Erin + Tommy = Married!

As I mentioned in my last post, I went to Tennessee for a friend from high school's wedding. Erin is the second in our group to get married, and it was shocking to realize I hadn't seen her since our wedding in 2010. 

After spending a couple of days in Knoxville, Ashleigh, Caroline and I piled into my car and headed to Cumberland Mountain State Park in Crossville to celebrate with Erin and Tommy. We were able to make it up to her Bachelorette party Saturday afternoon. Her twin sister, Lauren, had planned an awesome Scavenger Hunt/ Treasure Hunt. The first part we had to search for boxes containing puzzle pieces. After that, the puzzle led us to the next adventure of finding boxes with more clues. It was an awesome plan and an equally beautiful day to walk around the park and have some fun!

We saw this awesome VW Van, and I just had to take a picture of it.

The next morning we decided to make breakfast, but due to the fact that we had very little in the way of a kitchen, we made one big pan pancake. It was delicious and turned out well considering! It was pumpkin flavored, which seemed to fit in perfectly with the surroundings.

I think this is a cute picture of Ashleigh, so I am posting this picture!

 
Our cabin was quaint, but we had a great time in it! We watched wedding themed movies and I really enjoyed having some much needed girl time all weekend!

Ashleigh and I got out and walked around Sunday morning and I snapped a few pictures of the park. This bridge was built by the CCC and is a dam for the lake that the park is centered around.

The other side of the bridge shows an awesome waterfall and the Mill house, which you can see through the trees. I never was able to get a clear view of it.

After walking around, eating lunch, and then getting ready, we headed to the wedding. It ended up being a rainy afternoon, so the ceremony took place in the Recreation Lodge. They had decorated beautifully and the whole wedding was simply Erin! It was perfectly her and you could tell that everything had a personal touch. She had made all of the decorations around with her mom. It didn't surprise me though, because Erin and Lauren were always so crafty through high school.

The reception was in the lower part of the park restaurant and was also decorated with her special touches!

After dinner we all headed back to the recreation lodge for reception #2. Lauren had created MORGAN, a game just like Bingo, there was poker, corn hole, and S'more roasting in the fireplace! I had never been to a wedding quite like this one, but it was awesome and I had a fantastic time!

CONGRATS Erin and Tommy!! I hope that the first week of marriage has been more than amazing!! I was so happy to be able to spend the weekend celebrating the two of you!!

Sometimes, all you need is a little home

Last weekend one of my friends from high school got married!!! Erin and Tommy met when they were in college and have dated for a while, so I was excited for them to finally get married! It was also a perfect opportunity for me to head up to TN to see my family and friends, and spend some time soaking up the amazing fall weather. I'll write about the wedding in another post because I have a few pics- save you from a million picture post! I loved being at home- there is something about Fall that I really miss living in Florida. While I LOVE the weather down here, missing out on one of my favorite seasons just gives me a false sense of the seasons. I always thought seasons symbolized change- change starting school, holidays, family vacations, etc. My mom snapped this picture of me wrapping Erin's present. I got here a hanger with her new name and a sensible lingerie piece, one that will be worn more often. haha 

Jack also LOVES being in TN! It was so cute when we got there because he knew exactly where we were and started wining to get out of the car. I know his misses Charlie, my parent's old dog, but he always picks up right where he left off... the groundhog holes haha Here he is with one of Charlie's favorite toys.

I drove up on Thursday night late after work, but it worked out because Friday night I got to go downtown with the family to see The Little Prince at the Clarence Brown Theater. I loved this book when I was younger, so seeing the theatrical version was a must since I was in town. Bill joined us that night- I had to sneak him into the play :) I got to spend some time with Ben and his girlfriend, Kristy. Hopefully they will get a trip to FL in soon to come see me!

  After the play, we went home and had the typical photo of brother and sister taken. I really enjoyed seeing Ben. I think I look a lot like my mom in the second picture- I don't often see it when other people say I'm the spitting image of her, but I do see similarities! Maybe I'll just see it in time :) Saturday morning we made pancakes and one of my great friends, Melissa, came over to hang before I went out of town to the wedding. We have known each other since we were crib babies in day care at our church, so our friendship means so much- I can't wait until we can pass it on in the future to our children.

The trees were just beginning to change in TN, but I got to see some really beautiful colors. They peaked this weekend apparently, but at least I saw some change, especially since nothing is changing down here.

It was a quick but fast trip to TN and I can't wait to go back for Thanksgiving! Like Rascal Flatts says "Sometimes, all you need is a little home..."

Chicken, Kale Chips, and Roasted Beets

Last night I fixed a really good dinner. Cooking for only myself these days is rather dull. I never want to fix large servings because I know I won't eat it by the time it goes bad. I have gotten better at freezing things- like half of cooked soup, bread to keep it from going stale, meat, etc. I think the cooler weather has made me want more fall foods, so when I was at the commissary on Sunday, I saw they had beets and I decided to give them a try. I always LOVE beets-- I figured I could at least try to cook them! I also had some leftover kale from a soup recipe over the weekend. I am leaving for a few days this weekend and knew that it might go bad while I was gone. I've always wondered about kale chips but had never tried to make them.

All in all, dinner was a success story, so I thought I would tell how I made it!

1. Wash the beets thoroughly and cut stem off (if any) to about an inch above the root. Place in a dutch oven (I covered mine with foil on the bottom to make clean up easy) with olive oil drizzled over the beets. Rub in with hands to coat thoroughly. Place in a 375 degree oven 45-60 minutes, or until knife is inserted easily. Once done, let beets cool and peel off outer skin. NOTE: beets will stain, so be careful when peeling. Cut in 1/2 inch pieces.

2. Wash kale bunches and rip off the "leaves" from the stem. Let dry and place in a large bowl. Drizzle with enough olive oil to coat all of kale. Toss with hands to ensure oil coats kale well. Place on a rimmed cookie sheet and sprinkle with sea salt, or other seasoning. Place in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. The last 2-4 minutes I turned the broiler on low to crisp up the kale. The kale is done when light and crispy.

3. Grill or cook chicken depending on how you would like it done. I grilled mine for easy cleanup and it's easy cooking!

Voila, Bon Appetit!

Wildlife Weekend

It seems that last weekend was wildlife weekend! We had the turtle visit, and then there has also been a lizard that has been hanging around in our mums out front. I finally was able to see this lizard change colors, so I quickly decided to look it up. This little guy is a green or brown anole lizard. He went from brown to lime green before my eyes and it was really neat!! So here are a few pictures of this guy.

I also love to take pictures of birds, so here are a couple pictures of some of my chickadees and the brown headed nuthatch. My mom hadn't ever seen the brown headed nuthatch until she came here, so I enjoyed showing it to her. Birds are so funny- very fun to watch, especially during the spring. Anyway, enjoy the pictures!

How to Save a Life

Well, took a few days off, didn't want to, but couldn't find the time in the days! I tell ya what, I respect people who do it all by themselves. It's hard being by myself- just the fact that on a weekend that I need to get everything done, including mowing the yard, cleaning the garage, vacuuming the cars, pooper scooping, cleaning the house, lesson planning, and going grocery shopping... whew that made for a busy weekend!?!

But in between all of that, this weekend I may have saved the life.... of a turtle.... Saturday morning Jack was looking out the front door and just started barking and growling. I didn't think much of it and just told him to be quiet, but when I realized he was looking just right outside of the door, I decided to investigate. Upon arrival to the front door, I saw a cool, little TURTLE! It's been forever since I'd seen a turtle in a yard. He was enjoying the cool morning in our flower bed. Of course, I decided to go take pictures, because it might be a while before I see a turtle in our yard again! I got a few pictures of him in the flower bed, and then he decided to cross our yard. I got a little worried because I know people intentionally try to drive over them, so I wanted to make sure that I could help him across the road if he was heading that way. Sure enough, he was, so I watched him cross the yard slowly but surely, then finally had to pick him up and carry him across the road. Thank goodness I was there for this little guy because a car was coming down the road the moment I picked him up. I like to think I saved his life this weekend! :) haha Here are some pics, enjoy my little friend from the weekend! It really is amazing how long this guys live- I wondered as I helped him how many miles he'd walked and where he'd come from.

Happy B-day!!!

Today's post is for a very special woman in my life, my mom! It's her birthday today and I just wanted her to know how special she is to me. She's taught me so much on how to be a role model, how to be a mother some day, and how to always believe that you can do anything. I don't think there is a thing she wouldn't try or set her mind to :) So a short post, but a short one to say: Happy Birthday, Mom! Thanks for everything you do for Bill and me! Have a happy happy day!!

What a Wonderful Weekend

It's been a few days since I wrote, but good reasons why! My parents came down on Friday afternoon and stayed with me for the weekend! I love having company, and it's even better when you get a hug from your parents!

On Friday we went to the Choctaw vs. Niceville (another local high school) football game. I knew that it was going to be a good game, but didn't realize how good it would actually be! Choctaw and Niceville battled back and forth all night long... Choctaw decided to kick a field goal with 2.7 seconds left and we won the game!! It was a big deal, but this morning when I checked my email I realized that it was a huge deal! Choctaw hadn't beaten them in 7 years!? I was so happy to take my parents to witness the amazing school spirit on the Choctaw Running Indians!

On Saturday morning we got up fairly early to get things done around the house. I try my best to take care of and get things done in the yard and in the house, but there are just some things that are easier with help! Our mailbox had gotten hit 4 times (yeah, I know, 4 times!?), so my dad was able to move our mailbox this time! We also cleaned windows, the roof, and took care of Bill's hard top to his jeep. They were also able to install a blind over a door for me! After we finsihed with all of our "chores," we watched the UT vs. GA game! Even though we didn't win, it was such a close game and a really good game at that! UT looked much different from the teams I've watched in the past two years! We made a #5 team sweat!

All in all we got a lot done! I love my parents! They are such amazing role models and will do anything they need to do for Bill and me! Here they are posing with Bill! :)

And I couldn't forget Jack! He kept staring at the camera, which is unlike him! So cute though!!

Well, not much else to write about! I get to go home to Knoxville in two weeks, so I can't wait to see my family again!! A special post for a special person tomorrow!