wife-ness. or lack thereof.

there is something about the combination of a new job, being sick for weeks on end, and changes in the weather, that makes me seriously neglect my role as a homemaker. 

i literally do not remember the last time that i cooked a meal for my husband. he cooked some pork chops for us last night, and i made some rice-a-roni as part of our sunday dinner for his family... but i'm not counting that. 

i don't think i've ever eaten out so much in my life! just tonight, we had some Cafe Rio, and we've had countless other meals out including j-dawgs, in-n-out, mcdonald's, shoots, carl's jr, ernies... just to name a few. 

and as much as i'm a sucker for food cooked by anyone other than me, especially that of my favorite restaurants... i am feeling slightly pathetic. and my poor, poor husband. i had set the bar so high the first 9 months of our marriage, and shot that all down with the month of march. oops! i'm thinking april will be a better month for my wife-ness. 

on a slightly different but also related note: i was trained on a whole bunch of new stuff at work today. now, instead of just filing applications over the phone with clients, i actually go over all their paperwork, make any corrections and all that jazz, and get it prepped to be sent to the SSA. it's a lot of responsibility. i mean, this is the federal government, guys. i feel like there's a lot over my head, but in a good way, mostly. i am loving this job more and more every day. and i'm so grateful to have a desk right next to an awesome, helpful, and hilarious supervisor, that has yet to be annoyed with my constant questions and "can you just double check this? to make sure i did it right?" 's. she's pretty much the coolest. my whole team is. i'm a lucky legal assistant, that's for sure. and our firm is the bomb. who knew the law could be so much fun? definitely not me. definitely. 

also? i spent a good chunk of the evening with some of my favorite people, Chelsey and Stefani. we finalized all our plans for Val's baby shower, which is going to be beautiful and hilarious and so girly and cute. i can hardly wait. it's going to be a good time, come saturday. 

my wonderful husband, on the other hand, has had a miraculous recovery from his ailments (at least, for the time being), and i don't think i've ever felt more relief. he is healthy and happy. and even better? he's been out on his bike TWICE this week. a good 17 mile ride on his felt is pretty much all he needs to break up a busy week of work. that and march madness (my tv has seen nothing but basketball for the past week, and shows no signs of stopping...). i love that he's out and riding, but now that i'm made the decision that i want to start cycling, too, it just makes me jealous that i don't have a bike yet to be able to ride with him on! next spring, i will hopefully be the owner of a pretty road bike. 

also? i had every intention of making this a short post. but i failed. obviously. i also wished i had a picture to pair with these boring words, but haven't pulled out my camera since i discovered devin's little fiasco earlier this week (he's the best.) 

so instead, i will leave you with this:

this is probably only funny is you're really tired, or have the right sense of humor, maybe.

it's mostly the accent. 

and the fact that he's in his car... with giant headphones around his neck

and the fact that he never once cracks a smile. 

hilarious.

impulse

this is almost exactly how the conversation went between devin and i tonight:

d: "i want to build something again. like a simple book shelf. and sell it on ksl. so i'm thinking of going to home depot later and just seeing what lumber there is..."

k: "okay.:

d: "you wanna come?"

k: "mmm.... when?"

d: "like... 15 minutes?"

k: "okay."

we go to home depot.

we leave with tons of lumber.

we grab devin's drill out of his work truck.

this is my view for a good 45 minutes:

and about an hour after we got home from home depot... there is a finished book shelf in my living room:

i sure love that man.

and his impulsiveness.

oh, plus also, instead of selling it on ksl, we are selling my crappy bookshelf from college, and keeping this one to replace it. until devin builds a different one he already drew plans for.

oh, that devin ashby.

EVEN BETTER:

when I plugged in my camera to upload these photos, there were a few treasures on there from my awesome husband:

he's so great.

a disclaimer

i love my job. 

i've already said that. 

it's still true.

last week, we had a sexual harassment... seminar? whatever. anyway, they mentioned blogging specifically, and how important it is to make this clear:

I am an employee of Myler Disability. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are not necessarily the views and opinions of the company. 

(doesn't it go something like that? they are also not meant to be correlated with the company.) anyway. you get my point. so as long as that's clear, we can move on. 

lots of funny things happen at work. I also want to make clear, that I am not trying to make light of any situation, if there is a situation to begin with. but let's be real. sometimes, you've just gotta shake your head and laugh it off, right? so when people misspell things, or word something funny... we get a kick out of it in the office. my boss, Dana has this sort of "wall of fame" with funny things people have said or written, and it's pretty entertaining. I've gathered quite a list myself in my short time here so far, and my good friend Danica, convinced me to share the wealth. 

so prepare yourself for some good laughs. maybe even a new weekly series (since i'm always so consistent with those...). Either way, be prepared. just like the boy scouts. I'll do my best to keep it discrete, because I don't mean to offend anyone. I'm just looking for some comic relief.

velour and other things

every time we go to a show at velour, i gather a huge list of interesting thoughts. do i remember any of them the next morning? obviously not. well, mostly not.

here's what i do remember:

>>the drummer of the opening band wasn't wearing any shoes.

>>the obnoxious fans of the opening band ruined the opening band for me. (they were really good though)

>>i remember we came to an andrew belle show for one of our very first dates and feeling totally star struck when andrew walked right past us, through the crowd. now, i realize that's the way the music scene works around here, when brinton jones (lead singer of The Devil Whale) walked right up to devin and hugged him as we were walking toward the stage. also, Brinton and another band member, Jake, went to Devin's mission farewell. isn't that cool? my husband is almost famous.

>>i remember Devin pointing toward the backstage area and saying "there's a celebrity in the house". I had absolutely no idea who he was talking about. Turns out, it was one of the band members from Neon Trees. also cool.

>>i learned i have low tolerance for standing in a room full of hipsters for long periods of time so close to the speakers that their booming replaces the feeling of my heartbeat. so low, in fact, that we left after The Devil Whale finished, before the main band, Desert Noises even started. next time, boys.

it was a good way to spend a friday, nonetheless.

OTHER THINGS...

we may have finally found a medication that will help devin start feeling better, thanks to his brother Sean! what a hero. i am crossing my fingers this "feeling better" is a long term thing, and not just for right now! i don't like having a sick husband :(

i have found that devin is some sort of detector. he must have a built-in-radar. for genuine people. he is completely surrounded with them. so i know that if Devin likes someone, then they must be a really great person. because he wouldn't have it any other way. he's the same way himself. so sincere.

i finally got my eyelash extensions done again this weekend. i feel like saying i get eyelash extensions makes me sound high maintenance, but i really don't think i'm that way. i know a lot of girls that have their own things to splurge on regularly. some of my friends always have a fresh manicure, or acrylic nails. some dye their hair/touch up their roots regularly. some get massages at the spa twice a month. some have an allowance for shopping. my thing is the lashes. i don't know why. i don't care for acrylic nails, i hoard nail polish pretty much and do it on my own all the time. i've never dyed my hair because i've always loved my hair color. but long, full, dark eyelashes just get me. i love them. sometimes i feel like i look too... much, like when i first get them done, and none have fallen out yet, but i reserve the right to spend $30 every 6 weeks to feel a little prettier than usual. i think everyone should have something like that! i love eyelash day. and i love being able to do my make up in less than 5 minutes.

my cousin, Nichole had her bridal shower today. I love that girl! Nichole, me and our other cousin Kenzie have grown up together and were inseparable when we were younger. now we're all grown up, getting married, and have crazy lives! devin and I took nichole's bridals last weekend, and they are going to turn out beautiful! my mom and i got her a ton of spices in a cute baking dish (all of that was mostly devin's idea, really. he's a genius). i'm so happy for her!

we started watching Arrested Development. and we're almost done with season 3. it's absolutely hilarious. Buster is our favorite. and I can't believe how little Michael Cera looks. also Jason Bateman. it's such a classic show. 

we're most likely heading back to Velour tonight to see the good old DC! Dustin Christensen is playing and so is Allred. I'm beginning to feel like Velour shows are only worth it if we get in early enough to sit down. It's hard to stand for so many hours! worth it though.

I don't remember the last time we cooked... 

tied for first

between these guys, and cadbury eggs (my two #1's for all things Easter, or spring in general, really), Easter is more dangerous for me than any other candy-centered holiday (which is most of them, now-a-days). 

I just realized a serving size of peeps is FIVE OF THEM. that means I can stop feeling guilty at 3, and start feeling guilty at 12. Just kidding guys, I would never eat 12. Mostly because they only come in packs of 15, and if I eat 12, I will only have 3 for later...

what i've been up to today

had an awesome day at work. seriously. i love my job. i love my co-workers. i love the company. i love my clients. lots of love going on at MD today. 

had lunch with Kylee at paradise cafe. amazing. i so love that place. i so love their pesto mayo. and the fact that they put cucumbers on my sandwich. and give me a cookie with every meal... by default. and i love kylee. and the type of friendship we have, which is probably offensive to other people... i love it, regardless. 

devin is sick. really sick. and no, it's not from me. anymore, at least. he's over that. it's a new sick. well, not really. but sort of. anyway, it's sad and i wish he wasn't sick. ever, really. i sure don't like watching him in pain. it's easily the worst thing to ever experience: to watch the person you love more than anybody else in the world be in a kind of pain that you can't help them with. but you know what's great? his family. i love that whenever devin has a question, his instinct is to call his mom. i love that. i don't blame him, either. she's a genius. and she's a mom. they have superpowers, or something. amanda didn't hesitate at all to help, either. she is also a mom. also has superpowers. and a few days ago, devin's dad (who has dad superpowers) brought him some medicine and gatorade while i was at work. and remember last week, how chloe brought us zuppas? could i have married into a better family??? (the answer is no. absolutely not.)

spent a TON of time this week planning a baby shower for my bestie, Valeri. Val was one of my very first friends in high school. I remember meeting a few of her other friends, first, and going to a football scrimmage game to meet up with them. Val was sitting there, sort of on her own, and I'm pretty sure it was before she even introduced herself to me, when she said "do you want to hear a really great song?" and i said sure. and we each took a headphone and listened to "Every Time it Rains" by Charlotte Martin. and to this day, that moment still epitomizes Val. it's so her. anyway. she got married last January. and now? she's having a baby girl. and I am THRILLED for her!!! so naturally, me and her other high school bestie, Chelsey, are throwing her the cutest baby shower. I've been at pebbles in my pocket all night, and have glue all over my fingers. it's going to be adorable and awesome at the same time.

so it's been a pretty eventful day. i even caught up on [some of] my tv watching. i don't think i'll ever all-the-way catch up though. that's probably impossible. i watch too many shows. thank goodness for my hulu account. 

i want tomorrow to be equally eventful. and i would really only change one thing: a healthy husband would be nice!!! seriously though. that poor man. he's amazing though.  

p.s. i think i need to start "a thought a day" journal. i have at least one, extremely random, totally unrelated, but clever thought a day. also? i think it's so hard to come up with blog post titles for regular posts. that's why they are always named something really lame like "what i've been up to today"

Chocolate Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies

I've posted about these cookies before, and I've even posted the recipe. But these are the most-requested cookies by Devin. His very favorite. So I thought i'd do a more official recipe post. Pictures included. Look who's blogging now! I'm getting domestic on you, aren't I? it's the almost-year-of-marriage-thing. It's getting to me.

but you already knew that.

so here's what you need (if you seriously can't read it in that picture... but also, there are some differences now. i've made adjustments.)

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup sugar (plus more for rolling)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

3/4 cup powdered sugar

in a medium bowl...

set aside.

THEN, in a different medium bowl...

then we

NEW BOWL...

we're done mixing. now...

i don't like doing them one at a time. i feel like it's messier and takes longer. so i get a pile going..

you're welcome.