A long weekend update

This long weekend was just what the doctor ordered after a full five days (plus a full night of parent/teacher conferences) at school and some SERIOUSLY strange events in northern Indiana! It was a weird week in general! Word on the street is that Polar Vortex part two is on the way. I'm choosing to pretend it's not happening. 

My coworkers Johnna and Chris. (P.S. Do you know how hard it is to dress for a bridal shower when it's 12 degrees outside? Wearing white is not ideal when you blend in with the outdoors.)

In wedding news, this weekend my fabulous coworkers threw a bridal shower for me in LaPorte! It was SO much fun to spend time with everyone outside of work (rarely do we actually get a chance to talk for more than a minute or two at a time!)! It was great to have some laughs, and, as always, the people in our lives are so generous. So much love! 

I also went shopping with my flower girl, and we've found the perfect dress for Anica to wear down the aisle! I'm super excited to see her, because she's going to be absolutely adorable. I don't even mind if she and our ring bearer (Dan's nephew Cole) steal the show. They're too cute not to! 

And now eyes are on the week ahead. Lots of things to do for school (read: grading) and lots of things to do for the wedding (a giant blessing and a small curse all at the same time). I'm so incredibly excited to marry this man, though, that the stress is worth it! 

But for now, I'm planning to read a little from Insurgent and plan some meals for the week. So far, I'm looking at these:

1. These yummy Kale, Mushroom, and Cheese Calzones which look like they'll be super easy to make. 

2. The easiest four ingredient Parmesan Garlic Chicken recipe ever. This is my go to recipe on a weekday when I have a million other things to do. Make a veggie and some brown rice and it's the easiest dinner to make! 

3. One-pot Lemon Pasta I'm loving these awesome one-pot meals lately. Again, anything I can throw together with minimal ingredients and lots of taste are total winners in my book. 

I'm also hoping to get in some more strength training this week. I got in 40 minutes of total body training today, so we'll see. I'm determined to tone those muscles! Any go to exercises to share?