It's been a while [this week's 7]

It really has. You can't say I didn't warn you, though.

1. I repainted a bench that I created in the 7th grade. A post is coming soon.

2. I definitely ate cake for dinner Wednesday night.

3. Sporting KC won the semifinals for the U.S. Open Cup! Which means our beloved Livestrong Park is hosting the Sporting vs. Seattle Sounders game. And of course we have our tickets already.

4. …I have no idea why I’ve all of a sudden become a die-hard soccer fan.

5. I told you about our obsession with Trader Joe’s chocolate. We’ve added fruit snacks to the mix. E
disagrees, but believe me when I say that the mango are worth a potential cavity.

6. For some reason, I’m on this kick where I want to redecorate our entire apartment. And by
redecorate, I mean buy new furniture and actually decorate. Those moments when I realize I am my
mother’s daughter.

7. I wrote this while watching 'Batman, the Animated Series'. We’ve run out of TV seasons to watch
obsessively on Netflix.

Let's play the random game

While I update you. With a long post. And some pictures.

1. Alex Clare's 'Too Close'. I've heard bits of this song in so many commercials, and every time, I think, "What song is this?! I MUST know!" Now I do. And I'm probably accountable for at least 12 YouTube views.

2. Guacamole, guacamole. We love it. It gets made once a week.



3. Along those lines, if you don't put lime juice in your guacamole, you are a crazy person. I heart lime. And let me tell you that fresh lime juice is best. Don't waste your time with the bottled stuff.

4. We’re trying to have a healthier lifestyle, and I've given up the sweet nectar of life known as 'Diet Coke'.

5. And, since we equate Trader Joe’s as ‘healthier’, we’ve been making lots of Joe’s trips. I am not complaining.

6. This chocolate. We love it. Frozen, especially.



7. I'm listening to a lot of The Temper Trap. I feel late to Temper Trap's fan train. I can't stop listening.

8. I made a bargain with E yesterday. I told him that, on Friday, if he washes the cars, I’ll clean the apartment. I’m kind of regretting that deal.

9. Like everywhere else in the nation, it’s.so.hot.here. Which means I’m an air-conditioned hermit whenever possible. What I’d love is an air-conditioned bubble, like Bubble Boy.

10. We started watching Arrested Development three weeks ago, and finished the third (and final – tear) season last night. One of these days we’ll learn to watch television programming during its actual season.

11. Speaking of TV, if I could play anyone in any series, I would be Leslie Knope. I ask E who he would be all the time. What about you?

12. Best part of all the weddings this month: we have married friends!

13. Worst part: traveling. I hate it. 

14. Other worst part: I learned that my mom lied when she told me full and queen beds are the same size. They are most definitely not.

15. The problem is that, after staying in hotels with both, I can’t really determine what our bed at home is. I’m just going to say it’s a feen bed.

16. July is officially photography month in our little household! More accurately, it’s the month where we’re learning to use our cameras.

17. I went to my first MLS game! I’m basically a die-hard Sporting KC fan now. [more later]

18. My hair is getting kind of long, and I’ve been contemplating chopping it. Thoughts?

19. I recently realized that Eric and I have taken very few pictures together since getting married. Like, there might be two or three decent ones. I’m hoping to change this and at some point release an atomic photo bomb on all my Facebook friends. That should stop the “Why do you guys have no pictures from the past six months?” (translate: I’ve run out of people to photo creep and you’re my last hope) nagging.

20. E is literally begging me to get a kitty (yes, he says ‘kitty’...and yes, my husband is 23). I know I won’t give in, but I don’t know when he’s going to stop. This is my life. Survival of the stubbornest. 

An example of pictures that get sent to my inbox. Allthetime.

21. Sometimes, I spend my lunch breaks at Target. One day, I came home with these $9 beauts.



22. For the first time in four years, my ‘everyday’ scent has changed from B&B’s Japanese Cherry Blossom. The world is coming to an end...maybe?

Evolution of a beard

If there's one thing my husband is exceptional at, it's growing a beard. From teenagerism to 20 somethingness, E's facial hair capabilities have no limit. He claims he was born with a beard. And that he's magic, because none of his baby pictures feature a baby in a beard.

I know every man will be outraged by me saying this, but I don't like the facial hair. It hurts my face, and isn't my favorite look for E. For me, the beard equates his feeling on me wearing skinny jeans. It's alright, but could be better. (I do much better with a flare.)

After weeks of fighting the support of his jealous (and not as manly) coworkers, I think I got the E(gg) to crack. Mid 'Slumdog Millionaire', E disappears into the bathroom.

A few minutes later, my knight in shining armor appeared in the living room, wanting me to document the phases of his beard as it vanished at the hands of the electric razor. Behold, a tribute to my husband's amazing (yes, I'm admitting it) beard-growing skills.

It started off as this, but a LOT thicker. We're talking scraggly and pillow-like.

And then the mutton chops showed up. I've hated these things since the first time E sported them post No-Shave November 2008.

And then it just got weird with a fu-man-chu.

Then he did something that we refer to as the '23-year-old Ron Swanson'. Posing with real bacon, of course. And we threw in a picture of E with his Ron Swanson print, which does include the word 'bacon'.

And then it came to the final stage.

Our bathroom lighting was not great for picture taking, I was lazy and E was sick of pictures. So, I don't have a final product, but his face looks something like this.

But smoother. And lots more fun to kiss. It's really a win-win.