swimming

Five Things

Hey hey! I feel so behind on all things blog-related. I’m here now, and ready to discuss some random things, as always.

1. A date! I think it was a weekend or two ago that Jimmy and I went to Trax Farms here in Pittsburgh for a little afternoon date and it was lovely. Yes, our idea of a date is going to a farm store 🙂

Girl looking at garden and farm store Trax Farms in Pittsburgh, PA

Speaking of Jimmy and I, our wedding anniversary is tomorrow! I can’t believe we’ve been married four years now. It feels like just yesterday we were walking down the aisle, taking pictures, dancing at our reception, going on our honeymoon, and settling into our new life together. Now we have a menagerie of animals and have been blessed with a sweet little girl on the way. I can’t say it enough: God. Is. Good. 

2. Speaking of our pets… Malcolm turned two in May, and Mavis and Lola each turn 12 this month: 12 months for Mavis and 12 years for Lola!

Black cat laying in windowsillCocker spaniel laying on black lab funny

Lola, Malcolm, and Mavis keep us busy and make our hearts full. We’re constantly laughing (and sometimes crying…) because of these three musketeers. Also of note, Mavis finally went into heat! I’ll probably post more about it in a 12 month update for her!

3. Swimming. Guys, I went swimming for the first time in like three years! Long-time readers will probably remember that I was a competitive swimmer growing up, and then swam for fun at the gym during college and for a year or two after. I finally got back in the pool last week and it felt amazing, aside from all the huffing and puffing I did 😉

Swimming kick board, pull buoy, paddles, and Thermos Intak waterbottle

4. Granola. I made some banana bread granola for our neighbors as a thank you for a baby outfit they gave us and I thought I’d share the recipe. It’s a keeper! When I first posted the recipe, I called it banana nut granola, but I think banana bread granola better suits it.

Banana bread granola in a mason jar

I also have a great chocolate granola recipe and peanut butter granola recipe. I thought I had a few more granola recipes here on the blog, but they’re currently living in my homemade cookbook. I’ll have to post about them soon! Some of the flavors are coconut almond, cranberry orange, and oatmeal raisin. Now I want a bowl of granola with milk.

5. A thank you. Thank you to everyone who commented on my last post! Everyone had such great input and I’m glad I decided to post about the tough stuff we had been going through. You guys rock 🙂

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Life Lately

It has been quite some time since I posted a life lately post!

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First, I have to say that I cannot believe it’s September. It’s just bizarre.

Anyways. August was a wonderful month for many reasons. I made my blogging comeback, went on vacation with my family, and had fun doing summer-y activities. The past few weekends have been jam-packed with adventure, which has been wonderful.

Fun things I did in August:
-Went indoor rock climbing
-Swam in a wave pool
-Visited the Washington County Fair
-Went out for frozen yogurt (for the first time ever!)
-Swam in my parents’ pool
-Did lots of pet sitting
-Harvested vegetables from our garden

Some pictures of all the fun…

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The Washington County Fair was great! I was most excited to see all of the animals, and Jimmy was pumped about the demolition derby, which was a new (and stress inducing) experience for me. One of the cars caught on fire during the derby and I was screaming my head off and pulling at my hair, while everyone else in the crowd was calm and enjoying the experience. I was so afraid the guy in the car was stuck, when in reality it probably took him about 10 seconds to get out of the flames. I am incredibly skittish about all things driving since I was in a serious accident in 2009. Anways, my parents and Hannah were able to go to the fair, too, so it was lovely to spend time with them!

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As for pet sitting, I watched Ava and Chloe (in the top picture) for the first time, and hung out with one of my favorite clients, Haley Mae. Ava is a papillon-shepherd mix, Chloe is a whippet, and Haley is a chocolate lab. They each have such different and cute personalities. It’s amazing to see their breed characteristics combine with their natural personalities to make them who they are. Ava adores being touched and having any attention, Chloe is a tug-of-war champ, and Haley is all about playing fetch and sniffing everything in sight. I love pet sitting!

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Some of the goods from our garden! I still need to post about our experience. It’s coming, I promise 🙂

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Brandy and Lola were reunited when Jimmy and I brought her over to my parents’ house last weekend! Also, Brandy loves to float on rafts in the pool. She’s adorable.

I’m so bummed I didn’t take pictures of the rock climbing and wave pool escapades! Jimmy and I went with friends from church on a Sunday and we were wiped. out. by the end of the day. I hadn’t been to a wave pool or rock climbing in years, so it was awesome to get out and do those things again.

Now it’s September, and I’m working on a fall bucket list. Unreal! I’m still hanging on to summer as long as possible, though 😉

What have you been up to lately?