Living a rich life on a budget

Heeelllllllooooooo everyone!

I’m on campus killing some time until my practicum seminar starts at 3:15pm. Down time is so rare for me, but I am either ahead of my tasks or on target, so I figured I could take some time to write. This semester, Monday is actually my only day that isn’t crazy busy. It’s a nice change from having Mondays be the most dreaded day of the week. I actually enjoy them now! I do occasionally have Saturdays off completely, but I think that is changing in the near future Oh well, being busy just makes it go by faster and I am more than happy to wish away the winter months right now!

So, this is largely a food blog, but my meals have been nothing short of lackluster lately. With Josh on a business trip and being out of the house from 10-16 hours a day, I’m left with little time or motivation to create anything interesting. I need to get better about watching my nutrients since I need energy now more than ever. I have given up the pizza and beer diet of last semester, so that’s a start I guess I also need to get a new point and shoot camera since I just don’t have the ability to carry around another bag with my D-SLR in it. On any given day I leave the house with my purse, my laptop bag stuffed with all my work, and my BuiltNY Lunch bag. So, a new digital camera is kind of a necessity in the near future. Plus, it can’t hurt with our Africa trip on the horizon

This last week has been a hard one for me personally. Without going into detail, a former friend is putting a lot of effort into hurting me personally. Because we are in the same program, I am just trying to keep from having it affect me professionally. One of the major benefits of always trying to learn from your mistakes is that you can always be sure you’ve done everything in your power to make things right and learn what not to do next time. I’m trying to see the inherent lesson in this situation and let the petty personal stuff go because I know who I am and my intentions are pure. I don’t need other people’s validation or approval, so I’m content with not being liked by everyone as long as I’ve tried my best. I credit my advanced age (28 ) with these revelations and comfort with who I am. It’s taken a very long time for me to not allow gossip to hurt me personally, but I’ve finally gotten there It’s a great feeling.

SO how am I handling it you ask…. I’m just relying on my hard work in the program and at my internship to speak for my character and efforts. I’ve worked very hard to establish a good reputation and I feel like that is the most important thing. I’m hoping that by ignoring the situation, it may die down or at least get old. It’s hard to hear people’s negative thoughts about you (truthful or not), but I just consider the source and try not to let it get me down. I’m just going to continue working hard and hope that is enough.

With that said- Tell me how do you deal with gossip in your professional or personal life???

My last post was somewhat of a false start. I had every intention of getting back to regular blogging, but had no real plan to make it a reality, so naturally it fell to the side yet again But, I’m here now and SO much has happened since my last post! I’ll try to make it swift….

Literally the day after I wrote my last post, Beatrix decided it would be a great idea to eat 2 ft of ribbon. Seriously- 2 FEET of ribbon. After having emergency surgery to remove her unusual snack, our bank account was considerably lighter on funds and I began to do a bit of soul searching. After spending 7 days in the apartment monitoring Bee with nothing else to do but think, I came to some big decisions. What did I decide you ask? Continue reading…

I had already been toying with the idea of taking a semester off from classes when the Bee incident occurred. I’m hoping to secure a graduate assistantship starting in the fall that would cover my tuition and possibly have a stipend to help with living expenses and books. So, when we forked over thousands of dollars for Bee’s surgery, this decision became even easier. I reasoned that a little patience would allow me to save about a$8,000 on just this semester’s classes alone. So, I am not taking any classes this semester, but I am completing my practicum in Academic Advising (which I LURVE btw). I’m also working as an Academic Coach for a first year student, which is another great opportunity to apply the things I learned last semester. I also got promoted to a Team Lead (a fancy way to say PT manager) at Teavana, so I’m working more hours and saving more cash at a job that I really enjoy. Needless to say, I am actually busier this semester than I was last semester and I’m not even taking classes!

So, what does that mean for my future??? Well, if all goes well, I will hopefully get selected for 1 of the 4 graduate assistantships that are opening for this fall and then I can resume a FT class schedule in the fall. If not, then plan B is to go PT for as long as it takes to finish the program without strapping myself with debt. I just can’t go there after all our hard work to pay off my undergrad.

In other exciting news- Josh started his masters’ program a couple weeks ago and he’s already in love, so I’m super excited for him and kinda jealous because his program is SO cool! It is a bit crazy here though with him traveling every week to NYC for a few days then coming back for classes and all my bagillion responsibilities. We’re just sort of figuring things out and hoping to get into some sort of routine as the semester progresses.

On the horizon….

1. GA (grad assistantship) applications and interview prep
2. Exciting projects at my practicum site
3. BLOGGING
4. Spring break road trip with my Mum!
5. My 29th year of life begins on May 23rd

Before you know it we’ll be unpacking our summer clothes! June is just around the corner and you know what that means……..

SOUTH AFRICA

See ya’ll on the flipside!

Testing 1, 2, 3……

Hello blog friends

Long time, no see! So, obviously I took a bit of a blog hiatus over the last few months while I was adjusting to my new surrounding in New York, being a graduate student, working part time at Teavana, and somehow still managing to be a wife to Josh and a pet parent to Bee. It was a crazy semester, to say the least and taking the time to focus on my school work was definitely a good decision. My first semester was incredibly exciting, stressful, emotional, and overall the most intense 4 months of my life so far. I look forward to sharing some of the happenings with you as I go forward writing All Things B.

In the meantime I thought it might be prudent to play a little catch up! First, Josh is also living in NY now- YAY, right! He made the move in October and thankfully was able to transfer with his same company, so that was amazing. Bee is pretty much the same Bee, just a bit furrier since the winters here are a bit colder than Northern Nevada I’ve been very lucky to be living closer to some of my college friends and getting the chance to see them regularly has been awesome. I’ve also made many new friends through my program and my part time job at Teavana, all of which will appear on the blog at some time I’m sure!

Mostly the biggest change in the last few months was how little cooking, sleeping or exercising I did! Honestly, I somehow managed to “forget” the cardinal rule of taking care of myself FIRST. School was moved to the front and everything else moved to the back burner. Which is a great segue into my resolutions for the upcoming year!

In 2010 I will…

1. Get back to the things that matter most to me like writing, creating amazing meals for friends and family, reading non-school related books, etc.

2. Spend LESS money. Obviously this is always a goal of mine since this blog’s predominant focus is living a great life on the cheap! Seriously though, the fall was expensive with all the dining out and not cooking meals at home, so I will be better a meal planning and packing lunches.

3. Make time to take care of myself. Seems simple right? Not so much… I will sleep at least 6 hours/night (ideally 8, but I’m realistic). I’m already back in the gym consistently, so I plan to make that a priority for the stress relief alone!

4. Spend more time with my family. I barely saw Josh for the last 4 months and I haven’t spent nearly enough time with my Mom or brothers in 2009, so that is a big priority for 2010.

5. Do well in school and learn as much as I can, while I can. My program is only 2 years long and after this semester I feel like there is just SO much to know. My goal is to continue to do my best and soak up as much as I can from the experience.

It’s a hefty list, but I’m up to the challenge This post is my first step and I hope that you all will help keep me accountable! Going forward, I hope to blog daily (1-3x), but I will see how things go and just aim for regularly It’s great to be back!

Happy New Year!

Mornin’ ya’ll

I intentionally left out the “good” because I’m having the opposite of good mornings. Actually to be completely honest, the last few hours have been dreamy, but the preceeding 5 were not awesome. The dudes upstairs were semi-loud from about 8-12 and it was ok, ’cause I could drown them out a bit with some music.

Sidebar- cool newish find- on itunes radio I was able to find my old hometown pop/rock station (read- music for the masses ) Jam’n 94.5! They call it Jammin 101 now, but it will always be 94.5 to me. So, that provided the soundtrack to my evening of school work.

Anyway, they all left around midnight only to return at 2am yelling and horsing around. I had just gotten into bed about an hour before, so I had just fallen asleep I rocketed out of bed, ’cause the sudden noise scared the life out of me!

Once I calmed down, I laid there listening to the most ridiculous of conversations through the walls and floor and after over an hour (now past 3am) I decided that NO amount of noise is ok in the middle of the night! I grabbed my Bberry and sent out a quick email to my landlord (he’s going to HATE me) saying that although they have turned down the music noise, they haven’t scaled back on anything else. 

They finally went to bed at what seemed like 4ish and I fell back asleep until 6am. Since it was SO quiet in the early morning hours, I decided to take advantage and get up early to do some work. If I were a revenge seeking person, I would have blasted music and ran laps around the apt while they tried to sleep I finished up a long reading that I hadn’t gotten to last night and drank a pot of coffee- LOL. Now, I’m taking a break and blogging. 

So, you all know how crazy I am about my need for sleep. I’m just not one of those people that can be functional on 5 hrs here, 7 hrs there. I have learned that I am at my best (and happiest) when I can get a consistent 8 hrs each night. I plan my entire life around sleep and it has worked well for the last 3 yrs. Now, I actually NEED the proper sleep to be healthy and mentally sharp and I can’t for the life of me eek out more than 5 a night! So, depending on what my landlord does, I may be looking for a new place in the near future. I LOVE this place and the price is perfect, but I can’t afford to deal with this stuff multiple nights a week. We are paying $20k+ for grad school and I really would like to get my moneys worth without wanting to kill someone

As my title suggests, I’m having a “diet” dilemma. You guys know I don’t diet, but rather approach eating with an eye for moderation and whole ingredients. The past week or so, my clothes have been getting looser and I’ve noticed my muscle tone diminishing Since about mid Aug my workouts and eating habits have gone in the toilet. I haven’t had a formal workout in a couple weeks and my meals have consisted of cereal and fruit or sandwiches and fruit. I did make the attempt at a lasagna, which was great, but I ended up freezing the majority of it.

As I’ve said on here before, I’m not a fan of eating alone. I view eating as an excuse to sit down and catch up with family or friends. I enjoy food so much more when it is shared and I have a hard time motivating myself to cook a whole meal, just for me. So, cereal and sandwiches have become my staple. As a result, I’m losing weight (not in a good way) and I just feel like I’m missing part of my life that I truly LOVE. I’m having a FOOD CRISIS! It’s like Foodie Depression I just need Josh to move out here, so my fave dining partner can be my culinary guinea pig  

So, that said, here are my eats for yesterday. Multiple the cereal x2 because that’s what I ate for dinner at 10pm.

The cereal is a combo of Nature’s Path Flax Plus Multibran and Barbara’s Multigrain Shredded Spoonfuls (like LIFE cereal, but w/out the crap). 

Turkey and pepper jack cheese with mustard on Pepperidge Farm Sourdough (which is quite good, but has ZERO nutritional value) and some ‘lope.

This morning, I was pretty hungry since I had cereal for dinner and I had a cinn raisin bagel with PB and a nanner.

Now, I’m going to get back to the books for a couple more hours before I have to get ready for lunch with Missy! I’m super excited to see her and eat a meal with a person again! I’ll try to come back later, but if not, I’ll recap tomorrow

Ok, I haven’t been this mentally tired in a VERY long time. That said, I am SO EXCITED about my future in this program! Today was my first full day of classes and although it was mostly getting to know each other and going over course expectations, it was LONG and a bit nerve racking. Each class I got excited at all the interesting assignments and projects, but then flipped to the required reading and I was all nervous again I know it’s all about time management and being organized, so I’ve devised a method to keep the extensive reading schedule in check. Google tasks/calendar and I are going to become extremely close this semester  

So, some things I learned today. 

1. People in this field are SO welcoming and friendly. I have never felt so at home after knowing a group of people for mere hours. I’m excited about the new friendships that will come from working with this talented group of people. 
2. I’m a lot more independent than I thought. Just ask my Mom what my least favorite thing in the world is and she will tell you- Change. Since change has become the theme of my life right now, I’m amazed at how well I am coping without Josh around to support me. It’s nice to know that I can take care of myself since I have never really had to test that out till now  
3. I have a horrible sense of direction in new places. I got lost AGAIN tonight, but thanks to Malik’s navigation lady, I found my way. God Bless that “lady.”
4. Photocopied pages that are bound are called a “Course Reader” and it costs $50.10. Say it with me- YIKES.
5.  Things often happen for a reason and the “why’s” don’t become clear until much later. 
6. I’m exactly where I am suppose to be right now
7. I have to put a #7 because it’s my Mom’s favorite #

Sadly, I took no pics of today’s eats, but they were altogether boring until our department BBQ tonight which was catered by Dinosaur BBQ. I had a little sampling of everything and it was a great way to end a long day and get to know my classmates and some of the faculty and staff a bit better. Food, in my opinion, is the ultimate community builder. 

Now, I’m home and Bee is running around like a crazy person after sleeping all day while I was gone. I’m debating going to bed early, watching an episode of a new (to me) series I got from Netflix called In Treatment or doing some reading for class. I’m leaning toward the DVD, which means I will be asleep in t-minus 20min

Tomorrow is wide open until my class at 4pm, so I’ll be reading ALL day to prepare for next weeks classes. I’m thinking I may have to leave my apt because I tend to get sleepy here, so I might go hang out at Panera for a bit. We’ll see what happens in the AM. I’ll get back on top of my food photos tomorrow. 

G’Night!

Kori

Whoa- I’m getting CaaaRazy here with 2 posts in ONE day

Dinner was spectacular in every sense of the word! 

I love baked pasta dishes, but I loathe the extensive clean-up and prep involved in boiling the noodles etc. So, I went in search of no-boil tips using regular lasagna noodles and not the lame “no-boil” ones. I actually found a whole grain lasagna by Ronzoni that I was psyched to try! Into my Vegtastic lasagna went a whole bunch of tomato sauce, lots o’ shrooms, 2 chopped peppers (a yellow and an orange) and a bag of baby spinach which was chopped and wilted slightly in the pan once the other veggies were done sauteing. I also used about 10oz of part skim ricotta cheese which I added some S+P and other italian herbs and spices to and a bit o’ Parm. Lastly, I layered in about 8oz of sliced Mozz cheese. I use to be all about super cheesy lasagna’s, but now I prefer a better balance of each element, so I have backed off on the cheese a bit where most recipes call for about twice the amount I used. That’s the great thing about these dishes, they can be made to suit any taste preference. 

Now, with the no-boiling noodle method, everything I read said to add additional liquid, cover the pan for about 45min on 350* and then remove top and continue to cook an additional 30-45min. So, I added what seemed like too much sauce and after the first 45min I was afraid I’d ruined it. The dish looked soupy and the noodles were still firm, but I followed along diligently and continued the method. After an additional 35min this is what came out.

It looks great right? It tasted even better. This baby needed about 10 minutes to rest before cutting, so I waited patiently knife and spatula in hand and then served myself a generous piece. I neglected a salad or bread because this was all I wanted and I’m glad I did, because I was stuffed. The noodles were PERFECTLY done and so much more flavorful than my usual lasagna’s because they cooked right in the sauce. I foresee many lasagna’s in my future now that I don’t have to painstakingly boil the noodles! 

I’m off to unwind a bit. While I waited for dinner to cook, I made my lunch and packed some snacks for tomorrow’s long first day of classes. I’m actually not nervous yet, but I’m sure I will be tomorrow morning. I’m going to head in on the earlier side because I need to buy one more book and I’d like to get my bearings instead of rushing around. I feel so much better when I’m prepared and have time to spare, so that’s the plan! I’ll probably be blogging in the late afternoon, so come back then! Have a good night!

-Kori

Heeeeeeellllllllllloooooooooo there

Long time guys, long time. Obviously, we made it to Syracuse in a staggeringly fast 64 hrs with 2 hotel overnight stops and of course gas and FOOD! Two things- clearly, no blogging occurred during the whirlwind mainly because our days were about 17hrs long and the LAST thing I wanted to do was fire up the blogging machine when we reached our hotels! The other component was that between Josh and I packing the car up, we (really me) packed the camera bag in on about day 2 of 4 days of packing and there was no way I was recovering it till we made it to NY. So, here’s a wordy recap for ya!

Day 1: Terrible last night’s sleep in old apt due to aerobed that likes to let out air Packed up the last stragglers in the car and stuffed Bee in her Sleepypod then we hit the road! If you’ve never driven across the state of Nevada- DON’T! It’s the most boring time I have ever spent in a car. We made stops for coffee at Sbucks, lunch was more like Linner when we were passing through Salt Lake City and Googled the closest Chipotle. I love Chipotle and since we moved to Reno a year ago, I have only had 2 chances to go there, so this was exciting for me. I ordered my usual chicken burrito in a bowl with both fresh tomato and green tomatillo salsas. I swear they put crack in the verde salsa!

We ended the night around midnight in Wyoming and I proceeded to stay up ALL night waiting for Bee to eat and go to the bathroom. Traveling with pets is a stressful ordeal for everyone, but Bee seemed to be taking it the best out of all of us. I completely credit the wonderful people at Sleepypod for their amazing and cozy product that Bee preferred over being out on our laps. It’s safe, stylish and best of all comfortable and secure. The three days Bee was pretty much somewhere between these 3 positions:

**Sorry for the blur, they were taken with my Bberry camera**

Thanks again Sleepypod! You made our lives SO much easier!

Day 2: She finally did her business and ate/drank just before we had planned to leave at 6am. I on the other hand, was feeling pretty wiped, but just wanted to get on the road. Josh wasn’t doing much better since he only logged about 4hrs and we both require 7+ to be fully functioning. Luckily, we were both just dying to get there, so that motivated us to get moving. I did some snack/bfast item packing so that we could save some money on munchies and the easiest meal of the day. So, before heading out of the hotel, I made us some oatmeal. Nature’s Path Optimum with Blueberries, Raisins and Flax, hotel room coffee (surprisingly not bad) and some hot tea for the road. The NP instant oats were SO good. You all know I’m basically in LOVE with everything NP makes, but I’m not an oat lover and I’ve never met an instant oatmeal that I would buy twice. These were delish and just subtly sweet (which is typically my issue with instant oats- TOO MUCH SUGAR). My grand, money saving plan worked really well, till I realized I hadn’t brought along any spoons! So naturally, we ate with our fingers

Once on the road, we snacked on my packed items. I decided to try out some Back to Nature products since I love their message and their short and wholesome ingredients lists. The two most noteworthy were the Cheese Crackers (faux Cheezits) and the Fudge Mint cookies (faux GS Thin Mints). They were both stellar boxed products and I recommend buying some ASAP! The cookies were EXACTLY like Thin Mints, but with less crap and would be perfect if frozen and then crumbled over ice cream.

We had a late lunch/early dinner again and this time we found a Panera Bread for some healthy and comforting eats. It was Tuesday, so naturally we both ordered the Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. Again, I think they put crack in this soup, because it is totally addictive. Also, it tastes like a bagillion calories of cream and it’s surprisingly low in calories for a creamy soup. I had mine with some French baguette and a half Caesar salad that I subbed out balsamic dressing for the creamy Caesar. I love their balsamic, it’s sweet and garlicy and perfect for a simple salad of greens and parm. Plus, it’s a bit healthier than the traditional dressing. It was a much needed comforting meal, but we still had many hours to go till our stop for the night in Iowa…

Day 3: The hotel was super nice and comfy with a shower that had enviable water pressure We got settled in around 11pm and fell right to sleep since we both were running on empty. Bee on the other hand was bouncing off the walls the whole night after being cooped up for the last 2 days. I was happy that she was so energetic and playful, it made me confident that the stress wasn’t really getting to her. We were still stressing about her going to the bathroom since she wouldn’t go when we made stops and offered her litterbox. I guess this is normal behavior for cats on car trips, so I tried not to obsess too much.

After one of those nights where you close your eyes and then seconds later the alarm is buzzing, we got up for showers and bfast. We slept a bit later the last morning figuring that overall it would be better for the long day ahead. It turned out to be a good decision since we didn’t get to Syracuse till midnight Wed. Bfast was a hodgepodge of things I packed and stuff from the complimentary bfast spread. I grabbed some skim milk, some real cream for our coffee, some cereal and some SPOONS! No more finger utensils

We got on the road about 8:30am and Bee settled right down to sleep. We weren’t on the road for more than 3 hrs when Josh spied a Dunkin Donuts sign from the Hwy. Let me explain… Being from New England originally, we have come to depend on DnD’s for a solid and inexpensive cup of coffee and (in my opinion) stellar iced coffee. Since we’ve been living out west for a few years now, we have been deprived of this basic need. While I hear there are some DnD’s in SoCal, there are ZERO in NorCal/NorNV, so it had been a good amount of time since Josh had his “fix.” Of course, we stopped and got some coffee goodness along with a glazed donut (THE best) and a veggie egg white flatbread to share. Dunkin’s has really done a decent job of providing healthier options in addition to its sugar laden selections. Once refueled, both car, body and mind, we were on our way again.

Something to note. Josh and I have done this cross-country drive thing many times now and NEVER have I seen so much hwy construction. We def could have made it a shorter trip if we didn’t have reduced speeds for what must have been at least a 1/3 of the trip. So, word to the wise, be prepared for really annoying construction if you are headed out on 80 in the next few weeks!

The Linner thing seemed to be working for us, so we decided to stop late in the day for another early bird special at Panera. This time around, our soup was not being served, so I had a big salad and some bread. At this point I was starting to feel a bit nervous because we were getting closer to our destination and I just wanted to GET THERE! As the day wore on, both Josh and I were feeling the deprivation that comes from sitting down for the last 2.5 days and we just needed caffeine or something with sugar. We stopped for gas and Josh got a very healthy OJ and I got a very unhealthy Diet Mtn Dew Honestly, the last time I had a soda other than Diet Coke or ginger ale was like circa 1999, so this was odd. Mtn Dew and its Diet counterpart have the most caffeine of all “regular” sodas (except the uber caffeinated ones on the market that are designed that way). It definitely gave me a much needed kick in the pants, but I only consumed about 2/3 of the bottle.We rolled into town around midnight and swiftly unpacked the car since we were wide awake at that point and then settled in for the night.

The next couple of days were a complete blur. Josh didn’t really take vacation time for the trip since he’s in the middle of account enrollments and could do a large amount of work from the road by phone and email. So, in addition to getting me settled, he also was working full time! Crazy right? Thursday, Friday and Saturday were spent making far too many trips to Target to get the new place in order. We also bought a bed and did some grocery shopping. It was a budgeter’s nightmare, but we only bought the necessities and of course I was hunting out the least expensive/high quality options We took a trip over to campus on Friday and walked around exploring. I went by my department’s offices and then got my student ID.

Campus was completely packed with families dropping kids off and freshman orientation groups doing tours. I felt a little bit old seeing the freshman since this year marks 10 years since I was one of them! Yikes! Honestly though, I’m in a much better place now than I was then, so I’m happy to be 28 and going back to school knowing what I know. Perspective and confidence have definitely come with age for me, so I’m feeling far better prepared for school this time around!

Saturday we ran around town all day and did some computer work at Panera (free wifi). I was able to get my 3 email inboxes organized and cleaned out (School, personal and blog) and get my Google calendar updated with all the assignments and readings I know of so far. To be honest, I got a little bit freaked out, but calmed down after I realized that proper time management would make it all ok. I’m just going to have to be on the ball and not let anything get away from me. Good thing organization and reading are my thing, because I have a feeling both are going to be taxed this semester!

Saturday night, we went out to a little farewell dinner for Josh. We decided beers and BBQ would help us feel better about the distance, so we headed over to Dinosaur BBQ, which everyone knows is awesome! It was raining and there were people lining the building and bar waiting for tables, so we decided on take-out and beers from their “Boneyard” which is basically like an outdoor bar area with picnic tables. You can order the full menu and have drinks, but you have to deal with the inclement weather. So, we sat with some IPA and ordered dinner while the rain fell around us and it was actually pretty magical. Eating outside under an umbrella while it’s raining was a fun experience and we were joined by a few other brave souls who enjoyed the natural ambience as well. I think the outdoor bartender was happy to have something to do!

Per usual, Josh and I ordered a meal to split, since restaurant portions are HUGE and we like to save money when we can. We decided on a chicken dish that came with Chimichurri (the bartenders rec.) Mashed potatoes w/gravy and Mac and Cheese. Once the food arrived we also sampled some of the many BBQ sauces on the table, which were all awesome. Everything was REALLY good, but the standout was the Mac and Cheese. It had a gooey cheesy top and the sauce was smoky and just a touch spicy. It was incredible. I’m going to attempt to find a recipe for it (or a copycat) to recreate it at home.

After dinner, we got our webcams and Skype accounts set-up so that we could test them out. This made both of us feel a bit better since we know we can see each other daily. Not the same as being right there, but it will do for the time being. It will also be nice because I can chat with my Mom in NC and my lil bro who is shipping out to Saudi Arabia in the near future. Technology is amazing, isn’t it?

Saturday night was a bit of an annoyance since my neighbors upstairs had a party and this party was still going when we left the house at 3:45am to take Josh to the airport. I was trying to be patient since I just moved in, but it was CRAZY! At one point there were people out in front of my windows smoking and drinking and laughing away. Now, if I was living on campus, this would be expected behavior. However, this is the SOLE reason I chose to live a few miles from campus. I’ve been there and enjoyed that lifestyle, but I’ve got a really busy fall coming up and I can’t imagine dealing with this on a regular basis. A quick email to my landlord and it was all taken care of. He’s pretty awesome! We’ll see what happens this upcoming weekend

Dropping Josh off was not fun. I had been fine for the days leading up because we were so busy, but standing there at the terminal I was breaking down. I got back in the car and headed home, then got lost, then found my way and cried myself back to sleep. I’m not a super emotional person and these days I cry very little since I’m pretty content, but this has been a really hard few days. Josh and I have been together for over 10yrs now and he’s not just my husband, he’s my best friend. I am more myself when he is around and he gets me. I barely have to articulate a thought and he’s on the page with me. Even though he travels a lot and we go days and sometimes weeks without seeing each other, I was always comforted knowing that it was a short lived absence. Now that our future hinges on his job relocation, I’m just uncomfortable not being in control of what’s next, ya know? Basically, our ability to be together is hinging on one of his colleagues taking a career move into a different territory (closer to his home), which would open up the NY state territory for Josh. Sounds simple right? Well, so far, he’s not interested and Josh and I are just waiting for the final answer. It’s so HARD having your life in someone else’s control. I’m trying to remain positive, but it’s getting increasingly harder with each day that passes and no good news is heard. I’m hoping that with school starting tomorrow, I will have something to distract me.

So, that brings me to today! I spent the entire morning waiting for the Time Warner guy to get here to hook up my internet connection and he was late and then the job was a bit more involved, so it took over an hour. I’m just happy that it’s done and I have a good connection again!! It’s been a long and grueling few months without internet at home, so I’m overjoyed to say the least! I foresee regular blogging in my future, but bear with me while I work out my new schedule and surroundings. Thanks for your patience these last few weeks with ZERO posting!

I also made a trip to Wegman’s to get some groceries for the week and realized just how hard it is to meal plan for one person. So, I focused on some comfort foods that I love to make and just figured I’d eat those until I was tired of them and then freeze the rest. I currently have a veggie lasagna in the oven that is smelling AMAZING and I can’t wait to eat dinner. Cooking relaxes me and makes me feel more at home, so I’m hoping this lasagna works some magic on my outlook I’ve gotta go check on it now, so I’ll post pics when it’s done!

See ya later! -Kori

Hello blog friends

So, I’ve been absent for a bit and for that, I do apologize. With all the chaos of these last few weeks before my move to New York, I can scarcely devote effort to the task of feeding and clothing myself, let alone telling the world about it Since I’ve been away, I’ve found a beautiful place in Syracuse that has been given the coveted Missy & Adam seal of approval For the sake of some anonymity, I’m going to keep the neighborhood location to myself and I’m sure my Mom will breathe a bit easier

As you may have guessed, Josh and I have decided (officially) to do the long distance marriage (LDM) thing for a while. While we explored alternatives to the LDM, it just doesn’t make sense for Josh to leave a company that has been good to him and that he genuinely enjoys working for. In the current job market, having a well paying job that you actually like is a bit of a luxury, so we’ve decided to not throw the proverbial baby out with the bath water. Yes, the location sucks now. Yes, it will be hard, but we’ve been together for 10+ years now and we’ve survived other taxing times successfully and can honestly say we are better because of them. I’m trying to remain positive and focus on the task ahead. With any luck, we will both be up to our ears in work and the time will fly.

To answer the inevitable question of “How Long?”

We are taking it a semester at a time. We are hopeful of some changes coming up with his current company that may open up some additional opportunities in the not too distant future. So, I’m trying to focus on just getting through the fall term and hopefully we will have something worked out by the end of the year.

To me, the most important thing is that Josh and I are individuals first and a couple second. We have always viewed ourselves this way and so it’s very important for us to fulfill our personal goals. I’ve been delaying grad school for years, for one reason or another, and now is the right time for me. The timing is unfortunate for us, but I would regret having Josh give up something he cares about and the friendships he’s made along the way. So, we’ll try the LDM (who knew this was common enough to have an acronym?) and see where we are in a few months. 

Clearly, there are many changes in my immediate future and as a result, the blog will be different too. I’ve been thinking about the direction I want to go and I’m not decided on anything quite yet. There will of course be tales of poor, stressed, student life (I CAN’T wait!) and the musings that arise from working in a job that is unrelated to my goals (unless I get one of the last few I applied for- crossed fingers!). I will still talk about food, because, well, I LOVE food and not a day goes by that I don’t cook or plan on cooking my next great meal. Obviously, the budget theme will remain as I will be even more selectively poor since I now have school to pay for and we’ll have two households to support-YIKES! I’m just not quite sure what kind of All Things B. will you’ll be reading come August 27^th. 

I will be blogging my moving progress sporatically over the next 10 days and every day of my cross-country trip starting on the 24^th. After that, it’s daily blogging as my new life unfolds.

I leave you with the immortal words of Polexia Aphrodisia in Almost Famous:

“It’s all happening…”

Stick with me people, it’s about to get interesting.

I have a new love in my life…

I bought this Nature’s Path cereal after Angela raved about it on Oh She Glows. It’s PERFECT! Awesome nutrition panel, small and totally natural ingredient list, not sweet, stays super crunchy in milk- all the important cereal attributes. Important to me anyway If you’re looking for a cereal that masks the taste of whole grains with sweetness, this isn’t for you. If you love the nutty taste of grains and flax than this is right up your alley! I had this exact breakfast yesterday and again today. Variety isn’t the spice of my life apparently :) 

In other notable eats news, I made a “kitchen sink” lasagna last night and it was AH-MAZING! I’ve been trying to get rid of as much food as possible, so I combined some leftovers from the pantry and fridge into this:

First of all, I used up the remains of a couple different jars of pasta sauce and about a 1/3 cup of basil pesto for the sauce. Then I used up the remains of a box of Whole Foods No-Boil Lasagna noodles. To round it out was a blend of Mozz and Parm cheeses- ‘bout a cup total and about 2 cups of baby bella shrooms. Baked at 350* for 30 min covered (no boil noodles need the steam) and then 15 min uncovered to get bubbly and brown. The result was SO flavorful and the only bad part is that I can’t really recreate it since it was so many different sauces! I was worried that it wouldn’t be very lasagna-ish without ricotta cheese, but it just came out a little thinner and didn’t have that airy quality that a ricotta cheese mixture gives a baked pasta dish. Plus it saved on some fat and calories. I had a small sliver for dinner and it was plenty filling because of the EVOO in the pesto. SO delicious and easy with the no-boil noodles.

The weather in Reno is weird today. There’s a cold front moving in and the high for the day is suppose to be mid 60’s with near to below freezing temps overnight in the higher elevations! Personally I’m a bit excited because along with the cooler air we are suppose to have thunder storms and lots ‘o rain :) It’s just so nice to have the windows all open instead of the A/C cranked and stale, cold air blowing everywhere. Bee seems to be enjoying the temp changes too and is celebrating by sleeping curled up in a furry cinnamon bun shape on the foot of the bed. This is a change from her laying sprawled out on her back either on the floor or in the tub (which is cold).

She snugged up under the blankets with me last night too, so it was nice to have the company (and not a mouth full of fur from her laying on my pillow!)  

I’m officially starting the countdown till Josh comes home. I try to not think about how long he’s gone until it’s past the halfway point. For some reason this little trick makes it seem shorter. So, just 3 days left! Sadly, he’s only home for about 36hrs before he jets out again for another 3 days :( We’ve been doing this for so many years now, that I don’t complain. It’s SO much harder on him to be away, so I try to make his time at home as comfortable and nice as possible. I’m so sad that I won’t be here to take care of him in just a few weeks time :( I suspect there will be tons of Ramen Noodles and frozen pizza in his future… 

I also got some lame news recently that my little bro, who is in the Air Force, is being deployed sometime late summer/early fall. This means that he’s going to miss Thanksgiving and Christmas with the family and I won’t be able to see him until after the New Year! He was way down on the list, but as these things go, the guys above him had family emergencies etc, so he was bumped up to the top of the list. My SIL Caitlin has been through this before, but it never gets any easier. Luckily they live on base and have lots of friends around to keep her company and of course my fur niece and nephew Roxy and Hurley: 

Even though Josh and I will have the whole country between us, I’m thankful that he’s just a flight away and not in another country like Jonathan. Since I’m just about 9hrs away from my Mom and Cait, I’m sure this means we will be having some rendezvous at a halfway point in the fall!

Ok, I have to get so things done. What things- I don’t know, but I’m sure there is something I should be doing! It’s almost FRIDAY!!