Happy New Year! 2017

Happy New Years Eve, loyal readers! It's been a wild and crazy 2016. Mr. Handsome and I took a number of fabulous vacations, and we tied the knot in June to officially become Mr. and Mrs. Personally, it has been a momentous year for this optimistic blogger.

Unfortunately, politics around the world were an absolute mess, and peace on earth is becoming a harder and harder goal to achieve. But through all the hard times, we must tread on and hope for the best in the future.

Each year I like to publish an "In and Out" list to review what I believe is "HOT" and "What's Not" in our modern world of wonders. I also like to set New Years resolutions for the year to come. Unlike most humans, I like to set achievable New Years resolutions; ones that I'm pretty much guaranteed to achieve so that I won't feel terrible about myself and feel buckets self-loathing at the end of the year.

My New Years resolution for 2016 was simply to cook more often. And luckily for me, I got tons of pots, pans and nifty appliances at the wedding that helped me achieve my goal! Below are pictures of just some of the delicious meals I made in 2016...

In 2017, I'm stepping up my game and setting TWO resolutions...

ONE: Read more books

TWO: Get my finances in order

I have a list of 27 books that I'd like to tackle. I realistically know that reading ALL of them will never happen, but I would like to finish as many as possible next year. I've also been meaning to get my finances in order for years, so I'm finally saying that 2017 will be the year! YAY GOALS!

And now, the infamous "In and Out" list...

What's HOT?

Vacations to Iceland, Germany & Cuba

Heavy, Hearty & Spiced Craft Beers

Leather Jeggings

Hygge

Silver, Gold and Chrome

Puppies dressed as BB8 and R2D2

What's NOT?

Wine served in anything but wine glasses

U.S. Politics and everything and everyone involved

Peasant Sleeves

Crossfit

Neon

Puppies dressed like other animals

I wish you all a very, very Happy New Year. Bring it on, 2017!

Happy Early Thanksgiving!

Hello, loyal readers! It's the Sunday before Thanksgiving, so I hope you all have started cutting back in preparation of stuffing your faces this upcoming Thursday. Thanksgiving is almost here, and what a great holiday it is! You get to wake-up and watch an awesome parade, followed by a hearty meal, pie, lots of alcohol, pie, and wholesome family drama. If you're like me and Mr. Handsome, you'll be squeezing a killer long run into your schedule before the parade. This year will be our 4th annual Thanksgiving Tofurkey Trot. GOBBLE GOBBLE!

In honor of the upcoming holiday, I thought it would be nice to post a heart-felt yet semi-sarcastic list of the things I'm grateful for this year. I listed 11 things, because that's my lucky number, and I thought any more than that would be obnoxious.

1) I'm not planning a wedding this year. THANK GOD! Been there, done that.

2) Mr. Handsome, and his acceptance of my silly quirks and oddities.

3) Pinot Noir

4) My Job. Many people don't have them, and mine's pretty great. I'm very lucky.

5) Having family live locally, so we don't have to battle crowds at the airports over the holidays.

6) Air-conditioning and central heating... I don't understand how our ancestors survived without it.

7) Craft Beer

8) Netflix

9) Running, and that I'm blessed with the health and ability to do it.

10) Justin Timberlake... Because he brought sexy back.

11) Summer, because winter is freaking cold.

Tell me, what are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

Richmond Birthday + Race Funzies!

Hello, Loyal Readers! Today is November 13th, meaning my birthday was two days ago. YAY! I am officially 29 years old. (And I swear, it was my first 29th birthday.... Not my 3rd, not my 12th, my FIRST 29th birthday)

Truth be told... I absolutely love birthdays. Birthdays are day-long events thrown in your honor where everyone is nice to you, buys you gifts, shoves alcohol at you, does any crazy activity you want and pays for food from restaurants that you choose. What is NOT to love!?

For my birthday, I was treated to filling meals at some AWESOME restaurants! My co-workers took me for tasty ramen near the office, my parents devoured amazing Greek tapas with me in DC, and some friends took me out for upscale pizza and pasta in Richmond. Mr. Handsome was best of all, taking me for a lovely birthday walk to our neighborhood bakery and dog park, treating me to drinks and food at amazing breweries and restaurants in Richmond, and being my #1 spectator at the half-marathon I ran Saturday. He also bought me a new Fit-Bit, (rose gold, to match my new iPhone, obvi), which should be arriving next week.

I am absolutely stuffed from all the food and beer, and am ridiculously sore from PR'ing in the half-marathon, (smirkity smirk), but am so looking forward to another birthday in exactly 363 days. #30andFabulous

Nickary's European Honeymoon (Bonjour! Cheerio!)

Happy Monday, loyal readers! I hope you all are doing well. I myself am doing splendidly! Mr. Handsome and I finally went on our romantic European honeymoon last week. (Only 3 1/2 months late). We took a running leap and hopped across the pond to spend eight days skipping around London and Paris.

We started the trip with a red eye flight to London, which I highly recommend NOT doing. Sitting upright in coach and trying to sleep is virtually impossible. However, we pushed through our first day in LONDON BABY and ended up spending three wonderful days taking a river cruise down the Thames, running around Hyde Park, enjoying High Tea at Kensington Palace, going on a Muggle Tour through the city, eating great Thai and Indian food, bike riding all through the city, walking across Abbey Road, drinking lots of beer and devouring fish and chips.

After we couldn't drink any more beer, we hopped on the Eurostar Train next to King's Cross Station, (yes, we stopped at Platform 9 3/4), and took the 2 1/2 hour ride to Paris! We stayed in a lovely hotel room with a little window nook where we ate our morning croissants. We climbed all 400 steps to the top of Notre Dame and walked our way through Centre Pompidou, Musee d'Orsay and the Picasso Museum. We did a bike tour through the city to see beautiful famous sites like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, and stuffed our faces with duck, fois gras, escargot, steak frites, baguettes, macarons and bottles of wine. We also walked through the gardens of beautiful Versailles and took a romantic boat cruise down the Seine.

If it seems like we had a packed week in Europe, you're right. WE'RE EXHAUSTED! But it was totally worth it. I feel so culturally alive and educated! I learned a little French, ate some incredible food, saw several famous landmarks and made lasting memories with Mr. Handsome. But for now... Bonjour! Cheerio!

Pre-Honeymoon Post

TGIF, loyal readers! I hope you're doing well on this fine Fall Friday. Exactly one week from today, Mr. Handsome and I will finally be flapping away on a jet plane to embark on a great adventure... our HONEYMOON! (Only 114 days after the big day. We like being fashionably late)...


We will be flapping all the way to London and Paris to spend a week doing nothing but eating, drinking and being cute little American tourists who don't speak French. (Forgive us, kind Parisians. We apologize in advance). We were talking about the honeymoon last night over a delightful frozen pizza and discussed what we were most looking forward to about our trip.


We both agreed that we were most excited for the food... (Does that make us fat?)... and all of the French wine and London ales we're going to drink... (I swear, we are NOT alcoholics!)


We're also super excited to see the Eiffel Tower, sit at Parisian cafes sipping coffee and eating croissants and macaroons, watch little French puppies walk by wearing berets, listen to everyone's "Cheerio" accent in London, have a luxurious High Tea at Kensington Palace and finally see Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station!


The above listed items are our EXPECTATIONS for what we'll encounter in both cities. It's interesting how one's thoughts of what a trip is going to be like measure up against what you actually encounter during your visit. We can't wait to see if the London Eye really only has one eye, and whether or not Madeline really is smaller than all the other little girls. Silly little Madeline...


Until the "Post-Honeymoon" Post, we wish you Au Revoir and Cheerio! Tootles, loyal readers! (Flap, Flap)

Words To Live By...

Some wise and sage advice from a cute little bird on a sailboat nest...

In Vino Veritas... #SOMM

August 7th and August 8th were jam-packed days full of lectures, PowerPoints and tons and tons of wine. YES, that's right. My industry is better than yours. I spent 7:30am-6:00pm Sunday and 7:30am-7:00pm Monday taking the Level 1 Master Sommelier Class and Examination.

The class was at a hotel in DC and was taught by 5 Master Sommeliers. For weeks beforehand, I spent endless hours studying for the class and exam. I memorized the 1st growth Chateaus of Bordeaux, the main wine-growing regions of South Australia, and the current number of operating vineyards in Napa County, (+420!)... We got to taste and analyze 22 different wines and use the Deductive Tasting Method to try and figure out their grape variety, growing region and varietal. (I totally nailed the 2014 Sancerre from the Loire Valley in France!)

AND.... I PASSED! I was given this nifty certificate and cute little SOMM pin. I am going to frame it and treasure it forever. I am also going to wear the pin everywhere for the rest of my life. I took my glass of celebratory champagne, poured it straight down my throat and then went home to burn my Course Workbook and 265-page study guide... (Just kidding... I recycled it like a good Millennial)

After weeks of studying, I'm so happy the class is over! I can now spend my evenings watching the 2016 Rio Olympics, planning my honeymoon.... and blogging.

Cheers!

6.4.16... BEST DAY EVER! #Nickary

MARCH 27TH!!??... GASP!!

That was my reaction when I realized I hadn't blogged in almost three months. THREE MONTHS! Wow, that's embarrassing. Sorry, loyal readers! I have been neglecting you. However, I hope that my excuse is acceptable...

I GOT MARRIED!

On June 4th, 2016, Mr. Handsome and I tied the knot at a beautiful, picturesque winery in Loudoun County, Virginia. It was, unquestionably, one of the best days of my life. Having all of our family and friends gathered together in one place to celebrate our love was overwhelmingly special. The weather threatened to storm but gave us sunny skies the entire day. Thirteen months of planning finally came together to be a perfect, memorable occasion.

The booze were flowing, the dance floor was hopping and the conga lines were processing all around the venue! The flowers were beautiful, the food was delicious and the speeches were heart-warming. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect wedding.

We now have a few months of summer bliss before our honeymoon in September. I'm going to distract myself from post-wedding blues by studying for a big test at work and planning for some fun upcoming trips to Asheville, NC and New York City.

Here are some pictures from our Big Day. Enjoy!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, Loyal Readers! The Lord is Risen, and we are all expected to stuff our faces with Peeps, chocolate eggs, and jelly beans. Alleluia! Unfortunately, I've been too old for an Easter basket for many years now.

Holidays like Easter make me nostalgic for childhood. They make me remember back to grade school when my biggest worries were whether or not I'd pass a spelling test, or whether I had enough Beanie Babies. (NOTE: I had WAY too many Beanie Babies).

Of all the experiences, events, and items from my childhood, here is a list of things that I am most nostalgic for...

1) Summer Vacation -I fondly remember waking up late, hanging with my friends at the pool, heading to the beach with my family, and having sleepovers on weeknights... WEEKNIGHTS! No worries, no cares, no problems.

2) Camp - I went to sleep-away camp for a month every summer on a beautiful lake in South Carolina. It was the ultimate definition of fun! I made so many great friends, got to sail on the lake every day, and got to eat S'Mores until I barfed. OH camp :)

3) Nickelodeon, Disney Movies, TGIF - Rugrats, Hey Arnold, Hey Dude!, Salute Your Shorts, Rocko's Modern Life, ALL That, Kenan and Kel, Doug, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Boy Meets World, Clarissa Explains it All, Mulan, Beauty and the Beast.... Need I say more?

4) Snacks - Dunkaroos, Squeeze-Its, Trix shaped like ACTUAL fruit, Yogurt with sprinkles, Oatmeal with Dinosaur eggs, Lunchables, Fruit by the Foot, Hi-C juice boxes, Warheads.... The list goes ON! We had so many great processed snacks packed with sugar and deliciousness. I'm currently snacking on baby carrots, and I'm dying a little inside.

5) Music - N'SYNC, Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, Hanson, LFO, Mariah Carey, Shania Twain, Ricky Martin, Spice Girls.... I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want!

6) Other - Mancala (the game with gem stones), Skip-It, Tamagotchis, Easy Bake Oven, Kid Pix, Book Fair pamphlets, Pogs, Magic Eye books, Polly Pocket, American Girl Dolls, Beanie Babies. Limited Too..... Do you want to go back to the 90's yet? I FREAKING DO!

I WANT MY CHILDHOOD BACK! But... On the other hand, there are a few things from 2016 that I wouldn't trade for anything. The list is short, but it is very important...

1) Mr. Handsome
2) Smartphones
3) Alcohol.... (Especially alcohol with BACON!)

Cheers to Adulthood, Loyal Readers!

PRESENTS!

Happy Daylight Savings, Loyal Readers! I hope you all set your clocks ahead this morning. If not, please proceed to your alarm clock now, or else tomorrow morning will be an unpleasant surprise.

According to our wedding website, Mr. Handsome and I are getting married in 83 days! (OH-MY-GOD). There is LOTS to do before our big day, but we're right on schedule according to my extremely OCD task spreadsheet.

As we get closer to the wedding, the presents are starting to arrive! And if there's one thing I love, it's presents. The fact that people take the time and spend the money to buy you something and ship it to you is so touching. (Sniff, Sniff)... 

One of the gifts we received is a new WAFFLE MAKER! We were so freaking excited that we made waffles the very next morning. How amazing do these look!? #WafflingLikeABoss

Another gift we received is a brand new comforter for our bed! It's a beautiful hypo-allergenic down comforter than totally classes up our bedroom. Mr. Handsome did an immediate face plant on it yesterday and proceeded to take a nap... (NOTE: The panda you see in the background is Mr. Cookie, a very important member of our family)

We're looking forward to all the wedding adventures (and awesome presents) to come!

Attack of SNOWZILLA!

Hello, loyal readers! How's it going? If you live anywhere near me, it's likely you're cold and stuck inside because of the 2-3 feet of snow piled high outside your door. It is official... Snowzilla has fallen, frozen, and utterly conquered the DC Metro area.

Mr. Handsome and I tried to shovel our cars out yesterday afternoon. After one hour of shoveling, we had unearthed about 1/3 of our cars, so we gave up an went inside to drink more booze. When I went outside a few hours later, the cars were completely covered again... Snowzilla: 1; Humans: 0

We also spent about 30 minutes shoveling our balcony yesterday. Today, there is a fresh foot of snow out there waiting to be shoveled again... Snowzilla: 2; Humans: 0

We decided that we needed a hearty meal after all that shoveling. ERGO, I made these amazing Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups! (NOM, NOM, NOM). My News Years Resolution of cooking more home-cooked meals is well underway, chillies!

On the down side, I probably won't be able to make it to the gym today due to my invisible, snow-covered car. I'm definitely getting a little antsy sitting at home. (She says while Googling "How to do cardio at home with no equipment")

Until further notice, I'll be hanging here at home with my BFF Olaf. Stay warm, folks!