Awkward Family Photos

Our new favorite hobby is browsing the pages of Awkward Family Photos. You're probably thinking that we have way too much time on our hands. But seriously, they are some of the funniest pictures I have ever seen! There have been a few times when we literally laughed out loud.

One day we came across this photo:




Do you recognize the guy in the brown shirt and beard? Doesn't it look exactly like Josh? When we saw this picture, Josh sat there trying to figure out when it was taken and who he was with. After about ten minutes, he finally decided that it wasn't a picture of him throwing a baby after all. Apparently Josh has an identical twin out there.

You never know what you're going to find on Awkward Family Photos.

House Guest

A few weeks ago we acquired a house guest. This means two things: 1. We can no longer use the extra bedroom to store our laundry, and 2. Josh can no longer walk around the house in his underwear (which I'm sure you wanted to know).

A missionary we knew while he was serving his mission in Fargo is now engaged to a girl who's family lives here. Whew, that was a mouthful. He came back to Fargo to work for the summer and Josh offered to let him stay with us as a back up plan. So basically one thing led to another and we now have a guy named Eric living in our third bedroom.

To be honest, it's been a little weird sharing our house with someone else. And after a few weeks, it's something we're still trying to get used to. We now have a roommate, a bathroom schedule, and a reservation system for the washer and dryer. Sounds like college all over again.

But it hasn't been all that bad. We really don't see him much since he spends most of his time with his fiance. And we get a free dog sitter out of the deal- a definite bonus.

One thing is for sure: it will be an interesting summer!

The Joy of Cooking: Take 2

Remember that time I baked a pizza with the cardboard underneath it? I do.

It's been about a year since my first Joy of Cooking post, and I've come a long way since then. (You can read about it here.) In fact people even refer to me as a good cook. And Josh can vouch for that. It's amazing what a year and some good quality time in the kitchen can do. I can honestly say that I love cooking now.

Although my cooking skills have drastically improved, I still have my moments. Like the time I unsteadily wedged the strainer in between two dishes and ended up dumping a pound of pasta down the sink. At that point I just gave up on dinner. Or the time, no every time, I make rice and it turns out soggy. I still can't figure out why that is.

One recipe that turns out every time I make it is tortellini soup. It's really easy and inexpensive to make- two things I always look for in a recipe. And the best part is that it looks as pretty as it tastes. It's not one of those recipes that looks like art in the cookbook and then looks like a sloppy mess when you try to recreate it. Josh and I love this soup:

Tortellini Soup

Ingredients

1 tbsp. olive oil
½ cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. dried oregano
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, with juices
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
9 oz. tortellini, any variety (fresh or frozen)
3 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed
Salt and pepper
Grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions to the pan and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Mix in the oregano and diced tomatoes. Add the broth to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add the tortellini to the pot and cook according to the package directions. One minute before the tortellini is fully cooked, stir in the spinach. Remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm with grated Parmesan as desired.
*Source: Annie's Eats



So good! You should try it.

April Showers

When I say showers, I mean snow showers. And yes, it's the middle of April. You would think that spring would be here by now, but no. It just had to snow again.







I don't even remember what warm weather feels like. How depressing!

My Canon

So.......I finally got my new camera!

After photography classes and experiencing high-quality camera equipment, our little point-and-shoot just didn't cut it. We made a deal that if Josh got an Xbox, then I would get an SLR. Josh ended up getting his Xbox around Christmas, but my camera had to wait a little longer (which has something to do with the fact that it costs about 3 times as much). Then a few weeks ago, Josh surprised me after work and took me on a field trip to Best Buy. I was so excited! And that's where I found my Canon Rebel T3i.

So now we're both happy. Josh gets to play video games and I get to take 18 megapixel photos. I definitely got the better end of the deal.

It's Been Awhile....

Hi again. It's been awhile.

I've been really bad at blogging lately. Ok, it's been pretty much non-existent. I haven't blogged in two months, which is mainly due to the fact that I have had zero desire to blog about anything. I've also had a lot less free time.

I finally started working again last month. I'm an Office/Sales Assistant at a mailing and advertising company. Not exactly the dream design job I was hoping for, but it's not all that bad. I work for some of the nicest people and I have perfect hours- 9 to 3.

That's the biggest news as of late. Other than that, we've been spending time with friends, watching a lot of Netflix, and waiting for the snow to melt (which I can tell you is never going to happen).

I know this hasn't been an exciting post, but I'll have more coming soon.

20 Degrees and Sunny

When Josh and I went outside today, we were pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't very cold. In fact, I think we even used the word "nice."

It was 20 degrees.

That's when you know you live in North Dakota.