Raspberry-Rhubarb Cupcakes

If you know me, you know I'm always looking for an occasion to bake cupcakes. I try to avoid baking them randomly, since they will just end up in my stomach. My mother-in-law's birthday was last week, and she loves rhubarb. As it so happens, I had recently bought some rhubarb at the Minneapolis Farmers Market in July and froze it, and since Mr. G is not a rhubarb fan, I figured this would be the perfect time to use it.

As you may remember from a previous post, I made a raspberry rhubarb crisp last summer and loved it, so I decided to try raspberry-rhubarb cupcakes and use the same topping from the crisp for my frosting. It's called Devonshire cream, and it's basically a sweeter, thicker whipped cream. My mother-in-law is actually the one who introduced me to it and gave me the recipe, so it seemed fitting.

I was worried the cupcakes would be too tart, but they came out amazing; I think it was because I created a compote with the fruit before adding it to the mix, which seemed to get rid of the tanginess. Also, my Devonshire cream ended up as more of a glaze, but it still tasted great, so I was happy.

Here's the recipe:

Raspberry-Rhubarb Cupcake Recipe (adapted from Betty Crocker's strawberry-rhubarb cupcake recipe; makes 12 cupcakes)

Compote Ingredients:

• 1 cup sliced fresh raspberries
• 1 cup chopped fresh/frozen rhubarb
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp butter/margarine

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup butter/margarine, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg

Directions:

1. Make fruit compote: Add compote ingredients to a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from heat. Transfer to a small bowl, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Pre-heat oven to 350 and line muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners.
3. In a small bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
4. Take out 2 tbsp of compote for frosting (I took it out to keep proportions correct but didn't use it in my frosting).
5. In another small bowl, stir remaining compote, milk and vanilla.
6. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add egg and beat until blended.
7. Add half of flour mixture and half of fruit mixture, beating well after each addition. Repeat with the remaining mixtures. Batter should be thick.
8. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes depending on the strength of your oven (mine is extra hot and finished in about 17 minutes). If you insert a toothpick in the cupcake, it should come out mostly clean.
9. Remove cupcakes and let them cool before frosting.

Devonshire Cream "Glaze" Recipe

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. softened cream cheese
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup whipped cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Whip cream and set aside.
2. Cream sugar and cream cheese with mixer.
3. Add whipped cream and vanilla; mix well.
4. Refrigerate.

Up next is Mr. G's birthday on the 22nd, and I'm already brainstorming ideas for his dessert... His birthday is actually on a Saturday this year, so we'll be going to a football game with a bunch of friends; it should be a really fun day, and the lucky boy gets his fancy new grill soon! :) After that is my mom's birthday, and I wished she lived closer so that I could bake something for her.

As for other September events, Mr. G and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary on the 4th. It was the Tuesday after Labor Day (lame), so we stayed at home and recreated our wedding meal (quite successfully, I'll say), drank some wine, baked cookies and watched a movie. It was perfect. Then we celebrated in style the following weekend with a trip to Stillwater: we toured a vineyard (see pic above!), stayed at a charming B&B, ate a delicious dinner at a wine bar (best tenderloin I've ever had) and did some window shopping. All in all, we had an amazing anniversary week. Each year, the bar gets raised... These past 2 years will be hard to beat!

Not gonna lie: I LOVE September, but my wallet and my waistline are looking forward to October. ;)

<3 Mrs. G

i thank you God for most this amazing day

Recently, I have been feeling very blessed. We were up at our cabin over the week of July 4th with friends and family, and it was the most amazing feeling to have so many people we cared about in one place -- at our place, no less. But it was also a weird feeling, because this lifestyle is still so foreign to me. I didn't grow up going to cabins or even lakes very often. This "cabin life" that is so essential to the culture here in Minnesota doesn't exist in the South. The only people I knew with cabins lived in the mountains, and even lakehomes weren't very common. But I guess having 10,000 lakes is also a bit of an advantage for this state...

As a kid, I never went boating, never tried any water sports, never even went fishing, and I only swam in a lake a handful of times. Here, everyone has grown up with lakes and boats and water sports. It's part of the childhood experience in MN, and that's just in the summer (don't even get me started on winter activities here). I feel like I'm behind and constantly trying to catch up, but almost past the age of being able to, if that makes sense. For instance, I still haven't tried waterskiing and have only been tubing once (last summer). And here's an embarrassing confession: I get scared just sitting in the boat sometimes. When the boat takes a sharp turn, my heart starts beating really fast and I feel like I have to adjust my body to overcompensate for the turn, whereas everyone else just sits calmly. I'm practically in the middle of the boat, praying it won't tip over... After a few days, I got more used to it and have started employing the same technique I use while Mr. G is driving -- I just keep my head down and, if necessary, shut my eyes. If I don't see the boat tipping, it's not tipping. Very rational, I know, but if it keeps me from looking like a panicked fool or crying, I'll take it.

Anyway, when the boat isn't about to capsize, it actually feels wonderful, and I'm starting to get why people enjoy them so much... On a hot day, nothing beats taking the boat out to a random spot on the lake, jumping into the cold water, and then letting the wind dry you off on the ride back. I'm learning to love it.

On our first night with the boat, Mr. G took me out on it -- just the two of us -- while the sun was setting over the lake. We drove around the perimeter of the lake, seeing everything for the first time, and then stopped for a while so Mr. G could fish. In that peaceful moment while we were still, I felt overwhelmingly blessed, relaxing in a boat on a beautiful sunset lake with a cozy cabin (our cozy cabin) waiting for us. And that was when a line from a poem by e.e. cummings (one of my favorite poets) came to mind: i thank you God for most this amazing day. That was exactly how I felt then -- in awe of the moment and yet wanting to give thanks for it. Here's the full poem:

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday;this is the birth
day of life and love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any--lifted from the no
of all nothing--human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

From that day on, there were several times throughout the week of the 4th (mostly on the boat -- sometimes out of happiness, sometimes out of fear) that that line popped into my head. It became a short prayer of thankfulness, a small way to acknowledge little blessings and those "life is good" moments. I decided to keep it going in hopes that I'll become more present and aware of all the ways in which I am blessed. So now, whenever I have one of those moments where everything seems to be right with the world -- even if just for a few minutes -- I repeat that line in my head: i thank you God for most this amazing day. It makes those moments just that much sweeter.

As for adjusting to cabin life, I'm beginning to accept that this is my new normal, and I'm excited about this new phase of my life. I still get overwhelmed about all the work that goes into cabin ownership (ie: mowing the lawn, cleaning cobwebs, cutting down trees, killing lots of mice), but my learning curve was steep. I'm starting to get it, and I'm starting to consider myself part of the cabin culture. I'm even more excited that our loved ones can enjoy it with us, and that someday, our kids will grow up coming here in the summer. This will be their normal. That blows my mind. God is good, and life is sweet.

Here's to many more amazing days and little blessings.

<3 Mrs. G

State Fair & First Anniversary :)

Hello all!

I hope you had a lovely weekend and as happy a Monday as is possible...

I had a very relaxing weekend. Mr. G and I went out to his family's house on Saturday and to a church picnic yesterday, and that about wraps it up. On Thursday, though, we did something Mr. G has been looking forward to for a LONG time - we went to the Minnesota State Fair! Our "Great Minnesota Get-Together" is the third largest fair in the nation and the first in terms of average daily attendance. And the food? Amazing. Here's what Mr. G and I ate (however embarrassing to admit):

Australian Battered Potatoes

Chocolate Covered Bacon

Mini Donuts

Cheese Curds - my favorite :)

Chocolate Malts

Unfortunately I have no new recipes to share with you this week, but I did cook more lemon salmon tonight, and it was delicious!

In other news, Mr. G and I will be traveling down to Nashville this weekend to celebrate our first anniversary. :) We'll be staying at the beautiful Opryland Hotel on our anniversary night and eating dinner at a steakhouse in the hotel. The rest of the time we'll be staying with my parents and hanging out with friends. I can't wait!

Hope you all have a great Labor Day weekend!

<3 Mrs. G

Sunday Recipe #8: Lemon Salmon

Hello everyone!

Hope you've all had a great week. I survived my first week at the new job! Moreover, I actually really enjoyed it, and I think I picked a good company to work for. I picked a good week to start, too - we launched our company this week and had our summer party at the horse races yesterday. I just feel so blessed to finally be doing what I want to do, even if it did take me a while to get here. :)

As for today's recipe, Mr. G and I bought a huge slab of fresh atlantic salmon on sale yesterday at Cub, so I decided to try my hand at it. I've cooked salmon a couple times before, but I've never cooked it fresh, and let me say - it is a million times better fresh. Honestly. I used a very simple recipe with only the following ingredients - olive oil, lemon juice, lemon pepper seasoning and rosemary. I cut a couple strips of the salmon, basted it in a small amount of olive oil and lemon juice, and sprinkled with the spices. After about 15 minutes in the oven at 375, I added a little more lemon juice and pepper then let it cook 2 more minutes before taking it out. In my oven, 17 minutes was perfect - the salmon was flaky and tender but still juicy. We ate it with sides of rice and broccoli, and it was a perfect summer meal.

I also made chocolate chip cookies tonight (as requested by Mr. G), and I think they were my best batch yet! I used the recipe on the back of the Nestle Toll House chocolate chip bag, but I added a little extra brown sugar, substituted some pancake mix for flour, and I didn't use the entire bag of chocolate chips. Also, they only took about 8 minutes to cook. Definitely will be making these again!

In other news, Mr. G and I joined a gym! We had been waiting to see what kind of insurance I got at my job, which turned out to be a good decision because it will pay most of our (already severely discounted) membership fee each month. :) We joined L.A. Fitness, and the one we go to is a huge facility that never seems very busy, so it's perfect. However, we do have to go at least 3 days a week in order to get insurance coverage, so we will be working out a lot. Maybe now I'll finally get in shape! If I stop baking cookies and cupcakes, that is...

Hope you have a good week!

<3 Mrs. G

(Really Belated) Sunday Recipe #5 - Summer Apple Salad

Hello everyone!

Sorry for the late recipe, but to be fair I did only make it last night for Mr. G's grandpa's 80th birthday party. Mr. G and I have been on a salad kick lately, which I think our bodies appreciate. I made one last week with leftover grilled chicken, cucumbers, onions, bell peppers, and cheese topped with a red wine and olive oil vinaigrette. It was delicious, but I wanted to try something a little more challenging for the party. I was inspired by a popular salad at the Italian restaurant where I used to work. It's called Apple Gorgonzola Salad, but I tweaked it a little to make it my own. It's the perfect summer salad, and it's especially great for those who want to indulge in something sweet without the calories of a cupcake. ;)


Summer Apple Salad Recipe:


Ingredients:

• 3 heads romaine lettuce
• 2 green apples
• 8 oz. crumbled goat cheese (the original recipe calls for gorgonzola, but Mr. G and I prefer goat)
• 2 small bags of glazed walnuts and dried cranberries (I bought them together in a bag, but feel free to purchase them separately - I just couldn't find any glazed walnuts by themselves)
• Pinches of cinnamon
• Dressing - I loved Marzetti's white balsamic vinaigrette, but Mr. G enjoyed Litehouse's raspberry walnut vinaigrette. You choose!

Directions:

• Rinse and cut lettuce heads into bite-size portions, excluding the tops.
• Rinse and cut apples into bite-size portions (cut in quarters, slice each quarter in half, then cut into smaller portions).
• Drop a few pinches of cinnamon in each cranberry/walnut bag and shake to mix (or mix in a ziploc bag if you bought the ingredients separately).
• Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. 
• Top with dressing and serve cold.
• I would guess this serves 6 as a main dish and 10-12 as a side salad. Mine fed about 20 in very small portions, and there was plenty leftover.

After a delicious dinner last night of grilled chicken, fruit salad, my salad, and veggies, I went to my very first legit tent circus. It was a family-run circus called Culpepper & Meriweather's, and they set up shop in the middle of a field, in the middle of nowhere. It was straight out of an old movie; I didn't know those types of circuses still existed! I went with Mr. G's youngest siblings, and it was their first circus. I still remember my first circus... It was a Barnum & Bailey's, and I went with my dad when I was really little. I don't remember the acts, but I do remember the cotton candy, which took me all night to finish. They had cotton candy last night, but I didn't partake this time around. I did, however, have some delicious birthday cake when I got back - a flourless chocolate cake made by Mr. G's mom. 

In the midst of everything else going on last night, I also received an amazing belated wedding gift from one of Mr. G's relatives. Apparently she took a lot of photos at the wedding, because she put together an entire album of wedding photos and even made a video slideshow not only of the wedding but also of all the details (invitations, programs, welcome bags), the reception, and my bridal shower in MN. It was such a thoughtful gift, and I was so happy to see some of the photos the photographer was unable to capture (ie: a close-up of our vows and our first kiss!). The funny thing, too, is that Mr. G and I had finally watched our official wedding video in its entirety for the first time a couple nights ago - and now we have two! Plus, this is our first wedding photo album. :) I'm hoping to have one made by our photographer as well, plus I would like to put together a scrapbook. Maybe now I'll get on the ball with those!

I hope you enjoy the salad recipe! Feel free to comment with any of your own - I'd love some more to try.

Stay tuned for my next post on engagement / baby shower cupcakes. ;) Have I mentioned I love summer?

<3 Mrs. G

In the Heat of Summer...

Hello all,

I hope you all have been having a much cooler week than me... We've been having record high temperatures and humidity all week, but especially today - we were at a dew point of 82 in the Twin Cities (highest ever) with a heat index of 119. 119?!?! This is Minnesota, not the Middle East!! Also, we definitely played volleyball tonight, I definitely sweated buckets, and I definitely walked into the lake afterwards with my clothes on. As for our team's record, it isn't so spotless anymore... I guess Team Adequate was the right name after all. We were playing pretty well tonight until we faced Team Fit 'n' Tan, who put us right back in our place. I blame it on the heat...

In other, much more exciting news, Mr. G's brother got engaged! Yay!! I've been in wedding withdrawal for almost a year, so I'm pumped. They're great together, too, which makes me happy for them. I'm always glad to see a girl find her own Mr. G. ;) My cousin got married this summer as well, but unfortunately I was unable to make it to the wedding. Regardless, family weddings are a joyous occasion, and I'm very much looking forward to another one.

I've also been putting together a bucket list... At first I thought they were kinda pointless, but then I remembered how much I love making lists - this is the ultimate list! I'll post it once I have more stuff on it, but in the meantime, feel free to comment with your bucket list essentials. Mine is a little sparse still. And no, skydiving is not on there, nor will it ever be. That doesn't mean I'll never do it, but I don't like the pressure.

One last thing: I got a Tumblr! Yet another thing I thought was pointless at first, but I'm kind-of obsessed with it now. It's a great creative outlet that can take as much or as little time as you want to spend on it. It's also cool because you can literally post whatever you want - photos, video, audio, quotes, blogs... The options are endless. If you want to follow me (and you should!), I'll give you a hint - it has the same name as my blog. But to make it more convenient for you, here is the link. Check it out! Anyone else have a Tumblr and love it? I'll follow you. :)

<3 Mrs. G

State Shutdown & Wedding Season

Hello everyone!

I hope you're all surviving your post-4th week - if you're not still celebrating, that is. I've noticed traffic has been significantly lighter the last couple of days, which I've attributed to typical post-holiday vacation, but I suppose it could also be because thousands of government workers are without a job. If you haven't heard, the Minnesota government shut down early Friday morning of last week due to budget disagreements - a.k.a. Governor Dayton's obstinance, as some see it. As a result, all state parks and rest stops are closed (imagine how that went over on the 4th), over 20,000 people are laid off (the most in state history), and it is costing the government millions of dollars every day they stay closed as well as continuing to slow down the economy (which will only lead to more budget disagreements, I'm sure). Gotta love the irony of a government shutdown right before Independence Day... So much for patriotism, but I'm sure the anarchists partied extra hard over the weekend - and probably did so illegally in the state parks. C'est la vie.

One thing that hasn't been affected by state shutdowns (or anything for that matter) is an annual event that provokes both excitement and dread among people nationwide - wedding season. It runs from May to October but is heaviest in June and July. Anyone with a Facebook has undoubtedly already witnessed wedding season in full swing as friends/acquaintances/randos make their relationships "Facebook official" right after popping the question / getting hitched as well as post incessant status updates about invitations, dress shopping, family drama, an up-to-the-minute guest count, and of course, the solicitation of RSVPs.

I can't pretend to have been immune to bridezilla syndrome. The symptoms are high stress levels, uncharacteristically excessive social media usage, mild panic attacks, and occasional outbursts on innocent bystanders (often the groom). I attempted to suppress my crazy by intentionally limiting my tweets and Facebook posts, keeping a wedding blog for those who cared to know all the details (as well as for myself), and talking everything through with poor Mr. G. One thing that's cool about being a bride is the support group - you become reacquainted with old friends and classmates who are also getting married and provide one another with encouragement and advice; plus they are people who don't mind sharing in your excitement since they feel it, too.

My first anniversary is actually coming up in September (yay!), so Mr. G and I have decided to take a trip down to Nashville over Labor Day weekend - we booked our flights tonight since they were the cheapest we've seen in over a month. I'm so excited! I haven't been home since January. We plan to stay at a nice hotel on our anniversary night (September 4th), but the rest of the time we'll stay with my parents. The best news is that my cake topper is still in my parents' freezer (thanks to our nomadic lifestyle), so Mr. G and I will actually get to eat our wedding cake on our anniversary! I'm sure it will taste terrible, but it's the thought that counts...

For all those getting engaged/married this summer - Congrats! I hope you enjoy every moment, I wish you all the blessings in the world, and I look forward to creeping on your wedding photos when you post them on Facebook. ;)

Feel free to comment with any funny/crazy bridezilla moments you've seen (or experienced firsthand) as well as opinions about the MN government fail.

<3 Mrs. G

Wish You Were Here!

Hi everyone,

I have really come to appreciate my new home, so in honor of that, I've decided to share with you what I've discovered to be great about the North Star State.

25 Reasons Why Minnesota is Awesome:

1. The accents.
2. We border another country.
3. We have moose. Do you have moose?
4. This is the land of 10,000 lakes.
5. Boundary Waters.
6. Twin Cities = double the fun.
7. We have all 4 seasons.
8. We get LOTS of snow.
9. Some cities have subways. We have skyways! 
10. No rednecks.
11. No guidos, either.
12. We are home to 21 Fortune 500 companies.
13. You can see the Northern Lights here.
14. Rhubarb! (See my post on it here)
15. Hockey.
16. Funny city/street/building names (ie: Ytterboe Hall at St. Olaf College - Mr. G's alma mater!) 
17. We have 68 state parks.
18. We are the most active state in the country.
19. Home to my favorite band - Owl City!
20. The people are very friendly - "Minnesota nice."
21. Viking ancestry. Enough said.
22. We have the Mall of America (and some of us work there).
23. Walleye.
24. Not the sports teams...
25. We may not have royalty, but we've got something better: The Kinetic King.

So, in short, you should come visit. :)

In other news, Mr. G and I had our first two games on Tuesday as part of our beach volleyball league, and I am happy to report that Team Adequate is turning out to be much more than adequate - we won both games and 5/6 sets! Yours truly didn't do so bad, either. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come... And based on what I saw from most of the other teams, I think that's not impossible; apparently "intermediate" encompasses a broad spectrum of talent. I'm mainly concerned about facing the team Mr. G has dubbed "Team Fit 'n' Tan" - you can probably guess why. But hey, we're already overachieving based on our namesake, so the worse that could happen is that we actually turn out to be, well, adequate. And I can live with that.

Also, speaking of tans, I laid out today in the beautiful weather and ended up getting one of the worst sunburns of my life. Based on the intensity and splotchiness of said sunburn - combined with the quantity of my freckles - I'm only a hair color away from achieving ginger status.

Last bit of news for today: I got an internship! I am officially a summer event intern for the MN chapter of the American Diabetes Association. :) I can't wait to get started!

Hopefully you all are enjoying your summers as well (and wearing SPF)! Feel free to share any funny sunburn stories.

<3 Mrs. G

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Hello everyone!

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend. I know I did! It was our first beautiful summer weekend here in the Twin Cities, so Mr. G and I took full advantage of it - we were on the lake the whole weekend! On Friday and Saturday we went on a couple boats on a nearby lake with some friends. We also got our tan on, did a little swimming (very little - the water is still freezing!), and I even tried tubing for the first time! Today we went to Lake Calhoun with some friends and brought our dog Molly along. She got to try something new today, too - swimming! I wasn't sure how she would react to the water, and as it turns out, she's not a big fan... It took a lot of tugging and pulling to get her in at all, and eventually Mr. G just had to pick her up and dump her in. Once in the water, she half-swam / half-flailed around, splashing and scratching all the way to the shore haha. After that, she was done. I'm hoping she'll do more swimming at the cabin in a couple weeks - maybe she won't be as scared with fewer people around? She's so big, though, which makes it even funnier that she's scared of everything!

Here are photos of Molly's pitiful attempts at swimming:



wet and unhappy


Also, as promised, here is the recipe I used for the chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes I made for Memorial Day. I found it through Cupcakes Take the Cake, a great cupcake blog I follow. The cupcakes turned out amazing! Possibly my best yet - it's a tie between these and the fresh strawberry ones from Easter. I got to try new things with these, too; it was my first time using filling as well as piping on frosting. Although the piping bag took some getting used to (and was extremely messy), I think the final result was pretty good! Everyone else seemed to agree... It's a good thing I saved a couple for Mr. G, because the other 22 were gone in 3 days!

My favorite part about these cupcakes was the frosting. There is SO MUCH BUTTER in this recipe, but you can especially taste it in the frosting. I love it! When it comes to baking, the more butter the better. Also, I may or may not have eaten some frosting by itself these past few days... No shame.

Here are some photos of my cupcakes as a working progress:

fresh out of the oven

frosted

sprinkled and ready to go!

These are also now featured on a baking blog called Sweet as Sugar Cookies. Check it out!

Mr. G and I have our first volleyball game on Tuesday as part of our league, so wish me luck! I haven't played in a while... I also haven't met most of my teammates, so I hope they're not too competitive, or I may be sitting most of the games out haha.

Enjoy your week!

<3 Mrs. G

P.S. As an update from my last post, our toilet is fixed!! Mr. G and his friend were able to take it apart, remove the cleaning sponge, and put it all back together. We even got a new seat, and we didn't have to call a plumber! Yay!

Window Treatments & Life Update

Hello all!

My curtains are up!! Finally! Here are the choices I made:

• Guest room - Bamboo shades from Home Depot (same as my last post)
• Living room - White sheer curtains from IKEA for the window, and grey scroll Fieldcrest curtains from Target for the sliding glass door
• Kitchen - same IKEA floral curtains from the previous post

The last thing I need to get now is a sheer white curtain to cover my ugly but necessary (and expensive!) vertical blinds in the master bedroom window. I also still need to hem the IKEA curtains to the right length, so I'll post pics of all the curtains once they're done! They're up, though, and I couldn't be happier with my choices. I love the grey/white combination in the living room - it goes perfectly with my grey rug and modern-ish furniture. And the kitchen is so colorful and fun, while still letting in lots of natural light.

Confession time - I STILL haven't finished my crafts... But in my defense, I don't have a hot glue gun yet. I refuse to buy it anywhere but Family Dollar since I'm cheap, and they're all out right now. Haha.

But as promised, here is a photo of my tiles as decor:

In other news, I've had a lovely week. On Friday, I went out to lunch with my mother-in-law at Edina Grill by 50th and France. I had eggs benedict, and it was amazing - I think I will try making it sometime soon... We also stopped in at an adorable cupcake shop, the Monique Lhuillier boutique, and a yummy bakery called Breadsmiths, where I got my newest obsession: lemon lavender bread! So delicious. Now I feel inspired to try my hand at the lavender cupcakes in my recipe book. :) 

I had an awesome interview yesterday, and I have another one tomorrow as well as on Friday. I also played tennis with Mr. G yesterday. I was terrible at first but eventually started improving and had a lot more fun. We joined a beach volleyball league that starts next month, so I definitely need to work on my athletic skills ASAP. I'm excited, though!

As for more upcoming excitement, we officially have vacation plans for the summer! We will be spending a week at a beachfront cabin upstate with Mr. G's family at the end of June. And pets are allowed, so Molly can come with! I can't wait to take her swimming for the first time. She is truly my child. ;) The cabin is pretty far north, though, so I'm hoping the weather will be warm enough for swimming. It's about 60 miles short of the Canadian border - if my passport wasn't outdated, we could have gone over the border for a day. :( And speaking of Canada, Mr. G will actually be there in a couple of weeks. He is going for a work conference, so unfortunately I won't be going with. But he knows to bring back souvenirs.

Anyone else have any fun vacation plans for the summer? I'm also hoping to to hit up Nashville at some point... It's been too long!

<3 Mrs. G