I died.

Since Saturday, I've been feeling under the weather. It started out as a sore throat that lasted a day or two, and then I started sneezing and having sinus pressure and started to feel congested. I assumed it was just allergies because there is a thick layer of yellow pollen covering everything in sight. Tuesday night, I felt it all settling in my chest. I was wheezing and had developed a nasty cough. I felt like death. Again, I just assumed it was allergies and that maybe that had caused me to start to develop an upper respiratory infection. I was so sick and congested that I was coughing and wheezing and snoring in my sleep. It was apparently so bad that B got up in the middle of the night and went to sleep in the guest room. Poor guy. He came back in to our room to check on me when he woke up yesterday morning. He sat next to me on the bed and rubbed my back. Our conversation went like this:

A: I have some sad news. I died. I'm dead now. Tell me the nice things you plan to say about me at my funeral. 

B: Well, I will tell everyone that you were extremely kind, that you had a very nice booty, and that you lived a long and happy life. 

A: 28 years is not a long life. 

B: I know it's not. But you're also not dead. 

That man just gets me. (I also love that he said I had a very nice booty. Priorities, people.) I drug myself into work because I knew I had stuff that I had to do. My boss comes in at 10am every day. The first thing she said to me when she walked in was, "Girl, I love you, but you look like shit. Why are you here?" I told her I felt awful but that I had stuff to do and that it was probably just allergies. Then she heard me cough, and I was concerned that one of my lungs would fly out and land on my desk. She politely insisted that I go home and take my laptop with me so I could work remotely. She reached over and felt my head and told me that I felt feverish and made me promise to go see a doctor on my way home. I promised, gathered all my things, and drove myself to the nearest Urgent Care. 

They made me wear a sexy face mask so that I didn't spread my germs. When the doctor saw me, he took my temperature and listened to my chest. With a very concerned look on his face, her told me I had a fever of 102 (and 97 is normal for me) and told me that I have a pretty bad case of pneumonia. Really?! He called in an antibiotic for me and sent me on my way, telling me to get lots of rest and stay hydrated. 

I emailed my boss with the bad news, and she replied and said, "I KNEW IT!" I told her that if it was alright with her, I'd work from home for the rest of the day and also the following day, so that the antibiotics could get in my system and I wouldn't be contagious. She emailed me back and said, "Please just work from home the rest of the week and you can come back on Monday when you're better. I'm hereby ordering you to stay in bed ALL DAMN WEEK and nap as often as you want to. I love you but I don't love your germs." There are so many reasons why I love my job and I love the people there. I have never worked anywhere that was so understanding and compassionate when it comes to dealing with illness. I also am incredibly thankful that my job can be done from the comfort of my bed and that I was not forced to use up any sick days. 

I spent the rest of my day working on my laptop in my bed, waiting for CVS to call and tell me that my prescription was ready to pick up. They never called. Keep in mind that my doctor called it in to them at NOON. Around 8:45, I begrudgingly drove myself up there, assuming that they'd just forgotten to call me. The pharmacist told me they were running behind and Id have to come back and pick it up tomorrow. At that point, I literally burst into tears and tried to explain to her that I had pneumonia and needed that medicine hours ago. (Let me also paint you a picture of how I looked at the time. It was pouring rain and unseasonably cold. Most of my winter clothes are put away. I had on no makeup, my face was red and puffy, and I was wearing my glasses. Since I was battling a fever, I was so cold. I'd thrown on the only sweatshirt I could find, which just happened to be bright red and said Meowy Christmas across the front. I looked busted and felt worse than I looked. And on top of all that, I'd begun to ugly cry like Kim Kardashian or Dawson Leery.)

She huffed and puffed and grumbled and finally filled my prescription. It literally took her maybe three whole minutes. I thanked her profusely and told her she was a lifesaver. She huffed and muttered, "Ugh, whatever." I guess someone pissed in her Cornflakes that morning. 

I still feel like garbage today and I guess it's going to get a little worse before it gets better. I'm just thankful that my boss played the Mom Card on me and made me go to the doctor. If I would have let this crisp go on for another day or two, it's very likely that I would have ended up in the hospital. Pneumonia is no joke, friends. I'm just ready to be better 

Love,

A

I'm officially a prude.

Let me explain. 

Does anyone else love shopping in Groupon's Goods section for deals on products you'd never buy if they weren't on sale? I'm super guilty. Lately I've noticed a trend in the products they have listed, and you may have noticed, too. There seem to be a growing number of...ahem..."adult" products listed. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all about sexual freedom. You do you. I just find it super awkward to log on to Groupon looking for a curling iron and find 17 different kinds of fake va-jay-jays on my screen. (And to be clear, I'm totally cool with the real V word, but I'm not trying to write it on here for fear of my little blog popping up in the search results for something gross.) 

Groupon has all of these specific categories like "Health & Beauty" and I really feel like they need and "Adult/NSFW" category. 

So I did a thing just now. I did a really prudish, old lady thing. I emailed Groupon and told them how I felt. I just can't look at another fake peen without saying something. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go knit a sweater before my 8pm bedtime. 

Love,

A

Five on Friday!

TGIF!  I'm back for another weekly edition of Five on Friday.  I will be linking up with the lovely Christina, the amazing Karli, and the incredible Amy!

   

-ONE-

March Madness has begun!  My alma mater, Wofford College, became SoCon champions (again!) and got their ticket to go dancing (again!) and they faced off late last night against Arkansas.  Wofford is a #12 seed and Arkasnas is a #5 seed, but there has been a history of #12 teams beating #5 teams, so my fellow Terriers and I were holding out hope.  We played an amazing game, but came up 3 points short in the end.  I am very proud of my team, not only for their skill on the court, but for the good sportsmanship and integrity.  At one point during the game, on of the players for Arkansas decided it would be a great idea to kick off one of his shoes into the crowd.  Then, another player decided to toss him a shoe from the bench, all while clock was running and the game was going!  This incident immediately made me think of a scene from Austin Powers, and apparently I wasn't alone.

-TWO-

I ordered a new phone case for my iPhone 6.  I have literally been eyeing this case design for years and I decided it was finally time.  If you know me at all, you know how much I love Biggie.

-THREE-

B and I get our next shipment of Plated meals tomorrow, and I can't wait to see what is up next!  If you want to learn more about our adventures with Plated, you should check this out.  

-FOUR-

I have been loving this song ever since B and I saw WALK THE MOON play live over the summer.  This video just makes me so happy.  I dare you to not get this stuck in your head!

-FIVE-

It's finally Spring!  I can't wait for the weather to be nice and beautiful (because it is dreary today)!

Love, 

A

Plated.

So I mentioned in my last post that I'm not a master chef or any kind of culinary expert.  I also mentioned that I'm a bit of a picky eater.  Glad I got those things off my chest.  

B and I signed up for this awesome program called Plated.  Plated allows you the ability to cook chef-inspired meals at home.  You select your delivery date, your menu items, cook it, and enjoy!  Plated sends you a recipe card and all of your ingredients.  It seriously couldn't be any easier.  The ingredients are locally sourced, the meat is hormone free, and the packaging is environmentally friendly.

Here are the meals we have tried so far (And since B is vegetarian, we opted for all vegetarian meals):

Seared Ginger Soy Tempeh with Mizuna and Miso Slaw

Their version.

Our version.

I didn't love the slaw, but that's because I don't really like green stuff.  The tempe was pretty good.  The slaw called for a homemade vinaigrette, which turned out to be delicious!  This took 45 minutes to prepare and had 590 calories.  

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Spicy Coconut Rice Noodles with Kale and Basil

 

Their version.

Our version.

I was really optimistic about this recipe!  The chopping of the kale was a tedious task, but I felt for sure that this would be yummy.  I was wrong.  I really didn't like it and B just tolerated it.  I think we realized that we just don't care for the taste of coconut (unless you're talking about a pina colada).  I don't think we'd ever make this again, but I did really love the rice noodles.  This took about 35 minutes to prepare and had 600 calories.

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Cheesy Corn Arepas with Roasted Mushrooms and Avocado

Their version.

Our version.

I admittedly hate mushrooms, so I didn't eat them (but I did try them), but B said they were pretty good.  Our arepas ended up looking a lot yellower than theirs, but I think that was just because of the color of the cornmeal.  These were really tasty and I loved that they added honey to their avocado mix.  My only real complaint was that these fried pretty hard and were a little crunchier than I would want them in the future.  Overall, this was a tasty meal!  This took 40 minutes to prepare and had 600 calories.

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White Bean Fritters with SunDried Tomatoes

Their version.

Our version.

Holy crap, these were DELICIOUS!  We will definitely be making these again very soon.  These have rosemary and sundried tomatoes in them and they are topped with paremsan cheese.  B and I both want to try these again, but instead of placing them on a bed of greens, we want to try them as a burger alternative on a bun.  My mouth is watering just thinking about these... These took 40 minutes to prepare and had 580 calories.

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Plated has so many different options, and their menu changes each week.  You have choices in Land, Sea, and Veggie and can mix and match.  Each meal feeds 2 people (and the portions are sizable).  Each meal costs $12 (which breaks down to $6/person, and you can't eat out anywhere for that cheap).  We typically order 3 meals per week.  Not only do we save money but we also save time (less shopping) and we get to try new things and learn new skills. 

If you want to give Plated a try, click here.  

Happy cooking!

Love, 

A

These are my confessions. (And my pleas for help!)

Sorry for getting Usher stuck in your head. It's a catchy tune. 

I've been thinking about some things lately and I decided some confessions are in order. And to be very honest, I hope some of you are brave and kind enough to let me know I'm not alone in all of this. Or just break it to me gently that I am, in fact, crazy. Either way. 

I am 28 years old, and almost halfway to 29. Most days I have my ish mostly together, but there are some days that make me wonder if I even know how to be a proper adult. I feel like at some point, all of the other adults got together and had a meeting where they were given the rules and told all the tricks and secrets about being an adult, and somehow I didn't get that meeting invite, or even the follow-up notes on what I'd missed. There are several things that I feel like I should have learned or figured out by 28 that I'm just clueless about. So here are my confessions. 

1.  I don't have a skincare routine. On a good night, I remember to take off my makeup and properly wash my face before I go to bed. Other nights, I simply "wash" my face with a wet washcloth and don't even bother trying to remove my mascara. I moisturize when my face is dry. I try to put on sunscreen if I know I'll be outside (even in the winter and on cloudy days, because skin cancer is no joke). I know this is plain wrong, so can someone please tell me what I should be doing??

2.  I also don't know how to properly apply makeup. I mean, I know the basics and I know what goes where, but I don't know how to contour my face or do even a decent smokey eye. I just started getting semi-confident with eyeliner about 2 years ago. My daily basics are a light foundation and/or concealer, powder, blush (if I remember), and mascara. If I'm feeling fancy, I'll add eyeshadow and eyeliner. Lipstick is hit or miss. I own some, but I usually feel like a clown if I wear it. I'm more or a Chapstick or gloss gal. I've tried YouTube tutorials and taking tips from my friends, but I seem to always end up looking like a drag queen. Any advice here?

3. I rarely groom my eyebrows. Now this is something I know I should do, but I'll admit that I'm just lazy. My Mom would never let me touch them growing up for fear that is over-pluck and have scary, pencil-thin brows. Her's are light but full, a la Brooke Shields. I'm blonde, so mine are lighter as well. I don't really have a natural arch, but I also don't rock a Frida Kahlo unibrow. I try to maintain the strays when I notice them getting out of control, but they aren't too bad. I tend to do serious work on them about every 3 months or so, or for important events where I know I'll be having my picture taken a lot (like weddings and such). Mostly I just wait until one of my cosmetically-inclined friends sees me and takes the matter into their own hands. 

4.  I'm terrible at fancy cooking. B and I recently got a subscription to Plated. They send you a recipe and all of the ingredients for a fancy meal, and all you have to do is whip it up. We cooked our first 2 meals this weekend and they were quite good! However, I did have to Google "mince" because I had no idea what degree of chopping that meant. Turns out I did know, but I just didn't know that I knew. I also have an issue with touching things that are mushy or have a weird texture. Chopping tomatoes makes me uncomfortable and I just can't bear to touch raw meat. (Thankfully B is a vegetarian, so the meat thing is never an issue.) Judge away, but will someone please teach me how to cook?? 

(Tempe with some fancy slaw.)

(Some kind of fancy pan-fried corn cakes with mushrooms and tomato and avocado salad.)

5.  I am terrible with removing stains from our laundry. Most of our stains are food-related. My Mom taught me the importance of pretreating stains to keep them from setting in, and she is some sort of stain removal wizard. (My Dad is a mechanic, so he often comes home with serious black grease and oil stains, and she makes them disappear like magic.) She's tried to teach me her magic, but I can't ever seem to duplicate the results. My 2 biggest struggles are makeup (I dropped a glob of foundation on a white shirt recently and cannot get it out) and oil (specifically EVOL that B has gotten on a few items of clothing while cooking/eating). Can anyone give me tips?? Teach me your ways, oh domestic goddesses!

6.  I cannot like salad, no matter how hard I try. I hate lettuce and I feel like I'm eating leaves. (Yes, I know that's basically what lettuce is, but I feel like I just walked up to a tree and started picking and eating leaves.) I've even tried fancy salads with all sorts of different greens, but I can't like it. It's probably a texture thing. I don't like touching or eating weird textures. Yes, I know I'm picky. People tell me that I should try dressings because that will make the salad tasty and desirable, and if you know me, you know how much I love ranch dressing. My problem is, I have to drown a salad in ranch to even be able to get it down without gagging or grimacing. To me, drowning a healthy meal in ranch defeats the purpose of said healthy meal. I might as well skip all of those benefits and calories all together. And believe me, I've tried so hard to like or even tolerate salad. I want to like it, but I just can't. Can someone teach me how to do this?? (Likely no, but it's worth a shot.)

7.  I can't manage to wake up without hitting the snooze button at least 5 times. Or 10, let's just be honest. Since the iPhone has a preset snooze time of 9 minutes, I end up setting 2 alarms every morning so that I get about 5 minutes between them. B wakes up as soon as his alarm goes off and has never hit snooze. He's just ip and ready to start his day, which is pure insanity to me. The man doesn't even drink coffee. He's just naturally perky in the mornings. I AM NOT. My snooze button habit drives him bonkers. On some mornings when I go to work before him, he's been known to get up and go sleep in the guest room as soon as my first alarm goes off, and that gives him another 30 or so minutes of uninterrupted sleep. (For those of you that just read that and think that I'm totally rude for that, just know that I keep my alarm on the quietest setting possible -- one notch above silent -- and I only wake up earlier than him a maximum of 2 days a week.) I also can't wake up early without an alarm (unless I have to pee). On the weekends when we have no plans, B naturally wakes up around 8am or even before. He has learned and is kind enough not to disturb me. I need my beauty rest. (Remember me telling you that I don't understand makeup? That's part of why I need so much beauty rest. I cannot magically transform this face to look gorgeous. Lord knows what I'd look like without beauty rest. With the amount I get on lucky weekends, you'd think I'd be as flawless as Beyoncé.) Part of my struggles with waking up stem from the fact that I don't sleep well and have occasional insomnia. I've always been a night owl. I can't just wake up with the first chirp of my alarm and be ready to face the day. I love my sleep and I love my bed, and I really have to adjust to the idea of waking up and starting my day. Do you want to know the real reason why Sleeping Beauty was always my favorite princess? It wasn't because of her gorgeous blond locks or because Prince Charming literally found her and they lived happily ever after. It's because that bitch got to sleep uninterrupted for so damn long! (We won't get into the story's morbid truths or the rape undertones or or creepy part of the story really are. Let's just think about how wonderful the sleep part is.) You early risers, can you teach me how you do it?? Can you train me to become a morning person??

That's a whole lot of confessions for one post, so I'll save some of the others for a later time. 

Oh wise readers, will you please share your wisdom with me? Will you also share your confessions with me? It's cathartic to get it all out there, I promise. 

Love,

A

Five on Friday!

Did you miss me?  I'm back for another weekly edition of Five on Friday!  I will be linking up with the lovely Christina and the amazing Karli!

     

-ONE-

We have had the most bizarre weather here in Charlotte lately.  One day it will be snowing like crazy and then the next day it will be 70 degrees.  It's making me a little crazy (and also a little sick) and it makes it impossible to know what to wear from one day to the next!  Ohhh, who am I kidding.  I wear yoga pants/leggings every day of the week.

-TWO-

I was so excited that I got to see two of my very best friends this past weekend.  Katie and Daniel were in town so we met them for brunch at 5Church.  It is always so much fun catching up with them, and I loved hearing about the progress on their house!

-THREE-

After brunch on Saturday, I drove to Greenville and spent the night with my BFFAE and her sweet baby girl.  I am so in love with Mia, and I'm glad we got to bond.  Aunt Allison is going to spoil her rotten.

-FOUR-

My mom rescued a stray cat from the parking lot at her work this week.  She brought her home, and she seems to like living with my parents.  Dad named her Katniss.  She likes to hang out on the roof or hang out in the garage while my Dad works on his Mustang.  He even brings her into the house at night for cuddles.  Mom and Dad send me nightly text and picture updates on Katniss.  They told me yesterday that they think she might be pregnant and are going to try and take her to the vet this weekend.  She's apparently a very gentle kitty.

-FIVE-

I have got to get some kind of skincare routine that works for my face.  I'm breaking out like a teenager!  This weather has made my cheeks super dry but the rest of my face is oily. I just can't seem to get it figured out.  Any trusty products or routines that you can recommend?  I'm desperate!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Love,

A

On Wednesdays, we wear parkas. Because it's cold.

Y'all, I was not built for cold weather. It literally makes my bones ache. This cold front is making me feel like an old lady!

Our sweet little house experienced its first snow on Tuesday (and is likely to get more tonight)!

In honor of the cold weather, I made the season's first batch of vegetarian chili. 

B and I have been watching Sons of Anarchy on Netflix and we are midway through season 5. Thanks to Gemma Teller, I've become obsessed with black manicures. They match the color of my soul these days. 

I just wanted to pop in with a quick update. Hope everyone is staying safe and warm!

Love,

A