Sometimes people start a conversation like this. "Do people ever tell you that you look like (Insert a movie star's name)." For me I generally get Miley Cyrus. A...why thank you, I am so happy I look like a prepubescent Disney Channel Pop Star! :) I guess I should be pleased, I mean looking like a movie star is a great compliant right? Who would ever want to be beautiful because they look like themselves! And for the record I came first, Miley Cyrus really is only 16. They should be saying she looks like me!

As I sat there at the club, Blake chatting it up with complete strangers I realized there is a double standard in a married couples social life. When Blake tells a single person he is married 9 times out of ten they can still stand there carrying on a great conversation. If I tell a single person I'm married they run in the opposite direction. This also tells me that:

A. These single people are coming to me based on either the prospect of a date or that I look like Miley Cyrus and they want an autograph.

B. These people are staying with Blake's non-single self because of his buttery personality

C. I am a social retard

.... so were does this leave me, chatting it up with creepy 45 year olds? Maybe I should add in a letter D. Hip married woman looking for female wing woman. NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY! At least then I would always have a buddy! Now you are probably asking yourself why is Blake not standing there beating off the RiFf RaFf. People, he is a stellar social butterfly and who am (the social retard) I to hold the man back:)

On my way out I was stopped for a conversation about my shiny black pumps. A man whom I have now dubbed Jean Pierre puffed elegant rings of cigarette smoke. He was dressed in monochromatic shades of black and his head was swathed in a side swept beret.
"Nice shoes man...Are they Prada?"... NO... UNCOMFORTABLE SILENCE... "Dolce Gabbana?"... NO..."Hmmm." IN TIGAN'S MIND: No you crazy man they are discount nine west shoes from Ross, you are old enough to be my father and I will not go out with you!
Did I mention that these were two separate occasions with different senior men. One of which had a son my age... HELLO!!! Oh well I guess I still have my discount Prada/Dolce Gabbana/Ross stilettos.

So this is just a little bit from the Almighty Adobe Photoshop. I had some spare time this afternoon on my day off so I thought I would edit some of Tigan and mine's wedding pictures. This was a fun picture to make and just in case you were wondering what our wedding would have looked like if held in an old industrial burnt down ash ridden building... wonder no longer!!
-Blake-

So the lemon almond sole does NOT have cockroaches on it even though it totally looks like it. Just in case you were wondering!

I don't particularly love Valentines Day maybe it's because it's been turned into a huge cop-out holiday were women happily accept week old wilted grocery store flowers and hideously over stuffed teddy bears with I love you statement, push tummies. Maybe I hate Valentines Day because I'm not extremely outwardly lovey. (I have been deemed the worst hugger of all time... limp dead fish stance included). However I do have to say that since meeting Blake my day of love has improved by at least ten fold. It's not just that I have a perma valentines date or that Blake saves the traditional bouquet flowers for ordinary days of the year when I really might need a pick me up. But that Blake always seems to go that extra valentine mile. When we were engaged he planned a treasure hunt to all the memorable places we had dated. One year he booked a quaint shabby chic bed and breakfast complete with Audrey Hepburn movies and midnight hot chocolate! This year he once again restored my faith in the day of love with my own special ode to Tigan.

On Wednesday I was invited to go on a private tour of the United Nations {ya, I'm that cool}:) A member of our ward is neighbors with a women that interprets there. Gena(The Interpreter) was from Lebanon and she spoke both French and Arabic.
If you have ever had the chance to visit, you were probably surprised by it's lack luster interiors. I felt like I had walked straight into the 70's popcorn ceilings.. asbestos and all! Gena said that up until now they had refused to update but a remodel is in the works starting next year.


Since the worlds topics are represented with in the walls of the UN. They had great country gifts which included many types of sculptures and art work. A FEW EXAMPLES...

Blake's sister Cara came to visit us this weekend. We don't often get to see Cara and her family because they live in South America. Cara is a very talented Jewelry Maker/Crafter. She makes beautiful elegant piece of art often from found or recycled items. Recently she has been having a lot of success with her handmade dolls.
These and other "Beautiful Garbage" can be purchased at her website The Recycled Life or on Etsy.

In Fact you can actually visit the Etsy Handmade
revolution here in Brooklyn. But it is in a kinda scary part of town so take a buddy when you head out for Monday night craft night!








Unfortunately Etsy wasn't open on Saturday but Blake did give us a great show on the plastic guide dog statue in the quad at Polytechnic University.

Wow, I feel like I have been posting a lot about food lately. I'm not usually this into food mostly I find the fact that food will always run out and you will always have to continually buy more a never ending annoying cycle. At least when I buy myself a new outfit it will last me a good long while, maybe even years. The same can not be said about food. However I do get to use my hot UK shopping trolley whenever I go out to buy groceries... that is always a good time!

When Blake and I were at Utah State one of our favorite restaurants was the FIREHOUSE PIZZERIA. Whenever Blake and I would go there we would always order the same thing... Chicken Cordon Blue Pasta and a sideorder of Focaccia Bread. So last night for dinner we decided to make our own version of our favorite firehouse classics.

On Tuesday evening Blake asked me to meet him in the city for a surprise. Well I love a good surprise, especially when it's for me. When I got to the city Blake walked me down a couple of block until we arrived here..

MarieBelle's signature line of chocolates combine the finest chocolate, eclectic ingredients and artisanal techniques, creating nothing less than works of art. Named after Maribel Lieberman, designer and founder, the chocolates resemble semiprecious jewels as displayed in their beautiful boxes. Everything about MarieBelle New York is haute couture, with a timeless style that feels classic and contemporary. Giving a treasure of chocolate has never been this fashionably correct.

This Friday we met up with a couple of Blake's cousins and their spouses at The Magnolia Bakery. We had a really fun time just talking, catching up and telling funny stories. The bakery had great treats. Blake tried a lime cheese cake while I tried some of there famous Snickers Ice Box Pie. When we asked another bakery patron to take our pictures they asked if we were in a book club or something. I guess the image does kind of look like we are all chilling in someones kitchen talking about old times and good books. Thanks for the Invite Melissa and Douglas!

The Magnolia bakery opened in July 1996. They had three employees and they offered four kinds of bread along with both cinnamon rolls and whole wheat maple walnut rolls.During the first week of operation making bread proved to be impractical due to time and space constraints. So they changed to baking cakes and pastries. Allysa (one of the co-owners) would stay late into the night frosting the cakes and testing recipes. The cupcakes were Allysa's brainchild. When they would make 6" coconut cakes (instead of the usual 9"), there was extra batter going to waste. Thus, the cupcakes were born in early fall of 1996.

The bakery originally only offered vanilla cake with vanilla butter cream icing tinted pink. They were baked in the afternoons and iced at night when the bakery was officially closed. City dwellers would wander by late at night and beg for just a cupcake even though the bakery was closed.

Magnolia Bakery was originally envisioned as just a nice little neighborhood bakery that would be open from about 8am-6pm. That plan changed quickly due to high demand. The bakery is now open most days of the week until midnight. In 2008 the store at 200 Columbus Avenue had over 300 special orders for Thanksgiving and the day before.