one time i got engaged.

So...it's been a while. And by a while, I mean a long time. But you see, life has been a little crazy with school ending, summer beginning, getting engaged :) and all the other crazy things that come with wedding planning, including finding a place to live.

Let's start back at the beginning...

Devin and I met through friends: my roommate (Rachel) was dating his roommate (Jeff), and they wanted to set us up. Apparently they thought we would be "perfect for eachother"...and you know what? They were right! After that first date, we were both intrigued by one another. I invited him to some parties, and we went on a few more dates, and the rest is history. In the infancy of our dating, we went to the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City and pretended to be a newly married couple staying at the hotel, in which we got free hot chocolate for being newlyweds. I felt guilty for "stealing" the hotel's hot cocoa, but Devin welcomed in the free gift. I guess you could say that the Grand America has held a special place in my heart from that day forward.

After dating for many moons, we toyed around with the idea of marriage. We were both so very much in love with each other, that we knew that we wanted to get married one day. More time went by and we got more serious about this wedding idea. I showed him a few pictures of rings that I liked. My only request was this: make it untraditional. (If there is one thing that I loathe in life, it is the "normal" and "popular" thing that people have and do.)

April 21st was a busy day. I had a photo-shoot that I was involved in (makeup gal), and our little Jeffy and Rachy were getting married. Remember those two? Yeah, we pretty much love them. I told Devin that I would be done with the photo-shoot at 2 PM. Around 5:30 PM is when I actually got done. As soon as I got home, we went to Jeff and Rachel's wedding reception and then I had to drive to Salt Lake to stay the weekend with my best friend, Katie. Overall, Devin and I only got to see each other for 2 hours that day (not mentioning the very few hours I got to spend with him during that week). Needless to say, as I was driving away from Provo to Salt Lake, I was feeling very emotional. All I wanted was to spend time with my man, and I couldn't get even that.

I finally arrived in Salt Lake at 10:30 PM, exhausted from the day, sore from wearing heels, and heartbroken from not being able to be with Devin. Katie helped me unload my luggage. "How are you doing?" She asked. "I am so tired." I replied. After showing me around her uncle's house, she said that we were going to go with her cousin to go get some candy. My thoughts: Seriously? All I want is to go to bed. But I didn't want to appear as some lame boring person, so I said "sure!" and we were on our way. Before I knew it, we were pulling up to the Grand America. I thought it was so funny that this was the same place where Devin and I spent our "mock marriage" date. Unfortunately, the candy shop was closed. I was super bummed because I had gotten my hopes up about getting candy. Katie's cousin piped in, "Hey, I hear that the gardens are beautiful here. We should go check them out!" At this point, I was so tired and out of it that I didn't care what we did. I just wanted to get this adventure over with and go to bed.

As we walked out to the gardens, I noticed that there were candles lit everywhere, even in the pool of water. I exclaimed, "Wow, that is so pretty. There must have been a wedding going on tonight." We continued to walk on the pathway. When we turned the corner, I could not believe my eyes. There was Devin, sitting on the curb, with a ukulele in his hands. I knew what was coming next. My head started to spin and suddenly everything felt like a dream. Am I really here? Did I just fall asleep and dream that I came with them? I began to back away from Devin, seeing but not believing. "Come back here!" He said playfully. I tried to walk back to him, but I ended up just walking in circles, repeating the same line over and over..."Is this really happening? Am I dreaming?" Devin walked toward me, playing his ukulele and singing the words to Ingrid Michaelson's song: Light in Me. The song was finished with me singing along with him. He looked at me with those honey-brown eyes of his and flattered me with an assortment of memories we have shared thus far. Before I knew it, he was on bended knee, proposing to me. I said yes quietly at first, and then repeated with a loud "yes!" I was so twitterpated the whole time, that I did not notice his roommate, Wil, recording us on camera. It was definitely one of the most surprising moments I have ever had in my life. I still smile when I think about it.

One boy. One girl. 100 candles. One camera. One ring. 3 sneaky friends.

But most of all...I am just so excited to marry the love of my life :)

Devin is my best friend.

He is my sous chef. 

He is my lover.

He is the best kisser (after me, of course).

He is my heart, my soul, and my life.

And I cannot wait to spend forever with him.

The tricksters who fooled me.

The ring: Devin designed it himself :)

Great Garbanzos!

I have a little story to share. This past spring, a friend told me about an amazing blog about food and fitness. I checked it out and fell in love with it immediately. The blog is called Fit Foodie Finds. Lee, the blog's author, makes for a great writer, photographer, and health blogger. I dare you to look at it...you will be hooked, trust me. Well, one day I was looking at  one of her posts, and she made the comment that she was going out of town for the weekend and was searching for some guest bloggers to post on her blog. I emailed her and asked her if she would let me be a guest blogger. And guess what? She said YES! I was so excited. I started brainstorming ideas of what I should post about, and then I thought--Hey I love garbanzo beans, why not blog about that? I sent her the post and she loved it. Yay! I was the first guest blogger for the weekend, and that made me so happy :)


I wanted to share my post that was featured on her blog...so here it is folks! (Click the orange words)  In all seriousness, this entire experience made me feel grateful, excited, enthralled, shocked, and fulfilled all at the same time.
I love blogging :)

Guest Post: Swavory Stuff.

Hey there bloggity bops. I arrived safely in Boulder early this morning and I don't miss Minneapolis oneeee bit! Okay, maybe just a little. Anyways, I have another guest post for you to enjoy :) I'd like to introduce you to the oh-so witty and gorgeous, Sarah!

p.s.- How amazing is her photography?

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Hey everyone! First things first...I must thank Lee for letting me be a guest blogger today. I discovered Lee's blog in the spring and have been an avid follower since. Let's make some things clear--Lee is the bomb. Honestly, where can you find a girl who cares about true health and blogs about food and fitness, while at the same time still making it intriguing? I'd say we are dang lucky to have her. Can I get an amen? [insert amen here]

Let's see...a little bit about moi. My name is Sarah and I am a blogger over at Swavory Stuff. In a nutshell, I blog about FOOD. Healthy, comforting, and ethnic (I <3 ethnic food). In addition to sweet and savory food (sweet+savory=swavory, get it? ha), I enjoy writing about life and taking pictures.

Alright, enough of the fluff...let's get down to the nitty-gritty.

Confession one: I am vegetarian.

Confession two: I am obsessed with running and biking and hiking and rock-climbing.

Okay, glad we cleared those things up.

As many of you know, vegetarians often have a hard time getting enough protein into their diet. In order to resolve this dilemma, I eat a lot of beans. ("Beans, beans, the magical fruit. The more you eat the more you...") Hmmm...I will let you finish that one. One of my favorite types of beans are garbanzo beans (also called "chickpeas").

And guess what we are going to talk about today? GARBANZO BEANS!

Garbanzo beans are low in sodium, high in dietary fiber, protein, and Copper. They are also a very good source of Folate and Manganese. They have a delicious nutlike taste and buttery texture. They are a very versatile legume and are a noted ingredient in many Middle Eastern and Indian dishes such as hummus, falafels, and curries.

I LOVE falafels and curries, but today I am going to give you recipes on 3 amazing things that are based off of garbanzo beans:  Zucchini Hummus, Chickpea Chowder, and Cookie Dough Dip. Get excited.

Zucchini Hummus

Zucchini = delicious. Hummus = also (very) delicious. Zucchini and Hummus together = surprisingly amazing. Yeah, pretty much this stuff is uber tasty. I brought it to a small get-together and the folks over there loved it as well. (See, I am not crazy!!) 

Eat plain....

...or with veggies... 

...and always, eat with friends :)

Bahaa.

Zucchini Hummus

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 2 cups garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons tahini
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Heat the water in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds, then add zucchini. Cook and stir until zucchini softens.
2. Place zucchini in the blender and puree.
3. Combine the garbanzo beans, lemon juice, tahini, ground cumin, paprika, and salt in a food processor. (You may/may not have to add a bit of olive oil to make it process smoothly.) Process until smooth. (You have just made hummus, congratulations!)
4. Combine the pureed zucchini with the hummus, process until combined.

Chickpea Chowder [Chowda]

The summer is fleeing and fall is coming quickly. Oh how I love fall. I love the crisp autumn air, crunchy leaves, calm mornings, sunlight peeking over the mountains, smoke billowing from chimneys, frost on the grass, the beautiful shades of gold and red and brown, knee-high boots, scarves, and pumpkin goodies (oh for the stars!). Let me say it one more time, I LOVE fall. Plus + hiking in autumn is gor.ge.ous.

Aren't the Utah mountains breathtaking? 

Morning light.

The changing colors of autumn...breathe it in. 

The day before our hike it rained really hard, and it even rained while we were hiking. Needless to say, it was fah-reez-ing! As soon as I got home I took a hot shower and tried to warm up my cold toesies. Brrr...but what better way to warm up than to make and eat a cozy soup? That's right, I used "cozy" to describe food. But that's exactly what it tasted like--cozy.

Chickpea Chowder

 4-6 servings

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 cup diced carrot
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1/3 sweet red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup peeled and diced potato
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter (optional)
• 2 tablespoons flour (or cornstarch)
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup milk (nondairy if desired)
• 3/4 cup corn kernels
• 1 cup canned (or cooked) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Directions

1. Over medium high heat, cook onion, carrot, celery, pepper and potatoes in oil for 3-5 minutes until golden. Stir frequently. Add a little more oil if the pan gets too dry.
2. Stir in spices and cook for another minute. Add butter to the pot. Once melted sprinkle on the flour and stir well. Cook for a minute then add stock and milk. Stir well.
3. Bring up to a simmer and add corn and chickpeas. Cook for 10 minutes on medium low heat or until potatoes are tender.

There's nothing quite like soup on a cold day...

And for dessert...

Cookie Dough Dip

Don't be fooled, this dessert is very healthy regardless of its name. Have you ever wanted to eat an entire bowl of cookie dough? Now is your chance. This stuff is made with garbanzo beans, believe it or not. And it is divine.

Can you believe that this is HEALTHY for you? Yeah, I almost didn't believe it myself.

No one can deny the deliciousness of Cookie Dough!

Cookie Dough Dip

• 1 1/2 cups chickpeas (1 can, drained)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup nut butter (almond or cashew butter are wonderful)
• up to 1/4 cup nondairy milk (start with 1 tablespoon, and add more as needed)
• Sweetener (1/4+ cup agave, honey, raw sugar or even 1 cup pitted dates)
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips
• 2 to 3 T oats (or flaxmeal)

Directions

1. Add all ingredients (except for chocolate chips) to a blender or food processor, and blend until very smooth. Then mix in the chocolate chips.

THANKS for reading my blog post. Have a fabulous weekend everyone! Stay warm!

Holy Moly Quacamole!

Fall is on its way folks! And I. am. so. excited.
Mouthwatering peaches, nectarines, and apples are here (and they are absolutely divine)!
BUT, let us not forget about the summer produce. It is still going strong...like avocados.
Oh avocados. How can you be so rich and buttery and delicious? I love you. Be mine.

Do I hear "guacamole" calling my name? I think yes.

Grantabulous Guacamole 

(Okay, so "grantabulous" is a weird word...but it's a combination of "grand" and "fabulous" -- so I am a bit weird, what's new?)

• 3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Directions

1. In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. 
2. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. 
3. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. 
4. Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. 
5. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. 
6. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.
7. Serve with homemade baked tortilla chips. 

I could eat an avocado at each meal if I wanted to...and maybe I will :)

Do YOU want to see something silly? Come on, you know you do...

I dare you to look!

(Beware: viewer discretion is advised--these pictures are quite ridiculous.)

 me and katie having way too much with photo booth

 big lips. i blame genetics.

 hot nerds. baha.

 fave :)

 Okay, go through these next pictures really fast to get the whole effect. Our version of a flip-book.

Okay, I'm done.
This is the end of today's post.
Really.
But seriously, it is.