Confessions of Jersey Girl

I took the post down.   Feeding into internet drama is not my thing and I realize that in posting what I did, I was giving her what she wanted.  I don’t have to defend my actions to ANYONE, especially some stranger on the internet.   There’s a reason why I shy away from becoming friends with other AF wives, and I think now… it’s painfully obvious why.  Was I right bringing it public on my personal blog?  Probably not, but a wedding blog is certainly no place for a comment war.  Anyway, it’s done and over with now.  Thank you all for your support, it means the world.

MOVING ON!

Take five and go look at what my twin did.  She’s ridiculous and I adore her.  Submit a picture, let’s have some fun!

Internet was down all night last night for Matt, I didn’t get an email ’til almost 5am my time.  I lost a lot of sleep last night.  I know it’s probably needless worry and that he’s relatively okay where he’s stationed, but not hearing from him all day gets me seriously nervous.  I was awake until a little after 4a, so i’m running on minimal sleep.  Thank God today is my Friday.

With all of the AWESOME that has surrounded Love Harder, I wanted to let you all know that I’m (along with all of the other amazing Philly / NJ bloggers) running in the MMRF Race for Research.  It’s this October in Philadelphia, but they have them in San Fran, Boston, Chicago, the Twin Cities… probably somewhere close to you.  We all plan to run under the team of Love Harder and raise funds again in the name of H.A.D.  I think it would be AMAZING if we could get 20sb-ers represented in every city that there is a race in.  It’s a 5k, so it’s like 3ish miles.  If you don’t think you can run a 5k, go here.  Couch to 5k changed my life.

Matt so kindly noted that we are almost 1/3 of the way through this deployment when we had our Skype date on Monday night.  I guess in another ten ish days we will be 1/3 through this mess.  I have no idea how it’s going to “fly by” like so many people say, but here’s hoping.

Since he was so kind to tell me that we were almost 1/3 of the way through deployment, I sat up all night looking for THE PERFECT homecoming dress (I feel like i’m in High School saying “homecoming”).  I’ve decided that although insanely expensive and a completely ridiculous purchase, i’ll probably buy my dress from Anthropologie.  They are all just so classic and detailed and GORGEOUS.   Here’s a few of the ones that i’ve had my eye on…

Gorgeous, right?  That perfect yellow ribbon, the length, the fact that its a tank top sort of cut so I don’t have to worry about my dress falling down mid holy-crap-he’s-right-there!!! mad dash to my honey.  But wait, check this out.

LOOK AT THAT BACK! How stupid gorgeous is that cut out and that ruffle?!  My only issue is that I’m unsure how that ruffle is going to make my butt look.  Hm.

Another Yellow one, but I adore the detail of the black belt and the contrast between the two different patterns and colors.

I think this one might be my favorite.  I know, it’s strapless.  I don’t care.  I sort of prefer strapless because i’m so damn short.  I feel like not having my shoulders exposed and a dress that’s at my knee or just past makes me look stubby.

Thoughts?  Amazing places for really great dresses on the interwebs that won’t cost me my first born as payment?

We’re having a photographer from Operation Love come to homecoming, which i’m really excited about.  The last thing that I wanted to worry about was pictures, so they are going to take care of that for me which is AMAZING.   Beware when you click on that link though, the galleries had me all sorts of ugly crying.  It’s really beautiful though.

So, I cook.  It’s not really something that has ever really made it to my blog before because usually, by the time i’m actually cooking… i’m starving and want nothing more than to just sit down and eat.  But today, I was cooking dinner for my family and decided to give you a lesson in how to make THE BEST penne vodka ever in the history of the world.  Don’t worry… it’s easy peasy.

What you need:

Bertolli Vodka Sauce (or whatever brand you love… I know Trader Joes has an EXCELLENT one, but alas… I don’t have a TJ’s within 3 hours, so this is the best i’ve found)

2-3 Chicken Breasts Thinly cut.

Your Favorite non creamy salad dressing (I use Kraft Free Italian Ceasar or soemthing)

Olive Oil

Sugar

Salt (for the love of all that is holy, if you still use table salt, throw it out.  SEA SALT is where it’s at)

Wine (White or Red.  Doesn’t matter.  Everything is better with wine.  I used White)

An onion (medium-ish?  I used a smaller vidalia, because it’s sweet)

Minced garlic (the kind in the can or fresh.  I’m lazy so I get mine already minced.)

Onion Powder & Garlic Powder (this is not redundant.  I know we added fresh.  TRUST ME)

Some bread.

Notice how I didn’t include any measurements for the above ingredients.  Why?  Well, it’s simple.  I don’t measure things.  Ever.  This is probably why i’m not a very good baker.  I mean, I can hold my own when it comes to the baked goods.

I also realize that I cook in the most RETARDED way ever.  It just makes no sense.  I have nine thousand things going at once and I skip a back to things and it’s just weird.  I’m going to attempt to put the instructions and pictures into the order that like, a normal person would cook.

First, put your chicken into a bowl.  Squirt in some salad dressing.  I guess 1/2 a cup?  I don’t know.  Enough to coat the chicken.  Mix it all around and just leave it sit on the counter while you get your sauce going.

Yummy.

See?  Like this.

Next, you’re going to want to chop up your onion.

I am not Pioneer Woman.  I am not going to teach you how to chop an onion.

How much onion?  I don’t know.  Bout this much.  Cut it small now, you don’t wanna bite into a big hunk of onion in your sauce.  Well, unless that’s your thing.

Just try not to forget about the pan you’re preheating with olive oil for the onions while you chop them.  That is not steam wafting from that pan, it’s freaking smoke and it filled my entire house within minutes.

Whisk the pan away from the heat and let it cool the eff down.  Add the onions in and saute. The olive oil is an ingredient in this recipe, so use about a quarterish cup of it.

Once the onions start to really sweat and get translucent, add some garlic. If you add it too early, it’s going to burn and taste bitter and that’s gross.  Up to you how much.  I add probably two tablespoons, because i’m a fan.  Add less if it’s not your thing.

I added some wine to the onions and garlic.  I don’t usually do this, but I had an open bottle sitting on the counter. It worked out amazingly. Red, white… whatever you have.  I’m sure it will be just fine.  I guess I probably added about a half a cup.

Let the wine cook down with the onions and garlic.  It should reduce a bit and start to smell a little less strong.

Time for the sauce.

YUM.  This next part is going to sound a little weird maybe.

Put about a half a cup of water in the bottom of the sauce jar and swish it around.  Dump it into the pot of sauce.  Really!  You’re going to be baking this pasta, and it needs that extra little bit of liquid so that the pasta doesn’t get too dry.

Add some sugar.  This was maybe a little more than a 1/4 cup.  TRUST ME on the sugar thing.  It’s yummy.

You need garlic powder, onion power and a splash of hot sauce.  I know we already put galric and onions in here fresh… but the powders just have a different flavor.  TRUST ME.  I guess probably a twoish tablespoons of each and a couple dashes of hot sauce.  This doesn’t make the sauce spicy, it just adds… something.

Just dump it all in there and stir it up. :)  It’s getting goooood now.

Add about 1/4 cup of cream (or even milk if you don’t have cream.  I’ve done it and it works JUST fine.) just to blush out the sauce a bit.  I’m telling you, this makes all the difference in the world.  Let it simmer on low for a while.  Move on to the chicken that has been sitting on the counter marinating.

Put the pan on medium high and drizzle in some oil.

Cook the chicken for like… two to three minutes a side.  SERIOUSLY.  They should be cut really thin so three minutes is perfect.

Then pull them off and onto a cutting board or a plate or something and cover them with the lid from the pot.  Leave em sit under the lid for a bit while you get the pasta water ready.  This will help the chicken finish cooking and not dry out.  You can tent it with foil if you don’t have a lid.  Same thing.

Get a pot.  A big one.  Fill it with like, a gallon of water.  SALT THE PASTA WATER.  Use more salt than you think you should, really.  This is your only chance to season the pasta.  DO NOT use freaking table salt, that shit is disgusting.  Go spend the $5 and buy yourself some sea salt.  It’s better for you and it just plain tastes better.  The pasta water should taste salty.  This makes a difference.

You could use the time waiting for your water bottle wisely and like, do the dishes that are piling up in the sink… but remember that bottle of wine from earlier?

Needless to say, the dishes are still in the sink, I opted for the wine.  I’ll always opt for the wine.

This is the pasta I used.  It’s like smooth penne rigate.  I don’t like lines in my pasta, it’s a texture thing.  Use whatever pasta you want.  You could use macaroni if you felt like it.  It all tastes the same.  I’m just a freak. Cook the pasta until it’s half done.  Like 5-6 minutes.  If it’s more done than that, its just going to turn into mush when you bake it in the oven.

While the pasta is boiling, cut up the chicken.  Try to make it the same size as the pasta, that way you can just shovel it all in your mouth and you don’t have to worry about cutting chicken.  Yes, this is that good.

Put the pasta back into the pot with all the sauce and the chicken.  Stir it up and let it cool off a bit.

Get yourself three 8oz balls of fresh mozzarella.  This makes all the difference when you’re making pasta like this.  It’s so creamy and yummy and it just puts that bagged crud to shame.

Dice up two of the mozz balls and stir them into the pasta.  Try not to eat it all right now.

Use half of the other mozz ball on top of the pasta once you dump it all in a pan.  Bake it in the oven til it’s all bubbly and melty and crispy.

The end.

This is the love story of Amy and Andrew.

The way we met was average—he worked with a good friend of mine, who held a fondue party for friends and co-workers, and as soon as I entered the room, he came over to talk to me as I hovered over the melted chocolate and yummy dipping fruits (okay, fine, really the marshmallows and pound cake, but whatever!).

“Why is that fruit so brown?” he asked.  “Didn’t she just cut it?”

I then launched into a discussion about oxidization of fruit, and how no, it didn’t go bad, it was just the air mixing with the acid and as I finished my incredibly nerdy explanation, he introduced himself as Andrew.  We sat next to one another the rest of the night, and talked constantly, albeit a bit drunkly, about life.  Later, I realized that he was a science nerd and was just using the fruit question as a cute opening line.  I’m glad I passed the test.

After the party, I was giddy, and sent him a casual email, offering to show him around, as he’d just moved to California from Illinois.  We made plans to hang out a few days later.  We chatted over coffee and then saw “I Am Legend,” which remains one of my least favorite movies of all time.  We were both nervous—I ran a red light while driving us to the theatre; he criticized my love of rap music, and our first kiss over a glass of wine was a bit awkward.  OK, a lot awkward, we were standing and I FELL DOWN.  Like an idiot.

Still, there was a spark.  From then on out, we were in each other’s lives.

It wasn’t easy.  The first few months of our relationship reads as a “What NOT To Do” advice article.  We were both still involved with other people and had some trouble defining our boundaries, resulting in tears, hurt and heartache on both sides.  Andrew and I are both incredibly, incredibly stubborn, and we don’t back down from one another.  We dealt with the loss of his job and the stresses of my first year of teaching, of breaking up several times because we both didn’t know what the hell we were doing, together OR apart for that matter.

But last summer, as we had yet another angry conversation, we sat on his front lawn and asked the hard questions.  Did we want to be together?  Were we willing to put aside everyone else, and everything else and see what we could be, just the two of us?  We agreed, yes, we could and we should.

And then we worked on falling in love.  We watched TV and movies, made one another breakfast, went on dates, stayed in, played games.  He got to know my family, and I flew to Illinois to meet his.  We yelled and fought, but mostly loved.  We broke down walls and learned who the other was.  It was tough, yes.  But it was worth it.

Our relationship is not easy, still.  There are hurts and worries and struggles, just as all relationships have.  There are days when we both wonder: can we do this?  We don’t always see life through the same lens, and we don’t always agree.  But there is love, and there is laughter, and there is a relationship that is more raw, vulnerable and intimate than any I’ve ever been a part of.

A former roommate once labeled our relationship as a Sex In The City style “dating urban legend”: making it with someone who seemed disastrous from the outset.  I don’t think it’s an urban legend—I think it’s a lot of hard work, dedication and a desire to be with the other.  I wake up next to Andrew every day and think that every single second has been worth it, for just that good morning kiss and knowing that at night, when I crawl into bed, he’s going to be there.

When Erin sent around an email inviting everyone to join in for a “bridal shower” for the lovely Renee, I was all over it! (I don’t have any um, wedding advice or relationship anecdotes because um, HI.  Have you read this blog?  I’m a hot mess) Renee is one of the very first girls that I became friends with on 20SB.  Truthfully, she was one of those bloggers that was “famous” to me, larger than life.  I never would have imagined that down the road we would meet up and I would absolutely adore her as much as I do.  Seriously.  Vegas?  Although we didn’t get to spend as much time together as I would have liked (um, every second? yeah, that would have worked), we did have an amazing happy hour and some pretty awesome time in the sun.  And I mean, what’s not to love about this face?

I mean, come ON.  Gorgeous.  Ahem.  ANYWAY.  Vegas, meeting Renee, everything we did there… it changed me.  She was a huge part of the reason that I went to Vegas, she is a huge reason my life has changed so much in the past year.  Vegas changed a lot of us for the better and I’m just so grateful that she was a part of it.

In a few short weeks, Miss Renee is getting hitched!  I remember when she first did the post telling the world she was engaged!  I seriously squealed at my desk a little reading it and I was just SO HAPPY for her.  Life has so many amazing things in store for her and this is only the beginning.  Best wishes Renee, I hope your wedding day is as spectacular as you are.  LOVE YOU!

ps.  In the spirit of weddings, I’m going to leave you with my absolute favorite YouTube video EVER.  I want to do this with my fellow music geeks for a wedding.  Maybe all of those lessons as a kid could pay off!  I thought since Renee was an oh so talented singer, she might appreciate this too.  Enjoy!

I seriously doubt this video needs any more introduction, but this is the second part (out of three) of our video blog.  we’re definitely thinking about making this a repeat thing because we are absolutely hilarious when we’re together.  I have spent most of the night trying to figure out how to split this video into two parts because the remainder of our video blog is 12 MINUTES LONG.  I guess you could say we got a little carried away?  Maybe just a smidge.

The always lovely Miss Courtney came to the rescue and gchatted with me until I figured out Windows Movie Maker enough to get the video into two separate clips.  SO. EXCITING.  I apologize for the less than stellar quality of these videos, Sara’s camera stinks and she refused to do the video in a well lit area.  You might not be able to tell, but she lit candles for some ambiance.  While she thought it was a great idea, I was busy trying not to catch her books on fire.

I also apologize for my mole beauty mark looking like it’s about to take over my face (seriously, what’s THAT about?) and for the obnoxious, overly hyper tone I took on for the duration of all these movies.  Jesus, I am a spaz.  I’m usually not that much of a freak, but I had two drinks in half an hour and they were strong.  I also have serious issues with my alcohol tolerance… Basically, I’m a bitch drinker.  I’m little, I have an excuse. So anyway, here’s us… again.  I know, you’re thrilled.

Untitled from rachel gallagher on Vimeo.

And… completely unrelated, but has anyone seen this commercial? “What if I want some variety?” “You’ve had eleven bulldogs, all named Steve.” It cracks me up.  I have no idea why.  I don’t even know what the commercial is for…