Here in Chicago, we’ve skipped over the season of Fall and jumped right into Winter. It’s been unseasonably chilly, windy, rainy and grey, so when deciding what to cook this Sunday, a comforting, warm, no-fuss pot roast sounded perfect.

My dad used to make pot roast in the crock pot and there really is nothing better than coming home after a long day to the smell of slow-cooked meat and vegetables. Plus since Luke and I had a busy day on Sunday registering for our wedding, making supper in the crock pot was really conveient.

Prior to taking off for a day of scanning items at Bed Bath & Beyond, I picked up some fresh veggies, a 2 lb pot roast, a can of cream of mushroom soup and a 1 ounce packet of onion or leek soup mix.

Once home, I seasoned the meat with salt and pepper and then seared it on all sides for 1-2 minutes. Searing the meat helps keep all the juices inside while it slow cooks so the meat is really moist and flavorful.

After setting the meat aside to rest, I spent about 15 minutes chopping the vegetables. You can choose whatever vegetables you want. I chose, carrots, celery, garlic, onions and canned peas. Since I’m getting fitted for my wedding dress this week and want to eat as healthy as possible before then, I avoided potatoes- but they are also a good addition to this recipe.

Once you have the meat and vegetables ready to go, you just throw everything in the crock pot along with a can of cream of mushroom soup, one can-full of water and a 1 ounce packet of onion or leek soup powder.

There are a couple cooking options- set the crock pot to low and cook for 8-9 hours or set it to high and cook for 3-4. When it’s done the meat should be incredibly tender and easily cuttable with a fork. The final product isn’t the most visually appealing meal, but the smell and taste are unbelieveable.

Yum! This pot roast hit the spot after our day of walking around in the cold. The meat was so tender and juicy and the vegetables were soft and flavorful. I definitely recommend you try this recipe out next time you’re looking for a comforting, delicious meal that doesn’t require a lot of preparation or supervised cooking.

One of my favorite shows is The Office. It’s just so awkward and innapropriate, but in a totally hilarious way. I think the best story line from the show is Jim and Pam’s relationship.

This week, they finally tied the knot on the show and the whole office basically high-jacked their entrance to do a parody of the wedding entrance dance that swept the internet a couple months ago. It was pee your pants funny!

Throughout the dance you also see glimpses of  when the two got married on a boat alone, so no one could ruin the moment. It’s really sweet. I just had to share! (sit through the 15 second ad in the beginning- it’s worth it!)

I love how Pam is so laid back about it all. I hope that’s the type of bride I’ll be! Enjoy and happy Friday!

A couple weeks ago I wrote this post about my best friend Julia’s wedding back in our hometown of Toledo, OH. Being the forgetful girl that I am, I totally forgot to pack my camera to capture some photos of the big day.

Well, this week Julia posted some shots her photographer Jan Hudson took and they’re too beautiful not to share! I’ve pulled out some of my favorites that I think really capture the feeling of the day.

Julia gave all her bridesmaid these super cute tote bags to carry all the essentials we’d need for the day.

Her flowers were soo pretty and really popped against the black bridesmaid dresses.

Julia was a little nervous before walking down the aisle, so being the amazing bridesmaid that I am, I loosened her up a little. haha.

Jake and Julia are both really laid back, fun-loving people, so it was really funny when Jake said “You Bet! errr I do!”

Their reception was at Toledo Country Club, which is a beautiful venue. It’s set right against the Maumee River and is lush with trees and flowers.

To kick off the cocktail hour, they had cornhole set up for their guest to play. It helped set the tone for a fun evening!

The inside of the country club, where dinner was served, has a really cool green paneling on the walls. Julia and her mom added the white lantern balls and some amazing centerpieces.

After dinner, we moved outside to where there is a dance floor and a balcony where guest can watch the action.

The little touches Julia and her mom incorporated really add a level of elegance and intimacy to the reception you don’t see very often.

Since Jake and Julia met at Ohio University and many of their guest are alumni (including me!) we gathered together to show our Bobcat pride.

Luke and I had so much fun at Julia’s wedding. Everyone was in the best mood, the weather was perfect, the food was delicious and the dance floor was packed!

Thanks for letting me share your beautiful wedding on my blog Julia! You were a breath-taking bride. I’m so happy you found your prince charming!

A couple weeks ago I wrote about how I had gone wedding dress shopping and found two that I loved. So many of you emailed me to see the photos of the two top dresses – thank you for your interest and opinions! You may recall that in that same post, I wrote about how I didn’t believe in “the feeling” everyone talks about when you find “the” dress. Well…that was because I hadn’t found it yet!

A week after posting about my dress shopping dillemma, I decided to keep looking on the advice of my very wise and logical thinking sister. I scheduled three more appointments: Ultimate Bride, Vwidon and Dimitras here in Chicago. I truly thought I had found the best options for my dress, so I wasn’t too excited to spend another Saturday visiting stores.

Boy am I glad I spent the time going to them! I ended up finding the most amazing gown at Dimitras. I totally got “that feeling” I had brushed aside in my previous post when I put it on. It’s everything I wanted: romantic, modern, unique, shows my figure and within my budget. My roommate was with me and couldn’t stop gushing over it as well.

The dress is completely different than the two I had originally pinned as the top options and it’s not what I thought I wanted AT ALL…which is of course what everyone told me would happen! I have to thank to Jamie and Dimitras for picking this dress out (and being awesome in general) because I never would have done so myself.

I can’t wait to rock this gown on my big day and then post pictures for you all to marvel in my beauty. Lol!

Just for fun, I’m posting the two dresses I THOUGHT were my best options. Thank you again to everyone who chimed in with their opinions on them.

First up is the “Trendy” dress…

And now the “traditional” one…

Both great options, but what I found is just a little bit better. I’m just glad I found something I love!

Just for fun, which do you like better between these two? Leave some comments!