Short & Sweet - #eclifeplanner2014

IT'S HERE!!!  I've been patient for two weeks and it's finally here!  My Erin Condren 2014 life planner.  It's just as fabulous as I imagined it would be.  As usual, it's perfect and has zero mistakes.  Plenty of room to write on each day, this planner is the one to beat!  One of the new features that I love this year is the planner automatically goes through December 2015 - so this planner will last me quite some time.  Crazy to think that shortly after this planner expires, we will have match day for Chris' residency and find out where we're moving to next!

If you haven't checked out the latest and greatest Erin Condren has to offer, head on over!

A Weekend of Celebrations

Long weekends are always a nice escape and getaway from your hectic and busy life.  This weekend we went to Nashville (where we met) and spent the weekend celebrating two friends' engagement and two friends' wedding.  It seemed like a non-stop busy weekend, but it was one of the best weekends I think either Chris or I have had in a while.  With him studying 16+ hours a day with boards coming up, it was a nice break for him to rest and recharge before hitting the books for a few more weeks.

We dined at The Cheesecake Factory on Thursday night and celebrated Tim and Becca's engagement.  Friday we ate at our favorite hot fried chicken place in Nashville, Hattie B's, followed by the rehearsal dinner for Charles and Cooley's wedding.  Saturday was a day full of wedding festivities - hair/make-up, pictures, wedding, more pictures, and finally the reception.  Everything turned out perfect!  Charles and Cooley both looked amazing at their wedding!  Best wishes to both of them for many many years of happiness and love!

Hanging out at our old stomping grounds - Bridgestone Area, where the Predators play and all the bars on Broadway.

Short & Sweet - Currently Happening

Well, another week down.

Today happens to be Friday the 13th...spooky!  Hopefully everyone has had a great week and has a great Friday!

The Rangers pulled through in Game 4 and beat the Kings, so on to Game 5 tonight.  Can they win and continue to pursue the Stanley Cup??  We will see (fingers crossed)!

I ordered my new Erin Condren life planner yesterday.  If you're as obsessed about planning and organizing as I am, go check these out.  They are extremely durable and well laid out.  Here's last year's design and I absolutely loved it.  Can't wait to get my new one in the mail and show it on display :)

I've been working for a few months on creating a 30 Before 30 page - it's now up so go check it out.  I plan on providing quarterly updates as I mark things off my list.  If you haven't created a similar list, I challenge you to do the same, whatever you age.  It can even be something as simple as 14 things I hope to do in 2014.

Roasted Garlic Bruschetta

To start the week off right, Mondays generally mean a salad for dinner in our house.  On the side, we always have a loaf of bread with some sort of dipping oil or sauce.  Tonight we decided to make a bruschetta from ciabatta bread as the side to our salad.

After tossing together the necessary ingredients, below is what we had as a result.

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Slice the ciabatta loaf in half and drizzle each half with olive oil.
• Spread the bruschetta sauce on each half and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
• Put a few cloves of roasted garlic on top.
• Finally, crack a bit of pepper on top and bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
• If desired, top with a bit of basil.

Short & Sweet - Predictions

This has been an exciting week and will prove to be an exciting weekend as well!

The Stanley Cup Finals began on Wednesday - LA Kings vs. NY Rangers.  Although the Kings took game 1, I have faith that the Rangers will come back and fight on Saturday in game 2.  The Rangers have definitely been the underdog through the playoffs so far and they've fought and proven everyone wrong by making it to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 2 decades.  Last time they were in this spot, they won and I have faith they can do it this year!

The Belmont Stakes is also on Saturday - I believe this is the year the title of the Triple Crown is handed out and I believe California Chrome can do it!

Tune in next Friday for an update on the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  It's sure to be an exciting final series!

An Adventure in Ireland - Through Mom's Camera

Mom has been in Ireland with my Aunt Lisa for over a week now.  It's a trip they've been looking forward to and planning for years.  Last fall, they finally decided to pull the trigger and make it a sisterly-getaway.  I know they've both been having a blast together and I couldn't be happier for the two of them.  They are both so deserving of this trip - relaxation, adventure, bonding.  Living it up, I must say!  From medieval dinners in castles, to beauties of nature, to pubs every night, they've seen it all!  They've even picked up on a few of the local Irish colloquialisms.  In Ireland, to say you are "full of beans" means you are feeling lively.  "Cozying up with the fairies" means taking a nap.  These are so cute!  I would start using them, if people here in America didn't think I was crazy after talking about beans and fairies in my every day conversations.

A few of my favorite pictures so far are below.

These doors may get printed and framed in my house one day.  I've always thought painted and unique doors would make a great group of artwork.

Some of the cutest thatched houses ever!  I love how each one is different with a teapot and flowers in the window!

Top: Ballinskellig's Bay in Waterville

Middle left: Bunratty Folk Park

Middle right and bottom: Cliffs of Moher