Today is our second anniversary. Yes, 730 days spent married. Maybe it's not that long, but maybe it's one year closer to forever. (insert mushy emoticon here, right?)

I wanted to have a reflection similar to last year's, but something that grand wasn't on my heart. It's not that I am less elated for this year's milestone, it's just that more is currently going on. Life fills up and speeds up. I literally feel like I just wrote our first year post. I mean, seriously, where does time go? When people warn little kids not to wish for their days to go faster, they are serious. It's like pedal to the metal after age 25. 

But today, I am lucky, the universe gave me a chance to pause. I am transitioning from one job to another and have today serendipitously off. (More on that on another day.) So, I am writing this from our newly completed back patio (more on that too) in the sunshine with our pups nearby. G-l-o-r-i-o-u-s. Thanks, universe! 

Year 2: we bought a house. I think that sums up the pace for our year. We searched, we financed, we moved, we're redoing and decorating. Yep, that about covers it.

​Oh wait, we learned about each other throughout this process too. Yes, that's where this is going, that what we've confirmed that marriage is about showing up each day and putting in the effort to learn and love. It's like PD, or continuing education for couples.

Here's the rundown of a few reflections from our second year of marriage (from my perspective and own experience.):

1. Being partners means saying the hard stuff and supporting even when you think the other is crazy.
I am admittedly not the easiest person on the planet. I have idiosyncrasies out the ears. And, I am impatient to boot. Nicholas is, well, cut from the same cloth but in a totally opposite fashion. To say we're wired differently would be entirely accurate. BUT IT WORKS because we understand who we each are and love each other for it. Moreover, we respect each other for it. During the house hunt and our eventual purchase and mini-renovations, we've brought the crazy out in each other. I've been bent out of shape about caulking and trim and he's been flabbergasted that I think finding old stuff and houses have charm. Our priorities for projects aren't the same and what seems logical to one is gibberish to the other. So, we've argued, thrown our hands up, threatened to put a for sale sign in the yard, but have always come back to each other. We've been honest, we've been irate, we've been surprisingly chill, we've been it all. It's all about talking through it, conceding sometimes, compromising often, and collaborating a lot. We're building a life and the home is just part of it.  

2. Space for each person is important. 
In the first year, it's kind of like you are attached at the hip. That's part of the awesomeness of the first 365. But it's also important to have your own space. There needs to be time to retain and develop who each of you are and what you bring to the partnership. Well-cared for individuals equal a couple well-positioned for longevity and lots of love. We've tried to continue things, or find new ones, that bring us, as individuals, release and joy. What have we done in this last year? Dabbled in yoga, ran, built a workshop, spent more time with friends, volunteered for committees and organizations we have interests in, found ways we can serve, and each took on side jobs. Each of our "own" activities allows us each to have more to share with each other. 

3. Remember, there's no map or plan for marriage. It is totally unique to the couple. 
During the engagement and the first year, you get a lot of advice. Like a lot. Enough to overwhelm even the most steadfast pair. There's a lot of pressure to do things a certain way or please everyone. Then, after the new wears off, things calm down a bit. And then...well people begin to wonder what your next steps are (buy a house, have a baby, go on a big trip together, advance in your careers, etc.). Most people are asking because they care, they want to help, and are genuinely curious. HEAR ME NOW: There is NO plan. There is NO right way to be married. Each couple has their own pace. There might be a natural ebb and flow in life and some similar patterns to coupledom, but there is no prescribed path. It's good to keep perspective. If we spend our time worrying about the expectations of others, we lose our ability to choose willfully and with abandon as well as enjoy the rewards or learn from the missteps. I've always loved surprises but always want to have a plan. As contradictory as that is they both can coincide. But in this instance, our marriage is the grandest adventure I've been on yet and I am so thankful to be the co-pilot for my best friend.

​I heard an excellent song earlier today. While we tend to use 90's country as our love songs, but I think Nick won't mind that I stray a bit for this one; it is incredible. Check out "I Wasn't Expecting That" by Jamie Lawson. Nick swept me off my feet 4 years ago as of October 1st. I truly wasn't expecting to fall fast, fall hard, fall forever. He's still the best thing that's ever happened to me. #Iamtheluckiest

In the spirit of tradition, let's take a quick look at our 2nd year! 

Now, for all of the other September anniversaries and weddings, we wish you the best! You picked a fabulous time of year to start and celebrate the rest of your life. Let's cherish our time, make a lot of memories, and love love. 

Until next time--
xoxo

Holy moly! Today marks this little blog's first anniversary. Cue the parade and candle-blowing. We shall celebrate with exciting ramblings and a killer Salted Caramel Cheesecake recipe. Yes, we're doubling up on the goodness. 

First, I want to thank you all for jumping in on this journey. I wasn't entirely sure what I signed on for when I launched this blog while sitting on the kitchen floor in our wee rental house. You, the awesome readers of the blogesphere, have been encouraging and forgiving. You've come back despite my inconsistent posting schedule. You've made recipes that were depicted in lackluster photos (I promise to get better!). You've shared that you enjoy my rants and words. You've inspired me to be a better cook and baker. You've built my confidence to keep putting forth posts. I now know that blogging is the second best creative release I have. It's a closeclose second to cooking. Hmmmm, I guess this is why Born Daily is primarily a blog with food. And for the record, I find myself on the same pillow on my kitchen floor tip tap typing this post. Oh, the delicious, sugary serendipity of it all.

You might have noticed it has been basically a month (ahem...sigh) since I posted last. Well, life has been busy. Like really busy. I previously posted that we were on the hunt for a house. Well with the help of our main man Saint Joseph and our rockstar realtor, Keely, we found a house, made it through negotiations, etc., AND got our rental sold all within a few weeks of each other. (The rental was only on the market 3 days!) Yes, she's really that good. So just firm that up, yep, next week the Borns are buying a house!! I've been hesitant to write about this because despite my intuition I am a teeny superstitious. So, just for good measure we still have Saint Joseph in his place of honor. 

Accordingly, you should expect many adventures in homeownership to fill the coming installments of this blog. More details, and hopefully minimal mishaps, await.

Second, remember that birthday bucket list of sorts I put forward in February...I am slowly working through it. Next week we'll officially cross of #6 (see paragraphs above). I can also cross off #4 since I ran my second half marathon this past weekend! WAHOO! I went in with an unspoken goal and disappointingly didn't meet it BUT the entire run felt better than my first half. That's something, right? And, I might be crazy enough to try to train for another one...er, did I just type that? Chalk that up to a runner's high... Anyhoo, I'm pretty proud to have completed it and got to run it with a longtime bestie (and when I say run "with" I mean we both performed the activity but she's much faster.) 

Now, I promised you a kick-butt cheesecake with trendy salted caramel sauce. It is rich, seemingly fancy, and totally something you can make at home. Create some special occasion that warrants a serious dessert (i.e. a blog-versary). It comes to us from Joy the Baker. (Joy was one of the first bloggers I started to read regularly. She mixes humor as well as she does butter and sugar. Check her out.)

I have to confess I originally made this cheesecake for the hubster's 25th birthday, last year. This was weeks before this blog entered my brain as a serious outlet. Thus, I have only one picture of the final result. And, I've already revealed its wonder at the top of this post. So instead of typing the recipe for you, I want to drive you to her site, the original. 

I picked this recipe because it didn't require a springform pan. I've gone twenty something years and never acquired a springform pan. Seriously. That probably eats at my baker credit a bit... But nevertheless, I made this in all its flavorful glory and it stands up as a pretty legit cheesecake. And don't fear the caramel. You can do it! BUT if you don't want to do it, it is completely acceptable to melt the caramels and add salt. This treat was the perfect way to usher in his milestone. It lasts a while if there are only two of you. 

Speaking of which, I failed to properly give him a blog post for his birthday earlier this month. (And I didn't make him a cheesecake this year either. He requested a DQ ice cream cake (yes, it's true love when you a baker buy a loved one their birthday treat.)) So, husband, happiest belated birthday blog inclusion. May this year be filled with the best adventures, delicious foods, cold grapefruit shandy, and a well-organized bigger garage! Love you for being you, awesome, handsome, talented, you. 

You all rock. You really do. Thank you again for making Born Daily part of your online reading habits! It is my sincerest hope that we can continue to grow this blog together. And goodness knows, there's plenty of content ahead! #food24/7 #homeownership :)

Have a great week, friends! 
Until next time. 
-xoxo 

*UPDATED with more pictures to reflect the creation of the pie. The process pictures and the finished pie pictures were taken on two different occasions. 

Today is Pi Day! Yes, Pi not Pie...but the latter is much more up my alley. So we'll skip the math and go straight to the chocolate. Okay, that's a fib. There's a bit of a diversion which will doubly confirm why we need this chocolate. Homeowners, do you remember the search for your house? Yes, that experience that culminated in you signing piles of papers and earned you the privilege to fork over wads of money every month for years on end? If you do, say a prayer and send some patience because...the Born's are on the hunt for our first house! (If you're in my area and know of any good ones on the market feel free to shoot them my way!) 

We lucked out landing an energetic bright-eyed realtor who seems to be a go-getter, which I think probably makes the process all the better. (Plus, she seems like lots of fun so maybe I'll make a new friend out of the deal too.) But man, as much fun as it is, this process is exhausting. And really, we've barely begun. I've attempted to organize my thoughts on house-hunting in a semi-satirical list below. 

So about that pie...
When I am exhausted, anxious, eager, or any of the emotions between...I eat. Admittedly, and without shame, I eat. Chocolate, french fries, guacamole, ice cream, chocolate... yep, my go to's. In light of our hunt and in honor of 3.14 day, here's the absolutely easiest, most decadent way to get your chocolate fix: the Pioneer Woman's French Silk Pie. 

French Silk Pie
Recipe from Pioneer Woman
4 ounces (total weight) unsweetened baking chocolate (I like Baker's brand)
1 cup salted butter, softened
1-1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I prefer Mexican vanilla)
4 whole large eggs
1 baked pie shell (homemade, refrigerated crust, or pre-baked)
8 ounces cool whip or homemade whipped cream, for topping
chocolate curls or chips, for topping

Directions

When you serve this,  I dare you to eat just a tiny piece. I bet you can't do it. And if you can, well you have the willpower of a superhero. I hope this pie gives you just the delicious chocolate fix to remedy whatever ails you or to celebrate all that is good, or both. 

And for the record, I feel fortunate to be in the position to house hunt with my best friend so this isn't really a complaining post, but my account of what seems to be a imperfect, difficult process.  

We went from job searching and newly engaged to new hires and wedding planning fiends to 1 year of employment and newlyweds. it's been pretty much a whirlwind. It seems almost impossible that the end of July marked one year with a Wichita address. 

In January 2013, when Nicholas began interviewing for school psychologists positions we didn't quite know where we would end up. But as luck would have it, he aced the interview of the position he really wanted and we were headed to Sedgwick County. We were fortunate enough to have family with an available house that we could rent. We officially moved in the weekend before we started our jobs and the rest is history. 

Albeit belated, in honor of our 1-year Wichitan anniversary, here's a recap of a few of our random favorite discoveries about the town, ourselves, and our life:

1. Unsurprisingly, Nick knows his way around pretty well; I still use iPhone Maps for everything.
2. We eat at home more times than not. Hence the restaurants we haven't visited but have been meaning to... i.e. The Anchor, Picasso's, Twelve, Kanai, Little Saigon, Avivo Brick Oven, NuWay, Bonefish Grill, Old MIll Tasty Shop, Luciano's, Stearman Field, MIke's Wine Dive, Stroud's... That said, we have managed to find a handful of new favorites though: Ming's Chinese on Seneca, Taco Pronto, Molino's, Tanya's Soup Kitchen, and Newport Grill.
3. We have a soft spot for the Westside. We love our little neighborhood and the ease in which we can get around. Nick says "it has a small town feel with large town/city amenities."
4. Driving 20-25 minutes to go across town has become normal when back home we could have been in any number of different towns.
5. We were so lucky to find Four Paws Dood Ranch in nearby Peabody. Garth was the perfect addition to our family! 
6. We see my brother and his family much more now that we're less than an hour away from them
7. There doesn't seem to be any great biking trails nearby which is a bummer for Nick.
8. Oddly, we don't watch local news like we did in Pittsburg, but instead rely on our technology and social media to keep us up to date.
9. The majority of our nearest and dearest friends and family don't live here. We miss them!! Come visit!! (see number 12)
10. We see a fair amount of split faces and Wildcats license plates running around town so we know were still in good company.
11. The new double oven we put in this rental house was a fantastic decision. Never have I loved an appliance so much. 
12. We have put over 15,000 miles on our new car in eight months...so, apparently we're not in Wichita a lot.
13. We have a lot more to learn about this city we now call home.

Since this is a post about our address anniversary, we should celebrate with something sweet. Ice cream pie seems like a natural fit. This quick and simple recipe starts with Oreos. Not just any Oreos, but the ones with the Reese's Peanut Butter cream filling. I must confess I was sorely disappointed in these cookies. I think my high expectations of their wonderment left me accordingly underwhelmed. But, their redeeming factor: they make a kick butt crust. Once the crust is made, the rest just falls in place in no time. It's certainly a dessert with a lot of cool factor (ba dum chh).

Reese's Oreo Ice Cream Pie
makes one 9-inch pie
Crust
1 box mini-Reese's Oreos
1/4 cup butter, melted
Filling
1 container of cookies and cream ice cream (or your favorite flavor)
1/2 cup-3/4 cup chopped Reese's Minis (or more if you please; and use the unwrapped minis- easy and delish!) 

Instructions

1. Finely crush Oreos in food processor (or put in a Ziploc bag and crush with rolling pin).
2. Pour Oreo crumbs in a medium bowl. Mix in melted butter until well combined.
3. Spray 9-inch pie pan with non-stick cooking spray. 
4. Pour moist crumbs in pie pan and pack/smoosh into an even layer including the base and sides of pan. 
5. Refrigerate crust for at least 30 minutes. When you put your crust in fridge, take your ice cream out of the freezer.
6. Once crust is set, spread ice cream into crust. 
7. Sprinkle the top with chopped Reese's Minis. At this point make it your own! Fill free to top with some hot fudge or more.
8. Freeze again for 20-30 minutes. Cut slices and enjoy! Store in freezer, but the pie won't last long. 

Dang, I wish I had a piece of that pie right now. Oh well. Here's to the next year of adventures in Wichita! Talk to you soon! 
-xo 

It's Friday! It's Friday! And you know what that means? My current favorite things, of course! Here's the totally biased rundown. 

1. Renewing an old hobby: reading! 
When I was younger, I lived for Saturday mornings. This was when my mom would take me to the public library to exchange the books I'd previously checked out and load up on new ones. I don't kid when I say load up. Man, I was a reading machine! But as time has passed, I have let this hobby slip away somewhat. I still love the pastime but I let others things get in the way. On our recent vacation, I had the time to actually read. I read three books and made it into a 4th only reading on the beach and on our return flight. I think I am going to make it a point to actually read for pleasure more.

Nick will tell you my favorite "pleasure-reading" genre is ridiculous. And, I'll admit, it is, but I just love culinary murder mysteries. (Yes, there is such a thing!) It combines my two favorite things: food and mysteries. What more could I want? So on this fine Friday, I want to introduce you to my two favorite authors in this genre:

2. DIY Car Music Videos 
Recently, I've been a bit (embarrassingly) obsessed with a few "lip-syncing" videos that have been in my Instagram and Facebook feeds. They are just a few seconds/minutes of joy. Both videos I share below feature couples on a road trip using a a GoPro to film their shenanigans. This gadget is definitely on Nick and I's list of wants. Talk about so fun!
I've watched over and over just seem to be filled with happiness. Check them out, I promise you won't be able to help but smile. 

• Meet Natalie of @HappyMomBox and her hubby. I've been following her for a while via Instagram. She and he husband are rockstars at the car jam session. I love their dynamic and hope Nick and I continue to strive for such fun. Watch them here.
• My second favorite new find is Tina Cleveland, an ASL interpreter who does music videos with her fiance. If I could learn another language, aside from Spanish, it would definitely be American Sign Language. I will learn it one day... I am fascinated by the video(s). Watch them here.  (And I must say I saw them BEFORE they were featured on Mashable and the Huffington Post).

3. Produce from the Garden
Remember the post about Nick's front yard garden...well, it's done pretty well. We've had more tomatoes than we can count and almost as many jalapenos and chilies. Needless to say, #BornGarden2014 is a win. It's nice not buying tomatoes for an inflated price at the story and super nice to just have hot peppers when you need them. (We eat a bunch of both of these items on a regular basis.) Check out the fruits of his labor. (PS some garden related recipes will appear on the blog soon!)

4. Molino's 
This near downtown Wichita Mexican restaurant is SOOOOOO good. Seriously, we've been at a loss for good Mexican food. Loss, no longer--this is the place! Nick and I went there this week with a couple near and dear to us. The food was incredible (plus our company was outstanding!). I was so wrapped up in chatting and eating that I complete forgot to take any pictures. Hubby recommends the fish tacos (his go-to test at a Mexican restaurant) and I had the gorditas and some elote. We left well-served and stuffed. Check out, Molino's if you're looking for an easy, casual, authentic joint. 

5. That I actually own something similar to something I pinned to my fashion board...
It's not a secret that I love Pinterest. My fashion board was the second or third board I created. I've always adored clothes. I wouldn't say I am particularly fashion-forward, but I am aware. I like a good trend, but I like it better when I can make my own way with my wardrobe. I'm a little bit hippie, a dash of preppy, and skoosh old-lady. 

So this fashion board, titled with a nod to the glamorous SJP (Sarah Jessica Parker), has about a bazillion items of clothing that I really like but likely won't ever own. But, this morning I realized, I really do own something similar to a pin. It's a miracle! Okay maybe not a miracle, but close. Check it:

6. Quotes on Pinterest
I've always been a quote junky. I've been known to clip words out of magazines, take pictures of random signs, or jot words of wisdom down. The "Quotes" category on Pinterest is a must review for me. I love finding excellent phrases, inspiration, and advice there. Some are generic while others i come across totally hit home. This quote in particular gives me a perspective check. 

I confessed in my introduction that I am a worry-wort. It seems to be as natural as breathing to me. (I grew up with asthma and still have a just-in-case inhaler, so maybe that's a bad analogy...) Anyhoo, I do make mountains out of molehills (sometimes, er often, unnecessarily). It's a constant battle between being considerate and prepared AND flexible and spontaneous. Since I met carefree, predictably happy-go-lucky Nick, he's challenged me to relax and not plan or anticipate so much. Nearly three years in, I'm still a novice non-worrier. But, to my credit, I am working on it. Little by little, I'm learning to let go. So this quote is one of my mantras. (Can you have more than mantra?...) 

If you are suffering from worrying, may this forcefully direct, simple statement provide you the motivation, strength, and/or inspiration to be carry forward without anxiety. Warrior is awesome self-proclamation. 

Thanks for letting me share some of my favorites! Enjoy some of yours today too. 

Cheers to Friday and a new month. (Someone explain how it's August already!?).  
Until next time. 
-xo