Midterms are here. I think this is the first semester of my college career where all of my classes have actually had midterm exams. It’s terrible. I spent this entire week studying for today’s two tests (and baking cookies, of course), but the exams turned out to be quite bearable. Apparently I got myself all worked up over nothing. I guess that’s better than being taken by surprise, but I wish I could get a few of those stressed out hours back.
I’ve also been working more than usual this week (on top of all that extra studying), so our apartment looks like some combination of a laundry basket and a dishwasher that exploded. I usually have a day off to relax and catch up on all my homework. And by “relax” I mean do laundry, put away clothes and shoes, dust, mop, etc. It sounds lame, but I actually enjoy that whole aspect of my part-time role as “housewife.” Luckily for me, the housewife role also involves things that other people find exciting, like cooking and baking and decorating the home (a daunting task when the home only comprises 400-square-feet). I haven’t been so great at the whole decorating thing, as we have yet to print any wedding photos, leaving our picture frames to display the stock photos of some pretty people and their dog.
Anywho, without that spare day of free time, I’ve been feeling a bit stressed and quite exhausted.
And there’s no better cure for stress than a good run. Unfortunately, it has been raining here in Lexington for the past 24 hours, so I thought I would be stuck on the couch for the evening. But, with a little encouragement from the husband, I decided to tough it out and run through the monsoon. It was awesome. I think I actually run better in less than ideal conditions, like 46 degrees with pouring rain. Plus, I love running when there aren’t any other runners out there. It makes me feel a combination of really extreme/really dumb for braving the elements. I’m sure the rain wasn’t so good for the ol’ iPod, but it was definitely good for the soul. I got in 4 miles and some change and came home with every inch of clothing, including my hat, completely soaked. By the way, I highly recommend a hat if you are going to run in the rain. There’s nothing worse than rain in your eyes when you’re pushing through some hills.
After a good run, we had a classic Ringer dinner. Before we got married, this was pretty much an Ally/Eric staple. Chicken and asparagus. We bought a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store this week (a whole chicken for $4.99!), so I’ve been taking that in my lunches to put on spinach salad. Yum. But tonight it was perfect with a bit of barbecue sauce (I’m a big fan of Sweet Baby Ray’s Hickory and Brown Sugar variety), and a side of asparagus. I’ll share our incredibly simple and delicious asparagus recipe so that you can enjoy one of our favorite veggies for yourself!
After dinner we settled down on the couch for our Thursday night line-up: Community, a 30-minute break (because I don’t like that new married people show), The Office, and Parks and Recreation. And, of course, we’re enjoying a plate of chocolatey cookies. I have to make that run count for something, right?
Now, I don’t have a photo of our dinner to include in this post, so I’ll throw in a summer shot of us to help you remember a time when we all wore shorts. Sigh…
And that, folks, is our Thursday. Hope yours has been grand!
The only asparagus recipe you’ll ever need
1/2 bundle of asparagus
1/2 tablespoon butter
ground black pepper
Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.
Cut the bottom ends off the asparagus and discard. Cut the remainder into 1 or 2 inches pieces and place in skillet.
Sprinkle with pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until asparagus has some brown “charred” parts.
Remove from skillet and serve immediately. Asparagus is best enjoyed just moments after it is cooked.
Enjoy!
-Ally
Elaine says
I love running in the rain! I ran my half mile intervals in a monsoon the other night…and as soon as I stepped in the door, the tornado sirens started going off….oops!