victory: I gobbled the top flavor–amazing, by the way–but realized somewhere half-way through the chocolate that I wasn’t enjoying it anymore. Into the trash it went! Hurray!

We got home around 6 p.m. and weren’t hungry for dinner, so back to Chemistry I went. Below is a page from my study packet from last semester’s ACS exam… Oh, did I mention THIS semester’s exam will cover both this AND last semester? Yup, it’s cumulative.

Quantum numbers, orbitals, wavelength… I don’t remember it all!

After just about pulling my hair out trying to at least get through a practice test, Andrew and I decided it was time to head out for some “dinner” at 8:30. I wasn’t thrilled to be eating this late, but a walk from our house to the village to the new mexican place for margaritas was sounding really good right about then. (I’ll say it again, it was Cinco de Mayo, after all.)

Well, long and sad story short: the mexican place was more than packed with no room at the bar and an hour wait (!!!), so with no where else to go, we walked back home, trying to brainstorm a solution. I had no interest in waiting and having a full meal handed to me somewhere at 9:30 at night; the truth was, neither of us were that hungry. This was one of those classic examples in which I have a definite need for a food “experience” and if that need isn’t getting met, filling it with anything else is pointless.

Sooo, I might have been a little grumbly on the way home. And then, it hit me! We had margarita mix in the fridge! I said I silent prayer that there was at least a little tequila downstairs… (gosh, I sound like a crazy person here…)

Three ounces of tequila (the last!) and nine of margarita mix later, Andrew and I were both enjoying drinks on the rocks (sad about no salt!) in front of the next season of Big Bang Theory on DVD. I even assembled some nachos with sweet potato tortilla chips, a little melted monterey jack cheese and drips of salsa.

Overall, it turned into an OK night 🙂 I treated myself to a couple bites–literally–of the chocolate I got at Watson’s earlier (a sample to compare with Fowler’s) and ended it there. Another victory, in my mind. I might have eaten later than normal, but I avoided going overboard by succumbing to a restaurant in desperation, or a popcorn-and-ice-cream-binge that would have been tempting had we not been in possession of margarita ingredients.

Happy May!

i feel smart, and other things of note

So… Today in Chemistry, we tackled this equation:

E = mc^2

Like, as in the one Einstein came up with all that time ago. It has to do with energy, mass of nucleons (neutrons and protons) and the speed of light.

Can I just say that five years ago, I would NEVER have guessed I’d be where I am right now? In so many ways…

In other news…

1. Andrew comes home this afternoon! I feel all giddy inside… I guess absence DOES make the heart grow fonder 🙂

(Psst! I’m making bagels as a surprise for his return… Since he doesn’t have a smart phone, there is no way he can see this before he actually arrives home, so I thought I’d share–in a whisper voice–to add to the suspense.)

2. I have confirmed that I am OFFICIALLY finished with Microbiology, with A’s in both lecture and lab. Thus, I’ll be making bagels this afternoon when I would have normally been in lab.

3. It’s my birthday month! WOO-HOO! Birthday list is being made and tweaked as I speak… (That’s how Andrew’s family does it; they practically DEMAND a list two months in advance, and hound you if you don’t provide one soon enough. I. LOVE. IT.)

On the list this year: a pair of Crocs, better, non-warping baking sheets and other miscellaneous clothing items. (If you’re reading this and need “the list,” Andrew can provide it to you :))

4. Emily’s birthday is the same day as mine. God really knew what he was doing when he arranged our chance meet-up at a friend-of-a-friend’s bbq, in which Emily and her hubby were attending as friends-of-a-mother…

5. Pineapple boxers!

Andrew and I found these at Gap a couple weeks ago. It wasn’t even a discussion; I held onto those things for dear life. I mean, how could we NOT buy them? They have been washed and are currently in my jammie drawer, waiting for warm weather.

6. Andrew ate a 30-ounce steak last night at his final dinner in Texas, at some super-snazzy restaurant, I’m sure. Thirty ounces. THIRTY. People, 16 ounces is a POUND. He’s already requested salads for the forseeable future…

7. While I’m super excited for Andrew to come home, I don’t know that I’m ready to give up the clean, quiet, organized and peaceful house/routine I’ve enjoyed for the past week…

8. Here’s a good one: To those who continue to ask about whether or not we’ve found a house: Yes, we’re still house-hunting. We will continue to house-hunt until we find one. New houses are coming up on the market now that it’s spring, but it’s been a little slow. (No, I’m not upset, but I’ll admit that the question, “So, are you still house-hunting?” gets old. We’re in a tiny rental with gross carpet, no yard and no dishwasher–OF COURSE WE’RE STILL HOUSE-HUNTING.)

9. Speaking of houses, we’re seeing a fixer-upper tomorrow night, and one popped up just today that piqued my interest. A LOT. Prayers please!!

10. Cinco de Mayo is this weekend 🙂 Margaritas, anyone?

i miss ‘us’

That phrase was uttered by our good friend, Dave Diercks, this past weekend during our recent trip to Ohio.

And then it was seconded. And thirded. (Is that even a word?)

Anyway… Here are some highlights from the trip! (As usual, I didn’t take enough pictures…so I’ll do my best to describe how we used a door as a table, and my two-scoop ‘small’ sundae.

-We brought cupcakes! I’m a huge fan of Firefly, the new artisan cupcake shop on Main Street here, and we wanted to gift Emily and Dan with goodies. Since Emily and I are trying to be good and watch our calories, we decided we’d save our splurges for Graeter’s and Rita’s. But, Dan and Andrew can indulge! We brought a ‘chocolate-covered strawberry’ for Dan and a Vanilla Bean for Andrew. The picture doesn’t do them justice…they’re packaged in their own little cellophane bags with the cute Firefly card on the front.

-As usual, we stopped at Chick-Fil-A in Erie for a late lunch. I really had been craving CFA…I got a 2-strip kid’s meal with fries….

…and a small cookies and cream milkshake to drink! I love them 🙂 Andrew actually did a decent number on the shake, so I probably ended up having only 3/4 or less of it anyway.

-While I was “setting up” my food in the car (I have a method), I realized it would make a perfect blog post. “On how I eat in the car” coming soon.

-OK, here’s where the pictures begin to fail me…

-We made another stop near Dublin (skipping Jeni’s! A travesty!) for a Starbucks run for me. Using the blessed iPhone, we found not one but TWO in grocery stores just feet away from where we were after taking the wrong exit off the highway… thank you, Jesus! AND, the nice lady behind the counter was offering samples of their vanilla scones. LOVE samples.

-We got into the Wilhelms’ around 8 p.m. and bounded into welcoming arms. Within moments we were perched on the couch, debating the age-old question, “To where will we go for dinner?” Silly us, we thought maybe we could quickly come up with a place with little conversation… One thing we’ve realized is, the six of us (particularly the four Wilhelms and Layers) are PARTICULAR about our food. And not necessarily in a bad way; we just really want to enjoy our meals, especially those together.

-The Wilhelms had been anxiously awaiting our arrival so we could go out for a nice, long, drawn-out dinner, which they’ve dubbed a “Layer dinner,” in honor of yours’ truly. A “Layer dinner” is one in which you order drinks, then appetizers…and then shoo your waiter away and don’t order dinner until you’ve eaten said appetizer, and then you might even stay for dessert or coffee afterward. They are infamous and can last upwards of two hours if you do it right. Truthfully, these dinners started for us on or first trip to Europe, where people have long dinners all the time (in fact, often you have to flag your waiter down to even order your food, and they wouldn’t dream of rushing you out the door). Now, if we have the time, we make it a point to stretch out our meals as often as we can.

-We almost unanimously voted for Thai 9, one of our favorite places to eat downtown, and got as gussied-up as our packed-clothes would allow. We started with drinks (Belgian wheat for me, hard cider for Dan, cocktail for Emily and I can’t remember what Andrew had….) and appetizers. Andrew and Dan split the chicken spring rolls and Emily and I split the crab rangoon–my mouth is watering just recounting the details!

-I LOVE going out to eat with Emily. Our tastes are so similar, so we typical end up splitting one or more dishes. This is something I can RARELY (if ever) do with Andrew, and it makes it so nice for me so I can enjoy multiple things on the menu. I hate having to choose! Emily and I wanted exactly the same things–pad thai and sushi–and that’s exactly what we got.

-Unfortunately, we were all too full by the end of dinner to splurge on Thai 9’s homemade coconut ice cream topped with fried banana pieces and honey (if you live in Dayton, you must order that as soon as possible), but it felt great to say “no, thanks” and leave without being over-stuffed.

-Emily and I are also early birds and exercisers, so we enjoyed a light breakfast the next morning while doing the first DVD session of our Bible study, before hitting up the workout room at their apartment complex. Thirty minutes on the treadmill flies by when you have someone to whom to talk! (Ain’t that the truth, Susy?!)

-The primary reason for the trip to Dayton (although who needs a ‘reason’ to visit friends?), was to meet little Aiden, Dave and Jen’s little boy who was born in January. We arranged to meet them at Panera for brunch. Isn’t he a cutie??

-After we ate (I splurged and got a cinnamon crunch bagel with honey walnut cream cheese–haven’t had one of those in YEARS–and smartly ate the top half and forced the bottom on Dan to prevent myself from eating it), Dave headed to his track meet and Andrew and Dan took Aiden home while Jen joined us for some shopping.

-We MADE OUT at TJMaxx! M philosophy is that a true workout-aholic can never have too many items of workout clothes, and that is the place to go for a bargain. I scored tons of awesome stuff, although the terrible overhead lighting washes everything out. All of those colors are so vibrant–I couldn’t resist any of them!

-After bagging our finds at TJMaxx, us girls headed home to pick up the ‘two men and a baby’ we left behind and raced over to Dave’s track meet at Cedarville University. Dave throws the javelin and is competing for a chance to go to the Olympic trials this summer. He ended up scoring a 68-meter throw at this meet, which is just 10 meters shy of qualifying for a spot at the trials, and the most he’s even thrown in a season-opening meet. Go Dave! Check out his facebook page for more information; he’s also involved with Athletes in Action (a Christian organization geared toward outreach in the field of athletics) and is partially sponsored by PowerBar!

-It was pretty chilly, so we scooted out of there as soon as he was finished and headed back to chez Diercks, or as it’s affectionately called in our circle, ‘the cave.’ Seriously, between their huge comfy couches and lack of natural light in the living room, it’s very ‘cave-like’ in the coziest way possible.

-Yet again, we foolishly thought we could pick our dinner option from a hat…literally. We all threw in names of various local establishments from which we could get take-out, and after turning our nose up at Chinese (what were you thinking, Dan??), a small contingent of us strong-armed the others into City BBQ. Dave did what he does best and placed our order online while I arranged who was going where to pick up food; Emily and me to City BBQ (don’t forget the sweet tea!) and Andrew and Dave to Kroger for a rotisserie chicken and Cadbury mini-eggs.

-Upon arriving back to the Diercks’ lair, we found a door (yes, a DOOR) being placed on their oversized ottoman and topped with a shower curtain/tablecloth. Don’t mind the handle, Emily… If only I’d snapped a photo…

-We were all enjoying our food family-style with Ghostbusters on the in background, when it hit me. These people are FAMILY to me. Like, seriously family. I mean, with whom else can you just sit and do nothing for hours on end, and it be totally fine? (Especially if you’re in the cave.) The six (now seven) of us have formed a bond like I’ve never had with anyone before, in particular in couples. There are others with whom Andrew and I share this relationship (Heather and Silas, for sure) and I think that’s why God brought us to Ohio. To make these lifelong friends. (And to be near Andrew’s grandparents, but that’s another story.)

-By 8 p.m. Emily and I were getting a little stir-crazy and ready to walk around after dinner, so we convinced Jen to join us on another shopping trip–this one to Goodwill! Beavercreek has the best Goodwill…there are NO good Goodwills here in NY…sad. So, we left ‘three men and a baby’ to go stretch our legs. I scored a pair of Gap trouser-jeans!

-We ended our night on a sweet note with a trip to Graeter’s, where I convinced the manager to give me two SMALL scoops (instead of only one) in my small sundae so I could have two different flavors. LOVE. THEIR. WHIPPED. CREAM.

-The next morning, we all met at First Watch (one of my absolute favorite places!) for breakfast before church. Again, Emily and I did our usual and split an omelet with pancakes on the side.

-Upon walking to our cars, Andrew and I realized we’d been fished! I know I’ve blogged about it before, but haven’t the slightest clue as to when or under what title… The short story: Dave and Jen own a giant stuffed fish and they (along with Emily and Dan) once hid it in our bed while we lived in Ohio. It’s been traded back and forth between us three couples ever since. The orange shirt it’s wearing? It says “East Aurora” and was how I dressed it when I shipped it back to the Diercks after we moved here. Gotta brainstorm its next trip to Ohio…this time to surprise the Wilhelms!

-Trader Joe’s is just across from First Watch… $86 later, we were stocked-up on goodies! Favorites? LOVE their chocolate-covered almonds, sunflower seed butter and a new find, chocolate-ship brownie bars with oats.

-Before heading out of town, Andrew and I stopped into the nearest Graeter’s to redeem our ‘Sweet Rewards’ points for a t-shirt. He always lets me choose. What a sweetie. Outside the doors, we met an Easter bunny!

-After meticulously choosing my shirt–I even made the young man behind the counter climb up and check the size of the one tacked to the wall–I settled for a child’s extra large (which was surprisingly big) hoping it would shrink.

-We resisted the urge for more ice cream (well, I had to resist; I think Andrew has willpower of steel!) in favor of a stop at Rita’s on our way out of town. I made the mistake of trying their new chocolate peanut butter flavor… (Back story: I grew up with Rita’s in PA and LOVE IT. Mango is my ultimate favorite. I try different flavors all the time, but mango is where it’s at.) Anyway, I LOVED chocolate peanut butter and all of a sudden couldn’t choose! It’s not like I could get one, knowing I could come back any time for mango. Thankfully, Andrew opted for a large mango, which allowed me to order a chocolate peanut butter gelati–which features their vanilla custard. I was in sugar heaven.

-We got on the road and had an enjoyable trip back to NY, filled with menu-planning and grocery-list making for me, (no Jeni’s AGAIN–we were too full of Rita’s!), a Wendy’s stop (apple slices for me, nuggets for him and a tiny Frosty to share) and then things went downhill. Emily HAD to remind me I’d forgotten to take some of the dark chocolate-covered raisins off her hands…which led to a crazy craving! We stopped at a gas station and ended up stocking up on Doritos, Swedish Fish (my favorite) and Hot Fries and an energy drink for Andrew. And I might have gotten into the cookies Susy sent home with me…

-We drove straight to Wegmans since I knew our house was devoid of food. Well, at least the fridge was. As in, EMPTY. No fruit. No yogurt. No bread. No nothing. If we didn’t shop now, we’d have nothing for breakfast the next morning, and since I had to pick up the dog IN ADDITION to my normal routine, there wasn’t going to be any ‘going out for breakfast’ for us.

-$123 dollars later…

-We’re all settled back in at home now (we should be, it’s THURSDAY) and I can’t believe this post took me so long… Notes to self:

-take more pictures!

-post along the way!

Here’s to next time 🙂