Be first

Today's post is short and sweet, inspired by another life lesson (via email) from my good friend, Steve. This message is invaluable, so I hope it speaks to you as clearly as it spoke to me.

"The first to apologize is the bravest. The first to forgive is the strongest. And the first to forget is the happiest." -anon

So be first.

Far too much of our (precious) time, energy and emotion is wasted on holding grudges, being 'right', and allowing the past to engross our minds- And for what? Life's too short.

So let go, show a little love, and be first to put others ahead of yourself.

{this moment}

Inspired by SouleMama
A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

26 going on 14

So, listen. I realize that some most will not understand and/or appreciate what I'm about to tell you. I know this because I already get a lot of flack for it, but I'm going to say shout it out anyway, and I'm trusting that you will not judge me (pretty please).

I love Hanson.

YES- The easy-on-the-eyes, musically inclined, tender-hearted, all-American pop rocking trio of brothers, Hanson.

YES- MmmBop was/is their biggest hit of all time.

And NO- it's not their only song (and fyi, if it were, I would still love them because MmmBop is timeless). In fact, I'll have you know, that their newer songs are just as catchy, feel good and fun- like this, and this.

So YES (again)- I love them. And I don't care who knows it.

That's Hanson: Zac, Isaac and Taylor
{Swoon}

But why am I telling you this?

Well, I've loved them (and their music) since the ripe, old age of 14. But 12 years ago, it was acceptable to express your prepubesent puppy love by taping tacky, Tiger Beat centerfold posters of the ones you crushed on to your bedroom walls.

Ah, those were the days...

Obviously, I can't do that anymore. I'm 26, and I have more taste than that. Not to mention, it would be weird. Really weird, actually, and I don't think my husband would approve.

So this is my 'mature', grown-up way of expressing my long-time adoration for this band of bros. {Thank goodness for blogs}

Anyway, I was seriously reminded of this love after last Wednesday, when my friend and fellow Hanson lover, Laura, and I got in touch with our teenie-bopping selves at Hanson's show held at Carnegie Library Music Hall. 

That's us.
And a pic of Kiele (she loves Hanson, too).

That's our snack pile, and there's red wine in that cup.
The perfect, edible blend of our teenage/adult selves.

That's the stage.
It was beautiful.

Holy, 1997, It was magical! Singing along and acting like a giggly, hyper-active and mildly awkward teenage girl again never felt so good.

Love can make you do crazy things, I guess.

So cheers to the young at heart, and long live Hanson!

{this moment}

Inspired by SouleMama
A Friday ritual. A single 2 photos - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Say 'I love you'

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

I know it's super cliche (borderline boring) for a newly-wedded gal in her mid 20's to like love this holiday. But I do. I love it.

I love that there is one fun day, plopped right in the middle of one of the coldest of months of the year, that warms us up, and reminds us to say, 'I love you'.

Today is a day dedicated to the mushy-gushy, lovey-dovey, happy-sappy expression of our hearts, and it's just awesome...

Here's our adorably declared love pile.

Whether with kisses and hugs, cards, flowers, words, candy and chocolate, balloons, or in Chris' case, with a six-time Grammy winner's album and a <3 Pandora bead, JUST SAY IT.
Say 'I love you'.

Here's how I did...

 Peanut Butter & Chocolate-Covered PB Creme Oreos

(Try to say that five times fast)

YOU'LL NEED
-1 package of Oreo cookies
-1 tbsp. of creamy peanut butter
-1 package of semi-sweet chocolate chips
-Sprinkles (b/c everything's better with sprinkles)



Boil some water in a pot over medium heat, and place a glass or ceramic bowl over top of it.
Add the peanut butter and chocolate and stir until melted and smooth.

Dunk each cookie in the mixture, on both sides, until well coated.
Remove from the mixture with a fork, and carefully tap it on the edge of the bowl to get rid of any excess chocolate.

Place the cookies on a baking sheet, lined with plastic wrap, and decorate with sprinkles.
Refrigerate until the chocolate sets, and enjoy!

They taste really good, and I'm happy to say that my Valentine loved them! 

And FYI, to continue our tastey Valentine's Day binge, Chris and I are embarking on a romantic cinematic adventure tonight over a large bag of extra buttery popcorn. 

No dinner. Just popcorn... and soda pop.

I. Am. Excited.



{this moment}

Inspired by SouleMama
A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

A post for Chris

“Believe deep down in your heart

that you're destined to do great things.”

       Joseph Vincent Paterno

{this moment}

Inspired by SouleMama
A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Punxy Phil can suck it

Well kids, it's that time of year again: Groundhog Day 2012. I know you were just squirming with anticipation, as the world’s most famous and admired groundhog (I think he's the only one, really), Phil, emerged from his sleepy burrow this morning...

image via

Yup, lucky us. That furry jerk saw his shadow, allegedly. We’re in for six more weeks of winter. Not that this winter has been all that bad, I guess. But still, who is this Phil character, and how can he read the seasonal future?

As you know Phil is a groundhog- also known as a wood chuck, a whistle pig and a marmot.

I know a few farmers who have other names for these critters (particularly my father in law). But they aren't very nice names. So, I'll move on and say that Phil's kind are basically giant squirrels that dig holes and peeve the agriculturally inclined.

But why and how has that been considered a prerequisite for weather prediction since the late 1800's?

I mean, that's just silly.

And honestly, I never really thought twice about this strange superstition until I came to the area in 2004, when my glorious college days began at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

You see, Phil's home at Gobbler’s Knob, a hill outside of Punxsutawney, Pa., is about 45 minutes from here, so I know all about Phil and this beloved tradition of vermin weather reporting... I just don't get it.

I'm all about tradition and I think the Easter bunny is just adorable, but this 'holiday' is absurd. Let's get real, Phil is just a glorified pet, spoiled by a bunch of bearded, tuxedo and top-hat wearing men.

Yet this 'holiday' draws thousands of people to the area each year. Why do that many people get up that early in the morning to frigidly await the word of rodent handler, dressed up like Abe Lincoln?

Seriously, someone explain this to me.

Listings letter

Dear 'Keri me home' reader,

Hi! How are you? I thought I'd have some bloggy fun today by sharing a list with you. Lists are just the best. Don't you think? I'm not sure how I'd get anything accomplished without them. They focus my mind in such a wonderfully manageable way, and it seems like I've been making a lot of them lately: to-do; brainstorming; laundry; honey-do; grocery; wish...

Anyway, here's one of those recent lists that I thought might interest you.

"My New Favorite Things" List

1. Gummy vitamins
Have you tried these things yet? You should if you haven't. I have been taking vitamins regularly thanks to these little chewy delights, and so has Chris! Where were these things 20 years ago when I was secretly flushing my Flintstones vitamins down the toilet? They taste so good!

2. My dutch oven
Soups and roasts and stews, oh my! I'm pretty sure that you need one of these lovlies in your kitchen if you don't already have one, preferably in a fun, loud color. I've seriously been crushing on this thing since Christmas. In fact, it's found a permanent home on the stove top- because I can't bring myself to store something so beautiful in the gloomy darkness of a cupboard.

It's orange. It's shiny. It's awesome.

3. "Leadership Thoughts" emails
I think he's on to my adoration/appreciation of his helpful advice and encouragement, as my Gmail inbox has become a frequent destination for these 'thoughts'.
{Keep 'em coming, Steve. Thanks!}

*Here's an awesome link (it's a list, too) he sent not long ago that you should read: How To Be More Interesting (In 10 Simple Steps)

*And here's the latest one, which I find particularly inspiring since the start of a special project with one of my favorite people:

“So what do we do? Anything. Something. So long as we don’t just sit there. If we screw it up, start over. Try something else. If we wait until we’ve satisfied all the uncertainties, it may be too late.”
– Lee Iacocca

Don’t wait to take action in pursuing your goals of growth and positive change. Uncertainty is part of stepping out there. Trust yourself. Take the risk. To do nothing is to accept that this is as good as it gets, when the fact is most of us are not near what we can be.

Trust yourself. Don’t wait.

Take care, 
Steve

4. Rain boots
Yes. These cuties are a country gal's dream kicks, holding up to snow, water, mud... and cow pies. Do you have rain boots? What do they look like?

Mine are tweed.

5. Calving checks
OK, I know this sounds strange, and it's not even really a 'thing' I guess, but I think I'll call my recent obsession 'calf fever'. My symptoms include (but are not limited to) the constant checking on the arrival status of new calves. I feel like I'm always texting, calling and bothering Chris- but the answer is always, "nope" or, "not yet". Ugh. We've had a couple 'teasers' the past few days, and the anticipation is seriously testing my sanity. I just really don't want to miss the first of those fresh, tiny, furry baby cow faces. Because you know me, and you know that I love all babies, even ones with hooves. : )

That's all I have for today. What's on your list of new faves? I'd love to hear from you!

Love always,
Keri

P.s. In the spirit of list making, I hope you'll put "enjoy the day" on one of yours! After all, it is the first day of February, and we are that much closer to spring- which is just one reason to smile big.