Pumpkin Carving

To kick off our Halloween weekend Neill and I carved pumpkins with a friend last night. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that mine is the one in the middle. It was supposed to be a cockeyed vampire pumpkin, but it kind of just looks like a fifth grader did it. Oh well.  Neill did his band logo and James just made a goofy face. I love how he did the eyes! I would have never thought of that. I'm going to have to brush up on my skills before next year.

I must admit though, my favorite part about pumpkin carving is the seeds. I love scooping them out with my hands and getting all gooey, I love roasting them in the oven, and I really love eating them when they are done! nom nom nom. If you are carving pumpkins this year YOU MUST make the pumpkin seeds. Just clean off the seeds in water to remove any residual pumpkin mush, coat in olive oil and salt, spread on baking sheet, and roast in oven at 325 for about 25 minutes.

Scary Movie

Don't you just love scary movies? There is something so fun about gripping the edge of your seat and feeling your heart pounding (without any real danger!).

This Saturday I'll be celebrating my love of scary movies (and Halloween) at the Hyde Park Arts Center for Scary Movie Party, a showcase of DIY no budget scary movies. I'm hoping to be successfully spooked!

Here is the trailor for the movie my hubby is in


Sunset Bloody Sunset by Sebastian Lama SMP 2010 Trailer from SCARY MOVIE PARTY on Vimeo.

It should be a scream!

Life Gets Better

I decided to take a trip down memory lane today and think about where I was at this time last year. I think my blog post from October 25th, 2009 says it all:

"FML


i woke up at 6 am to grade papers".

And that was a Sunday!

It is easy for me to get caught up in complaining about how hard x,y, and z is (mainly because I'm a wimp), so it is nice to have this very real reminder that things are actually pretty good for me right now. Life gets better. Sure, it probably gets worse too - at least sometimes. But, I believe that eventually everything will even out. Last year on this date I had to wake up ungodly early on the weekend to get some grading done, but this year I got to sleep in and spend all day working from home. And by working, I mean avoiding my real statistics work to blog and think about dinner.   

twice baked potato for dinner. yes please! image source.

What were you doing this time last year?

The Violet Hour

A few weeks ago Neill and I finally decided to try out The Violet Hour - a speakeasy style cocktail lounge with a refined atmosphere. Considering that it is only a few blocks from us,  I'm embarrassed it took us this long to visit. But, I've always been turned off by the constant line of people waiting to get in and the "we're too cool to put a sign up" vibe I thought I was picking up. It didn't seem like a place for me. But, as it turns out, having no sign is part of the speakeasy theme. And while there is a line to get in, its because they only let people in when they have seats for them. So, there is no crowding around the bar waiting to get a drink while scanning the room hoping for a table to open up. Instead, you are shown to a seat and helped by a waiter. It is all very dignified.

So yes, I broke my own rule and waited in line for a chance to see for myself what the buzz is all about. And you know what? It wasn't that bad (the waiting that is, The Violet Hour was much better than "not that bad"). Our group of four kept the conversation lively and the hour nearly flew by. (To avoid the line go early! We got there around 9:30). Once in side, I was struck by the design. Reminiscent of a French Salon, the walls are a beautiful blue and there is white crown molding. We were seated in a private enclave made up of two love-seat style, high wing-backed seats. The music was pleasant, but quiet enough as not to intrude. Everything seemed to be done to create intimacy and leave plenty of space for quiet conversation.

Oh and I haven't even mentioned the cocktails yet! Each special and delicious sounding, our group had a great time discussing the menu. I had two wonderful gin cocktails, each deliciously foamy because of the addition of egg whites. The second wasn't on the menu, but I told our waitress how much I had enjoyed my first drink and she offered to bring back a "surprise". How fun! At the end of the night, our waitress offered us each a free shot of whiskey or chartreuse, a french liquor. While I ended up sipping my chartreuse, I loved the herbal flavor. Plus, we all had a good laugh at the contrast between the elegant atmosphere and free shots. 

Overall, we had a wonderful experience at The Violet Hour and I hope to make it back one day. At 12 dollars per cocktail, this isn't somewhere I would plan to spend all night, but I see it as a perfect spot to go for a few special drinks.

[Photo Credit:Clayton Hauck for Metromix]

New Look!

My little corner of the internet is sporting a new look! My goal was to make the blog more visually interesting and more user friendly. I'm so excited to have the page links, right under the blog title! They aren't filled in yet, but eventually a centralized list of all of my wedding posts will be featured under "Our Wedding" and I am going to post links to all of the places I have reviewed under "Around Town". I plan to post new reviews and tag them to that page as well. Once everything is transferred over, I will likely delete my yelp account and just post them on This Is How It Goes. I've also added search capabilities and updated my reading list. Ooo and now, if you like a post you can easily share it on google buzz, facebook, or twitter using the little buttons at the end of each post. 

Hope you like the new design! Happy reading!

xoxox
a

Miller Time: Saying I Do

As Your Hand In Mine (Explosions in the Sky) started to play, my heart jumped into my throat and all of I sudden I wanted everything to slow down. How could this all be happening so fast?

Out walked Neill.

I love how big our parents are smiling in these two pictures.






Neill was followed by his two best men, James and Tom.

 

The men were followed by my very best friends in the whole wide world, Cathy and Grace. I didn't want to let them go.

And suddenly it was time for me to walk out, on my own.  I didn't expect to want someone there by my side. After all, I had chosen to walk out alone. But, in the end I wanted someone to squeeze my hand. Lucky for me, that someone was waiting for me just a few steps away.

So I went to get my man.

Miller Time: T-Minus 30 Minutes

A month or so before the wedding we made a mix to play through an ipod and the house speakers for the thirty minutes prior to the ceremony. I am SO GLAD we did this! Not only did we get a ton of compliments on the music, but it was wonderful to hear all of the lovey dovey songs we picked out. Plus, now Neill and I can listen to this mix whenever we want. We played:
We’re going to be friends – The White Stripes
Way Tight – Ani Difranco
Forever – Ben Harper
First Day Of My Life – Bright Eyes
Keep It loose, Keep It Tight – Amos Lee
Say Yes – Elliot Smith
1234 - Plain White Ts
Red Right Ankle – The Decembrists
In The Aeroplane Over The Sea – Neutral Milk Hotel
Lucky -- Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat 
You Remind Me of Home – Ben Gibbard

This is the real pre-ceremony. The last thirty minutes. My heart was pounding and my adrenaline was up. The passage of time was marked by the change in music. Each time a song ended, I asked Neill how many more there were to go. Listening to these songs still gets my heart racing.

Guests did this:

And we did this this:

And after what seemed like a long while, You Remind Me of Home finished and We're Going to Be Friends started up again (which was okay since only a few people were there a full thirty minuets early to hear that song and really, I had bigger things on my mind besides worrying about a song playing twice) and it was time to get hitched!

Miller Time: Pre-Ceremony!

I'm sorry to have left you all hanging about what came next, but for some reason I just COULDN'T keep going with the updates. But, I hate leaving projects unfinished so I'm going to persevere :)

Now . . . where was I? Ah. Yes. We just finished up our bridal party pictures and were heading off to Volo for the ceremony.

Hmm. Now this is where I start to block. What to say about this? I mean, we were going to the place where we'd be married! I was nervous, excited, amazed, freaked, happy, and sad - all at the same time. I really can't put it in to words. Thankfully, I have some pictures to help me tell the story :)

Here is what we saw when we arrived.

 

Looking back, I want to pat myself on the shoulder for how beautiful the space turned out! But, at the time, I was so hyped up I barely noticed any of these things. Instead, we headed down into the wine cellar to hang out. Anyone who knows me can tell you that I hate rushing and I like to be places fifteen minutes early. So, of course I built in lots of added time into my wedding day time-line. It was really nice to have time to just relax. Plus, it gave us a chance to show off our custom wedding day converse! 

But, soon enough it was time to scurry back downstairs. The guests were going to start arriving any minute! I promise to come back soon and tell you all about my walk down the aisle!

[All photos by Alix Klingenberg]