A Trip To Dubuque

 

We had a fun getaway over valentine's weekend.  Rob and I had spent the week apart as work lead me to Fargo for a conference and Rob visited his company's Madison, WI office. So, we decided to take advantage of a gift certificate Rob's parents gave us for Christmas and meet in Dubuque to stay at Hotel Julien on Valentine's Day.  We had a wonderful night catching up on the past week while enjoying a few cocktails and dinner and the hotel's restaurant.

 

The next day, Rob's sister and brother-in-law, Katie and Curt, joined us in Dubuque at Sundown Mountain for some skiing.  The three of them were Olympians compared to me, but they stuck by my side and picked me up after every fall.  Snow was lightly falling, a band was playing in the lodge, and it was just the getaway we needed to actually enjoy this unforgiving Iowa winter.

 

My favorite picture from the weekend - I failed to get off the lift on time and had to jump!  I can't believe Katie just happened to be taking a picture at the time.

Recipe: Blue Cheese & Caramelized Onion Pizza

If you are looking for a healthy recipe, this post is not for you. However, if you rank blue cheese as one of your favorite foods like I do, you have to try this.

After preparing your pizza dough, just rub some olive oil on top of the crust, cover in a layer of crumbled blue cheese and put in the oven.

While baking, caramelize a yellow onion on the stovetop. 

When the pizza has just a few minutes remaining, add the onions.

Once baked, drizzle balsamic vinegar and serve.

Sooooooo delicious.

52 Things I Love About You

Happy Valentine's Day!

In the spirit of Love Day, I thought I would share a gift I made for Rob a few years ago - 52 Things I Love About You.

All it took was a deck of cards, two leaf rings, a computer/printer, a glue stick, cardstock, and sandpaper.

I used a template on Photoshop to type each of my favorite things about Rob and our relationship. After printing them out on cardstock, I used a glue stick to attach one reason to each card and sandpaper to age the look of my project. To finish I just punched two holes on the side of each card and secured them together with leaf rings.

It was such an inexpensive gift, but is still one of Rob's favorites.

Unfortunately, I was unable to find the entire template I used since it has been a few years, but if you like the look of this project and want to use it, feel free to download the cover page, and the red background or black background pages from these links.

Personalized Handkerchiefs

I have never been so excited to give someone a gift as I was the night of my rehearsal dinner.  It wasn't anything over-the-top or expensive, it was just a simple handkerchief, that carried a personal message.  You may have seen similar projects on Pinterest last summer.  I personalized handkerchiefs for Rob and each of our parents and surprised them with the gift the night before our wedding.

 

I ordered four handkerchiefs online - knitted edges for the ladies and a more manly hem for the guys.  Then, in the month leading up to the wedding I made multiple trips to the sewing center in town.  I had never embroidered anything before, but one of the associates was so helpful and I made sure to come when she was scheduled to work.  



 

Rob knew I was making these for our mothers and fathers, but was completely unaware that I also made one for him...

I'm so happy with how they turned out and it was so touching to see them being used during the ceremony.  By the end of the day, Rob's was covered in my makeup....we decided to keep it that way.

1+1=1

 

"Dana Miller once told me that your wedding day is one of the most spectacular moments of your life. Not only are you marrying the man of your dreams, but when else do you have all of the amazing people who made both of you who you are together in one room?” This is one of the comments I made to our guests as I stood at the head table.  Dana (Rob’s mom) was so right.  I will never forget how blessed I felt, looking out at the faces of the people we consider dearest to us. Luckily, I don’t ever have to forget what that looked like because my husband captured it on his phone!

Wedding Party is a little blurry, but it is still awesome to have this

I can’t believe it has already been 6 months since tying the knot. What a journey marriage has been already.  Rob getting down on one knee in September 2012 began a series of events that has led to unforgettable memories.  From walking in to a surprise engagement party, planning each detail of our big day, being showered with love and gifts from family and friends, celebrating my ‘last night out’ with my girlfriends, and walking down the aisle, saying ‘yes’ was the most significant word that has ever left my lips.

Many of my most treasured memories from that day are of my father.  To most people he is a man of few words, but he wore he heart on his sleeve that day and showed everyone the man that my family loves.  I’ll never forget….what he whispered in my ear and as we walked down the aisle....how tightly he held me during our father/daughter dance....or the touching message in his speech. 

“You two have been blessed with parents who have been very successful in this thing we call marriage,” he addressed Rob and I, “I am going to let you in on a secret formula for this. It is very simple. 1+1=1.” He is so right. If I have learned anything in the first 6 months of marriage, it is that Rob and I are a team. We put us (our new family) first, and treat each other with the respect we expect for ourselves.

Happy 6 month anniversary, Rob!  I’m so lucky to be your wife and can’t wait to see what this life has in store for us.

A slideshow of some of my favorite moments captured by Tom Adam Photography on the day our two families became one...

 

Officially a Miller

I promised myself that I would finish the process of changing my last name within 6 months of marriage and I met my goal (with 1 week to spare!)  Changing your name is no simple (or cheap) task, but here are a few tips from my experience that may help you out:

1. Change your email address first. It is by far the easiest thing to change and it will make you feel accomplished.


2. If possible, avoid including your last name (if you plan on changing it in the future) in any usernames (Twitter, Pinterest, etc.)  Just makes for more things for you to change.


3. If you are traveling out of the country in the few months following your wedding, make sure you purchase your airline tickets under your maiden name. Your passport has to match your legal name at the time of your travel, and a new passport takes 6-8 weeks to receive - and that is after the few weeks it takes for you to even receive your marriage license!


4. Apply for your social security name change before your passport.  To get a new passport in your new name, you have to send your official marriage license and current passport away in the mail! (I am super uncomfortable about this).  You won’t get it back for a month or two and you need to show that official marriage license to change your name with the Social Security Administration (SSA).


5. Change your name with the SSA before you file your taxes (if possible).  You need to file under the name on your Social Security Card. You can file as 'married' with different last names, but it might just cause unnecessary confusion.

Note: The same rules apply for your Social Security Card and Passport if you are changing your name for another reason, you just provide your official Birth Certificate instead of Marriage License.

A general checklist for changing your name:

• Passport
• Social Security Card
• Email Accounts
• Social Media Accounts
• Bank Accounts
• Insurance
• Work Records
• Driver’s License
• Doctor and Pharmacy records
• Voter Registration
• Post Office
• Any recurring bills (utilities, cable, etc.)

 

So happy to be done with this process, but even happier to officially be a Miller.

Recipe: Pesto Chicken Florentine

Let's be honest, I would have pasta for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I could. Unfortunately, Rob isn't as big of a fan.  Here is a delicious recipe that has helped me mix up our pasta dishes.

What you'll need: (This recipe serves 4, I cut in half for just the two of us)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves
• 1 package dry Alfredo sauce mix
• 2 tablespoons pesto
• 1 package penne pasta
• 1 tablespoon grated Romano cheese

What you'll do:

Sauté the garlic in olive oil for 1 minute. Then add the chicken. When the chicken has a few minutes left, add the spinach and sauté all together for 3-4 minutes.

Cook pasta in boiling water, drain and set aside.

For the sauce, prepare the Alfredo sauce according to the directions on the package.  Once prepared, stir in pesto.

Combine chicken/spinach, pasta, and pesto/Alfredo sauce.

Top with cheese and serve.