4 Years ♥

Today is mine and Chris' four year anniversary....it's crazy how time flies and how many people didn't think we would make the odds that were stacked against us.  Again, it's my true friends who have been supportive of us from the day we start dating until now.  We started dating about 2 weeks before he deployed and that deployment made us stronger than ever.  Honestly, I feel that deployment made our emotional bond so strong that without going through that I don't know if we would've made it as far as we have.  Though that deployment was one of the hardest things I have gone through (especially with my so called friends being so unsupportive) I'm so thankful for it.  It taught us how to trust early on in the relationship.  It taught us that there are more important things that the physical attraction.  It taught us that communication is at the core of every relationship. 

So, for our anniversary Chris got us tickets to see the Yankees play the O's...and not just any tickets, he got us first row, left center field tickets. Which were amazing! He's not a Yankees fan at all but I am a die hard fan so he was a good sport and took me to the game :)) We had a beautiful day, the weather was fabulous (although Chris will tell you that it was 100 degrees outside) and the Yankees won! 

Freddy Garcia was warming up his pitching literally feet in front of us! It was great! I have more pictures which I haven't loaded onto my computer yet but will post pictures soon.


So, as we toasted our anniversary last night at dinner, we mark the beginning of a new stage in our relationship. One as husband and wife. I am thrilled to be sharing this part of my life with Chris, he is my best friend, my  missing piece, my other half.  We have learned so much from our relationship that our marriage is going to be solid as a rock. We will work through the hard times and grow from every disagreement only to be stronger in the long run.  We are only 11 days away from being Mr. and Mrs. Chris Price and I'm counting the hours :)

"Bridezilla "

Bridezilla- a difficult, unpleasant perfectionist bride.  

Bridezilla- Formed from blending of the words bride and Godzilla (Japanese movie monster). Used to describe a woman whose behavior becomes outrageously bad in the course of planning for her wedding.

Bridezilla- are a new breed of soon-to-wed women who abuse the idea that weddings are their "day." They terrorize their bridal party and family members, make greedy demands and break all rules of etiquette, to insure that they are the single most important person on the planet from the time they are engaged to the time they are married. 

Ok, these are all definitions of the word bridezilla; do not call me a bridezilla because I'm upset over something major not being right with only a couple weeks until my wedding. Please think about the definitions of this word before you call me a bridezilla because it makes me want to punch you in the face. I'm nowhere close to being a bridezilla, I have been a fairly easy going bride. 

16 Days

Yes that is the number of days we have left until our wedding! Can I just say that excited doesn't even begin to describe my feelings at this point?! I seriously can NOT wait until that day! I can't wait to finally marry Chris and I just know that it's going to be a beautiful day with perfect weather.  All the stress and frustrations will be an afterthought and Chris and I are going to be able to enjoy our very special day together! :)

But, if one more person asks me if I'm nervous about getting married I just might hit them. No, you fool, I'm not nervous at all! I'm excited and happy!If i thought I was going to be nervous or have cold feet I would not have said yes to his proposal.  Which might have been a sign that we weren't meant to be.  But I don't have cold feet and I'm not nervous at all, so stop asking people! 

With time winding down to the wedding, there is a lot of little things that still need to be done but working two jobs leaves very little time to get these things done. Luckily for me I have a wonderful mom who will be home for the next few days to help me get everything that needs to get done done! I'm also so blessed to have wonderful friends who are willing to take their free time to help me get things done.  

Planning a wedding is such a gigantic task, I honestly had no idea that it involved this much in depth detail planning and I have to give major props to wedding planners.  This is a job I don't know if I could handle! Plus, dealing with crazy brides seems like a major downside, but I suppose every job has those crazy people they deal with.  

Either way, I'll be beside myself when it's time for us to leave for our honeymoon! We have an awesome trip planned to the Sandal's Resort in Jamaica with lots of fun excursions planned.  It's going to be an amazing trip and I really can't wait to spend 8 whole days in paradise with my future hubby!

Fried Chicken with Creamy Gravy

Chris and I are huge chicken eaters, we loved it cooked just about any way, especially fried chicken...yes I know, it's not healthy at all but it's so good.  I came across a wonderful recipe for fried chicken about a year ago and have been cooking it ever since.  We both love it especially with mashed potatoes, it's the perfect meal.  So I just thought I'd share another delicious recipe with you :)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 (4 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces
• 3 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup milk

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, beat together 1/2 cup milk and egg. In a resealable plastic bag, mix together the flour, garlic salt, paprika, pepper and poultry seasoning. Place chicken in bag, seal, and shake to coat. Dip chicken in milk and egg mixture, then once more in flour mixture. Reserve any remaining flour mixture.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C). Place coated chicken in the hot oil, and brown on all sides. Reduce heat to medium-low, and continue cooking chicken until tender, about 30 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet, and drain on paper towels.
3. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the frying oil. Over low heat, stir in 2 tablespoons of the reserved flour mixture. Stirring constantly, cook about 2 minutes. Whisk in chicken stock, scraping browned bits off bottom of skillet. Stir in 1 cup milk, and bring all to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Serve immediately with the chicken.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 pound cream cheese, softened
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries or strawberries, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.
In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.
Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy. 

*Set these out for your family/friends and just watch them gobble them up!! 

Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes!

Last night I made meatloaf and mashed potatoes for Chris and I and it turned out really well! So, as usual I want to share the recipe with you all.  Now, the mashed potatoes are super simple because Chris hates sour cream and cream cheese (which tends to be in all mashed potato recipes) so I'm unable to use my super delicious mashed potato recipe anymore :( yes,  big sad face because everyone I've cooked them for LOVES them, but I'll share the recipe with you fine folks because you should definitely try making them one day and impress your friends/famiy! :) 

Mashed Potatos
4 large potatoes
1/4 cup warm milk
1/2 cup warm heavy cream
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons softened butter  

*Peel and cut the potatoes into cube pieces.
*Place potatoes in a sauce pan and cover with water (I add a little garlic powder to the water to give them some extra flavor)
*Let cook for 20-25 minutes or until fork tender.
*Drain out the water from the pot and mash the potatoes to your liking.
*Add the butter, milk and heavy cream and mix well. I like to add a little paprika for a little coloring.

Meatloaf
1 pound ground beef
3/4 cup cooked rice
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 beaten egg
3/4 chopped onion
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon ketchup 

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees 
*In a large bowl combine ground beef, rice, bread crumbs, egg, onion, brown sugar and ketchup.  Mix well and place in a meatloaf pan.
*Cook for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and spread about 1/2 cup of ketchup on top of meatloaf. Cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Enjoy!!  

Birth Order

Just a little information about birth order, what your birth order means in terms of your personality and who your greatest love match is.  Research has shown that a person's birth order has a direct link to their personality. 

First Born Children

The first born child is usually the child with the most attention directed at him/her. This common event is part of the reason this particular child turns out the way he/she does. There are two typical types of first born children, compliant and aggressive. The first born in your family can be either one of these two types, and have these typical traits:

Compliant Traits

• People Pleasers
• Crave Approval
• Nurturers
• Caregivers
• Reliable
• Concientious
• Cooperative
• Team Players
• "Grin and bear it" mentatlity

Aggressive Traits

• Movers and shakers
• Natural leaders
• Perfectionists
• Driven
• Conventional
• Always have things under control
• Assertive
• Want things their way

These two types of first born children may seem very different, but they do share quite a few characteristics.
Common Traits

• Energetic
• Logical
• Ambitious
• Enterprising
• Scholarly 

Fun Facts

• Famous first born children: Walter Conkrite, Dan Rather, Oprah Winfrey, Rush Limbaugh and Arsenio Hall
• More than 1/2 of the U.S. Presidents were first born children
• 21 of the 23 first astronauts were first born children
• 2/3 of entrepreneurs are first born children 

Best Love match: The youngest child. It’s a case of opposites attracting. You help the last-born be more organized, and the last-born helps you lighten up.” 

Middle Children

Middle children are quite often the most difficult children to both read and to raise. Middle children are quite often referred to as the "Mysterious Middle Child", this is due in large part to the fact that there are two types of middle born children. Tese two types of middle borns are not as clearly defined as the two types of first borns, they do not possess simple "names", therefore for confusion's sake we will refer to them as Middle Born #1 and Middle Born #2.

Middle Born #1

• Loner
• Quiet Shy
• Impatient
• Uptight

Middle Born #2

• Outgoing
• Friendly
• Loud
• Laid back
• Patient

Middle born children are quite difficult to pin down, however they tend to be the opposite of their older sibling. There are however, a few characteristics that both types of middle born share.
Common Traits

• Flexible
• Diplomatic
• Rebellious
• Attention seeking
• Competitive
• Peacemakers 

Fun Facts

Famous middle born children: Donald Trump, Ted Kennedy, Tim Allen, Julia Roberts, and Rosie O'Donnell

Love to stand out

Want to "do their own thing" 

Best Love  match: Youngest child. Middles aren’t as threatened by last-borns as they are by exacting first-borns, so the odds are good for open communication. 

Last Born Children

Last born children tend to be the easiest to define when it comes to the correlation between birth order and personality, this is mostly due to the fact that there is only one main type of last born.

Last Born Traits

• Risk takers
• Idealists
• Good sense of humor
• Hard working
• Immature
• Attention seeking
• Secretive
• Sensitive

Last born children are often considered the baby of the family, and live up to this role. At times it is difficult for the last born child to find his/her place in the family, as the first and middle child have already left huge footprints to follow in, and carved their own niche into the family. 

Fun Facts

• Famous last born children: Howard Stern, Jay Leno, Ralph Nadar, Bill Gates, and Danny DeVito
• Tend to go against the norm
• Make the biggest stirs in life
• Know no boundaries 

Best Love match: Either the oldest child (they serve as a good counterbalance in a parent-child sort of way) or middle child (they value friendships, so they totally understand why you love being the life of the party). 

*Now, I'm a first born child and Chris is the last born child, so according to everything that I've read on birth order and how it affects your love life, we are going to be able to go the distance. :) This makes me incredibly happy considering we have a wedding in just 24 days! Not, that I ever had any doubts in my mind about being able to go the distance together but all this research just makes it that much better! 

Chicken Broccoli Fettuccine

I made Chicken Broccoli Fettuccine Alfredo for dinner on Sunday and everyone (my mom, aunt, brother and chris) loved it! It's a pretty simple recipe and the sauce is from Cook This, Not That so it's low calorie.

Ingrediants:
2 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
Flour
Bread Crumbs
1 egg 

10 oz Dried Fettuccine (I used wheat)
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 Tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup half and half  

1/c cup Parmesan Cheese 
1 bag broccoli

Directions:
Cut the chicken thighs into small, bite sized pieces.
Dredge them through flour, egg and then breadcrumbs.
Put them in a frying pan with heated oil, and let cook each side about  2-3 minutes.
Place on a paper towel to drain the grease.

Meanwhile,  get a pot of water boiling and cook the pasta. 

Place the bad of broccoli in a saucepan, add about 1/3 cup water. Cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter.
Add the flour to the butter and stir well.
Slowly add the milk and half and half to the roux whisking constantly. 
Once all the milk is added and there are no clumps in the mixture, add the cheese.  Feel free to add more cheese until you get the thickness you want.
Add a dash of garlic powder.

Drain the pasta, add the sauce to the pasta and toss until all pasta is covered with sauce.  Add the chicken and broccoli and enjoy :)

I hope you all find this just as delicious as we did :)
xoxoxox 

Cinnamon Bread

I made some pretty delicious cinnamon bread on Sunday.  It was my first time making homemade break and I must say, it turned out pretty fabulous! It was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be, and it made our house smell so good! 

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar (I used 1 cup white, 1 cup brown sugar)
• 1 (5.1 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups milk ( I used butter milk instead)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup applesauce (I used cinnamon applesauce)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar

• Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease two 5x9 inch loaf pans.
  2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, pudding mix, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, mix the milk, oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla. Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture until smooth. Sprinkle the bottoms of the loaf pans with cinnamon sugar, and divide the batter between the 2 pans.
  3. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean. 

 Yes, I realize it's almost gone, but people got to it before I could snap a quick picture :) It's just as delicious as it looks!

Bridal Shower

Saturday was my amazing bridal shower! My bridesmaids did a fantastic job of putting everything together, everything looked beautiful and they did such a good job making it a memorable and special day for me.  I can't thank them enough for everything they have done for me so far throughout this process. I'm truly lucky to have been blessed with such amazing people in my life.  I have the best friends any girl could ask for and I'm so thankful for them.  I only hope that when it's my turn to help with their showers, I can throw them just as nice of one as they threw me :)  This year has had it's ups and downs but it's shown me who my true friends are (and those who are not) and I'm so glad for all those down points. I would've much rather found out before my wedding than after, that way only the people who are truly happy for Chris and I are there to celebrate our special day! Now, a couple pictures from the shower for you :)

 A picture of the place where Chris proposed to me from my mom :) One of my favorite and most meaningful gifts. I can't wait until we move so I can hang it someplace special!

 Ahhhh finally my very own Kitchen Aid Mixer, now I won't have to steal my own!! I'm so excited about this, I used my mom's all the time so this was one of my most "wanted" gifts, can't wait to break it out of the box and use it!

 My pots and pans I've been lusting after! I'm so excited to use these, Chris and I don't have a set of really nice pots, just odds and end of really crappy pots so this was a definite plus to add to our kitchen! 

 Our "And they lived happily ever after" sign :) I was going to buy one for us as soon as we move but Suzanne and Alicia beat me to it! I love this cute little sign, i great one to go above our bed or in our bathroom!

 My wedding dress hanger!! In case you can't read it, it says "Mrs. Price" my sister got this custom made for me and i LOVE it!! It's such an awesome gift and I never would have thought of something like this!

Me and my fabulous MOH, who is doing an amazing job at putting things together for me :)))

 Cindy, Suzanne, Me, Jessie and Kate.  Thanks so much to my stepsisters for coming all the way from New Jersey to be there for my bridal shower!

 Kate, Mom and I :) Three best friends!

 My wonderful bridesmaids (minus Natalie and Lindsay) looking all cute in our sundresses!

Well those are just a few of the pictures from a very fun day :) Although, I have to say that Chris wasn't nearly as excited as I was about all of our fun new gifts, except the meatloaf pan. hahah, typical guy. But, I guess most of those gifts are for me!
xoxo

My little snuggle buddy

Chris is not home a lot of nights during the week, which I'm very used to at this point, but it's nice to have a little snuggle buddy to keep me company the nights that he's away. 

Yes, people you are seeing that picture correct, she is actually snuggled between the comforter and sheet and is glaring at me because it was time to wake up, and apparently she was comfortable.  This is super common for her.  She loves to get under the covers and lay on my stomach or snuggle right next to me and just turn on her little purrbox and purr the night away.  I can't lie, I love snuggling with her.  She's the perfect little snuggle buddy.  Abby on the other hand, does not like to snuggle at her. She likes to sleep right next to my legs and not be bothered the entire night. And by bothered I mean she does not like when I move the slightest  bit. Two very different personalities we have in our household! Marshmellow's other favorite snuggle spot is on my neck. Yes, my neck.  This wasn't a problem when she was a kitten because she was tiny and didn't take up too much room and wasn't heavy.  But now that she's older and bigger it limits my breathing! She only does this when I'm laying on my side though, she'll put her face next to mine with a paw on my check and lay her body on my neck so that her back paws are on the ground. 

 Well, now that I've officially become the blogger who talks about her cats the entire blog have a fabulous day!
xoxoxo

Sunny Monday :)

What a fabulous day! It's sunny and it's supposed to be about 80 degrees today! It's finally beginning to look like spring outside! Thank the good Lord! I couldn't deal with the cold, gross weather any longer! Chris came and took me to lunch this afternoon and it was nice enough to sit outside and eat. Soak up the sunshine on this beautiful Monday! It was a nice little break from being cooped up in the office all day.

Well this Saturday was my bachelorette party, and I had such a good time.  We went to dinner in Georgetown at this little Italian restaurant called Filomenia's, which makes all it pasta. Love me some homemade pasta! The food was delicious and the dessert was even better! We all had such a good time! All of my bridesmaids (except Natalie) and Ana made it out to celebrate with me! It meant a lot to me that everyone was able to take time out of their busy schedules to spend a Saturday night with me! :) We started walking to waterfront but quickly realized that it was freezing and windy outside since we were all in heels and tank tops.  So we went back to Katie's apartment and started having a couple drinks there.  Well, we had every intention of going out to a bar but ended up having such a good time at her apartment we just stayed there! Now, I'm not really a partier  so this was right up my alley :) I had an awesome night and wouldn't have spent it any other ways!

 

Mac Lover ♥

I love make up, to the point where some might even call it obsessive.  Especially eye makeup. Just love it. Can't get enough of it.  When I go to the mall, I purposefully have to avoid the makeup counters at Nordstrom's or else I end up spending a ton of money.  I especially love Mac makeup.  For three reasons- 1.) the colors are awesome, any color you could ever want they had it. 2.) it stays on all day, it doesn't wear off like a lot of other makeups. 3.) The little pots of makeup last forever, they are definitely worth the money that you pay for them.  No need to replace them once a month. That's why it's my go to eye makeup.  And I do have just about every color that they have :) 
One on my favorite combination...

Ok so the color on the far left is call "Electra" and this is one of my favorite colors.  It's a nice silver powder that's good to use as a base for many color combination.  Definitely a must have. When using it with these other colors, I use it as a base, applying it all over my lid.
The middle color is called "Star Violet." I love this color, it's like a mix between pink and purple with a nice little shimmer to it, gives you just the right amount of color without being overpowering.  When using it with these colors, I apply it in just the crease of my lid. 
The color all the way to the right is called "Beauty Marked."  As you can see from the picture, it's like a deep, deep purplish color with just a hint of glitter mixed in it.  Nothing overpowering by any means, in fact the shimmer is barely even noticeable once it's applied. Once applied, this color comes out like a light black, very dark purple. It's very pretty.  I apply this just to the corners of my eyelids.  Then blend it in so it doesn't stand out too much, apply black eyeliner and mascara and walaaaa beautiful eyes :) 


The one thing with mac eye makeup (and almost all makeups) is that the extra powder tends to fall off the brush right underneath your eyes.  Now, instead of brushing it off with a makeup brush (because some of the colors can smear and leave ugly streaks on your face) I use the Estee Lauder Take it Away Make Up Remover.  Since it's a cream it's super easy to use. grab a q-tip,  place a little cream on it and run the q-tip over the extra make up that has fallen on your face and there you go, good as new!! This is another main reason I put on my eye make up fist! Don't want to mess up your foundation!

My little pumpkin face helping me get ready in her usual spot :)
xoxoxo