Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Hi friends! I know I have been sporadically posting these last few weeks, but since I would rather enjoy life than spend all of my time writing about it, that's what I've been doing. That doesn't mean that things like this still aren't happening...

Anyhow, in the last couple of weeks, Jesse and I have gone to DC's Screen on the Green a couple of times, traveled to Virginia Beach, and I turned 31 and went whitewater rafting for the first time ever.

Turning 31 was made a bit better by the amazing friends and family I have.

Whitewater Rafting, on the other hand, was one of the more difficult things I have ever done. I honestly wasn't sure I would make it to 32 while we were surfing, but I am here to tell you I made it with just a minor bumps and bruises.

Don't look for me too hard in that photo. I'm not in it - rafting-specific photos to come, but I have pasted a few from the rest of the weekend below. Our rafting experience was intense, but we had a great guide, Randy the Wolfman, and ACE Adventures did a great job keeping everybody safe and our trip organized, but fun. Our cabin, Pies and Pints, the restaurant we went to on Friday evening, our cookout on Saturday night, which included some delicious s'mores, and a few rounds of the game Taboo, only added to our weekend experience (along with two trips to Walmart).

Finally, what's a road trip without a few sites along the way? The following site was by far, the most spectacular thing I have witnessed in the state of Virginia thus far. Yep, that would be a t-rex eating a hotdog.

Next time, I plan to stop in Natural Bridge to see Foamhenge and then I can really make a call on which roadside attraction is the best.

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You say it's my birthday?

Bloomingdales Blazer/ BCBG Top/J.Crew Factory Outlet Skirt (similar)/ Thrifted Nine West Shoes (similar)

Does anyone else associate birthdays with the Beatles "Birthday" song? Seeing as the Beatles are my favorite band and I love all things birthday-related, the "Birthday" song is the official song of all of my birthdays and every year when my birthday rolls around, the first thing I do after waking up is listen to the song ensuring that I start off a year with a new age right. I promise you it works.

Why do I love birthdays so much? The number one reason is the amount and kinds of food you get for your birthday - cake and brownies are two different meals, right? Also, people tend to be super nice to you on your birthday and when people are nice to you it puts you in a good mood - having a truly happy birthday is a good thing. Finally, you hear from people and see people you haven't spoken with in months or years - they can avoid you every other day, but it's a bit more difficult on your birthday, especially with the assistance of Facebook's birthday reminders.

Anyhow, today I am 31. Since it's only been about 9 hours, I don't have too many insights to share with you just yet, but as I become older and wiser throughout the day, I will let you know if anything is drastically different than yesterday when I was still 30.

I hope you all have a lovely day! Here are the Beatles to help jump-start your days too.

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Couch Potato

For the past two days I have attempted to take photos outside, but because of the humidity fogging up my camera, my photos have made me look like an eerie ghost.

So I decided to move the party inside for this pose instead - Martha Stewart meets Fred Rogers.

Benetton Top/ Thrifted Limited Skirt (similar)/ Banana Shoes (similar)/ Anthro Charm Necklace

Anyhow, today is my last day as a 30 29+1 year old and for the past several days I have been thinking about whether there is anything I haven't accomplished in my first 30 years that I want to before turning 29+2.I have to say, besides a much-needed pedicure, I am extremely content with my life. So here's to the last 24 hours as a 29+1 year old and a big welcome to 29+2!

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New Recipe: Suki's Spinach and Feta Pasta

I'm not sure who Suki is, but if I knew her, I would thank her for the following recipe which has fed Jesse and me more times than I can remember.

We discovered this recipe when Jesse still lived in Virginia Beach, I was living on my own, and my dinner usually consisted of a morningstar chick patty. While times have changed, this recipe remains.

It's an easy weeknight meal and full of flavor. Here's what you'll need:

1 (8 ounce) package penne pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

3 cups chopped tomatoes

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (we tend to leave this out of the recipe these days)

2 cups spinach leaves, packed

salt and pepper to taste

1 pinch red pepper flakes

8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Once you have gathered and prepped all of your ingredients, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and cook your pasta until al dente. Drain.

While your pasta is cooking, heat your olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add your onion and garlic. Cook until golden brown.

Mix in your tomatoes, spinach, and mushrooms (if you are planning on using them) and season the mixture with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Cook for about two minutes, until the tomatoes are heated through and your spinach is wilted.

Reduce heat to medium, stir in pasta and feta cheese (I LOVE feta so this is my favorite part of the cooking process).

 Continue to cook until the mixture is heated through.It should look something like this.

Time to serve and enjoy (my favorite part of the entire Suki process).

Check out the recipe for Suki's Pasta and other tasty treats on my What's Cookin' Page. 

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Seeing Red

Benetton Cardigan/ Forever XXI Flower (similar)/ Thrifted Skirt (similar)/ Boutique 9 shoes from ideeli.com

I once read the color red is good for picture taking because it makes you look less washed-out and helps make photos pop. After wearing red a few times on the blog (here, here, and here) I have to agree.

Through the power of the Internet, I also learned that red is a strong color that conjures up a range of emotions from love to warfare. In some cultures the color red denotes purity, joy, celebration, prosperity, and good luck. The color is also associated with winners. According to MSNBC, "wearing red is consistently associated with a higher probability of winning."

As far as wearing red, a little bit goes a long way; multiple shades of red and even pink or orange combined make for a cheerful palette; and red is a good attention grabbing color when you don't want to sink into the background.

The reason behind me wearing red is much more simple - all of my other pencil skirts are at the drycleaner, but I'll be sure to tell people it's because I am a winner and am quite prosperous.

P.S. Happy Happy Birthday to my friend Risa who is turning 31 today! Love you RP. XO

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Friday Favorites

Hi friends! I have a busy day in front of me, so unfortunately today's Friday Favorites is on the skimpy side, but I hope you enjoy them nonetheless as we head into the weekend. Happy Friday! See you all next week.

Favorite styles of the week:

Favorite Foods and Drinks of the Week:

Beergaritas from Iowa Girl Eats; Spicy Mango Pizza with Black Beans and Zucchini from Oh My Veggies; Nutella Marshmallow Bars from Inside BruCrew Life; and Summer Fruit Quesadillas from Annie's Eats.

I think I will adopt this motto as my own. Although I'm not that bad...right?

As a runner, I love this idea for a race medal wind chime from the Run Commuter:

Also love this idea for a coffee table tray:

How many of you have seen the movie UP? How many of you cried within the first 10 minutes because of the sweet love story between Carl and Ellie? Well, if you haven't seen it, you can see what I am talking about below -proof (as stated below) that awesome love stories can be told in minutes without words. Still gets me a little teary-eyed...

My whole life I have wanted a dog. I used to list dog and puppy on all of my Hanukkah lists, but it didn't work. Now, Jesse and I live in an apartment where we can't have dogs. That doesn't keep me from asking him if we can get one every single day. The only good thing about not having a dog, is we can really decide what we want in a dog when we do eventually bring one into our family. Right now, this is the top contender - a goldendoodle. How can you resist this furry face?

Finally, I know that getting to work is half the battle some days, but I think if I owned this adorable whale tissue box and owl mug, it might make it just a teensy bit easier. What do you think?

Until next week my friends. XO

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