Swedish Shopping and Chili Dinner

Husband got off work quite early today, and we were still in need of dressers and a kitchen table, so we drove out to the IKEA in Round Rock, outside of Austin. IKEA is the glory of Sweden, and a pretty magnificent place. It is also a place you could easily get lost in for hours, at first because you're wandering around looking at all the many pretty things they have for you to buy (things named for example, bjursta, malm, and fjällsyra) and then because you're actually lost in such a huge store and can't find the exit. We came home with a dresser for each of us, a big pot for cooking our chili tonight, and some new bedding. We found a table we like but wouldn't be able to fit it all in our car, so I think we'll have to go back another time! I'm OK with that.

what other store gives you a map when you enter?

for the kiddos...someday

After spending the rest of the afternoon and into the evening putting together one of the dressers (still one to go. those things are simple but tiring), we enjoyed our delicious chili (mostly made by Kyle, I just stirred things a bit). Kyle and I first made chili before on our camping trip in Canada, cooked for hours over a camp fire (and probably ruining my uncle's pot, sorry!), so we knew our chili cooking skills in an actual kitchen should be pretty good. We were not wrong! We used three different types of beans (black, red, and kidney), ground beef, diced tomatoes, onion, and some spicy sauce, cooked for around three hours on low. We've got lots of leftovers!

- From the desk of Mrs. M

On Being Married People

Things Married People Do (Based on my own experience):

Go to bed somewhere in the 9:00 pm hour. Sometimes even before 9. Definitely asleep by 10. Somehow we made it to midnight on New Year's.

Shop for things like refrigerators and kitchen tables.

Buy things like refrigerators (still looking for a table).

Watch Gilmore Girls at 10am on abc Family.

Randomly decide to take shots some evenings.

Cook tasty food together and for each other.

Get really good at saying "Yes, Dear." (at least Kyle has)

Watch marathons of New York Ink or the Twilight Zone for an afternoon.

Plan trips to take on your new motorcycle once you can drive it.

Play Words with Friends (husband inevitably beats me by approximately 300 points every time).

Make fun of each other for being either an old man or a snotty gross sick lady.

Both be on your computers while sitting next to each other, and occasionally send each other chats.

Eat breakfast.

Own so many books.

Occasionally talk about how cute and awesome your future children will be.

Every once in a while you come up with things to add to your vows, for example "to not let the other person die."

Doing laundry together at the laundromat.

Do things like opening a joint bank account.

Have ingredients in the house like: mint, balsamic vinegar, and lemons.

Hang out with other married people.

There's always two of everything...

It's all very dorky and wonderful. I love it.

- From the desk of Mrs. M

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What's Cookin'

Tonight for dinner I made stir fry...

 Kyle and I went grocery shopping today, and got some ingredients for meals I'd like to make soon. Some of these dishes are:

Balsamic Bruschetta Grilled Chicken

Baby Farfalle with a Creamy Smoked Bacon and Pea Sauce

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

Carrot Cake Pancakes

as well as some we don't need a recipe for, like chili and maybe my tuna casserole (even though husband doesn't really like fish), and something with quinoa, though I haven't decided just what yet. Any particular suggestions? Stay tuned to find out how the cooking goes!

 - From the desk of Mrs. M

Out to Eat in Texas

Before Kyle and I had a fridge, we had to eat out pretty frequently.

BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse. I saw an ad for BJ's in some pamphlet I picked up while I was staying at a hotel. It is a brewhouse in Temple, so obviously I made a mental note of it for when Kyle got back. Kyle and I went there one evening and enjoyed a very tasty meal. I quickly became a fan of their berry cider, and Kyle was excited with the variety of beers presented. We went again yesterday early evening to watch the Steelers play (and win. and we weren't the only fans there either!). This may very well become our go-to spot in town for watching PA sports we won't be able to watch at home.

The Mark. Kyle and I came here first back in May when his family was staying at the adjoining hotel. There was almost nobody else eating there, and they were somehow out of certain things and getting orders wrong. But they were really nice and friendly, and the food was good. Kyle and I went back when we were staying at the hotel for two nights. It was the same deal pretty much: they didn't have the appetizer we wanted, and Kyle had to go over to the bar to see what beers they did have from the list, and my fish was definitely breaded, not blackened as the menu said. We thought we should be more upset by it, but we really weren't; we just figured it's one of those places nobody has had the heart to tell they need to get their act together, because they're pretty nice and the food tastes good. If you go in accepting that things might be a little off and you can laugh rather than get upset about the perplexities of such a place, you're good to go. 

Clem Mikeska's. This place is actually right by our house. Kyle and I ate lunch there one day, our first barbecue venture since his return. It was very festive and decorated inside and out as you can see, and the food was pretty good, but not the best barbecue we've had down here (we prefer Petty's in Killeen). Our landlady told us that back in the day Clem's used to be really good, but now relies a lot on the name. Kyle and I decided anyone named Clem is destined and required to open a BBQ restaurant. 

O'Brien's Irish Pub. The only authentic Irish pub in central Texas, apparently, is right in downtown Temple, a short drive from our house. We first went there on December 23rd for dinner and to check it out, and being right before the holiday it was pretty quiet with only a few customers. But the food was good and we spent a lot of time gazing at the glimmering wall of beers on tap (and trying a couple). We decided not to be lame for New Year's eve (I don't actually think staying in is lame, I think it is glorious) and took a cab out to O'Brien's around 9:30 in the evening. Luckily we found two seats at the bar because it was definitely a hopping scene for welcoming in 2012. The 80's (and 70's, and 90's, and today) cover band Detroit Steel started up around ten, prompting the ladies who obviously pregamed the event to dance in front of the stage and hit on the bartender ("hey handsome" I heard more than once from the single mother of two, looking to live it up in 2012 after her divorce last year). Kyle and I more quietly drank at the bar, watched the drunkenness about us, wrote down what beers we'd tried on my iphone, and rocked out a little between the two of us.

Zax. This place is in Austin. Kyle has been there once or twice before and quite like it, so after a trip to take care of some motorcycle business, we had dinner there, sort of in celebration of it being a year since we got engaged (though we'd have probably gone there anyway). As Kyle said, we definitely lowered the average age of customer while we were there, but it was a pretty hip and snazzy place. Our food was so so good, and we were very satisfied. We left saying "maybe this will be our place," but we've also said that about O'Brien's and BJ's, and it is more likely a place closer to home in Temple will take that title.

- From the desk of Mrs. M

Two Thousand Eleven

This (Last) Year:

We got married!
I graduated from the University of Pittsburgh.
I flew on a lot of airplanes.
I moved a couple times.
We got the two cutest kittens on the planet.
I became an Army wife and we experienced our first deployment.
I worked several jobs.
I started this blog.
I stopped straightening my hair.
I took the GRE and started applying to graduate school.
I started planning the wedding and made a lot of progress!
I drove between PA and Texas three times.
I stopped biting my nails and learned of the joys of nail polish.
I visited some friends.
I became obsessed with Dexter.
We got a car and a motorcycle (Bonnie).
We had our first Christmas together in our first home.
I became a real adult person.
We bought a refrigerator.

I am excited to see what adventures 2012 brings! I hope to take more pictures of us, cook some tasty dishes, host some friends at our house, be a super awesome wife, and have an unforgettable wedding celebration in June. Thanks for reading and following along! Happy New Year!

the current state of my desk

- From the desk of Mrs. M