Hi

I've been trying to wear my fitbit more... the new colorful bands definitely help. It's just crazy how many steps I take in one work day!!! It helps me feel a tiny bit better about being sore and exhausted every day when I get home from work.

(Calories burned not accurate, obviously)

I joined the 30-day yoga challenge today! This is a little strange for me because generally I "hate" yoga and refuse to do it, but for some reason I felt curious today. I went on youtube and searched "yoga" and the challenge was the first result. It's pretty cool & completely free. You get one video sent to you per day and they are only between 10-20 minutes. The first one was pretty low-key and I didn't really feel like I got a workout, but was definitely relaxed and my muscles feel oddly, kind of sore.

OK. I made the best drink EVER last night! Marvin's dad makes us home made sorrel every now and then because I am obsessed with it. Sorrel is a type of flower from the caribbean. The leaves are dried and then boiked to make a sort of... tea. This is what sorrel looks like in plant form:

The leaves are often boiled with cinnamon sticks and cloves. Marvin's Dad (and lots of others) adds simple syrup to make it sweet. It comes out a dark, deep, beautiful red:

YUM

And now the fun comes in. Last night I was thinking how much it looked like red wine. So I thought hmm.... how would sorrel sangria taste? I mixed half red wine (cabernet) and half sorrel. Squeeze some orange into it, added tons of ice and mixed it up. It was one of the best sangrias I've ever had and I'm so proud of myself for making it!

Sorrel Sangria

I also attempted to make parsnip fries last night. I just peeled and sliced a parsnip, tossed the slices in some olive oil and my new favorite Trader Joe's everyday seasoning:

I put this on everything.

Then I baked them at 450 for about 25 minutes. I don't know what caused me not to check on them.. but they came out really crispy... a little too crispy for me.

(I ate them anyway)

But alas! I tried again tonight, cooked them at 425 and flipped em halfway through. SO much better. I literally forgot they weren't french fries.

Dinner: Baked parsnip fries and homemade chicken noodle soup.

BRRR. This arctic freeze is seriously interfering with our daily walks. It is ridiculously cold out there.

-7 with wind chill!

But I'm definitely not complaining :-)

The cold never bothered me anyway.

Happy 2015!!! My first few days of the new year have consisted of LOTS of cooking and lots of relaxing. After all, we've approached the 6 month mark. It is now time for some serious beautification. 

Some of the cooking I've been doing....

His N Hers pizza! Can you guess which one is the veggie queen's? I have to admit, we used premade crust for these. We just couldn't wait 6 hours for the frozen dough to defrost!!!

Hers: mozzarella, olives, peppers, and kale. His: mozzarella and gouda,oeppers, onions, pepperoni!

Skinnytaste cauliflower fried rice. I am SO proud of myself for finally making this. It literally took 10-15 min from start to finish and tasted amazing. 

This is just how I currently feel about our plastic bag situation. Marvin refuses to throw out any unused bags and they are taking over my kitchen!!!!

Pumpkin muffins from trader joes Pumpkin Bread Mix with my adorable new muffin wrappers. 

This was the parking situation out front last week. Ridiculously amazing!!!

Trying to capture the first snow of 2015...

The fireworks at Prospect Park on NYE this year were outstanding. I am still convinced this is NYCs best kept NYE secret! Free, peaceful, not too crowded, and awesome. And because I don't know what else to do with these firework pics....

And...

And another...

Yes I was that girl taking pictures of fireworks...

Ok one more from the finale!

And that's it! But before I go, let's bring it back to 1991. No blogs, just good old paper diaries. What was my deepest darkest desire at age 6?

A pet horse, duh,

Sunset in a Cup.

Life in Pictures 

Homemade vanilla ice cream on Christmas Day

The newest addition to the Clement family... Kayanne

Christmas Day Dinner! YUM

Christmas morning - 30 years old and Santa still comes

Dennie and Adrian after Adrian's marble-in-nose scare

Mathias.. just chillin. On the floor

My funfetti cookies - a HUGE hit!

My first attempt at an Old Fashioned with our new bourbon

Homemade meatballs

Finished product

Homemade chicken soup

BUY THIS NOW. Its only at Trader Joe's for a limited time and.... is seriously...

The most delicious bread I have ever eaten.

I just think this pic of my mom and dad on her birthday is SO adorable.

And now... for some of my favorite Christmas gifts this year! (I am going to try to find all online pics, so here we go)

Anything to get me wearing my fitbit again! Love these wristband colors.

PJS and slippers galore! These are neither the slippers nor PJs I actually got, but I received a whopping 3 pairs of slippers, 1 pair of slipper socks, 2 pajama sets, 1 onesie pajama, 1 robe, and 1 pajama pants.  My God!

Yes I got this bake pan, but also a load of different all-natural Trader Joe's baking mixes! We've already baked 2 different breads and they were SO yummy.

This stuff is basically magic. I normally don't use any face lotion but I'm not kidding this makes my skin look awesome.

My new glittens! This is not my color but this is basically them in white.

Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes.

I cannot WAIT for 2015!!!! But before we go on to the next, here are some special moments from this past year:

January
Having Marvin's family over to our apartment for the first time for Marvin's birthday, and everyone meeting!

February
Weekend trip to DC to see my college roommates, and get a private tour of the White House

March
This was a big month... Our engagement!!! And the amazing birthday/engagement weekend that followed.

April
Nothing momentous this month... but lots of wedding venue research, and an amazingly relaxing Spring Break in Brooklyn

May
Marvin graduated with his MBA from Molloy! I was so proud of him. We also got a new camera, booked our venue, and two of my best friends and now bridesmaids (Ava & Jackie) had their babies!

June
Ummm, nothing too momentous here either. School ended! I started my first summer break in Brooklyn.

July
We had our engagement BBQ and got to celebrate with all of our family and friends

August
Two out-of-town weddings (Katie's in Portsmouth, Maine & Betsy's in Newburyport, MA) and my sister's HS graduation party.

September
Ok. So much of my year was marked by wedding planning accomplishments, HA! We booked our DJ, photographer, AND honeymoon. Lots of big ones checked off the list.

October
I said yes to the dress!! Chose bridesmaid dresses, celebrated our 2nd Halloween on the stoop, and participated in the Out of the Darkness Walk for the first time.

November
My second favorite holiday, Thanksgiving... lots of cooking, amazing food, and spending time with my new little cousin Vivian

December
Just wrapped up my first favorite holiday and had one of the best this year with lots of quality family and Marvin time.


Its funny. Aside from wedding planning related things, lots of my "most special memories" really centered around others' special events or celebrations. Weddings, graduations, birthdays. So how do we measure a year? By the accomplishments of the ones we love? The time we spend surrounded by family and friends? Or the personal achievements of goals we set for ourselves?

I guess for me, its all of that and then some.

The pure looks of joy on my friend's faces as they walk down the aisle, or stare into the eyes of their newborn. The sounds of my family, new and old, laughing and sharing stories (sometimes the same ones over and over) across tables filled with home-cooked food. The scent of my sisters' hair when they lean on my shoulder. The sighs of relief when a difficult moment has passed. The tears over shared grief, the comfort in moving on, helping, being helped. The tiny hands of new additions to family and friends. The excited anticipation over upcoming endeavors, the bittersweet satisfaction when they end.

Marvin. His open-mouthed smile, his eyelashes resting on his cheek, his hand covering mine. His neck, stretching over a crowd, locking eyes with my own, reminding me: I am here. The word forever; inviting, exhilarating, comforting... a soft blanket I can finally tuck myself into.

And, yet. As I begin to end this post, the gray clouds open and spew snowflakes frantically. I pause and lift my eyes to the window, watch. Less than a minute passes, the snowflakes recede, the sun peeks from between the leaves. What is it that the universe is reminding to remember?

My Grandma.

Should we measure our years by loss? I think, yes. Loss becomes part of who we are by defining how we move on. This year I kissed my grandmother's cheek for the last time. I miss her every day. But I know she has left her mark on me, and will therefore leave her mark on generations to come. So don't worry Grandma, I didn't forget about you. I just know you will continue to live on in 2015, and the year after that, and after that, and so on...

Forever is composed of nows.

I was just about to write a holiday post and realized there was still one sitting in drafts! So as I sit here half watching 90 Day Fiancé & drinking and Old Fashioned, I'll quickly finish up this post.

Lots of family events going on lately, even before the holidays. Here's Marvin with his nephews during his parents special Thanksgiving mass (and our 3 year anniversary!)

We've been trying to go back to a Paleo/Whole 30 lifestyle again.. Very VERY difficult with the holidays. But anyway, cage free organic egg, grass-fed organic ground beef/turkey, and sweet potatoes have been a STAPLE in making this transition again. 

Scrambled Eggs with sweet potato hash, ground turkey sausage, and avocado.

A big 'ol plate of sweet potato hash

A big 'ol pot of ground turkey sausage

A delicious dinner of sweet potato hash and ground turkey, with a yummy fried egg on top 

Santa and Rudolph at Trishy's Christmas party

And Brooklyn looking absolutely adorable with her little Afro puffs!