Fitday

Does anyone else think it's strange that when I was entering my vegetable soup into Fitday.com that the first item the search pulled up was "turtle and vegetable soup"? I'm a little grossed out right now. What is that anyways? And why is it more popular than traditional vegetable soup?

Perplexing at best.

OH! Another letter from Casey in the mail today! Talk about excitement on a Monday.

A plug...for lettuce.

Is this weird?

I understand that many people do not have a favorite lettuce, but I do. And this lettuce is where it's at. If I have a choice, this is absolutely what I get. 

You can visit the Fresh Express website here to read more about the variety of bagged lettuce they offer:
Fresh Express Lettuce

Here's my chance to give a plug for the Fresh Express brand. It lasts longer than any other bagged lettuce I've bought. Highly impressive.

I also like mixed greens, romaine, red leaf, and on occasion spinach. But Sweet Butter is my favorite. I know Harris Teeter is a carrier, so pick some up ASAP. Best salad of your life.

Green Thumb

I think green thumbs are inherited. I get mine (or what little bit I have) from my momma. She is SO SMART. Not even kidding. She knows everything about everything (or lots of things), but she especially knows about some plants.

I think I'm learning. When I was in graduate school I had this tree/plant piece in my apartment. It's name was Harry Potter. I don't think I did very well with him. Maybe my first problem was naming him. After a whimsical fantasy fiction character. I was always afraid he didn't get enough water. So then I overwatered him. Mom has taught me more since then. And I think I'll be okay from here on out. I kept our plants alive in the summer and fall last year. And our Christmas tree survived! I know what you're thinking. How hard is it to keep a Christmas tree alive? You just water it. Well, friends, you have to remember to water it everyday. And we did it. It was pretty and smelled good. I think people should have Christmas trees year round.

I have to ask mom about soil and watering and sunlight and--goodness, so many other things I can't even remember. But she has all the answers. It's amazing. I would have felt so lost at Lowes without her last week. Casey knows about some tools, but Mom knows about some plants.

Between dad and mom and Katie and Casey, I have everything I need to know about everything. Right at my fingertips.

Anyhow, here are my pansies. Before:

And after:

The stuff in the middle will grow long and green and pretty when spring hits again. It's hibernating for the winter. Until then, we have the pretty purple pansies to look at!

Good job, right? Mom gave me the trowel (in photo number 1) as a present. Casey bought me the gardening gloves when we picked out the pansies (I was wearing them, that's why they aren't in the picture). I feel like a real live farmer.

I have a list of projects to complete around the house while Casey is gone. I usually like to hang out with him, so the projects sometimes get pushed. But here we go:

• Put new plants in the pot out front - CHECK
• Clean all the baseboards in the house- CHECK
• Clean the front door column, front door frame, front door, and mail box (there's been some construction across the street so the it got real dingy looking...not okay)- CHECK
• Clean fan blades and globes for the light bulbs- CHECK
• Hang stuff in the garage- CHECK
• Clean windows inside and out (even the ones covered by blinds)- CHECK
• Add shelving and organize the garage- In Progress
• Hang rose coat hooks (I'll take a pic when we get around to this. These are awesome.)
• Touch up paint inside the house

I'm staying busy that's for sure. Hopefully Casey will be able to recognize our house when he drives down the street and comes home. It's a good thing Katie got us this super cool house placard.

Get it? It's our wedding date. It's this heavy duty, wrought iron sign--It's so awesome. And looks good too. We're for real homeowners with that sucker. If the new flowers and bright white column throws him off, the sign will help him find his way.

Letters to Casey (Week 1)

Casey,

I can't believe you've already been gone a whole week. Seven whole days. That's 168 hours. 10,080 minutes. 604,800 seconds. That's ALOT of seconds. But honestly, I thought it would be more in the millions. Maybe my math is off. Totally beside the point because I feel like it's been an eternity. I can't wait until you come home to me.

I am proud of you though. I hope you're having fun. I know it will get way more fun (for you) after this first week (or maybe the second week...) merely because you'll have some freedom. As long as you know I'm missing you, thinking about you, and praying for you, then I hope you will be okay. I look at a picture of you at least 3000 times a day, and am thinking of you constantly. It's a wonder I'm getting any work done at all.

Actually I'm getting lots of work done. We have tons of research right now. But you know how my schedule will be through May. I'm kinda bummed about that part. It will make the days go by faster until I get to see you though.

Hey, guess what?! Today is our 8 month anniversary. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. So freakin exciting. Almost a whole entire year being married to the love of my life. Have I mentioned that I can't wait to give you your anniversary present?? Ha ha.

We had mocha peppermint coffee this morning. We've been making it every morning. It's delicious. You would hate it. As yummy as it is, I would totes toss the bag of peppermint mocha coffee to drink original flavor if you could be back here to drink it with me in the morning.

You know what though? You haven't been able to have coffee for a week. A week. A whole entire week. 7 days. Talk about torture. So I think you probably want some so badly right now, you'd even drink this :) It's not that peppermint-y or mocha-y. Don't worry. You'd probably even like it. It is Dunkin afterall. And you really can't go wrong with Dunkin.

So, now that I can send you actual stuff, can I mail myself to you? Can you bribe someone to let me come visit? I know that'd be distracting, so it's okay. We'll just be THIS much more excited to see each other in 5 more weeks.

Okay, love. You're my angel. I think about you always. And I miss you like cray-zay.

I love you bigger than the biggest animal. I just looked it up. The biggest animal is a Blue Whale. This one looks like kind of a big deal. Can you imagine how many fish he could eat at once?

It kind of makes sense, since sea creatures are "weightless." The largest recorded one is 389,760 pounds. Woah. Can you imagine having to lug that kinda weight around on land? Their hearts are the size of a small car. And the arteries, so big that you could climb through them. Wanna go spelunking? Caving inside the arteries of a blue whale? I'm fascinated. So enthralled that I'm going to put the website here so you can read too. When they are babies, they can drink up to 100 gallons of their mother's milk in a day. And put on 200 pounds every 24 hours. Big, right? Well I love you more than that.

I LOVE YOU!

Your loving wifey

Why the camel is my favorite animal

Many people do not understand why the camel is my favorite animal. Well, for that very reason, I have created a list of why.

First, how cute are they?

I'd like to quote a camel fact website (that I actually find quite funny):

"[Camels are] docile and sweet under a caring hand, 

but stubborn and angry if ill treated, the camel both wins your heart and your respect."

Basically, it seems that if you're nice to camels, they won't spit on you.


And THIS is why I find them so fascinating:

• They can store up to 80 pounds of fat in their humps. This can be broken down into water and energy when sustenance is not available.
• This means they can travel up to 100 desert miles without water.
• It is usual for a camel to work for only six to eight months of the year; the remainder of the time it needs to rest and recuperate.
•  A fully-grown adult camel stands 6 feet at the shoulder and 7 feet at the hump.  A fully-grown camel can weigh up to 1542lbs.  A camel's long, thin legs have powerful muscles which allow the animal to carry heavy loads over long distances.  A camel can carry as much as 990lbs, but a usual and more comfortable cargo weight is 330lbs. 
• They do not sweat. When they drink water, they conserve it. They can be 120 degree heat and still not sweat a drop.
• So, naturally when camels do get thirsty, they drink lots. They can drink up to 30 gallons in just 13 minutes.
• Camels provide milk, which I personally would not want to drink. I mean let's face it, I don't even drink cow's milk, but still. But their milk can be used for drinking, making butter, or making soap. It is rich in vitamins, minerals, and immunoglobulins. Sounds healthy, but it's not for me.
• Camels are able to withstand changes in body temperature and water consumption that would kill most other animals. Their temperature ranges from 93 degrees at night and up to 106 during the day, and only above this threshold will they begin to sweat.
• They can withstand at least 20-25% weight loss due to sweating (most mammals can only withstand about 15% dehydration before cardiac failure). A camel's blood stays hydrated, even thought body fluids are lost, until this 25% limit is reached.
• A camel's thick coat reflects sunlight, and also insulates it from the intense heat radiated from the desert.
• Their long legs help by keeping them further from the hot ground.
• Camels have been known to swim.
• Long eyelashes and ear hairs and sealable nostrils form a barrier against the sand.
• Their widened feet help them move without sinking into the sand.
• The kidneys and intestines of a camel are so efficient at retaining water that their feces are so dry they can fuel fires. (Good news! If you have a camel, you don't need fire wood.)
• Their red blood cells have an oval shape, unlike those of other mammals, which are circular. This facilitates their blood flow when they are dehydrated. These cells are also more stable in order to withstand high osmotic variation-- so the cells don't rupture when they drink huge amounts of water.
• Some cultures judge a person's wealth by how many camels they own. When I win the lottery, I'm going to buy a camel.
• This is a camel parade (below). Riding a camel in Dubai is on my bucket list.

Cupcakes and Feet

I am fully aware that those two topics typically do not go together. But for me they do because I am a random person. And those are the two things on my mind right now.

Cupcakes because Kate ran into a cute little Cupcake store near our house that we always pass by. Just out of curiosity. And she found this. It's a Mocha Toffee cupcake. Yum. It's got coffee in it, so does that mean it's a breakfast food?? Well she got one for me too. How sweet of her!

(daphnesbakery.com)

So I brought it to work. We'll see if it gets eaten today. I did bring salad for lunch and a banana for snack...does that make it okay? They would cancel each other out if I do decide to stuff my face today, right?

And, FEET. I think feet are the most under-appreciated parts of the body. Sure, sometimes they smell and sometimes they aren't very pretty, but they can get all dressed up too in pretty nail polish and cute shoes. Let's face it, they do so much for me. I have to thank my feet daily. I'm sad to say that I notice them most when they hurt or look like they want a pedicure.

And this week, they hurt. Bad. I think I have metatarsalgia (and so does my Athletic Trainer...that's Katie), now I just need to get to the foot doctor. They cancelled my last appointment the day before I was supposed to go in. I think I almost cried cause my toes were hurting so bad then. I'm going back in March (so. far. away.). Hopefully, just getting a new pair of my fancypants, custom-made orthotics will do the trick. I sure hope so because I love my feet. They take me all over the place, whether it's running or walking or skipping or biking...they're kinda like the main event at a performance. Without them, I could not do any of that stuff. I acknowledge this and am thankful for them. Even when I do forget to tell them.

On another note (no pun intended), I got TWO WHOLE LETTERS FROM CASEY YESTERDAY! I was so excited. Like a puppy when her owner walks in the door after being gone. That's how excited I was. I miss him, but so happy to get the letters. And now I have more stuff to mail him today. Who doesn't love walking out to the mailbox to get more than just bills?!

Letters to Casey (Week 0.5)

Babelicious.

I was going to write you just once a week on here, but I just can't help it. I have so much to tell you, and I already sent you another letter today in the mail (postal service style). I hope you get it soon.

Look at all these Hallmark gold crown seals (There's 14 minus the two I already used).

When I bought cards to mail you, the nice lady went overboard with giving me beaucoups of gold crown seals. So my goal is to write you enough letters to use them all, but that will be easy. And even if it's not a Hallmark card, I'll put the gold seal on it because it means you're extra special.

Guess what! Declan is going to the regional spelling bee for second graders. Hollla! I'm so proud of him.

I'm proud of you too.

And I think you would be proud of me cause I totally dominated yoga last night. I kept perfect balance on every position. What's more is that I practiced my handstands at home, and I didn't touch the wall AT ALL and I stayed up for at least 10 whole seconds (10 seconds is a long time when you're upside down if you ask me). I felt on top of the world! I finally figured out how to tighten my core and hold my shoulders just right and how to shift my weight between my palms and fingers when I start wobbling. I was so excited that I celebrated with a russian. Do you know when the last time was that I did a russian? A good one? Where I touch my toes and jump up super high, I mean? 8th grade. Cheerleading. I don't think Kate fully appreciated my domination of the yoga session. She was not as excited as you would've been.

Guess what else? See these clothes?

And these shoes?

Do you know what they're for?

I've started packing for Alabama already. For coming to see you. I'm so ready already. 2 business casual outfits (with an alternate option), drive home clothes, and cocktail attire. And cute shoes! I just need to get out PJs and running clothes. I've laid everything out on your side of the bed because, despite what you say, I legit do not move after I fall asleep. Maybe I only shift around when you're with me...so I can scoot closer to you.

I worked some more on your anniversary present yesterday. It's all coming together. Eek! You'll love it.

Oh, and look at these.

Katie had to make cupcakes for work. It's her boss's birthday. Everyone in her office rotates who bakes goodies for different birthdays. What a fun idea! Well she let me have two of the mini cupcakes. They are mini mini. Like half the size of mini. Perfect size. And how pretty are they? Maybe Kate has a second calling as a baker.

I thought it might be a nice treat since this week is really long days at work. And a good supplement to my banana and apple, no doubt.

I hope you can read backwards, but do you wanna see what shirt I wore to bed last night?
This one (do you know how hard it is to get your whole self into a mirror picture? I'm not cut out for self-portraits):

(this one was even tougher to do...obviously...but you get the idea)

(your name...I mean OUR name...and your hockey number)

It reminds me of you. For obvious reasons. It makes me miss you even more.

Okay, love, time to go run so I can drink more coffee and get to work.

I looooooooooooooooooove you!

Letters to Casey (Week 0)

My babe is going to be gone for 6 whole weeks. I know to some people that's nothing, but I've never been more than 1 week without talking to him and have never been more than 17 days without seeing him. So this is new to me. Especially now that we live together, and I'm used to seeing him every single day of my life. 


Since he's off in Alabama training to be an officer, I've been sitting at home twiddling my thumbs and missing my handsome man. I am proud of him though, and while parts of it will be frustrating and tiring, he also gets to do boy stuff. Be an adventurer. For that, I am happy. What man doesn't want to go into the woods and shoot guns and navigate and build stuff and use big equipment and not have to shower, and get yelled at? Okay, so nobody likes getting yelled at, they do take showers, and he has classes to go to also (10 textbooks...for 6 weeks. Unbelievable.) so he's not in the woods for 6 weeks camping out or anything and drinking whiskey by the camp fire. Although, I'm sure he'd prefer that.


Anyways, since I can't talk to him everyday or touch his beautiful face, I've decided to write him letters.


Casey,

It's raining cats and dogs here. Not bulldogs though. Everything but bulldogs. Otherwise, I'd run all over trying to catch them and take them home with me. But really, the rain just makes me want to get back in bed! With you. But, I guess even if you were here, we'd both still have to go to work on a day like today no matter. A girl can dream though, right?

Since you can't check the blog while your gone, I've been dying to tell you! Kate and I went to Concord Mills on Saturday after the gym and after you left, and we went just to walk around, but I found a beautiful dress. You'll love it. I'm going to wear it to the dinner/awards ceremony/party at your graduation. It's so classy and sophisticated, but H-O-T. I know you said you'd give me money cause you wanted me to be able to get a new dress for the occasion, but I insisted I had plenty and you didn't have to do that. You're so sweet though. You really are the best. (Any ladies who think your husband is the best? You're just wrong. Flat out wrong.) Well, this one was marked down a billion percent. I'm not even kidding. Not even a little bit. So as it turns out, I do have a new dress. The Limited basically gave it to me. Anyways, you're going to love it. We may not even make it to the dinner. Just sayin...

AND, get this! Kate said it makes my boobs look smaller. YIPPEE! Don't worry it still looks like I have some. I have plenty where that comes from.

So that's one surprise for you. I also have 2 others so far for when you get back to NC. And you've only been gone 2 days. Can you imagine how many surprises you'll have when you get home?!?

Well I miss you like crazy. I officially cannot talk to you for two weeks now.

Life is so strange without you. Now you're gone. Poof! But I'm proud of you, and you're a great leader so I know you're doing well. And I know you'll smash those PT tests. What-what!

Just look at the picture of us that you took with you whenever you miss me and pretend I'm there :) Kinda hard to do I know...I feel the same way. The bed is ridiculously roomy without you. I don't like it. I stay cold without you to snuggle up to and keep me warm. I have no one to talk to as I fall asleep either. I'm considering just starting to talk to myself at night.

Kate and I watched a movie last night at the house. It was not fun at all. Cause we do not have any fun at all without you. Natch. I miss movies with you. I miss cuddling with you on the couch. I miss having to be secretive when checking my email so you don't find out what your awesome anniversary present is. I miss sharing a giant bottle of sparkling water with you. I miss your pretty brown eyes. I miss putting toothpaste on your toothbrush when I put toothpaste on mine. I especially miss waking up next to you and having a reason to press snooze at least once.

Anyways, when mean people yell at you and tell you you're not doing things right when it's actually perfect (Cause you are. Perfect, I mean.) then you remember this verse:

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

                               --- Isaiah 41:10 

I know it'll be frustrating at times, but it'll all be worth it, and you're not alone. And even though I desperately wish you were here, I'm glad you're there, working towards something you've wanted for a long time.

I love you as big as the world,

O.A.O.

Chicken 'n Dumplings

This is what we had for dinner on Friday night, ya'll.

The Chicken 'n Dumplings recipe is one of our Southern favorites. It's super easy and especially good when it's cold and rainy out like it was this weekend.

So here we go.

6 cups Chicken broth (College Inn brand: White Wine and Herb)
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded (We just use the Harris Teeter pre-made roasted chickens, and it makes life SO EASY; if you pull the chicken off while it's still hot, it makes life even easier.)
16 oz mixed vegetables (corn, carrots, green beans, peas)
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups biscuit mix (Bisquick)
2/3 cup skim milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
thyme
rosemary
oregano
italian seasoning
2 tablespoons parsley

In small bowl, stir biscuit mix and milk until just combined. Set aside.

In a medium pot, combine stock, thyme, salt, pepper, oregano, rosemary, italian seasoning, and bring to a boil. In a small dish, whisk flour with water, and stir into chicken stock. Add chicken and mixed vegetables. Using a tablespoon drop dumpling batter into boiling stock.

Casey is THE BEST dumpling maker in town. Legit. He moves with swiftness and a purpose (see below).

Reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 10 minutes.

Cover and cook an additional 10 minutes. 

Garnish each serving with fresh parsley.

It's super hot, so blow it cool enough to ENJOY!

Drink with wine :)

An apple a day

My weekend was different than most weekends that I'd classify as my most favorite ever.

Yesterday, Casey left for Alabama. Here is all his stuff piled at the front door ready to be packed in the truck.

I felt like I was sending him off to college with all his dorm room stuff or to camp for the entire summer. This makes me sad. It's actually alot more stuff than it looks.

We had french toast and "sausage" for breakfast. I say "sausage" because, yes, I have introduced Casey to veggie sausage. It is actually so, so good. I wanted to send him off with a good breakfast. So here's a picture. He's so cute. His big mug of coffee, french toast with strawberries, and "sausage". Yum. I like eating breakfast with him.

And, totally UNplanned was this piece of my french toast that happened to be in the shape of a heart. Way cool, huh? To represent our love, no doubt. I have no other plausible explanation for this.

Sleeping on Friday night was hard, knowing he was leaving early the next morning. I woke up often and every time I woke up, I scooted closer to Casey and held him tight and gave him an extra kiss. Sigh.

I also made him lunch for his drive down. I bought him this enormous apple. It was a honey crisp (his favorite). And it was the smallest one in the Harris Teeter I was at. You heard me right, the smallest one there. Ha ha. To put it in perspective, it's sitting next to a McIntosh apple.

This thing was nearly a pound. A whole pound. For one apple. I told Casey it was to last him the whole 6 weeks...to keep him healthy since I wasn't sure if they'd make apples available. You know the old adage 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away'...I think this one will do the job.

And then this morning, I had the last bit of our Special K with Red Berries (Lowes brand) and guess what fell on top of my cereal?

A strawberry. Shaped like a heart. For me and Casey and our undying love. Makes sense, right? It's the most reasonable explanation to me.

Then this morning Kate and I watched Matt online. He's the preacher at Grace in Cranberry (in PA. What what). That's Stac and Dave's church. And Katie's church when she lived there. Matt is awesome. We listened to the first series in a 5 week "GAMEPLAN" series. It was so good.

Go here to visit GRACE Church. Click on "Media" then "View More". Then you'll see the series entitled "Game Plan" and voila! Go listen. I think I'm going to listen to the rest.

We told Casey that we have absolutely no fun while he is gone. It's so true. We don't even know what fun really means. He's like the life of the party at this house.

Dandelion Market

I had a hot date last night.

His name was Casey. I think we might go out again. There were sparks. Electric.

He took me to Dandelion Market. It's an awesome place. The ambiance and food was amazing. And it's uptown. So I felt kind of like a big deal. Pretty special. And I had on boots and a sparkly dress.

Here's the website.  Dandelion Market Charlotte. Take a little look-see. You need to go eat here. It's a small plate restaurant...like tapas. We love tapas.

The lighting is a little off  in the photos cause we were tucked in a corner with little lighting. It was perfect for dinner, but not ideal for pictures. But you'll get the idea.

Here's what we got:

Chicken Roulade (my pick)
herb goat cheese, cherry tomato, prosciutto 
(I totally did not know there was meat from a pig in there...makes me sad. Gross out. I will admit the roulade was delicious no matter.)

Stuffed Zucchini (my pick)
feta, grape tomatoes, smoked tomato sauce
(This was obviously my pick. If I could marry a vegetable, it would be a zucchini. Or a tomato. Or broccoli. Those are my favorites. And this little dish had two out of three. Not bad odds.)

Market Mac and Cheese (our pick)
three cheese blend, buttered bread crumbs, smoked pepper
(This was amazeballs. End of story. So amazeballs, that we dug in and forgot to take a picture.)

Grilled Steak Skewers (Casey's pick)
medium rare, sweet and spicy honey soy marinade
(This was hands down the best steak I have ever had. And I only had two bites. Bring on the Iron. 'Best-steak-ever' means alot cause Casey is basically a steak grill master. No lie. So that says alot about this steak here. AND he agreed with me.)

Shrimp and Grits (Casey's pick...all the way)
goat cheese, red pepper cream sauce
(They were like grit cakes. Strange. Looked pretty though. Casey had already started in on it here. I don't do shrimp. Or grits. So this was all him.)

They recommend that you order 3 items per person in your party. Then you can share them all. Seriously? No. Way. We ordered 5 between the two of us and that was way too much. We just wanted to try too many things...And he's a boy. Most boys eat more than girls. And we still had extra. Trust me. If you're ravenous, maybe throw in an extra dish. Or if you just want to taste everything on the menu. Then by all means, have at it.

I desperately wanted to order a mint chocolate martini. Sounds yummy, right? But I was afraid because what if I couldn't drink the whole thing by myself? Cause Casey doesn't do any type of chocolate-mint combo. Ever. And that means he wouldn't have been able to help me drink it. So I didn't get it, and it's a good thing because it would've put me over my limit since we wanted to try the different plate options. Next time though. Less food and add one martini, please.

Casey supported the local brewery and got an OMB (Old Mecklenburg Brewery beer). I'd like to give a shout out cause Casey says its great beer and my cousin Jon works there (he's kind of a big deal there). Go visit OMB when you have the chance. You can see it here Old Mecklenburg Brewery.

They do not have a dessert menu. If you want dessert, plan accordingly. Or just order the mint-chocolate martini. I have a sweet tooth, so I would've been all over that. Instead we were all over each other. Don't hate. (Actually we were full enough and the food was delicious enough that they don't even need a dessert menu). 

We were being silly and cute and staring at each other across the table and this is what went down.

Me: I could stare into your eyes my whole entire life.
Casey: I could stare into your eyes for all of eternity. 

He always has to one up me...or tries to. And that's okay. I like it.

High school flashback.

I'd like to start this post by saying that I first titled this "high school back flash" and literally sat at my keyboard thinking something about that just does not look right...well that's because I'm not even really sure what a back flash is. Anyhow, so at work this semester, I have flash backs to high school. Everyday.

Why? You ask yourself...Well, we have an intern from UNCC who looks so much like my high school Prom date. Yeah so I texted Kate and Ash to tell them because I thought they would be entertained. This is how it went.

Me: We have a UNCC intern that looks like Matt Downing. I do not have a crush on him though. But he totes reminds me of him everytime I see him.
Ash: I can hear the convo now "You look like my Prom date. Please pose for a photo so I can send it to my friend for confirmation."
Me: Ha ha ha. I was thinking of telling him that. No? Is that awkward?
Ash: You're his boss so you can do whatever you want.
Me: Totes. I keep forgetting I'm an adult.

Duck Tales

This morning on my way to work I told Casey that I missed him already...and I had just left the house.

His response? I miss you more. If we got paid to love each other, we'd be rich.

My response? Totes. We'd be swimming in bills. Like Scrooge. From Duck Tales. Except we're not mean. We'd be nice with our money.

Weekend! (what-what)

This weekend was so nice. We had a long weekend. I love those. It means the work week is shorter. And of course, I get to spend more time with my Casey.

So on Friday, I just have to tell you, Casey came home and legit looked like a school boy. Not even kidding. I called Kate to hurry and look and she totally agreed. I WISH I had a picture. He comes in the door with his ball cap on (Atlanta Braves of course), his school bag on, his lunch box in hand, and a set of building plans all rolled up and tucked under his arm like he just got his school project back from the teacher. It was so funny. A picture would do the scene much more justice. He's cute.

The whole weekend flew by, but it was fun. We got to relax and get stuff done and do handstands together. I think we bust out some handstands everywhere we go. At the gym. At his parents house. I've done them in my office before. At my parents house. At yoga (of course). And in our kitchen. We are kind of addicted. I told Casey that by the time he comes home from Alabama, I'm going to be able to do all of the following: walk on my hands, handstand push ups, and one arm hand stands. Don't worry about logistics. I'll get it done.

We went to Lowes yesterday. It's still kind of surreal buying stuff to do maintenance on a house. A real house. Our house. We got grout sealer and wood floor polish and stuff to seal the granite counter tops (to protect from water and what not...I don't know. I'm glad Casey knows about this stuff). We also got some pansies, and I got my very first pair of gardening gloves. I feel like such a mom or housewife. But for real, our front door will look pretty once they get in the ground. Totally left Lowes and realized that I don't even have a baby plant shovel to plant them. Sigh. I'll try to get them in the ground this coming weekend instead. Mom said I can just use my hands, but when the dirt gets under your nails, I think it's hard to get it out. That's my excuse anyways (even though I have the new gloves and my fingers would be protected...don't ask questions). I think the real reason I want a little shovel is cause then I'll feel like the ladies in the movies who sit on their little gardening mat by their flower beds with a hat, gloves, and shovel and work in their yard. Actually, the real reason is probably cause I'm afraid there will be bugs in the soil. That makes me nervous.

I'm really not a diva. Promise. I can hike trails and go camping for days and run in the woods and get dirty, but I will always hate bugs. They scare the bejeezes out of me.

I'll put up a picture when the planting is done. The pansies are purple What I really want is an herb garden. And some tomatoes and what not. My grocery bill would plummet if we had a flourishing garden. No joke. We'll need a bigger yard first.

These are all the things we did this weekend:
Yoga, did handstands, did laundry, cooked dinner, watched tv, went to workout, went to Target, went to church, watched the Broncos game, went to sleep, drank coffee x 2, cleaned the house, went to do a circuit at Mom and Dad's, did handstands, biked, showered, drank coffee, went to Casey's parent's house, did handstands, hung out, went to sleep, drank coffee x 2 again, cleaned the rest of the house, went to Lowes, Bed Bath and Beyond, Old Navy, World Market, and Harris Teeter, Casey worked (on those building plans he brought home) while I went to the gym again, did more handstands, cooked dinner, watched Kim and Kourtney in New York, went to sleep, and now the work week resumes. Yay.

I'm tired just thinking about it all!  I think there should've been more coffee in that list.

There was some monkey business in there. I promised myself that I was going to do something special for Casey everyday this week since he's leaving for 6 weeks on Saturday. TMI? Whatevs. We're married. We're still considered newlyweds, right? I have to give him a proper goodbye, right? Right? Besides, I'm not sure how many people actually read my blog anyways.

A typical night at our house.

Casey had training in SC for 4 days this past week. Not only did he miss me, but he said he was so excited for dinner on Tuesday night because he loves my cooking and it's "so good." This made me incredibly happy. Who would not appreciate this compliment, right?

(Oh and I missed him too, yes.)

Nevermind the fact that on Friday night (I think it was Friday), they went to the mess hall for dinner. On the menu? Chicken Cordon Bleu. Sounds delicious, I know (minus the ham factor). Well, names can be quite deceiving apparently. Casey went on to describe the meal. A frozen chicken patty, topped with a slice of ham, and then a slice of cheese. Melted. I just started laughing. In retrospect, it probably wasn't very nice of me, but he's a funny guy. He said the best thing about the meal was that there was ice cream at the end. You really can't go wrong with ice cream.

I felt bad about the terrible food. It makes me want to pre-make 42 dinners to send in a gigantic cooler with him to Alabama for Officer training coming up in a couple weeks. Is that not okay? Does that get you yelled at? Not on the packing list?

All that to say, I tried to design a pretty good menu I think for the next two weeks to fill him up on my healthy, gourmet, tantalizing dinners.

Casey was my sous-chef last night. He's awesome. We love cooking together.

Last night we had:

(drumroll...)

Whole-Wheat-Sweet-Potato Gnocchi with Sauteed Spinach and Charred Cherry Tomatoes

I always add herbed chicken and white wine for good measure. YUM. And I paired it with a green salad with cherry tomato, cucumber, feta, dried cranberries, and a sprinkling of oil and vinegar.

Here's the recipe. You have to try this.

1- 16 ounce package sweet-potato-whole-wheat gnocchi 

2 medium-sized chicken breast halves
Rosemary
Thyme
Oregano
Herbs de Provence
Parsley
Black pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cups spinach
1 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup white wine
                                                     2 Tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

In a saute pan, add olive oil and chicken breasts. As chicken begins to cook, cut into small cubes or strips. Add herbs and spices (to your desired flavor). I don't ever measure the spices and herbs because the original recipe did not have chicken, but I'm fairly generous because I like to taste the flavor when I'm eating. But you don't want it to be too overwhelming. When chicken is cooked completely, remove from the pan and set aside.

Add a bit more olive oil to the pan if needed, and throw in cherry tomatoes at medium-high heat. I don't measure the cherry tomatoes either. We love tomatoes. I buy the standard size container of cherry tomatoes and take out however many I'm going to put on the salads, then half the rest to put into the recipe. Toss for about 30-45 seconds until you see some color on them, then add gnocchi to the pan and continue to saute for about 1 minute until they begin to lightly color and heat through.

Add white wine to the pan along with the spinach. Surprise! I don't measure the spinach. Haha. I go to the DIY salad bar at Harris Teeter and fill the smaller container with spinach, packed (it looks to be about 2 cups though). Merely because we don't make straight up spinach salads very often so I don't buy huge bags of spinach (too much prevents calcium absorption, and I need calcium). We make mixed greens salad. I don't measure the wine either, I just pour until I can smell it. Probably ends up being a bit more than a 1/4 cup.

Cook until the spinach has wilted slightly, then add the chicken pieces back in. Continue tossing until the spinach is wilted and the wine has cooked down. If it looks like you've accidentally added too much wine, cover the pan so that the sauce can reduce. It shouldn't be too "saucy". Let the dish heat through. Serve and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and enjoy!!

This is seriously one of our favorites! Doesn't look too pretty, but it's so yum. And I know it sounds intense to make, but it really is so easy. No joke.

P.S. While we were cooking, DJ Casey was playing music. Then LMFAO "Party Rock Anthem" came on, and it was so funny. Immediately all 3 of us started doing different dance moves and we were all into them. I was doing the egyptian, Katie was doing the tomohawk, I couldn't tell what Casey was doing out of the corner of my eye, then suddenly we all shifted dance moves at the same time. I started doing the robot and Katie started the sprinkler. All to the beat of the music of course. Again, I couldn't tell what Casey was doing. I just started laughing cause none of it was planned. It's just one of those songs that the beat just makes you move. And we all started spontaneously, but at the same time. So we stopped our severely uncool dance moves (We save the cool ones for public dance arenas...seriously. We all can for real dance.), and I asked Casey exactly what he was doing, cause he acted surprised that we could tell he was performing. And come to find out that his secret move is "oh I was doing right butt cheek clenches"...to the beat of the music. I love him.

P.P.S. And of course there was wine.

Heaven Is For Real

This book is so, so fascinating. I started reading it (on my Nook--what what!) while I was running (on the treadmill, not outside) today. I started it on the treadmill and finished there. I may have run an unexpected 14 miles, but I could NOT stop reading the book.

You can see it here: http://heavenisforreal.net/
Well, you can see it lots of places, but this is the website that has been created for the book.

It brings so many amazing aspects to the reality of heaven. I mean, I love the precious demeaner of a 4 year old and how he described Jesus' eyes as so pretty and when he talked about Jesus' markers. His markers are the scars on his palms and feet...and how the only earthly features people will have in heaven are the scars belonging to Jesus because we have new bodies, but His scars are so important that they remain. I love how his great-grandfather, who he never met, recognized him and how his miscarried older sister recognized him. This thrills me because that means I will get to meet my oldest-oldest sister, and that she will recognize me and that she will run to mom and dad and they'll get to love on her too. Forever. I mean, you hear alot of these things, but now its almost more real. I love his child-like but intense faith. And I love the miracle behind the story in every way.

I also am amazed at the simplest, yet most real, explanation of salvation I have ever heard (or read).  When Colton was in heaven, this is the explanation he received: Jesus died on the cross so that we could come to heaven and hang out with his dad--God.

If you do nothing else in the next month, you have to read this book. Must-read to the max. And my favorite part of all is that in the epilogue when Colton told his dad that there were animals in heaven. Dogs and lions and all kinds. I'm more than certain that Mugzi and Pumpkin and Patch will be there to play. Cause God loves me like craz-ay.

And check out this article that was in the New York Times: Article Here!