Texas in November

Since my husband recently got back from a deployment in Afghanistan, we decided that Thanksgiving would be an awesome time to head back to Texas to see our families. Even though he was born and finished high school out here in San Diego, most of his family lives in Texas, where both of his parents grew up. In fact, his mother’s parents live within walking distance of my parents’ house in San Antonio!

We headed home the day before Thanksgiving and stayed long enough to see everyone in and around San Antonio and make a trip down to Bay City (south of Houston) to see more of my husband’s family down there. It was a really awesome time, filled with tasty food, good times, and great fun.

Here’s a little of our Thanksgiving spread.

And, yes, we did get to celebrate Clay’s birthday several times! This cake came from the bakery where my mom had ordered cupcakes for our wedding. It was delicious!

The best part was being able to see practically all of our family! Below are my aunt, my mom’s parents, and my mom.

My little sister is always down for a mini photo session. :)

Meanwhile, there was a football game happening at the other end of the yard…

One day, I gave my dad my camera so he could take a photo of my siblings and I for my parents’ Christmas card. Mom made for a really good photo assistant! See that flash? It’s all her! ;) Don’t worry–this isn’t the photo they’ll actually be using! I didn’t want to ruin the surprise for those who are going to be on the receiving end of one of their cards! This is just one of the bloopers. :)

And I did a short 10-minute session with my brother and his gorgeous girlfriend!

That’s it for now! Have a great weekend!

xoxo,
Lauren


Ashley and Matt – A Wedding on the San Diego Bay

If it’s true that rain on one’s wedding day brings a marriage filled with good luck, there can’t be a more lucky couple than Ashley and Matt in all of San Diego County! The day started with a early morning downpour. A mid-morning break suggested that the skies might clear for the rest of the afternoon, but, the rains came again and didn’t stop until after nightfall.

Though drenched outside, no one aboard the charming Renown let the rain get the best of them–everyone had a lovely time! Family came in from literally all over the globe to celebrate the marriage of Ashley and Matt–from Europe, Australia, Canada, and all over the United States–and I was overjoyed to photograph this special occasion aboard the antique yacht as it cruised the San Diego Bay.

Though you already saw a sneak peak of the day, here are even more of my favorites!

You could feel the excitement as Matt waited to see his bride for the first time!


Congratulations to Ashley and Matt!

xoxo,
Lauren


A Delicious Spaghetti Squash Recipe

Hey friends! I got really great feedback from my last recipe post so here I am again with another delicious recipe! Though not vegetarian, this one is really easy and amazingly tasty!

I was perusing Pinterest the other day when I came across a pin featuring this post on Design Sponge. I was running low on insulin with no refill for a couple days, so I had already informed my husband that I was going to require a low-carb diet to make it until the pharmacy had my insulin ready. And, I’ve been testing hubby’s squash tolerance recently. Though I love all squash, he’s not such a fan and has said yes to spaghetti squash, but no to acorn squash. Mental note.

So, back to the recipe. I see it online and realize it combines two of hubby’s favorite things: garlic and bacon. AND it also combines two of my favorites: tomatoes and rosemary. Well, since I’m on a low-carb kick, I think to myself that we could just sub spaghetti squash for the real pasta and we might have a winner! Ding ding ding! The best part? We had almost all of the ingredients in our kitchen already! YES!

So, here’s my interpretation of the recipe, with photos of course:

Ingredients:

  • 1 ripe spaghetti squash
  • 3 slices of thick-cut bacon
  • 2 large tomatoes (plus about a cup of random cherry tomatoes you have in your fridge)
  • 1 tbsp dried rosemary
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • sea salt and ground black pepper

Directions:

Cook the spaghetti squash. I cut it in half lengthwise, then place it (cut-side down) in a baking dish and add about a half-inch of water. Bake at 350 degrees for an hour or until the flesh is soft (but still a little crunchy).

In about the last 10 minutes of cooking, place the bacon in a skillet on the stove and cook it up.

Mince the garlic. Or have your husband do it for you. Ask him about the prison tattoo he has on his index finger. Don’t believe him when he says it’s really just a Sharpie marker.

Chop the tomatoes.

Halve the cherry tomatoes and add them to the tomato pile.

Make sure the bacon isn’t burning. Remove it from the pan when it’s done and set aside.

Discard most of the bacon grease, but leave enough to cover the bottom of the skillet and ensure that the garlic won’t burn. Then add the rosemary, garlic, red pepper, salt and pepper to the skillet. Cook until the garlic is lightly browned (about 2 minutes).

Take pictures as your hubby stirs the goodness. (With a two-prong fork? Shrug.)

Add in the tomatoes.

Take a look at all the awesomeness you have going on in your kitchen!

As the sauce cooks down, let your hubby chop up the bacon into bite-size pieces while you remove the spaghetti squash from the oven and get all those spaghettis out of the squash shell and into your bowls!

Cook on, sauce. Cook on… (This part seems like it took a while but I would guess it was really only about 5-7 minutes.)

The above, right photo is about what it looked like when we turned off the stove and started spooning it over the spaghetti squash. Top with bacon pieces, grab your favorite local brew, sit down, and enjoy!

YUM!

Here’s a condensed version of the recipe. Please click here for the original recipe post on Design Sponge!

Spaghetti Squash with Bacon, Garlic, Rosemary and Tomatoes
Adapted from “Pasta with Bacon, Rosemary and Very Ripe Tomatoes” found here.
 

Ingredients:

  • 1 ripe spaghetti squash
  • 3 slices of thick-cut bacon
  • 2 large tomatoes (plus about a cup of random cherry tomatoes you have in your fridge), chopped/halved
  • 1 tbsp dried rosemary
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • sea salt and ground black pepper

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut spaghetti squash lengthwise and place (cut-side down) in a baking dish and add about a half-inch of water. Bake for an hour or until the flesh is soft but still a little crunchy.
  • In the last 10 minutes of cooking the squash, add the bacon to the skillet and cook. Discard most of the bacon grease, leaving a thin layer in the pan.
  • Add the rosemary, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to the skillet. Cook until the garlic is lightly browned (about 2 minutes). Add the tomatoes and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, remove the squash from the oven and scrape out the insides into your serving dishes. Cut the bacon into bite-size pieces. Add sauce to the squash and sprinkle with bacon pieces. Enjoy!

Definitely let me know if you make the recipe! I want to know what you thought!!

xoxo,
Lauren


Sneak Peak – San Diego Bay Wedding

Today I had the honor of photographing Ashley and Matt’s intimate wedding ceremony aboard a vintage yacht as it cruised the San Diego Bay! Rain poured down through the length of the trip, but did not put a damper on anyone’s spirits! Here are just a couple of my favorites.

Check back for their full post!

xoxo,
Lauren


10.22.1988

23 years ago on this day, I headed to the hospital after peeing on a stick in my dad’s office revealed that I had ketones in my urine. For those of you who aren’t familiar with what that means, ketones in the urine is a sign of extreme high blood sugar. Ketones are produced when one’s body burns fat instead of glucose for energy, and, if untreated, can cause diabetic coma and death.

Thankfully, my medically-trained parents knew that something was brewing and took me to the hospital, where I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. From that day forward, I was to monitor my bloodsugar with a strict diet, multiple daily fingersticks and several shots of insulin. I don’t remember much about that trip to the hospital except a few stories my mom has told me over the years. One was about my brother, Mark’s, name game with my endocrinologist, Dr. Mark Kipnes, and another revolves around my wanting to get home so I could share some Hershey Kisses with my older sister. Clearly I had no idea what was in store for me when I actually did get home.

Since 1988, the care and treatment for my diabetes has changed in many ways. Back then, I was on a strict diet, I learned to take insulin via multiple daily injections, and I eventually started to self-administer the shots. Now, I use an insulin pump to deliver insulin to my body so I can eat whatever I want (as long as I bolus to cover it). Then, I relied on fingersticks to reveal what my bloodsugar was that hour. Now, though I still check my bloodsugar via fingersticks, I also sometimes wear a continuous glucose monitor, which allows me to see what my bloodsugar is doing at all hours of the day (instead of just when I test).

Me (on the left) at a JDF luncheon. I won that Pink Panther!

However, there are many things about my diabetes that haven’t changed. Mainly, it still exists. When I was diagnosed, my mom was told that “a cure is right around the corner!” with an estimated arrival time of sometime before the turn of the 21st century. Well, we’re still waiting on that cure. I still sometimes drop so low that I can’t think straight and have to take a 20 minute (or more) break to allow my bloodsugar to rise. I still have high’s that cause that awful thirst and racing heart. I still like to act like these things don’t bother me and don’t interfere with my daily life.

The truth is simple: diabetes sucks. Yes, I can live with it, but I sure as hell wouldn’t choose it. It’s a pain in the ass (sometimes literally!) and I wish it would go away.

“The Anaheim Hangover,” a.k.a. “the time diabetes tried to ruin our family trip to Disneyland.”

Luckily, there are some really smart people out there who are working on finding a cure! My mom was heavily involved with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation‘s South Central Chapter when I was younger. We’d raise money and walk at the Walk for the Cure on an annual basis. Sometime between high school and college, I stopped participating. I have been wanting to participate for the past several years, but just never made the effort. This year, I’m changing all that and I’m going to be participating in the Walk for the Cure in San Diego on November 12! I have a handful of friends who are joining me and I’d love it if you’d consider sponsoring our efforts.

I’d love it if some of you would please honor the 23 years I’ve been dealing with diabetes by donating $1 per year for a total of $23. Your $23 will make a huge difference in my world, though any amount is greatly appreciated!

To make a donation, head over to my personal page at http://www2.jdrf.org/site/TR/Walk-CA/Chapter-SanDiego4053?px=1516210&pg=personal&fr_id=1553 or you may mail me a check, made out to JDRF.

Thank you in advance for your generosity!

xoxo,
Lauren