Tag Archives: husband

A Calendar Double Take

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A Calendar Double Take

Hello!! As you might remember, it took me a LONG time to get a smartphone. I was perfectly content with my old school flip phone and would have happily kept using it if it didn’t break. During that time in the stone age, I had a huge desktop calendar that I loved to plan my weeks on. Now, of course, I make great use out of the calendar on my phone and it keeps my days running as they should. From appointments to hang outs with friends and work functions, my calendar has it all. However, something I saw recently on my agenda really had me scratching my head. Check it out:

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The other night, I was penciling in some time for a slumber party with my niece. As I scrolled through my options, I saw that I had “my 600 lb life anniversary” marked down for the day after Christmas. I was honestly half asleep at the time so I screenshotted it and fell asleep with the plans to investigate it later. The following day, I almost thought I dreamed it but there it was in my photo gallery! I was racking my brain trying to think of what this cryptic message meant and then all of a sudden, it hit me…

The day after Christmas last year was the ONLY time in mine and Johnny’s five year plus relationship that he watched My 600 Lb. Life with me. For those of you who don’t know, I am a TLC addict. I LIVE for 90 Day Fiance, Sister Wives, Dr. Pimple Popper, and especially My 600 Lb. Life. Whenever I watch any of them, Johnny refuses to watch with me, but I suppose he was feeling some extra holiday spirit the day after Christmas! And, clearly, to mark the momentous victory of him watching with me, I marked it in my calendar. All I can say is, guess what we’re doing the day after Christmas?! 😀

I never thought my calendar would surprise me, but here we are because I was in a state of WTF when I saw our anniversary lol. I cannot wait for many, many more!

What is your favorite guilty pleasure show? What is your favorite show on TLC? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Making Music

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Making Music

Hello!! My Johnny is an incredibly skilled musician and it is one of my greatest joys to hear him play. He is skilled in several different instruments including guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and piano and it honestly blows my mind every time he creates a little music magic. Prior to the pandemic, Johnny was playing A LOT with the band he was in called The Outside Voices. It was freaking awesome. Unfortunately, like a lot of things during the pandemic, the band came to a grinding halt and hasn’t played since. That’s not to say that Johnny wasn’t still playing at home, but after a while, he kind of dropped off. Which is why I am SO happy that he has been picking up his guitar again for the past few weekends. Don’t mind the mess in Johnny’s record room lol:

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Every Saturday for the past month or so, Johnny has been back in the record room Making Music and it is music to my ears. He is so gifted and being able to hear him in his zone is just the coolest. Johnny really does play a MEAN electric guitar and I love to sit there and watch him. He makes everything he does look so effortless and I am always clapping and cheering away for these solo performances. And he claims that he is “rusty”. As if!!

This Saturday, I had an amazing three and a half hour chat-a-thon with my blogging bestie, Kate of Live In The Nautical. As we talked, and talked, and talked some more, Johnny was playing the entire time. And, by the time Kate and I said our goodbyes, he STILL kept playing! Not only was I impressed, but I was elated that the concert wasn’t over so I could rock out more to my all time favorite musician. How lucky am I that said musician is also my husband?!

I am so proud of Johnny for making an effort to get back into music again and I can’t wait to hear what he plays this upcoming weekend! ❤

Do you play any instruments? What was the last concert you saw? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Best Pizza Ever

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Best Pizza Ever

Hello!! My Mondays have turned into kind of a hectic day because I spend them as a personal assistant to Tim Misny at his estate called Misnyland. When we aren’t shooting content, joking with each other, making culinary delights, and laughing hysterically, I am bopping around here, there, and everywhere. Despite it being a long day, it’s a really fun day and by the time I make my hour drive home, I am famished. And that’s after having a delicious lunch that we always carefully prepare a menu for!

This last Monday, I had an especially long day for an evening content shoot and I told Johnny I would text him when I was about to leave. I was tired and, of course, hungry and he replied with the most beautiful message I have ever read: “I made an oven pizza for when you get back”. And, like a siren song, it guided me home. It might not seem like much but it truly was the best pizza ever:

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When I was little, my mom would typically get home later in the evening. She worked in Cleveland, primarily, and during traffic time the forty-five minute drive could turn into over an hour. Without fail, my dad would always have something ready for her to have for dinner when she got home. Whether it was oven pizza, spaghetti, or anything else easy, my mom would always say “I don’t know if this tastes so good because it’s good or because I’m hungry”. I know I’m using the word “always” a lot but I always thought it was the sweetest thing!

On Monday, it honestly felt like deja vu while I was chowing down on my oven pizza. It seriously tasted SO good and I found myself repeating the same sentiments that my mom used to say. I felt so lucky because my husband did the exact same thing that my dad would do which charmed me so much. And that’s not even mentioning the fact that he cleaned up the whole bottom floor of our apartment too. Johnny knew I had a way longer than usual day and did everything he could so that I could sink in a chair and relax as soon as I got home. It was so appreciated and he is just the best. ❤

I didn’t think it was humanly possible, but my schedule has turned even more crazy recently. I am so thankful to my main squeeze for holding down the fort until things slow down hopefully after the holidays!!

What is your favorite easy dinner? Has someone done something recently that you really appreciated? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Middle Class Fancy Date Night

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Middle Class Fancy Date Night

Hello!!! While driving home from a particularly long day last Monday, I was already looking forward to the weekend lol. Of course, I was eager to relax but I also wanted to do something fun with Johnny. So, I decided on treating us to a Middle Class Fancy Date Night. I also knew exactly where I wanted to go because I had been craving it something fierce: the Olive Garden! Johnny and I haven’t been there since my thirtieth birthday and the Fettuccine Alfredo was calling my name. As soon as I got home, I announced the Friday night plan and we were excited for it the whole week. We had the best time, even if this picture of Johnny makes you think otherwise:

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There are countless amazing restaurants in our general vicinity that aren’t part of a chain and that’s fantastic. However, Middle Class Fancy nights are all about embracing the chains and we both have our preferred spots. Johnny loves Outback Steakhouse and the Olive Garden is never not far from my mind. A vegetarian can never go wrong with pasta! After work on Friday, we both took a half hour or so to get spruced up and then we made our way to the OG on a rainy afternoon. Despite the weather, it was all sunshine and rainbows in my world because we come alive during date night!

For our meal, we ordered our old standbys: Fettuccine Alfredo for me and the same for Johnny except with chicken. We gorged on our pasta, soup, and bread sticks and sipped on tasty cocktails. The entire time we were at dinner, we chatted away and at some points were in hysterics laughing in our cozy corner booth. This is exactly why I love date night – being in any date style setting with Johnny forever will bring me back to our first date. That feeling that we could talk and laugh until it was time for the restaurant to close and wanting the night to last forever.

After we finished our delicious meal, we had one final stop to make before we could retire home to get comfy: The Exchange. Johnny’s pay day treat to himself is a couple of new records so this was a necessity. He selected a few for himself and then surprised me with a record for my minuscule collection: Rio by Duran Duran. I am an avid Duran Duran fan and as soon as I pointed the record out to Johnny, he plucked it from the shelf and added it to the “To Buy” pile. It was the sweetest! With records in tow, we headed back home to listen to all of them, play games, and revel in a perfect Middle Class Fancy Date Night. ❤

It has been a while since Johnny and I had a night on the town together and this was our reminder that we need to do it way more often. I can’t wait to start incorporating more date nights into our schedule because there really is no better way to wrap up the week!

What is your perfect date night? What is your favorite chain restaurant? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Caffeination Station

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Caffeination Station

Hello! When I moved into my own apartment, my parents got me a red Keurig for my housewarming gift. At the time, I wouldn’t have called myself a huge coffee drinker but I liked to have it in case I needed an extra boost or I had company over. Then, in 2022 we experienced the Great Kitchen Flood and it ruined several of my countertop appliances, Keurig included. I never bothered replacing it because it’s not like I used it every day so it felt like an unnecessary expense.

Fast forward to this past year when I began getting up at the buttcrack of dawn (Three AM) for work and your girl instantly turned into a coffee fanatic thanks to the Keurig Johnny gifted me with for Valentine’s Day. Literally every day since he gave me my prezzie, I have enjoyed back to back brews Monday through Friday and I don’t know how I survived before lol. And, major shout out to my parents for coming in with the assist:

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I spend A LOT of time at my mom and dad’s house in a care giving role and I am more than happy to do so. That’s not to say that I am not happy to have a little treat, though, too! Every week, Giant Eagle runs a great promotion on specific brands of K-Cups for five bucks a box. Every week, without fail, my parents will get me a Green Mountain (My favorite brand!) blend when they do their grocery shopping. Is this something they have to do? Absolutely not! But the fact that they want to and it has become a part of their grocery routine gives me ALL of the warm fuzzies.

I’m not going to lie, having to get up so early for work blows lol. There’s just no better way to say it and I fantasize every morning about going back to sleep as soon as my alarm goes off. No one said adulting was easy! However, after I take care of the buns and take a shower, I know that it is coffee time! It sounds like a little thing, but taking out my box of K-Cups that my parents got me and using the Keurig that Johnny gifted me with gives me a bright start to the day, no matter how early. Every morning, I get to use gifts given to me by people that I love and by the time that first sip hits, I can take on the world that is mostly still asleep!

Thanks to Johnny and my parents, I start my days off right – with a smile and caffeinated!! The best combination!

How do you take your coffee? What do you use to make your coffee? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Johnny’s GREAT SUCCESS!!

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Johnny’s GREAT SUCCESS!!

Hello!! I wouldn’t consider the actual day of Halloween to be anything special to me. Thursdays are a very long, busy day for me at work. Johnny, however, had a banner day at his job! Normally, when I return home for the day, Johnny will greet me at the door looking just as exhausted as I feel. So, you could imagine my surprise when he opened the door bright eyed and bushy tailed! Clearly, he was in a good mood and I found out why when I sat down at my computer. There was a trophy on top of my laptop that he won from the costume contest his job hosted!!

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Every year, there is a Halloween costume contest at Johnny’s place of employment and he planned on reprising an oldie but goodie ensemble for the competition: AC/DC’s Angus Young. He was excited to rock that COTD again but a wrench was thrown into the mix when we couldn’t find the signature Angus Young shorts or hat anywhere. We must have turned over the entire apartment trying to find it! Begrudgingly, Johnny settled on being Lord Licorice for the event and got up extra early to get himself dressed to impress. And how he impressed!

Out of the three costume categories of Scariest, Funniest, and Most Creative, my main squeeze won Most Creative on his Lord Licorice look. Along with the trophy, he also received a Yeti tumbler as a prize and he was on cloud nine. I was so tired after work but this excellent news and seeing him so happy perked me right up! As he told me all about his big day, we were both grinning from ear to ear. Johnny and I both put a lot of effort into our costumes and it paid off in a major way. In fact, he ended up saying that he was glad we couldn’t find his Angus Young costume because he didn’t think it would make him a winner after all. It’s funny how things always have a way of getting sorted out. ❤

We are both absolutely elated over this costume contest win. It might not seem like much, but it is a huge deal for us. We thought our costumes were the best and this confirms it! 😀

Do you celebrate holidays at work? What are those events like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Johnny On The Big Screen

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Johnny On The Big Screen

Hello!!! My Johnny is an exceptionally talented musician and this past Monday was fabulous because I got to see him in action for something really cool. Johnny’s first band was called Johnny and The Apple Stompers and they played bluegrass music. One of the bands that they would play with over a decade ago was the Chardon Polka Band. The CPB absolutely rules and they have become a cult phenomenon – not just in Ohio but all over the country. One of their most recent ventures is a show on PBS called The World According To Polka and Johnny got to play for one of their future episodes that revolves around trains. It was the best, most fun experience and I was so happy I was able to share in it with my main squeeze. Check it out:

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After I finished working on Monday morning, Johnny and I made the hour drive to Burton, Ohio to film in one of their historic villages. We met up with Jake, the lead singer and accordion player for Chardon Polka Band, Bob on washboard, and Jeff on fiddle and banjo, as well as a team from PBS. Of course, we were so excited for the opportunity but the best of all was seeing Jake. It had been literal years since either of us have seen him and he is pure joy incarnate. After catching up, the musicians began their practice sessions for Johnny’s song selections of “Freight Train” and “Waiting For A Train”. I was most surprised because I had no idea that Johnny was going to sing them along with playing his guitar!!

It wasn’t long before all of the players made adjustments and got in their groove together. Then, it was time for the cameras to roll! Within three takes of each song, they were golden and I was legit glowing with pride. I am so used to shooting content at events like this and being able to sit back and enjoy the magic in front of me was such a welcome change of pace. Once each song was shot to their liking, we took a brief break to explore the grounds around Burton. It was so scenic and beautiful, as you can see, and we made friends with a really nice cow. 🙂 Afterwards, Johnny did some interviews for the show to showcase his vast musical knowledge as well as his sharp as a tack wit. He did beyond amazing and I can’t wait to see the end result.

Unfortunately, Johnny’s feature on The World According To Polka will not be aired until the fall of 2025. Until then, we will look back on the day fondly because it was an excellent one. I am the proudest wife!!! ❤

What is your favorite local band? What is your favorite genre of music? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Date Day!

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Date Day!

Howdy!! These past few weeks have been insanely busy for me and Johnny and by the time the weekends rolled around, we were too wiped out to do much of anything. After a lull in the craziness, I couldn’t wait for this weekend because Johnny and I made plans for a date day on Saturday. Date days are my absolute favorite thing in the world and it was so nice to get dressed up and go out with my main squeeze after a few sedentary weekends in a row. We hit up both of our happy place stores (Can you guess mine?!) and one of our happy place restaurants too. Take a look at some pics and let’s discuss:

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On Friday night, Johnny asked one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard… “Can we go to TJMaxx on Saturday?”. It was literal music to my ears and the answer was a resounding YES. A few years ago, Johnny had an amazing haul of spooky themed socks from TJs and was hoping to find more. This is where our date day began and, unfortunately, there were no spooky socks to be found. We did, however, walk away with a few treats for ourselves including a fabulous new addition to our Halloween decor. It is one of my new favorite things so be sure to peep that later!

After a semi successful bout of shopping, we were both famished and made our way to Barrio for lunch next. Barrio is an Ohio thing where you can build your own tacos. The order sheet looks like a test you would take at school when you have to fill in bubbles for your answer, but you never have to worry about getting anything wrong! It is one of our go to restaurants whenever we are in the general vicinity and it never gets old despite the fact that I get the same thing every single time lol. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it! We got tacos for there, tacos to go, and obvi had to get a few margs too. Johnny opted for a flight with a bunch of tropical flavors while I went with my usual – lime, on the rocks, salt on the rim. I was in heaven. ❤

To end our date, we went to Johnny’s store selection called The Exchange which is a buy, sell, trade for video games, movies, records, and everything in between. We were on the hunt to further expand Johnny’s already massive record collection and we did so with some Ghost and Alice Cooper. Then, we returned home to watch Winnie the Pooh Blood & Honey lol. It was just as ridiculous as it sounds but surprisingly really entertaining. Afterwards, we put our new records to good use as the soundtrack to play Diablo IV to. They set the vibe perfectly!

As always, our Date Day was the best day with the best company. Stay tuned for the OOTD from our little adventure!

What is your ideal date day? What is your favorite local restaurant? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

R&R Weekend

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R&R Weekend

Hello!! This past week was an incredibly busy one for yours truly. On top of my normal work schedule, I also worked two events for my boss, Tim. One to do a presentation for college students at Kent State University and another at the end of summer Misnyland picnic. Both were really fun to attend, but I was exhausted by the time I arrived home on Friday. All of my plans for cooking, cleaning, and weekend activities went out the window once I became one with my couch!

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Hanging with my plushie friend!

After a whirlwind picnic on Friday the 13th, Johnny and I deemed it necessary to have a weekend of R&R. And, in honor of said Friday the 13th, scary movies were in order! Normally, I like to do at least one activity with Johnny during the weekend and as nice as that is, it was so much nicer to laze about with my main squeeze. The only agenda being to actually agree on what horror movies to watch lol. I much prefer an atmospheric psychological thriller and movies to the likes of Saw. Johnny, on the other hand, loves ridiculous slashers like Scream and basically any B-list scary flick that has ever been made. Needless to say, we have very different tastes!

To satisfy both of our preferred horror, we compromised. As we should, we watched a Friday the 13th on the thirteenth. Then on Saturday we watched my pick followed by his. I chose an Australian movie called Run Rabbit Run which was pretty good. It was certainly a slow burn of a film and had some creepy vibes. Was it pure horror? Not especially, but I’m glad we watched it even though I wouldn’t watch it again. After the dreary aesthetic of Run Rabbit Run, we were definitely in the mood for something more fast paced, which brought us to Johnny’s selection…

As we browsed through our options on Netflix, one movie caught both of our eyes. It was called Thanksgiving. Because neither of us have ever seen a scary movie revolving around the holiday, Johnny wanted to give it a go. Even though I rolled my eyes about it, I’ve got to say – Thanksgiving was a total hoot. Long story short, a killer seeks revenge after a Black Friday massacre at one of the local superstores. It was goofy, it was cheesy, but it had the craziest kills that kept us jumping the entire time. We got scared, we had a ton of laughs, and I think Johnny’s pick blew mine out of the water.

As soon as September hit, Johnny and I shifted into spooky season mode. It is our tradition around this time of year to squeeze in as many scary movies as we can and I can’t wait to see what’s next!

What is your favorite scary movie? Have you seen anything in theaters recently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

5 Years Strong

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5 Years Strong

Hello!! This past week Johnny and I reached the five year benchmark in our relationship and it has given me all of the warm fuzzies. I still get butterflies every time I see my main squeeze! I am always appreciative of how lucky I am to have my Johnny and this weekend hit different when he spent all day helping me at an event. It was a long day and he didn’t have to by any means, but he did anyway and that means so much. In honor of our five year anniversary, I thought it would be the perfect time to tell a little story about our first date…

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Five years ago, I was in bad relationship after bad relationship. When the last relationship ended, I had sworn off dating for a while. I deleted the apps and I was ready to do my thang as a single woman. That is, until Johnny messaged me on Facebook! Normally, the messages I received on Facebook went something like this: “Hey beautiful”, “Hey gorgeous”, and so on and so forth. Johnny’s message stood out from the crowd in the most amazing way: He complimented a pair of shoes I was wearing in a recent photo shoot and asked if they made them in a men’s Chelsea boot. It was so refreshing because he saw my style, appreciated it, and clearly had pretty great style himself.

As we chit chatted away, Johnny asked me if I would like to go for a drink sometime. At this point in my career, I was still working evenings but just so happened to have that night off. We ended up meeting at the Cashmere Cricket, our favorite bar, later that evening. When I arrived at the Cricket, I was SO nervous that I actually walked right past Johnny who was sitting outside. A moment later, he came into the bar and found me and the rest is history. Since our first date, we have pretty much been together every day since and I am the happiest girl in the world for it!

No matter where we are at or what we do, Johnny and I always have the absolute best time just being together. He makes me feel so spoiled and loved every day since we met because it truly was love at first sight. I feel like I can do anything and everything with him by my side and the past five years have been the most wonderful because of my Johnny. ❤

How long have you and your partner been together? How did you celebrate your last anniversary? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah