Adventures in SOVA

This Thanksgiving we had the opportunity to go to my Brother in-laws river house with the family. It was so much fun being all together and getting away from the hustle bustle of Northern VA. 

While we were down in Southern VA, or SOVA as I'm going to call it, we got to go on some awesome adventures! The day after Thanksgiving we took an awesome bike ride along a trail. We rode 4.5 miles to Petticoat Junction. Along the way we came across this awesomely scary bridge. It was like an amusement park bridge. It swayed back and forth with every step, there were boards missing, and it was super high! Ok, so maybe it was more of a horror film bridge... but it was still beautiful! 

Underneath the bridge the water was super shallow, but you could see the beautiful colors of all the different river rocks. It was gorgeous and the sun even came out for a half minute!

Our Second adventure was to a TOP SECRET location in SOVA. I am so excited to go back here this Summer! There was the most beautiful amazing swimming hole with an all natural "infinity pool" that overlooked a gorgeous valley. This infinity pool of nature was actually the top of an 80 ft waterfall that we hiked down. It poured into natural springs that were warm water! It was honestly one of the most beautiful untouched things I've ever seen!

View from the top at the "Infinity Pool"

   

I love adventures and I love family time! Hope everyone else's Thanksgiving was great as well!

XOXO

The Mrs.

Here's to you Gossip Girl.

Tonight is a bitter sweet night for me. This might seem absurdly silly to a lot of people, and that is ok. But I also know there are a few of you out there that will totally appreciate this because you have been there with me, through thick and thin, going through our own drama, angst and heartache. And of course those all night marathons.....

Tonight marks the end of an amazing production on television. Gossip Girl. The end to a great show on television, and almost symbolically it feels like, an end to a chapter in my life as well. (It's ok go ahead and laugh all you that don't understand. This post isn't for you. It's for me and my fellow Upper East Siders. )

When I was 20 GG premiered. But, being behind on the up and coming I didn't watch it when it first started. In fact, my good friend Gentri Lee introduced me to the show when it was on it's 6th episode. This episode definitely changed my life in more ways than one. It was an episode about a masquerade ball. Glitzy and glamourous, with beautiful people with exquisite settings and everything they wanted at their fingertips.  (As a side note this episode was the inspiration for my most successful event in my college career. My own masked ball at BYU-Idaho. That holds the school record for the most well attended dance ever... toot toot, thats my own horn.) 

I quickly became entranced by the crazy drama of the show and the amazing actors, the love stories of course, and the fashion. OH THE FASHION! I'd never seen such stylish things. It put everything else I'd ever seen to shame. I immediately had to go out and buy 30 headbands just so I could do my hair like Blair Waldorf's.  Without Gossip Girl I'd have never been introduced to Henri Bendel. I wouldn't have fallen in love with lace and brocade and high waisted skirts and ruffles. This show is single handedly responsible for every single drop of my fashion sense.  

Some of you might be wondering where I'm going with this, I know this is just a TV show to so many people, but for me it was an over exaggerated step by step guide to my life from 20-25.  It really went through everything that I was going through and experiencing, definitely a lot more dramatic, but yet still so relatable, and it helped me feel like that no matter the drama I was experiencing with friends or loved ones that at least it wasn't as crazy as what happened on Gossip Girl last night! 

When I had heartache, Chuck and Blair were there to give me hope of that great passionate love over coming everything. When I was the victim of pointless roommate drama, or of others spreading awful rumors about me, I was able to deal with it the same way S and B did. 

I am grateful for the inspiration, creativity, and confidence that this show brought to me in my early twenties. I'm grateful for the friendships it brought me and I am so grateful for the entertainment and excitement it brought to me every Monday night. 

So here's to you Gossip Girl. We've had a great time. And now I'm ready to grow up and move on, so let's make the next chapter even better.

I am dedicating this post to those girls of apartment  5 1 2: Angela, Allie, Beth, 

and to Brianna, my very own S. 

XOXO

The Mrs. 

The best dip ever...

Cranberry Jalapeno Dip.

In a nutshell this is divine. It's not super spicy so don't let that jalapeno scare you away. The ingredients all meld together perfectly and create one of the most scrumptious holiday treats I have yet to discover!

Here's how you do it!

What you will need:

1 12 oz package fresh cranberries

1/4 C green onion, chopped

1/4 C cilantro, chopped

1 small jalapeno pepper

1 1/4 C sugar

1/4 t cumin

2 T lemon juice

dash salt

2 8oz packages cream cheese

What you do:

Combine everything except the cream cheese and let it sit in the refrigerate for 4 hours. I know this is a long time. But it's worth the wait! Promise. You have to let the flavors meld.

Once you are approaching your 4 hour mark, take the cream cheese out and let it soften a little, spread it out over your serving platter and then spoon the mixture  on top and enjoy with your favorite crackers. I used Wheat Thins.

XOXO

The Mrs.

Gettysburg

Time has once again been flying by. I can't believe we are already through the month of October. My parents came to visit and to get a little taste of fall weather! We decided to take them up to Gettysburg, PA. It was beautiful! The leaves were amazing and the weather while overcast wasn't too cold. It was so amazing to be somewhere that something so meaningful had happened. Hard to believe it has been almost 150 years since the battle at Gettysburg. It was really cool to be there. 

 I would NOT want one of those cannons pointed at me! 

 The landscape was absolutely beautiful! 

 Up on Little Round Top. It had an amazing view of the battlefield.

We explored the battlefield via Segway! 

 We had Lunch at the Dobbin House Tavern. It was really old and very cool! It was built in the 1700's. Their apple cider and French Onion soup was to die for! 

 Downtown Gettysburg was so beautiful! 

On the way out of town we stopped at this place called Ma's General Store. It was full of Junk. But it was really cute junk! They had tons of little mini fountain coke 50's diner style kitchens set up. It was so cool! They also had this little shed that I thought was adorable. 

I highly recommend visiting Gettysburg! It was an amazing town and the views were beautiful. Such a fun trip and even better that I got to share it with my parents!

XOXO

The Mrs. 

Blogging Fail.

Guys. If anyone is still out there, I'm sorry. I am such a failure at blogging! What happened? I was doing so good. And then Summer came, and now Fall is here and I feel busier than ever. Between Primary and Work the last thing I want to do when I get home is be creative and cute. Let's be real I want my yoga pants and the remote. BUT, I am going to attempt to get in the habit of blogging again. Partially because I miss it, and partially because I think it will help me de-stress from my work day. Work by the way is SO stressful. Think twice before you decide to become a surgical scheduler. It is NOT for the feint of heart.

Anyway. I'm going to try and do a highlight real of the last few months for anyone that hasn't given up on my blog. So mom, here ya go!

 We finally took a beach trip at the end of Summer to Assateague Island. Beautiful, but cold and rainy weather. Oh well better luck next year... We still had a good time! 

I became an aunt for the first time in my family, and for the fifteenth time overall. He is perfect and adorable and I think he might be the love of my life. I LOVE HIM!

We went to Disney!

 My job while being extremely stressful occasionally has it's perks. We had an Education Day about a month ago. Let's just say I had an awesome time and I may or may not have gotten to touch a real human spinal cord and assist on some cadaver surgeries. Bomb DOT Com.

John and I took a trip to Philadelphia with our friends the Nokes. It was a beautiful city and we are definitely going to have to go back because it was so amazing! 

I became an Aunt for the 16th time. Winter is right around the corner. It took me 4 hours to make a yarn wreath, and I can't eat enough zucchini now a days. I put it in everything. Yum.

XOXO

The Mrs. 

P.s. The shark week thing. I was so into it. And then our cable and internet went out for the rest of Shark week. Fail. Needless to say we kicked Comcast to the curb and are now basking in the hum of Fios. 

Shark Migration

So every year in Florida we have this little Spring tradition. It's called Shark Migration. If you were born and raised in Florida like I was you know that sharks typically mate between late february and early April. You also know that going to the beach during this time isn't the best idea because it is also Shark migration season. Tens of thousands of sharks swim just off the cost heading North for warmer waters. Don't believe me? The below clip is filmed just off shore of my home home town of Palm Beach. Happy Shark Week.





XOXO
The Mrs.

Shark Week!

GUYS! It's Shark Week! YAY one of the reasons I love August. I look forward to watching the carnage every year! Having grown up on the beach I have a healthy respect for the ocean folk, but I just love learning more about sharks!

In honor of my love for Shark Week, I will be posting a Shark video or photo each day this week! Stay tuned for some of the craziest, most amazing stuff!

My mom gave me a heads up on this video. This was filmed late July of this year off the cost of California!! And made International news! Pardon the language. Maybe just watch it on mute if you have kiddies around...

Enjoy and Happy Shark Week!!!!



xoxo

The Mrs.

What I've been working on!

So I know it has been way to long since I've updated. I was on such a roll earlier this year. And now I have just fallen into a very busy summer (which is almost over?!) How is it already August?! Anyway I just wanted to post a quick update of my latest two accomplishments: 

#1: In light of recent events; tornadoes, earthquakes, and power outages, John and I have decided we need to be more prepared for these things. AKa the end of the world. SO we not only made 72 hour kits(I'll do a separate post on that later) but we also decided that it might be wise if we sharpened up on our shooting skills. Now for those of you that know me, you probably know I'm a little scared of guns. Loud noise, explosives, oh and PS it can kill you. YIKES! Not something I want to mess with. But I've recently had my eyes opened and have formed a new opiniong that it is ok and possibly even fun. Whew.. I said it. As long as your are doing it appropriately and in the correct setting. Like a shooting range with supervision! John is an excellent shot and he has been helping me work on my aim. It has even gotten to be kind of fun to go to date night at the shooting range! We are even looking at taking a course on proper gun handling and shooting stances. Who knew?!

#2: The Sock BUN! My co worker Krissy helped me learn how to perfect this technique! I am so excited because it is so easy and beautiful! YAY!!!

Well that was My last few weeks of July. Not super exciting but I'm trying here! I'll post my 72 hour kit soon!


XOXO

The Mrs.

Latest Obsession

So recently I was called into our Ward's Primary presidency as Secretary. The other girls were telling me about this great show called Downton Abbey. I recognized the name from my bestie Bri Bri who had told me I'd love it! And guess what? They were all right! I absolutely love this show! I flew through the first two seasons and now I can't stop telling everyone they need to watch it too! So GO WATCH IT!

xoxo

The Mrs

Bonjour!

While I'm slaving away at work this summer, my Mom and Dad had the amazing opportunity to take a Disney Adventure to Paris. They started out in Versaille and made their way to the city of love and lights PARIS! 

Here are some snapshots of their trip! I hope someday that I get to go! It looks amazing!

 My mom at the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower! Look at that shopping arcade too!

 Postcards from my family and beautiful flowers they saw in the gardens outside the palace at Versaille! 

These were my beautiful souvenirs my mom and dad brought home for me, A silk scarf from Veresaille, Plates from the countryside, and cook books in French on Cheese and Seafood! I can't wait to someday be able to travel around the world!

xoxo
The Mrs

Just June

Let's talk about Summer. It is going SO fast!! Let's rewind and start with the beginning of June. MY BIRTHDAY! I was totally spoiled rotten! I got a pasta machine from my husband, a beautiful cutting board from my mom and dad, a Michael Kors iPhone wallet from my in-laws, and a beautiful Henri Bendel purse from myself(slash we got our tax returns yay!).  I also was a lucky winner of my friend Gentri Lee's birthday giveaway and won that cute dress from Shabby Apple and I also got that cute Mary Poppins phone case I'm holding from my sister. AWESOMENESS. Being 25 rocks so far. 

 At the end of June we got to go down to Covington Virginia for the Mr.'s family reunion. Talk about an ideal summer trip. Imagine with me rural virginia, old, charming, the sun is just setting and the fireflies start lightning up, the smooth bubble of the river sounds nearby and you relax after a long day of kayaking and fishing. Perfect yes? I agree. We got to go for just a few days but man was it awesome! We went fishing, swimming and kayaking and ate some yummy food and had a blast spending time with family. My In-laws are so amazing and I love my family! 

 These crazy kids kept twisting around in the hammocks like spiders in a web!

 John loved getting to kyak the river!

The whole family at the River House! 

Sorry it's the abbreviated version, Summer is just flying by and I have so much blogging to catch up on!!!

xoxo

The Mrs. 

New Kids on the Block had a Bunch of Hits...

Is everyone else as excited about summer being here as I am? The other night the Mr. and I were driving over to a friends house and the most exciting thing happened on the drive over! I saw lightning bugs! I got so excited and started concentrating on the trees and bushes on the sides of the road and they were just flashing away! I LOVE lightning bugs. They are so quintessentially southern and summer. I love warm evenings spent sitting on the porch drinking lemonade, I love summer barbecues and dresses, I just LOVE summer! 

Sunday we took our little fluff ball to the dog park, he had so much fun and wanted to play with all the biggest dogs there, enter a huge alaskan malamute/german shepard, this thing looked like a wolf! 

Poor Carlos wasn't even tall enough to give him a sniff hello, but he kept running around next to him trying to be his friend. so cute... After the dog park we went to my in-laws house to relax in their backyard. I love sitting under big trees in the grass and working on my tan. Hello Summer I love you.  

Carlos just loves running around outside!

Summa Lovas

Leaving you with a little summer gift..... It just puts me in a summer mood. Raise your hand if you know every word! haha! 

 xoxo
The Mrs.

Carnival and a Quarter Century Crisis

 SOOO. It's my birthday weekend! YAY! I turn 25 tomorrow. On a Monday which means I have to work. LAME. Plus 25 is a big deal. 5 more years and I'm 30... 30!! 

HELLO quarter century crisis. 

So my wonderful Mr. being as amazing as he his, helped me to recapture my youth by taking me on a double date with our great friends Ben and Heather to a Carnival! We ate yummy fried food (deep fried Oreos YUM), rode rides, played games and got to watch fireworks. What an amazing Birthday weekend. Thanks babe! 

 Every Girls dream romantic ride. 

 Riding the Ferris Wheel. It was a lot taller than I thought it would be. I was a little scared...

See how tall?!

John, me, Heather, Ben

 Riding the swings!

John got some yummy Thai Chicken, and he an Ben were twinning in their Camo shorts. Loves it. #Besties. 

We had such a great time and this was such a perfect way to start our summer! Can't wait to see what else this Summer has in store for us! Bring it on.

xoxo

The Mrs. 

Memorial Day in VA

This Memorial day was extra fun because my parents came up from Florida to visit John and I! They got to see our new condo, and we got to show them around our new hometown! We did so much while they were here and it was so fun getting to show them where I'm living! We also got to go to Arlington National Cemetery which is where my Dad's father and grandfather are both buried. It has been a long time since I have been to my grandpas grave but it was so good to go. He is right on the side of a hill close to a yummy blackberry tree. He was a Captain in the US Army. You might be able to tell from the picture below, but I am actually named after him and my mothers father, they were both named Leslie. One of the many reasons I love my name! 

This is us at my grandpas grave

The flags in front of all the graves were so beautiful. It really makes you appreciate how many people have served in wars and what a selfless act it is to protect your country.

After the cemetery we worked up quite the appetite and went to the Metro 29 diner in Arlington. It was so good! They had amazing food! I got a root-beer float and silver dollar pancakes with home fries. John got an omelet and a blueberry muffin that was the size of my face! We also went on a driving tour of my Dads childhood neighborhood and even found the house he lived in till he was 6! This was so cool because I've never been to any of these places before!

 Sunday Afternoon we went to Great Falls National Park. It was beautiful and it is so close to our house! We loved it and Carlos even got to go too!

Monday I got to take my Mom and Dad to the Udvar Hazy Air and Space Museum. Their most recent acquisition is the space shuttle Discovery! We got to see the Blackbird, one of the Concords, a PanAm plane, and all sorts of other amazing aircrafts. It was a lot of fun! My favorite part was of course the Discovery. My friend Christyn and I actually tried to see this shuttle launch but it was delayed due to weather the day we went. So it was really neat getting to see it up close since the last time I had seen it was in Cape Canaveral on the Launch Pad!

We took some family pictures by the potomac on Sunday as well. I love my family and am so grateful that they came to visit! 

 We also ate lots of yummy food over the weekend, I made my yummy crab cakes, recipe can be found here, and we went out to Willard's BBQ, if you live in VA and haven't eaten here you are missing out, and I made my yummy Broccoli salad. I will post the recipe in a separate post! Hope everyone else had an awesome Memorial Day weekend too!

Let the Summer begin!

xoxo

The Mrs.