Finally finished something + our engagement photos + tapering is hard…

Aspen spent the entire day yesterday in her chair in our living room. She was having a lot of trouble walking, so I was carrying her outside to go potty and bringing water over to her in the chair. It broke my heart to watch her try and walk. I hope she heals quickly. I don’t like seeing her in pain. At all. Lu was also bummed that her bestie was out of commission. She just kept walking next to the chair and touching Aspen’s nose with hers. It was sad but adorable.

I had to take this picture to show you how pitiful we all were yesterday. Just some girls and their blankets! I wrote/edited 12-15 pages yesterday, so it was ALL DAY on the computer, but it felt good to finally get something finished. One more chapter to go for edits…
For new readers, I’m in the last year of my PhD program and am working on my dissertation right now. I quit my job in May to go back to being a full-time student so I could knock out this last year. It’s been hard. I was a middle school teacher for 5 years, so it’s been a big change to be a full-time student again. I’m not complaining, though! Jake has made it possible for me to stay home and finish my degree – he’s kind of the best. Plus, I’m still teaching a couple of college courses online, so at least I’m still doing that!)

Dried mango and papaya for a little mid-morning snack. I can’t seem to go more than two hours without food. Ever.

Later on, I took a lunch break! I just heated up all the stuff I had prepped on Sunday – chicken, purple sweet potatoes, and beets.

GAH!!!! These made my day. I tried not to overload you with engagement photos, but I just couldn’t help it! One of our friends is an AMAZING photographer – her name is Brandi and she is the best. Check her out on Facebook – BG Studios Photography.

We took pictures a little over a week ago. It was SO cold, but Jake and I both wanted them to be outside in the Nature Center, which is right by our house. We run in there a lot, so it’s just extra special to us. They turned out perfect!

We were walking to another spot for pictures when Brandi yelled, “Stop and kiss!” This is what she got! How cool is that with the sun setting in-between? Told you she’s good. ; )

Flowers from Ozark Mtn Flower Truck! One of my besties from high school opened a flower truck and she has the most incredible flowers. She’s on Facebook and Instagram, too. Wow – I have some talented girlfriends!

HA! This is pretty representative of us…

When I laugh really hard, my eyes totally disappear. Always.

I think this is one of my favorites.

I love this one, too! I really just love them ALL. Again, laughing = eyes disappearing…

Okay, back to our day – we had chicken salad for dinner! It was yummy.

We even went a little dirty and had croissants! ; ) Mustard brussels on the side.

Mmmmm. Halo Top, you complete me.

Walked into the bedroom to see Lu’s calling card…

I couldn’t figure out why she was sticking so close to me and wouldn’t go into our bedroom. She didn’t want me to see what she had done to the pillows.

We finally got some of the new Skratch bars! I cannot wait to try these.

They make three different flavors – these (chocolate chips and almond), cherries and pistachio, and ginger and miso. Made from plant-based ingredients, non-GMO, vegan, and gluten free! Heck yeah.

I woke up this morning not feeling all that great, so I’m hoping that goes away…we tried to run 5, but I could only make it 3. I’m going to take it easy the rest of the day while working on some presentation stuff for the article I’m presenting later this month. Luckily, our week nights are pretty open, so that should give us both time to rest and get ready for the weekend.