2 Months in....

Marry Me
By: Train
Forever can never be long enough for me
To feel like I've had long enough with you
Forget the world now we won't let them see
But there's one thing left to do
Now that the weight has lifted
Love has surely shifted my way

Marry Me
Today and every day
Marry MeIf I ever get the nerve to say "Hello" in this cafe
Say you will
Say you will
Together can never be close enough for me
Feel like I am close enough to you
You wear white and I'll wear out the words I love you
And you're beautifulNow that the wait is over
And love and has finally shown her my way

Marry me
Today and every day
Marry meIf I ever get the nerve to say "Hello" in this cafe
Say you will
Say you will

Promise me you'll always be
Happy by my side
I promise to sing to you
When all the music dies

And marry me
Today and everyday
Marry meIf I ever get the nerve to say "Hello" in this cafe
Say you will
Say you will
Marry me
Happy 2nd Month Wedding Anniversary, Mr. E!I would marry you today and everyday over and over again.All my love,KE

October coming in hot!

It's Monday and it's a new month...rabbit rabbit, October is here folks! And what a great weekend we had to kick off this fabulous month! I would have recapped about it yesterday but I felt the need to give one last plug about September being Childhood Cancer Awareness month because let's be honest, that's 1000000x more important than the drunken chaos we caused over the weekend! But let's recap away:

My good friend Caputo got to town on Thursday night so we stayed up late chatting and giggling like girls always do when they're with their friends and slept in late Friday morning. After going to lunch and doing some shopping for some of her family members for new Iowa gear, we came back to our place to lounge. We quickly realized that there was a day long marathon of Say Yes To The Dress on and well, after we realized that, it was a done deal. We were committed to the couch and recliner for the rest of the day! The rest of the crew didn't show up until 7:30 and Jordan was gone working until 9:00.....the best part of it all was we got a notice on the TV screen that said "Going into energy save mode due to inactivity of 4 hours." Yes, that means that we didn't even touch the remote for 4 HOURS! We just can't resist a good TLC marathon of SYTTD! Once everyone got here, we had a few cold ones, got all dolled up and hit the town. Of course, by hit the town, we went to Brother's and only Brother's. We met up with several other people and had a great time. Lots of dancing, lots of laughing and not so much drinking because we wanted to keep it somewhat together so we could make it to tailgating early in the morning!

Saturday morning rolled around and we all woke up to ACDC's Back In Black...it wouldn't be a Hawkeye Saturday without waking up to their intro theme song! Once we all pulled it together, we headed to Melrose Madness to enjoy some good ol' tailgating Hawkeye Style! I love the atmosphere of gameday in Iowa City and I don't think it will ever get old to me! Unfortunately, I had to go to work for the afternoon so it was a tame tailgating morning for me and I went to work for a few hours....but when I got back, the game still had half left so I caught up pretty quick to everyone! Turns out everyone tailgated all day long for the whole game...and then some! And the Hawks won which made it an even more exciting Homecoming weekend! Way to kick off the conference play and start with a win Iowa! We all made the trip back to our place, crashed and napped but then since we were all recharged, we started round 2. And what other way to start it off than by doing a Game Day powerhour and a Disney powerhour?! We got loud. We got rowdy. And we got out of control. But we didn't get any knocks on our door from neighbors and no one got injured. We had a riot and thinking of 13 adults all screaming out the name of the Disney movie as the powerhour clip would change still makes me laugh. Man, we have some awesome friends. 

We wrapped up the weekend by making breakfast on Sunday morning and all lounging and recovering watching some NFL football. One by one, our friends had to leave but at least we know we'll all be reunited at the end of this month for our close friend's Jared and Heather's wedding....can't wait! All in all, what an awesome, entertaining and fun loving weekend. It's weekend's like this that make Jordan and I so thankful for joining Dance Marathon because that's where we met all of our closest friends and the ones who were here with us this weekend! Already anxiously awaiting our next reunion at the end of the month! 

ready for a night out on the town with my girls!

the hubs.

Hawkeye Love Hug

happy alums after a Hawk win!

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month...

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and today is the last day of the month. What have YOU done to make a difference in the life of child with cancer or for a family with a child battling this nasty monster? Remember, my brave little friend Coleman who has earned his angel wings once said, "an act of kindness, big or small, is the greatest gift of all." Once the clock strikes midnight at the end of the month, September will be over. But the fight to cure childhood cancer won't be. And we need to start facing the facts and amp up the funding so that sufficient research can be getting done. For instance on average, 36 kids are diagnosed with cancer EVERY DAY in the United States. That means, that 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer and the average high school has two students who are current or former cancer patients. Not only this but cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children over the age of 1 even with cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, AIDS, asthma and juvenile diabetes combined. Childhood cancer cannot be prevented. It spares no ethic group, socioeconomic class or geographic region. It can happen anywhere, anytime and to any child. Scary thought?? Yes. Wish you could do something about it, yes? Then by all means, DO SOMETHING!!! Donate your time by volunteering at a children's hospital, Ronald McDonald House, or a sibling/parent support group. Donate money in any amount to a research based or hospital based credible source (always, always know where your money is going--it's sad how many people try to make a buck out of people trying to do something good.) Make hats or blankets for the children in the hospital. Donate gift cards to general places such as Target, Walmart or Visa cards, gas cards and fast food cards for families in the hospitals to use. Spread the word. Advocate for these kids and their families! 

Many people look at me with a sad look when I tell them what I'm going to school for and the professional field I have picked to work in. They think, "isn't that so sad? how can you stand that? what a depressing job..." Yes there are sad days and yes, there are days that I can't stand because it is so unfair seeing cancer strike such innocent kids. But otherwise, I don't think of it as a depressing, downer of a job. Every day I get to the hospital, I find hope. The halls are filled with laughter and I'm always greeted with hugs and smiles. The kids I meet have the cards stacked against them every day and they still wake up more optimistic than even the most well off people I know. My heart hurts for them all more than they would ever know but because of their spirits, they make my job worth every minute. I cherish all of my time that I get to spend with them. Every day I am inspired by the kids and families I meet to do more with my life, try harder, be a better person, don't give up on myself, not to stress over the little things, and to let go of my worries. The toughest lesson I've learned though from too many of these kids is to love wholeheartedly every minute of the day because we never know when our last minute will be. The fight doesn't end because the month of September is ending. And thanks to mine and Jordan's amazing family and friends, we were able to make a $350 donation to Dance Marathon, the student organization at Iowa that raises money to support kids treated for cancer at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital! We raised this money during our Dollar Dance at our wedding reception and honestly, that is one of our favorite decisions we made about our wedding! We are grateful for the money we received and are honored to be donating it For The Kids. This organization is very near and dear to our hearts as this is where we met each other, both of our closest friends and it led us to our career paths. 

This is why we fight for the cure and why we keep dancing. For sweet kiddos and precious babies like Jasmine. For the kiddos who have earned their angel wings. For the kiddos who have fought the good fight and won. And for the kiddos who put their gloves on day after day and fight back. Make a difference for them. Be the miracle. For The Kids, always and forever.

http://dancemarathon.uiowa.edu/
Donate and get involved!
Creating Tomorrow By Dancing Today!

Iowa's 100th Homecoming Celebration

This weekend it will be the University of Iowa's 100th Homecoming! Pretty cool, huh?! And it will be the 6th one that Jordan and I have celebrated...weird! The best part about all of this is that we will have a full house this weekend with six of our close friends all staying at our place...it's going to be cramped but it's going to be awesome and I can't wait! I already have the whole place clean and organized, toilet paper is stocked, towels and blankets are clean, air mattress is ready to go and we have plenty of beer and frozen pizzas to last us a week! Let's Go Hawks and hurry "home" to us friends! Can't wait for them to start arriving tomorrow!

fall fashion favorites!

Saturday was the first official day of Fall! Ah I can't believe it...this past year has flown by crazy fast! And to start off this Fall season, I wore all of my favorite fall fashions today! I love pairing leggings with a long cozy cardigan or chunky sweater, a scarf of any sort and some boots....seriously, I could LIVE in this kind of outfit all year long! If I could find a place where the weather was like this year round, Jordan and I would most definitely move there instantly! Not too hot and not too cold, warm sunshine and beautiful colors....ahh that would be the life! But then reality hits and I realize we only have a short time to enjoy this weather while we can before winter strikes! Here's how I rocked the first work day of the fall:

refashion attack and I love it!
cardigan: refashioned from a sweater and cost $1.50
scarf: my mom made this from an old dress
long sleeve under cardigan: $5.00 from Old Navy
boot warmers: my mom made these from an old sweater
leggings: $5.00 from Target
boots: $30.00 from Target last year
(I also got them in black and gray....Target can do no wrong)

ah so happy to be home with my pup
after a long 12-hour day!

Hope everyone has their fall favorites out and ready to start wearing because like it or not, the seasons are changing and the cooler weather is here to stay! Happy Monday!

Cabin Party Round 2

Minus the Hawks blowing the game and losing it at the end, the weekend was still amazing and a huge success. I'm not sure how it couldn't be given the circumstances....all three Cross kids, Jordan, Kat, Suz and good friends of Scott and Kat's, Nate and Amber then add in the cabin in the woods, bon fire, lots of beer, good food and snacks...and like I said, the best people I know to spend a weekend partying with at a cabin. And well, that all adds up to one awesome time. Even Paisley had a fantastic time running around wherever she pleased while not hooked up to a leash or rope and she got to dig in real dirt (as opposed to our bed or the carpet). And holy shit can she dig! I am now fearful of our future yard that we have because I think she'll tear it up like it's her job....hopefully we can get that under control or if anything, maybe I can train her to just till up the yard in places I want to plant a garden?! I can dream at least. Anyway, she was a filthy dirt and burr covered, stinky (from rolling around and laying on anything and everything that smelled "good" to her...like dead birds and deer poop), exhausted pup by the end of the night! 

bros and their mexican sweatshirts

cabin chicks

what goons

fun weekend getaway together!

So many insides jokes and so many good chats with everyone. Great group of people and I couldn't have asked for a better weekend trip to Wisconsin! After making the drive home, Jordan and I both took a nap to recover and then I gave Paisley a bath...she definitely wasn't happy but there was so way I was letting her up on the furniture or in our bed looking the way she looked! Now she's all fluffy again, smelling good and free of burrs! And it's bedtime for all of us because Cabin Party Round 2 officially wore us out! Already looking forward to next year because I think we're getting t-shirts!!! CABIN TEAM, ASSEMBLE!!!!

Pumpkin Scones

The chill is in the air, the leaves are changing and the shelves are starting to be lined with Halloween candy which means one thing...fall is here so here comes lots of pumpkin and apple flavored food and drinks! YUMMM!!! Now that I'm a wife (and secretly still trying to impress Jordan when I can) I've been whipping up different meals and desserts but here is one that is blog worthy! I made these Starbucks Clone Pumpkin Scones from the Iowa Girl Eats blog! And boy were they delicious...they will definitely be a repeater for us, especially as the temperature keeps dropping! What is it about the pumpkin and apple flavors that are SO good in the chilly weather and so comforting?! Whatever it is, I'm not upset about it! 

I followed the instructions for the recipe but doubled it because I knew they would get devoured rather fast....and it's a good thing that I did! I also added a few extra pinches of cinnamon and nutmeg to make them even more flavorful. Ok and I increased the glaze ingredients a little to give them plenty of coating. AMAZING! And the best part about all of this is that I made this batch of 16 total scones for what 3 of them from Starbucks would have cost me! So, here's what you need so you can start making your kitchen smell delicious and fill you tummy with a great fall treat:
Ingredients:

2 cups flour
7 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
3 Tablespoons half & half
1 egg
6 Tablespoons cold butter, cubed

For the plain glaze: 
1 cup + 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons half & half

For the spiced drizzle:
1 cup + 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons half & half
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch ground ground ginger
pinch ground ground cloves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees then line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a large food processor (or in a large bowl) combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Pulse or whisk to combine. Add cold butter and pulse until well incorporated and mixture is the texture of cornmeal. 
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, half & half, and egg. Add to flour mixture and pulse until just combined. Alternatively, stir until the dough comes together in a ball. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead 4 or 5 times to bring the dough together, then flatten into a circle 1″ thick. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough in half, then cut each half into thirds.
4. Place the wedges onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 14-16 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden brown. Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
5. When scones are cool, whisk together the plain glaze ingredients, then spoon on top and spread slightly. Let harden for 10 minutes, then whisk together the spiced drizzle ingredients and drizzle on top. Let harden completely, about 1 hour, before serving. Store in an air-tight container for 1 day. **don't stack with parchment paper between rows of scones in container...just use more containers to avoid stacking them otherwise it makes the glaze runny! I learned this the hard way!**

YUM!!!  These are perfect for breakfast, mid-morning snack,
afternoon snack, dinner dessert, and bedtime snack!
So good!!!!

So besides baking, I'm really looking forward to the weekend! We all need a weekend getaway from time to time, right? Right. This weekend Jordan and I are hitting the road and heading northbound to Beaver Dam, Wisconsin for a good ol' fashioned cabin party!!! The cabin party is my sister-in-law Kat's parents and it's in the middle of 50 acres of land they own aka the middle of no where aka  there are NO NEIGHBORS!!! So what if we're all in our mid to late twenties and like to party as if we're still 19 and 21 years old?! Can't wait to see my siblings and all party together around a bon fire and explore the woods! And the Hawks play in the morning while we'll be driving up there so hopefully they give us a good game to listen to and cheer along with! Let's go Thursday and Friday, hurry up because we're looking forward to a great weekend!