To move or not to move?

We've lived in our little apartment for a year now and our contract ends next month.

So the question is:

Do we move or stay?

Pros:

• Close to school
• Close to work
• Close to Target (thank goodness!)
• Brand new carpet
• New paint
• New oven/stove
• Tile bathroom floor
• Big bathroom (compared to other apartments)
• New linoleum in kitchen

Cons:

• Raising rent $10 a month if we renew (doesn't sound like a lot but it adds up)
• No dishwasher
• Small air conditioning unit in living room that really doesn't do much
• Original 1970's windows that don't keep in heat or cool air and you can hear everything outside
• People below us blast their music so it sounds like their scream-o is in my kitchen
• Wake up to said people's fights at 3 am

Part of me wants to move badly. I want to try something new and start over fresh in a new place. We really weren't the best at making friends in our current place. 

But the new carpet! It's a comfort to think we are the only family to use the carpets and oven. I can walk barefoot in our apartment and not think about all the dirt from everyone else (even if the carpets are cleaned after the previous renter). 

And it's our first apartment as newlyweds. I have an emotional attachment to this place. Honestly, I might cry when the day comes that we do leave. 

It's changing!

Guys. I'm wearing shorts today.

Ryan and I uncovered our small air conditioning unit that we wish would work better.

We sleep with the window open, a fan sitting at the window to draw in any cool breeze while the ceiling fan spins away (making an annoying sound, might I add).

I might actually have to take off our fluffy blanket on our bed. It's so comfy and soft...and slightly too warm for our liking.

I hear birds in the morning.

The grass is turning green, large pink blossoms blooming all over the place (even our tree is alive...just not very pink).

I keep hearing the ice cream truck, the constant tune "It's a small world after all" or "M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E". Does anyone else feel like ice cream trucks are sketchy? No? Just me? They don't have very good ice cream anyway. But I have fabulous ice cream in my freezer....

Just take a moment to appreciate this next picture. I took it last week right after a snow storm. Yes, snow storm. 

I love this time of year. It's so unpredictable and beautiful. If only we could find an allergy medicine that helped Ryan, then it would be perfect.

Addictions

My husband and I may or may not have a slight addiction to The Vampire Diaries. 

You see, it all started when I decided to watch the very first episode of the series. My husband came home and he enjoyed the episode as well.

And...we have Netflix. It's dangerous. 

So yesterday, after church, we sat on the couch and watched about five episodes of Vampire Diaries. 

Forget about homework, dishes, and other cleaning needs.

But at the same time, I think we needed yesterday to relax. We've both been very stressed about school and jobs (life in general). It felt nice to not worry about something.

It's like me and reading. Sometimes I read so much you could probably classify it as an addiction. I love books and I can't get enough of them. When I read, it takes me away from my worries and I get involved in someone else's problems. It's very therapeutic. 

So even though we may have wasted a lot of time, it was nice to sit together and enjoy a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Pinterest

We're all slightly addicted to Pinterest, right? Or is that just me?

I enjoy finding new recipes to try. A lot of them are success (pizza crust, Crockpot recipes, desserts). 

Here's one I love:

The Pinterest Version:

Tomato Cream Sauce and Pasta

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole medium onion, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans (15 ounce each) tomato sauce or Marinara Sauce
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Dash of sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Fresh basil, chopped
• 1-1/2 pound Fettuccine
• Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese to taste

Preparation Instructions:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water
• Heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for a minute or so. Pour in tomato sauce and add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Stir and cook over low heat for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat and stir in cream. Add cheese to taste, then check seasonings. Stir in pasta and chopped basil and serve immediately (thin with pasta water before adding basil if needed).

Raquel's Tomato Cream Sauce and Pasta:

First off, I never save the pasta water. I've never needed it, ever. 

Second:  I don't use "fresh" onions or garlic. I don't have the time to chop everything. Plus, I hate having little chunks in my pasta. I'm a texture person so this grosses me out.

Also:  Half-n-Half is better than Heavy Cream. Still unhealthy, but I think it tastes better.

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• Dehydrated, diced onions to taste (found in spice aisle)
• Garlic powder (to taste)
• 2 cans (15 ounce each) tomato sauce (I use Hunts)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Dash of sugar (to taste. This helps take away the acidic-ness of the tomato sauce)
• 1 cup Half-n-Half
• Parmesan cheese (Kraft kind, in the green bottle)
• Dried basil (from the spice aisle)
• Whatever pasta I have at the moment

Preparation Instructions:

• In a pan, add oil, butter, garlic powder, and dehydrated onions. Heat for a couple of minutes
• Add tomato sauce, salt and pepper, and sugar (to taste)
• Heat for about 20 minutes. Remove form heat and add Half-n-Half, basil, and Parmesan cheese
• Add cooked pasta and enjoy!

This also makes great left-overs! I think it tastes even better the next day. Have fun!

True love and toast

When Ryan and I got married, we never got a toaster. We finally mentioned this to his parents and they had an extra toaster that they gave to us.

I was amazed it worked. This toaster is at least 23 years old. And it worked well, don't get me wrong and I was so grateful for the toaster. I love toast.

I love cinnamon and butter toast.

I love a peanut butter and jelly toast (when the peanut butter gets all melty and you NEED a glass of milk to wash it all down).

I love toasted bagels (mostly blueberry bagels with cream cheese...yum!). 

The biggest problem with our toaster was the slot size. You may laugh, but I had to squish bagels and shove them into the toaster resulting in a burnt blueberry bagel. I know, such a problem.

We got a new toaster this week. I saw this beauty on a shelf, just calling my name. I needed it, I really did. I've wanted a new toaster for ten months (and if I keep thinking about an item for that long, I really need to get it)! This little guy was so cute and small (Compact 2-slice Toaster with Space-Saving Design).

It was true love, guys. True love.

The best part?

My bagels fit and are toasted to perfection.

The things I've seen

I work next to a Petsmart store so it's quite common to see people and their animals wander over to our store. It's actually fun sometimes because our customers will bring in the cutest little puppies. Adorable, I'm telling you, adorable! 

Today, a woman came in with her dog. This dog was so large she could hardly keep him sitting and just one slight movement from the dog would send this woman all over the place. After we were halfway through her transaction, she asks, "Do you sell bowls?" Well, I work at a kitchen/home store. We have lots of bowls. She then leaves and comes back with a mixing bowl. She then proceeds to purchase a water bottle and pours the water into the mixing bowl. She sets the bowl on the ground in front of the registers and the dog goes crazy. 

At this point, there is a huge line of people wanting to purchase their items. My coworker was currently in the middle of a lengthy return process, unable to quickly help these customers. I was at a loss of what to do. Do I tell this woman and her dog to move over a little so I could help others? Or do I just wait for them to be done?

I waited for them to be done (which took about five minutes). The lady did clean up after her dog though, which was much appreciated. But I must say, I have never seen someone do that before.

I have also seen someone wear a tail and cat ears to our store and I'm not talking for Halloween. I'm talking about late February, early March. Kind of reminds me of People of Walmart, you know?

Our spring break was a week or so ago. Ryan and I took a trip to California (mostly Disneyland). The last time I went, I was 14 and I honestly don't remember much of it. We didn't stay at the park long; most of our trip was spent at a beach house (which I think was slightly better than Disneyland). This trip, however, we spent days in the park. We had a blast (and we ate a lot too!).

Crazy, crazy life!

Hey, it's Raquel! Remember me? 

Life in general has been super busy over the spring and summer months. It hasn't slowed down at all either now that I've started my third year of college (and I don't even have an associates degree yet, for shame!) and I'm working so many hours a week. In fact, I'm only writing this because I'm procrastinating homework.

These are some of our wedding photos. Which is also why I've neglected updating my blog. Wedding planning was seriously stressful. But everything turned out beautiful!