Dog Park and Chill? Also a PSA to all dog owners.

HAVE I TOLD YOU GUYS HOW GREAT IT IS TO LIVE CLOSE TO FAIRFIELD YET? CUZ IT IS GREAT. It's has like, 100% more food places than where we were at. A lot of these food places are the no-waiter-but-not-fast-food types that we are fans of (cuz #collegestudentsforever). We tried Pronto and it was v good.

We just split a small margherita pizza and it was so. good. Are you picky about marinara sauce? I am. Like, very. I remember when I was a wee child my mom would make calzones and when she rolled them together the sauce would spill out and it looked like a little surgery cause the sauce was red and the dough was tan haha. Anyway, the marinara on this pizza was very, very good. Also it was thin crust, which is something I appreciate. 

We will return pronto.... get it? (This is a pun.)

After dinner we got the baby (moms everywhere are hating me in this moment) and took him to the dog!!!! park!!!! Our old apartment had a dog park 5 minutes away. When we moved I kept trying to find one and couldn't find one that was closer than 25 minutes. J found one using his Android because it is obviously the superior phone. It's 15 minutes from us! 

Wait. As I am writing this I realize these pictures are not from that dog park? But I have a really great dog park story I want to tell? Ok I'll just tell it at the bottom.

SO THESE PHOTOS are actually from a different dog park that isn't fenced. I'm like ????? let's not? Like why would I take my dog somewhere that is not fenced so he can run away and get killed? Hard pass. But then he gets really crazy so we don't have a choice. We tested his off leash-ness and he did pretty good!

He played for like 10 minutes and then was done. So it was pretty decent. There weren't any other dogs there for him to play with though. So it was kind of sad. 

Us in real life.

Us on Instagram. (Notice J is very much the same in both photos.)

MA BOY T!!!

Oh what's that? Are we in 2004 when it was really emo and cool to take side mirror photos of sunsets? No, I'm just a 23 year old stuck in a teen angst phase. It's fine, don't worry about me. 

Ok so here is the other dog park story. Wait, I think I have a photo of it on my phone... ok yeah, here you go.

So we go to this dog park that is 15 minutes from our house and there are 3 dogs there. They are all playing nice (Tucker loves other dogs and is really nice) and then this big wolf mean dog growls at him! And the owner was like, "Was that Cujo?!" (Dog wasn't named Cujo, it is just fitting.) I'm like ???? Does it look like my dog is mean? He is like, licking everything in sight. 

Whatever. Then 5 minutes later (I am having panic attacks this whole time, because remember when my brother's lab bit my dog in the neck and there was literally blood everywhere and I had to apply pressure while we rushed her to the pup hospital and then I had to clean up my bloody hands in a public bathroom like the freakin' mob??? YA ME TOO.) 

Where was I? Ok yeah. So then 5 minutes later Tucker is just like, romping around by himself in a corner (same tho) because he's a little rattled from earlier and this mean wolf dog comes over and starts sniffing him and then JUMPS ON TOP OF HIM AND PINS HIM TO THE GROUND!!!!! Tucker is submissive apparently, because he just laid there until it was over. It was sad.

The dog's owner is just like, over in la la land being the worst dog owner in history (Ok fine he was a nice guy and waved to us when we saw him later. Maybe oblivious is a better label). After Cujo let Tucker go he came over to us all scared. :( It was so sad. Then the mean dog had the audacity to come over AGAIN! Tucker hid underneath the bench and that's when we decided to leave.

The moral of the story is: DON'T TAKE YOUR FLIPPIN' DOG TO THE DOG PARK IF IT IS AGGRESSIVE AND MEAN TO OTHER DOGS. SOME PEOPLE DON'T HAVE A BACKYARD OR AN OFF LEASH TRAINED DOG AND RELY ON DOG PARKS TO RELEASE THEIR DOG'S ENERGY. Ugh.

Is this how mom's feel when other kids are mean to their kids? J is all like, "He has to learn how to be in the world!" And I'm like, "He was in a shelter for months!!! He has been in the world!!!" 

Gotta love it. This is a long post? It's been awhile since I posted posted, ya know? Can you tell I don't have friends in Connecticut? Lulz.

XOXO

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Connecticut Guide: Nom Eez (Ramen!)

So I mentioned yesterday that we moved! We now live pretty dang close to Fairfield, Connecticut, like we could throw a rock and hit the town line. We are technically in Bridgeport. It has a reputation for being pretty dangerous, but since we are so close to the town line our little area is pretty safe. (At least according to the maps on Trulia lol). Anyway, so I always feel the need to let people know we are in a safer area of Bridgeport and not threatening our lives.

ANYWAY. Fairfield is like A+ food wise, I hear. Our biggest complaint about Connecticut is that there aren't many places that are in between fast food and restaurants. Ya know? Like places you can order food and sit down, but it doesn't have a drive thru and you don't have to pay a waiter.

So apparently Fairfield has these places and I'm like "J I TOLD YOU WE WERE JUST LOOKING IN THE WRONG PLACES."

Needless to say, our new apartment has me feeling very inspired and creative. Thus the sudden increase in blogging. Also I have more time, so maybe that's it? Idk. WHO CARES LET'S TALK ABOUT FOOD.

So this place is called Nom Eez and is SO. GOOD. They also sell Donut Crazy donuts which is weird but amazing, because they are our favorite donuts.

J got this rice which was like $8 and I honestly would get that next time. I got the ramen (pictured below) and it was so good, but also like $11 I think. And with the rice I felt like it was pretty fancy and a lot of food? So we are probably going to stick with that!

When I asked the girl to box up my ramen, she was like, "Oh you didn't like it?" And I was like, "I did, I am just done?" Lol. But then also we went out of town shortly after and I never finished eating it. Also I think it's still in my fridge and it's been there for definitely 2 weeks. So that will be fun.

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE BACK ME UP ON THIS!!!! I SWEAR TO YOU Androids take photos that look different than iPhones? Like they look more bubbled and weird to me. I don't know. I can't stand it though. My phone shattered so all my photos have weird light leaks now, but whatever.

So, hopefully I'll be able to give you guys some yummy Connecticut food recs now that we are closer to good food!

XOXO

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Chillin' W/ Ma Boys

So I'm pretty much done with school until September, so blog posts comin' your way!! These pics are from forever ago when we explored the dog park with T. This was 5 minutes from our old apartment! #bae

So something gross about Connecticut is that there are ticks. Tucker already has Lyme disease so I guess it doesn't matter, but also they are so gross and I hate them. They are so small, like how are you supposed to be able to find them in a fluffer (a fluffy dog)?!?! We found one in Tucker's ear and I FREAKED out. I stripped down, made J check me everywhere, and then took a one hour shower lol.

Needless to say, T hasn't been to many dog parks since then. I need to take him to the one by our new apartment and see if it's any better tick-wise.

I've said it once, and I'll say it again! I. Can. Not. Wait. To. Get. Back. To. The. West. Coast.

I know I need to appreciate this moment and blah blah blah blah. But I'm really strugglin'! I feel we are so close to moving (10 months!) and I am so close to being done with school FOREVER it's just getting hard to keep a way positive attitude. I just want it to be over and be moved already! Gah!

XOXO

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Staycation Day 3: Connecticut

This is Henry. He is our windshield wiper fluid we for some reason keep in the car. He rolls around a lot so we have to make sure to buckle him in. 

For breakfast we went to The Granola Bar of Westport. It was v trendy. When we ordered hot chocolates (once again, eating the same food on accident) she asked us if we wanted "the works". We said yes and I'll tell ya, I'm happy with "the works"!

I got avocado toast again because I'm basic. It was v good.

Ok so this is random but I live by the Pez factory? Like, the actual factory that makes Pez. After passing a few sings for it, we decided to drop in. It was actually really fun! They had this photo booth that made me lol. They also had a bingo where you found certain Pez dispensers. If you got a bingo you won a free dispenser! Then they had Pez samples on the way out. So we ended up with a dispenser and 4 packs each. Not bad!

We became Pez. These pics crack me up.

Ok so this bridge is like, right next to my house. Over the summer, I would complain to my mom often about how it was hard to work from home. She always suggested I go on a walk, and I would tell her there wasn't anywhere to walk near my apartment. She always thought I was being dramatic lol. So, after the Pez factory I took her on my "walk". We had to cross this bridge which is really old. Like it's actual wood slices with space between. I mean, an adult couldn't misstep and fall through, but a child probably could. 

So anyway, we start walking on this bridge. First, my mom thought she heard a puppy in the side of it, so we went back to see if she could see anything. Spoiler alert: There was no puppy. Second, about halfway through my mom starts FREAKING out. Like she suddenly realized that the bridge had so many spaces, and at times was just a piece of chainlink metal. So she takes off, being like, "I need to get off this bridge!" and I'm just back there like ??? Needless to say, we did not take the bridge back.

After almost dying, I took her to get ice cream to raise spirits. I think I have talked about this ice cream before. It's called Milkcraft and IT'S SO GOOD. Like there aren't many places I would recommend pit stopping for in Connecticut, but this is one of them! This time I got the fruity pebbles and I am in love. 

My mom got the s'mores. She literally still talks about it. Talked about it on the phone to me yesterday, in fact!

I talk a lot about Primark and you guys are like, "WHY DO WE CARE." So it's hard to relate, for sure. I took my mom there to test if it's really as great as I think it is. Conclusion: IT IS. We got four bags (between the two of us) and only spent maybe $300-$350 (once again, between the two of us). I will miss it so much when we move to the west coast.

If you're wondering: Primark is like a Forever 21 but with way cuter things and better quality (I think). They have really cute stuff, including like home goods, stationary, etc. If you are interested, just YouTube "Primark haul". Also, you can not shop online. Their website doesn't even show everything they have, just the new arrivals. So yeah, it's amazing.

We ate at House of Bones, which is totally delish. I am obsessed with their pulled pork sandwiches. 

I feel like we ate somewhere for dinner with J? But I don't have any more pictures from this day so maybe we didn't. Huh. 

Oh yeah! So after this we got pedicures. This was also the day I got my phone to work! 

Anyway, it was v chill!

XOXO

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When My Life Was Actual Gilmore Girls

Most of my days spent in Connecticut are just days spent in Connecticut. Today, though, my day in Connecticut was actually 100% straight from an episode of Gilmore Girls, I SWEAR TO YOU.

So a friend at our church invited us to come this "traditional New England parade". A drum group played drums and then we all followed them and marched to a cemetery where they read off a list of names of veterans who had been buried there. It was really cool and interactive! 

It was a really fun and respectful thing to on Memorial Day. History is a really big thing over here! It's the only part about Gilmore Girls that I think is accurate haha. I kept thinking of all the town celebrations they have in Gilmore Girls. The town we live in doesn't ever have any, so it was neat to go somewhere that did. If you want a very traditional New England/Connecticut/Gilmore Girls experience, go to Stony Creek!

Hope you all had a great Memorial Day!

XOXO

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Instagram Ice Cream AF

I'm pretty sure people just go here for the gram... jk but not really lol. This ice cream place is called Milkcraft and is SO CUTE! Here's the thing, Utah's food places have great atmosphere. Like, they're so cute. In Connecticut, that doesn't happen a whole ton. Needless, to say, it was fun to go somewhere that had mega vibes.

From time to time I get really angsty and all "What am I doing with my life?!" I sometimes feel like everyone around me is having babies or buying houses or traveling. I don't feel like there are too many people on my social media who are still in the "poor college student phase" and sometimes I get really bothered by that. I know that it will end soon (1 year, woot!). I know that it will be worth it when we're both working, and that we'll be able to travel all we want. It's just that doesn't always make things better right now, do you know what I mean? 

Anyway. So I was complaining about all of this. I was also complaining about how we don't have any de-stressors (friends, a dog, cute food places) and how that just makes everything harder. A few hours after that, I was just like, "WE ARE GOING TO MILKCRAFT!!!!!" It was like 9:00pm on a Sunday, but when those moments hit you gotta do what you gotta do. And sure enough, after we got ice cream at a cute, new food place I felt so much better hahahaha. 

The cones were actually the texture of waffles and SO GOOD. I am going to go back when my mom comes to visit and get the fruity pebbles ice cream. I liked the caramel corn, but it was a little unique for my taste. Look how cute the inside is, though!!!

Anyway, the moral of the story is that cute food places can cure even the angsty-est of angst lololololol. Add this to your things to do in Connecticut list, too!

XOXO

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Burgs

So, I'm eating meat now, right? So far, I think it's been ok, but I still feel like I can get my fill from fake meats. Also, I feel like vegetarian food has more flavor? I don't know, it's weird. I have been wanting to keep trying meats, though. Just because there aren't a lot of places in this area that are veg friend. 

So last week we went to Prime 16 in Orange, Connecticut. (Lol that there is a town named Orange.) Their beef is certified humane which makes my animal loving hear v happy. Also, atmosphere AF at this place, you guys. I should have taken a photo of the bar, but it looked like a vampires lounge hahaha. It was amazing.

Also I got this camera for a sponsored post, but I am actually obsessed with it. It's film, but digital which is the *BeSt Of BoTh WoRlDs*. So basically you can take pictures and see what they look life BEFORE you print them. You can add filters and crop and add stickers too. I'm not sponsored to post it here haha, I just genuinely love the product. I pretty much love anything film related, lets be honest.

This is the first burger I have had from a restaurant! (Does Shake Shack count as a restaurant?) It had bacon on the inside and then bacon on the top. I lol at how much meat eaters love bacon. Also it was HUGE!! My hand is twisted so weird in this picture, but you get the idea. 

Living somewhere new that no one you know has lived before is kind of hard as far as knowing where to eat goes. We are like, exploring all on our own from stage 1. So, if you are ever in Connecticut for whatever reason (Gilmore Girls tour or going to Yale), definitely add this place to your list! 

XOXO

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Neil's Donuts

I've said it once, and I'll say it again. I MISS THE FOOD IN UTAH!! Utah has such good food places. This past weekend we decided to explore a bit and go to a new donut shop. It was a bit of a drive from where we live, but hey. Anything to get out of the house, right? 😂

This road is one of my favorite to drive in Connecticut.

Ok so J loved his donut (obviously). His consensus was, "If you live close, then go. But if not, then Donut Crazy is fine." Lol.

My donut was good too, but honestly there is nothing I miss more than the chocolate cake donut with chocolate frosting at Provo Bakery. NEED.

We try to be adventurous but also it's hard when you live in a state where you haven't accumulated hundreds of recommendations lol. I laugh at all the Connecticut jokes people make. They says it's like a no mans land between Boston and New York City and I'm like, "ACCURATE."

Life is weird and it takes a while to figure out what you do and don't like, but I guess I'm glad that I'm closer to knowing what I like than I was a year ago lol.

XOXO

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Snow In New England

I guess it doesn't really snow here before Christmas, but then after Christmas we get a lot of snow? Honestly I'm not sure because I thought where we are (by the beach) we are supposed to get mostly rain? 

Well, WHATEVER. Because I love the snow and it has been snowing and I'LL TAKE IT!!! 💙

This is the street we live on. We are in the "downtown" area of a really small, Connecticut town. It's maybe a little bit too small for my taste, to be honest. 😂 We are probably going to move to Norwalk this summer. (If you watch American Housewife, I had to lol that Oliver was selling rip off designer shirts to kids in Norwalk! Tooooo good.)

See, like Wendy's is basically our only choice for food close by. NOT OK. Also look at how much it snowed!!! I think we got 18 inches this day. This was the day that work was canceled for J because of the storm (last Thursday). 

Ok I am merging two separate days into one post because our life is boring and I can do that now. So this was last Friday when we did date night in Norwalk. This is their Main Street and it's SO CUTE!! It has all these yummy little food places too. J works one street over from this street, so we are hoping to live somewhere within walking distance, since having one car is an actual nightmare.

Look at the teenager in the background of this photo flipping us off hahahaha.

Anyway, we decided to break out of our usual "no waiters" rule and try a Mecha in Norwalk. IT WAS SO GOOD!!!! We were there during happy hour, so we got these Korean tacos for $3! I honestly could just get two sets of these next time and be totally happy. They reminded me a lot of my true loves at 180 Tacos. 

I got the veggie ramen, because I am kind of going back to being vegetarian. Except if a meat things looks really good I will try it (like the Korean tacos above), but just overall I wasn't crazy about the way meat was making me feel. I can honestly say that going from meat eater to vegetarian felt the same, but going from vegetarian to meat eater was no buenoooooo. And no, I didn't get sick or anything. I just felt a difference in my head and stomach. 

J liked his pho tai, but said he would try something different next time. I tasted it and it tasted really coconut-y?? V interesting!

Ope, well I guess I am combining the next day as well! This was on Saturday when we just wanted to get out of the house. Like I said before, where we live in honestly kind of boring. It's just like where people live when they want to be close enough to work in New York City, but live in the suburbs. In Utah there were lots of little sit-down-but-waiterless restaurants, but Connecticut is mainly fast food or waiters. 

So, on Saturday we did a little car picnic at the beach. This beach actually looked amazing and I want to go back tomorrow to take some pictures. It also had a huge lawn that will be fun to picnic on in the summer! I learned that the beaches here actually have warm water and people go swimming at them?! For some reason I was thinking they were not swimmable hahah. So, that will also be fun to do during our last summer here! It's crazy to think that we just had our first summer on the east coast, and now we will be having our last. My degree is seriously so fast haha, I am getting tooooooo excited to get back into the workforce and move to Washington (hopefully)!

Anyway, that was our weekend, I guess! I posted weirdly out of order, because then on Sunday we went to New York City, which I already posted about?? Oh well haha.

XOXO

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