Guest Post: {Jen's Pin-tresting food treats}

{I have know this girl for far too long. She is the only person I know in real life that doesn't make me feel like a loserface for blogging and love it. Jen has TWO blogs. She is the bigger loser. ;) Kidding! We used to obsess over *Nsync together and now we have traded in the boy band obsessions for cocktails. I think we only hang out over booze. Or work. We work together sometimes. Her post made me hungry. Maybe if I'm lucky, she will share some of her treats with me! :) Without further adieu, it's Jen!}

Hiiiiiiiii. Why, yes, in case you're wondering, I did wake up at the ass crack of dawn to go to a pub for alcohol and the wedding broadcast! Jolly Good!

I'm Jennifer and I was forced to am honored to write a guest post for my good friend Krystal! A lot of her followers are familiar with me through her blog (we take lots of pictures together at events we go to together) and through my blog. My personal blog can be found here and let's be real...I'm guest posting so I can get more followers. (Can I bribe you to follow by saying that I will host an amazing giveaway when I reach 200? Also, I'm pretty wonderful). At my personal blog, you can find stories of my silliness with my friends and family and boyfriend, pictures of my stupid cat, and just random, fun things.

I've also started a food blog called Mangiamo!, pronounced maan-jaah-mo, that means "Let's Eat!" in Italian. Food is such a passion of mine that I never fully shared with the blogging community until now. This is a new blog (it's only been about a week in existence!), but I'm SO EXCITED to share it with everyone. Plus, it's so pretty, thanks to Meg! Find my food blog here!

Deciding what to guest post about is always a challenge for me. Between my time line that Krystal IMPOSED upon me (teehee) and the fact that I'm sick and loopy on medicine, I struggled with what the subject of this post would be. I also struggled with not falling asleep at my desk as I typed it, but that's neither here nor there.

Anyway, in celebration of my new food blog and the fact that Pinterest is all the rage (find me here), I thought I'd share some of the foods and drinks I've pinned recently that I plan on making in the near future!

Spinach Mac & Cheese Muffins

[via]

I have to mention, right here and right now, that I'm deeply in love with spinach.

Butterbeer Cupcakes

[via]

Being an avid Harry Potter fan, I appreciate this recipe's existence. My boyfriend and I live about 45 minutes from Orlando and have annual passes so we'll be partaking in some butterbeer and roller coasters this weekend!

White Almond Cake with Strawberry Mousse Filling

[via]

When I was 16, I worked at a grocery store that was huge and wonderful and held a wedding expo every year. I worked the wedding expo one year and was blown away by the while almond cake that was available for sample. (FYI- when you are 16 and work in a grocery store where all the co-workers and managers are your friends, you don't really work. Instead, you sample food all day). Anyway, it was that fateful day that sealed the deal for me. Ever since then, a full decade ago!, I've said that I will have white almond cake on my wedding day!

Bubble Up Enchiladas

[via]

Yes, please! That is all.

Creamsicle Float

[via]

I'm a sucker for a good creamsicle. Every so often, my boyfriend and I would drive an hour to this orange grove that would make the most amazing fresh squeezed orange juice and the most scrumptious creamsicle (orange and vanilla swirl) ice cream. We'd get a sample of the juice and order a cone each of the ice cream, sit outside, and just enjoy each other's company. Since then, the orange grove shop has closed down and relocated almost 2 hours from us. We haven't been back since, but we miss it terribly. Until we find the time to visit the new shop, I will definitely settle for a homemade float.

Pizza Dip

[via]

Pizza. Enough said.

Thanks for making me guest post, friend! I hope everyone got some ideas!

Visit Jen here:

Guest Post: {Hannah's Punk Rock Past}

{Do you know who rules? Hannah at Gator Tales. She is hilarious and we have a lot in common. She frequently stalks me when she comes to town and we *finally* met up for beer and appetizers a few weeks ago. Good times! She had a sweet wedding and if you aren't following her... you should! I'm totally glad she volunteered to guest post for me. Take it away Hannah!}

I met Krystal for the first time just a few weeks ago. We met at one of her favorite bars, Whiskey Joe's in Tampa. And you know, the first time you meet someone you start searching for common bonds. Did she know any of my friends from Palm Harbor? No. Do I eat at any of her favorite Tampa eateries? Not really. Do you love going to concerts as much as I do?
And there we had it. We were both have a soft spot in our hearts {obsession, maybe?} for punk rock concerts. So today, while she’s away – I’m filling in to share just a few of my stories…

Growing up in Milwaukee had a lot of perks. Milwaukee has one of the best underground music scenes that I know of. We were close enough to pick up Chicago radio, with all the new up and coming bands – but we were a cheaper venue to play at so band would choose to come to us instead of the windy city. It was in 2001 that I attended my first John Mayer and Jason Mraz concerts, years before sorority girls everywhere took them on as their anthems. When John was lucky to get a crowd of 40 together to sing those few songs we knew and I was there when Mraz recorded “Live at the Eagles Ballroom.”

But my love for music started way before this. Growing up in Milwaukee meant I had access to music everywhere. Milwaukee is a wonderful town for live music, with festivals all summer long – the biggest, Summerfest, held during the peak of the summer – 11 days, 11 stages, 11 hours a day. Music all day, every day, for free. By the time I was 10 I had seen No Doubt and Weezer, and accompanied my mom to a few Hall & Oates and Styx concerts.

(Sugar Ray. I’ve seen them at least 5 or 6 times now and they put on a damn good concert.)

So by the time I had a license, car and an awesome best friend – I knew that my music experiences would blow into something much bigger. We started going to concerts that no one had ever heard of: Lucky Boys Confusion, Mustard Plug, Umphrees McGee, Allister, Sugar Cult, Alkaline Trio, New Found Glory, Saves the Day, Plain White Tees (and you didn’t even know they made music in the early 2000s).

(Sugarcult. One of my favorite bands back in the day.)

We were punk rock girls in honors math. We wore cute black outfits and were as straight edge as they came (alcohol and drugs were scary to our 16 year-old selves). When we’d hear of a free concert coming to town (2-3 every week) we’d download a few songs off of Napster and decide on if it was a concert worth checking out. We found some awesome bands that way and were able to meet the band, dance on stage and do everything else a 16 year-old punk rock girl dreams of.

(Me & My best friend Wong with the band Allister. They were hot.)

So here is to Krystal and her mutual love for beer {now that I’ve found the nectar of the gods} and to awesome music!

Guest Post: {Heather nails it!}

{So.... I am currently in the Florida Keys hopefully sipping on some fruity frozen drinks working on my tan. I asked five lovely ladies to guest post for me and they all came through. This week you'll see some totally random Krystal approved posts. They're all awesome. I hope you enjoy!}
-*-
{Do you know why I asked Heather to guest post for me? She is a religious commenter. I swear. I could write about my dog taking a dump and she would comment. She makes me laugh in her blog posts and the one below is no exception! Give this girl a follow and leave her some love!}


Hello, my kitschy friends!

I'm Heather.

AKA

I blog about life, love, and furbabies.

I am so excited to guest blog for Krystal!
I mean, she's pretty much a celebrity.
I bet she has Brangelina on speed dial.

Ever since Krystal announced that she was on Bridezillas, I've become that obnoxious person:

Hey, do you ever watch Bridezillas? There's a girl on there, Krystal. We're basically BFF. Do you want my autograph?

I originally intended to write about my lack of creative abilities.
I was going to reference all of Krystal's super cute DIY wedding details.
And compare it to my utter lack of cutesiness.*

So I hopped on pinterest and searched "nailed it," looking for this picture:

Source: images.google.com via Jamie on Pinterest

Instead, the first picture to come up was this:

Source: None via Emily on Pinterest

...consider this blog post officially derailed.

Forget the cupcakes & wedding stuff.
We're going to discuss these nails.

First, I am what could be described as a 'girly' girl. I love glitter, high heels, and pink. Heck, I'm 5'10" and will gladly wear 4" heels. Would I glue plastic bows & roses to my nails? No.

Second, I can only assume this person does not have job. You cannot type with the thumb- bows. Just doesn't work. Then again, those rhinestones don't come cheap...

And finally, what outfit do you wear with these nails? They're clearly a 'statement piece' and you wouldn't wear just anything with them. Maybe this is for some sort of fetish site and the outfit is *ahem* irrelevant?

Thank you, Krystal, for letting me take over your blog today!

*Trademark pending by Blonde...Undercover Blonde. Don't steal my awesome made up words. I know you want to.

Email Forwards {Laugh}

I hate email forwards. I, however, received this one from a listserv where I work. I actually giggled.

Happy Sunday!

Source: mochacafe.info via Tina on Pinterest

"Whenever I get a package of plain M&Ms, I make it my duty to continue the strength and robustness of the candy as a species. To this end, I hold M&M duels.

Taking two candies between my thumb and forefinger, I apply pressure, squeezing them together until one of them cracks and splinters. That is the “loser,” and I eat the inferior one immediately. The winner gets to go another round.

I have found that, in general, the brown and red M&Ms are tougher, and the newer blue ones are genetically inferior. I have hypothesized that the blue M&Ms as a race cannot survive long in the intense theater of competition that is the modern candy and snack-food world. Greens are set aside in a Brandy Snifter, both in homage to rockers of old, and for small amounts of self indulgence as the championship is underway.

Occasionally I will get a mutation, a candy that is misshapen, or pointier, or flatter than the rest. Almost invariably this proves to be a weakness, but on very rare occasions it gives the candy extra strength. In this way, the species continues to adapt to its environment.

When I reach the end of the pack, I am left with one M&M, the strongest of the herd. Since it would make no sense to eat this one as well, I pack it neatly in an envelope and send it to M&M Mars, A Division of Mars, Inc., Hackettstown, NJ 17840-1503 U.S.A., along with a 3×5 card reading, “Please use this M&M for breeding purposes.”

This week they wrote back to thank me, and sent me a coupon for a free 1/2 pound bag of plain M&Ms. I consider this “grant money.” I have set aside the weekend for a grand tournament. From a field of hundreds, we will discover the True Champion.

There can be only one."

I'm Guest Posting Today...

... over at Camile's blog!

I'm writing about snail mail surprises. It's kind of amazing. Check it out, yo!

And, well, I'm also driving in a car today for a million hours. Heading from Tampa to the Florida Keys! One week of sun, fun, and catching up on reading.

I have awesome guest posts slated for you so check 'em out!

We've been married 6 months {& we rode a boat}

We made it half a year without strangling each other. True story. On our night out to celebrate, I said that we hadn't killed each other yet. His reply: "Doesn't mean I haven't thought about it." Oh, love. :)

Anyway, so what DID we do!? Well, I actually had to work on the 19th which would have been our "official" six month wedding anniversary (Do people even celebrate this? Oh well. I just wanted to go out!). Sunday night was my first free evening in a while since I've been working insane hours, so I casually mentioned that we should do a tacky tourist boat trip. Since we live near a touristy beach, there are tons of cheesy boats that dock at the marina. They're dolphin sightseeing trips, or classy dinner boats, or booze cruises. I think you can guess the boat we picked.

The Calypso Queen. I've never seen anything more tacky. I love it.

I was excited because he took care of it all. Usually I'm the party planner of the bunch, but it was nice to have someone else make the reservations for once.

Though - that's not our last name. Total misspelling but I thought it was funny. DUH-erus. I'm still laughing. Check out the sweet chair covers.

Reasons to buy a new digital camera. This picture is almost totally adorable. If it wasn't blurry.

Blingin'. Also wearing jewelry totally won from bloggers. Earrings from Perfect Compilation Tape and the bracelet was a gift from Budget Savvy Bride! Woo!

There was a buffet (of course) and it wasn't too bad. The rum punch was flowing and the music started. It was actually really fun. There was only about 20 people on the boat and he had a few surprises for me.

Surprise #1 - The DJ announcing I was on Bridezillas. Not funny. Someone took their picture with me.

After some line dancing to the classics (like the Electric Slide), the DJ said we were celebrating six months of marriage and started playing our wedding song. Surprise #2. I am not used to people surprising me for a change, it was cute. I got a little misty.

We danced. We saw the sunset (even if it was a little overcast, it was still pretty).

Looking at Clearwater Beach


Looking at Sand Key {where we were married}
It was actually kind of neat to be out in the water near our ceremony and reception site.

So, he totally came through and we had a great night. Maybe I shouldn't underestimate him anymore... ;) Now -- we have to pack and get ready for our vacation. Let's hope there's no hurricane, no storms, no weird wind. I'm ready for sunshine and nothing to do but tan, read, eat and drink. Game on!

The husband turns 30 +1 and we play Jenga

Guys can be so difficult! They never want anything for their birthday and they don't want an elaborate party. Oh well. This year as the husband turned 30+1 we had a great night out in our favorite local downtown area. I loaded up on cheapie gag favors from the dollar store and hid a cake at the restaurant we were eating at to surprise him later. I had to do something. ;)

Birthday boy + Beer Goggles


The only picture of us from the night! LOL


Ready to party?
That's Jen. She didn't post pictures from the night so I guess that means I will! ;)

We sat outside one of our favorite restaurants that has live music and good seafood. I had some crazy salad with the best dressing ever (It was like mango vinaigrette) and buffalo shrimp. Lucky for us, Red Stripe was 2-4-1 so I thought it was enjoyable. :)

Then, there was cake.


Yummy cookie cake.

We moved onto a beer bar for games and beers.


Party time!


Jenga time. Jumbo Jenga.


She got all the dirty blocks.


Please don't fall on me.




Can't say no to beer goggles. Best $1 I've spent in a while.

We ended the night at a local brewery to see a band that my husband knows/loves. It was perfect for a Friday night out and I still made it to work on time the next morning (Ouch, that 8 a.m. wake up call WAS tough though!). I love celebrating birthdays and holidays and I always try to make sure that everyone has a great time. From the looks of it, I'd say it was a success! :)

What I'm Playing Thursday {Mat Kearney}

I'm excited to link up to What I'm Playing Thursday this week! I had the amazing opportunity to review Mat Kearney's new CD thanks to the One2One Network. They sent a brand spankin' new copy of his CD Young Love. Wonder if he has a music degree from accredited online colleges. Either way, Mat is a great musician.

I had listened to Mat in the past but not too often. I love his voice. This is my favorite song off his new album--it also happens to be his first single:

"Hey Mama"

How totally catchy is it? It's been stuck in my head alllll week.

Young Love Tracklisting

1 Hey Mama
2 Ships In The Night
3 Count On Me
4 Sooner Or Later
5 Chasing The Light
6 Learning To Love Again
7 Down
8 She Got The Honey
9 Young Dumb And In Love
10 Rochester
11 Seventeen

Web | iTunes |Facebook

If you are lucky enough to have him visit your city on his 40 stop tour, please do so! The closest he is coming to me is Jacksonville and I just can't make that! :( Please go see and let me live vicariously through you. Here is a list of his tour stops:

Disclaimer: I received a copy to review through my affiliation with One2One Network. I was not compensated and all my opinions are my own. C'mon, he IS awesome. I didn't need to get a free CD to say so! ;)

I've got my M.Ed! {Graduation & Flashback Photos}

So...I graduated a few Saturdays ago. I somehow didn't really talk about my day. It was long, hot, tiring, exciting.

We started off by meeting at a local sushi place for some drinkies and foods. There was not much open near the site of commencement -- so it had to do! Luckily for me, a Groupon popped up the week of graduation so that's how we decided on the place. The timing was perfect.

Can you tell what this is?


Down the hatch. {Baby Octopi by the way}


My "boxed" lunch. It was cute.


After the ceremony


Waiting to enter a beer festival at our local zoo

The beer festival was supposed to be awesome, but it was really hot. And crowded. I'm usually a good time anywhere, but I just wasn't haven't it. I tried, but meh. It was hot. I was so glad to go back to the hotel room and cool off. We went to one of my favorite clubs from when I was 21 afterward. I hadn't been there since it closed (it recently re-opened). It was still fun but so different. I'm no longer 21! LOL =) I drank Grey Goose & Red Bulls all night so I was able to hang past my bedtime. What a night.

And, just for fun, let's make fun of me!
{And, my scanner makes my skin look ridiculously strange. I promise I am not as white as the first picture or as orange as the last.}

High School Graduation, 2003

Bachelor's Graduation

And, the most recent. The one that took the most money, the most work, the most stress and anxiety. Silly Master's degree. And, what is up with my SWEET tan. I do not look like this.

I had been kind of a Debbie Downer for a few days after the ceremony. I never really post about being sad here, but I do have sad days. Sad weeks even. I've gotten over it all and am moving on. Things are looking pretty good and I am so grateful for my husband. He surprised me in more ways than one and whatever issues I had are now long gone. That post will be coming up soon. =)

Goodbye, Summer: Oh, How Pinteresting!

Labor Day is the "end of summer." Even though I'm in Florida, whenever Labor Day hits... it just reminds me that cooler weather is coming and beach trips might be limited. This year, I get to do something I hadn't been able to in the past due to school -- an actual summer vacation IN summer. I feel like I've taken trips here and there, but nothing during Labor Day Weekend. I was either working or partying at our local beach. This year we get to head to the Florida Keys. Summer is not over just yet....

Here are some of my recent summery pins. I can't wait to vacation next week. =)

Source: flickr.com via Krystal on Pinterest

Would have been PERFECTO for Shark Week

Source: cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com via Krystal on Pinterest

They look so refreshing :)

Source: bakersroyale.com via Krystal on Pinterest

Yum!

Source: scribd.com via Krystal on Pinterest

Love all the ideas! It makes me think I didn't do enough this summer!

Source: marthastewartweddings.com via Krystal on Pinterest

Wine jello shots? Sign me up.

Source: erinsfoodfiles.com via Krystal on Pinterest

Pineapple sangria.... interesting.

Source: squee.icanhascheezburger.com via Krystal on Pinterest

Awww!

&, how fun does this look?

Source: sassystyleredesign.blogspot.com via Krystal on Pinterest

It's been a pretty crazy summer. I haven't even had the moment to fully update the most recent happenings -- but I will! I can't wait to start packing all my summer essentials for a week on the beach/boat/sand/hot tub. Hooray!