Random Life Goings On

Yeah, I know that's not a real word, but I wasn't sure how to describe this post haha...
Last week I wrote that I would be playing in a golf tournament.  It didn't go so well.  I played the front nine on the first day really well, then I hit two bad shots on the back that resulted in me hitting off a curb and two tree roots and reaggravating an injury I've had since high school.  It's a long story, but I basically have permanent nerve damage in my elbow and wrist, and all you need to know or probably care is that it stinks.  So, I had to withdraw [if you follow me on Twitter or IG, you probably read ignored my whiny posts] and now I'm out of commission for a couple weeks.
I got a new phone last week!  And a new plan!  Now [thanks to Verizon] I get cell service in my house.  Yes, it's a big deal.  Before, I could only make calls from my driveway... that was a pain in the neck in the winter.  I got a Samsung Galaxy S4 and am OBSESSED with it!  There are sooo many cool features: 13 megapixel camera, tons of camera modes, eye scrolling and recognition [basically if I'm watching a video and look away, the video pauses... yeah. cool.]  Oh, and I also bought a pink Otter Box and insurance so I hopefully won't break it when I drop it constantly.  

Said goodbye to my Evo that survived three long, hard years.  Good work, little buddy.

And some of the first new photos with my Galaxy!  Mike's goddaughter was Poppy Princess in the Memorial Day parade, and the second one is an action shot of her swinging - good quality, right?

In the last Cara Box I participated in, Anissa sent me some seeds.  Well, they're growing!  How exciting is that?  These are photos from the past month:

Mike and I saw The Great Gatsby this weekend.  It was fantastic!  We've done this thing for the past few months where we see one movie that was a preview in the previous movie we saw.  First [and yes, this was the first movie we saw in probably a year] was Les Miserables, then Identity Thief, and now Gatsby.  Seriously, go see it!  We loved it! 
Remember when I did that Titleist photo shoot last month??  Well, my dad texted me last week that I made it onto their website!  I'm sooooo excited!  Now I just have to buy every golf magazine all summer and look for myself ;) I'm so humble, right?

That's me in the background [purple polo] on the top second photo, my back to the left of that [in purple], and me looking far too serious next to that!

I'm also soooo far behind in blog reading!  What have you been up to?  Got something awesome for me to read, link me up :)

#BluthParty 2013!

Happy #AD2013!!! Don't worry, I promise, there are NO spoilers in this post!! 
Sunday was the opening of the long awaited season 4 streaming.  Mike and I played in a golf tournament that day [bad planning, right??].  We watched a couple episodes before it, but when we came home, we [celebrated our golf tourney win!! and] had a fantastic Bluth Party with all the fixins.  Now, we are done with 11 of 15 episodes.  While we want to see all of them, we are trying to savor each moment [even though we will undoubtedly watch the whole season many times through].
Well, here's what we had at our celebration: - Juice boxes

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- Grilled cheese sandwiches

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- Ice cream sandwiches

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- Bluth Frozen Bananas 

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[and this is basically what I looked like making them...]

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I have to be honest, I just couldn't bring myself to make any of Ann's [her?] mayoneggs.  Mike and I hate hard boiled eggs and mayonnaise haha. 

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Or hot ham water... you'd be surprised how complex that recipe is.  Lindsay really is a good mom [and cook]!

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Here's our spread:

Happy Memorial Day

Today, while enjoying time with family, I will make sure to honor and remember all of those men and women who courageously gave their lives for our freedom.
Here is the post on Memorial Day I wrote last year.  There are a few photos from where I spent past Memorial Days.

I can't believe this was already five years ago.

It's OK...

It's OK...
...that I forgot to write my post again until I saw Heather's this morning, but I really wanted to link up because this is the last week of It's OK! :(
...that I'm getting way too into the Arrested Development-themed day Mike and I are going to have on Sunday for the season 4 release.
...to hope to get to 250 followers on GFC and 150 on Bloglovin soon so I can do another giveaway and hopefully make another friend like Ashley from it :)
...to be ridiculously nervous for my first golf tournament in a year next week.
...to be extrememly excited to get a new phone and plan tonight!  Back story: I've had mine for 3 year [a big deal for the girl who drops everything], and I don't get cell service in my house currently.
...to show you a really funny Throwback Thursday photo...

because this big guy turned 16 this weekend!  I love you, Stanley!

What's In My Bag

It's been like a year since I did my last "What's In My Bag" post.  Recently, I saw that Ashley did one, so I decided it would be fun to update mine!
My work bag is still the same as last year, but this is the bag I use on the weekends and in the evenings.  

1. folding hairbrush - my hair is so long these days that this is a must

2. day planner - this thing is my lifeline, I forget everything without it

3. blog notebook - from Amanda (thanks, again!!) I'm always jotting ideas down

4. calcium vitamins - I'm getting old

5. car keys

6. friendship bracelet floss - as I've said before, I always need to be doing something

7. sunglasses - always a pair of Color Me Rad sunglasses in my bag

8. Ibuprofen - still getting old

9. Capsaicin - seriously, really old - or maybe just too much Insanity

10. chapstick - and lots of it... I lose them a lot [I especially love that little pink one - that's my present of the week to myself]

11. iPod

12. gum

13. my wallet - in Vera Bradley's Island Blooms

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Also, yeah sorry, dropped the ball yesterday on that 5 for Five thing.  I've been eating really well, drinking tons of water, and exercising when I can.  My body has been feeling achy lately, but I have been playing lots of golf.  I did buy myself something this week [as you saw above].  

I feel like I am probably the last person under the sun to get EOS lip balm.  Seriously, this stuff is so addicting, probably because it's ridiculously fun to use!  I got the strawberry sorbet flavor, and I use it so often.  If you haven't gotten one yet, please do!  They are about $4 and worth every penny!

Linking up with the ladies today for the Walkabout!

Foods you need to try [Rhody style]

Saturday was my best friend's birthday!  Mike and I went down to RI for a visit, and in addition to great fun and friends, there was also fantastic food!

She has the cutest dog ever!!

Fresh quahogs on the grill: You probably haven't heard of quahogs before, have you?  Well, unless you watch Family Guy... but these guys were the real thing!  Shannon's boyfriend caught them that morning.  You just throw them on the grill for a few minutes until they open, then add a couple drops of hot sauce and enjoy!

Dorito salad: I hadn't heard of this one before, but it was AMAZING!  All it takes is a head of romaine, some taco-seasoned and cooked ground beef, black beans, shredded cheddar,  crushed nacho cheese Doritos, all tossed in Russian dressing.  It is so addicting!

Brownie and fruit kebobs: these are what I brought.  I actually found this recipe on Shannon's Pinterest page.  She wouldn't tell me what to bring, so I thought it would be fun to make something she had pinned.  Another great use of Pinterest - making people exactly what they want! 

Oh, and I didn't mention, in addition to Odin [her dog], my sister has chickens! Yes, she is the country girl and I'm the city suburban one.  How awesome would it be to never have to buy eggs again??

Wimp.com

Have you ever heard of Wimp?? Oh my gosh, neither had I, but now I'm addicted!  I actually saw that Pawalla posted a cat video from Wimp on Facebook [I'm obviously a sucker for cat videos], and then I just kept clicking "random video" at the top and COULDN'T STOP.  Especially on rainy days like today, I could seriously keep clicking for hours.  
Here are a few of my favorites so far:
Flash Mob on the set of Bing Bang Theory
Two kids play 'Let It Be" on the cello and violin
Two floppy disks play the Imperial March
The Muppets: Stand By Me
Baby Jaguar
Cookie Monster auditions for SNL

The Best Week of TV Ever

Just an FYI, there are spoiler alerts in this post.  I wrote each tv show in big, bold letters so you can scroll and read the ones you want to, if you'd like.  I also didn't include any spoiler photos, so as you scroll through quickly, you shouldn't be too surprised.  Then again, if you are anywhere near social media, everything has probably been spoiled for you - so watch the shows already!! ;)
Sunday: Revenge - season 2 finale

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I usually don't watch shows from the very beginning. I jump on bandwagons once they're on and I know they're good, but Revenge was one of the very few I watched from the start.  I remember seeing this trailer in the summer of 2011, and for some reason it just drew me in.  It's been two seasons now.  I really enjoyed season 1 [maybe because it was the first tv show Mike and I watched together, living together]; I loved how the whole season was done in flashbacks, and Emily VanCamp is just amazing.  Then, with season 2 everything changed [including Takeda haha].  I feel like they only planned for it to be a one and done kind of series, but everyone just loved it, so they had to keep the plot going.  I watched season 2 religiously, and I can honestly say that it's getting a little ridiculous with the number of plot lines.  However, the finale was fantastic: Emily finally told Jack that she's Amanda, poor Nolan, Declan, and Takeda, and what is going on with the "Initiative"??? Monday: HIMYM - season 8 finale

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I love HIMYM [but you probably knew that]. I started watching it a couple years ago and have gone though the whole series 3 times on Netflix... plus every time it's on FX or any other cable station, I watch it.  I was soooo excited to meet the mother, which we did on Tuesday.  She is so cute!! I'm still convinced that Craig and Carter [yeah, we're on a first name basis], didn't think there would actually be a season 9, so that's why the finale was so short.  I didn't think it was a great finale, and it didn't really tell us too much, but seeing the mother in the last 10 seconds was well worth it!
Tuesday: Arrested Development - season 3

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Alright, so maybe this week hasn't been all new tv, but this is in anticipation of new tv!  In case you didn't know, Arrested Development is coming back for Season 4 in a little over a week.  I AM SO EXCITED.  This is one of those shows I didn't watch until it was off the air, but in the last month, Mike and I have watched seasons 1-3 a couple times through.  We are rewatching season 3 now, and we watched a few episodes on Tuesday night, mostly because I'm ridiculously jealous of my friends in the NYC area who I've seen at the Bluth banana stand!!! #ADWorldTour is in full swing [it was even at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday!!!], and if they were still in NYC this weekend, I was planning on dropping everything to go... seriously.  But alas, it is moving on, and I will have to make my own frozen bananas this weekend.  
Wednesday: Alright, I didn't watch any television, but I did see The Hunger Games for the first time.  Going in I knew nothing, and somehow I basically still knew the whole plot line.  It was a good movie, but not the spectacular event I imagined.  
Thursday: The Office - series finale

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The end of an era.  I loved The Office! I started watching it during season 2, when I was in high school.  I'm a sucker for love stories, so Pam and Jim were a very good part of the reason I watched every week.  When they started drifting apart [and coincidentally the plots got worse] in the last couple seasons, I wasn't as invested and sometimes episodes on the DVR sat there for a good month before I would get to them.  
Well, not only was there an hour and 15 minute finale, there was also an hour retrospective beforehand last night.  I loved hearing Jenna, John, Ed, and Rainn talk about their characters as well as the making of each season and even the casting.  One of my favorite parts was watching John's casting video, where he was told to look "sarcastic" and made the first ever "Jim face."
Then there was the finale.  The first 40 minutes were pretty standard: they brought all the cast members together, as it took place a year after last week's episode, and then Jim started with his pranks.  Then, as Jim tells Dwight he can't be his best man, Michael Scott enters.  [Let me just say, Steve Carell is DEFINITELY a silver fox.]  His only line for the first 5 minutes or so is "that's what she says."  He doesn't take over the episode, but you know he's there, and as an Office fan, I am so happy he was.  Mike and I teared up through most of the last half hour, and it was just a fantastic way to end a great 9 season run!
For another fantastic take on last night's episode, Alyssa's post is great! 
  
And as if all of those things didn't make it the BEST WEEK OF TV EVER... this week Fox announced that JACK BAUER IS COMING BACK!!!! 2014 cannot get here fast enough.... see what I did there?! ;)

Inside Out Chocolate Cupcakes

Last Friday was my boss's birthday. As you can probably assume, when baking needs to be done, I'm the one who gets called. Well, as you can imagine with my whole "coast to coast healthy" thing, I haven't baked lately.  I don't want to look at Pinterest, I don't want to see what I'm "missing," I just don't.  So, I told my coworker to scour the Internet and choose literally any recipe ever. She found these great chocolate inside out cupcakes (also known as black bottom cupcakes), and they were amazing [yes, I had one]! 
This was my first time ever baking with a vinegar recipe, so of course Mike and I spent like a half hour researching it.  I love the science behind the vinegar + baking soda combination and might try altering some of my own recipes to make them fluffier.
Photos updated 3/5/17 for Mike's 31st birthday

Also, because the "frosting" was on the inside, it made the cupcakes so moist.  I sort of forgot about the second batch [because we were watching last week's The Office] and left them in for a good 6 minutes extra.  They were still delicious and you couldn't tell a difference.
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup white sugar 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 cup water 1 tablespoon vinegar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ~~~~~~~~~~ 8 oz package of cream cheese [softened] 1 egg 1/3 cup sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips
Directions: - Preheat oven to 350 degrees. - Line cupcake pans. - Sift together flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt, and set aside. - In a large bowl, whisk the 1 cup sugar, oil, and water until blended. Stir in vanilla and vinegar. - Beat in flour mixture until incorporated, and set aside. - In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, egg, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt.  Stir in chocolate chips. - Fill muffin liners 1/3 of the way with chocolate batter. - Scoop a heaping tablespoon of cream cheese filling into the middle of each cup. - Bake for 20-25 minutes.
original recipe

Top 10 of My Day Off

10 newly painted nails

9 rooms vacuumed

8 floored scrubbed

7 unmatched socks from

6 loads of laundry

5 blog posts planned

4 hours of Law and Order

3 miles run

2 fish sandwiches for lunch with Mike

1 pair of ridiculously comfy Christmas Cookie Monster pants