Summer Weekends are in Full Bloom :)

Sweet Summertime is in full swing, and I couldn't be happier about it! This past weekend was a great weekend, mostly because I got to spend the entire weekend with Chris, which does not happen very often.  In fact, it's the only weekend I'll get to spend with him the entire month of June. With his deployment quickly approaching us, I have a need to spend all our free time together. Which is normal I suppose.  Anyways, Friday night we just relaxed and hung out while I made these awesome snickerdoodle cupcakes and butter cream vanilla icing(recipe to come shortly) for my friend Heather's cookout.

Saturday was the cookout. wahooo. Of course, Chris got called into work for a couple hours, so he dropped me off at Heather's house and he came around 8oclock.  Basically it was a great time. It was a prefect summer night and everyone got along, no drama.  Heather and I were in our own little world, which is typical. Making fun of people while they're talking to us but pretending to be really interested in their stories.  And, of course there was beer pong there.  I thought it would be a good idea to play with wine. it was not.  We giggled our way the games, acting like we could play when in reality we both are awful at the game. It was a fun night. It was our first outing with a group of friends as husband and wife :) It felt nice.

Sunday was a typical relaxing day. Went to the pool and got some sun.  I also began reading a new book called Sister: A Novel by Rosemund Lupton. Which was recommended to me by my aunt and it's so good! I'm not very far into it, but I couldn't put it down yesterday.  It was great! I also made a new chicken recipe for dinner that was amazing.  It turned out really good, it stayed tender and juicy, was really tasty and super easy to make.

Garlic Parmesan Chicken:
1/2 cup melted butter
1 clove garlic (i used minced garlic)
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
seasonings of your choice (I used season all, garlic salt, pepper and salt)
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs.

*Preheat oven to 375
*combined melted butter and garlic is a small bowl
*Combine dry ingredients in a larger mixing bowl
*Dip chicken in butter mixture
*Dredge chicken through the bread crumb mixture
*Repeat
*Place chicken in a pan (i sprayed my pan with pam to prevent sticking)
*Pour remaining butter and garlic mixture over top of the chicken
*Cook 20 minutes each side

I cooked this chicken with cheesy potatoes, (I believe that I posted the recipe in an earlier blog) and oven backed broccoli, which is super easy and very good.

Oven Baked Broccoli:
1 bag frozen broccoli, or fresh broccoli, whichever you prefer
*Place broccoli in a large mixing bowl. 
*Add olive oil and mix well
*Add bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese
*Season it to your liking (I added garlic powder, salt and season all)
*Place on a cookie sheet covered with foil (I always PAM mine just so it does not stick)
*Cook at 375 degrees for 25 mintues

Enjoy!
xoxox

Oh Em GLEEEE

Yesss, last night was the amazing GLEE concert!!

My sister and I went and fully enjoyed ourselves to the max! Not to mention we had amazing seats, thanks to Hot 995 and the Kane Show! The entire concert was amazing.  First off, the singers stayed in the GLEE characters, which I was afraid they weren't going to but they did, and it was awesome! Second off, they can all sing ten times better than they do on the TV show if that is even possible. Third off, they are all amazing dancers.  After watching them I get severly depressed that I can not dance after watching them.  Ok well not severly depressed but super sad. I mean that's all I really want in life is to be able to shake my tailfeather like those kids on GLEE, espesically Britney...that girl can shake what her mamma gave her! Well, after 25 years of trying to dance like them, I just don't think it's what I'm meant to be able to do. Ballet, yes I can dance. Hip hop unfortunately not.  But I'll keep on pretending like I can. 

 Anywaysss, the show was amazing.  All the songs they sang were so great, except I was really looking forward to seeing a couple of the Mash Ups live, but they didn't do any of them. So that was a little disappointing.  One of the highlights of the concert had to be when Artie got up out of his wheelchair and started dancing, whew can he dance! I wish he wasn't in a wheelchair in the show! But I guess that's what makes it such a good show, all the diverse characters.  And for the record,  he didn't just randomly get up and started dancing; it was the song from the episode where he dreams he can walk and dance.  So, it stayed in his character's part...whewwww!

 Another major highlight was the Britney solo.  Of course she sang Britney and it was amazing.  She can dance better than Britney herself and not to mention she looks just like her.  You can't have GLEE without Sue, who is  hands down the funniest character on the show.  She was "speaking" to the audience from the little TVs they have and it went along with the concert so that was a nice little touch.  She is just so hilarious, one of my favorite characters by far.  Now, I normally don't like Kurt on the TV show, I'm not sure what it is about him but he just drives me bananas, but he was awesome at the concert.  The boy can definitely sing and dance.  Ahhh, overall an amazing concert and I had such a good time with my sister. 

xoxox

I just finished reading Chelsea Handler's book "Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsa." Let me just say, I normally don't laugh out loud at things I read in a book but this one had me cracking up. And when I say cracking up, I mean laughing out loud at public places like the pool and the gym.  I decided to read if because she has a column in Cosmo every month which I find just as equally hilarious and thought it would be a nice, easy read with a little bit of comedy.  Well a little bit doesn't even begin to describe her book; I was literally laughing at every story she had to tell.  She's so openly honest that it's refreshing.  It's refreshing not to have someone who sensors everything that comes out of her mouth.  It's refreshing to have someone not care what the public thinks about her or her opinions.  It was a non fiction book and she did not sensor her thoughts or stories one bit and I absolutely loved it.  She is definitely someone I would like to read more of.  I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a light, summer read for the pool/beach this summer! But if you are sensitive to people who don't care what others think about them and have absolutely no sensor, I would stay far away from this book.  But if you're looking for a couple good laughs based on true life stories, this is the book for you.

Another little tidbit of information that I would like to share with you is a website that one of my sorority sisters made me aware of one day while I was complaining via facebook that it's a pain to try and change my name.  It's called Missnowmrs.com and it's a website that is obviously set up to make the name changing process a heck of a lot easier and quicker.  Fr $29.95 it walks you through the entire proces, filling out questions and then printing off each individual form with instructions on where to send it, how much the fee will be and what to bring with you.  I mean this website was so  incredibly helpful, I had no idea that I needed to change my name on some things.  And talk about making the process ten times easier! So for all my friends who are getting married sometime in the near future, I'm going to leave  you with the link for the website.

http://www.missnowmrs.com/

xoxoxo

Dreading September

Chris is leaving on another deployment in less than three months and I can't help but feel dread.  I know I'll be fine and I'll survive this deployment without dying just like I have the previous two he's gone on since we've been together.  But I'm not looking forward to the feeling of being lonely when I'm surrounded by a ton of people, missing him so much that it physically hurts or being worried about him and wondering if he's going to come home to me everyday that I don't hear from him.  This is the life that I signed up for, I realize that but it doesn't make it any easier everytime he leaves me. And I can't help but feel like September is going to be here before we know it and all I want is for time to slow down a little bit.  I want to spend every minute that is possible with him before he leaves.  I know that deployments will only make us stronger as a couple and bring us closer together emotionally and for that I am extremely grateful because we have something special that not a lot of people in this world have the pleasure of knowing but they are also the hardest thing to go through.

Articles like this don't exactly help my worrying about it either...
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/06/06/iraq.soldiers.killed/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Although Chris tells me all the time that he will be fine and nothing will happen to him and that he'll be home before he knows it, I can't help but think that those soldiers most likely told their loved ones and families those same words.  I can't even begin to understand what those families are going through right now and I hope I never have to know what it's like to lose my husband to combat.  All I can do is say that my heart goes out to them and prayers are with them to get them through this tough time.  I hope they know that their loved one died an American Hero and there is nothing to be more proud of than that.

xoxox

Bread!

This past weekend Chris was at drill so I decided to attempt to make homemade bread from scratch for dinner on Saturday so we could eat it with our dinner on Sunday.  First off, I was a little nervous to attempt to make bread but I found a recipe that seemed simple enough and it turned out to be delicious.  And I know this because, we ate the entire loaf at dinner Sunday.  It was definitely something I plan on making a lot more of!

Ingrediants

1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon warm water

1/2 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

2 teaspoons bread flour

1/2 teaspoon white sugar

1/3 cup quick cooking oats

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup warm water

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon and 2-1/4 teaspoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon and 2-1/4 teaspoons vegetable oil

1-2/3 cups bread flour

Directions

*In the mixing bowl of an electric mixer, stir together 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon warm water, 11/2 teaspoon white sugar, 2 teaspoons bread flour, and yeast. Let grow for about 5 minutes. It will bubble almost immediately.

*Measure oats, 3/4cups warm water, 1/3 cup whole wheat flour, salt, 1 tablep spoon and 2-1/4 teaspoons brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon and 2-1/4 cup oil into the mixing bowl. Mix on low speed with a dough hook for 1 to 2 minutes. Increase speed slightly, and begin adding bread flour 1/2 to 1 cup at a time until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. Humidity determines how much flour you need before the bread pulls away from the edge of the bowl. It is normal for the dough to be sticky.

*Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

*. Shape the loaf and place in greased 8 x 4 inch pans. Let rise until dough is 1 inch above rim of pans, usually 1 hour.

*Bake at 350 degrees F ( 175 degrees C) for 35 minutes, or until tops are browned. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, and then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

What I'm Currently Listening To

Ahhhh music! Who doesn't love it?!? Summertime, windows down, music blasting is the best way to listen to it.  Here are my top picks for songs that are currently set to repeat on my gym mix. 

1.)Edge of Glory by Lady Gaga.  I mean honestly, who doesn't love Lady Gaga with all her upbeat songs.
2.)Man Down by Rihanna.  This new song of hers is about killing a man but the beat is awesome. Definitely a good workout song!
3.) Barefoot Blue Jean Night by Jake Owen. Love this song. Love this artist. Hands down my new summer favorite. I could listen to this song on repeat all day every day. Must download now.
4.) Get out of my Head by Lupe Fiasco
5.) Somewhere With You by Kenny Chesney.  Ahhh good old Kenny, puts out great country hits that it's impossible to get sick of them. or him. If you haven't heard this great song yet, you need to download it immediately.
6.)Light Up the World by the Glee Cast. Yes, I'm a Gleek.  This song is awesome though, it's got such a great upbeat temp it's impossible not to love.
7.)Honeybee by Blake Shelton.  Not his usual country song but a fantastic one none the less. Very lovey dovey in a country way.  Can't help but crank the volume and sing at the top of my lungs when this one comes on.
8.)Rolling in the Deep by Adele. I don't know what it is about this song that makes me turn the volume up but she has a fabulous voice.
9.) E.T. by Katy Perry and Kanye West. Love this song. Way better than the last 2 songs that she put out.
10.) All of the Lights- good workout song.

Hope to see you jamming out at the gym :)
xoxoxo

Memorial Day Weekend

Chris and I took a trip up to New York City to enjoy the Memorial Day weekend; we've been together for over 4 years and we've been to New York numerous times but only during the dead of winter.  So we decided instead of just talking about going up there during the spring to actually do it.  We had a great weekend, the weather was perfect for walking around and enjoying the city. 

Saturday we went to see Spiderman Turn off the Dark which was on Broadway.  It was pretty good! Not nearly as good as Lion King, but then again, I don't think that many shows are, but still good.  The stunts were pretty amazing.  Afterwards we had dinner in the theatre district at this little Italian place called Trattoria Trecolori which was amazing.  They gave you decent sized portions so you didn't feel like you had to overeat because the food was so good you just couldn't stop.  It also tasted like their pasta was homemade, which is always the best kind of pasta. After dinner we just walked around Times Square for awhile just enjoying the city, the summer night and each other's company.

Sunday we got up and took the Staten Island Ferry over to Staten Island to see some of the fleet week ships.  Unfortunately the line to get in was a 3 hour wait so we headed back to city and walked around for awhile.  We went to Centrel Park and spent a couple hours there.  I was such a gorgeous day and it was quite fun to people watch.  There sure are some interesting people in the city.  Definitely not a boring moment, that's for sure! We went to this place called the Chip Shop for dinner which is like a British Pub.  It's very small on the inside but the food is really good.  But the dessert is what you go there for.  I had the deep fried twix and Chris had the Deep Fried Snickers and if you're thinking well that sounds good.  Let me tell you, it was the best dessert I think I have ever had.  I mean, what can go wrong with deep frying candy?  It was like a little slice of heaven right in my mouth.  After dinner we met up with my cousin for a couple drinks at a nearby bar. We had a really good time. 

It was a relaxing trip in comparsion to everything I normally cram into a weekend, but it was definitely a fun one! Hopefully we'll get a chance to go back before Chris leaves on this next deployment, but I suppose only time will tell.

As we drove back on Memorial Day I couldn't help but think about what Memorial Day actually means.  For most people it's simply a day off of work, a long weekend to start their summer. But for a lot of people it's a day to remember our fallen heros; a day to remember that their are still thousands of troops overseas putting their lives at risk so we can enjoy freedom; a day when veterans remember their fallen friends; a day when family members of a veteran feel pride of knowing that their loved one is one of the few who have fought for our freedoms.  I am one of those last people, I love my solider more than words can express.  I miss him terribly when he is gone, but at the same time I am extremely proud of him for what he is doing.  I treasure our time together because I know that it can end without any warning.  I know that going through multiple deployments together has made us stronger than a lot of couples I know.  I am one of those people who is proud of her veteran.


xoxoxo