Adventures of Newlyweds in Kansas

So last night Derek and I went on a date night!  We went out to dinner at Gigilo's Italian Bistro in Manhattan.  We got a half price giftcard from a local radio station.  I found the food good, better than Olive Garden, and the prices were good.  Dish prices were about like Olive Garden and we got a whole bottle of wine for $22, yum!  I order a specialty dish that had spinach, asparagus, grilled chicken, and tomatoes in a lemon sauce.  It was like they knew I was coming and put all my favorite things together!  After that we went and saw Inception.  That was the first movie we went to in over a year, and it was a good choice.  We both enjoyed the movie and would probably see it again as it could get a bit confusing.

Also last night I finally get Derek to agree I could diet, so I am officially attempting to diet.  I've never done it before so we shall see how it goes.  Derek apparently likes me to weigh more, but I convinced him he would still like me if I lost a little bit of weight!  So today we went and bought a scale so I can actually know how much I weigh.  What I plan on doing to lose some weight:  walking or biking every day (we already do most days but sometimes skip it), portion control (no seconds and watch what I put on my plate the first time), keep Derek from baking me good things, no food after 8:30pm, and not eating snacks people bring into work (they bring in cookies and donuts far too often).

We also went to City Pool today for the first time!  We decided to bike there, it is only 3ish miles, I really shouldn't have said only, I did really good except at the end going uphill!  It was a bit hot on the way there but getting in the pool felt great.  We did all the slides, the lazy river, and hung out in the large pool.  When we first got there it was pretty busy but by the time we left it was much better.  On the way home we decided to stop at Subs-n-Such which makes some pretty tasty subs.

Tomorrow we are going to go to Peace Lutheran Church, it is a church we found that we have been enjoying and hopefully we keep liking it because it like about a block from our house and a great size and has beautiful stained glass windows.

So two nights ago I decided to try to make some peanut butter ice cream.  It turned out amazing :)

The recipe is:
1 cup peanut butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup skim milk
1 cup half and half
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the peanut butter and sugar with an electric mixer.  Add milk.  Then stir in rest of the ingredients.  We also topped it off with some mini chocolate chips.  If I made it again I would use a bit less peanut butter and more vanilla extract however Derek thinks it is perfect and doesn't want me to change it.  He said it is the best ice cream he's ever had!  I may also try using all half and half instead of heavy cream.  The recipe actually called for 1 cup whole milk and 2 cups heavy cream but I don't feel all that fat is really needed to make it taste awesome.

Date night Friday is going as planned.  We will be going to Gilio's Italian Bistro and to Inception.  This will be the first movie we have been to in over a year, I'm excited!

So this week was Grilling Recipes from www.kellyskornerblog.com/
The recipe Derek and I keep going back to is a Pork Marinade.  We both love it!

Marinade

2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/3 cup olive oil

Whisk together adding the olive oil last.  Marinade on pork for about 30 minutes. 
Good for 2-3 pork chops

So I haven't updated in awhile!  On June 3rd I flew out to San Diego to help Mindy finish up some planning for her wedding.  I helped with lots of craft projects, I came up with no ideas haha, but I was part of the manual labor!  I stayed in Mindy and Tommy's new apartment, which is very nice, and meet her cat Rose!  Rose is very funny and one of the coolest cats ever :)

Then on Friday the 9th, my parents, Kali and Derek flew out to join me in San Diego.  We stayed in a  hotel on the harbor area by the airport.  The first day they got there we went out to Cabrillo National Monument before heading to Fred's in Old Town for dinner and drinks.
















Then Saturday was rehearsal and rehearsal dinner day.  Well before that Brian setup a scavenger hunt near the hotel for the guests which was fun, and Derek and I won haha go us!  Then my family headed to Balboa Park to see an area selling local artists work.  After that Derek and I went to the rehearsal and saw the venue, which was right on the water, and gorgeous!  I practiced walking in my heals and then dinner was at the hotel next door.

Sunday, wedding day!  Woke up extra early because the wedding was at 10 and setup started at 8:30.  Everything seemed to go great, the weather was gorgeous, I didn't fall over, and the cupcakes were phenomenal!  Mindy and Tommy and their parents all looked great.

















Sister picture!

After Mindy and Tommy left and the venue was cleaned up we headed to a piano bar in downtown San Diego.  Monday we rented a sailboat for Mission Bay that my dad sailed while we sat around and enjoyed the views.  It was fun!  After that we went to the zoo and saw pandas and koalas.  Then on Tuesday we took mom and dad to the airport for their flight and Kali, Derek, and I headed to La Jolla to go to the aquarium and see the ocean.
















I posted more photos here

Now we have been back for 2 weeks and haven't been doing too much.  I had a bunch of cleaning to get done from being gone so much the last few months.  We also purchased an ice cream maker so I have been making some yummy ice cream!  This weekend we are going to do on a date to Giolios (or something) and maybe to Inception if I can convince Derek to!  I also hope to go golfing if it cools down a bit.