john & lauren.

Two of my favorite people are celebrating SEVEN years (and a happy, little announcement) today! We took some photos a couple weeks ago, and these are a few of my favorites.

shifting gears (23 weeks).

This pregnancy is flying by. Actually, these months are flying by. It blows my mind that we're almost halfway through the year and that I'm more than halfway through my pregnancy. With each passing week, I've felt the need to be more and more intentional about this pre-newborn time. We're looking ahead to our birth plan right now – I use the term "plan" loosely – we're fully cognizant of the fact that 

anything can happen

. I spent the first half of my pregnancy: 1. half-trying to disguise fact that I was pregnant (hello, job-hunting), 2. loafing around on the couch trying to convince myself that if I could just focus a little harder, I could actually be productive, and 3. eating all the Mexican food I could get ahold of. Now that the reality of this baby is starting to sink in, with more frequent kicks and movement, I'm starting to shift gears, slowly. 

We recently reserved a spot in a

Bradley Method class

, and I couldn't be more excited about this.

The Bradley Method

came highly recommended and so did

this class

in particular. Learning more about the different approaches to childbirth, this method resonated the strongest with me because of its emphasis on holistic wellness (nutrition, fitness, meditation) and husband-coaching. Knowing that there will probably be some crazy times ahead, I'm especially thankful for this opportunity to be intentional about practicing self-care and growing closer together as a couple. Even though we don't start our class until June, just learning a little bit about what the Bradley Method entails has pushed me to take inventory of our lifestyle habits.

For a few weeks recently, we were eating out almost every night, and it was exhausting and frustrating. I felt incredibly unhealthy and frustrated that we were hemorrhaging money on something that made me feel so ungrounded and out of balance. So we started a 

CSA subscription

 to a

local, organic farm

, which we are loving. It's a commitment, but I feel great about the cause we're supporting and its role in furthering our health. Our goal is less frozen, more fresh; less takeout, and more veggies. I still need my  Panda Express fix every once in awhile, but overall, I've felt 

great

 with this change in diet and consumption. Cooking is time-consuming, but I feel so accomplished having whipped up a meal from scratch. On the same note, I've started a 

pregnancy journal

 to keep track of what I'm consuming, especially protein & sugar-wise. 

I'll be the first to admit that I was a lazy bum for the first trimester of this pregnancy. I wasn't ever nauseous, but the 

fatigue

 killed me. Now that we're much more settled into our new place, Dave and I have made it a priority to take advantage of all the amenities our complex has to offer: complimentary yoga/pilates classes, saltwater pools, hiking/walking trails, and tennis courts. I especially love the 

yoga class

 I've been going to where the instructor went out of his way to make sure I had modified poses, and the long night walks that we take around the complex have been good for the soul, too.

{the things we make this little guy go through}

The last gear shift for me has been the most difficult: 

learning to embrace rest

. Dave jokes that when I'm cranky, he should either feed me or make me take a nap, and there's more truth to that than I'd like to admit. I've struggling the most with wanting to do more, more, more and embracing the days that I have off to re-center, recalibrate, and just rest. As much as I want to work like crazy, the days that I have off in the middle of the week provide me with so much balance. I'm learning to embrace the downtime, anticipating that in just 4 months, I won't have many more of these wake-up-late, sip-coffee-on-the-patio-all-morning, do-whatever-I-want kind of days. We've been a lot better at keeping our weekends low-key and plan-free for the most part. I usually go into the weekend thinking about all the errands I need to run and all the fun things there are to do, but 

too much of a good thing is not a good thing

. Sometimes, time to catch up on a

book

, pore over a

recipe

, or just hang out with my boys, no agenda, is just what I need on my calendar.

{Sunday family walk}

We're taking baby steps towards being more intentional with our time, money, and health, and I like where we're heading.

It's been awhile.

It's been awhile! We moved back from China in December, and it's been a whirlwind of holidays and celebrations, starting new jobs and finding new jobs, taking the GMAT, moving and moving again, finally setting in our new home that we're in love with, and the biggest event for us – finding out that we have a baby boy on the way! Dave said that this is the year of our dreams coming true, and I believe it. 

And now it's MAY and almost 5 months to the day since we landed at LAX. We're almost halfway through the year, and there is just SO MUCH. So much happiness, so much to be thankful for, so much to write about and live. I'm still soaking in all the goodness and blessings. There have been some lows over these past months and some struggles, so I could not be more thankful for where we are right now. I've quoted this before, but I think it's worth repeating. My theme verse for the year: "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." - James 1: 17.

So here we are again. Side note: blogger hasn't been the best to me, so I've kind of been avoiding it. Pictures are so cumbersome to resize and upload on here, formatting isn't the best, and in terms of looks, my blog isn't exactly up to par with what I want it to be. But better done than perfect, right? You'll be hearing more from me soon.

Happier.

Today was a great day. Today, I did things that I loved doing.

I skyped with my family, dressed myself in Target sweatpants and a Lululemon top, read articles on the NY Times website to my heart's desire, learned new things online, brewed a fresh cup of coffee, heard exciting news from friends, prepared chicken tortilla soup from scratch, made pressed juice for breakfast, dreamed about the furniture (a blue velvet sofa! a rosewood dresser!) for our future apartment and scouted deals on Craigslist, studied new Chinese words and brushed up on my quantitative skills, and snuggled up in our couch/bed to catch up on Homeland and The Good Wife – all things that make me happy.

I'll be honest – I'm not where I thought I'd be at 26 as I imagined it would be like back in high school. But also, I'm not where I thought I'd be. For all my planning, I never could have predicted that I'd be in China of all places, or married, or living more of a freelance adventure than a climb up the career ladder. Somehow, I thought I could only be happy while on a tropical vacation or stressing out over an ambiguous project needing results fast (because weirdly, I thrive on that, too). When I step away from my day's activities as things to be checked off of my Todoist and view them more like things that I enjoy doing, I'm so much happier.

I want to stop apologizing for not having enough time, for not doing it all. I need to stop apologizing for recognizing the resource constraints that we all face. I'm not sorry that sometimes my priorities change and that instead of juggling yet another to-do, I choose to drop one, sometimes temporarily, sometimes forever. More fun means less list. When Dave gets home and asks me how my day went, I want to stop responding with, "Ugh, I haven't finished all of my to-dos yet." More often, I want to respond: Today was a great day. I did things that I love doing. And I'll be happier for it.

Layered Chicken Tortilla Soup

If you've ever had the chicken tortilla soup at Cafe Rio, you'll understand the magic of the layering. This is my take on the Cafe Rio fave...
This soup makes for an easy weekday meal, but it's exciting enough to make for friends on the weekend. I would include a picture, but the one I have doesn't do it justice.

You'll need:

• about 1 lb or three chicken breasts 
• 1 packet of taco or burrito seasoning
• half a lime
• 1 small onion
• 1 small, green bell pepper
• 5 cups of chicken broth (I used 5 of the packets from Trader Joe's mixed with hot water)
• 1 jar of salsa
• a handful of cilantro
• 1/2 - 1 cup of cheddar cheese (I used white cheddar), shredded
• a handful of tortilla chips or toasted corn tortillas
• a couple flour tortillas

RINSE and pat dry the chicken. You can easily double the chicken if you want extra for tacos or chicken quesadillas later in the week. I used a leftover packet of burrito seasoning, but I think a full packet would be sufficient for 2 lbs. Squeeze the juice of half a lime on the chicken and sprinkle on both sides with the seasoning.

MARINATE the chicken for about an hour then place in a slow cooker with a cup of broth on high for 2-3 hours or until the broth has thickened into a sauce. Use two forks to shred the chicken.

ABOUT half an hour or less before you want to eat, dice the onion and pepper and saute in a tablespoon of oil until softened. Use a soup pot to saute, then add the remaining cups of broth and bring to a boil.

PORTION the chicken into soup bowls. You'll have 4-5 servings. To each bowl, add a ladle or two of the onion, pepper and broth mixture. Add a few tablespoons of salsa, a sprinkle of cilantro (no need to chop), and a handful of cheese. Garnish with a few tortilla chips. I used guacamole flavored chips, and they were delicious. You could easily add more toppings – sliced avocado, maybe? Heat a couple of tortillas in the oven or microwave as a side. Enjoy!

[Wednesdays at Eight] Rachel from Through Painted Deserts

[Honey-Bourbon Pulled Chicken from

Healthy. Delicious

.]

 I am thrilled about starting this new blog series,

Wednesdays at Eight

. I've been thinking a lot about what it means to build community around the table, about everyday meals and celebrating the ordinary. I've been thinking about all the planning and preparation that comes before making dinner and the unique routines that make those dinners possible. 

This is my take on Bon Appetit's

My Morning Routine

. Breakfast has its own rituals of morning coffee, reading, sometimes frantic preparation for the day. Dinner is different. Dinner is about winding down. It's about experiencing gratitude for the day. It's about relief after a day of work and about sharing experiences over a meal. 

A billion thanks to Rachel for kicking this series off! Here's a peek into her dinner routine...

How you know her:

As the Director of Project Development at

Touch A Life Foundation

, Rachel works to support and advocate for vulnerable children around the world. You can find her blogging about life, food adventures, travel and community (I'm loving her recent post on

the harvest

) at

Through Painted Deserts

.

What is a typical weeknight like for you?

 I really like to eat at home as much as possible. I was so inspired to cook for myself more after reading

Bread & Wine

, a gorgeous memoir-meets-cookbook by one of my favorite authors,

Shauna Niequist

. It makes me feel so much better to eat at home, and cooking also allows me to feel like I’ve created something healthy and lovely for myself. I like to occasionally meet friends for cocktails or wine after work but I typically prefer to stay in during the week and cook for myself – after the hustle and bustle of the workday, it feels nice to relax and treat myself to good, wholesome foods.

I enjoy exercising after work – running,

Bikram yoga

, playing soccer, and

surf-inspired exercise classes

 are amongst my favorite activities – and I like preparing my meal plan at the beginning of the week so I can have food at the ready when I come home from working out (otherwise, I get hangry

quick

!). I usually like to eat no later than 7:30 (because any later than that and I get

really

hangry) and I tend to set my little bistro table with a placemat and a pretty candle. Sitting down for dinner is a beautiful ritual, whether you’re alone or with company.

Thursday nights are always date nights with my fiancé, and we alternate between cooking at my apartment and trying new restaurants (Dallas is such an amazing hub for great new food).

Do you have any weeknight staples?

 I love salads – lately I’ve been making mine with mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, avocado, shredded carrots, feta cheese, and Shauna Niequist’s basic vinaigrette (1/2 cup of olive oil, ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar, one tablespoon of Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper, all shaken up in an old jelly jar) – and anything quinoa-based. I like to make a big pot of quinoa at the beginning of the week and throw whatever I have into it each night – sweet potatoes, avocados, black beans, roasted tomatoes, various cheeses, and spicy peppers have all made appearances. Crock-pot recipes are a winner, too – I particularly love

this honey-bourbon chicken dish

. I usually skip the buns and eat the chicken with plenty of pickles.

What’s on the menu for dinner tonight?

Speaking of quinoa, I have been

living

for this recipe that my friend’s mom used while cooking for us over Labor Day weekend. It calls for both cumin and chili pepper, and those spices really kick it up a notch. I like to add fresh avocado (not to the mixture itself but as a topping when I’m actually sitting down to eat it – I find that that tactic preserves the avo better) and sometimes even rotisserie chicken for extra protein. Here’s the recipe, if you’d like to try it for yourself.

Kay’s Quinoa with Black Beans, Tomatoes, Corn & Feta

PREP TIME:

15 minutes

TOTAL TIME:

50 minutes

SERVINGS:

6

INGREDIENTS:

·

¾ cup quinoa, rinsed

·

2 tsp canola oil

·

½ large onion, chopped (about ¾ cup)

·

¾ cup frozen corn

·

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed

·

1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered (about 1 and ½ cups)

·

1 tsp ground cumin

·

½ tsp chili powder

·

Juice of 2 to 3 limes (about 4 to 6 Tbsp)

·

3 oz feta cheese, crumbled (about ¾ cup)

·

1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves

BRING

1 and ¼ cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan on high heat. Stir in the quinoa and ¼ teaspoon salt. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is cooked through but still firm to the bite and the water is evaporated, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from the heat and rest, covered, 10 minutes.

HEAT

the oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Add the corn and cook 2 minutes, then add the beans and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the quinoa, tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, and lime juice to taste and stir gently to combine. Stir in the feta and cilantro and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Wine? Dessert?

If I could, I would drink wine with my dinner and eat dessert after every meal – but my budget doesn’t quite permit for that sort of lifestyle.

J

Some of my favorite desserts include

Shauna Niequist's blueberry crisp

 (which is so versatile that it can be paired with

Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

 after dinner and with creamy Greek yogurt for breakfast the next day), lemon bars, and anything made with peanut butter (I’m dying to try

this recipe

, and also

these peanut butter-filled brownies

). I love wine, especially Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, and I can’t resist a glass of ice-cold Prosecco. Sometimes there’s no better treat than having

just

wine and dessert for dinner – and, in case you couldn’t tell, I’m speaking from experience. 

Thanks so much for sharing, Rachel!