Baking soothes my soul

Yes, yes it does. If I'm frustrated or angry or sad or happy or giddy or..(insert just about any emotion), I'm probably feeling the need to be in the kitchen. I have no idea why. It's comforting in there. I like it. I like food. So here's the deal, I'm going to start with at least one recipe every week. Now, I may make two in one week, or maybe five, and that might have to cover me for a while. Hopefully it averages out to 52 new recipes tried by the end of the year. That's what I'm going for. It could be anything!! If you have any suggestions, feel free to shoot them my way! I will post successes and failures. Before I get started, I must show you my dearest mother's last adventure in the kitchen. Being the loving lady that she is, she decided to make Daddy-O some shrimp dip. If you are a part of this family then you know about this magnificent creation. Holy yum!! Let me tell you though, she spent FOREVER in the kitchen. She was exhausted by the time she finished it, but boy was the labor of love appreciated by all!! May I post some pictures of her during her great cooking adventures?? Ok, thanks!
She's one well prepared chef! More ingredients than she knows what to do with are sitting out on that counter. Oops!! Lesson learned, make sure it's not on before you plug it in! A little bit of shrimp dip may have decided to fly out of the bowl and all over the kitchen. Live and learn. (Don't worry, I was there to capture every moment!) Now that is a determined woman! Look at her go, but keep your distance. She's fierce in the kitchen. She prefers to stay as far away from the cooking scene as possible. It's why we work so well together.

Hope you guys had a HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!! I ate an obscene amount of chocolate covered strawberries courtesy of Mom and Dad! Yummm!!!


...a wink and a smile...

Meant for a small town...

It seems to me that I was truly meant to live in a small town. Alright, I know it may seem odd to some of you but ask good 'ol mom and dad. I'm sure they're already wondering what small town they'll be visiting and sending Christmas cards to in the future. Do you like small towns? I think they're magical. Like Disney World. My experiences with small towns have been down right amazing!! Cute schools that aren't swarming with thousands of kids packed in classes that are bigger than most I attended in college. The post offices smell of happiness and cheer! (Ok, so it was a little post office outside of Montgomery, but it smelled of cinnamon and the lady call me honey.) It's a completely different vibe, so relaxed and laid back for the most part. Word might get around fast in a small town, but shoot, you already know everyone elses business anyway.

Did I mention I want a cow and pig one day? No, not a heard of cattle, simply one cow. Surely someone is going to tell me that you can't have just one cow because it will become lonely or something. Anyway, my cow and pig are going to be the best of friends. I'll post pictures of their blossoming friendship in the future. Ahhh, I can just see it now. Oh, and I'd like one of those cows with a toupe. Aren't they fabulous! Yes, I have so much to learn. I guess the only hope I have of living in a small town with a plot of land is if I marry someone that knows how to take care of the land. Gentlemen?? Anyone?? Hmm...

I can also take my nursing skills out to the country. Yay!! By that time, I might be interested in home health. What better way to get to know your neighbors!! I'm loving this idea more and more. Perhaps it's all just a wonderful dream in my head, but I'm OK with that. Makes me smile.

Other than my dreams of small town livin', I don't have much else to report. I'm currently in CC studying and reading like a crazy woman, and I hope to go up to the lab tomorrow to practice! As for now, I should go back to reading. Sorry for the lack of pretty pictures to entertain your eyes, I'll post some tomorrow! :)

One Day, One Test

Well friends, I'm sitting at my kitchen table (aka: my desk), and I should be studying. I seem to be lacking in the motivation department. So what better time to blog! My bags are pretty much packed, and I'm ready to go home! Just one silly little final holding me back to pure Christmas joy and happiness! No worries, it will all be over with tomorrow at 11am!!!!! Hooray!! Do you want to see my cute little precious mutts? The ones that will undeniably be filled with excitement when I step into the house....Oh look at them. Little snuggle buddies. I'm sure Charlie Barnum had to sneak up ever so quietly to obtain that prime snuggle spot up against Bailey. Bailey's probably too tired to sit up and give him the hairy eyeball. Haha!

I would post a picture of my apartment, but I don't want to frighten you, especially around this wonderful time of year. I'm just like my father in that small piles all over the place really do make sense in our heads. Hmm... thankfully I've got no one around to tell me otherwise. It's organized chaos, I promise.

Next blog will come to you from one of the greatest cities in Texas, HOUSTON!!!!



...a wink and a smile...

Seriously???

I know, I know. I'm pretty sure I said I would post a bit more frequently than once a semester. Oops! Hey, girl got busy. Anyway, I'm currently in the midst of finals and if you really know me, you know studying is the LAST thing on my mind. I guess I'm a fan of going all hardcore during the semester and doing the least amount of work at the end. It works. If anyone should know it's me. I'm really getting good at this "student" thing. Probably a bit too much for my parent's liking. I'm working on it Mom and Dad.

So 4 more days and I will pack my bags, hop in Cliff, and drive the oh so boring drive back to HOUSTON!! I've had a countdown going for quite some time now. Earliest I can remember was about 54 days. Haha! You do what ya gotta do to get through! I hope everyone is staying warm with this fantastically chilly weather. I'm currently sitting here with frozen toesies. (Yes mom, I do have socks and the heat on...I might have just turned the heat on, but it's working it's magic so no worries.)

A quick list of updates... ready???

• Attended my first Brad Paisley concert! Love that man's music! Can't WAIT until he plays at the Rodeo!!
• My precious, adorable, and oh so beautiful Goddaughter turned ONE!! Oh my goodness! I'm so thankful I get to see all of them over the holidays! Gosh I love them!
  
• I visited Wimberley, TX and have decided that at some point I must live in a small, quaint town where people really do know each other. LOVE IT! By the way, it's absolutely gorgeous in hill country so get on out there if you haven't been in a while.
• My crazy, amazing cousin decided to join the MARINES!! Hello, could this girl be any more proud of him?? No way!!
• Had an absolutely fabulous time at my brother and sister-in-law's place for Thanksgiving!! Everything was mighty tasty and the company was pretty fantastic as well. :)
  
• And last but certainly NOT least............I'm going to be an AUNT!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited for Ryan and Kellie!! Did I mention I'll pass my pediatrics class with a ridiculously high A and I'm offering my babysitting services right now. Just a heads up!
  

Y'all are fabulous and don't forget to enjoy the exquisite sights and sounds of the holidays!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!


...a wink and a smile...

Oops!!

Sorry friends! It seems as though I decided to finish last semester, take a break, and abandon this little blog! My sincerest apologies. Anyway, I'm back in CC, going hard in class and clinicals, and ready to get you all up to date.
Oh my goodness, so much has happened since we've last chatted. Where oh where do I begin?? I enjoyed my mini vacation even though it may have started out a bit rough. It definitely had some perks at the end! What else, how about school. This semester I'm taking pharmacology, pediatrics, and med/surg (let's just think of this as adults). I have already finished up my peds rotation, whoa that was fast. In two weeks, I start med/surg and that one won't be half as fun. Ha! I'm still planning on sporting my orange, teddy bear watch. If anything it will brighten up my day. So, now I will walk around a hospital where sea creatures and brightly colored murals aren't covering every inch of wall space. There's no fun in that. It will be an adventure though! I am excited, but I will miss the little kiddos!
Oh! I went to the aquarium here in CC! It was way better than expected! Had a blast and sat in the dolphin show wondering why I never followed my dream to be a dolphin trainer. Hmm?? Wet suit or scrubs. Both pretty comfortable but I do get cold easily so perhaps staying dry is best for me. I went ahead and posted two of my favorite pictures from my iphone during my aquarium adventure! Is that turtle not the cutest little thing you've ever seen?? There's also the beautiful dolphin. What a magnificent creature. This little guy was playing with his toys in the water. They get a bit of play time in their tank before show time. He was having a blast!
Well dear friends, I should be studying. I'm currently leaning over my pharm book to type this update when I should be reviewing for my upcoming test! Oops!

PS...Get excited! I have an important introduction to make in the near future. I'll let your heads think on that one for a while...

...a wink and a smile...

Procrastination...or is it motivation??

We all know I should be studying right now, but I'm just really having a tough time today. I think it's the crazy week, and all of the craziness that comes with 24 tightly wound individuals spending too much time together. Either way, I've spent some time today just sort of finding inspiration in other places. So where do I look? YouTube. I'm a pretty big fan of this pastor in Michigan, Rob Bell. I really enjoy and get a lot from his sermons/teachings. I also can't get enough of these little 10 to 15 minute videos he puts together, and thankfully someone has posted some on youtube. No, they shouldn't be posted on there, but hey, I've been appreciating them for the past few days. I do hope to buy the set at some point in the future. I'll wait for the job with the paycheck first. To get to the point, I was watching this Nooma (that's what they call the videos) and it just really hit me. I won't go into it, and just throwing one quote on here won't do much for you either, but this is a blog and you never know what will pop up. Here is the line that I already have printed out and posted in my apartment. I'll also give you a bit more dialogue after the quote so you kind of get a better feeling with it.

"There's nothing you could ever do that would make Me love you less."


"May you stop hiding under the covers. May you let God pull the covers back. May you embrace Him. May your whole life become a response to the truth that you've always been loved, You are loved, and you always will be loved. And may you know, may you know deep in the depths of your soul, there's NOTHING you could ever do to make Him love you less. NOTHING you could ever do to make God love you less. NOTHING you could ever do to make Him love you less. Nothing. Nothing."


Goodnight dear friends!

It's Daddy's Day!!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY DADDY!!!!!!!

Holy moly, do you have the world's greatest dad? ...No, you don't, because I DO!!! You're talking to the biggest Daddy's Girl ever! Look it up in Webster's. There's a picture there to prove it! ;) This just might be the first Father's Day that I'm not around my Daddy! Grr!! Oh and did I mention he's hanging out at the lake this weekend! He actually has a day off, shocker I know! This man is a peddle to the metal kind of guy. As he likes to say, he works hard and plays hard! Let me just say, I spent one week with him at work, and it about killed me. I probably shouldn't have admitted it but it's true. Since I'm trying to keep this thing relatively anonymous, I'll post of a few favorite pictures of where Dad's face isn't showing too much! Haha! Here's my dad shocking us all by making it all the way to the top! I'm pretty sure we didn't even think he'd attempt this!First of all, you should know that when my dad enjoys something, he wants to get involved in it. If he sees something that isn't right, he stands up for it. If he sees you hurting, he'll comfort you. If you tell him there's no way, he'll figure a way. If you lose faith, he'll help you find it. Oh, and if there's a cruise, he's on it! :) My Dad is the greatest!! Happy Father's Day Daddy!! I LOVE YOU SO SO SO SO MUCH!! Thank you for being the best role model a girl could ever imagine!! You will always be my prince charming! (I have the picture to prove it!) Oh and of course I had to include a picture of my dad in his happy place...boarding a cruise ship! Welcome aboard! Happy Trails!!