Simplify Your Relationship

With social media being so prominent in everyday life now, life has become a competition. It can be from who goes on the most lavish trips, to who has the best life. I used to be one of those people who was concerned with having my life appear like it was so amazing. Especially in the love department because my past relationship were not worthy of showing to the world. I wasn't the best at choosing guys who would be right for me.

That all changed when I started dating my boyfriend. We learned from the very start of our relationship that there needed to be a balance. Not everyday was going to be exciting and extravagant, but we needed to learn how to do the simple things together also. 

During the weekdays, we lay low. Since I work retail my schedule is not consistent. My boyfriend has a set schedule so when I don't work nights, we spend those evenings together. It can range from making dinner together to watching the bachelorette on Mondays. That way we can save up and do the more extravagant things on the weekends when we are both off. We make the most out of the time that we do spend together and that's all that really matters. 

We also are hardly ever on our phones when we are together and that makes quite a big difference. It's also nice to just go off of the grid and enjoy the world around you instead of being consumed to a world condensed into a phone.

Spending time with each others' families is also important to me and him as well.  I am extremely close to my family, so I love that he gets along with them so well and that my family is obsessed with him!  Being close with his family is something that I am working on, but so far so good! They are going to be my family one day, so it's important that I have a good relationship with them.  It's also nice to just hang out with the families on those days where we are just relaxing.

Being in this good of a relationship is very new to me still and I love learning all of the right things to do in relationships because in my past I knew of all of the things that were bad in relationships.  

Everyone has that one person out there that makes their life easier instead of more complicated.  Just be patient and they will eventually be in your life! 

My Honeybees

In this collage above, I have the most important people in my life. Today I decided to talk about some more about  the people in my life!

I like referring to the people who are most important to me as my honeybees. This is because a hive would not be able to function without the honeybees in it. 

First I will tell you all about my family. We have always been really close and they are my foundation. My parents have been married for almost 30 years, which I think is amazing and they are my role models for the way I want my marriage to be.y brother and I have been best friends since he was born. His opinion means so much to me. He is 3 years younger than me, but everyone thinks that we are twins because we look like it. People always say that they love being around my family because they are so inviting. But we are definitely very loud and laugh a lot. 

My boyfriend and I haven't been together for very long, but I knew almost instantly that he was the one for me. I am naturally a very guarded person because of things that have happened in the past, but with him, I completely let my guard down. It was funny because my family has even talked about how much they like us together and call him their other child now, which they never do. I could not be more thankful that he and into my life. We talk about when we get married all of the time and have kids. This is really abnormal for me because I never wanted to get married until I met him. So my friends and family love hearing me talk about it now. He is really the most caring, supportive, the best listener, and he is always up for an adventure. He has definitely made me to feel comfortable and excited to see what our future holds!

Below the picture of him and I, is a picture of my best friend and I. We have been best friends since our senior year of high school when she transferred to my school. Even though we didn't go to the same colleges, we have been there for each other through thick and thin. There have been a couple of bumps in the road but this girl is my sister and we are always there for each other. Every time we are together, we are constantly laughing and never stop talking. 

I hope that you all enjoy reading a little more about my life and the people in it! 

I'm Feeling 22

This past weekend was my birthday weekend! That is the joy of having a summer birthday, is that I can do things all weekend long. On Saturday, my actual birthday, is when all of the best things happened. I knew I wanted to keep my group small, so I only had my closest friends and my little family.

The day started off my going to one of my favorite breakfast places in Portland. Jam on Hawthorne is one of the best places to go to as a vegetarian. Of course I decided to go with the biscuits and gravy because it is my absolute favorite meal. I had the full order of biscuits and gravy, but I was stuffed after eating half of the plate. That's good news for me because I was able to enjoy the leftovers the next day for lunch. The biscuits are soft and fluffy, while the vegetarian sausage gravy is thick and hearty. I could eat this everyday. 

After lunch, my boyfriend, my best friend and I, went to Ponzi Winery to do some wine tasting. I have always heard wonderful things about this winery and have seen the most amazing pictures from there. So I thought it would be the perfect activity for the afternoon. We started off with a bottle of Pinot Gris which I loved. It was a nice and light, smooth wine. Next was a real crisp Rosè, which we all loved. The last one that we tried was a Pinot Blanc, which was the perfect finish to our wine tasting. I have never been wine tasting before or have ever been to a winery. So this was a perfect birthday activity. We are all definitely going back soon.  

After the winery, we went downtown to go to Casa del Matador. I really enjoy the food and drinks there, but the service is absolutely dreadful. When we got there, we were seated at a table by the bar since we were a group of six by that point (my boyfriend's best friend and wife met up with us). We were not given any menus and we were all sitting there for 10 minutes before a waitress came. Once she came to take our drink orders, I informed her that we were never given menus in the first place to look at. So she went and grabbed us some menus. We then ordered our drinks and they were brought out to us about 10-15 minutes later. The waitress did not check on us for about another 30 minutes. We were going to order food, but since every step of the process there was taking so long, we decided to go somewhere else for food. We knew that if we had ordered food, it would be another 45 minutes until we would eat the food. This isn't the first time I have had horrible service at this restaurant though. 

Once we got the check, we knew that we needed some food in our systems. The best place to have quick, fantastic food near there is Little Big Burger. That is usually my go to place on NW 23rd when I need a quick bite to eat. After enjoying a delicious meal, the original group of us, wanted to get one last drink. My boyfriend suggested for us to go to Bartini, which I have never been to. As soon as we got the menu, I noticed they had an elderflower drink, and I knew right away that was what I was having. I throughly enjoyed the drink and loved sitting outside. After we finished our drinks, we were all a bit tired, so we stopped by the store to get one last bottle of wine and then went to hang out at my boyfriend's. This was the perfect way to end the night. All in all, this was the best birthday yet and I could not be more grateful for all of the people who helped me celebrate it! 

S'more Please

This weekend is my birthday weekend! That being said, tonight I had my family over for a little family birthday party. I wasn't really feeling like having cake, so I came up with an solution that would be fun and delicious. That idea was to do a s'mores bar and an ice cream sundae bar. S'mores are one of my favorite things to eat in the summer, and doing fancy s'mores just sounded incredible. Some of the toppings we had for them were Reese's, Rolos, and Hershey's chocolate. My personal favorite was the s'more with the Reese's on it. The combination of peanut butter, chocolate, marshmallow and graham cracker was to die for. For the ice cream sundae bar we had sour gummy worms, peanuts, and sprinkles. Let's get real, everyone loves sprinkles. I was on such a happy sugar high by the time I was done eating it all. But this was the best birthday party idea! All of the little kids enjoyed it and I absolutely loved it as well. This was also the best way to start my birthday weekend! 

Let's Taco About It

Last night I was craving tacos. I usually crave them though, so this isn't something out of the ordinary. Regular tacos were out of the question because I just wanted to change them up a little bit. So I chose to have black beans, cabbage (I cheated and used cole slaw mix), sour cream and hot sauce all on a white corn tortilla. To add some flair to the cole slaw mix I put lime on it with a little bit of salt to off set the lime. This made a world of difference to the flavor. I particularly loved this idea for tacos because they are light but keep you full at the same time. So you won't feel like you have them just sitting in your stomach. Plus, my boyfriend definitely approved of this meal. I can't wait to have tacos again in a few days because I know that I will most likely have them again soon. 

Fresh As It Gets

This past weekend I took a trip to the farmers market. My personal favorite is the one at Portland State University. There is an unbelievable amount of fresh food and some of the best food you will ever have. There were some clouds lingering in the sky so I knew I needed to dress a little warmer than a tank and shorts. I opted for my black maxi dress (H&M), which happens to be my favorite dress that I own. It goes with literally everything and is easy to slip on and go. I wanted to spice it up a little, so I added a basic beige short sleeve t-shirt(H&M) on top of it. I knotted it on the side so that it would tailor the look. To dress up the look I added a fun triangle tribal necklace (unknown) and some black and white bangles (I got them on a trip to Jordan one summer). Finishing off the look was simple because I just throw some basic sandals (Forever21) and my hat (Nordstroms) on. This is one of my go to looks these days. 

The plan once we got there was to get some breakfast in us. I was absolutely starving and knew exactly what I was going to eat. Every time I go to this farmers market I get the exact same thing to eat, biscuits with mushroom gravy from Pine Street Biscuits. These biscuits and gravy are life changing, and since biscuits and gravy is my absolute favorite meal, I hold a high standard when I eat them. Anyone who is anyone, needs to try them because they really are incredible. The biscuits are still soft and flaky, while the gravy is thick, warm, and full of tons of flavor from the mushrooms. If I could eat this everyday, I without a doubt would. My tummy is very happy anytime I eat this. 

The farmers market is the best place to spend a Saturday morning because you can grab an amazing breakfast, have samples from different vendors (I am a sucker for samples), and stock up on your weeks worth of fresh, local food! This is my favorite way to spend a Saturday morning. 

Alberta St.

Yesterday was one of the best days I have had in a long time. It was filled with tons of different activities and I was out and about all day! My boyfriend and I decided to explore Alberta St because it's an area we don't usually go to, but it has so much to offer. There are plenty of really cool murals, buildings, and an endless amount of places to eat and get drinks at. I chose to wear this outfit because it was a little cold outside and I thought it would just match the area. The hat is a current must now for me (Nordstroms). The jumpsuit is one of the most comfortable items of clothing that I own and made me now in love with jumpsuits (Forever21). My jacket is a nice addition especially because it was a little chilly outside and the clouds were lingering in the sky (Anthropologie). Sandals made this outfit feel summery and were easy to walk around the town in (Forever21). My sunglasses are a recent purchase that I absolutely am ecstatic that I bought (Urban Outfitters). The coffee that is in my hand is from Case Study. I am not a coffee drinker, but my boyfriend was freaking out that they had a location there and was raving about it. So I decided to give it a shot and order a coffee. That was the best decision! Their coffee is so fresh and they make flavor a in house. I opted for the fleur de sal caramel flavoring. This was by far the best coffee drink that I have ever had. And that says a lot because I really don't drink coffee. I used to drink it everyday and then was burnt out from it. But I would drink this coffee everyday! 

The atmosphere there is really inviting and the exact style that I absolutely love. So I was immediately in love with this coffee house. 

While we were on Alberta, we stopped into Jones Cupcakes because we have both been meaning to go there. This was seriously one of the best cupcakes I have ever had. I got the lemoncello mini cupcake, while my boyfriend got the carrot cake mini cupcake. Both of them pack a huge punch of flavor. My boyfriend devoured it in three bites while I took my time with it and enjoyed each bite. 

After cupcakes, we were walking down the street and then BOOM! We saw the Grilled Cheese Bus! I have been dying to try their sandwiches for about two years now and have no idea why it took me so long to get to it. This was the best grilled cheese that I have ever had. It was crunchy and perfectly golden brown. When you take a bite out of it, the cheese oozes out and you will have that string of cheese trailing between the sandwich and your mouth. I clearly was really happy that I was about to eat this. And to make things ever better, we are it on a renovated school bus that was amazing. 

Alberta St is filled with so many murals, but this one was by far my favorite. The color are so vibrant and the details are amazing. Anyone who comes to Portland should definitely make a trip out to Alberta St so they can experience it for themselves!