Hey Guess What...

I'm being featured today!

The beautiful Marlee from The-Girl-Most-Likely is doing a series called "Sunday Dresses" and I am lucky enough to be a part of it!

Check it out here

Last Wedding of the Summer!

I recently had the pleasure of attending one of my absolute favorite-people-in-the-whole-world's wedding!

Miss Molly Jane was married this past weekend!

She looked like Cinderella, and was basically glowing the whole day. She looked stunning!

And she has to die for long red hair, it's amazing.

But here was the real dilemma of the day: I was at a serious loss for what to wear to the wedding.

I decided on one outfit, but then discovered that Molly Jane was going to be donning the same shirt as part of her going away outfit, so that was a no go.

Then I remembered a dress my sister-in-law owned, and figured it would be perfect.

Except it was about 4 inches too short. 

It was like the universe was conspiring against me.

I was almost ready to start searching for a different dress, when my sweet mother-in-law came to the rescue and insisted I let her sew some antique lace she had just purchased off ebay onto the bottom of the dress. 

(that's not a joke... she loves ebay)

And voila! Here is the dress in all it's glory:

thank heavens for mother-in-laws huh? haha

We are all really good at taking pictures and not awkward one bit...

aww... congrats Molly Jane! Seems like just yesterday we were matching in Paris :)

Croquet + Crepes

spontaneous get-togethers are one of my absolute favorite things in this world. 

& when some of my favorite people happen to be at those get-togethers & we all end up playing croquet and eating crepes, well, i can't imagine anywhere else i'd rather be!

 

mah gurl beth

and then becca, who has been my friend since i was age 0, came over to show us her brand new engagement ring! SO happy for her and her fiance. 

and the best part is, they met at mine and Mr JP's wedding! woohoo!

Wednesday Ramblings & A Year-Old Wedding Cake:

So I've discovered recently (maybe since my birthday??) that my ability to stay up past 11 PM has severely diminished. 

As soon as the 10 o'clock hour is gone, apparently so is the will to keep my eyelids open. It's disconcerting, really. 

I used to be able to stay up all night if I needed to! I could function on 4 hours of sleep just fine. And now if I get less than 7 hours I feel like I got hit by a train when my alarm goes off in the morning.  

And I would probably be more upset about this sudden turn of events if I just wasn't so tired right now haha.

In other news, I ate a whole cantaloupe for dinner tonight. And a kiwi. And a peach. 

Did I mention I'm trying out this diet/cleanse for a week?

Oh and on our 1-year anniversary I might have put on my wedding dress again... (I couldn't help myself! I love that dress and this was a fairly good excuse to wear it again) and I could still zip it up... but it was a bit more snug than last year... and therefore sparked the previously mentioned diet/cleanse haha. 

And of course, Mr JP and I ate the top of our wedding cake for our one year anniversary!

Which was nice to actually taste, because I didn't exactly get to enjoy the flavor last year as it was shoved in my face. 

Did you know the tradition goes back to the Roman Empire?

Freezing and eating the top tier of your wedding cake on your 1-year anniversary is supposed to bring good fortune to your marriage :)

First Day of School!

Mr JP started law school yay!!

I couldn't be more proud of him, seriously though.  

Law school started a week earlier than the undergraduates do, so I am still soaking up these last few precious days of summer (and trying not to be too happy about it while my husband is around haha) until my life becomes an absolute whirlwind again. 

He was a very good sport and let me take this because I am all about commemorating rites of passage, and I think starting graduate school is a pretty huge milestone!

Happy 1 Year Anniversary to Us!

I simply cannot believe it has been a whole year since I married Jean Paul. 

It has flown by unbelievably fast but at the same time it seems like I have never not been married to him. 

Our wedding day was easily the happiest day of my life, and the most fun, so I wanted to share a few more pictures from August 19, 2011. 

Happy Anniversary Darling! 

One year ago you and I started down the best path I could ever hope to follow!

and I thought I loved you then...  :)

[“I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep your eyes close.” ]

― Pablo Neruda, 100 Love Sonnets

The Ultimate Healthy Breakfast Cookie

When I wake up at 7 AM in the mornings to go to work, my routine goes a little something like this:

• hit snooze 3-5 times, 
• then finally get up and realize I am late
• fumble around in the dark looking for the right color of scrubs to wear that day (I can't turn on the light because Mr JP is snoozing)
• brush my teeth and hair simultaneously because, if you remember, I am running late
• grab my shoes and socks to put on in the car at one of the red lights I am sure to be stopped at (because doesn't it seem like the world is against you when you're running late??)
• and then I grab something, anything I can eat for breakfast in the car as I run out the door

And that brings me to the reason for this post. 

Usually I grab a yogurt for my breakfast because it's healthy and fairly easy to eat on the go, but I get really sick of eating yogurt everyday. (unless it's frozen yogurt, but that's a different category entirely)

So when I saw a recipe for healthy breakfast cookies on pinterest I was super thrilled (breakfast cookies?! What a novel idea!) and gave it a try. 

And I love the results! They're high in protein, low in fat, have no eggs or flour in them, are naturally sweetened and taste delicious! So now I am sharing the recipe with you, enjoy! :)

2 ripe bananas, mashed until smooth & creamy

1/3 cup peanut butter ~ creamy or chunky 
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 scoop vanilla protein powder 
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp butter flavor extract (optional)
1 1/2 cups uncooked oatmeal  (I grinded mine in a blender!)
1/4 cup chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, or your favorite)
a few chocolate chips!

In a large bowl, mix mashed banana & peanut butter until completely combined then add in the applesauce, vanilla protein powder & the extract(s) & mix again until all are completely combined. 

Add in the oatmeal & nuts to the banana mixture & combine.  

Let dough rest for 10 minutes.

Drop cookie dough, by spoonfuls, onto a greased cookie sheet & add chocolate chips on top if you want them.

Bake cookies approx. 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown & done.  

Remove from oven & let rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then move to cooling rack.

And voila! You have delicious, healthy breakfast cookies. 

Makes 16-24 cookies depending on the size you want them to be!

Confession: I definitely eat them all throughout the day, not just for breakfast. 

Original Recipe found here

Don't Mess With the Classics

So Mr JP and I are supposed to be off-sugar.

But somehow, temptations just keep popping up and preventing us from completely sticking to our resolution...

For example, when out and about scootering around late last night, how could we say no to this sight?!

It was nearly impossible to resist.

 Actually completely impossible because we immediately turned into the Baskin Robbins parking lot.

Which brings me to my next point:

When was the last time you ate ice cream from Baskin Robbins?! 

Let me tell you, overlooking this unassuming little ice cream shop is a grave mistake I have been guilty of these past few years. 

Their flavors are to. die. for.

I have been blinded by all these fancy places like Cold Stone or Farr's Fresh, when actually the real gem was sitting right there on Bulldog Blvd, who knew?

*Disclaimer* 

Mr JP is actually very very good at not eating sugar. This was the first time he had cheated in a very long time. 

My self control, on the other hand, well, it's almost nonexistent.

Oh well, I guess we complete each other?

Goodbye Olympics!

Well, the Olympics are over and I'm not sure what to do with my nights anymore... so I decided to compile some of my favorite pictures from the past two weeks and share them with you! Enjoy :)

And I'm obsessed with this video: it has made me teary every time I've watched it, but can you blame me?!