Colorado, Here I Come!

Last weekend, while my mom and sister were visiting us in Florida, I got a phone call from my lonesome daddy, who was unable to get the time off work to join the rest of the family on the mini vacation. He said that he didn't know if he could wait until Christmas to see me and before I knew it, he was telling me that he wanted to fly me out to Colorado for a weekend! I could hardly believe it! Would I really get to see him before December? As it happened, Ryan was assigned a duty session over Halloween, so my dad decided to buy me a plane ticket home for that weekend. Therefore, I will be on my way to lovely but cold Colorado in three days! I can't wait to see my daddy and also my mommy again. It will be wonderful to be in my childhood home for the first time in a while. My parents keep warning me about the freezing weather I have to look forward to, but I am actually looking forward to breaking out a couple of my sweaters, sipping some hot cocoa, and enjoying chili and cornbread with my wonderful family. It's a shame that Ryan can't come along this time, but he's looking forward to the freedom of eating all the junk food he wants and having some guy time.

Another thing I'm excitedly anticipating for this coming weekend is being able to celebrate Halloween in my old house and neighborhood. It's always so fun to open the door and here the "Trick or Treats" of cute little ghosts, goblins, princesses, and power rangers. I will be thrilled to enjoy the evening at home by the fireplace, maybe watching a scary movie with my parents and passing out candy to the little kids of the neighborhood. Just thinking about it brings back fun memories of trick-or-treating with my little sister throughout the years of our childhood-- and well, our teenage years too. You're never to old to trick-or treat :-).

I will also get to spend some time with my grandpa when I'm in Colorado. It will be so nice to feel his tight hugs and talk with him about life. He's the sweetest man, and I can't wait to see him!

Now, all I have to do is make it through the next three days of work, and then it's off to home sweet Colorado! I'm only sad that I have to leave my sweet husband and cute puppy behind!

The Weekend Is Over, But Not the Excitement

It is now Monday, and the excitement of my amazing weekend with my mommy and sister has officially come to an end. I am so thankful for the time that I was able to spend with them. It gave me such joy to wake up to their faces every morning, as I looked forward to the fun day would share. Here's a little overview of my marvelous days with my family.

My mom arrived on Wednesday night, and we all went to dinner at a yummy sea food restaurant right by the water. It was the perfect night to sit out on the pretty waterside patio and eat fresh and flavorful fish (well, steak in Ryan's case :-)). We had a wonderful time getting to hug each other and catch up on the last few months apart.

My sister didn't get into town until late Thursday night, so my mom and I spent the day shopping. We found adorable fall decorations for the apartment, and I even got to use some of the Pottery Barn gift card from our wedding. My mom has such a good eye for home decor, and she thinks about where everything will fit in a space, so it was such a huge help to have her with me.

After picking my sister Jordan up from the airport, we proceeded to chatter the entire way home and late into the night. It was a blast to have girl talk over a bowl of buttery popcorn and to see each other's facial expressions for the first time in a while. We awoke the next day to get ready for another day of shopping. This time, we focused on clothes. I didn't find everything that I expected to find at Forever 21, but I was still able to use my gift cards to buy several adorable shirts and a couple of fun necklaces. My sister and I had fun advising each other about our outfits when we emerged from the dressing rooms and weighed our fashion options. At the end of the day, we were all very pleased with our new apparel :-).

Incredibly, it was a bit too cold to lay out at the beach, but we still drove along Indian Shores and Clearwater beach to show my mom and sister the beautiful ocean scenery. We also stopped to walk around the Clearwater beach area, and later we ate some good ol' fashioned barbecue ribs at Cody's Roadhouse. Our final night together ended with a scary movie at the Imax theater and some Starbucks coffee in downtown St. Pete.

I was so sad to see my mom and sister step past the ticket counters at the airport on Sunday. It was a blessing to see them again, but it also reminded me of why I miss them so much. The memories from their visit make me miss them even more now that they're gone again.

But the weekend unfolded with two more surprises to make me keep smiling. First, my dad broke the news that he wanted to buy me a plane ticket to Colorado for the weekend of Halloween! He just couldn't stand the fact that he was stuck at home while my mom and sister got to see me. Next, we got a new puppy! It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment occurrence. I had been whining about wanting a dog for some time, and Ryan suddenly decided that we should get one. So we went puppy shopping on Sunday after my family left. And we found an adorable miniature Australian Shepherd. He is chocolate brown with rust colored specks around his face, white paws and a white nose. Ryan named him Rusty because of the rusty hue to the fir around his face and legs.

My life, as always, is so full of blessings. Let's just hope that Rusty continues to get more comfortable with his new home and that we can potty train him QUICKLY :-).

I Couldn't Be Happier That It's Tuesday!

It's Tuesday, and I'm so excited! Usually, I'm not too thrilled about Tuesdays. They aren't as bad as Mondays, but their not as good as Wednesdays, which signal the halfway mark of the workweek. And of course they can't measure up to Thursdays, the day before blessed Fridays. But this week, I couldn't be happier that it is Tuesday. This is because my mommy will be coming to visit me tomorrow for the next four days. Then on Thursday, my lovely little sister will get here too! I wrote about their upcoming visit a while back, and the days leading up to their arrival have not come soon enough.

Besides getting to see their beautiful faces, hugging them until I run out of energy, and getting to talk with them face-t0-face, I am thrilled about having the next several days off of work. And of course I'm ready to get my shop on with my two very stylish family members. Since my birthday, I've had two Forever 21 gift cards burning holes in my pockets. I can't wait for my fashion advisors to come shopping with me! Unable to contain my excitement for a shopping trip with the girls, I've already been peeking at adorable finds on the Forever 21 website. I love this store, because everything is adorable but reasonably priced! Here are some of the things I've found so far.

I LOVE this belt! It would look really cute with a simple blouse or a sweater.

I think this skirt is really pretty and classic looking. It would be good for dressing up to go to church, my Bible study, or a date night.

I love this sweater because it's simple and cozy looking, but it wouldn't be too warm for the Florida climate. Yay!

This shirt would look so cute with a casual pair of jeans or a skirt. I love how feminine it is. I'm definitely a flowers and ruffles kind of girl :-).

It's going to be so great having my precious mommy and sissy here with me! I'll fill you in on all the fun we have together :-).

Birthday Blessings and Banana Pancakes

Lucky for me and lucky for all of you who had to read my last depressing post, I got more than 3 hours of sleep last night. Thank the Lord! So now that I am not so sleep-deprived and moody, I will share the wonderful events of my weekend with Ryan and of my fun birthday.

Since we've moved to Florida, the weather has either been insanely hot and humid, or insanely rainy and, yep you guessed it.... humid. So we haven't had many opportunities or desires to spend time at the many beaches in this area. That's why we were so happy last weekend when the weather was in the 80's and the humidity level was bearable. We decided to put our gigantic beach towels and new umbrella to use by spending Saturday at Fort Desoto Beach. It was so nice to lay in the sun (well, I laid in the sun while Ryan laid under the umbrella :-)) and to read a good book with the waves rushing in the background. We played frisbee and just enjoyed a wonderfully relaxing day together. We also did some sightseeing at the old military fort there. I even got a tan!

Inside one of the eerie and echoey rooms at Fort Desoto

He's plotting something inside of the "Plotting Room" :-)

On Sunday, we celebrated my birthday since we were both working on Monday (my real birthday). After going to our young married group at church, which we continue to LOVE, I was eager to get home and try my new recipe for banana pancakes with blueberry syrup. As soon as the batter hit the skillet, the delicious aroma told me that these pancakes were going to be exceptional. They were so fluffy, and the recipe called for the perfect amount of banana. Then, when mixed with the blueberry syrup, the already tasty banana pancakes became taste explosions! Ryan and I were both in heaven. Because this recipe was so remarkable, I have decided to share it with all of you. Make sure to check it out at the end of this post.

Later that night, we went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner and of course dessert! I absolutely love that restaurant. Their menu is like a book, and yet everything I've ever tried is mouthwatering. I had a new dish, baked chicken on top of basil pasta with creamy parmesan sauce. Can you say YUMMY! Then we of course had to order cheesecake. We took our pieces of peanut butter cup and dulce de leche cheesecake with us to a beautiful spot overlooking the water. What an incredible day! I was such a spoiled birthday girl.

On my actual birthday, Ryan still treated me like a princess. He's too good to me. After we both were off of work, he wouldn't let me do a single chore or help cook any of our dinner. As my special request, he made me an artichoke with melted butter (weird request, you may be thinking, but it sounded so good to me!). Then he surprised me with the main course by making chicken parmesan. I loved having two days in a row of heavenly food! Even more, I loved spending my birthday with my extraordinary husband. I am so blessed!

Banana Pancakes (makes 8 servings):

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups buttermilk

4 large eggs

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted and cooled

cooking spray or vegetable oil to coat pan

1/4 cup mashed ripe bananas

1. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Make a well in the center of the mixture.

2. Blend buttermilk, eggs and butter in separate bowl. Add to flour mixture and stir by hand until batter is evenly moistened. It is ready to use or may be stored covered and refrigerated for up to 12 hours.

3. Just before making pancakes, fold bananas into batter.

4. Cook on first side until small bubbles appear on the upper surface and edges are set (about 2 minutes). Cook second side another 2-3 minutes.

Blueberry Maple Syrup (makes 2 cups):

4 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 cup maple syrup (I just used Log Cabin syrup and it was still delicious)

1. Combine blueberries and lemon zest in medium saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of juice has been released and mixture develops a saucelike consistency, about 10 minutes.

2. (Optional: Don't strain if you want the blueberries to remain in your topping.) Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan, making sure to press all of the juice out of the blueberry mixture. Return juice to simmer and add the mapel syrup. Simmer over low heat until syrup is slightly reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes.

4. Syrup is ready to serve, or it can be cooled and stored in a container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. Reheat over low heat or in microwave.

Must Have Sleep!

I just got home from work, and I have a million chores I should be doing, but instead I am going to take a few minutes to write and vent some of my many emotions stirring inside my head. It seems strange to be writing a post like this, because I usually try to write about positive and fun topics. But today, I just can't be that upbeat.

I can't complain too much, because my 22nd birthday (which was yesterday) was fantastic all due to the incredibly sweet gestures of my loving husband. I adore him more every day for being the man he is and for treating me so well. However, I can complain a little because I have had two sleepless nights in a row, and as a person who NEEDS her sleep, I'm suffering a little bit. The last two nights, I have woken up at 3:00 in the morning or earliers, only to lie awake in bed until my alarm goes off at 6:00. It's such a frustrating feeling to be physically tired, yet be unable to sleep because of my rambling thoughts. These past couple nights, I have been entirely incapable of turning off my mind and drifting back to sleep. I pray, I think of Bible verses, I try to focus on anything soothing... but it all fails. All I want is a good night of sleep!

My sleeplessness (as you can probably tell) only intensifies my emotional side, so I feel like the tiniest things upset me. I start feeling more homesick for Colorado, I get teary-eyed at any little mistake I make, and the list goes on.

Sorry to dish out my grumpy, sleep-deprived mood on all of you readers, but thanks for allowing me to vent a little bit. Sometime this week, I will have much more joyful accounts of my weekend and birthday with my wonderful husband. For now, I am just praying for at least a good 7 hours of sleep tonight!