A Chubby Girl's Ode to Brussel's Pita Street

Pita Street, Oh Pita Street... a beacon of hope.
Weary from traveling, you rescued me mid-mope.
I set down my bag, and squeezed in the booth,
Immediately I felt at ease and so couth.

Your menus were simple, with prices so cheap,
Your kabobs are so sexy- stuffed so deep!
Yes that sounded dirty, but you must know the truth
Pita street = boner, and that is for sooth!


Add a good friend, and a raspberry beer...
With pitas in hand, we were so full of cheer!
Night after night, we came back for more
They knew us by name... yes, the Pita whores.

Cucumber sauce, corn and savory lamb,
I'm dreaming of Pitas- I am, I am!
One day I'll return and bring my hubby,
We will eat pitas and come back so chubby.


So the next time you ask me just what I'll eat,
I'll just close my eyes and think of Pita Street.
I wish so badly that I could apparate,
But this hungry girl needs to get something straight...


Kabobs and Pitas will always be there,
But for now, at my pictures I will have to stare.
When the time is right, I shall return
Until that day, my tummy will yearn!

Oh yea, this is powerful stuff

I am the definition of laziness, because I cannot find the time or inspiration to be consistent with blogging. We haven't been doing anything too exciting, but life is just beautiful of late. In addition to a slew of random and unorganized photos, here's a renewed promise - I'll be making a much more earnest effort to keep you all up to date on our lives. I know you're just itching to know every detail.

After the wedding, Jake and I went into Raleigh and made Build-a-Bears for Lily and Colton to say thank you for being such wonderful helpers at the wedding; it was a spontaneous date filled with fluff, fun and factory. Cheesecake Factory that is :)

Even though this is WAY out of date, I just wanted to show everyone how AMAZING my brother is. He came over for THanksgiving and stayed the weekend. We made a wonderful meal together: portobello- stuffed pork tenderloin, cornbread stuffing, garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus, baked mac and cheese, homemade citrus and cranberry relish and pumpkin roll/chocolate eclair for dessert. We could barely move afterwards but it was such a treat to be together.

We got a super crazy waffle maker for the wedding - this was the first batch :)

Jake and I went to Kinston with Mary, Derek and Allison to try out a new brewery called Mother Earth. It was a little strange because it was set up like a lounge; you could only purchase beer in house, but you could bring in anything from outside. We ordered a pizza, bought some pop and played euchre all night. It was good to get out with friends and just have a good time. Of course, I didn't drink any beer but Jake really liked it and bought a cup to remember the occasion :)

While we were home for Thanksgiving break, Jake and I went to Frankenmuth with my parents. Jake and I anihilated some Cracker Barrel breakfast and rocked out Bronner's -- my mom bought us an ornament for a our first married Christmas, Jake surprised me with some inside joke ornaments and I bought a big snowman sign that says The Howland Family. We had a great dinner at Zehnders and laughed so hard at my parents that we cried on two different occasions. I guess hickies are not proper dinner conversation... who would have thought? We walked around town and took some pictures, checked the lights out and drove over the covered bridge. On the way home we had to stop in EL to get gas, and it made me so sad! It always slips my mind how much I came to think of EL as my home... if it hadn't been 10:00 at night, I would have gone knocking on old friends' doors and perusing about on campus.

During Christmas break we had a great time. Jake finally got to spend some good time with Brayden, he had been missing him so much! We went sledding, watched movies, played with Stinky the Garbage Truck... and laughed. So cute :) It was good to be home with family, even with all the rounds we tried to make to see everyone. Hard to believe it will be June or July until we're back.

When we got back from break, I moved into the Media Center at work. I'm still interpreting, but it's a much welcomed change of pace being in the library. The days go by faster, I don't feel as confined and I get to spend more time socializing with the kids and my favorite work buddies. I busted my balls for the past two months to get the yearbook done - yes, one person doing a 56 page yearbook featuring nearly 1000 people - it was such a headache and there were a couple of occasions where I really thought I was going to lose it. No one wanted to cooperate or help, I was stretched thin with the 50 different hats I wear and the deadline just kept coming. I sent the final proof in yesterday, so the books should be here within a month. Everyone who saw the book gave it raving reviews and really showered me with compliments... I have to say it felt good because I EARNED THE PRAISE.

Jake is doing well in his classroom. He's almost through with his first year of teaching and I know he's learning a lot. The kids challenge him every day - whether it's discipline, not doing their work, etc. Even though it seems at times that he is at a disadvantage being somewhat inner-city, he really is changing the lives of some of these kids. I will never understand where his patience and compassion come from.

March is underway and it should prove to be a good month: NM visit, parent's coming down, final stages of the honeymoon countdown too! Jake and I bought the INSANITY workout DVD set... and it legitimately is insane. We want to tone up and feel our best when we hop on the big boat, so we figured diving head first would be the best plan with working out. The first night we did the work out, we were panting within 45 seconds... sweating within 3 minutes... and absolutely DRIPPING within 10 minutes. It's just non-stop movement, high HIGH intensity cardio and toning. We're pushing it, hopefully in a few weeks I'll have some good results to share.

Nothing much else is going on. We're starting the house hunt this weekend (have to get away from this townhouse) and will probably be joining a church within the next month. For the most part, taking it slow and soaking in all the experiences are our main priorities. We're waiting to see what doors will be opened next, and just trying to appreciate each other every day. We miss our family and friends so much that it's obscene, and we can't wait to spend the summer with you all.

Alright. Stop nodding off while reading this. I'll holla back soon <3>

So this is love?

Well, two months later and I have finally come to the point where I can reallllly talk about the wedding.

We got home and just crashed at my parents for some much needed sleep. I woke up early Wednesday morning and headed to the court house to apply for our marriage license. I was so happy to get it done, but when I left the courthouse my check book mysteriously disappeared… I still have no idea where it is.

When I pulled into the drive way, our beautiful get away car had just arrived. I am still waiting to get photos back but I know they will be amazing.

We spent the evening starting to decorate the church, and headed back early Thursday morning. Luckily our families were there to help, and a few bridal party members… they saved my butt. Literally could not have pulled it off without their hard work and creativity. I know everyone was tired and ready for the day to arrive, but they kept pushing!

Friday Jake and I picked up our license then parted ways. Courtney and I took Lily all over town – we had lunch, did a little shopping and we got our nails done. It was so nice to spend some time with both of them… and I loved seeing Lily at the nail salon.

She got her fingers and toes painted and she was adorable… we sang The Wheels on the Bus as we waited for our nails to dry and just had a wonderful time. She’s adorable.

When we were done, we hurried home and my long lost wifey met me at the house. I was so excited to see her that I could barely stand it. We got dressed and headed over to the rehearsal at the church. Everyone was there, everything was set up and we were ready to get it done. I was just happy to be accomplishing something, but a few of the bridesmaids really got choked up from the beginning. I thought to myself two things : “this is only the rehearsal, what’s going to happen when you all lose it tomorrow?!” and “I am so loved.” Dinner at the Beach Bar was yummy, we finished pretty fast and then everyone parted ways.


My sister arranged for me to stay at a cabin with some of my bridesmaids, and when I got to the house they had planned a lingerie party for me. We laughed and ate and drank and I had such a good time. I wanted to press pause because I knew the weekend was going too fast, I miss all of my friends so much and just cherished the time I had with them right then and there.

Not to mention the fact that they were showering me with some pretty fly gifts! We got to bed at a decent hour and Jake snuck a late night phone call in to me… I told him I’d be the one wearing the gorgeous dress tomorrow and that I would meet him at the altar. LOVE!

The morning of the wedding flew by. WE went to Tecumseh and got our hurr did, at some breakfast and tried to relax. I loved how my hair turned out wish it could be that sexy/fierce/glam every day.


At the church Jake and I exchanged gifts – and it’s well documented that we are huge cry babies, as each of us turned into a bucket of blubber opening our gifts.

I started getting nervous… we were taking photos and trying to be organized, but I got to a point where I didn’t want to speak to anyone. I just wanted to be by myself, still – with some time to think about what was actually going on around me. It still doesn’t seem like it actually happened.

The ceremony was 10000% more than what I thought it would be – I was so pleased with the music, the vows, and with the overwhelming sense of love I had for Jake and my family. Afterwards, we tried to hustle and get formal photos done… so rushed. Then we hopped out into the get away car to ride over to Somerset – and it wouldn’t start! I was so confused with what was going on that when they started pushing the car down the hill all I could do was laugh. What a memory.

Our photos at the orchard and the park were so much fun, filled with character and sass and the colors were so vivid.



We got back to the church as soon as we could, but of course we were over an hour late. I felt bad for making people wait, but at the same time I thought to myself “I’m never going to be in this dress, in this moment again… so let me have my pictures!”

We tried to eat and then get out to socialize as much as possible but we were far too ambitious. It was so frantic and I felt that no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t get to everyone. Without alcohol, people started leaving at an early hour – and for a while I was really disappointed because I thought that meant no dancing. After calming down, I got out on the dance floor and cut a mean rug with THE WORLDS BEST BRIDESMAIDS and the crew… a little bit of Mr. Jones, Shout and Journey was enough to suffice for this bride :)

Lily hurt herself and Colton was coming down with something, so my sister and mom had to leave early. This set everyone into confusion with clean up and organization but everyone pulled through to the max. I could not believe how willing people were to stay and rip things apart – so fast and so unselfishly. It meant so much to us. We finally got out of the church and to the hotel, had a few drinks and laughs with our friends and then celebrated the day together. We cuddled up in the wee hours of the morning, heated up our picnic basket of food from the reception and opened some cards… then fell asleep as husband and wife, which felt different but very natural and so certain.

The next morning Courtney and the babies came over, along with my Mom and Dad and Toby and we opened all the gifts.

It took all of our effort together to load the car back up on account of all the loot – but we drove back to Onsted and just basked in the glory of the wedding experience. I love my brother and sister, they were each so thoughtful with their gifts... not to mention we have so many beautiful things to frame and put up in our house that we shouldn't have to worry about decorating for a while :)

We spent the rest of our time at home trying to get everything together and organized. We said goodbye to the babies, to our parents and families, and what friends we could... then hit the road headed south. The trip back to NC went incredibly fast and we made good time.

There are some minor disappointments in regards to the reception, but over all I am so pleased with how the day turned out… and sooooo thankful that I never have to plan something like that again! My agenda is filled with living life as Mrs. Howland, and that’s that.

You must not know bout me

So it's been about two months since Jake and I made the big move to Goldsboro. As you might have been able to tell in the past post, it's not 100% butterflies and happy faces... but we're making it just fine. Together :)

Being as busy as it is, we haven't had the opportunity to explore NC that much, but we've done a few fun things.


Labor day weekend we went to Carolina Beach with our NC-bffs Mary and Derek for a lazy day at the beach... surprise, surprise -- Derek proposed! Since we met the two love birds, we've all been teasing Derek about when we was going to pop the question. Then out of no where he decides that he was going to DO IT.

He planned out a beautiful beach proposal. Jake helped put the the messages in bottles across the beach while I distracted Mary. After everyone was in place, she and I started walking down the shore... I didn't know how in the world I was supposed to get her to see the bottles - so I just blurted out "MARY, WHAT'S THAT?!" She knew what was coming next... a few clues later Derek was waiting for her by the water, got down on one knee and put a ring on it! It was very romantic and Jake and I felt so special to be a part of their day... they really have proven to be our biggest support down here. God took everything into consideration when steering us to the south :)

After we changed, we went out for a tasty dinner at Carrabas. NOM! The next day we all headed the opposite direction to go shopping in Raleigh. Mary and I took care of some wedding business while the boys wondered off by themselves and decided it would be a good idea to buy $25 worth of Lindt Truffles. I can't say it was the best idea, but I HAVE to credit them for the purchase. Now I know where to point the finger when my wedding dress doesn't fit. Or maybe I should blame the Cheesecake Factory... where we went for lunch that afternoon. WHOOPS :)

Jake stays busy during the week, but he likes to surprise me on the weekends. He drove me all the way to Raleigh again last weekend at 10:00 so I could see Eat, Pray, Love before it went out of theaters. Then last night he took me to the Wayne County Fair... it has been several years for both of us since going to a fair, so we were really excited. As soon as we got out of the car the smell of fair food pelted us in the face... and we decided the first thing we should do once we actually got into the fair was to find an ATM... to buy food. And more food. And then some more... to take home. We split a corn dog and a BBQ sandwich with coleslaw... then the SEXIEST grilled corn on the cob you could imagine.

Yes, we were crazy and put garlic and parmesan cheese on it... all over it... it was dirty and messy and greasy and amazing.

Then we went to go see about rides, and decided that it would be a better use of our money if we bought more food instead of riding rides. We were just being practical, you see.

Jake got hooked on the quarter machine. He made a friend with one of the carnies who ended up showing him the trick... at one point we were up like $9, but then we blew it. Those machines will get you every time! Today when I asked Jake what he wanted to do he said "well, we could go back to the fair, eat some corn and play the quarter machine...?" LORD.

We munched on an elephant ear, another corn on the cob, a glass of lemonade and THEN bought a huge bag of kettle korn to take home. Had to make up for lost time, right? I had such a good time :)

It's 2:55 right now. By this time in exactly 14 days, I should be signing a paper to change my name. You can start calling me Mrs. Howland, if you feel you need to practice. I'll be ready!

I don't drink soda, I drink POP...

Perks of life in the South:

1. Sweet tea

2. Barbecue

3. Mary and Derek ;)

4. Being able to wear winter clothes year round (chronic AC...such a waste of the budget)

5. LOTS of churches to choose from

6. a paycheck

7. The beach? Well... I really don't care, but for some it's nice

Flipside:

1. Southerners

2. Southern accents

3. lack of the mythical southern hospitality

4. Being away from our families

5. People who think they don't need to do their jobs or seem to not know anything of value

6. I'm missing fall :(

7. Bugs

8. The heat/humidity - my body suddenly feels 50 years older :(

9. The mail takes like 3 days longer to get here

10. Sales tax

11. There's no Meijer

12. ... This isn't Michigan.

18 days until the wedding... can't believe it. I still can't seem to make sense of how I got to this point, but it's ok. I feel faithful and loved and so excited for the change (isn't menopause called "the change?"). Hoping that the rest of this adulthood stuff falls into place once the wedding is wrapped up.

Note to self: They say you're only supposed to get married once in life because planning more than one wedding would probably kill you in about 3 days.

More news/pics soon <3

Just like crack, only better

Thoughts of the day:

1. Why even buy Oreos if they're not Double Stuf?
2. I wish Celine Dion wasn't such a guilty pleasure... LIZ, I thought of you today when I decided to rock out to my Celine playlist on the drive back up to school. So good. SO. GOOD.
3. I would really like to eat some ribs right now.
4. I think that the bottle return machine should accept your cans and bottles for recycling purposes even if the store doesn't accept that brand - because then I just have to throw the generics away and that's plain wasteful.
5. I figured out that if you say you work at Eastwood, almost all the restaurants will give you a discount. Perk of the day, yes... but I wish I had known that the past two years.
6. Is there anything better than sleeping on clean sheets, in a clean room while it's raining outside? Answer: not really.
7. There is a woman on Drew and Mike this morning who is aiming to be the world's heaviest female; she currently weighs 600 pounds and is aiming for 1000. Knowing what kind of vulgarity Drew and Mike usually operate under, why would you call in to talk to them and then get offended when people asked you condescendingly about your quality of life? And WHY would you ever want to weigh 1000 pounds?!
8. Did I mention I am craving ribs?
9. Pancheros corn salsa is just like crack, only better.
10. It would suck having to move over and over again in a European city; seeing as how they build up and not out, and how many of the older buildings don't have elevators equipped for more than three people at a time... yea, I just don't even want to think about it. I suppose I should be thankful that all I have to deal with are eight stairs to the parking lot.
11. I'm GORgeous ;)

Don't bother me anymore, and don't call me sugar...

In the past three weeks I have had a number of INSANE dreams about weddings... one could say it's all I ever think about any more. The most disturbing went a little something like this:

I woke up the day of my wedding and everybody had left the house for the church without me. WTF? I ended up driving myself to the church, pulling up to the back entrance and tried to park next to the door. There was a parking attendant there who ran up to my car and started shaking his head, saying very firmly that I was not allowed to park there. I pleaded with him and explained that I was the bride, the lot was full because of MY guests for MY wedding... but he just wasn't having it. He insisted that I park in the alternate lot. Finally, as a last minute thought, I flashed him my handicap pass and raised my eyebrows - to which he immediately ushered me to a handicapped spot right by the door. Being a cripple even has its perks in dream land.

So I got into the church, and it seemed more like a concert hall. It was PACKED, and everyone was dressed to the nines. I found my room and set all my stuff down -- my mom and sister and all my bridesmaids were buzzing around the room but didn't seem to notice that I had arrived. I sat down in front of the mirror and started brushing my hair, only to hear the pastor banging on the door, yelling that IT WAS TIME, IF YOU DON'T COME NOW WE CAN'T DO THIS. He literally came in and pulled me out by the arm. I kept screaming "but I don't have any make up on!" He didn't care at all. In a pew near the aisle I saw my friend Marissa, who was coloring a Sunday School coloring sheet with colored pencils. I grabbed the pencils out of her hand and ran up to the window, where I proceeded to color in my eyebrows and attempted to line my eyes.

I got up to the altar and Jake had dyed his hair black. He was in a very Adam Lambert-esque suit, kind of metallic silver and purple. He still looked good though :) I looked down at myself and saw that my dress had changed to a slutty black cocktail dress. I was so confused. When the ceremony was done, Jake and I left the sanctuary to a choreographed number and my mom yelled at me because she thought my dress "showed too much for being in church." I woke up and just laughed... nervously. Why am I obsessing? I still have five months!

I've finally broken down and started watching Say Yes to the Dress. Love it. LOVE IT. I find myself extra critical of other brides, and extra confident in my choice of dress. I can't wait until it gets here in June and I can try it on again. I just know I will love it.

Yesterday Jen and I went to David's Bridal to find her Bridesmaid dress, and there was this slightly older woman who was trying on bridal gowns in the room next to us. She had brought her own shoes - which were platform hot pink heels with huge gemstone flowers over the toe. All the David's Bridal girls were just oggling over the shoes : "Ohhhhh wooooooow. What great shoes! I just love them! Where ever did you find those?!" I just sat there and caught myself snarling... they were hideous stripper shoes. I listened to the description that the woman was giving of her wedding plans... she said that her fiance had found a real cheap zoot suit online and the morning of the wedding she was going to get her hair "Marylin-ed," obviously aiming for an on Hollywood theme. I think themes are ok - as long as you use them as a guideline. When you take it to that level - and you look like you're in a Halloween costume instead of a wedding dress - well that's just stupid. Anyone agree?

I felt sorry for her because all of the attendants were obviously lying to her... and I just knew that she would be the conversation topic in the lunch room. Not to be ridiculous, but I hope no one is secretly thinking of my plans like that. If you are, I'm sure if I want you to tell me or not. I'll get back to you on that.

I'm now officially done with my work at CAMP and Cosi. While I'm kind of sad to be leaving CAMP and all of the wonderful people there, I couldn't celebrate the end of the Cosi era. I don't know what happened in my mind, but ever since January my attitude has been in a steady decline. It just got to a point where every waking moment I was thinking about how bitter working there made me, and how taken advantage of I felt... and it was just a toxic experience. I think everyone sensed it too... so although I might have been a good worker, I'm sure they are glad to be rid of me and my smart ass comments. Oh well, two and a half years were enough.

So this past week I've been spending my time relaxing and unwinding. Jake and Kylee came up and we went out to eat, watched Avatar (awesome!) and worked on Jake's job search -- which is becoming more and more promising by the day! I still don't know what will happen, but I feel like each day that passes is just bringing us one day closer to the big move to NC. And I went to a career advising appointment this week, where I got a lot of good advice. Hopefully with those tips, I'll be able to find something temporary that will get me some experience or at least buy time to figure out what I want to do next. Adulthood is so overrated so far.

Next week I'll be going to NY to spend a few days with my sister and her kids. My nephew Colton will be one next weekend... I can't believe that a year ago I was hurrying home from the UK to see him as a new born. He is so loving and cuddly - I just adore him and know that he will be a beautiful person one day.

Tonight I'll be packing... which is one of the most stressful things ever. This time around I invested in about 10 large rubbermaid crates to pack in... instead of unstable banana boxes and jankity cardboard boxes. I think it will make moving easier and more organized. I've been trying to declutter lately - been giving alot of stuff to friends and even donating boxes full of junk to Goodwill. I look around and think, "oh yea... this will take no time." But I know it will be hard... it always is. Always. Moving just sucks a dick.

I finally broke down and started watching Glee the other day... LOVE IT! It's so corny and terrible that it just makes me feel happy. I always used to make fun of people who were obsessed with musicals, but I'm slowly finding out that I'm one of them. And I think that's ok.

RACHAEL- Have fun in Paris! Eat some brie and a macaroon for me!

JEN - pack your sunscreen and your mosquito net, and give Kofi lots of kisses!

DARREN- knock 'em dead in that interview!

Well, that's about all I have for now. I'm sure I'll be back in a week or two to bore you all with pointless comments from my daily experiences.