I’m a Mrs.

I am home with my husband.

Married life has been blessed.  I fall asleep next to my best friend.  We laugh together.  We support one another.  I happily do his laundry 😉  We were always meant to be this.  And so much more.

Our wedding was perfect, and my heart is so full!  Thank you to everyone for all of your support and help with preparations for our big day.  EXTRAORDINARY work by my beautiful Maid Of Honor, you ROCK!

On to working on my domestics and loving Jesus.  And my husband!

XOXO The New Mrs. Lobaugh

Finally – she makes cupcakes!!

Life has been busy!  Yesterday slowed down a bit, so I went with one of my friends to get a pink pedicure, took a few naps and fell in love with my fiancé again during our first meeting with our wedding DJ.

I’ve had the idea to bake for a few weeks now, but always take the time to rest my head and body instead.  Important – but there is something therapeutic in baking.

Today was rainy so I chose to bake 😀

matcha baking pic

It felt so wonderful to wear my cute little cupcake apron and get my hands covered in flour!  When was the last time I baked?!  I was happy that my oven cooperated with me, too.  I made matcha cupcakes, which I didn’t have time to frost…. But I did make chocolate cupcakes with a creamy, ooey-gooey peanut butter frosting.  Those were yummy and I brought them to our bible group tonight.

matcha cupcakes

Today was a great day for self care – just hung out in my jammies and baked cupcakes until I needed to leave the house.  This girl can’t complain!

peanut butter XOXO

Wedding Dress

My mom came up for an extended weekend and we stomped down to the adorable bridal shops of Seattle.

1. I was very excited for my momma’s visit.

2. I didn’t really know what I wanted – but it had to be pink.

3. My diet of veggies and healthy snacks AKA skinny pop paid off! 😀

Our first shop, The Dress Theory, was beautiful.  We fell in love with one dress, but the price was high and we weren’t that in love with it.  I was determined to be a bride with affordability on the forefront, so we continued onward.  I think it was actually at our second appointment and bridal shop, I Do Bridal, that we found it.  Of course I had to try it on five times, back and forth, and back and forth again.

Can I just say it was….. surreal trying on wedding dresses!  I had done my research, looked at dresses online, on Pinterest, in all of my five hundred bridal magazines but could not find one that I absolutely loved; and would absolutely love on me.  I am so happy my mom was there.  She knows what I like (I’ll be the first to admit she still supplies my wardrobe, I really have no interest outside of basics) and what I don’t like, and she was all about the wedding dress shopping.  I didn’t have a big posse with me because everyone was spread out across states, and more importantly, I knew I would have a hard time and I didn’t want to be stressed out.  No offense to all my girls, I LOVE YOU!  I know my MOH really wanted to be there.  We kept her updated with pics 😉  Fashion and wedding dresses are just not in my collection of talents.  So my mom helped me, and I think we did a pretty good job.  Thank you momma!

We did miss my gram, she would have so enjoyed the day full of lace, chiffon, blushes, pearls, sparkles…  We remembered her and knew that she was there with us.  I think she’s happy with the dress, too.  Classy, elegant, blush pink.  She would have definitely approved!

I’ll be the one in the pink with a veil.  I am over-the-moon excited to wear my wedding dress.

Eek!

NICU Nursing: Staff Education Day

Today we had a staff education day.  Yes, it was 8 hours.  Yes, that part was a little challenging since yesterday I did some optimal (and early) day functioning.  And my body is not used to sitting for that long!

………..  Besides on the couch in my jammies.  I’ve mastered that kind of sitting 😉

I was looking forward to it – and as I’m sitting at home, in my jammies, I relish in all of the new information, education, knowledge, and also refreshers, lovely encouragement, and support that was experienced in those 8 hours.  It was really great!  I’m excited for all the standardization and awesome plans for our care and more importantly, our patients.

Today was a huge reminder that as a NICU nurse, we have so much to do with the development and well being of these tiny humans.  I am so grateful and in love with what I do, and today highlighted that it will get even better!

I am also able to work with some really great nurses – since we do have private patient rooms we don’t always see the awesome care each other delivers, but this evening was great.  We had intelligent discourse, humor, wonderful questions about the current standards we have, how to make our care overall better and safer.  While I don’t wish for more 8 hour days of sitting, I do enjoy the company of my fellow RNs.

Inspired to care for some babies and hopefully integrate a thing or two that I learned today!

A Perfect Pair: Chocolate & Caramel 

Thinking about my dessert last night….  Wined and dined my fiancé and he chose dessert! What a keeper, right ladies?

We went to Smash Wine Bar, which was quiet even for a Monday night.  Then the waitress told us that the restaurant was not a participant in Seattle Restaurant week, which made sense!  My fiancé didn’t know it was this week, he was bummed.  Things have crept up on us this month!  And, ladies and gentlemen, four months until we are married.  MARRIED.  M-A-R-R-I-E-D.

Since it was a wine bar, we decided on a wine flight.  The flights are most fun for me because it has the perfect amount.  The wine was good, we did a flight of Washington reds.  I can’t remember the name of the one I enjoyed most (or any of the names for that matter), but it had pepper and raspberry notes.  The one my sweetie most enjoyed had berry notes.  There was a third, which embodied the flavors of chocolate and exotic spices.  It was fun pretending that I know anything about wine, and throughout dinner I playfully talked about how well my wine and dinner complemented each other.  Oh, the robust flavors!

So, back to the cake.  We decided we might have to go back for dessert 🙂

Mason Jar Salads 

  

This is my real life pinterest project! I’ve always wanted to do these mason jar salads, they seem so convenient and easy. As my wedding date approaches I am doing my best to eat healthy 😊 

I didn’t really follow any recipe for my salads, just put together ingredients I had that sounded yummy together. But boy does pinterest have some neat salad recipes! 

As I put them together I was a little nervous that something would go array and it would be a soggy mess later. Last night I took my first mason jar salad to work and it was great! No sogginess, fresh and filling. A little different eating it out of the jar but I managed just fine 😉 

Cupcakes with Momma 

My mother came to visit me for a weekend and I made sure she experienced some yummy cupcakes! She wasn’t a fan of Trophy (not pictured) but did enjoy some goodies from Cupcake Royale. I enjoyed it all 😍  Spoiled to have such an awesome momma and cute yummy cuppies! 

  

Carrot cake, coconut, lavender, lemon drop & maple bacon whiskey! *DROOL*

Magnolias are my favorite! 

Today my fiancé and I took a long walk in the unexpected sunshine. Our furbabies trotted like silly girls beside us. I wanted to enjoy the beautiful sunshine, hold my sweetheart’s hand and admire the magnificent magnolias.  Success! 💗🌸 

  

Magnolias are my favorite. If I could have one in my front yard I would be a happy little lady! 

 

 And of course I took these pics with my fiancé’s new iPhone 6! Wowza! 

  

I so enjoyed today! PNW is best 💗

Details soon to follow…

This pink soon-to-be-bride is quite finished with her list of vendors.  On to menu tastings, wedding dress shopping, how I want my napkins folded, floral arranged, and to choose the perfect wedding band for my soon-to-be-hubs.

Let the fun details begin!  Searching, researching and deciding on all the vendors i.e. venue, catering, dj was a little intense and (maybe) overwhelming.  Nonetheless I got it done because I am too stubborn to let anyone else do it and I wanted everything and all people booked for the big day!  Check and check 🙂

Amongst all this cray cray wedding planning I may have forgotten about the importance of my love and relationship for my sweetheart.  During our recent vacation I was head over heels and so relaxed, immensely drenched in his love.  Got back home, back to work, and I realized I needed to work on more communication, more truths, more virtues and values that make us a great pair and God honoring couple we are.  Should be.  Will be.  Are.

So as all the fun wedding planning ensues with the tiniest detail I promise to be involved, calm, to dedicate important moments to him and be true to my heart all the time.  And if I practice this day to day living, my heart will align perfectly with his.  And his with mine.

Let the PINK begin!

Carrot Cupcake The Divine 



When I was visiting my momma, her hubs got these DELICIOUS cuppies from a local bakery. They were as follows:

  • Buttery, melty in mouth
  • DELICIOUS
  • Frosting was light cream cheese and perfectly sweet 

Oh my gosh I was dying and simultaneously in cupcake bliss! 

CUPCAKES FOR LIFE ! 😍