.GROWTH & LIFE.

.rainy day blues.

copeland.sr@hotmail.com (Stefanie) — Fri, 28 May 2010 13:08:00 +0000

so, it is currently raining. i guess that shouldn't be surprising to most since i live in the seattle area... however, on top of the rain, its been raining for a while and its freeezing! we are about 10 degrees cooler then normal. our high for the day is 56 degrees! eeeeek! all i can seem to do right now is dream of my upcoming honeymoon... 115 days isn't that far away, right? sigh. guess pictures from our last hawaii vacation in february will have to tide me over. anyhow.. tgif everyone! (if there is anyone even out there reading this... if not, tgif to me! haha)

ciao!

.mission: attempting clam chowder.

copeland.sr@hotmail.com (Stefanie) — Thu, 27 May 2010 13:28:00 +0000

i absolutely, 100% hate clams... or pretty much any shell fish with the exception of crab. its a texture issue, plus i think they are all chewy and gross! however, my fiance ♥loves♥ clams. he went clamming with a buddy a few weeks ago and brought home tons of the gross little critters. luckily they were all cleaned, vacuum packed and ready to freeze.

he knows i love to cook and bake, but i drew the line with the clams. i wasn't going to fry the critters, or do anything with them. he looked so disappointed, so i decided to compromise (which, i believe is the source of a great relationship) with clam chowder. i've had it before - it reminds me of potato chowder, but i always end up picking out the gross little clam pieces.

i had a heck of a time finding a recipe that looked good. everyone called for canned clams - what about the real deal fresh kind? finally a co-worker showed me a recipe she's been dying to try. i read it over and almost gagged - i had to go buy clam juice?? really? sick! but, i love my man and i'd do anything for him, including cooking something i absolutely cannot stand.

so, i get home, get a quick workout in and run upstairs (we live in a condo building) and rush to start his clam chowder. things were going really good at first, it was pretty much like making any other soup... saute the onions in delicious melted butter goodness, yadda yadda... i mean, until the very end it was alright. then came the moment of truth, i had to cut open the sealed baggy of clams. siiick! but, being the woman that i am (trying to be an awesome future wife), i soldiered through. the things were so stinky and slimy and disgusting. but i made it through.

when the chowder was all done, i was more interested in trying to get a decent picture of it to show to my mom then i was interested in actually eating the stuff. (my mother hates clams more then i do! lol. and she didn't believe i would actually cook them.) the chowder wasn't bad. i liked the flavor, minus the clams. although, in my defense, i did try multiple of them... i just can't get over the texture. yuckie!

anyhow, here is the picture... east hampton clam chowder with home-made biscuits!

.strawberry rhubarb deliciousness!.

copeland.sr@hotmail.com (Stefanie) — Sat, 15 May 2010 22:40:00 +0000

it feels so great to be able to bake again! johnny and i took a break from eating sweets/desserts and that meant my baking also went on a hiatus. i have been able to start baking again starting april 20, and boy oh boy am i a happy camper!!

last weekend my mom was very busy with moving/packing, etc. so we decided that we would spend time together and celebrate mother's day this weekend. i was given some rhubarb at work by a co-worker this week and i immediately began reminiscing about my childhood! my mom always made such yummy desserts with rhubarb because my grandparents have a big rhubarb plant in their garden. so in memory of my childhood, i decided a strawberry rhubarb crisp was in order! yuum!

can't wait to dive into this deliciousness tonight!

ciao! sc

.b f f.

copeland.sr@hotmail.com (Stefanie) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:37:00 +0000

yes, you read my title right - bff! haha. this blog is about my best friend kindle. we have been best friends since the day we met in 7th grade - which doesn't sound that impressive, but as we get older i'm certain it will. when we were 19, she decided to move to texas, get married and have a baby - it was a big year for her. lol. anyway, i hardly see her, maybe once or twice a year. and she is currently visiting washington (home) for a few weeks. i got to see her this week, tuesday and again on wednesday... and man, i sure miss her already. i just wanted to share a few pics of her and her adorable baby girl, kylee who is almost three. time seriously flies! i remember holding her when she was only hours old. gah!

stefanie and kindle

so cute! kylee and mama!

Mariss and Stef :)

the other cool thing about tuesday was that we did a big ladies dinner - and my two best friends marissa and kindle got to meet each other :) mariss is my maid of honor in my wedding, so i only thought it appropriate that she should meet the other bestie. lol.

me, amber and rach!

awwwh fun times.

ciao!

.the year in review (2009).

copeland.sr@hotmail.com (Stefanie) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:10:00 +0000

2009 has been over for some time, so i'm a little late doing this but i thought this could be fun to look back on. better late then never, right? we'll see! :)

1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
jumped. i am terribly scared of certain types of heights - i.e. cliffs that are slippery and high, with water below but the chance of hurting yourself terribly when you jump. lol. i jumped off a cliff at one of our most popular lakes around the tacoma/puyallup area... it took everything i had to do it!

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
i honestly do not think i made any last year! this year (2010) is going to be amazing though - already on the right track to keeping up on them!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
almost! she went into labor on january 3rd - we were all expecting her to go into labor around mid december!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
not this year...

5. What countries did you visit?
mexico

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
no debt! (well no credit card debt)... i have been working on it for almost a year - just a few more (about 6 months) months to go! student loans are a whooole different story. sigh.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
march 18 - our first vacation together (mexico!), memorial day weekend (sasquatch music festival), labor day weekend (dave matthews band concert), SEPTEMBER 19 (our one year anniversary/johnny proposed!)

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
to be honest, i'm unsure... it was a pretty uneventful year as far as 'achievements'.

9. What was your biggest failure?
i wouldn't say i 'failed' at anything either, but i definitely didn't apply to graduate school like i had hoped i would. there is always 2010 or 2011... 2010 is pretty packed!

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
for once - no! i was pretty healthy overall this year. only one really bad cold...other then that healthy!

11. What was the best thing you bought?
i think what is more important here is what i didn't buy! working toward paying off credit has been much more important. other then christmas gifts, i didn't really buy much and that is certainly an accomplishment for me!!!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
hmmm...

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
everyone i know is pretty respectful in their dress - thankfully!

14. Where did most of your money go?
u-g-h. credit cards! truck payment, groceries! lol.. it is soo much fun becoming an adult in the real world.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
getting married!!! :)

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
as sad as it is... "party in the usa". lol! somewhat of an inside joke between my girls and i!! :)

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
happier! thinner! ...richer, definitely richer...both monetarily an non-monetarily. life is goood.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
reading. taking pictures. being organized!

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
facebooking - that thing is way too time consuming, its sad!, stressing - life will figure its self out, no need to stress.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
christmas eve with the santie fam, christmas day with my madre, sis, et al., day after christmas with dad, aunts, grandparents, et al. :) three days of christmas - busy!!
21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
fell more in love! we fell in love in 2008... but 2009 only made it better!

22. What was your favorite TV program?
we don't have cable (our choice) but i loooove the biggest loser! i usually catch it on hulu. i also love gossip girls. lol, my two guilty pleasures!

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
i don't like the word 'hate'... i don't think there is anyone that i dislike right now...
24. What was the best book you read?
the twilight series... all i have to say is omg! too good! (i can't believe i read them! haha)

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
hmmm...

26. What did you want and get?
to be engaged! can't wait to get married!! :)

27. What did you want and not get?
a million dollars... but hey, i wasn't fully expecting it... ;)

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
avatar!!! amazing in imax 3d!

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
dinner with the family - my mom surprised me with having my best friend and niece show up... it was so perfect. i turned 23 - and then we flew to mexico two days later!! :)

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
all in all it was a pretty good year... i just feel like i didn't make any advancements as far as career/education, etc. which is driving me crazy. i feel as though i went to college for nothing... my bachelors degree is pointless at this stage in my life. :'(

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
very me - a little drab because i couldn't go shopping (paying off debt - ugh) but definitely me. classic, nothing fancy... timeless. love it!

32. What kept you sane?
my love! johnny is amazing. :)

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
i always have and always will love...britney spears! haha... i'm not really into celebrities though...

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
health care... could turn out to be a scary situation. we will see what 2010 has in store.

35. Who did you miss?
my brother - i really pray he gets his life back in order... :(

36. Who was the best new person you met?
amanda! she is such a sweet person.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
patience is a virtue - really - you need to learn to enjoy each stage, moment, etc. in life... you will never get that moment back! why try and rush through everything? what will you have to show for it when you look back at your life?

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"its my life, and its now or never... i ain't going to live forever, i just want to live while i'm aliiiive" oh bon jovi!

.slightly irritated.

copeland.sr@hotmail.com (Stefanie) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:36:00 +0000

sigh.

i'm getting slightly irritated. i'm finally starting to get the concepts of photography that i was letting myself get confused about. essentially, i was making things much more difficult then they needed to be. however (the reason i'm irritated) i canno seem to take a steady picture! wtf!? is this what the reality of my photography is going to be?? why, why, why.

ok... enough whining. but really, i can't believe i have such an unsteady hand. maybe i'm not cut out for a hobby in photography?

...i have my second class tonight, and then we're doing a photoshoot on saturday - that should be fun. maybe the instructor can give me some pointers on how to stabilize my shooting.

sorry for the boring blog, its kind of all thats on my mind at the moment. well that and the fact that i need to finish my save the dates, but in order to do that i need my fiance to come with me to purchase supplies! lol.

.good morning world.

copeland.sr@hotmail.com (Stefanie) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:43:00 +0000

morning!

there isn't much to talk about this morning, just another day of work, working out and stuff to do around the house. however, i am so blessed and grateful to have another day here with my family, friends and most importantly, my love!

yesterday morning there was a beautiful sunrise and i wanted to share it this morning. there is nothing quite like waking up to mt. rainier right out your window every morning. :)

god is good.
have a wonderful day!
(...you know to all my faithful blog followers... ugh, i keep telling myself that one day someone will read this blog, right?)

ciao!

.the countdown!.

copeland.sr@hotmail.com (Stefanie) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:19:00 +0000

When we (Johnny and I) first started dating, we decided that being the Washingtonians that we are - by about mid February to mid March, we are absolutely, 100% tired of the cold, wet and drab weather around here. So last year we took a little trip to warm, lovely Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It was such an amazing, all inclusive resort. Sigh. How I miss it! After that trip, we decided that every year around that time we simply need a vacation. After all, once you have children, it’s not so easy to just take off and fly around the country.

This year we got so blessed. Our friend Joe's birthday is in February. He's originally from Oahu, and for his birthday wants to go back. And the loving, amazing people that they are - invited us!! They have a house on the island that we can also stay in... we only had to pay for airfare. And of course, we got a great deal... round-trip, non-stop tickets for about $300ish a piece! Can't beat that! So we are going to Oahu! I have never been to Hawaii, so I am stoked beyond belief. Also, my aunt and cousins live on the big island, so we bought tickets to go over there for a full day. We are so blessed!

Wooo! The countdown is officially down to 30 days! February 19 can't come soon enough! Woo hooo!

On another note, I am so excited for this evening... my first photography class begins at 7p! Can't wait! I hope I learn a lot and can take some amazing photos in Hawaii...

Sigh. Well, I guess its that time - time to get ready for work... Hawaii you can't come soon enough!

…Reminiscing… I miss you Mexico!!

.another day....another dollar.

copeland.sr@hotmail.com (Stefanie) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:13:00 +0000

So I am obviously not doing very well with keeping this blog rolling. Its a little difficult when you know there is no one out there listening. But alternatively, it shouldn't matter. I opened this blogger account to learn about myself - to be able to measure my own personal growth.

Lately things seem so crazy - out of control actually! Time is flying by and I do not have enough time in the day to achieve everything I want to. Its driving me bizerk! It seems that all I do is wake up - spend some time with Johnny in the AM, go to work, either rush home or rush to the grocery store, rush to the gym, rush home to make dinner, relax for a few minutes.... sleep, repeat. Ugh. When will things slow down? I know this is a common theme that everyone goes through, but it doesn't make it any more fun! Haha. Oh and somewhere in there I have to try and plan this wedding!

Its exciting because we found our photographer and I am very excited about that! Jonandmochphotography.com They are awesome - and I have known Moch since we were probably 13? Awesome. :) Now just to get the Save the Dates out - and getting Johnny to get addresses from people. LOL. That part is the biggest challenge! ...

On another note, I am so excited for tomorrow! I am taking a photography class - finally! I have had my Canon Rebel Xti since January 2008 when I studied abroad in England and France. Unfortunately I didn't give myself enough time to learn how to use the camera before I left and since I've been home, I haven't made the time. So here we are, two years later in January 2010 and I am finally going to learn how to use it! Woo hoo! Johnny's friend's wife works for a church in the area and they offer music and arts classes - so its nice because the money from the class goes toward the church - on the flip side, it makes the class extremely affordable! So I will have class Tuesday ad Thursday from 7p-9p and Saturday from 9a-12p. Can't wait!! :)

Well I suppose I should get off my rear and get ready for work - yet another busy day ahead of me. And I don't get MLK day off. Sigh.

31 days and counting until vacation. It can't come soon enough! :)

xoxo, sc

.christmas cookies - round #1.

copeland.sr@hotmail.com (Stefanie) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:58:00 +0000

one thing about me - i love to bake. there is something special about it, the ability to create something is remarkable. likewise, i thoroughly enjoy watching people enjoy my creations! yum!

i made my first official batch of christmas cookies sunday. my fiance loves sugar cookies, so i make them frequently. i have been trying new recipes and haven't settled on one particular one being "the one". athough this recipe is a close first! they were soft and yummy. and i had a blast decorating them.

i think my helper did too! he's such an amazing guy - he even helps decorate! ;)

i was in the full christmas spirit last night, not only did i bake while watching christmas movies, i wrapped most of our presents. even though they won't be there long, i couldn't resist putting them under the tree!

i love this time of the year, and now that i'm getting married its so fun to start our own traditions. there are certain things that changed for me after my parents divorced, certain traditions that i miss terribly. so i'm taking charge and making them happen! i love christmas time, i can't believe its almost here. its gone so fast! i better get that last minute shopping done! oops!

xoxo,

src

.the first post.

copeland.sr@hotmail.com (Stefanie) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 23:34:00 +0000

the infamous first post. i never know what to write on these things. i have tried blogging before as i am sure most people have... i just never seem to be consistent. but i am going to give this another valiant effort! this time should hopefully be different, i want to be able to document my life, and this seems like a wonderful way.

i am recently engaged to the most amazing man i have ever met. i feel so blessed to have him in my life. we are getting married in about 9 months, the time is going slow yet fast at the same time. i want to be able to document the times leading up to the wedding because i am sure it will be memorable!

i'm sure you want to know more about me, but i believe that will be evident as a i post more blogs and pictures to accompany them. please, follow my blog, i promise it will become more exciting then this 'ice breaker' blog. i just needed to post something to get me started. there is nothing worse then starting with a clean slate! :) feel free to leave me comments, ask me questions, criticize me... don't worry, i can take it. i believe that criticism and interaction is what makes us grow as individuals. it allows us to step outside our comfort zones.

anyway, enough of that.

happy monday, hopefully it will be wonderful! four days until christmas!

xoxo,
src