Sh*t Men Say

One random Sunday morning a couple years ago, while watching football at a friend's house, I got up to get some drinks...

"Will you get me another llimosa?" Stewart asked.

"I'm sorry... a what?"

"A llimosa," he repeated, gesturing at me with his almost empty glass of champagne and orange juice.

"Do you mean a MIMOSA?!" I asked incredulously.

"Oh, I thought it was llimosa," he answered innocently. "Are you sure it isn't? Maybe it's with a silent double L."

To this day we still call mimosas "Silent Double Ls."

Cheers!

Today's genius link-up was brought to you by Amanda and Danae. I can't wait to read about all the sh*t men say! Because let's face it, guys are often hilarious in all their cave man qualities.

 

This is how we do it!

 Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand... the Seahawks do it again! BOOM.

That pretty much constituted the majority of my weekend.

A full day of standing around in the cold, surrounded by drunken fans, eating junk and screaming my own head off. There's nothing like being a football fan...

Watch out, Douchebag Kaepernick... you are no match for the 12th Man.

Saturday's game meant Stew and I had a rare Sunday at home together. We slept in, took down the Christmas decorations (finally) while we watched even more football, ate blueberry waffles, did some laundry, made some brownies, and generally just hung around our house... a rare weekend occurrence. We even made it over to my cousin's house to pick up some baby stuff... she generously gave us an entire car load of clothing, toys, seats, strollers, chairs, books, and more for Baby Boy! What a lucky child he already is...

And most exciting of all, we finally revived our Sunday Dinner tradition with Matt and Alissa!

We used to get together on Sundays for some eats and conversation all the time when we all lived in Ballard, but it's been seriously lacking for the past year or so. But this summer at the lake we promised to revive the tradition, adding in Amanda and Kevin... It only took us four months to make it happen!

Matt and Alissa made such a fancy pants meal at the lake house that when we made them the lucky hosts of this month's Sunday Dinner I told Matt he had some high expectations to fulfill... gourmet all the way! Oh man, did he deliver...

I can't remember the exact names of the dishes, but basically we had a squash soup, roasted beet salad with arugula and goat cheese, and the main course... pork loin with a delicious date and cilantro relish on top. Everything made from scratch, with love.

I'm surprised I was able to eat anything at all after consuming my body weight in the cheese, crackers, nuts and apples that Amanda and Kevin brought, but I managed. And my brownie fudge sundae dessert went over pretty well, too!

Oh and to top off the evening I came home to a brand new episode of Downtown Abbey, and the season premier of GIRLS... finally!!

Anyway that was my weekend... how was yours? 
 

New Introductions for the New Year

Neely had a great idea for this week's Sunday Social...

For the new year, let's introduce each other again!

I gained quite a few new followers in 2013, and I hope to continue that trend in 2014. But for those who are new around these parts, here are some fun facts so you can get to know me a little bit better...

 

1. What is the name of your blog? How long have you been blogging?

Life As Always

I'm Sarah Alway and he's Stewart Alway, so... Life as "Always" -- get it?!

I started this blog during the summer of 2011 when we were planning our wedding. But really I've been blogging since the beginning of 2006 (holy moly -- 8 years ago?!?), when I started My So-Called Life, where I would write about being single and fabulous in the big city. But after we got engaged, I decided that I wanted a place that would reflect more of our life together, and I kind of wanted to leave those years of ridiculous behind. Hence the birth of Life As Always. But you can always go back and read about my youthful shenanigans if you want. Just keep in mind that my blog has always been intended to provide a semi-permanent snapshot of my various thoughts and experiences. As such, opinions expressed within out-of-date posts may not be the same, or even similar to those I hold today. A necessary consequence of having an open mind! Judge not, lest ye be judged...

2. Why do you blog?

In a nutshell, I'm a writer. Not by career choice (although I do a fair amount of it in my job), but as part of who I am. For as long as I've known how to read and write I've written stories and journals, and I get a tremendous amount of creative satisfaction from it.

Originally, our primary goal in publishing this blog was to provide our friends and family with updates on our day-to-day adventures. We are so lucky to have so many amazing people in our lives, (many who we don't get to see as often as we'd like) and our hope was that this blog would help them feel connected to us and what we're up to. It also serves as a much needed creative outlet for Sarah's writing skills (I have a bachelor's degree in journalism with a minor in English and I've worked as a reporter for several news publications).

However, now that Life As Always has been up and running for a while, I've realized that an additional benefit of having a public place like this is the amazing community of other bloggers out there. I have been fortunate enough to develop amazing friendships with fantastic ladies who continue to inspire and entertain me each and every day.

3. What is the first blog you ever followed?

Probably the person who first inspired me to start blogging in the first place, my very good friend and fellow college journalism nerd, Jeanna. Her original blog is no longer live, but you can catch up with her at 50 Food Truck Dates, where she is chronicling her dating adventures of going on 50 blind dates to food trucks in the San Francisco area and beyond. Seriously, this girl is freaking hilarious, and her posts are the laugh out loud, not safe for work variety. Here is one of my favorites about Jewish Big Balls Batman to get you started...

4. What is your favorite post you wrote in 2012?

This was a hard choice, but maybe this one about Contemplating Suburbia, when we were first considering moving out of the city and into the suburbs. It really helped me organize some of my own thoughts on the subject, and I also received a TON of feedback on it (both positive and negative), which is something I always appreciate.

And since I think Neely probably meant 2013, I'll also add my favorite post from that year, my very first Live & Learn post, Like a Virgin, where I shared the mortifying details of when I learned the definition of virginity in fifth grade.

5. What are your blogging goals for 2013 2014?
Again, I think this was meant to be for the upcoming year and that's how I'm going to treat it.

This year, as always, I hope to remain open and honest on this blog. I want to avoid sugarcoating my life and only focusing on the happy times... because that's not real life. I think that blogging is most entertaining and interesting when people share both the highs and lows of life. When they post blurry selfies with no makeup on as well as glamorous professional shots. I want to know who people really are, not who they hope everyone perceives them to be. But I know this can be difficult, because writing from my heart and exposing some of my least favorite qualities can make me feel incredibly vulnerable.

But that is my goal, to showcase our lives in what I hope is the most raw and entertaining way possible... and hopefully gain some new readers along the way!

6. Top 3 favorite blogs to follow?

I cannot get enough of Don't Quote the Raven. If there's one blog I check every single day, it's this one. This gorgeous tattooed diva lives in Eastern Washington with her hottie husband and two adorable little boys. She blogs with brutal honesty about everything and anything from marriage to parenting to boating and day drinking. Her opinions are not for everyone, but I bet you'll get a kick out of her writing style either way.

Oh and then there's I Wore Yoga Pants to Work. Oh, Whitney... she reminds me of myself when I was younger. This girl's posts are always laugh-out-loud funny and it's probably better to read her posts while drinking a cocktail, otherwise you'll feel left out. Oh, and you probably shouldn't visit her blog if unicorns or the eff word bother you, because there's a lot of both on there...

And finally, Story of My Life. You might remember this one from when I did the Blog Every Day in May challenge, hosted by Jenni. Like me, Jenni is a kind of newlywed settling into a brand new house. She is also an amazing photographer and one of the prettiest "regular" people I have ever seen, so her blog is kind of like eye candy for me. She's also been a huge inspiration on blogging and I've taken a lot of tips from her page.


Well there you have it! A little bit about me and my blog habits. I hope you find me entertaining enough to stick around. And I'd love to know more about YOU! When you leave a comment, I always reply back via email and I always click over to your blog to see what you're up to and return the comment favor. So let's get to know each other!

  

Dear Baby Boy... 23 Weeks

Dear Baby Boy,

The past week has been fairly uneventful, which has been nice. At our doctor appointment, for the first time I think, I was able to report that everything feels great and nothing is bothering me at all. I mean sure, there are minor symptoms... a little bit of round ligament pain, some heartburn, occasional trouble sleeping and of course the fact that you've apparently decided to take up residence right over my bladder and practice paddy cake on it. Silly boy...

I've been a little more tired than normal, which I attribute to the fact that you might be having a growth spurt or something. I've also been hungrier than I've ever been in my whole life! I think I probably eat six meals a day, but I do try to keep them healthy for you my darling. I've also been going to the gym or yoga most days, and that has really helped with my energy level. You've been alternately active or kind of quiet, depending on the day, which I read is pretty normal. When I'm running around a bunch you're pretty still (I think it might lull you to sleep) but when I'm just sitting or lying down you tend to start kicking away... I love those times.

At 23 weeks you're really getting ready for your big debut, listening in on what's going on in the outside world. Daddy plays music for you at night sometimes, which I hope you like. You are now the size of a grapefruit, anywhere from 10.5 to 11.8 inches and you're getting cuter by the day! You're forming little nipples (why do boys need these, anyway?) and your face is fully formed, although you need a little extra fat to fill it out... would you like a Big Mac?

We are busy preparing for your arrival, registering for classes at the hospital and planning for your nursery. I feel overwhelmed by all the things I need to learn about and purchase before you arrive, but luckily I have an amazing group of people to give me all the advice and support I could ever need. Cailin showed me the invitations for your baby shower this week and they are so adorable! I'll save one to show to you one day.

Daddy is extremely stressed right now about the Seahawks divisional playoff game tomorrow. I'm honestly kind of concerned about his mental state should we lose the game, but let's not go there just yet. Just cover your ears if the noise gets to be too much for you... Oh that reminds me, Aunt Nichole gave you the cutest outfit, a onesie with a little cap that actually turns you into a mini football! She knows us so well... Go Hawks!

Stay warm and happy in there my little munchkin!

Love Always,
Mommy

 

Live & Learn -- Boxing Day

Welcome to another edition of

Live & Learn Thursday!

Join the party... follow your hosts and link up your post!

This week I have something short and silly I'd like to share with you... but hey, it was news to me!

Have you ever heard of Boxing Day?

Right after Christmas, my bloggy friend Jenni and I were emailing back and forth and she mentioned that she did not realize people would actually still blog on Boxing Day... apparently it's almost as important as Christmas Day! Jenni is an English girl, so I knew immediately this must have something to do with the UK.

My first imaginings as to what this strange "Boxing Day" entailed went something like this: people sitting around watching an important boxing match, dressed up in their champs colors and eating delicious appetizers and drinks... kind of like the English version of Super Bowl Sunday, right? But then I remembered that Europeans are really more into soccer football, and as far as I knew Premier League matches didn't call for national holidays, so I must have been off.

Hello, Wikipedia.

Holy moly!! Boxing Day is traditionally the day following Christmas Day, when servants and tradesmen would receive gifts, known as a "Christmas box," from their bosses or employers. Today, Boxing Day is the bank holiday that generally takes place on December 26. It is observed in the United Kingdom, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Kenya, South Africa, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and other Commonwealth nations. Say what?!

I sat, fuming, from my desk at work.

And what were these alleged "bank holidays?"

Shut the front door! A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth countries, and other European countries. Although there is no automatic right to time off on these days, banks close and the majority of the working population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days. Currently, there are 17 bank and public holidays! I checked this against my company's holiday schedule (which includes just 10.5 paid holidays throughout the year) while gradually beginning to simultaneously seethe with anger and turn green with envy. Not fair, dude.

 But there you have it... Boxing Day: Not a sporting event.

Live & Learn.

Award Winning Lazy Blogging

I don't know what has been wrong with me this week, but my blogging has been totally uninspired, hence my virtual silence around these parts. So I was almost embarrassed when Jenni nominated me for a Liebster Award... almost. Thanks Jenni!!

 

But I always love learning that someone reads and enjoys my ramblings here, and the purpose of the Liebster Award is to promote each other in order to make more friends in the blogging community and attract more attention to our blogs, so I still want to play along... sort of. 

 

Try not to judge, but I'm going to re-post some of my Liebster Award answers from when I was nominated back in June.

 

The Rules
 

Thank the person who nominated you and link them in your post. 

Tell 11 random facts about yourself.

Answer the 11 questions provided by the person who nominated you.

Choose 11 blogs you like and link them in your post. 

Write 11 questions for these bloggers, so they can answer them. 

Go to their page and let them know that you nominated them.

   

11 Random Facts

1. I love infomercials and I've ordered many, many things from TV. It's sort of a problem. 
 

2. I have an unexplainable phobia of the telephone. This can also be a problem.

 

3. Even though I know I shouldn't, I sleep in my makeup every single night.

 

4. I am obsessed with disaster preparedness / the end of the world / Armageddon / the Zombie Apocalypse. Seriously, ask me how many emergency kits I have... they're everywhere.

 

5. I love cilantro; I think it is cat nip for humans. But I hate bananas.

 

6. I have heterochromia, which means my eyes are different colors. I was born with it.

 

7. Try not to judge, but I am not an organ donor. I have weird human body issues, and the concept of my parts being inside someone else just really, really freaks me out.

 

8. I did not meet my older sister until I was 22 years old, because my parents gave her up for adoption when they were in high school. Now she is one of my very best friends.

 

9. I am completely tone deaf, like I don't even sing happy birthday out loud. Seriously, it's bad.

 

10. My two food weaknesses are macaroni and cheese and McDonald's. My mouth just filled with saliva thinking about them.

 

11. I dropped out of college spring quarter junior year and moved to Waikiki with a girlfriend. Eventually I came back and finished school. Yeah.

That's me! I'm kind of a nerd sometimes...
 

11 Questions for ME
 

1. What is your favorite joke? Since I can't think of a single one, I'm wondering if maybe I'm not all that into jokes? I'm actually not a huge fan of comedies, either. Perhaps I should work on my sense of humor.

 

2. Do you prefer sweet or savory? Definitely savory. Although during this pregnancy I have been craving sweets a lot more often than normal. But I pretty much crave everything these days...

 

3. What is the most expensive item you've ever bought? Our new house.

 

4. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? Oh my goodness, I can hardly remember! I definitely wanted to be an eyewitness TV news reporter just like April O'Neil when I was a little kid. But by high school I don't remember having any specific aspirations. That's probably why I have a degree in journalism and public relations, a certification in paralegal studies, but work in commercial real estate development... See, I'm still trying to figure it out!  

 

5. Are there any decisions you've made that, with hindsight, you wish you could change? Not really, because I think our past experiences make us who we are, and I'm pretty happy with myself these days! That being said, I always wished that I would have taken a few months during college to backpack around Europe and see a little more of the world.

 

6. What color is your bedroom? Right now it's basic beige from the paint package we picked out when we purchased options for the new house, but I have big plans to paint the walls grey with maybe a plum colored accent wall behind the bed... stay tuned!

 

7. Do you collect anything? If so, what? Books, books, and more books. I'm such a book nerd.

 

8. Do you have any favorite sports teams? Silly rabbit... the Seattle Seahawks, of course!

 

9. What is one city you've never visited but would like to, and why? I have always wanted to visit New York City, it's definitely on my bucket list. But somehow every time I try to start planning a trip there the expense overwhelms me and I give up. Someday...  

 

10. What song are you loving right now? I can tell you what song I'm hating: Let Her Go by Passenger. There is something about his voice that sounds whiny and squeaky to me, and the lyrics strike me as incredibly depressing and negative. And the freaking song is playing on every single station right now, I can't seem to escape it! 

 

11. Who did you look up to as a teenager? I actually had quite a few teachers that I looked up to in high school. I should really look them up and see what they're up to these days...

 

Here I am again (sometimes I have a bit of an attitude)... But let's talk about you!

11 Nominees

 

 Jessa @ Life of a Sports Wife

Ashley @ Have Chashley, Will Travel

Amanda @ Voyage of the MeeMee

Fran @ Freeborboleta

Cait @ A Day in the Life

Jocelyn @ The Life of a Pretty Lucky Mama

Ashley @ Afternoons with You

Ashley @ Life on the Parsons Farm

Carly @ Macaroons & Moccasins

Ali @ High Heels and Coffee

Chelsea @ Anchors Aweigh

 

11 Questions for YOU

1. If you were a super hero what powers would you have?

2. If you could breed two animals together to defy the laws of nature what new animal would you create?

3. What historical figure would you love to see in 21st century life?

4. What phrase do you say the most?

5. If you could steal one thing without consequence what would it be?

6. What is your favorite thing about yourself (physical or otherwise?)

7. If you could live anywhere, where would that be?

8. If you were crowned ruler of the world, what's the first law you would make?

9. What's the most unusual conversation you've ever had?

10. What is the best present you've ever received?

11. Would you rather go back in time and meet your ancestors, or travel into the future and meet your great grandchildren? 

 

 

Congratulations to all the nominees! I really enjoy each of your blogs and hope you play along. And if you haven't checked out these fabulous bloggers yet, I encourage you to take the time to read their posts, get to know them, and show some blogger love! 

 

My Baby Sister is 30!

My little baby sister turned 30 years old on New Year's Eve!

 

And now I finally get to spill the beans about a super duper big secret that I've been keeping for literally months now...

 

When I realized that Erin's 30th was coming up this year, I knew that I wanted to do something really special. I decided that a destination surprise party would be the most fun, so I planned a weekend in Seabrook, a beach town on the Washington coast, beginning a few days after her mid-week birthday. I invited all her favorite aunties and cousins, and the main event included an '80s party on Saturday night to commemorate the decade in which she was born. Radical.

 

I'll let the photos do the talking, but I do have to quickly say that if you live in the PNW and have never been to Seabrook, definitely go. It's such a blast!

 

 

 

 

I think (I hope!) it was a success. I sure had a good time, anyway. Turning 30 is a pretty monumental event, and I'm so glad I could share it with my little sister. She's pretty fan-freaking-tastic. 

 

I hope y'all had a good weekend as well! 

 

 

Dear Baby Boy... 22 Weeks

Dear Baby Boy,

Daddy felt you move for the first time this week! It was so exciting! He seemed a little surprised, like he was just realizing that I actually do have another tiny human inside my body. It is a strange concept, don't you think?

At 11 inches and almost one pound (about the size of a spaghetti squash), you are starting to look like a miniature newborn! Your lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and you're even developing tiny tooth buds beneath your gums. Your eyes have formed, but your irises still lack pigment. I wonder if you will end up having heterochromia iridum (different colored eyes) like me...

I haven't noticed any stretch marks or skin discoloration yet, so thanks for that. But my fingernails have been growing like crazy and my hair is still super dry and brittle. Also my wedding ring is starting to get kind of tight. You win some, you lose some, I guess.

You received so many Christmas presents and you aren't even here yet! A "my first Seahawks tee," a Marshawn Lynch jersey, a little Seahawks fairy for your teeth when they start to fall out, a moby wrap and a boppy, and tons of adorable new born onsies that will be just perfect for when you come home from the hospital. You are spoiled already, my little man.

I finally went back to daily walking and prenatal yoga this week after a holiday hiatus, and it felt so great! I've got to get a body pillow ASAP though, because sleep is getting more and more uncomfortable by the day.

We had a bit of a scare this month when your ultrasound showed choroid plexus cysts in your head, which are a soft marker for elevated chromosomal risk. So we had another detailed 20 week ultrasound, as well as non-invasive fetal DNA testing, which showed that each and every one of your 21 chromosomes is in perfect working order. As if we expected any less... but it's nice to be on the safe side I suppose.

Also, I want to make sure I mention the fact that Daddy saved both of our lives this week. He woke up in the middle of the night after I had the girls over for dinner to discover that a stove burner had been left on, and it had been filling the house with natural gas for hours and hours! Thank gawd he realized and we woke up to air out the house before I managed to kill us all! So sorry about that...

2014 is going to be such an amazing year for our little family...
Happy New Year, my darling!

Love Always,

Mommy

Live & Learn -- Tricking Your Dinner Guests

Welcome to another edition of

Live & Learn Thursday!

Join the party... follow your hosts and link up your post!

This week we are going with a Kitchen/Cooking theme!

Try to keep your shock to a minimum, because if you're a regular reader you know how much I loathe these things.

BUT, after some thought I realized that I might have a lesson worth sharing with all of you... especially those not so domestically inclined, like myself. Here is my advice on how to trick your dinner guests into thinking you're a chef, or at least moderately talented in the kitchen.

I got this idea from my mom and her delicious Christmas Eve dinner. This meal seems like it would take so much time and energy to make, but it's really about the simplest thing I've ever done.

Corned Beef & Cabbage

I bought the corned beef in the meat section of the grocery store. Sunday morning before the big game, I put it in my crock pot along with the supplied seasoning packets, filled it with water until the meat was covered, and turned it on high for eight hours. When we got home from the game, I removed the meat from the now seasoned broth, and added in a head of cabbage that I had chopped the night before. That blanched for about ten minutes, and in the meantime I whipped up a batch of boxed mashed potatoes (dude, they taste the same anyway, and Stew loves them). I topped it all off with some gravy from a jar and voilà! 

Fancy Sunday dinner for the fam.

And for all they needed to know, I could have spent hours and hours on this lovely meal.

So if you're someone like me who loves entertaining, but dreads the thought of being stuck in the kitchen while your guests enjoy all the real fun of the party, then this easy peasy meal might be just the thing for you. It really is delicious...

Live & Learn.

Happy New Year - 2014

So long 2013... it's been real.

 

Ringing in the new year for us consisted of an evening of shenanigans with Brett and Haley. Of course with yours truly as a dedicated sober driver we were free to jump from location to location all evening, and even though we didn't start out with any specific plans, we had a blast!
 

 
 

We started out at North Bend Bar & Grill for dinner, and then decided to check out what was happening at the Snoqualmie Casino. We gambled for a little while in the non-smoking area (perfect for this momma-to-be!) but after losing $100 in fifteen minutes we decided we'd better call it quits. Brett did double his money by putting it all on black at the roulette table, though! From there we decided Finaghty's Pub would be a good place to stop, and boy were we right... have you ever played Giant Drinking Jenga?! I hadn't, either, but it was pretty much one of the most entertaining things I've ever seen. We played for a while and then made it back just in time to ring in the new year at home.


2013 was a pretty epic year for us... Shall we do a quick recap?

{January} We sold our condo in Ballard and I experienced the unique torture of kidney stones.

{February} We went up to Mount Baker, where I tore my MCL, thus ruining snowboarding for the remainder of the season.

{March} We bought a house in Snoqualmie and celebrated our first wedding anniversary.

{April} Stewart turned 32 and I threw him a bowling birthday party.

{May} I blogged every single day! We also went to Las Vegas and Priest Lake.

{June} I completed the Advocare cleanse, hosted a baby shower and a birthday party.

{July} We went back to the lake and our family vacation was ruined by wildfire.

{August} We went camping, attended two amazing weddings and my family reunion, and Stew won a gold medal in the Summer Old Man Games.

{September} We took our friends to the lake, saw ZBB, went to a wedding, and football season started!

{October} I went to Denver to see my dear friend Brooke, and we announced that we're having a baby!

{November} I struggled through the first trimester with exhaustion, morning sickness, and roller coaster emotions. But my blog got a face lift!

{December} I started co-hosting a weekly Live & Learn link up, turned 32, found out we're having a baby boy, and celebrated the holidays. Oh, and the Seahawks dominated the NFC West!

 Whew! It's been a busy 365 days! I also noticed that I have been slowly but steadily blogging more consistently as each month passes. Is it too much? Not enough? Please let me know, I value your feedback!


Thanks for sticking around Life As Always this year. It has been wonderful to have you, whether you are a new reader or someone who's been here a while. I value each and every one of you and look forward to sharing even more in 2014!