A Bicycle Built for Two - A Blog About Food, Healthy Living, and The Adventures of Life

Gender Reveal Video

noreply@blogger.com (Cait Jensen) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 23:09:00 +0000

Check out our newest blog to see our gender reveal video!

http://www.thejensenblog.com/2012/09/its-boy.html

A Bicycle Built for 3

noreply@blogger.com (Cait Jensen) — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:02:00 +0000

Out with the old and in the with new :)

Check it out HERE!

Havas Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Cait Jensen) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 14:19:00 +0000

This past weekend my best friend, Nikki, married her best friend, Brandon. We celebrated the two of them in Annapolis, MD...one of my favorite towns :) Nikki planned every little detail of her day, making it truly perfect. Here are some pictures we took along with their wedding video that Jeff filmed and put together for them.

Downtown Annapolis is THE perfect place for wedding pictures!

Rach and I on the dancefloor :)

And so you can feel like you were there...here is the VIDEO! I dare you not to cry. I sure did. So happy for my friends, and of course jealous that they are on the beaches of Mexico right now while I lay in bed working ;)

Tater Tot Egg Casserole

noreply@blogger.com (Cait Jensen) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 20:36:00 +0000

I should have titled this post "sleepover casserole" since that is how my sister and I always referred to this breakfast my mom used to make us. It is an easy casserole that everyone loves, so my mom always made it whenever we had friends sleepover. I am still making it for sleepovers of my own :) I made this a few weekends ago for Nikki's bachelorette party.

Ingredients:

-1 package tater tots

-1/3 cup melted butter

-1/2 lb sausage

-3/4 cup milk

-4-5 eggs

-1 tablespoon worchester sauce

-1 tablespoon cornstarch

-1/2 lb velveeta cheese

First, bake the tater tots with melted butter at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Brown 1/2 lb of sausage. Mix together 3/4 cup milk, 4-5 eggs, 1 tablespoon worchester sauce and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Put the tater tots in a baking dish and spread the sausage (cut up) evenly over tater tots. Then, pour the egg mixture over all. Cube the velveeta cheese and sprinkle evenly over casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until cheese is melted and the casserole is brown around edges!

He seemed to enjoy it :)

I'll leave you with a few pictures of the three of us that my dad recently took for a new website design we are working on...

I love my two boys more than words can express :)

I am Muriel Jean's Grandaughter...

noreply@blogger.com (Cait Jensen) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 20:34:00 +0000

Muriel Jean-the name of my beloved grandmother. A mother to 4, grandmother to 15, great-grandmother to 1 and another one the way. She was no ordinary grandmother...

Mammy (as all of her grandchildren call her) was young. She was full of life. She was spunky & witty, always saying exactly what was on her mind (my family says I take after her in this way). She created her own "Mammyisms," as we called them-often mixing up sayings such as "two heads are better than none." Or, "I'm going to visit the ARmish today." She pronounced words in her own way and always declared that she was pronouncing them the right way. She was THE most creative person I have ever met. She created bears, purses, watches, quilts, bridal bags, sock monkeys, headbands, scarfs, socks...you name it, she has made it. She could create something from nothing-a true artist. Remember the flowers on my wedding dress? She made those-out of lingerie from the Good Will-I guess they served as my something old, and something borrowed ;) Everything I know about creating she has taught me. I would not be the crafter I am today without her knowledge. I strive to know the things she knew one day. She was no ordinary grandmother...

Mammy never had an easy life-she endured a rough childhood and upbringing, a loss of a husband, a loss of a son and two cancer diagnoses. Yet, she never complained. She never whined about doctors appointments or chemo, she actually enjoyed it-often telling me, "I hope I have chemo today...they treat me like a queen there and I get free lunch!" She had a strong faith in the Lord and believed that we were made to know God and follow God. She continually brought joy to people's lives through her crafts, jokes and simply her smile. Did I forget to mention she was one beautiful woman?...always wearing the most perfect colored lipstick and flower headband in her hair, which of course matched her outfit. She was no ordinary grandmother...

My family lived with my Mammy two separate times throughout my life. Once when I was 3-4 years old and again my first year of high school. I can't count the number of times we danced in her kitchen together, ate chocolate cake until we "blew up like wood ticks" (as she would say) or talked over a cup of coffee at 3:00 in the afternoon (she always needed her afternoon cup of coffee to survive the rest of the day). My mammy was no ordinary grandmother...she was so much more...

After her passing, my mom found a letter she wrote to her children and grandchildren a few weeks before. The letter was read at her burial this past Saturday. The words she wrote I will forever hold in my heart, and I hope you will also...

"Follow your dreams never give up and be happy along the way. I have made mistakes, nobody is perfect, but I always had your best interest in mind and always did the best I could to the best of my ability. For what I have learned out of life is that no one should do good for the sake of reward and that there is no end of good that can be done by those who don't care who gets the credit. We always forget that we are on trail on this earth. We were made to know God, to love God and to try and get back to Him in heaven."

My Mammy has found her way to heaven. She is there now-with my pop-pop and uncle, who passed away only a few weeks before her. And although I am shocked and saddened with the thought of not having my crazy Mammy around, I can rejoice in knowing that I will one day dance again with her...only not in the kitchen, but in heaven.

(This photo was taken on Christmas Eve this past year)

(All of her grandchildren-minus one-wearing purple in honor of her after her memorial service)

It is well with my soul...

noreply@blogger.com (Cait Jensen) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:43:00 +0000

My beautiful Mammy (grandmother) passed away Wednesday morning. My newest tattoo has never seemed so appropriate...

I'll be back in a few days with many thoughts about this amazing woman has impacted my life...

UncommonGoods Product Review

noreply@blogger.com (Cait Jensen) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 19:52:00 +0000

A few weeks ago UncommonGoods contacted me asking if I would be interested in a product review for their company. Um...of course! I absolutely LOVE their website and unique and funny gifts. It took me a while (seriously hours) to finally decide on a few products to review, mostly because I wanted everything. Here is what I eventually decided on:

How fun are these? Jeff and I have boring salt and pepper shakers that we registered for so we thought this could spice things up a bit on our kitchen table! They seem to look much bigger in the picture below, but are the perfect size. UncommonGoods has tons of other beautiful wine glasses, but since jeff and I don't drink much we figured a wine shaped salt and pepper shaker was best ;) Made out of glass, dainty, fun and most of all...anything but ordinary.

I also could't resist this beautiful frame. You all know I love pictures. I love a good picture frame even more. I mean...pictures aren't that cool unless they have a cool frame to be displayed in. This frame is made of reclaimed wood and fits perfectly in with the decor of our home!

A picture of Wyatt fits perfectly :)

Need fun items to entertain with, beautiful home decor or gifts for one of the girls in your life? This is the website for you! I promise you won't be disappointed and neither will your guests when they see all of the fun and uncommon things you accumulate from this site!

Nikki's Bachelorette Party

noreply@blogger.com (Cait Jensen) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 23:27:00 +0000

In two weeks my best friend will marry the man of her dreams. So of course, this past weekend...we celebrated her last weekend as a single lady! We headed to OCMD (she lives about 20 minutes from there in Salisbury) and celebrated with a night out on the town. We started off at her fiancés grandparent's condo-snacking on candy and other appetizers. Here was a little mini candy bar I set up...

Fruit & Veggies so we could be somewhat healthy over the weekend...

We bought the girls coral necklaces to wear out since Nikki's wedding colors are coral & navy blue :)

Nikki had to complete a scavenger hunt throughout the night. After presents & appetizers we went out to dinner and then to a club/bar (the infamous Seacrets). For every once she completes, she got a pair of undies! She did almost all of them :) Let's just say #4 was her favorite. After a few drinks, she realized that she could make a lot of money with this one...and she did.

No bachelorette party is complete without "pin the junk on the hunk" (or brandon).

College roommates and best friends.

Competing #2..."kiss a bald guy's head."

Competing #3..."have a guy serenade you."

I wish I had more pictures from the bar after dinner...however my camera would not have survived there. At least we have these to remember this incredibly fun night!

Check back tomorrow for a product review from one of my favorite websites...Uncommon Goods!

Moving on to bigger & better things...

noreply@blogger.com (Cait Jensen) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 21:54:00 +0000

One thing you might not know about me is that I stress...a lot. I also worry...a lot. It runs in the family, I think. My mom, sister and I are all this way. And as hard as I try to not stress or worry about anything, I always seem to find something to worry about.

I thought moving to PA would cause all of the stress in my life (wh

ich was mostly being away from my family and traveling so much) to go away. Unfortunately I was wrong. So what am I stressing about? Our business. Jeff and I honestly could never have imagined our life where it is today. Our business is thriving more than we ever dreamed. We have booked well over 20 weddings for this upcoming season and realized that we may be in over our heads. So, I guess at least it was a good thing to stress about?

With working over 40 hours a week nannying, we realized that we had zero time to edit the engagement shoots we have had and definitely wouldn't have time for all of these weddings this spring/summer/fall. So, we took a leap of faith and I left my nannying job to focus on our business. Scary? Yes. But exciting. Yes!

I am still working part-time (from home) as a personal assistant for a friend that sells insurance but it really gives me time to focus on our clients and their pictures. I started my new life yesterday and can honestly say that I feel a weight lifted off of me. I am able to enjoy photography now, rather than feeling pressured to edit. I am able to go for a run in the morning and still have time to complete all of my work. I have time to visit my grandmother who is very sick every few days. Most importantly, I have time to do this...BLOG :)

Here is a picture of us from this past weekend. We visited friends in one of our favorite towns, Annapolis, MD!

Current Loves

noreply@blogger.com (Cait Jensen) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 02:30:00 +0000

...cooking dinner for my hubby.

((Tonight I made some pasta with vodka sauce and chicken-simple & quick yet delicious)).

...eating dinner (candlelight) with my hubby.

...Matt Kearney Pandora station.

...Pinterest. Well, I'm always loving Pinterest, but this week I am specifically loving these DIY fabric button earrings. I've made so many to match every outfit!

...Ollie. I fall more in love with this pup everyday.

...reading in bed each night next to Jeff. We've recently started setting aside a half hour each night to read. I'm reading "The Unlikely Disciple"...an amazing and hilarious book!

Our Photography Story

noreply@blogger.com (Cait Jensen) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:39:00 +0000

Read our photography story on our other blog today!

http://www.photographyjensen.com/2012/02/katelyn-james-workshop-opportunityour-story/

welcome back iphone

noreply@blogger.com (Cait Jensen) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:51:00 +0000

I used to have an iphone-then I got married and lived on a budget (goodbye unnecessary iphone). Since starting our photography business, Jeff and I realized that iphones would come in handy in many ways! There have been so many times we have said to each other, "I wish my phone was intelligent." So, two weeks ago we upgraded. It's been great! I've particularly enjoyed spending countless hours on Instagram. This app didn't exist when I had this phone 4 years ago. I thought I would share with you some of my photos from this past week...

I get to see my adorable nephew every morning. It's so great! Here's some morning lovin' in our jammies...

In my last post I mentioned that I spent Friday afternoon's with my grandmom (known to all of her grandchildren as "Mammy"). My mammy is an amazing crafter. I have learned everything I know from her and love learning more from her! On Friday we made scarfs out of t-shirts.

There are so many different ways to make these type of scarfs. Here's one of the ones we made together...

We're not the only ones that love living beneath my sister and brother-in-law. Ollie has built in playmates! He pretty much plays all day long. Spoiled, spoiled pup. Here's an oreo..

Finally, as you might have noticed...I dyed my hair. I can't last very long with one hairstyle or color. This style is called "ombre." My hair dresser warned me that this style isn't really "in" around here yet (although Drew Barrymore has it) and people might think my highlights are way grown out, but I didn't really care! My mom has always told me that "I walk to the beat of my own drum."

Home Sweet Home

noreply@blogger.com (Cait Jensen) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 03:20:00 +0000

Remember me? Probably not after all of these months away! I can't even believe I haven't blogged in months. But, when life happens...blogging doesn't. And life sure has been happening. We're all moved into our new home in PA and couldn't be happier :) We are living right under my sister, brother-in-law and adorable nephew and it is so much fun. Here is a little glimpse into our apartment:

We invested in a few new pieces of furniture since almost everything in our last apartment were hand me downs. I spent a lot of time at a antique shop near my parent's house also! That is where the shelf (an old shutter) and our coffee table (a chest which we put legs on) are from.

A few DIY projects of course took place! Like the "EAT" sign in the kitchen. Who wants to pay

$22 a letter from Anthropologie? Not I. These were under 10 dollars made with crafts from JoAnnes.

Hello new computer! We bought this bad boy to edit with. Great investment...we love it :) We have more weddings than we can probably handle this summer so it will definitely be put to good use. Say hello to the lovely Chelsey & Alyssa on our wall-two of our beautiful clients!

And finally, our bedroom. Well, half of it (I never took a picture of the other half). I do love the color green...

Our apartment is great-not only is it much bigger than our other one, but much nicer. It finally feels like home. We are missing so many people in NY, but are so happy to be back with my family when they need us most. The family I used to nanny for e-mail me last week saying, "There are reasons you were called home." Her words could not have been more true. My uncle passed away last week and I can't imagine not being home for that. My extended family is

extremely close and we all need each other right now. I was brought home to comfort my cousins. I was brought home to be a rock for my mom. I was brought home to spend my Fridays off with my grandmother who is fighting pancreatic cancer. I was brought home to make my sister laugh and remind her how important her job as a mother is each and every day. I guess the saying, "home is where your heart it" is true. And how can I not love life when I get to look at these two cuties every day?

(Wyatt, my nephew, is on the left and James, who I nanny for now, is on the right).

Much love from us to you!!

Keep reading. I promise now that we are all settled in, blogging will happen more.

My best friend...

noreply@blogger.com (Cait Jensen) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:10:00 +0000

For the past two years I have had a best friend (besides my husband, of course) and he is 3 years old. Yup, you heard me right. You may think that me claiming a 3 year old as my best friend is silly, but it's the truth. You see...

A best friend is always there for you. Sean has always been there for me. We have spent every day together for the past year and a half. He was there to have good, productive days with and there to have lazy days with. He was there to comfort me and there to make me laugh.

A best friend listens to you. I could tell Sean anything. If I was having a bad day, he often reminded me, "But Caityin, it's a beautiful, sunny day outside." He always listened to me and offered his advice. While shopping at Target and looking at shirts, he sometimes turned to me and said, "I'm not sure you like that one." He was the best listener...

A best friend takes care of you. When my toes were cold and blue (which was very often), Sean would cover them up with his "bumpy blanky" (his very favorite lovey) to warm them up. He would check their heartbeat by "doctoring" them, as he called it. When my belly hurt, he would tell me, "Caityin, the bathroom is right in the other room, go use it please." He constantly comorted me and encouraged me. His is on of the most compassionate and empathetic people I know, and yes, he is only three years old.

A best friend makes you laugh. Sean made me laugh daily! By saying huge vocabulary words such as accordingly, actually, avocado and crescent. By asking me to say the word "mummy" and when I pronounced it wrong saying, "It's ok, that's a hard word for you Caityin." By telling me that my sister should name her baby boy "Monster Truckey." By singing "Moves like Jagger" and "Life is a Highway" at the top of his lungs to me. By walking into our house and seeing a pillow completely destroyed by our pup and saying "Uh-oh, Ollie did something very naughty." By simply laughing-his belly laugh is contagious.

A best friend teaches you. Sean has taught me more about myself than most people in my life (including highly educated people such as professors, pastors, friends, etc.) He has taught me the simplicity of life, and that is ok to "roar" like a monster truck in the middle of Panera Bread or Dunkin Donuts (our favorite morning date spots). He has helped me learn the meaning of selflessness. Sean has taught me the true meaning of love...

Sean may never really know or understand the things he has taught me, but I think that is the biggest reason why he is my best friend. A true friend does the above things without even knowing it. They do them because they love you.

I will miss my little buddy and best friend more than I can even imagine right now (considering I am typing his as he is napping and we haven't even officially said our goodbye yet). And although he may not remember me in years down the road, he will forever hold a special place in my heart and I will always be grateful for him-for teaching me how to one day care for and love a child of my own...

Leftover Thanksgiving Paninis

noreply@blogger.com (Cait Jensen) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:06:00 +0000

We spent Thanksgiving with Jeff's family this year. All of his siblings weren't able to make it so it felt very different to celebrate without them. Much quieter which was sad yet relaxing at the same time :) With just a small amount of people, we were really able to spend quality time together. Thanksgiving day consisted of staying in our sweats, playing games, writing down and sharing what we are thankful for and of course stuffing our faces :) On Friday we made the trip to PA to be with my family and celebrate Jeff's 25th birthday! We spent the day shopping for furniture for our new apartment, went on a Panera coffee date, had dinner at Bonefish Grill with my parents and enjoyed dessert at my sister's house after. I would have loved to celebrate my birthday that way and I think Jeff did too!

On Sunday evening we had a quiet dinner with my parents before heading back to NY. My mom had the greatest idea to make paninis with Thanksgiving leftovers.

Ingredients:
-Whole wheat bread (fresh baked, thick is best)
-Stuffing (my mom makes the BEST with sausage in it)
-Turkey
-Cheddar cheese
-Cranberry Sauce

Simply put all of your ingredients together and grill on a George Foreman for a few minutes to melt the cheese and toast the bread!

Hi Mom! Hi Jeff!

We enjoyed our sandwiches with a bowl of sausage & lentil soup.

We have been busy organizing and packing for our move to PA this month. Jeff and I have had a lot of fun picking out new furniture and decorations for our new place. The furniture we have now we actually picked up off the side of the road one day. It is pretty nice, but we have always wanted to upgrade. That time is finally here! I have an exciting coffee table project that we have been working on and can't wait to share with you. It involves an antique trunk :)

Did you do any Black Friday shopping? I hate supporting Black Friday but Cyber Monday did convince us to make a big purchase. An imac :) Jeff will be like a little kid on Christmas morning when it comes next week. We have needed a new computer for a while and this will help so much with all of our photography editing.

I'll leave you with two pictures that are on our Christmas card this year...

Off to roast a chicken before the hubs gets home from class! Enjoy your night...I'll be spending mine drinking vanilla & cinnamon black tea while watching Top Chef :)

Philadelphia Marathon Re-Cap

noreply@blogger.com (Cait Jensen) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:10:00 +0000

Well, we've had one day to rest our legs and I'm sad to say that they are even more sore today than yesterday. We expected it, but I still hoped it wouldn't be true. My toes are worse than my legs-with Raynauds and MAJOR blisters I can barely walk. It was all worth the pain though! Where do I start with this re-cap? I guess I'll start the day before the race. You're in for a long post so hang in there with me ;)

Jeff and I headed into the city Saturday afternoon to visit the Expo and pick up our race packet. Things were a bit hectic in the city but we were settled into our hotel by 4 pm and waited for our friends, Kimberly and Joe to arrive. I picked up two bumper stickers at the Expo, one that obviously said 26.2 (because if I was running a whole marathon and, of course, was going to tell anyone driving behind me about it) and the other said this...

We had a few hours to relax before heading to dinner to get as much energy and calories before the race in the morning. Jeff and I ate a pasta dinner at our apartment together Friday night so we wouldn't overdo it the night before the race. The last thing you want is a sick stomach the night before or morning of! We were asleep by 10 pm and up around 4 am (only because we couldn't sleep). We had all of our alarms set for 5 am but at 4 I heard Jeff and Joe stirring in their beds because were were all so anxious and excited! We dressed, ate our oatmeal (Joe's race breakfast choice) and peanut butter and banana sandwich for Jeff and I and were on our way to the Art Museum for the start.

Our adrenaline kicked in right away-there were 30,000 runners and the anticipation of the start was so exciting. The ONLY complaint I have about the race was the bathroom situation-it was pure chaos. There were tons of porta potties but the lines were so unorganized that several people were unable to use the bathroom and just ended up going on the grass nearby. Thankfully Jeff, Joe and myself made it to one before the beginning of the race.

Around 7:15 our corral (grey) started to run. It was really happening! I have run the Philly half marathon so I knew what to expect but Jeff and Joe had not. We were all smiling at all of the many fans and bands around us. It was hard to keep a slow pace in the beginning because of adrenaline. But, we knew that we had to. With my Garmin watch we kept a steady 10 minute mile pace. So many people started off so quickly and we knew we would end up passing them towards the middle/end of the race. Sure enough, we did.

Mile 1-6 felt great. We knew our fans (My parents, Jeff's parents and Kimberly) were waiting for us around mile 6 which kept us going strong. When we saw them I threw off my headband (I was WAY too hot) and we also grabbed some GU chomps that my mom held onto for us. It was just what we needed to keep us going. There were SO many dogs the first half of the marathon and Jeff and I loved seeing them. It kept our spirits up.

The first 13 miles were actually pretty easy. There were two hills around mile 8 and 10 which were rough, but I had run them for my half and expected them. Our fans were waiting for us again at mile 13. This would be the last time we saw them until the finish since there was no way they could have seen us again and made it to the finish in time. We knew the second half of the race would be harder, not only because we were tired but also because we had no fans and knew that more than half of the runners were finished at the 13.1 mile marker. It was harder than we thought, though. We were no longer running in the downtown part of the city and although the roads were pretty, they weren't lined with any fans and were quite boring. You don't realize how helpful fans are until you don't have them anymore!

At mile 14, Jeff and I unfortunately lost Joe because we stopped to pee. We both felt the urge and knew we still had 12.2 miles to go. No one wants to feel uncomfortable for that long! We tried to catch up to Joe but didn't want to kill ourselves running too fast. We did, however, see him in several parts of the race when we had to run up and back, therefore passing the other runners on the way back. We gave him high fives twice! He did awesome.

Around mile 17 I started to struggle. There were a few gradual hills, my energy was low and I started feeling major pain in my feet, specifically my right big toe. A few times I said to Jeff, "My toe might be broken." He assured me it wasn't and told me to keep running :) The first time we walked was around mile 17/18 through the water station. It was super hard to run and drink at the same time without it going up our noses and we knew we needed all the hydration we could get to be able to finish strong.

Mile 18-20 were my least favorite. We went up into Manyunk and back. I HATE going up and back because you can see the runners coming back and you aren't. We couldn't really see where the turn around was and it felt way more than 2 miles. Once we made it around the turn though, we knew we were on our way back to the finish with only 6 miles to go! At this point our legs were done. We were in pain and exhausted but we knew how close we were. It was so encouraging to hear other runners cheering each other on. You really did feel like you were all in it together. I knew I wasn't the only one in pain and if the 70 year old man next to me could do it, so could I!

Once we saw mile 24, we picked up our pace a bit. We were SO close. We started searching for our family because we weren't exactly sure where they would be at the finish. Mile 25 felt like FOREVER. But then, I saw my brother-in-law and immediately knew my sister had surprised us! We didn't think she would be able to make it since Wyatt is a newborn, but it was such a beautiful, warm day that they decided to drive in to see us finish. With an 1/8 of a mile left I saw Laur running towards us...she was going to run into the finish with us! We both started crying-the only time I cried the entire race. I was overwhelmed with happiness and pain at the same time and my emotions got the best of me :)

We did it. My Garmin says we finished around 4:45 but our official race time said 4:52. Our goal was simply to finish, and we did. We saw the 4:30 pace group a few minutes ahead of the entire time and staying somewhat close behind them helped. We grabbed our medals and immediately hugged our amazing fans who woke up super early and dealt with the craziness of the city to cheer us on!

The aftermath...

So, will we be running another marathon? HECK no. My 4'11 body was not made to be a runner. As much as I want it to love running, it hates it...and hated me for putting it through 26.2 long miles. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. I'm sure labor/child birth is harder, but since I haven't experienced that yet...this most definitely was. I don't regret it at all. Running a marathon is one of the best things I have ever accomplished in my life...and doing it with my best friend and hubby by my side made it that much better :) I was saddened to hear that two runners collapsed after the marathon and died of heart attacks. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not push yourself beyond your ability if you are running a marathon-it is not worth it. I heard the news once we got home and broke down into tears. My heart hurts and goes out to the families who lost loved ones yesterday morning...

We are Marathon Runners...26.2!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Cait Jensen) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 22:13:00 +0000

We did it! We ran 26.2 miles and completed the Philadelphia Marathon. More pictures and details to come tomorrow, but right now we are enjoying resting our legs and feet while watching some football with our amazing family that supported us all day :) Thanks for all of your support the past few months!

Running alongside my best friend was the best part of it all...

3 days...

noreply@blogger.com (Cait Jensen) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:39:00 +0000

...UNTIL THE PHILADELPHIA MARATHON!

Hi friends! I figured it was time for an update since it has been a few days since I have been on here :) As always, life is busy. Jeff and I have been traveling to PA almost every weekend for photography shoots, job interviews and family events. Along with all of this we have continued our marathon training. We cannot wait until we are settled in PA and life calms down a bit. I received a job offer today which I am thrilled about and last weekend we found an apartment to live in starting in January. Even more exciting, the apartment is in the bottom of my sister's house! We are all so happy. With my new job I have off most Fridays and plan on spending all day with my sister and Wyatt :) Everything is falling into place and we couldn't be more thankful.

I'll share with you a pinterest project Jeff and I have been working on-a new bed for Ollie! We've been searching for the perfect antique suitcase for this project. A few weeks ago we found one on Ebay and made the purchase. I found an adorable throw blanket at Marshall's (with whales on it) to put inside. Jeff added the legs on the bottom with some wooden candlesticks we found at Michael's.

We wish it was a bigger, but Ollie still loves it. We find him laying in it, all curled up, every night :) We're going to start looking for one that's a bit bigger because for some reason we thought Ollie was smaller than he is. Of course there is a little toy in there for him, too.

I can't write a post without a few pictures of Wyatt, can I? Here's happy Wyatt and happy Aunt Cait...

And mad Wyatt and mad Aunt Cait...

My sister is the best mama in the whole world (besides our own mama of course). I have loved watching her love her little peanut...

Oh hello, there...

It doesn't get any cuter, people. He is simply amazing.

As you saw in the beginning of the post, we are THREE days away from running the Philadelphia Marathon! Jeff and I are running our last run before the race (2 short miles) this afternoon. I can hardly believe it is here. I might be more excited for the race to be over than it to start. Kidding (kind of). I am just excited for the day to be here and to accomplish something that has always been of dream of mine. More importantly, I get to accomplish it with my husband by my side. We are heading into Philly Saturday afternoon to visit the race Expo and staying the night so we are well rested for the beginning of the race at 7 am on Sunday! I'll be posting a race recap on Sunday evening or Monday (depending on how exhausted I am) so stay tuned.

One last picture that HAS to make you smile! Jeff has been wanting to take this picture for a long time. Last Sunday we finally got it! It took 3 people (1 driver, 1 photographer and 1 person to make sure Ollie didn't jump out the window) but we finally captured our pup in his glory...

Hope you are all doing well, thanks for always reading commenting :)

Linguine with Sausage & Spinach

noreply@blogger.com (Cait Jensen) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 03:00:00 +0000

Do you read A Full Measure of Happiness? If not, you should. If you do, then the title of this post might look a little familiar. The author of the above blog is a dear friend of mine. Jeff and I went for a run and since Lauren lives about 2.2 miles from us, we stopped in to say hi one night. While there, Lauren was making a dish that looked amazingly appetizing. I decided to go home and try something similar! I didn't have any broccoli rabe on hand, but did have some spinach. Both green-both taste great with pasta.

Ingredients:
-1 box of linguine (or some kind of pasta)
-1 package of Italian sausage
-1 can of diced tomatoes (with basil)
-1-2 cups of frozen spinach

Begin by cooking the sausage. Once the sausage is almost fully cooked, add the spinach and tomatoes to the pot. On a separate burner, cook the pasta while the sausage is cooking! Add the pasta with the rest and you have yourself and incredibly quick and easy dinner :) This can easily be made gluten-free with some gluten-free pasta.

Lauren and Fritz also dropped off an early Christmas present for me a few nights ago and it might be my favorite present EVER. I know, bold. They got me these bad boys...

What are they, you ask? Slippers. Microwavable slippers. Lauren and Fritz were in Bed Bath & Beyond and saw these and immediately thought of my and my blue (raynauds) toes. I am wearing them as I type this-they're wonderful! If you have cold toes, I highly suggest investing.

11 days until our marathon! AHH! We have 1 more "long" run (6 miles) on Friday and then a 3 miler and a 2 miler then 26.2. We are so ready...

Saturday morning....

noreply@blogger.com (Cait Jensen) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 00:51:00 +0000

Jeff and I have been so busy with our photography business! As much as I want to complain some days because of how busy we are and how we find ourselves with just about zero down time to relax, we are so so thankful that our business has taken off so quickly. This weekend we had 3 shoots-1 wedding, 1 family and 1 newborn triplet shoot! We have found that photography is not as easy as we thought it would be! It is surprisingly very stressful-weddings in particular.

As a photographer, you are not only in charge of capturing pictures and memories of the day, but also the time line in some cases (and that's a very important job on such a structured day!) If there is not a wedding coordinator, it is the photographer's job to know when the bride needs to be done certain pictures and on to the next event. So, we always spend a lot of time preparing the night and morning before heading to the wedding. We have to be ready to bring our "A" game! Saturday morning we started out with a great breakfast-eggs, spinach, sausage and cheese scramble. We needed something filling that would last us until our first break...this did the job!

I always spend time carefully picking out my outfit and getting ready-although you aren't in the spotlight at all the day of a wedding, you are always seen. Meaning, there are always possible clients watching you :)

We had some fun with Ollie while we gathered up our props for the photo booth we set up during receptions...

Ollie wishes he could be our assistant. He promised to even dress up with his top hat if we brought him along...

Oh, and...HAPPY Halloween! Sorry, are we a few days late? I guess that proves to you how crazy our week has been :)

Pork & Zucchini

noreply@blogger.com (Cait Jensen) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 01:05:00 +0000

For Christmas last year, my mom made my sister and I a book of family recipes. It was probably the best present I have ever received. Not only is it super practical, but also very special. She e-mailed several family members to get their "famous" recipes and wrote a little story to go with each one. For this recipe my mom wrote,"Growing up, this was my favorite recipe and the one meal I always requested that Dad make for my birthday dinner. I've change the recipe to an easier version but it is definitely one of my favorites!" Since it is my mom's favorite, it's mine too! If you need a quick and delicious dinner, this is for you...

Ingredients:

6-8 pork fingers (I used boneless pork chops but like pork fingers even better)
1 can diced tomatoes (with garlic, basil and oregano)
2 medium zucchini
1/2 can green salsa
1 can corn

Brown the pork in frying pan (I skipped this step to make this dinner even quicker). In a crock pot place in this order: pork first, cover with tomatoes, add 1/2 can of salsa. Cook on medium for 4 hours or until meat is cooked through. About one hour before it is done, add the sliced zucchini and corn.

I also made some pumpkin spice cookies while waiting for Jeff to get home from class. I hate Wednesday nights because he gets home so late. But I know it's a long day for him so I always try to have a good dinner and small dessert waiting for him when he arrives home :)

I surprisingly haven't eaten as much pumpkin as usual this fall. Jeff and I had a very busy weekend this past weekend. Ready to hear about it? It started with a 4 hour drive home Friday night. We woke up Saturday morning at 6 am and did our last long run-20 miles! It honestly wasn't too bad. Our legs were definitely sore at about mile 16, but we ended with no tears. After our run, we saw my nephew for a few hours before heading to an engagement shoot. After the shoot we drove 3 hours to Annapolis, MD where we stayed with some college friends before shooting a wedding in Maryland on Sunday. By the end of Sunday we were exhausted! Too bad we still had to drive 7 hours home (and get a speeding ticket in between). The weekend was so worth it though! Here are a few pictures of our stay in Annapolis...

Meet the Kupfer's and their little peanut! Bess and Morgan have been good friends of ours for many years. I played lacrosse with Bess in college. They are expecting their first baby in April and we could not be more excited for them :)

And I'll leave you with a photo that Jeff took of me at the engagement shoot Saturday night...

Potato Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Cait Jensen) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 18:06:00 +0000

I made potato soup for the first time a few nights ago! I didn't take great pictures but wanted to show you the few I did take. I used this recipe which was easy to follow. The recipe turned out great! It wasn't the healthiest soup in the world (at all) but it tasted great-just like a baked potato. Jeff and I don't normally eat heavy foods so our bellies were very full afterwards! It isn't something I would make or eat often but it was nice to enjoy on a perfect fall evening together :)

Lots of bacon. Lots of butter. Lots of cream. Lots of goodness!!

Our dinners have been quick and easy recently since we have been so busy with photography and marathon training, but this night's dinner was not quick! This soup took a while to cook but the end was worth the wait :) We enjoyed it while watching Up All Night, one of our new favorite shows, together.

If you haven't made potato soup yet, I suggest trying this recipe. Jeff and I have been crazy busy between traveling to PA to see my nephew, our photography business and marathon training. We are up to 19 miles...can you believe it? We can't. I am very anxious about the race but am hoping that my adrenaline pushes me through to the end on race day! I'll leave you with a few pictures we took yesterday. We recently upgraded one of our cameras to a Canon 5D Mark II so had some fun with the camera and a new lens yesterday at a nearby school/park...

This pup gets so much love it's ridiculous...

Off to watch the Giants!!! We haven't spent a weekend at our apartment for a while so it's been nice to just relax together today. Hope you are having as great of a day as we are...

Aunt Cait & Uncle Jeffrey

noreply@blogger.com (Cait Jensen) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 22:30:00 +0000

I have been MIA because I have been busy becoming an aunt to my sister's perfect little baby boy! I could not be more proud of my big sister and brother-in-law. They make one handsome baby boy.

I prayed for months that I would be home for the birth. Because we are living in N

Y and my sister in PA, I knew it would be hard for us to make it there for Wyatt's debut. I was so anxious and even started trying to plan different scenarios (quickly realzing that you can't plan a birth-especially for a baby that isn't your own). I truly believe that Jesus answered my prayers! I was right next to my sister her entire labor, exactly where I wanted and needed to be.

I've never been more proud of her. I already look up to her not only as a big sister now, but also as a mother. An amazing, compassionate mother that I one day hope to be as well. Jeff and I had to head back to NY Monday evening and Lauren and I both cried our eyes out sayin

g goodbye. My brother-in-law turned to me and asked, "When will we see you again?" I responded with snot running down my face, "Friday." He quickly rolled his eyes :) Yes, we cry about not seeing each other for 3 days. I am hating being away from them an

d counting down the hours until Friday is here!

Meet Wyatt Jeffrey Bryant.

Born at 11:19 am on Saturday.

Weighting 6 pounds, 3 ounces and 20 inches long.

The new family of 3...

She is already an amazing mama. Wyatt is so lucky...

My mom and dad (now Mimi and Poppy) looking at their grandson. This is one of my favorite pictures...

I am so in love...

The new family is now home. Everyone is doing really well!

Surviving Long Runs...

noreply@blogger.com (Cait Jensen) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 19:28:00 +0000

Jeff and I will be running the Philadelphia Marathon in less than 2 months! I can't believe how close it is...we have been training for so long and are so ready for this race to be here. Yesterday we ran our longest run yet-14 miles. I wish we could tell you all that we enjoyed running, but we honestly can't say that we do...especially runs that are so freaking long. We are not runners. I mean, come on, I am 4 foot 11 inches! My legs do not love to run. There are, however, a few things we do to make the runs a little more enjoyable....

1. Drink a lot of water the night before. Since we wake up and are out of the door by 7:00 am, we really don't want to drink prior to the run. So we don't cramp up on the run, we always drink a few full glasses of water the night before (and unfortunately end up waking to to pee in the middle of the night!).

2. Get a good night's sleep. The last thing you want is to be tired on a long run.

3. Have a pit stop half way through the run. The family I nanny for lives about 7 mi

les from us, so we left a bottle of water and 4 small packs of gummy bears there to drink/eat half way. Although it is always hard to get our legs moving again for the last 7 miles, it is so helpful to get some calories and sugar into our bodies! We also stopped again around mile 11 for a bathroom break and some water at Panera. It is helpful to find places along your run to stop and re-hydrate.

4. Run with a partner. Jeff and I encourage each other the entire run. It is usually me (Cait) that wants to stop and complain, but Jeff always convinces me to keep running! Randomly throughout the run you will always hear us saying to one another, "Great job" or "We got this." The little encouragement helps so much.

5. Don't plan anything for the rest of the day. After our run yesterday we had a portrait shoot for our photography business-bad idea. We were completely exhausted and both ended our day with headaches :/ Take the day to relax! And remember to re-fuel with a meal after the run. Yesterday we stopped at a bagel shop and had some sandwiches on bagels-so good!

So, there you have it. Some things we do to help us through our runs. I'm pretty sure every run I turn to Jeff and say "I can't go anymore. There is no way I can run a full marathon." But we are so close! We have 3 more long runs left in our training program-16 miles, 18 miles, 20 miles.

I felt encouraged after yesterday's run, though. We ran our quickest average pace yet (about 9:45/10 minute miles) and I felt good the entire run. Some days runs go well and other days they don't.

We have already run more than a half marathon, so I know we can do it! Is anyone else training for a half or full marathon? If so, how is it going?

Mini Apple Pies

noreply@blogger.com (Cait Jensen) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 23:58:00 +0000

I promised you a recipe involving apples, so here it is! It is pretty adorable if I do say so myself. I wish I could take credit, however I found this recipe on foodgawker one day. I adapted it a bit, but mostly stuck to what this blog advised. A big thank you to Cat (the author of the blog) for coming up with this great, adorable and tasty fall recipe :)

Ingredients:
-1 box pie crusts (2 crusts per box)
-3-5 apples (I used granny smith)
-1/4 cup sugar
-1/4 cup brown sugar
-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
-2 tablespoons melted butter

First, peel and cut the apples into small pieces. Remember that it will be easier if you peel the apple before you cut it (something I forgot and hated myself for :)

Toss the cut up apples with the sugar and cinnamon and mix well.

Cut the pie crusts with a circle cookie cutter, or if you don't have one, use a mug like we did! The circle should be a little larger than the muffin cup size.

Press the pie crust dough into the muffin pan.

Fill the dough cups with the apple mixture. It should be pretty full.

Top the mini pies with another circle of dough and press around the edges. Use a knife to cut 4 slits in the top of the pie. Top them with a little bit of butter and sprinkle some sugar on top. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes, or until browned, at 400 degrees! While they are baking, take pictures of your adorable pup...

And then of your handsome husband...

These are just too cute. And easy! If you are having guests over and need to impress them with a dessert, this is it.

So good and the perfect size. Enjoy it with some vanilla ice-cream and they're even better. Jeff and I ran 14 miles today for marathon training. I'll be back tomorrow to give you and update on marathon training and share with you some of our running tips :)