things on my mind.

1. I’ve been obsessed with ice cream lately. Just ask Alex. I would have it multiple times per day, but I don’t want to get fluffy.

I love the new Hudsonville Tiger Traxx! Chocolate covered pretzels are involved. I’ll do anything to support the Tiger’s. Sacrifice, ya know.

2. The bad thing about summer starting is that my TV shows are ending. As I was scrambling to find a new TV show to get hooked on, I discovered that Netflix Instant has all six seasons of Dawson’s Creek. There goes my free time!

The most shocking thing to learn was that the series finale was in 2002. TEN YEARS AGO! Boy, did that make me feel old. I still remember taping this show on VHS. Sadly, the Netflix version doesn’t have any of the original music due to copyright issues (I’m assuming), not even Paula Cole’s “I Don’t Want To Wait” for the theme song. Totally ruins the show for me.

3. Speaking of Dawson’s Creek, Alex and I are trying to get caught up on the past couple of seasons of Joshua Jackson. I mean, Fringe.

Just as good as I remember.

4. I got a new job! I now get paid to (locally) promote my favorite energy drink.

Now I don’t need an excuse to drink multiple Xyience a day.

5. Since the weather has been nice and warm lately, our restaurant opened up the patio. I love working the patio because it’s generally more laid-back, and you get more tables and often better tips.

Now whenever I’m not working on the patio, I get ragey jealous of whoever is.

OK, that may be exaggerating, but it is super frustrating when someone makes 3x as much as you in the same amount of time working. But that’s serving, gotta love it.

And that, dear internet, is my life lately.

— Cyndie

drink of choice.

I hate drinking water.

I always have at least one beverage with me, many times two. In the morning (and again in the afternoon) it’s a can of Xyience.

At night it’s a wine glass of cold Coke Zero or Diet Coke (I only drink pop out of fancy dollar-store wine glasses at home).

 

 

Sometimes I’ll brew some coffee and pour in whatever Coffeemate was on sale this week.

Even though I always have a beverage with me, 99% of the time I’m severely dehydrated. Probably because my drink choices are crap (but delicious).

I’ve been trying really hard to drink more water lately, because being dehydrated means stupid headaches, fatigue and stomach aches. Even though water used to literally make me gag, I think I actually like it now – or I guess, I like how it makes me feel.

My sister gave me this cold beverage travel cup for Christmas, and I take it with me everywhere, filled with ice water. For some reason it really helps to drink out of this fancy cup.

I’m not sure I’ll ever give up pop (and definitely won’t give up Xyience), but I REALLY need to drink more water.

Anybody else hate water as much as me?

— Cyndie

five things.

So Monday is over. I know a lot of people hate Monday but I actually like it. It’s usually a pretty easy work day for me. I’m trying to be more positive lately so here are five things I’m looking forward to this week!

1. This weeks forecast (minus the rain):

IT’S SPRING! Right? You better not snow again, Michigan…There is definitely a correlation between my mood and the weather, so warmer temps plus a little sun makes me smile.

2. Running again. Warm weather equals more running. Mainly for the endorphins; I try to get them anywhere I can.

3. The Vampire Diaries returns!!! After a three week hiatus, my favorite guilty shameless pleasure is finally back this Thursday night on the CW. I’ve been consoling myself by rewatching the series on Netlix, but I’m pumped for a fresh episode.

4. My sister is having a baby! I HOPE this week. She’s 7 days overdue already, so she better pop that baby out soon.

5. It’s our 2 year dating anniversary on Sunday! But Alex says we don’t celebrate that because we have a wedding anniversary now. Lame. I’m probably still going to celebrate by buying myself some chocolate and stuffing my face.

— Cyndie

I wish this were real life.

In my dream last night I had a baby panda as a pet. Apparently the zookeeper gave it to me? Maybe in my dream pandas were not an endangered species.

I love pandas about as much as Kristen Bell loves sloths, so this dream was fantastic.

All I remember is that the panda was super heavy for being a toddler, and I carried him everywhere. He was a little mischievous, but otherwise well-behaved for a panda. He slept in a cage at night and that would NEVER happen in real life. He would definitely have slept in the bed between me and Alex. Duh.

I know most people don’t like to hear about dreams unless they involve them, so here are some panda memes that everyone can enjoy:

You’re welcome.

— Cyndie

waiting tables on valentine’s day.

So like a lot of people in the world, I had to work on Valentine’s day. Honestly, I did not mind at first (I could have requested it off a couple months ago if I cared) because Alex and I don’t really celebrate. I figured I could make some great cash for a Tuesday night, since those are usually slow nights at the restaurant.

I was wrong. If you choose to go to a casual Mexican restaurant on Valentine’s Day, it’s probably because:

a) you couldn’t get a babysitter and need to choose a restaurant with a kids menu. And happy hour margaritas.

b) you received the coupon for a free dessert in your email that the restaurant sent out. (Yes, you had to print out the coupon to get the dessert. That’s pretty standard.)

c) you decided last minute to take your significant other out for dinner and couldn’t get reservations at a restaurant that actually accepted reservations. So you went to a restaurant that you should have known would be packed at 6pm and expected to wait and hour to get a table. But you still are upset at the restaurant (and the server) for making you wait so long.

d) you don’t really care that much about Valentine’s Day and just really wanted some Mexican food. You soon realize you chose the wrong night to go out.

I tried to keep my spirits up but after several horrible tips I began to get really frustrated. I had one nice couple in my section who seemed to be really chill (probably due to the two happy hour margaritas). The lady showed me pictures of her cute Siberian kitten and they tipped me well. Another couple stiffed me even though there was absolutely nothing wrong with their service or food. All in all, I may consider requesting off next years’ Valentines day. But I’ll probably end up working it because some cash is better than no cash.

I got home pretty late that night and romantically shared some fajitas with Alex that I brought home. The next morning he saved the holiday by bringing me to Family Fare and purchasing $13 dollars worth of Valentines candy that was 50% off. That’s love, folks.

— Cyndie

vegas, baby.

So, obviously, I’m way overdue for a honeymoon recap.  I thought I’d recap the honeymoon first instead of the wedding, because the wedding would take way too long to recap considering I have, like, a 1,000 pictures to choose from. Also, I’ve been a total recluse since I got married, so I thought it would be nice to let everyone know how my honeymoon went!

Immediately following the wedding reception, Alex and I drove to Chicago to enjoy the first two days of our honeymoon. Our hotel was sweet but Alex and I hated Chi-city because it had zero Xyience energy drinks (wtf Chicago?), everything closed early, and it took forever to walk anywhere. But mostly because of the lack of Xyience.

Neither of us had been to Vegas before, but I had a feeling we would LOVE IT. Which we did.

The desert-scape is uniquely beautiful, everything is open all night, they have Xyience everywhere, and the city is littered with self-serve Fro-Yo shops (which I so generously introduced to Alex on this trip). I think there was other cool stuff, but those were the highlights for me…

We spent some time at a couple of the casino’s sportsbooks per Alex’s request. The Bellagio’s sportsbook was a pretty cool place to hang out. Especially after I got my Bailey’s & coffee for maximum relaxation purposes.

One of the spots we made sure to hit up was the “Pawn Stars” pawn shop, Gold and Silver Pawn Shop. Alex and I enjoy watching the show and couldn’t wait to stop in.

We had to wait outside the pawn shop in hundred degree weather for what seemed like forever because they were filming inside. We were also told that we wouldn’t see any of the stars while in the shop. They are too famous now, clearly. The pawn shop was so much smaller than we expected, but it was neat to see.

We didn’t stay on the strip, but instead at a resort a couple miles down the road (seriously, SO close to the strip. And right across the street from an amazing outlet mall), Tahiti Village.

I loved staying here because we had a full-kitchen and were able to grill outside a couple of nights. We also worked on our tan on some of the afternoons by the pool, which I could only handle about a full ten minutes. Vegas sun is so unbearable.

While we generally hung out around the resort or the newer part of the strip, we did venture out to Fremont Street one night.

Fremont Street is an older area of Vegas (it was actually the first paved street in Vegas), and I prefer the casinos on the strip, but this was a fun and interesting place to walk around. We ended up here almost by accident, and I’m so glad we did. Although, people were crazy here.

Overall, I don’t think our little vacation could have gone any better! Las Vegas was such a fun choice and we can’t wait to go back.

— Cyndie 

what is mine is yours.

In four days I’ll no longer be a single lady.

I am more than ready to get a new last name… and a new roommate. And I am not-so-secretly glad we had a short engagement. 115 days has been long enough. As cool as I think the wedding on Friday night will be, I’m more excited for the whole marriage thing.

Because I get to hang out with my best friend nearly every day for the rest of my life.

—- Cyndie 

the proposal.

I’ve been engaged for 44 days.

I didn’t think there was any way Alex could surprise me.

He said he wasn’t going to do it on any “special” day.

He proposed on our one-year-anniversary. And I was very surprised.

On March 18, Alex and I went out on a date to celebrate our anniversary. The night before, he had told me he wanted recreate our first date together and go out to Carrabbas and a movie. I truly had no idea something was up. (Because I’m a major snoop/eavesdropper, and hadn’t noticed any unusual texts or phone calls.)

After our we imitated our dining experience from date number one, we chose to watch “The Way Back” in the Cheap Seats. (The movie is based on a book called “The Long Way Back”, which would have been a more accurate description of how boring it was.) Naturally, I nodded off to sleep several times throughout the movie. I can only imagine how anxious Alex was those agonizing two and a half hours.

After the movie finally ended, Alex left me in the lobby of the theater for ten minutes while he was in the restroom. (I thought perhaps the entire pizza he ate at Carrabbas wasn’t settling well. You know.) He came out looking ready to leave.

“Can you pick me up in your car?” I asked. “I’m cold.”

“It’s not that cold outside,” he said.

“Let’s run to the car.”

“I’m sore from soccer,” he insisted. “Plus, I got a really good parking spot.”

We made it about three feet out the door, his arm in mine, when he turned to me.

“Okay, I’m going to get a little mushy….” he said.

Right there, in front of the – nearly empty, by now – theater, he began to tell me how amazing the past year had been, and how he knows that the many years ahead of us will be amazing, too. Or something. I actually can’t remember anything he said after the first 30 seconds of the speech, because I had already realized what was going on.

He got down on one knee, and I started shaking; he asked me to marry him, and I said yes.

And then, “Can you put this on me?!?”

Eight exciting phone calls to family and friends and a giddy drive back home, and I was still shaking.

Sometimes, when I look at my ring, I still can’t believe we’re engaged. And getting married. In ten weeks.

— Cyndie 

cinnamon rolls, at long last.

This week, I finally baked my first batch of cinnamon rolls.  I’ve never successfully baked with yeast before, and frankly, it’s daunting. I tried to make them on Christmas Eve, and lets just say the next morning we feasted on toast and an egg dish.

When I saw Jessica from How Sweet It Is bake The Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Rolls (not once, but thrice), I knew I had to face my yeast fears. I owed it to myself and all things delicious to bake them. So, I did, among fraught exclamations of, “Why aren’t these rising?!” and “Where is all of this butter supposed to go?!”

Tears were nearly shed, my baking insecurities ran wild, and I had all but given up. When I finally pulled them out of the oven, after two days in the making, my cinnamon rolls were complete.

And they turned out great. Josh said they were incredible. Alex said they may be the best things I’ve ever made. I made some with a simple cream cheese frosting and others, like the rolls pictured, with Jessica’s Vanilla Cream Glaze.

Maybe all that trouble was worth it.

And maybe I need to escape my baking comfort zone more often.

— Cyndie

P.S. I actually only made half of the dough into rolls. The rest of the dough is still complacently waiting in the refrigerator for me. I probably should have cut the recipe in half because I do not need six pans of cinnamon rolls. Or do I?

from my bookshelf.

I used to read novels every day.

When I was young, I spent much of my time reading. I tended to be withdrawn, had few distractions, and plenty of time. I read for hours on end. Sometimes, if the book was short enough, I read until it was finished.

Being in the middle of a good book is one of the best feelings. Waking up and knowing that you can go back to whatever story your reading is thrilling.

I moved back-and-forth several times in high school. Being able to take my favorite books with me helped me find familiarity in a new place. If I was ever homesick, I’d pick up my worn-out paperback Mara, Daughter of the Nile or Jane Eyre and escape there for awhile. I had a collection of about five favorite books that I re-read countless times.

I don’t read nearly enough these days. I usually tell myself that if I have time to read, I should do the required reading for school. But that’s just an excuse. There are too many distractions. Like the time-sucking internet.

I wish I could get back into the habit of falling asleep to a randomly plucked book from my bookshelf.

Maybe I will.

— Cyndie