the day i drank a bug.

i always sleep with my nalgene right next to me. either on my nightstand or actually in my bed. nuzzled closely to my mouth for drinking purposes if i feel parched in the middle of the night.

this morning i woke up at 7 like i usually do. this morning i grabbed for my nalgene like i usually do. {it was sitting on my stand} and i took a big sip. not evaluating the fact that i left the lid unscrewed and hanging off. not observing any black objects floating around. until i felt it. on my tongue. something not the texture of water.

and there it was.

a little black gnat. grossssss.

that's what happens when you leave your window open that has a hole in the screen and you don't put the lid of your water bottle on. BE WARNED! each and every single one of you. it's a very concerning subject.

so instead of talking about bugs in our drinks...

let's talk about this...

the wonderful people over at foodbuzz teamed up with godiva and offered to send some featured publishers two bags of godiva's limited edition coffee.


when i heard about this-i jumped on board as quickly as ryan reynolds and scarjo ended their marriage.

needless to say, i was super stoked when i tore open that bag to find all this awesomeness!

currently i've been enjoying that pumpkin spice coffee as is. pumpkin spice grinds + cream + sugar = pure perfection! howeverrrr...i've been scanning the world wide web for some more amazing things to do with this coffee. and by darn it! i'm going to do just that. and when i do-it's going to be legen {wait for it} dary! but for the time being, this stuff is da bomb dot com allll by itself. i kid you not. so right now, if there is anything you do, it should be to run out to the grocery store and find yourself some of this stuff! MAKE LIKE NIKE AND DO IT!

next on the list:

helloooo, HOT buffalo marinade.

foodbuzz also teamed up with KC masterpiece in hopes some publishers would create a masterpiece. har har. get itttt?

so far, i've been a failure and haven't created squat. BUT...i love me some good marinades. and i loveeee KC masterpiece. it's a staple in the stout house. so there is no doubt that i see a hot chicken buffalo dip in my near future!

thanks foodbuzz tastemaker program! you're a gem! as are your saucy sponsors!

wide open spaces.

ouch.

my blog has been seriously neglected. it kind of breaks my heart to know i have let t h i s much time go by without so much as a hello. a howdy. a how ya doin' pal. a what's up. a hiii.

but here i am. saying all of that and more. i think.

i feel like things have been quite the whirlwind as of late. but that's all finishing up and life is slowly getting back on track. i mean, kind of.

so since we've lasted chatted, this is what i've been up to. brace yourselves. maybe take a seat. grab some coffee. and perhaps a blanket.

1. i made my first attempt at making a 4th of july cake.

it was supposed to look like a flag on the inside.
at least it tasted DELICIOUS!

2. i went on vacation to the outer banks. this was the first time in yearssss that we had everyone attend. {plus a few extras} i've been going to north carolina every summer with my family for as long as i can remember. it is one of my very favorite traditions/memories i have as a kid. but because of babies, weddings and jobs-it's been quite some time since the whole crew has gone. and this summer, we were all there.

i am super bummed we didn't get an entire group shot!

#majorfail

3. while on vacation, i tried my first pulled pork. apparently this is goooood stuff. and since i will try just about anything, and higgs is quite the chef, i gave it a go. however, i am just not a bbq fan. but i can totally see this being the bees knees if you are say, a bbq fan. which the men in the household definitely were.


4. i FINALLY tried square burger in franklin square. i was a very happy/satisfied girl!


5. i said goodbye to one of my fave co-workers. kerri, not a day goes by that i don't miss you. but i know physical therapy school is where you belong. make me proud, girllll.

i promise you, she does have two working eyes. i'm thinking she was either drunk at this point,
or channeling her inner pirate?

6. i watched a friend get married. and was very giddy over the reception being held in the old real world of philadelphia house. {we kept trying to figure our where the confessional was}

yay, kerri and jarred!

7. i celebrated my friends bachelorette party! erika and i have been friends since 1st grade! ain't she a cutie?

we had a blast!
so much, that i don't remember most of it.

8. and made her a man-cake to devour for the occasion. since the bride said NO strippers, i went with the faux version. i kept it PG-13 since we're all classy broads.

{thanks for the inspiration!}

9. i celebrated the engagement of my best friend. i can't believe she's getting married! eeek.

bride is the pretty tan one in the black dress.
posing with a few of her bridesmaids.
we're all shiny and messy looking because we were outside on the roof deck for hours.

10. stood by this gorgeous lady's side while she said her i do's.

congrats, matt and erika!
i loved being a part of your big day!!
couldn't be happier for you both!

11. i turned 27. yikes. i'm pretty positive that makes me in my late twenties now, eh? ohhh 27. i hope you're a real smash!

12. i watched this BEEutiful baby turn 1. i don't even know how it's possible that she's already a year. it kind of breaks my heart.

i love you, darbee!

12. i had my first blogger meet-up experience! it was really fun. and she was super adorable. and we had plenty to say. and it wasn't scary at all. i hope it's not my first and only hang-out sesh with this girly!

phewwwww. and now i am out!