let the cooking continue:)

so, i've been a little slack on updating my blog with what all new foods i've been learning to cook, but in february, crystal and lindsey came up and we cooked a delicious quesadilla casserole with some guacamole. according to my friend jillian, i am cheating, because my friends are helping me, but regardless, i am learning to cook new things, haha. in march, we cooked a roast in the crockpot, sweet potatoes, and a broccoli side dish, it was yummy. dusty, crystal's fiance, called the roast "juicy butt." i am pretty sure i won't call it that, but regardless, it was really good. a few days after linds, crys, and i cooked, i was out of town with my friend casey and we both learned to cook veggie lasagna. i was a little nervous about all the items mixed together (because we all know that i have issues with mixing foods); however, it was seriously absolutely delicious.

check out the pics below:

seriously, if you like mexican dishes, let me know, because this casserole is absolutely one that i even ate leftovers (it has black beans, corn, rotel, and lots of cheese and tortilla shells)

this roast was very tender and had orange peels in the crokpot with it, i'd have to get the full recipe from crystal, but it is worth it too)

oh my, such a treat this one: full of zucchini, onions, broccoli, four cheese spaghetii sauce, heavy cream, and a little cream of mushroom:) oh and mozzerella cheese, loved it, and you must make this.

j bitty's harry potter bachelorette trip:)

so, imagine five girls in their late 20's & early 30's & no children in a toyota sienna ready for a road trip, oh yes, we will refer to it as the swagger wagon:) last thursday, st. patty's day, we all departed from my house around 9:00 AM:: destination orlando for jillian's bachelorette weekend. after a little nine hour drive, a quick stop at mcdonalds (fine dining, if you will), and a couple stops for kasey-k to get some sweet treats (i need some substance) along with potty breaks, we arrived at casey-c's mom's house around 6pm. we quickly changed and walked down to a little area called winter garden and had dinner at a little bbq place. that night we decided to go meet up with casey's younger brother brandon for some st. patty's fun:) none of us are really the going out type, so we enjoyed chatting with brandon and his wife, anna and watching all the people that were dressed so scandalous. i mean, we definitely saw one girl who had on a sheer tanktop with shamrocks on her ta-ta's in a specific spot, yeah you can guess where. another girl decided to leave her pants at home and just wore a tunic out, yeah. brandon informed us that every holiday is an excuse to dress slutty, who knew.

oh to more fun things and relevant topics, haha. friday morning was our day at universal/harry potter world. we arrived at the park at 10 and casey had arranged for us to get discounted tickets, yippee. that girl has more connections in orlando than you can imagine. off we go to harry potter world. roadblock:: you have to get tickets to return at a specific time, as the specific area where harry potter is over-capacitated... okay, so we plan our day around returning at 12:15-1:15. we aren't missing our chance. jillian's trip was all about this:) on our walk over to entrance of hp, i ask emily about how much she knows about hp, as i have only seen the movies, she informs me that she knows nothing, i am thinking i'm off the hook, i know a little more than she does. i jokingly said, "do you at least know the main characters names?" she says, "oh, no." so funny! don't worry guys, she did know who harry potter himself was, haha:)

we decided to visit jurassic park and do a little river adventure after our delayed entrance to hp. this was a water ride... i really enjoyed it, and we didn't get too soaking wet, well, except emily (poor thing). I covered my head, as I didn't want my hair to turn into shirly temple's curls after only being at the park for 0.5 seconds, success, i survived. after that we went to ride doom's fall, which was definitely my favorite ride of the day:) for any of you carowinds attendees, it is similar to drop zone, but way cooler. i've now decided i want to go sky diving for sure, as i love that free falling feeling, i also want to go bungee jumping again:)

then it was TIME:: HARRY POTTER HERE WE COME. we took lots of pictures and then we rode the dragon challenge. kelsey has a tendancy of getting motion sickness on rides that go round and round or twist and turn a lot, so i had been preventative and taken a dramamine (non-drowsy formula) that morning, but this ride about did me in. (seriously, how old am i, i used to be able to ride everything and it didn't bother me, now i need a motion sickness pill to go to a theme park, getting older by the minute.) kasey, casey, and jillian returned for round 2 as the wait was only 5 minutes. emily and i took it easy. we witnessed a little boy's dreams be crushed since he couldn't ride it and emily and i got a little emotional, as we wanted him to grow like a foot taller so he could, haha. once they got off of the dragon challenge, we went to three broomsticks to eat, there was a little line, but not too bad...i tried shepard's pie for the first time and really like it. i'm pretty sure the veggies were pureed, which helped tremendously... maybe i should do that all the time, hehe. then we got in line for the simulator ride, which for the record was one of the best rides i have ever been on. i felt like i was really riding that broomstick, and those skeletons, spiders, things that suck the life out of you, etc really scared me to death (i felt as though i was in a haunted house) and at 28 years old i haven't ever been through one for a reason, so yeah, it was good! after that we got butter beer! it was such a refreshing little treat, i was very skeptical, not knowing what it may taste like, but it was so good. we all got one and took a little break after this. overall, i say great job to whomever created harry potter world at universal or islands of adventure. they could have made a whole entire theme park out of all that stuff and people would pay to see it:)

we enjoyed the rest of our day at the park and that night we went to NBA City and had dinner and watched the carolina basketball game, thank goodness they survived and pulled out the WIN:) we returned home (to casey's mom's house) and had a little surprise lingerie shower for jillian, she was surprised, i think and it was good fun. we made her wear mickey bride ears, to embarrass her a little. she loved all of her lingerie:) then we played a little game to see how well she knew jake, after 12 years of dating, she did fantastic!!! i think she only got like 2-3 wrong, haha. who knew his favorite color was a light, faded, pale yellow, haha and that he loved her decorating skills!

saturday morning we woke to head to the beach, about an hour north of orlando:) we went to publix and got subs first and then relax beachside all day. seriously, the weather was gorgeous and we couldn't have ask for better weather. even we had neutrogena 45 spf spray on an iv drip, so it seemed, most of us, except kasey got a little sunburned... i think our pale, white skin couldn't handle that florida sun right away, so hopefully now we are all set!!!

at about four we start heading back on our journey home, as we had to be back on sunday. our journey back was loads of fun, i took the last shift, right after our detoxing meal at cracker barrell, haha:) i loaded up with so many carbs i could barely move. kasey was so nice to play me a podcast, but we turned it up so loud, and had no clue it was keeping jillian up (we moved the sound to the front, but i guess not enough), so sorry still about that. meanwhile, to make matters worse, j hated the guy's speaking voice, haha. we rolled into my house around 1am, on yes, j had fallen back asleep thank goodness:) we had to unload the car, which i am pretty sure we were all delirious at that point, but all in all it was a wonderful trip:)

glad we got to celebrate the bride to be. love you, J!!!

waiting patiently

so, my friend candice called me last night (tuesday) and said, that i really needed to hear the message from sunday from my old church in raleigh. she said, it was all about waiting patiently in God's time, and that she immediately thought of me all throughout the message. you see, candice struggled for years waiting on God to send her her future husband, she went through a lot of duds to get to her prince charming, if you will (what can i say, i still have hope), but wow, did God ever so faithfully provide candice with a loving man of God. it really does encourage me to no end, that after many years of heartache for her, that she is now happily married.

don't get me wrong, i don't think that being married is the be all end all, i know that my God created me specifically for a purpose. i know that my passion in life is to love God's children. i want to work with pediatric oncology or sick children, and i know that God has placed this desire in my heart. i am currently fulfilling that passion by volunteering with make a wish. i want to go on a mission trip, and i know that God is leading me in that direction. i will survive if i never get married, so please don't take this post as much pity party...however, i am human, and i truly do want to find someone and i want to be married and be a mom. i mean, after a while you start to wonder if you have been forgotten or if it will ever come, but the simple truth is you have to have FAITH. GOD IS ALWAYS FAITHFUL, HE DOESN'T EVER FORGET YOU.

so, after listening to this message tonight, i will apply the following five principles while waiting in general, but maybe more specifically in my case for my future husband:

1. God isn't late, but he does delay.
2. While you are waiting, forget your time table. In other words, he isn't in your appointment book, you are in HIS.
3. While you are waiting, ask God for strength and wisdom.
4. While you are waiting, resist the urge to manipulate or hurry the process. (Remember He is sovereign.)
5. While you are waiting, prepare that His answer may be no.

Mike, the pastor at Hope, challenged everyone to live by this quote at the end of his message:

"Attempt something so great for God that it is doomed to failure unless God is in it."

what are you doing for lent?

okay, so i didn't grow up giving something up for lent, but now that i understand the meaning/relevance behind it, some years i give it a try. so, this year, i have decided that i am really going to trust God and give up sleeping with my bedroom door shut every night. anyone who knows me, knows that my BIGGEST fear in life is that someone will break into my house while i am sleeping and attack me, shoot me, get me, whatever, so my theory on this, has always been to completely barricade myself in my room. here recently it has gotten so bad, that i move my jewelry amoire in front of my bedroom door at night... i figure, if i hear someone trying to get in and then the jewelry amoire goes down, i've got time to grab my wasp spray. (sidenote: i saw on some tv show or heard from a friend that wasp spray will blind someone and it sprays up to like 20 feet, so yes, it stays right by bedside.) yes, i embrace the fact that i may be a little paranoid and crazy.

so, for lent, i give up my fear... i fully trust that God will protect me. thanks to my friend casey-c, i made it through night one. i stayed at her house and the door to her bathroom and her bedroom stayed open. i jokingly said to her before we were going to bed, sure you don't want to open the window too, i mean, such an open/free space, haha.

tonight begins the real test, as i am at home, in my own house. the alarm is set, but the door is open. God can so do this with me. i've been sick with a cold and taking lots of tylenol cold pm anyway, so i am hoping i'll sleep right through my anxiety, haha.

i'll let you know how i am doing later on, and wouldn't you know there are 46 days until Easter, not just 40 this year... or maybe that is every year, but Easter Sunday, that door will be shut again:) goodnight yall!!!

carolina game, loved it

so, when one of your friend's husband has to go to the daytona 500 (and he had a ticket to the unc basketball game)... yours truly gets first dibs on a ticket, woohoo:)

saturday, i headed to chapel hill for the day with hayley, holly, and matt for a fun-filled day of basketball, top of the hill, and the yogurt pump.

carolina played boston college, and in the first six minutes the score was like 9-3, no lie... talk about some great defense. we actually witnessed a record setter. it was the lowest scoring game that the tarheels have ever worn in the dean dome. while we were there, they pointed out that tyler hansbrough was there, i tried to get a pic of him, i kept telling hayley my camera was serving as my binoculars.

after dinner, we headed to top of the hill, which suprisingly, i have only eaten there a few times, and the wait was about an hour and a half, we waited... not 100% why, but it was really good, so it all turned out fine. holly made the drive over from raleigh, which was super exciting, and we got to hang out for a little, so it made my spontaneous day in chapel hill even better. after dinner, which was now like 10pm, we decided to top the day off with a little yogurt pump, how much better does it get.

matt drove all of us home, he listened to lots of girl talk. we chatted about holly setting me up with a friend of theirs and what "my type of guy is," and matt laughed at us a lot. i think at one point he would have done anything for some earplugs. it was a great day, and i am so thankful hayley offered me charlie's ticket.

two showers:: one night

so a few weeks back i had a couple's shower for my friends caroline and patrick that i was hosting and then an engagement party for my friend jillian and her fiance jake. wedding season is back in full swing. i love celebrating with my friends, but this particular night i hated that i couldn't be in both places the full amount of time. i made the best of it, and i think it turned out okay.

i started my night at the couple's shower for caroline and patrick at midtown sundries in denver. we enjoyed dinner with friends and then played a game of about 15 questions where we ask all of the couples to each answer them and then compare the answers. it was so funny to watch and hear everyone, as they tried to remember what their husband got them for their first valentine's day or what their wife's favorite store is.

patrick and caroline had asked for a stock the bar/entertainment shower, so they received a lot of alcohol, party platters, serving dishes, and drinkware. i am pretty sure patrick was pretty happy with all of the gifts! they should be set for quite a long time.

after leaving denver, i drove to my friend kasey's where the engagement party for jake and jillian was already in progress where kasey (as always) had prepared some absolutely delicious goodies. i immediately noticed the black bean salsa and sausage balls, seriously so good! i was stuffed from the earlier shower, but i made room for more goodness.

we played a game at this shower, where everyone had made up questions (ex. who is most likely to make the bed or whose mom is more fun or who did patchwork in college). they each had one of their own shoes and then one of each other's shoes and they held up the shoe to the answer they thought was correct, their backs were against each other, so they couldn't see each other's answer. it was funny to see them agree or disagree.

overall it was a great night, filled with lots of celebrations for two very awesome couples. i can't wait to celebrate with them at their weddings. patrick and caroline are first, wedding number one for me the first weekend in march. ironically, jillian and jake are wedding number six for me, my last one of the year, so far, in june.

i love this song

so, today i just wanted to share a song that i have recently discovered. i've been reading this book lately, and it talks about how everyone is different. it has provided so much freedom in my life, in knowing that if i connect to God by songs that is completely the same as someone who may connect to him through reading lots of great books. i have at least an hour drive to my sites most days now, and K-LOVE and i could provide a concert, at any given time:)

this song pretty much describes my life right now, i want to stop focusing on earthly things... i just want to focus on my relationship with God and growing closer to Him. seriously, i cannot even explain how this song speaks to me. this sums up the desire of my heart for this year. i don't want to make a laundry list of things to do, i just simply want to spend more time with God:)

Closer
Shawn Mcdonald

Looking for a color in a shade of gray
Looking for love in a drop of rain
Trying to find change in the old mundane
Everything I do just feels the same
Spending my life out in the desert
Been gone so long feels like forever

I just want to be closer to you
I just want to be closer, I am yours
You can have all of me anything, everything
I just want to be closer

A day without you is a thousand years
A day without you is a million tears
Tell me what I’m doing wrong when I’m in fear
Why do I run when you are so near
Spending my life out in the weather
Been gone so long and I need some shelter

Where ever you go
Where ever you are
I just want be there with you
I just want to be closer to you
I just want to be closer
I am yours
You can have all of me anything everything
I just want to be closer
I just want to be closer to you
I just want to be closer
For I am yours
You can have all of me anything, everything
I just want to be closer

Looking for a color in the shade of gray
Looking for love in a drop of rain