Two years ago today I began dating my wonderful husband-t0-be.

A year and 9 months ago we fled the country together. (Okay, Niagara Falls)

A year and a half ago I move 450 miles from Pittsburgh to Chicago to be with him.

A year and 3(ish) months ago we helped his parents pack up their house and move to Florida.

A year ago he asked me to marry him.

And a week later we went to Florida for vacation

Just a few months ago we had our 15 minutes of fame when the Redeye featured us in an article.

For the third year in a row, I rang in the new year with him. (I still count the first year even if it was over the phone. We counted down in BOTH timezones-it totally counts)

Last week at work he sent me 2 dozen roses and a half a dozen of calla lilies.

And in the past 24 hours he’s treated me to Avatar 3D in IMAX, dinner at the Melting Pot, a night at the Trump Tower, and an afternoon at the Shedd Aquarium.

Tell me I am not the luckiest woman alive.

It’s been a whirlwind 2 years, but it’s been so worth every second.

Dear Blog:

Please don’t feel abandoned, I promise I still love you. To be honest, I’m just tired. I promise to shower you with love and attention the rest of the week.

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Dear Life:

Whoa… Slow down!!! Like really, is summer seriously almost over? Am I really doing my Pre-Cana class on Saturday already? And I just realized I’ll be in Pittsburgh in less than 2 weeks- meeting with the (prospective) photographer, a trip to the family jeweler, and I get to try on my dress for the first time. MY. ACTUAL. DRESS. Let’s just take a weekend and chill in PJ’s. Deal??

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Dear Cat:

Thank you for tearing open the bag of cat food on the counter, FATTY. Also, gorging yourself so much that you throw up all over the bag was a nice touch. You are totally beating me in the sloth department, so congratulations. Good thing I have my awesome fiancé to clean it up for me.

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Dear Fiancé:

Thank you for cleaning up the cat puke, even though you left her food out and you know she can’t contain herself. You pretty much deserved to clean it up. But thanks anyway. And thanks for trying to make breakfast for dinner but burnt the bacon. It’s the thought that counts.

Just because I’m in one of those moods:

• plain M&M’s. I can’t resist their chocolately goodness! and they’re just a simple pleasure by nature.
• kittens. technically any baby animal, but I squeal with delight when I see a kitten. seriously, it’s kind of embarrassing. ask chris.
• a good nap. double points if it’s on a rainy day. triple points if I never have to get out of bed all day.
• a good cry. As a girl, sometimes you just need one.
• Bonfires. Living in the city makes me realize how much I miss them.
• Long pointless car rides with friends. Not really having a destination, just enjoying the journey. Another thing I miss since moving to Chicago.
• Hugs. Seriously-who wants one?
• all of my friends, but especially these two girls.
• the baristas at my Starbucks because they know my drink order by heart.
• The aroma that fills your house when you are cooking/baking something
• Staying in to read a good book in PJ’s instead of going out and doing something.
• the moment I realized things will never go back to the way they were, and realizing I’m finally okay with that.

So…What are you loving? What makes you feel better on those days?

Today I whipped up a batch of orange cupcakes with orange cream cheese icing. They’re a fun summer recipe because they’re a very fluffy cupcake and also have a sweet and slightly tangy flavor. If you’d like the recipe, I’d be more than happy to share!

creaming the butter, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla extract together

the egg whites make the cupcakes light & fluffy

fresh out of the oven

orange cream cheese icing

who wants to lick the beaters?

Garnished with orange pieces

so yummy!!

Take that Bakerella!! (just kidding, I love you)

*I really, really love my G10.

Holy crap.

This weekend was the most amazing, overwhelming whirlwind of a weekend I’ve had in a long time (if ever). It was my first time attending BlogHer and I had no idea what to expect. I was definitely overwhelmed and a little bit nervous. But that all disappeared pretty quickly.

I freaked out slightly on Thursday night because I couldn’t get in touch with anyone, only to find out the lack of reception people were experiencing. After finally meeting up with my friends, we got our badges and headed off to dinner. It was a great way to meet some of the other girls I didn’t know yet, and make connections with prior to the actual start of the conference.

I only ended up attending a few sessions, but from the general consensus I wasn’t missing much. I pretty much stuck with the Geek Lab sessions and 1) it was sooo hard to hear ANYTHING and 2) the sessions were either ones I had no knowledge of or way too basic. I’m a total nerd and into HTML, CSS and all that crap. But really, I would expect someone at a blogging conference to at least have a little experience with these things so I felt like my time was totally wasted on being taught how to bold or change font etc. Saturday I skipped all the sessions for two very good reasons: Paula Deen & Tim Gunn.

Allie, Jamie & I meeting Tim Gunn!!

Not gonna lie, I am not a fan of Project Runway but Allie and Jamie are. Tim Gunn was genuinely nice, although I had no real expectations since I’ve never seen him on TV. Paula Deen was absolutetly HILARIOUS. If I had a southern grandma, I’d want her to be Paula. Or if Paula happens to be looking for an adoptive granddaughter, I’m there!

The expo hall was pretty cool. There were a lot of really great booths, but I’m not sure I even stopped at every one. The lunches were surprisingly delicious. Ragu provided lunch on Friday, and it was a Mexican themed lunch Saturday. However, the lack of water was HORRIBLE. I heard it was because BlogHer was trying to go green, hence the absence of bottled water. Well, it pissed me off. I love Pepsi and all, but I am no longer a soda drinker. And I think the going green stuff is a lame excuse since they were providing bottled SODA. WHAT IS THE GODDAMN DIFFERENCE? (Clearly, a dehydrated Maggie= cranky Maggie)

The two main highlights of the weekend for me were the Nintendo Enthusiast dinner and BowlHer.  From getting all decked out, to being picked up in horse drawn carriages to dinner in the Signature Room of the Hancock building, the Nintendo dinner was fabulous from start to finish. Even the rain couldn’t ruin it. And I’m pretty sure everyone in the room was jealous at the awesomeness of our table. BowlHer was just silly and a hell of a lot of fun. We were provided with hot pink boas and got to walk the red carpet.

Photo by @rbucich

The real reason I went to BlogHer was not the parties or swag. It was about making connections. It was about building relationships with these amazing women who share their lives with me every day through their blogs

• Jamie, you are the best date ever. EVER.
• Jess, you are fucking hilarious and I love you.
• My other Chicago girls: Allie, Blagica, Suz and Angie, you’re all wonderful.
• New friends: Heidi, Beth, and Katelin, I had a blast getting to know you and I can’t wait to see you guys again.
• Jenn I wish I had seen more of you, and one of these days we better have an awesome hangout.
• My Nintendo table: Doni, you are cute as ever & need to spend more time in Chicago. Jenn, you are probably my soulmate or sister in another life. We must bake cupcakes together. And last but not least, Brandon you are a true gentleman, a good sport, and totally fun to be around.

Photo via @rbucich

Jenn, Jess and I

You wonderful people are the reason I blog. Would I do it again? Totally. I’m already looking forward to BlogHer10. Thank you all for everything.

*I didn’t take many pictures this weekend, so I’m waiting to steal some friends’ photos. Also check out @rbucich’s flickr set to see some amazing shots throughout the weekend..

It’s been a while since I’ve done a Love List but I figured it was time to bring the love back.

This weekend was the the Printer’s Row Lit Fest here in Chicago and I spent quite a bit of time and money there.

Since I have books on the brain, here are some books I love:

Harry Potter Series
Fahrenheit 451
The Bell Jar
The Time Traveler’s Wife
Catcher in the Rye
Mysteries of Pittsburgh
Sex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs

If you ever came over to my apartment though, you would find that my bookshelf is pretty full. I kind of have a problem. Just this weekend I bought 5 more books when I already still have 3 to read from the last time I bought some. I know there are support groups for shopaholics but what about bookaholics?

What are your favourite books??

And here’s why:

*swoon*

After my previous rant/post, I feel compelled to balance out the negativity by spreading the love!

Okay, truthfully I am having trouble sleeping, and I’d rather go to bed thinking good things than bad. And seeing as it is 2:30AM central time, let the lovefest commence so I can get some rest!

I LOVE:
Chris
the month of October
Autumn
the smell of leaves
the song Ayo Technology by Milow
pumpkin spice lattes
realistically, everything pumpkin
learning new things
the word “belligerent” (it makes me laugh!)
aquafina water
lo mein noodles from Ichiban back home
bathtubs the size of a small pool
Disney movies
curling up with a good book
the city of Toronto
hockey season
holding hands
meetups
things that are too awesome to be coincidences
pedicures
the smell of books
sleeping in!
writing silly haikus 

 
There are plenty of things that I still love but miss because of changes in my life. I think these things deserve their own list. 

I MISS :
my family
my best friend
going ghosthunting
waking up on sunday to my mom cooking a big breakfast for the family
Sunday dinners at my grandmother’s house with the entire family
not having to worry about being an adult
Irish dancing with friends at the local pub
my car
going to the beach
 

So what do you love? and miss?

Share the love, cheer me up, give me something to smile about!