5 Best Moments of 2015

Happy 2016!

I know I should’ve posted this yesterday, but I was a little busy rushing around for last minute NYE things & just generally enjoying a day off work. I want to do a little reflecting on the past year, and how awesome it was for me.

5. Successfully Adulted

Logan and I moved in to our first apartment sans roommates! I adopted a furry baby, got a big girl job at a marketing firm, and started paying my student loans. So obviously you can see I’m adulting pretty hardcore.

4. Returned to good ol’ USA

After 10 months abroad, Logan and I returned to our home country. No truer statement than “no place like home.”

3. Traveled around most of Europe

Logan and I visited Cologne, Amsterdam, Geneva, Lisbon, Venice, Rome, Paris, and Prague. Experiencing all the cultures was an amazing experience. Not to mention all of the delicious food!

2. Lived and worked in Spain

I did something I didn’t know I was capable of: teaching! A year of learning, teaching, living, eating, drinking, and hanging out in Madrid resulted in lots of Spanish learning, fears conquered, and introspection.

1. Got ENGAGED

BFF, soul mate, lover, and my all time favorite human asked me to spend forever with him.

 

Can’t wait for the adventures 2016 has in store for me!

Engagement Photos! Part 1

More to come!

Weekend Recap Vol. 16

Monday?! But how…?

Well I hope all of you beautiful people had a fantastic weekend. The weather couldn’t have been better here in Chicago, 70 in November? I’ll take it!

* On Friday I took the fiance out for his birthday dinner! The big 2-4. We went to this amazing French restaurant in Lincoln Park, 3 courses of deliciousness.

* Saturday was super chill. We woke up late, watched a ton of TV, snuggled with our lil Luna, and wandered around the neighborhood all afternoon.

* Saturday night was as equally chill as Saturday: pizza, friends, and a movie night. Sometimes you just need to kick back and relax, and by sometimes I mean all the time.

* Sunday was as basic as a Sunday can be: grocery shopping, gym, fro-yo, and hanging with my BFF.

What’d you do this weekend?

Weekend Recap Vol. 15

Hello friends! Another awesome weekend for the books over here. It was so chill, and low-key, my fav! Not to mention the weather here in Chicago has been absolutely amazing!

* Friday night we went to the Whole Foods Event, 5 after 5. Not the best food we’ve had there, but it was still a good way to spend an evening

* Saturday morning Logan and I took some engagement pictures. We decided not to pay for them, because we knew we could easily take and edit them ourselves. Kayla (the twin), also snapped some for us *THANKS* I’ll share more of them later! 🙂

* I did some major shopping damage at some resale shops #cantstopwontstop

* Fiance and I had a double date with Twin and her BF. We went to a little pub called Brownstone, SO AMAZING. Turkey burger + sweet potato fries (sounds basic, but it was amazing).

* Sunday was spent walking around our beautiful neighborhood enjoying the crisp autumn air, and a couple of lattes (does it get any better?!)

Thoughts & Feelings: Young Love

I made a new friend when I was 16, I started dating him at 17, I fell in love with him when I was 18, and now here we are – 22 and 23, and engaged.

Gauging by different reactions people have had to our big news, I can tell some of them are a little weary of the idea of getting married “so young.” But here’s my beef with that, Logan and I got lucky, we really did! We aren’t the same people we were at 16, and neither is our relationship. Sometimes you meet an awesome someone that you can grow up alongside, mature into adults together, and create wonderful memories with. And that’s what I found.

Our relationship isn’t complacent, nor are we “settling” for a high school love. Our relationship has had it’s set of challenges: we grew up in cities an hour and a half from each other and did long distance for not one, but two years. We eventually were in the same place for 3 years in college, and then we moved abroad and taught english in Spain for a year. We’ve traveled the world together, lived together, and even adopted our lil cat child together. We know each other inside and out, and I am really really really excited to keep on keepin’ on & marry this dude.

So, while I can (kind of) understand people’s concerns about us being young, I’m here to tell you that you can worry about something more worthwhile, because we got this love thing down pat.

Story Time: Boyfriend Proposed

Well guess who had one amazing weekend?! This girl! On Saturday, October 10, 2015 my boyfriend fiancé got down on one knee and asked me to hang out with him forever. SCORE! I’m going to write out the sequence of events for selfish reasons, because I want to remember this special day for-e-ver, and also because my friends and family probably want the inside scoop…

Phase 1: Fun-filled lunch

Logan switched up our usual plans and suggested we go out for a yummy lunch instead of a dinner. I didn’t think twice about it, and instantly agreed. Because food, ya know? Cue tasty all-american lunch in Lincoln Park (at Gaslight if you really want to know). Logan even encouraged me to splurge on some sweet potato fries, maybe that’s when I should’ve been suspicious.

Phase 2: Fall fest at Lincoln Park Zoo

This was Logan’s cover. A cover I literally gave him because I wanted to check out the event that celebrates my all-time favorite season #basic. So we walk from the restaurant and pass by one of my favorite spots in the city: a really adorable, super quant pond. I’ve pointed this pond out a few times to Logan, and have even mentioned we should mosey down the little pier, but we just never did. So cue Logan and I passing by it, and me suggesting we go look at it, when Logan takes the initiative and suggests going out onto the pier. And I was like “wow, what a wonderful idea!” It was later revealed to me that Logan had scoped out lots of places for the proposal, and decided this perfect pond was the perfect spot to pop the question. 🙂

Phase 3: The proposal!

So we’re walking down the dock (I was momentarily distracted by a turtle sun bathing on a log), and let me set the scene: it’s a PERFECT fall day (leaves are starting to change, the air is crisp, and the dock is basically empty of anyone but the two of us). We get to the end of the dock, and Logan turns around, takes my hands and says (from the best I can remember) “Shannon Michelle Waisath, I am so happy that I’ve had you as my best friend for the past six years. I love you so much, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you *cue pulling out ring* *cue taking a knee* Will you marry me?!”  YES! Obviously you all knew how that story would end…

Phase 4: Post proposal

Logan tells me that Kayla (my twin sister), has been hiding like a creep in the nearby bushes snapping pics of the whole thing! YAY! I was so happy that she was there for this moment, and that I could gush over my ring and excitement with two of my favorite people ever. I was, and still am, very surprised. I’M GETTING MARRIED!

Weekend Recap Vol. 11

Hello friends! This weekend was dominated by one main activity: APPLE PICKING! We (twin, twin’s bf, boyfriend, and I) were in our hometown for a brief 24 hours, but we definitely made the most of it. As you can tell by our outfits, fall has hit the midwest full force, and I could not be happier about it *yay layers!*

The boyfriend and I have made apple picking quite the tradition, so it was super fun to be able to share the experience with our other favorite couple *le duh.*

The rest of the weekend was spent hanging out, and making delicious apple goodies. I made this dip, and the twin made this apple crumble. I think I ate enough apples this weekend to keep the doctor away for YEARS!

Did you do any fall activities this weekend?

The Truth Behind Cohabiting

The boyfriend and I have been together for over 6 years now, WOAH! We’re going on year two of living together, but only a few months into living together sans roomies. When you live with your significant other you learn a lot about them: the good the bad, and the ugly. I wanted to share some little lessons I’ve learned from living with my main squeeze.

You will have really dumb disagreements

Recent arguments include: who fills the britta pitcher up more often, where we should put a picture on our collage wall, and if stevia is better than sweet and low. Remember to compromise, and play fair. One person can’t be the one who makes all the sacrifices. You both gotta win, and you both gotta lose #dealwithit.

Separation of chores comes kind of naturally

I make the bed, he takes out the trash. We  have to try to stay away from the whole 1:1 chores ratio because it’s really easy to get into that which can lead to some pissy pants feelings. I just try to remember we’re both trying to take care of our home, and we each have a preference for which tasks to do. And not all chores are created equal.

Boys eat a lot

The boyfriend and I have started buying our groceries together. Holy sh*t can that boy eat! I’m still working on keeping my annoyance at bay when I realize he’s eaten all the deli meat. I guess you should try to remember different people need different amounts of food, and my 6’4″ 195 lbs boyfriends needs more food than me.

You don’t have to worry about one person leaving

This sentence carries a lot of weight. Living together means an even deeper level of commitment (1 year lease, am I right?). It also means you get to do the hang thing every night! Waking up next to your person is awesome, and no one ever has to leave to go back to their place.

Living together is really fun, and really different. But most of all, it’s really great.

6 Truths about Committed Love

1. They’re your BFF, cuddle buddy, secret keeper, and partner in crime all wrapped in one *hott* package

Having one person that fulfills basically every relationship requirement is the absolute best.

2. You know what peak comfort with another human being feels like

You can be exactly who you are without jeopardizing the other person’s feelings for you. Feel free to speak your mind, belch in front of them, and share some weird thoughts and feelings, because regardless of what you say and do, this person is stuck with chose you.

3. You gotta take the bad with the good

I do some really annoying things #worrywart, my boyfriend also does some (less) annoying things. But love means putting these little annoyances aside so you can enjoy all the other qualities you completely adore about the other person.

4. The two of you are probably really weird when you’re together

Being so freakishly close comes with some repercussions. Since you’re super comfortable with each other that level of comfort doesn’t always mesh well with the general public. Sometimes I catch myself doing/saying really weird things to Logan that probably aren’t acceptable in public (e.g. greeting him by meowing #sorrynotsorry).

5. You’re really excited about your future with them 

Talking about future jobs, dream houses, possible vacations, even kids. Yup, serious stuff comes up when you day dream about what the future holds for the two of you (I’m thinking adventures galore).

6. You know each other better than anyone else

You know their likes, dislikes, pet peeves, how to make them happy, and how to piss them off. It’s your responsibility to use that knowledge for good.

Weekend Recap Vol. 4

Another great summer weekend with great people!

* Kayla and I went to the Chicago Air and Water Show on Sunday. The show is a bunch of tiny fast jet planes doing tricks in the air. I think the best part was being able to hop in the lake and watch the show while bobbing with the tiny waves.

* Logan and I celebrate 6 YEARS together on Saturday! I’m so lucky to have grown up along side him and travel the world together. I’m excited for all the adventures our lives have in store for us!

* We made the trip up to WI this weekend for a friends wedding. It’s so fun to see our friends growing up and making big commitments like this. The wedding was close to our college town, so we were able to drive through our alma mater, talk about nostalgic feels.