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Thursday, March 31, 2011

Crockpot Sante Fe Chicken....Mmm!

I have been meaning to blog this recipe for several days now! I just haven't gotten a chance! But seriously, y'all. Low in calories. Goes in Crockpot. And DELICIOUS! 

Oh, man. It was SO good.

I got this from SkinnyTaste. If you haven't been to her blog (especially if you're trying to lose weight &/or be healthy), you should check it out! She has the best recipes! And she includes all nutrition facts, including weight watcher points. Which wasn't a big deal to me until now (i joined WW last Friday). 

ANYWAY. Here it is. 

Crockpot Sante Fe Chicken. 
original recipe (& a much better pic!) here.
  • 24 oz (1 1/2) lbs chicken breast
  • 14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
  • 15 oz can black beans
  • 8 oz frozen corn
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth
  • 3 scallions, chopped (i didn't have these)
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
  • salt to taste
  • sour cream, cheddar cheese for toppings, if desired
  • rice, tortilla chips, or taco shells, if desired (also very good by itself. kinda like taco soup!)


1.) Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in the crockpot.

2.) Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top. 

3.) Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. 

4.) Half an hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. 

5.) Adjust salt and seasoning. Serve over rice, tortilla chips or in a taco shell. :) Top with shredded cheddar &/or sour cream, if desired. (Extra points/calories.)

SO GOOD! Brad loved it too & we had leftovers for a couple days. YUM!

Servings: 8 servings Size: 1 cup Old Points: 3 pts PointsPlus: 4 pts
Calories: 190 • Fat: 1.5 g • Fiber: 5.6 g • Carbs: 23.1 g • Protein: 21 g

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Wee Bit Wednesday

Very VERY stressful day at work. I like my job, but not today! Just one of those days, i guess. A bit overwhelmed. I'm at the tail-end of my lunch break, and you know what? I think Wee Bit Wednesday might cheer me up for a minute...or at least let me think on silly things. :)



{one} If you won a trip to Disneyland/world, who would you take with you?
Well, my husband, of course! And he's never been!

{two} When was the last time you listened to a cd?
I'm sorry... i had no idea these were outdated already? I mean, even in the car? I listen to cd's everyday. Sara Barreilles is currently in the cd player & has been for quite awhile now.

{three} What spice/seasoning is your favorite?
Cinnamon! I put it in my coffee everyday. Just a little. I also love kosher salt. I think it's the best thing EVER. (If you're using table salt, switch to Kosher. SERIOUSLY.) 

{FOUR} If you were in a band, what kind of music would you play?
R&B. Love me some R&B. Or praise & worship! A mix of both would be good. I so miss the HeartsEase praise & worship music!

{FIVE} If you could have personally witnessed one historical event, which one would it be?
Oh, wow. What a question. There are so many events i would have loved to have witnessed! Maybe an invention, like Leigh Ashley said! Or maybe something from the Bible. This is really too hard of a question for me!

{SIX} If you could go back to school, what would you study?
I'd major in education, and i'd want to teach either elementary or music/drama to middle schoolers. And yes. I like middle schoolers. :)

{SEVEN} If you could go to one sporting event, all expenses paid, which one would you choose?
I would probably give them to my sister & future brother-in-law since they are sports fanatics & i could care less. But that would depend on where the next Olympics are. :)

{EIGHT} Do you drive an automatic or a manual?
Automatic! (I've never heard it called 'manual' before. We say 'standard'.)

{NINE} Are you comfortable speaking in front of people?
Initially, no. I get sooo nervous! But i made A's in Speech in college & i always LOVED it once i got started. Or after i got it over with! :) We also used to have to speak occasionally in church (as a youth leader) & i always really loved that. I'd go in kicking & screaming, but once i felt like God gave me something to talk about, & once i figured out what i would say, i would still be CRAZY-nervous, but i really enjoyed doing it. And you have to speak to a cast when you are a stage manager! Which is basically just telling them the rules or making announcements! That used to make me nervous, too, but not anymore.

One on one (or two or three) people though is a different story. Which is why interviews & auditions make me want to cry! HAHA!

{TEN} Have you ever experienced an earthquake?
Nope!

Your turn!

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Lauren's wedding shower!

One reason i love bootcamp? I have made some great friends! The main one being Lauren. My first day of bootcamp, i put down a mat for warm-ups & i was right next to her. She smiled at me & i introduced myself. I wasn't in her group, though (you're in groups of 3 at bootcamp) until the chic i normally was in a group with went on vacation (& didn't come back!). At that point, i joined Lauren & Hannah's group. They were so sweet & funny & welcoming & it was fun being in their group!

Bootcamp Buddies - Lauren & Hannah!

Hannah got married March 5th & a few weeks before that she started getting ready for her big day! So that was kind of the end of bootcamp for her! Haha. From then on, it was Lauren & me working our booties off together in bootcamp class! I have really enjoyed getting to know her. We just clicked & i love her a lot! I got an invite to her wedding shower & am thrilled to have met her just in time to celebrate with her! (Her wedding is going to be on May 28th.)

Her shower was yesterday & i volunteered myself to be the photographer! Even though i still don't know what i'm doing haha. A chance to play. :)

Here are a few pics from her shower yesterday! We had a great time & she got lots of great things!

 She loves pink! In case you couldn't tell! :) 

 Opening gifts! Mom on her left & sis on her right!

 Yum!

 This pic cracks me up! Lauren with her future MIL, her sis & her mom! She was reading out loud the marital advice given...haha!

 Beautiful soon-to-be bride!

 Hannah is excited about her cupcake! Haha!

 Ashley, the host & also a friend of mine! with the bride-to-be!

Lauren with her beautiful mom & sister!

We had a great time & i'm looking forward to the big day!



Can you do me a favor?!

Okay, so this is my friend Shelley. 

I know. She's gorgeous. :) {spaceless photography}

She is a total sweetheart with an incredible voice. She was recently in RENT at the local theatre & my blunt friend Britt could not understand WHY she is in BR & not NYC. Seriously. She's amazing.

She now is in a contest & if she wins, she will receive roundtrip airfare & a hotel stay in NYC to audition for the off-Broadway production of RENT. She deserves this! She needs this! She really really wants this! So can you do me a favor & click on this link & vote for her???

HOW TO VOTE:
2.) Click on Shelley's video (#2). 
3) Rate it a 5!
4) Do not rank anyone else's video (ESPECIALLY #1) because it will count as a VOTE for them!
5) Vote from different computers & phones if you have access to them! :)
6) Share with your friends!!

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY! She has been winning through the entire thing, but overnight last night the other girl started winning by a little over a hundred votes. We are closing in, slowly but surely! So please vote for Shelley Regner! And one day you may say, "I helped that star get to NYC!" For real!

P.S. if you already voted &/or are tired of my posts on FB, no worries! Contest ends tonight at midnight! But today i gotta help a sister out!


Getting to know ya!

I'm sorry i will have a gazillion posts today. I have recently been unable to post hardly at all during the week. And even less starting Tuesday because i will be going from work to gym to rehearsal & probably falling into bed as soon as i get home! (Because i'll be SMing a show during April.) So, weekends it is!

And i still want to participate in Getting to Know You Sunday. :) 


1. What inspires you? 
Strong women who love God, cherish their families & manage to cook, clean & exercise! People who go after their dreams. People who run marathons (or even a 5k!). People who are REAL. Individuals who are who they are, even if others consider them weird, goofy or crazy! :) 

2. What was the last thing you bought yourself?
Dayquil Sinus & a magnetic notepad for our grocery lists!

3. Would you rather watch a movie in the theatre or from the comfort of your own home?
I love both. This completely depends on the mood i'm in. I love going to the movies, but it can be expensive so we don't go too often. I love having people over & watching whatever movie came in on Netflix! I currently have the original True Grit & Hairspray on Netflix. Need to watch them! :)

4. Household chores you don't mind doing? 
The dishes. The kitchen in general. And folding laundry doesn't bother me.

5. Coffee or tea?
I like hot coffee & cold tea! I have coffee daily, but tea once a week at most.

6. What could you eat everyday & not get sick of?
Hmm...french bread? Yeah. But i don't, promise!!!

7. What's the last book you read?
Magdalene, by Angela Hunt. LOVED IT! READ IT! I'm currently reading "Made to Crave" & "A Woman after God's Own Heart". 

8. Do you think you look your age?
Apparently not, because if i tell someone i'm 33, i usually get, "NO WAY! You are NOT 33! I thought you were 24/25/26!" I realize this is not at all a bad thing. :)

Head on over to MannLand5 & join in!


Date Night, continued...

Friday night's date... I know i blogged about the artist we went to see, but i wanted to give that it's own blog post (plus, if i had combined the two, it would have been a REALLY long post!). So here's the beginning part of our date! 

We decided to eat at Capital City Grill, because...well, it's about 15 feet from the Manship Theatre. Haha. And it's one of my very favorite restaurants. It was beautiful weather, so we ate outside.

 From our table...that's the building where the Manship Theatre is located. And that mansion across is the old state capitol. 

 Brad's amazing-looking burger & fries! They have the best fries. I did eat about 4 of them, i admit! Look at how he avoided the healthy items on his plate! Gosh, must be nice!! ;) 

 My delicious salad...they do have the best salads! Tomatoes & cucumbers diced to perfection! Mmmm. Only...there seems to be a fry on my salad! Wonder who put that there!? ;)

So the Shaw Center has these awesome fountains out front. Lots of photographers love to use them as backgrounds for pics (in fact, mine was very disappointed that they were broken when we had our engagement shoot downtown!). I have seen people taking pics there & kids playing in it! But i have never seen a DOG playing in it! This dog was too cute. He was THOROUGHLY enjoying those fountains! When the water would disappear he would just pace the area. And when they came up a little bit, he would BITE at the water! HAHA. His owner was worked on training him too...he'd make him lay down & stay & he'd take off his leash & make him stay. The dog obeyed his every command. It was super cute. Everyone was stopping to watch. Enjoy!






Happiest Dog EVER! Haha.

We had a good time enjoying our food & people watching. I love people watching & it seems i do it the most in restaurants. i always want to know what they're doing, the relationship of the people they're with, and what they do for a living haha. There was a cute couple that came & the girl was prego & SO CUTE! There was this man by himself drinking beer & handwriting something in a table of paper. Pages & pages. With a goofy grin. I actually snuck a picture of him, but didn't post it haha. I kept saying, "what do you think he's writing? A letter? Or a novel? I'm leaning towards novel. He LOOKED like a writer. And he kept looking around...people-watching, too, it seemed like. Brad says we may be characters in his next book. HAHA. We also heard a man blare his horn & yell, "this is not a parkinglot!" as a woman stopped on lafayette street to drop off someone! RUDE! He's right...it's not a parkinglot...& the people did take a bit too long to get out & get out the way! But still...he went a little too ballistic! When Portland Cello Project said how nice everyone is in Baton Rouge, Brad whispered, "guess they didn't hear that guy blaring his horn!" Haha. 

 does he not have beautiful eyes?! I love them.

 LSU Museum of Art (inside the Shaw Center as well as the Manship).

 Cute smile, too! 

Moi!

After dinner we went to the performance of Portland Cello Project. It was weird being there & sitting in a seat & enjoying a show! Weird in a good way! Haha. We had the best time & Portland Cello Project is AMAZING. I REALLY wanted a pic of them with their cellos but you can't take pics with a flash in the theatre (& i couldn't get a good one w/o my flash in the dark!) & they didn't bring their cellos out to the lobby after! Oh-well. :)

Great date night!

Portland Cello Project - Amazing!

Friday Night was date night! We've been planning it for awhile. When i got the March schedule for the Manship Theatre (where i work sometimes as a house manager), i saw that a group called the Portland Cello Project was coming. I had never heard of them, but i have this thing about cellos. I am in love with them. :)

I love music & love to sing, but i guess i don't always recognize certain instruments when i hear them. My husband is a musician, and one day early in our marriage, i was listening to Sara Bareilles' song "Come Round Soon" & there is this sound at the end. I loved it. I asked Brad, "What is that?" & he said "That's a cello!". This happened several other times during other songs & it was always the cello. Finally, we realized i apparently have a thing for the cello! So it was a no-brainer that we would go to this...even though we had no clue who they were or if they were any good! Haha.


No worries, though. They were FANTASTIC. From their website...

Since the group's inception in late 2007, the Portland Cello Project (or, PCP, as their fans affectionately call them), has wowed audiences all over the country with extravagant performances, mixing genres and blurring musical lines and perceptions wherever they go. No two shows are alike, with a repertoire now numbering over 800 pieces of music you wouldn't normally hear coming out of a cello. The Cello Project's stage setup ranges from the very simple (4-6 cellos), to the all out epic (which has included 12 cellos playing with full choirs, winds, horns, and numerous percussion players). The Cello Project's mission is three-fold:
  1. To bring the cello to places you wouldn't normally hear it. They've performed everywhere, from touring with heavy metal guitarist Buckethead, to sports bars in Texas, to punk clubs in Boston, to halftime at Portland Trailblazer games, to Millennium Park in Chicago...
  2. To play music on the cello you wouldn't normally hear played on the instrument. Everything from Beethoven to Arvo Pärt to instrumental covers of Kanye West and Pantera.
  3. To build bridges across all musical communities by bringing a diverse assortment of musical collaborators on stage with them.  
 Y'all, they were SO good. Really really really good. And they loved Louisiana...it was their first time playing here! They said they loved our weather & that we have such nice courteous people (i hear this all the time, though i encounter rude people everyday! Haha.). They are from Portland (obviously) & said they wish they could live here in the winter/spring & move back to Portland for the summers. (I wonder if they were still here yesterday - it hit 100 degrees!!! UGH!). 

 Ashia of Portland Cello Project

Anyway, they went earlier that day & played at Baton Rouge High, which is a pretty artsy school here in BR & i know those students had to love them! The group we saw consisted of 6 cello players & 1 drummer. It was REALLY good & the guy that did most of the talking was hilarious. They played classical music, but also crazy stuff like something by Beyonce, Kanye West, the Star Trek theme song, and the Super Mario Brothers theme song! HA! One of their girls, Ashia, sang too & composed two of the songs they did. She has a beautiful voice.

They were soooo good & if they are ever in your area, it is definitely worth going to hear them!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Bloggie Bible Study - Chapter 7

Sneaky Momma Blog Design


So it's another crazy week - plus, i have not been feeling well - & i almost missed another bbs! I read it in plenty of time! But i almost didn't get the post up! Argh! I'm not so good at this, y'all. 

But! I did read it & i even caught up from last week. Yay.

This was a great chapter, being reminded to LOVE WELL. And...here we go!

BBS/Chapter 7 - A Heart that Loves

1. What meant the most to you from this chapter - challenged you greatly or inspired you deeply?
Just being reminded that loving Brad is my number one priority. That my relationship with him is more important than any other relationship i have (after my relationship with God).

2. As you look back over the last few weeks, how is what you're learning about helping, respecting, & following your husband affecting your marriage?
It has helped a lot, but it can be so easy to forget all about what I've read very quickly. I bought a prayer journal after we read about praying for our husbands, but after about 3 days of writing in it, i stopped! Total forgetfulness on my part, but i just want that to be so ingrained in me...to pray for my husband. I do think more about how i can help him, and submission has not been too difficult so far! But i really need to continue to pray for him, daily. 

Pray for your husband daily & Plan for your husband daily!

Oh, yes, this was good stuff! As i have said, i do not pray for my man enough & i know that needs to be a priority! I also need to "plan" for him...making him my #1! So many times i get busy with my own priorities. Brad & I are about to enter a crazy season, where we will both be spending a LOT of time doing what we love...me, theatre & brad, music. This is okay, once in awhile. He has been asked to do a music project, which is due at the end of April. He is going to be working hard in the studio every spare minute! I have not done a show since June, so i offered to stage manage an upcoming production. I am very excited because this is my passion...however, i always miss Brad TERRIBLY when i do a show. I'm glad these two things are happening at the same time. But even during this crazy busy season that is coming up, we can still make time for each other & i can still plan to do things for & with my husband. I do not want to neglect him!

We do have a date night planned this Friday & i am excited! :)

Great chapter in this book! I really enjoyed it & look forward to continuing to read about loving my husband well. :)


Wee Bit of Me.



Time for some wee bit. Yeah! :)

{one} What was your first job?
I watched the 3 year old class at a nearby preschool. i had the kids who stayed for aftercare from 3-6 pm. Those kids are now seniors in high school, i think. i have seen a few of them in the local newspaper as hefty strong football players at Central High (where i graduated). SCARY!


{two} Have you ever seen a stand-up comedian? 
I want to say no, but surely i have as house manager at the Manship? I don't remember any, though...

{three} When was the last time you played mini-golf?
Oh, wow. I have NO idea. Years. Years & years. Maybe...10 years? 8? I don't know.

{four} What was the last picture you took?

This one...
HAHA...obviously i wasn't looking at ALL to take this photo, & i was sitting next to him, not in front of him, so that is why his head is chopped off...& why it has not been posted until now. ;) But i love that smile!

{five} burnt food: yes or no?
Um, really??? NO! (though i do like my bacon & my hot dogs pretty near burnt. ;)

{six} If you have a pocket full of change, what do you do with it? 
This just doesn't happen. I rarely carry cash. If i do, change goes in my wallet. And stays there, most likely. Right now, i doubt i have more than 50 cents in there! 

{seven} Can you touch your tongue to your nose?
No, haha.

{eight} Do you scrapbook?
No. I used to. I have completed scrapbooks from the 90's - back before they had scrapbook stores & all these embellishments! My scrapbooks definitely got better & more creative as the years went by. But there came a point...around 2007 or 2008, where i got SICK of it. I didn't want to do one more scrapbook page. I lost all interest, for some reason. And i'm okay with that. I'd rather blog & print photo books. 

(I do enjoy looking at other's scrapbooks, though!)


{nine} Do you buy lottery tickets?
Nope. I never have. But everyday on my way to work, they have a giant billboard that says how much the lottery is for... when the sign first went up, it was for 50ish million. Today it was at 101 million. I mean...WOW. My thoughts usually go to what i could do with that much money. Or how i wish i just had 5% of that much money! And then i tell myself to shut up & be content with what i have!! And thankful that i have things money can't buy! :)

{ten} Do you prefer to be in front of the camera or behind it? 
It doesn't matter to me one bit. I love taking pictures but i definitely do not hide my face if someone is snapping photos. Even if i look terrible. I just don't care! I'll smile for ya! Haha.

VIDEO cameras, on the other hand, are a different story. If i see someone doing interviews or something, i will avoid it at all costs. I love acting, but i don't like being interviewed! Like the news guy that was standing outside of Barnes & Noble recently, trying to catch someone to interview. I don't know what that was about but i waited in my car until he had stopped someone else! HA!

Thanks, Leigh Ashley! Love me some Wee Bit!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

good food & good friends!

We had an excellent time last night at my friend Becca's house. Becca made chicken tortilla soup, I brought chips & a delicious queso dip, Adam made a jalepeno bread, and Melanie, Becca's sister, made a beautiful salad. Oooh, and there were brownies as well. We played Apples to Apples and Taboo, too! Been awhile since i've played those games; we had a great time! I got my baby fix, too. Melanie's son, Jameson, was there & he was a pretty cool easygoing little guy! I never heard him cry & he entertains himself quite well for a four-month old!

I'm pretty sure my non-stop picture taking was bordering on obnoxious....yeahhhh, sorry 'bout that! :) But i got some good pics. Fun times!

Beautiful colorful salad! Great job, Melanie!

 Sisters Becca & Mel :)

 Adam checking on his jalepeno bread (it was delish!).

 Sweet. (Becca & Mike)

 Cutie patootie Jameson! Such a happy baby!

 Adam & Katie...love them.

 Love my man!

 John (a new friend!) & Adam during Apples to Apples!

 Fun times!

 My winning cards. :)

 Love it.

 Hehe. I love this.

 So pretty!

We had a great time & i hope we do it again soon!
Love good friends!!



Texas Best Cheese Dip

My friend Becca had us over for dinner last night & the entree was one of my favorites, chicken tortilla soup! Yum! We all brought something to go with it & i ended up bringing a queso dip & chips for an appetizer. Believe it or not, i've never made queso dip, so i googled it & came across this recipe for Texas Best Cheese Dip. Mine is pretty much the same as the original recipe...only slight variations. It was SO GOOD & was gone way too fast! Haha! Everyone raved about it. It's definitely a keeper!

TEXAS BEST CHEESE DIP
adapted from Make Life Delicious


1 pound original velveeta cheese
12 ounces cream cheese
1 can Rotel's diced tomatoes with green chiles
2-3 fresh garlic cloves, minced
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped (to taste)
onion powder, to taste
black pepper, to taste
tortilla rounds (or whatever chips you like with queso!)

Melt velveeta & creem cheese on stovetop. Stir in all other ingredients. 

Serve warm with tortilla chips.

I poured mine into the crockpot as soon as it was done & kept it on warm.


YUM!

Getting to know you!

Keely at MannLand5 is back with Getting to Know You Sunday. I'm glad. Yes, i do realize this makes 4 little survey meme things i do in one week, and i'm sorry for that. Kind of. Cause it's my blog & i can answer random questions everyday if i feel like it! Haha... 

Anyway... i hope you're having a lovely Sunday. We are! Got to church this morning & now at home relaxing. Had a great time at a friend's house last night & looking forward to posting about that soon, too! 


{ONE}
If you won the title of Miss America, what would your platform be?

...i'm sorry... give me a minute...visualizing ME in a PAGEANT at the moment...
ahahahahahahaha

{TWO}
Outdoorsy or Indoorsy?
I have always been very much an indoorsy person, but it seems i'm lately wanting to be outside. I always want to go for a walk, or choose a restaurant that has a patio, or something. Brad & I just got home from church & were wishing we had patio furniture so we could eat our lunch outside today! This is only in spring though...it's gorgeous here lately! Come 100 degree heat & humidity & i am very much an indoor person again!

{THREE}
Pajamas out in public? Classy or tres tacky?
Well, not CLASSY, that's for sure! I believe in my college days i made a few trips with girlfriends to Walmart with pj pants & t-shirts on, though. It wasn't terrible (especially considering what OTHERS wear to Walmart...AHEM!), but i haven't done that in years!

{FOUR}
What's your favorite room in your house? 
My bedroom or the living room.

{FIVE}
Nook, Kindle or Book?
Book, definitely. My coworker has the Kindle & Brad's cousin got her mom a Nook for Christmas. Both were neat & fun to play with for a bit. But i am such a bookworm... i love the feel of an actual book in my hand. Besides, you can't soak in the tub with a kindle! Haha.

 {SIX}
Would you rather wear the same outfit for a week or not brush your teeth for a week?
DEFINITELY same outfit for a week... hopefully i can wash it at least once! But yeah... i can't deal with bad breath! Morning breath all day? EW, no!

{SEVEN}
What's your favorite blog at the moment?
I have way too many to name. I love a ton of blogs & I've made so many bloggie friends here. :)

{EIGHT}
Lately i've been daydreaming about...
being a mommy :)

Link up at MannLand5!


Friday, March 18, 2011

Friday Meme, numero dos!

Man, i've done a lot of blogging tonight! And i'm not even done! I have two other posts in mind! Haha! i was unable to blog ALL WEEK because work has been INSANE. So here it is Friday, and well... i've posted a lot tonight. I'd say i've made up for my lack of blogging this week! Anyway, one more for the night & i'm done! I like to fill in the blanks! :)





1. The best deal i've ever gotten is...uhhh...wow...nothing comes to mind. I'm so NOT a bargain hunter (i look for sales but i do not like bargain hunting. It kind of has to advertise itself!). I know i have found some great bargains but i'd never be able to think of one now. Not the kind of thing i'd remember after a week or so...

2. If i were hosting a dinner party & could invite people from my fantasy guest list, i would invite my best bloggie girlfriends, Beth Moore & Kari Jobe. Ooh, and Angela Thomas. Wouldn't that be fantastic? I'm sure you were thinking celebrity, but really? I mean, i love looking at their gorgeous faces & reading their interviews & watching their movies, but when i think dinner party, the most fun thing that comes to mind is to finally have a dinner with some of you that i haven't met yet in person & to have beth, kari & angela meet us, too. Haha! The bloggie friends would have to include laura, rebekah, nicole, patti, lindsey, krystal & sarah. I'd have to invite some of my real-life BFF's too. Oooh, it sounds lovely! Haha!

3. Something that inspires me is someone who is always positive. NOT fake let's-put-on-a-mask-and-pretend-life-is-perfect positive! Not someone who doesn't allow you to vent or be honest about your life. But someone who stays smiling no matter the circumstance. Someone who keeps a great attitude through it all. Someone who encourages others when they are the ones facing the major trials. My friend Becca is like this & she SO inspires me. I am also always inspired by talented artists, athletes, musicians & dancers.

4. If i could only choose to eat one flavor of food (sweet, salty, spicy, bitter) for the rest of my life, i would have to go with salty, though i would miss sweets! But i definitely crave salty stuff more than sweets!

5. I dream about our future family, what kind of mom i will be, what kind of dad brad will be, what our kids will look like, when they will get to know Jesus, if they will be a musician like daddy, a theatre-lover like mama, or an athlete like both of their aunts! I wonder when we will be able to get a house that has enough room for all of us, with tons of storage space & a big backyard for the kids to play in. I dream of vacations together too. These are the things i dream about. :)

6. My weekend will be spent having dinner with some friends of ours, going to church & stage managing the first round of auditions for It Runs in the Family at the community theatre. Will also attend bootcamp on Saturday & hopefully get some grocery shopping done.

7. If i could only watch one TV show or movie for the rest of my life, it would be The Big Bang Theory. I mean, it's just hilarious, i never get tired of it. & i'm currently having withdrawals because we are now officially caught up after starting with Season 1 on Netflix. Now we gotta wait till the current season is done & comes out on DVD. :)

Your turn! Happy weekend!

Friday Meme, numero uno

Time for Friday's memes. I can't live without them. Well, i suppose i could. But i still like them a lot & want to join in. Am i too late!?

First up...Five Question Friday!





1. Have you ever testified in court? For what?
No, and i wouldn't want to. i would, in fact, want to serve on jury duty, i think. But i have never been summoned. And it's not the same thing as testifying. Testifying would be scary!

2. Do you still have your wedding dress?
Yes! I'd still like to do a "trash the dress" shoot. One day, maybe! (Yes, i know i've already been married almost 3 years! Haha.)

3. Is there a special place you like to go when you're happy, sad, stressed, etc?
I just go about life when i'm happy. I mean... i don't need a "happy place" when i'm already happy. Because i'm already happy. And you go to your happy place to GET happy, right? 

Or something like that!

But when i'm stressed/mad/tired/had a bad day, a pedicure or a nap or a long hot bath will do the trick! And hubby hugs work wonders for my heart.

4. If you have kids, do they sleep with you? And if you do not have kids, will you let them sleep with you when you have them?
I have to tell you... i'm totally ANTI the kids sleeping with me thing. I don't judge you if you allow your kids in the bed with you, but i just do not AT ALL want that. Now, i do not mind them joining me on a Saturday morning to snuggle, or at night if they've had a nightmare or something. But on a regular basis? NO INDEED! 

Obviously, i'm not a parent yet. I do realize everything i say about parenting pre-parenthood is subject to change. :) But i really hope this one doesn't. I hear friends complain about being kicked/shoved/punched by the two year old sleeping with them & i'm thinking, "put that kid in his/her bed!!!" 

I know, i know. Not a parent yet. And if my kid sleeps with me every night when i become a parent, you can totally say, "i told ya so." :)

5. Do you watch late night TV?
No... i don't watch TV really. Hardly ever. American Idol & that's it. Once you get out of the habit of TV, you have a hard time getting back into it. I mean, i TRIED to watch Harry's Law, it was funny! But i kept forgetting to watch it!

That's all for now! Have a great weekend!

Chips, salsa & good company

{I'm so behind in blogging it is unreal. I hear people do not like when someone posts a zillion posts in one day? It never bothers me when people do that, though! So... forgive me if you don't like it? Just read them at your leisure, k? I don't want to schedule them to post later... i want to post them now! So...yeah, haha. Thanks!}

Last Sunday, my dear friends Amanda & Matt were in town from California! Woohoo! I was hoping i would get to see them but doubted that i would. When they come they have SO many people to see, it's understandable that they can't see everyone on one short trip! Luckily, though, we got to go eat with them! Brad & I didn't even order a meal... we were SO FULL from granny's party! Haha. But we did enjoy some chips & salsa & great company. :) Didn't take many pics, but thought i would share them with you!

 Matt & Amanda! 

 Katie & Adam

 Mike & Becca

 Ali, Eric & baby Elijah

 HAHA! He just had some carrots! Isn't he a cutie?! Love it! He was SO well behaved & sweet. And i got my baby fix! Got to hold him for awhile. He was too cute!!!

Heehee! Too funny! He was tasting a lime!!

Me & my love. 

Good times!!