Back from Iceland

We got home safe and sound last night (although, our bags didn't have the same luck. They should be back home tonight after they catch the 6:05 p.m. flight from Denver). Sadly, I forgot my camera in Denver as well, so pictures from the trip will have to wait until after Tuesday when it is scheduled to arrive by FedEx. Until then, here is a photo near one of my favorite places we visited. I was scrolling through A Well Traveled Woman today (catching up on all the blogs I have missed over the last week) and realized I was at this beach only 4 days ago! It was fabulous. Pictures to come.

To Iceland

I just came across this blogpost and am literally lost for words with excitement. I am going to this wonderland on Friday. THIS Friday. Oh my goodness.

The spelling bee

Last week Ty and I were a part of a fund raiser to support adult literacy in Utah County. And get this, it was a team Spelling Bee! How absolutely perfect is that? Way to go on that one, party planners. It was such a fun event; we were on a team of 8 (made up of a bunch of our friends), we were given a delicious lunch, listened to a great speaker, got to dress in nerd costumes (just our team did that one), and tried our hand at some pretty tricky words. Be to honest, we were not great spellers. Not at all. But I would venture to say that our team had the most fun of all the groups. And we were the loudest. Most fun and the loudest -- now that's my kind of team. I hope we get to go again next year.

BONUS: MOST FULFILLING WORD OF THE AFTERNOON TO SPELL RIGHT? TURRICULAR. 

Broccoli parmesan fritters

So Ty and I sat lounging around this afternoon -- both hungry, both not feeling too hot, but still both hungry. So I pulled up pinterest (oh trusty pinterest and self of my past, I love you both so much) to search out a recipe that we had the ingredients for and didn't seem like too much work. After a little scrolling and ingredient reading, broccoli parmesan fritters from the talented lady over at Smitten Kitchen won out. And let me tell you you guys, TOTAL WINNER. So easy, so delicious, and so totally based on a vegetable.

The recipe called for fresh broccoli, but we only had frozen on tap so frozen won out. And she suggests serving with a lemon yogurt sauce among other things, but we went with simple sour cream and homemade pico de gallo (already made and gifted to me by a sweet friend).  Still totally delicious even with the substitutes. Do it, friends. Make these fritters and feel good about yourself for eating a nice dose of broccoli in such a scrumptious package. You won't regret it.

Angela gets married

After 360 days of engagement, my favorite Angela married the love of her life, Dane, last Saturday. Kates and I (and Ty) decided to make it a girls weekend, so leaving Ty and Hank behind, I flew out to Seattle for a weekend of wedded bliss. The wedding details, sealing and reception were all incredible. Angela and Dane looked so great and so so happy, and she confirmed in her wedding speech that that was indeed the happiest day of her life. Ang (pronounced an-j) made each of us, her special girlfriends, fantastic chunky beaded necklaces to wear for the day. We stayed in a hotel room the night before and stayed up giggling and having pillow fights (okay, I kid, we did make a late-night trip to Target for M&Ms and last-minute wedding gifts though). The sealing was perfect and a beautiful reminder of the things I promised to my own sweet husband nearly 11 months ago (almost been married a year already! holy crap, huh?!). And the reception was seriously an explosion of cuteness. Ang left no stone unturned which could be used for cuteness and wedding details; I tell you what...that girl is one beautiful party thrower. And Katy and I got to take a myriad of without-saying awesome photobooth pictures. Really, just a great great event all around; such a delight to be a part of.

After the wedding festivities ended, Kates and I stuck around for an extra day of touring around (and getting a stupid parking ticket in) Seattle. A little bit of Pike's Place market (which, I've decided, may be a bit overrated -- but the cheese place there is definitely NOT overrated, definitely not), some Snoqualmie falls, a quick trip to the Bellevue Botanical Gardens for a little bridge yoga, and we called it a successful weekend.

Man's Search for Meaning

You guys. I just got finished reading Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl (as part of a book club I recently joined), and oh my goodness. I thought it was absolutely wonderful. Have you ever read it?

Written by a holocaust survivor and psychologist, the book discusses his experiences in the concentration camps, and how even in suffering, life can have meaning, purpose and beauty. It gives a healthy reminder that life is what you make of it and really inspires me to live up to the best self I have within me. If you're looking for an insightful and empowering read that might just change your life forever, I fully recommend it.

"Live as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now!" -- Viktor Frankl