Thanksgiving via Instagram

Would you believe I did not take a single picture over my Thanksgiving weekend? I have zero evidence that I was seated at a table of 30+ friends and family stuffing my face with Turkey Day goodies. So, I thought I'd recap the highlights with the little evidence I do have.

Wednesday evening: Thanksgiving Eve at the General Denver

The hubs and his family played at the annual Thanksgiving Eve event at our favorite Ohio locale (and as you may remember, site to our reception!)

Thanksgiving morning: TURKEY TROT!

I was originally just going to walk the whole thing with my MIL, but around Mile 1 started feeling inspired to jog the rest of the way. I didn't do great, but I didn't do terribly either so I'm counting it as a win.



Thursday evening: Friendsgiving

This was a few hours after stuffing our faces- we spent the night with some adult beverages and an incredibly inappropriate round or two of Cards Against Humanity.

Friday morning: Stuckert Women Donut-Making

My bro-in-law's girlfriend and I were initiated into the Stuckert family with our personalized aprons.

Many homemade donuts were made this day...many were eaten.

I spent Friday evening getting family Christmas pictures taken, eating my weight in turkey salad and watching crazy amounts of Christmas movies.

Saturday morning: Getting a new 'do

I legit chopped off over 11 inches of hair. Woah.

Saturday afternoon was spent at a 1-year old's birthday party. Holy cuteness.

Saturday evening: Holidazzle

Chuck and his brother provided the tunes for our friends' pre-Holidazzle get-together.

Holidazzle is Chuck's hometown's annual Christmas parade. It's basically a string of pick-up trucks draped with Christmas lights, but it's an amazing night filled with music, friends, drinks and fun. The Star Wars characters were my personal favorite.

Sunday afternoon: Going home

After a morning of recovering from the night before, this was my easily my favorite picture from the weekend, taken on our drive back to Pittsburgh :)

Hope everyone's Thanksgivings were as amazing as ours was!

Foodie Friday: Sexy Food [Part One]

Because the days of my food blog, Sustainably Kaity, will soon be coming to an end, I thought I would make Fridays my "Foodie Friday" days where I could reflect back on my short-lived career as a food blogger.

This post was originally published March 25, 2012.

In the midst of post-Spring Break research paper-writing hell, I am finding joy in small things. As much as trying to cram 25 pages worth of last-minute researching and writing can suck the life out of you, the fact is, writing a paper about the relationship between sex and food is awesome.

via

Here are some of the fun facts I've stumbled upon throughout my research thus far.

1. Flavor is linked to color. 

In colorless taste tests, participants had trouble determining common flavors without the aid of visual cues (i.e. Purple=grape, Red=cherry).

2. It has been found that a passion for food may translate into...other areas. 

Apparently, chefs make excellent lovers. Time to get our hubbies in the kitchen! ;)

via

3. Obesity may be a sign of sexual difficulty/dysfunction. 

Often times, people will substitute food for sex.

4. The way in which a person eats, may indicate their potential in the bedroom. 

Someone who races through a meal may not be a great second-date candidate.

5. Certain smells increase blood flow to the penis. 

Researchers were surprised to find that the most effective scent was...pumpkin pie!

via

It's fascinating how inextricably linked food and sex are and it is unsurprising that someone who seeks pleasure and passion out of life would be able to make such a connection.

Be sure to stay tuned for more fun tidbits as my research continues to take shape and as I take things into my own hands with some aphrodisiac recipes. Things could get spicy around here!

(Side note: This was such a fun paper to write and definitely had me thinking differently about the dessert options this Thanksgiving week ;)

Sunday Blessings {Link-Up}

This week has tuckered me out! I'm scraping together just enough energy to count my blessings today, but believe me, they're there.

<center> <a href="http://kaitybest.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc367/KaityBest/SundayBlessings-1.jpg" /></a></center>
job
You may remember me talking about how I recently withdrew from grad school in order to chip away at my mountain of student loan debt, here. The only way, in fact, that I can begin to pay my debt off, is by obtaining a second job. Which as of, Friday, I have done. 
Working as a minimum-wage paid cashier at a nearby grocery store is not exactly what I was hoping for. But after I had some recently unemployed friends remind me how fortunate I am to have not one, but two jobs, I promptly zipped my lips and began thanking God for this opportunity.
tech fun
As I drove to work on Friday, already in a less-than-favorable mood, I noticed my Blackberry was getting really hot. When I tried to unplug it from the car charger, the screen went black and life as I knew it had ended.
In actuality, it wasn't all bad. Hubby has been due for an upgrade so I stole his and got myself a fancy schmancy Droid. I know I'm like 2 years behind, but seriously, how awesome are Instagram and Draw Something?!
home
Chuck and I really struggle some days with being so far away from our friends and family. We constantly have to remind ourselves to stop counting down the days when can move back "home" and remember that for now, Pittsburgh IS our home. There are difficult days, but I'm also so incredibly thankful that we have this time to adjust to married life and build our family without distraction.
blog love
Seriously, to the ladies that commented on my last post. You all are amazing. I'm so humbled by the outpouring of love and encouragement I've received recently, it just blows my mind. I've really started to be more intentional about writing for me, and sticking to what's on my heart, rather than posting silly, superficial things that I think people want to see. The response to my honest thoughts has been overwhelming and I'm just so stinkin' happy to have found such wonderful people through the blogging community.
tis the season
Can you believe Thanksgiving is here already?! Holy cow! We're leaving Wednesday after work for a few days spent with Chuck's family in Ohio. It's going to be an activity-filled weekend with a Turkey Trot, Thanksgiving Dinner and Family Christmas photos, but I'm so ready for it to be here.
And because I'm a freak about Christmas, we kicked off our Christmas-movie-watching of the season with Elf yesterday and decorated the tree a few nights ago!

Follow me on Instagram!

We're still in dire need of some more decorations, but I figure with 50+ years of marriage ahead of us, we'll find the time :)

P.S. Don't forget to enter the Secret Santa Swap!

Two Become One

I need some love, like I never needed love before...

Spice Girls? Anyone? No? Okay, moving on...

via

I've been in a weird state of mind the last couple days. I'm pretty sure 95% of the reason can be attributed to my time of the month, but about 5% is something else. I don't know how other girls do it. I read all these blogs by ladies who have been married not much longer than I have and they make it seem so...easy. Like this magical transition between boyfriend/girlfriend to husband/wife should be more seamless and natural than it is for me.

Don't get me wrong, not a day has gone by when I've doubted the decision I made two and a half months ago, or haven't silently thanked God for the kind, sweet and perfect-for-me husband I have. But switching my mindset from that of a "single" (in a matter of speaking) lady to someone eternally bound to the hip of Charles A. Stuckert is taking some getting used to.

I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that Chuck and I live in a city where our closest friends and/or family are four hours away. We have zero friends in Pittsburgh. Any social interations we have are with our co-workers, or each other. I know what a long-distance relationship feels like, so I do treasure all this time with my new husband. However, I'm starting to feel less like me, and more like Chuck-and-Kaity.

I mean, I guess I should have known this is what I was signing up for when I recited "...in sickness and in health...", but I never wanted to be the woman who lost her identity as a person to be someone's wife. I just...don't know where the middle ground lies quite yet.

Chuck's brother is coming to town this evening to stay with us for a couple days. As excited as I am to clock in some Stuckert family time, I'm also really excited by the idea that I'll have time to myself. I can clean, I can read, I can do some exploring in Pittsburgh. I can do what makes me, Kaity Best Stuckert, happy. The idea of being just me is very comforting at the moment. 

So, any advice from married ladies out there? 

How did you maintain your individuality while still becoming one with your husband?

Where is the balance?

Pre-Thanksgiving

As I mentioned yesterday, since Chuck and I will be spending Thanksgiving with his family in Ohio, we road-tripped it to New Jersey this past weekend to celebrate Pre-Thanksgiving with my side!

Family portrait after Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner

Ball ladies

Liberty Science Center just outside NYC

My sister and hubby in front of the Hoberman Sphere

We make 3D glasses look...good

This exhibit was so much fun! We got to see how cartoons are made!

My sister and I ventured off on our own for a little while
and this is what we came back to...

Kelly trying out the arm hang

My family making cartoon sound effects :)

Kelly was a body invader and Chuck was a macrophage, protecting the body.
See, I actually learned something! 

It was short-lived, but such a fun weekend with my family. My Grandma and step-dad are both quirky characters, so to have them both in the same room made for lots of laughs. I hadn't seen my Grandma since before Chuck and I got engaged- needless to say, it was beyond wonderful to be with her.

Yesterday, Chuck and I both had off from work. So we spent way too much time with out butts plopped on the couch, did some grocery shopping and caught up from a whirlwind weekend of traveling. 

Pre-Thanksgiving 2012 got two big thumbs up!

(How we occupy ourselves in the car for 6 hours...)

Sunday Blessings...on a Monday

I never got around to posting my Sunday Blessings yesterday, because I've been so busy the past few days! So today, I'm taking some time to share all the wonderful little moments God has graced me with this week.

<center> <a href="http://kaitybest.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc367/KaityBest/SundayBlessings-1.jpg" /></a></center>
hubby This one is a given every week, but just look at what I stumbled upon a chilly morning this week en route to work...

family

Because we are spending Thanksgiving with Chuck's family in Ohio this year, we had a "Pre-Thanksgiving" this weekend in New Jersey with my family. I got to see my mom, sister, step-dad and cousins for the first time since the wedding and got to see my amazing, wonderful Grandma for the first time in a year and a half! It was the best weekend we've had in awhile, so stay tuned for pictures to come :)

christmas fun!

You may recall me mentioning I was participating in this ornament swap...

Well friends, I seriously got matched with the best swap partner ever. Kait @ GridIron Lipstick sent me the cutest ornament! We found out that we're both PA girls, and after I told her I had partied at her alma mater in college, she sent me such a fun ornament from Pier 1!

via

Thanks Kait! I love it!

I'm also getting really excited about our Secret Santa Swap coming up. I'm so happy that so many girls have expressed interest (Insert shameless plug: If you want to be one these girls, enter HERE!).

Hope you all enjoyed your three-day weekends as much as we did.  Lord knows, it was much needed!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Foodie Friday: Table Fellowship

Because the days of my food blog, Sustainably Kaity, will soon be coming to an end. I thought I would make Fridays my "Foodie Friday" days where I could reflect back on my short-lived career as a food blogger.

This post was originally published on June 1, 2012.

Today, I come to this blog feeling slightly ashamed. The first reason is that quite simply, I have not been keeping up with this site. The second is because since my blog's inception I wanted to capture not just the culinary aspects or the nutritional stuff you can simply Google. I very much wanted to make the connection between the social and spiritual dimensions that accompany food.

As part of the Summer Reading challenge I've sworn myself to, I've started reading The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. Manning's book attempts to breathe new life into a gospel that has been claimed by the self-righteous and religious. In reality, the Bible is not a book of laws, but a book of grace. In his chapter, also entitled, The Ragamuffin Gospel, Manning explores Jesus' model of table fellowship.

via

During Jesus' time on earth he spent zero time trying to win over the hearts of the high priests, scribes and other well-educated and high-class members of society. On the contrary, he devoted his time to simply hanging out with prostitutes, beggars and the utmost despised people in society. He invited them to dine and break bread with him. There was no ulterior motive. He simply wanted to love them like few people had done before.

There is so much to be read into these stories of Jesus spending his time with a bunch of "ragamuffins," but what has inspired me today is Jesus' use of meals as a means of reaching out. Manning writes, "...to share a meal with someone is a guarantee of peace, trust, fraternity, and forgiveness: the shared table symbolizes shared life" (59).

via

In this day of Drive-thrus and delivery vs. Digiorno, are we missing out on a fundamental time of fellowship that Jesus has exemplified so clearly?

There are even studies that illustrate family meals are linked to "less risky behavior in teens." I, for one, can count the number of times Chuck and I have have prepared and sat down to a meal together in the last week, and likely still have ten fingers left. I believe aside from the fact that we should be eating breakfasts, lunches and suppers that respect the environment and our bodies, we should be eating together.

Every month, my group of friends in Ohio joins together for the "Last Sunday of the Month Club." On the last Sunday of each month, a small community of people in the small town of Wilmington joins together to break bread with one another. Themes have ranged from All-American BBQs, to French on the Farm and Mexican Night. But the underlying assumption is that we can join together and share the fruits of our culinary labor with the people we love. No one is excluded, bellies are filled and love and laughter shared.

Yours truly and my friend, Rachel at Last Sunday of the Month Club!

If Jesus were to come back today, I think he'd enjoy Last Sunday of the Month Club. We'd show him to the stack of reusable plates, grab him a beer and catch up on his latest miracles. But why wait for Jesus? Why not strive to break bread as our Lord did and engage in some good ol' fashioned table fellowship today? Fancy tableware and a clean counter need not be present for a time of friendship and love between a few ragamuffins.

Thursday Thoughts: Shine

I read a blog post yesterday that really upset me. So much so, that I felt the need to unfollow this person. The basic premise of her writing was to say that we need to pray for America (which we do, and I don't disagree with) because our election of President Obama was not Biblically or morally right. Umm...really?

I remember laying in the top bunk of my cabin several years ago as my counselor at Christian summer camp posed to us an analogy. She metaphorically represented the light of Jesus as a candle, and asked us what would happen if you placed a colander over the candle. The answer? The light shines in all different directions, but it shines none the less.



via



This is something we need to accept as followers of Jesus. No two of us are alike. Which is a good thing! God intentionally and wonderfully created us to be exactly who we are. So as we radiate the love and light of Christ, we shine in different ways, but we shine nonetheless.

We may have different colored skin, come from different cultures, hold different political viewpoints, but we all shine.

Four More Years

Like most everyone, I have felt fed up with the 2012 Election. Political ads tearing down opponents, an ineffective bipartisan system, empty rhetoric...the list goes on. And then as I drove home last night, I thought about how I would feel if Romney was elected President. And I realized, I would be sad. And I would probably cry.

Don't get me wrong. While I have a preference, I'm also realistic enough to acknowledge that President Romney would change very little in the grand scheme of things (it's impossible to do so in our two-party system!). However, I thought about how I felt four years ago when President Obama was elected, and then inaugurated.

via

On Election Night, in 2008, I sat in my dorm room, so filled with pride and joy in my country. The fact that we had a non-white President was a symbol of how far we'd come as a nation. I thought of Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr, Malcom X and countless others who fought for equal rights. Now, here we were.

The night that President Obama was inaugurated in 2009, I sat in the living room of my Ugandan host parents' small home. My Papa and I listened through the static of an ancient radio to President Obama's speech, barely audible over the sound of the Luganda translators. My Papa was so happy. The fact that President Obama had been elected as leader of the most powerful nation in the world, symbolized to nearly every Ugandan that I spoke to, that "we are one people." Ugandans felt unity, pride and hope for a world in which peace reigned. And I couldn't help but feel it, too.

The night of President Obama's inauguration was a night that has been burned into my memory forever. I will not be naive enough to think that President Obama can heal all our nation's ills. But today, I am feeling so overwhelmed and proud that the USA gets four more years.

If you'd like to read more about the night of President Obama's inauguration in Uganda, click HERE.

I'm an Offbeat Bride!

In the midst of the headache that is Election Day, I checked my e-mail to find that my wedding was featured on Offbeat Bride! Since I know I've already inundated my followers with plenty of wedding porn, I'll let the write-up speak for itself. I stalked this site the whole time I was wedding planning, so to be featured is beyond exciting!

Go HERE to check it out!

Grad School Dropout

Last week I received an e-mail from Wordpress.com that my domain name "SustainablyKaity.com" was about to expire. The timing was ironic, because just as my time as a food blogger is coming to a close, so too, is my grad career. 

As of last week, I am no longer enrolled in the Masters of Food Studies program at Chatham University.

Just for fun.
via

I've got a whole pile of mixed emotions running through my mind right now. 

Anxiety, because I'm going to have to finally face the $130,000 mountain of student loan debt I've tried to prolong re-paying for as long as possible. 

Contentment, because I no longer need to worry about balancing a full-time job and a 2-3 hour long commute with a class that I hated and didn't understand.

Peace, because I'm no longer investing money I don't have in a degree that provides no certainty of a better job at its conclusion.

Gratitude, because my husband is 100% ready to do whatever it takes to take on the aforementioned debt with me. He doesn't blame me or resent me for our financial standing- just accepts our reality and supports me.

Stress, because the reality is, we will both need to find second jobs just to stay afloat.

Am I embarrassed by the state of our finances? Honestly, a little. But after posting on Facebook, the feedback I got was overwhelming. Friends came out of the woodwork to give me incredibly valuable advice as to where to go for some direction in tackling our debt in a way that is pleasing to God. I know that although our debt is absolutely on the higher end, our situation is not unique. Millions of Americans are dealing with the same stress we are, and so, I find some comfort in sharing our story. I know we're not alone.

There's so much more that I could say on this, and in the near future, I may. But for now, I just wanted to share my honest heart and ask that you pray over my hubby and me as we transition into this new life.

Sunday Blessings {Link-Up}

Life is crazy right now. Things are uncertain. But through that uncertainty, my blessings gleam brighter than ever. 

(Don't worry, I won't be this vague forever. I promise).

<center> </p> <p> <a href="http://kaitybest.blogspot.com/2012/11/secret-santa-swap-link-up.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc367/KaityBest/SundayBlessings-1.jpg" /></a></center> </p> <p>

Today, I'm feeling blessed by...

community

And by community, I'm referring to the blogging community. I've been so encouraged and inspired by the love shown to me by blog friends, I'm beyond humbled. This blog gives me such joy and fulfillment and the fact that people want to share in that with me is beautiful.

Christmastime

Yes, I'm one of those people who believes the Christmas season begins the second that Halloween is over. I saw my first glimmers of snow on Friday and promptly began daydreaming about Christmas movies, visiting our families and reflecting on the grace of God.

(And speaking of Christmas- have you entered the Secret Santa Swap yet?!)

hubby

Of course, it wouldn't be a proper Sunday Blessings post without mention of my sweet husband. It's hard to describe him without sounding cliche or biased, but Chuck is one of those people who makes it impossible to dislike him. He's sweet, good-natured and carries a light with him, no matter what the situation. I'm not sure he sees it in himself, but anyone who knows him knows this to be true. 

Yesterday morning, a technician from Verizon came to install our internet and TV. He arrived seeming aloof, impersonal and gruff. I stood at the kitchen sink washing dishes and eavesdropped on the conversation between Chuck and this man. I smiled from ear to ear as the man became warmer and warmer toward my other half. By the end of our appointment, he was joking around and engaging in lively discussion with us both. Chuck brings out the best in me, and the best in people. 

One of the many things I love about him.

Chuck loving on my boy BFF at last weekend's Halloween party.
Cutest thing ever :)

How have you been blessed this week? Grab a button and link up!