Catching Up

After a busy month, I'm back from my blogging break and ready to share all that we've been up to. First and foremost, our trip to Colorado.

As usual, we enjoyed every minute in our beautiful home state with our amazing families. Though we were there for a whole two weeks, this trip went by faster than any of our visits to date. It may have been due to all of the wedding festivities during our first week in town.

My sister-in-law, Jenna, married the love of of her life, Brady, in a gorgeous ceremony on June 26. The wedding was beautiful, and it was amazing to be a part of it! I wish Jenna and Brady the absolute best in their life together, and I pray that God will bless their marriage immensely!

Other happenings in Colorado included....

Spending lots of time with the people we love the most.

My sweet sisters-in-law

My awesome father-in-law

Best family I could ask for!

Ry with his mom... I love her!

Enjoying the great outdoors.

Hiking in Estes Park

My sister, Jordan, and her boyfriend (also named Ryan)

And, of course, eating delicious food!

Homemade pizza with my Dad's wine

Some sweet treats

We were NOT ready to come back from such a wonderful trip. I definitely shed lots of tears our first few days back in Florida. I'm already counting the days 'til I can see my family again! I know I say this all the time, but I am so thankful to God that he has blessed me with such incredible loved ones. My own family members and my in-laws are the most loving, tender-hearted, and fun people I know. God is certainly good!

Shortly after we got back from Colorado, Ryan and I celebrated our two-year anniversary. Thanks to my generous aunt and uncle, we enjoyed a delicious anniversary dinner at Texas Cattle Company. Needless to say, my meat-and-potatoes husband was in heaven :-). But the highlight of my dinner was the Oreo cheesecake for dessert. Yum!

I cannot put into words how grateful I am for my husband. He is so good to me, and life would not be the same without him. He always makes me feel loved and beautiful with his sweet kisses, warm hugs, and encouraging words. I am the luckiest girl in the world to be married to such a charming, handsome, and genuinely kind man!

Speaking of my wonderful husband, I have been without him for the past week due to a Coast Guard deployment. Having him gone makes me even more aware of how much I love being with him. Even watching TV isn't the same when he's not here. Thankfully, he doesn't get deployed very often, and I have less than a week until I see his cute face again!

So that's pretty much what's been going on with us. I hope all of you have been enjoying the summer! I can't wait to catch up on some of your blogs too!

On Fathers' Day

On Fathers' Day, I would like to share just how much I adore my daddy!

Since I was a little girl, I have constantly heard "You like just like your dad!" But as I grow older, I find myself hoping that my inner qualities resemble my father as well. I respect my daddy in so many ways, and I want to pick up on his many admirable traits.

My dad is sweet and kind-hearted, and he cares deeply for his family. He has always worked hard to provide for his girls and tells us he loves us on a consistent basis. He showers us with affection and I still savor his warm hugs whenever I see him.

My dad is a man of faith, and he has made his relationship with Jesus a central part of his life. He has made a lasting impact in the lives of young men by leading a Bible study, and he wants the best for his church and spiritual community.

My dad is wise and always offers good advice, whether it's giving insight into the thought process of my husband (who I sometimes think is a younger version of my dad :-)) or giving me guidance on how to handle things at work.

My dad is fun and isn't afraid to show his goofy side. He has one of the most contagious laughs I've ever heard. Once he starts laughing hard about something, I can't help but laugh with him until tears stream down my face. I love his silly sense of humor and the way he always found ways to entertain my mom, my sister, and me.

I love my daddy more than any of this can express. Thank you, God, for blessing me with such an amazing father! Happy Fathers' Day, Daddy!

Looking forward to...

Now that summer has arrived, there are so many things that I am looking forward to! I feel like I'm counting down the days to many fun events in the near future. It makes it a little bit hard to keep plugging away at work and everyday life when I'm so antsy for all of our upcoming plans :-).

First, I get to see these cute faces in just five days!


I can't wait to spend some time with my adorable cousins, Travis and Hayley when they come to Florida this Friday. Their parents are taking them to Disney World for summer vacation, so Ryan and I are making the drive to Orlando to spend a day with them at Cocoa Beach before their Disney adventure begins.

Next, we are leaving on June 21st for beautiful Colorado! During our two weeks there, we will get to celebrate in wedding festivities for Ryan's sister, Jenna, and her soon-to-be husband, Brady. I'm so honored to be a part of the wedding, and I can't wait to spend time with my wonderful in-laws during the pre-wedding fun. I am also quite excited it to wear my pretty, bright bridesmaid dress!!!


On top of Jenna and Brady's wedding, I am thrilled to have time with my own family as well! It will be so amazing to be home with my parents and sister. I love seeing all of their faces when I wake up in the morning, and I can't wait to do some fun things together. I'm hoping that we'll get a hike or lake day in while we're there to enjoy Colorado's great outdoors too :-).




I know that it will be hard to say goodbye to everyone as we return from Colorado- as it always is- but at least I have more to look forward to when we get back. In July, I'm helping to plan a baby shower for my friend, Nicole. Not only will it be fun to find cute baby decorations and gifts for the party; it will also be a way of showering her with support and love before she has her precious baby boy in August!

Though this may be a particularly abundant season of my life with many fun events in the upcoming future, I am blessed to know that God is good all the time. Because of Him, every day can be something to look forward to!

My Mama

This post is a bit late, but in honor of Mothers' Day, I wanted to take a minute to tell everyone what an amazing mother I have.

Throughout my life...

My Mama has nurtured, comforted, and encouraged me. She is the person I can run to when I'm hurt or sad, who listens attentively or holds me when I cry.

My Mama has laughed with me until both of our ribs ached. She has made funny faces, danced silly dances, and made cheesy jokes with my sister and me. With her, we can be as goofy as we want and she loves us just the same.

My Mama has amazed me with her wisdom and immense amount of faith. She continues to live her life to the glory of God and has raised her children to do the same.

My Mama has held me close while also allowing me to fly. I will always be her little girl, but she rejoices in the new stages of my life and encourages me to be the best I can be.

My Mama has been everything to me, and I thank God for her presence in my life. Happy (late) Mothers' Day, Mama! Love you so much! xoxo

Wedding Talk

Can I just take a minute to share with all of you how much I loved Kate Middleton's wedding dress! She always looks really classy, so I knew that it would be beautiful, but oh my goodness! I fell in love, and I want to wear that dress right this minute!

I didn't see the dress until today, because I went to an English tea party at a friend's house, where we dressed up, ate scones, drank tea out of pretty china cups, and of course...watched the wedding ceremony.

I think I loved the dress so much because it was a flawless combination of classic and modern bridal styles. But since I'm an old soul, I definitely appreciated the traditional silhouette most. As I watched her walk down the isle, I kept having visions of Maria in the Sound of Music and Grace Kelly. Kate's dress definitely reflected both of these very classic designs. I think the gorgeous lace sleeves and full, but sleek skirt made her look like true royalty.

I realize that this post is centered on a somewhat surface, perhaps frivolous, topic. But every once in a while, I like to embrace some of the fun things about being a girl. And that includes admiring incredible wedding dresses and dreaming of being a princess myself. After all, EVERY girl is a princess, right! :-)

My Savior Lives!

Happy Easter to each and every one of you! I hope you had a blessed day celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior! During worship at church this morning, it struck my heart afresh how glorious is the gift that Jesus bestowed upon those who trust in Him. The words of one song in particular touched my spirit, making me want to cry at the cost of my salvation, but also rejoice at my God's victory over death and the mercy He shows to me.

"You came near, from the everlasting to the world we live…The Father's only Son. You lived, You died, You rose again on high. You opened the way for the world to live again. Hallelujah for all You've done!"

I always love this song, but it has a special meaning on Easter, as we recognize what Jesus did for us and why we should live to bring Him glory. He conquered the grave and made a public spectacle of sin. He deserves every ounce of our praise!

Following that brief little "sermon" (haha!), I want to share some photos from our Easter celebration. Unfortunately, I didn't have my act together enough to get pictures with much food in them. But you'll get to see the blank canvas of our buffet tables. Ryan and I had a blast with many of our church friends, who joined us after the service for a resurrection Sunday brunch. We had ham, creamy potatoes, deviled eggs, muffins, and more scrumptious foods. It was wonderful hosting such a fun get-together, especially with our house back in order. As you’ll see in the pictures, Ryan finished installing our wood floors and baseboard this weekend. He's so great :-)!

I hope you enjoy these few pictures. Happy Easter again! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

Table #1 with yummy deviled eggs

Table #2 with plates ready to go

Close-up of the pretty flowers

I had to get another close-up of the flowers. I loved the spring colors!

An "after" shot of our ham :-)

Our sitting room, looking lovely with finished wood floors. Thank God for handy husbands!

¡Deliciosa!

Here's something that many of you may not know about me. I looooooove food, but I am not a huge fan of cooking. That presents a problem now that I no longer live with my parents, as I have to make my own meals, in addition to meals for my husband. It also doesn't help that Ryan is a much more picky eater than I am. I often get frustrated and discouraged when I'm planning a weekly dinner menu for us. I feel like I get stuck in a rut with the meals that I make, and I find myself longing for variety.

That's why I was thrilled to hear that some friends of ours were hosting a "Food-from-around-the-World" party. This would give me the chance to make something different and strengthen my culinary skills! I struggled for a long time over what to make. I wanted it to be somewhat appetizing for my picky hubby, but I also didn't want something boring. I thought about Mexican food, since good Mexican food is almost impossible to come by in Florida. I considered making a Swedish cookie that is traditional for my family at Christmas. But then I finally decided on a main dish that stemmed from my fond memories of my family's visit to Spain: paella.

Initially, I wanted to make the paella with chicken, sausage and shrimp, but wanting to appeal to the largest number of taste buds, I chose to exclude the seafood. If you do like shrimp, I would highly suggest using it if you decide to attempt this very yummy, but very easy Spanish dish.

Because I push things to the very last minute, I was lucky to find a quick recipe for paella on allrecipes.com that I altered just slightly (love that website!). And to my pleasant surprise, it turned out quite "deliciosa" and fairly traditional from what I remembered of paella in lovely España.

So if you face the same struggles that I do with your weekly dinner assortment, add some Spanish flair to your dinnertime with this paella recipe.

Ingredients:
4 oz. chorizo
2 chicken breasts (cubed)
1/2 chopped onion
1 cup peas
1/2 stalk celery with leaves
1 clove garlic
1 cup rice
1 can diced tomatoes (juice reserved)
1 or 2 dried bay leaves
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine

Fry chorizo in a skillet and remove. Fry the cubed chicken in the same skillet and remove. Saute garlic, onion, and other vegetables until tender. Then stir in the rice, tomatoes, chopped bay leaves, salt, oregano, and turmeric. Cook and stir for about 1 minute, then add the tomato juice, chicken broth, and white wine. Add the chicken, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the chorizo, and simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Then....enjoy! (Serves 4-5 people)