tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167227862024-02-07T09:02:38.545-05:00i know there's alot to fixbekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254425473060426355noreply@blogger.comBlogger131125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16722786.post-50478767125404014242009-12-16T20:43:00.003-05:002009-12-16T21:11:56.478-05:00i need to get something off my chest ...I struggle. I have a battle that is a constant in my life & effects a good portion of it. It frustrates me all the time, and even when I think I've over come it, it always comes back to haunt me.<br /><br />Procrastination. There I said it. Now you know. I hope this doesn't change your opinion of me, I swear I am trying to break the cycle. I found <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200308/procrastination-ten-things-know">this article</a> on the subject & even procrastinated reading it! That's when I laughed at myself & realized I had a problem! But today, or tonight I guess, I am here to kick it in the butt & do what I want to do. Time is my friend & I am choosing to use it wisely!<br /><br />Now what does that mean to you?<br /><br />Ok, so here is the deal. Hampton <span style="font-style: italic;">(the bff)</span> & I have decided to attempt blogging together. We have talked, IMed, texted, & even registered for a blogspot but I procrastinated on posting over there. Don't ask me why, but I think we have a good thing going & this is a fun way for us to keep up with each other & share our internet finds. <span style="font-style: italic;">(which is alot!) </span><br /><br />So head on over to <span style="font-family: georgia;font-size:180%;" ><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://my-anam-cara.blogspot.com/">ANAM CARA</a></span>, which <a href="http://www.basaltheritage.org/anamcaradesigns.com/meaningofaramcara.html">mean</a> "Soul Friend" in Gaelic. I will update here every so often but mostly over there from now on. No worries, you'll love it over there too & I don't want you to miss out on all the goodness!<br /><br />Now do what you have to, bookmark it, follow either of us on Twitter to get updates, or add it to your RSS Feed, but head on over! My first post is all about those Christmas Cookies!<br /><br />http://my-anam-cara.blogspot.com/<br /><br /><br />--------------<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Now Playing:</span> Dashboard Confessional - <span style="font-style: italic;">"Even Now"</span>bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254425473060426355noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16722786.post-32087228391343161652009-12-04T21:58:00.007-05:002009-12-04T23:06:31.806-05:00christmas cookiesi think i am going to start a tradition. <span style="font-style: italic;">(which goes against anything james ever taught me! ha!)</span> i did this last year & i feel the need <span style="font-style: italic;">(for speed? not quite)</span> to make some family traditions for pete & i. even though it is only the 2 of us, we are a family & everything gets better as time goes on right?! last year because funds were low to purchased everyone we wanted a gift, and even though i love gift giving i am a horrible procrastinator & end up missing out on what i really wanna give someone. but cookies keep me on track <span style="font-style: italic;">(must be because i have a huge sweet tooth)</span> & you have to get them done before they are done! so, again this year, and here on after i will be giving the gift of baked goods!<br /><br />sadly, i put a shout out to my friends & family on facebook for some good, shipping friendly cookie recipes & i didn't get a one. come on guys! really?! so i did the work this evening <span style="font-style: italic;">(trying to keep quite so pete could sleep)</span> & found some amazing recipes. i wish i could make them all, and maybe some of them are a little ambitious, but i am determined!<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >** EDIT: my dear friend April did pull through for me, at least some one pays attention to my updates! haha kidding!</span><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xN8wDsBISKk19s8-D-qL28WR3IXffEpK439KJIfbH2hadjijSAu3SuDmhyphenhyphenZZqwG_Zdc98nb9qHvRM0HqDqFWIQK_tZHp4mUzt19cWjEBMa1fYz3Qw9xApK5vnsHoJHVsJybzbg/s1600-h/chocolate+chip+cookies.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xN8wDsBISKk19s8-D-qL28WR3IXffEpK439KJIfbH2hadjijSAu3SuDmhyphenhyphenZZqwG_Zdc98nb9qHvRM0HqDqFWIQK_tZHp4mUzt19cWjEBMa1fYz3Qw9xApK5vnsHoJHVsJybzbg/s320/chocolate+chip+cookies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411585755409756530" border="0" /></a></span>how could you not start off with a classic, <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/01/chocolate-chip-cookies/">chocolate chip cookies!</a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy8-3ROyQa1Vvq7_aXudRfhK7QcsStXA1XrECXKJgd1tOPCiEVDHR1h0Nie-Oh0wWkt7h9hjQxeZUUTdWpzLD7_DMWNFOCluGo0YxnOAgCpqHLVtpDNveo6zK9OW5cJvQAIbuF1Q/s1600-h/red+velvet+black+and+whites.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy8-3ROyQa1Vvq7_aXudRfhK7QcsStXA1XrECXKJgd1tOPCiEVDHR1h0Nie-Oh0wWkt7h9hjQxeZUUTdWpzLD7_DMWNFOCluGo0YxnOAgCpqHLVtpDNveo6zK9OW5cJvQAIbuF1Q/s320/red+velvet+black+and+whites.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411585270714609794" border="0" /></a>my love of red velvet in cookie form, <a href="http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2008/04/red-velvet-black-and-white-cookies/">red velvet black & white cookies</a>.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJH0BfJnOzowZjDx7kutJA1OB-AyHo1k0WWaI4HwMkAMeJduhHAg1MnkvckK7XHlpJh8asNbOwx7Af4_su1AWAyBXXTIRE6bAFm_NHL6D_I5J5R9AXPyt6tHwkJmZZh0S_uBAEug/s1600-h/pens-cookies-all.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJH0BfJnOzowZjDx7kutJA1OB-AyHo1k0WWaI4HwMkAMeJduhHAg1MnkvckK7XHlpJh8asNbOwx7Af4_su1AWAyBXXTIRE6bAFm_NHL6D_I5J5R9AXPyt6tHwkJmZZh0S_uBAEug/s320/pens-cookies-all.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411585264439685762" border="0" /></a>these aren't necessarily very christmas-y, but oh man, when i came acrossed these i just had to share!<a href="http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2009/05/29/go-pens-with-all-occasion-sugar-cookies/"> penguins hockey jerseys, sugar cookie style.</a><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRg8xtypo6C5PCL7b-RJVKOgubr1h9fUV4PAn_wBfXr2mDDa5xPeNb-zXbfnXXzTccsyiivz4WmadpgiZF_215RQtzGTae1xs7QGXRJykPKX8Aiij8hyRHUi8MpvHMFMFdzdq4yA/s1600-h/peanut+butter+cookies.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRg8xtypo6C5PCL7b-RJVKOgubr1h9fUV4PAn_wBfXr2mDDa5xPeNb-zXbfnXXzTccsyiivz4WmadpgiZF_215RQtzGTae1xs7QGXRJykPKX8Aiij8hyRHUi8MpvHMFMFdzdq4yA/s320/peanut+butter+cookies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411585254446106882" border="0" /></a>my brother johnny loves anything & everything peanut butter <span style="font-style: italic;">(but who doesn't right? oh, wait grandma b doesn't! haha)</span> so he is easy to bake for because him & pete both love peanut butter. <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/12/peanut-butter-cookies/">peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips.</a><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbtD8y1VDWsz37GSZUNKQr_sDfa0NlSTPmce10K00aOiRiQHgIv2OO-Ssycm4y7-MlhfTAVAOM4KsfnnqVHiUOFQVbtmrZ73Swq79D5qXt2s3J9JOuRkmu9mNxyslIHP9dzwQGw/s1600-h/oatmeal+raisin.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbtD8y1VDWsz37GSZUNKQr_sDfa0NlSTPmce10K00aOiRiQHgIv2OO-Ssycm4y7-MlhfTAVAOM4KsfnnqVHiUOFQVbtmrZ73Swq79D5qXt2s3J9JOuRkmu9mNxyslIHP9dzwQGw/s320/oatmeal+raisin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411585241798707426" border="0" /></a>while i do not share my dad's love of <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/02/thick-chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies/">oatmeal raisin cookies, </a>its always a good bet that he would love a batch of these!<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUxgqUQjmQWpZGr67QlZHxjgomq-0bkNi0yUMLFGx1ZNwvXLqw3hpmPlFlm1K8w_KkYZ3b83LlwmjIX_tTK619lY21NyMGBmTsZhc_K8GrmSSpzgwctVMxTji-C9vofhJDw32vOQ/s1600-h/coconut+butter+thins.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUxgqUQjmQWpZGr67QlZHxjgomq-0bkNi0yUMLFGx1ZNwvXLqw3hpmPlFlm1K8w_KkYZ3b83LlwmjIX_tTK619lY21NyMGBmTsZhc_K8GrmSSpzgwctVMxTji-C9vofhJDw32vOQ/s320/coconut+butter+thins.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411584681604471346" border="0" /></a>grandma b does not understands pete's love for the combination of chocolate & peanut butter. maybe its just a generation thing, but she thinks it's gross. however, grandma b is a woman after my own heart & loves coconut. so i think these <a href="http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2009/03/31/coconut-butter-thins/#more-1843">coconut butter thins</a> will be perfect for her.<span style="font-style: italic;"> (& me!)</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiOpnwdyhudBC2cs012_v3oyRjAGumR5TopRTQlKWqxdp0lXQ1eo0XODufpxqmO2Vt537QcHiAgNaTEH70y4QsCmV7m6GxVpDy6N7XPhv4PLlAh2czW9yYQQ6kyMLgOro4qunhUw/s1600-h/chocolate-cookies-main.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiOpnwdyhudBC2cs012_v3oyRjAGumR5TopRTQlKWqxdp0lXQ1eo0XODufpxqmO2Vt537QcHiAgNaTEH70y4QsCmV7m6GxVpDy6N7XPhv4PLlAh2czW9yYQQ6kyMLgOro4qunhUw/s320/chocolate-cookies-main.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411584671047926402" border="0" /></a>my mama is the ultimate chocoholic, <a href="http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2009/07/22/better-than-brownies-chocolate-cookies/#more-3101">better than brownies chocolate cookies</a> is right up her ally.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHFJwZCdvVWMMf9VJS3uCh629SQbL2RBPzfWY17Nvo7v7bdKFYRgMBSkvCcuc1A5A-akw9eSaLMwdMT3efoYKbiAjqG74RHpmehcOj1xBrhYjuyQI9QgkRGHfgWaOG4sw7QKt6Q/s1600-h/caramel9.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHFJwZCdvVWMMf9VJS3uCh629SQbL2RBPzfWY17Nvo7v7bdKFYRgMBSkvCcuc1A5A-akw9eSaLMwdMT3efoYKbiAjqG74RHpmehcOj1xBrhYjuyQI9QgkRGHfgWaOG4sw7QKt6Q/s320/caramel9.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411584670789117538" border="0" /></a>ok, ok so <a href="http://thekitchensinkrecipes.com/2008/01/12/caramels-if-at-first-you-dont-succeed/">caramels</a> aren't exactly cookies, but candy is always a good gift in my mind. i think its the challenge that enthralls me!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjsgr3Kqyuakmdbl7YTn2DnjTe9Fm1NYt7ov9G15_UMtbjgaPksdn8Mnc9YPJI9xc_GawYq8VpaWjKT2Me6weqNSZ_iqFzEch1qSjob8P2luDQRNwuosE9KiIWD9GT5MilVUvEaA/s1600-h/chocolate+toffee+cookies.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjsgr3Kqyuakmdbl7YTn2DnjTe9Fm1NYt7ov9G15_UMtbjgaPksdn8Mnc9YPJI9xc_GawYq8VpaWjKT2Me6weqNSZ_iqFzEch1qSjob8P2luDQRNwuosE9KiIWD9GT5MilVUvEaA/s320/chocolate+toffee+cookies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411584663643243954" border="0" /></a>i love toffee! i couldn't pass up <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/11/chocolate-toffee-cookies/">chocolate toffee cookies</a>, mmmhmmm.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzgKsAoLHf9gNXBMbx0Rb9GvF2E8e9l3S9d67YBd9i3YeD0G2n4lBTXiwdedQfzU7E9nzfPJL2MfRfpPf0HKRrTByumPX1n_LojjWfnrM5qYfajy2uhh-dwxoIh-Ugr_Ls7RIX2Q/s1600-h/7layerbars.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzgKsAoLHf9gNXBMbx0Rb9GvF2E8e9l3S9d67YBd9i3YeD0G2n4lBTXiwdedQfzU7E9nzfPJL2MfRfpPf0HKRrTByumPX1n_LojjWfnrM5qYfajy2uhh-dwxoIh-Ugr_Ls7RIX2Q/s320/7layerbars.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411584653671291218" border="0" /></a>every year pete's mom made him <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/10/lookin-swell-dolly/">7 layer cookies</a> and since she has passed i have filled in for that duty. they have many different names, magic bars, hello dolly bars, but in our apartment they are 7 layer cookies. so in her memory for both pete & i, i make them every year.<br /><br />of course 10 recipes aren't sufficient for me, so here are some other tempting cookie/bar recipes. maybe this year you can start your own family tradition! what are some of the things that your family does for the holidays?! any good recipes?! hopefully i can get a better response then i did on facebook, haha kidding :)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2009/11/peanut-butter-blondies-with-milk-chocolate-frosting/">peanut butter blondies with milk chocolate frosting</a> - oh, you know these melt in your mouth!<br /><a href="http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2009/12/chocolate-peppermint-sandwich-cookies/">chocolate peppermint sandwich cookies</a> - homemade oreos, come on!<br /><a href="http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2009/08/lemon-rosemary-palmiers/">lemon rosemary palmiers</a> - for a different take on sweet, & a versatile recipe.<br /><a href="http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2009/08/lemon-rosemary-palmiers/">chocolate hazelnut biscotti</a> - for the coffee lover in your life.<br /><a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/09/snickerdoodles/">snickerdoodles</a> - holiday classic.<br /><a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/01/lemon-bars/">lemon bars</a> - i love anything lemon, & its something alittle different then the overload of chocolate for the holidays<br /><a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/09/cheesecake-swirled-brownies/">cheesecake-marbled brownies</a> - my boss loves anything cheesecake, i might have to surprise her with some of these.<br /><a href="http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2009/09/21/the-famed-neiman-marcus-cookie/#more-3852">the famed neiman marcus cookie</a> - get high class at home!<br /><a href="http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2009/06/26/almond-macarons-filled-with-nutella/#more-2821">almond macaroons fill with nutella</a> - anything with nutella, sign me up!<br /><a href="http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2009/06/19/chocolate-dipped-coconut-macaroons/#more-2738">chocolate-dipped coconut macaroons</a> - again, i love coconut.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >**All recipes and photos via/copyright their respective blog sources**<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">--------------<br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >Now Playing:</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> The Used -</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;"> Blue & Yellow</span><br /><br /><br /></span></span></span></span>bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254425473060426355noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16722786.post-39559991123376397182009-12-03T21:55:00.005-05:002009-12-03T22:51:47.619-05:00"who i am & who i wanna be"<div style="text-align: center;">hello?! anyone out there?! y'all still reading?! i can't believe that november has come and gone! there is so much i want & need to share.<br /><br />so hello decemeber! my my, what a year it has been, but good thing the year isn't over just yet!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDCCyzKkJslRAvSlvR6_BLJWDHCZYWvC0hYnkGb1F3-apibawrFKMmCH7yF7_frqDW1avbUVAPmfObVfaq9ndPrHlykgQQcbwDXnxS7NBpD6lK1mPgJG4ZR85GlB716eFX-DBTg/s1600-h/icelights.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDCCyzKkJslRAvSlvR6_BLJWDHCZYWvC0hYnkGb1F3-apibawrFKMmCH7yF7_frqDW1avbUVAPmfObVfaq9ndPrHlykgQQcbwDXnxS7NBpD6lK1mPgJG4ZR85GlB716eFX-DBTg/s320/icelights.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411222718895823410" border="0" /></a><br />it may seem alittle early to start talking about what we are hopeful for in 2010, and i am in no way wishing my life away but i am excited for a fresh start. this year has had many twist and turns, regrets, triumphs, and all that falls in between. i feel like i have learned so much about myself and i am ready to make good on that knowledge.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Ij7-MlPohYpObOZqAtkRjiG2OWGs8mY1uaUEr_9941kn7LkZxj_ZDotIcHPHvPUoJAP_z-l_luZ56YrsfelVeohdhILHHevFke_byZZweh4yUq643a5fgH8s0RasWLu9hP_tYQ/s1600-h/magnolialove.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 312px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Ij7-MlPohYpObOZqAtkRjiG2OWGs8mY1uaUEr_9941kn7LkZxj_ZDotIcHPHvPUoJAP_z-l_luZ56YrsfelVeohdhILHHevFke_byZZweh4yUq643a5fgH8s0RasWLu9hP_tYQ/s320/magnolialove.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411222705628219682" border="0" /></a><br />reading through the many blogs i follow, a common theme for the last week or so has been "what are we thankful for?" & even though it may seem generic to name off the norm, family, friends, faith, and so on, it is all very true for me. i often miss what is right in front of my face & take for granted the amazing things i already have. i've always been a dreamer, never really realistic <span style="font-style: italic;">(at all!)</span> & even though i might come off as very mature, i feel like man?! i am i really an adult?! i am sure this is all something that we go though at one time or another, i guess this is my time.<br /><br />not sure that all makes sense, but i feel a bit of peacefulness for getting it out. i am happy. i am lucky. and i am blessed. thanks for reading & some super cool stuff coming up soon! xoxo<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1R-gOcy0FYzfAOGuXXFgkMRqfYKPPH114_Sm04njRznSzE_oUUrBRUq_se-Naj-3DI2NnCpivNscXsWhdxiql4ctPOp3Z_Xc_Ls7VVRocXpdtXkCQM2SHvYS5vusNeBljINQzg/s1600-h/lovefireworks.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1R-gOcy0FYzfAOGuXXFgkMRqfYKPPH114_Sm04njRznSzE_oUUrBRUq_se-Naj-3DI2NnCpivNscXsWhdxiql4ctPOp3Z_Xc_Ls7VVRocXpdtXkCQM2SHvYS5vusNeBljINQzg/s320/lovefireworks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411222723195803314" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">--------------<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Now Playing: </span>The O.C. Supertones - <span style="font-style: italic;">"In Between"</span><br /><br /></div></div>bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254425473060426355noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16722786.post-75372386969951327422009-11-02T21:24:00.004-05:002009-11-02T21:44:34.120-05:00view from heavenit's hard to believe it's been 2 years. i hope you know we miss you so much & love you with all our hearts. can't wait to see you again <3 <br /><br /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4GytRXmNBRCncoDkfes4cpQuHt1J2LqRCtMurpYXo_RerykE74QtsfyXXX8bD9vNP07motP9VYc0eqCfcDe4aPVMq8BkaSOJburRbsJBtwlWoSBA9LsDHLMUhUUg8xOLZMrvcRA/s320/wedding+1984.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399699644436687410" border="0" /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0FeqZdjwbfP76K2yHLDH-fXdnKH6w9A5saQhdchHiclF12c6eckUv_wsUBEUqAAzMahJZWUW30hfoW3uBvSTIvadmjR1tKnBCrFDcz-Mo2JGplwvV24hJoeYqoLYTMOI09gXoaQ/s1600-h/2005+024.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0FeqZdjwbfP76K2yHLDH-fXdnKH6w9A5saQhdchHiclF12c6eckUv_wsUBEUqAAzMahJZWUW30hfoW3uBvSTIvadmjR1tKnBCrFDcz-Mo2JGplwvV24hJoeYqoLYTMOI09gXoaQ/s320/2005+024.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399699637811104226" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJwC4HVPKpipSV6S3ze96oKzrlc5D8W9P92B_0mWSZrxG88CujZyBDgvIuC2HGHck39w98K_nj0hx3_21_Xa6Xpt1kVhq8QWpsJPUctrd6qQGRiWrF_W5PX0YQpmjHrUl_JaDhw/s1600-h/mamawandme.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJwC4HVPKpipSV6S3ze96oKzrlc5D8W9P92B_0mWSZrxG88CujZyBDgvIuC2HGHck39w98K_nj0hx3_21_Xa6Xpt1kVhq8QWpsJPUctrd6qQGRiWrF_W5PX0YQpmjHrUl_JaDhw/s320/mamawandme.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399700346639051042" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdq4G85Tk10UPglgwGUZXjtk7wAeShThQNBFSQU_jcjptGki2IMrWWTXidUx_1sAAJEjAT9jijmIszqEPY2q12JqLV97b2quovMgfMw0p0QG2Fkmsr2k1wUWDRa0Z7bMuDEM1B2Q/s1600-h/New+Hampshire+Oct+2004+051.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdq4G85Tk10UPglgwGUZXjtk7wAeShThQNBFSQU_jcjptGki2IMrWWTXidUx_1sAAJEjAT9jijmIszqEPY2q12JqLV97b2quovMgfMw0p0QG2Fkmsr2k1wUWDRa0Z7bMuDEM1B2Q/s320/New+Hampshire+Oct+2004+051.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399699632895287250" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY3M-bGDpNWV2-zZzrWh93uuiZ2U3vyun5Q3rjypjDbF6CilylxRwdGS-2dq1q64yD54MuSasuDG4hxKrce3SPb17FzRMfvFvTBaGdnRSV2kQLRj37m0bIxDbhnDMw3QHZRaB5Pg/s1600-h/Las+Vegas,+Jan.+2005+009.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY3M-bGDpNWV2-zZzrWh93uuiZ2U3vyun5Q3rjypjDbF6CilylxRwdGS-2dq1q64yD54MuSasuDG4hxKrce3SPb17FzRMfvFvTBaGdnRSV2kQLRj37m0bIxDbhnDMw3QHZRaB5Pg/s320/Las+Vegas,+Jan.+2005+009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399699628726500786" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3LEinLhS1H4FKmcPd0qGU-IiCvHZehqDZrTsp4qV-mDTjZhWXLuKOcvUJLk8sHYReOy-o-Mjr925zW73HpWiXVyYe-asI1MV9pIbtpA3B9IX0eQuY54P931eF7SBhs4yGsP9Kww/s1600-h/wedding+1096.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3LEinLhS1H4FKmcPd0qGU-IiCvHZehqDZrTsp4qV-mDTjZhWXLuKOcvUJLk8sHYReOy-o-Mjr925zW73HpWiXVyYe-asI1MV9pIbtpA3B9IX0eQuY54P931eF7SBhs4yGsP9Kww/s320/wedding+1096.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399699626694069314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">And I'm sure the view from heaven</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Beats the hell out of mine from here</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> And if we all believe in heaven</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Maybe we'll make it through one more year</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Down here</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I hope that all is well in heaven</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 'cause it's all a shot to hell down here</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> I hope that I find you in heaven</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> 'cause I'm so lost without you down here</span><br /> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> You won't be coming back</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> And I didn't get to say goodbye</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> I really wish I got to say goodbye</span><br /><br />Yellowcard - "View From Heaven"<br /><br /><br /></div>bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254425473060426355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16722786.post-8258320411113667862009-11-01T12:55:00.001-05:002009-11-01T12:55:00.466-05:00"sing a long goodnight"next up! was a recipe i got from my sweet dear friend, april. she calls is "April's Ginger Apple Crumb Pie" & it is mmmmmmm gooooood! it is a super easy recipe and the end result was just perfect. pete said it was his favorite.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUyAoOm-IVLr6eIjv4ZKM-paJizZWapEkSGL0Fz45DOkRittixztNjWVKajHQ3MPKcS_2LgCbB-Vpk1Z_VDY40EGdJZmEMBv4-Kfo8TP6SuSsSJOO0u1Q2FmfX9eJZcqpdUqhQuA/s1600-h/aprilapplepie3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUyAoOm-IVLr6eIjv4ZKM-paJizZWapEkSGL0Fz45DOkRittixztNjWVKajHQ3MPKcS_2LgCbB-Vpk1Z_VDY40EGdJZmEMBv4-Kfo8TP6SuSsSJOO0u1Q2FmfX9eJZcqpdUqhQuA/s400/aprilapplepie3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398241354502737010" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9cMUw6mQSk6hl0nN9G0MOipwmOGsL7SFecDOd8PwU3pYDalMzUMKnwnM9shsPvOZ3kU9-HNi47RtG7EzZRssqzm_WnVsk-NUCjqYb7g6DT8dVfHyENh9m1-wkwa1kPHCLvltAiA/s1600-h/aprilapplepie4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9cMUw6mQSk6hl0nN9G0MOipwmOGsL7SFecDOd8PwU3pYDalMzUMKnwnM9shsPvOZ3kU9-HNi47RtG7EzZRssqzm_WnVsk-NUCjqYb7g6DT8dVfHyENh9m1-wkwa1kPHCLvltAiA/s400/aprilapplepie4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398241352737232290" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUL-ZyCoItUPTDZSklznYxFvA8bfSE2x1N37r81k8zklgFCrTZJTx6zHQNla9Q3JUu6JOfTjQZGp33buHtqjG0ssDiimRFY9hImqA87iYUxhx3N_VE93bPwOfdpsnp7HG16Liclg/s1600-h/aprilapplepie2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUL-ZyCoItUPTDZSklznYxFvA8bfSE2x1N37r81k8zklgFCrTZJTx6zHQNla9Q3JUu6JOfTjQZGp33buHtqjG0ssDiimRFY9hImqA87iYUxhx3N_VE93bPwOfdpsnp7HG16Liclg/s400/aprilapplepie2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398241349454973298" border="0" /></a>here is her recipe ...<br /><br />April's Ginger Apple Crumb Pie<br />1 pie crust<br />1/2 cup of butter, cut into small pieces<br />3/4 cup flour<br />3/4 cup sugar<br />about 5 apples (pre soaked in pineapple juice)<br />1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger<br />1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon<br />1/4 teaspoon salt<br /><br />preheat oven to 375<br /><br />in a food processor pulse the butter, flour, and 1/4 cup of sugar until forms large clumps. put in a bowl and put in the fridge until your ready to use it.<br />toss the apples, ginger, cinnamon, salt, remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of flour.<br />transfer apple mixture into the crust, sprinkle the crumb topping and bake until the top is golden and the apples are soft. (about 55-60 minutes)<br /><br />the only thing i did different, was i added a 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and chopped pecans to the crumb mixture just because i had some extras. i even took a slice to work and it was perfect at room temperature. thank you to my lovely april for sharing some amazing recipes.<br /><br />i still have a few apples left, & i'm not sure what i might make next. hell! maybe i'll eat one just as is.<br /><br />--------------<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Now Playing:</span> The Get Up Kids - <span style="font-style: italic;">"Long Goodnight"</span>bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254425473060426355noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16722786.post-43799682763457961822009-10-31T12:40:00.000-04:002009-10-31T12:40:00.314-04:00"I don't know why it is, isn't it obvious to me?"the first thing i made with my apple pickings was <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/dessert/recipe-sticky-spiked-doubleapple-cake-with-a-brown-sugarbrandy-sauce-066619">Sticky Spiked Double Apple Cake with a Brown Sugar Brandy Sauce.</a> <span style="font-style: italic;">(whew that's quite the title)</span> although the recipe looks some what difficult i found it fairly easy & i even made a few changes. i didn't use brandy or raisins for the simple fact that i didn't have any. in replace of the brandy i use apple juice & instead of using the dried apple pieces i just made up for it by using the fresh apples i had. either way i think this cake would have turned out just as amazing! i love recipes that you can customize to your preferences and needs.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0PYnwKp0scnohALyDTbtQT9fy95lIjCB0OZ-102DMgAD7mGYMAKniBmr-tVIff1ch6j3ed1gksZSqu-bvLkY5z6efI4sTrOm7eXs21BEffeUJHH1YTd8UAUJQ75QmNAAfPFVSQ/s1600-h/applecake.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0PYnwKp0scnohALyDTbtQT9fy95lIjCB0OZ-102DMgAD7mGYMAKniBmr-tVIff1ch6j3ed1gksZSqu-bvLkY5z6efI4sTrOm7eXs21BEffeUJHH1YTd8UAUJQ75QmNAAfPFVSQ/s400/applecake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398240314696657938" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyphenhyphenl2pU9HH-VOZ3jQnZGtri0PPZVsXJdn726hEuxS4o_pw8Zvt4piV50da4obfJqr4RKZnY2-ZYQNhzJf1tUE2zzvDqQtIWTh5Sjegbl8slMmGhjDF5pTb2tRUZdUyhjl0AkDoLw/s1600-h/applecake3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyphenhyphenl2pU9HH-VOZ3jQnZGtri0PPZVsXJdn726hEuxS4o_pw8Zvt4piV50da4obfJqr4RKZnY2-ZYQNhzJf1tUE2zzvDqQtIWTh5Sjegbl8slMmGhjDF5pTb2tRUZdUyhjl0AkDoLw/s400/applecake3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398240313499452930" border="0" /></a><br />the cake to me was almost brownie like, it had a crunchy outside with a warm chewy inside. and the sauce was just the icing on the cake. this would be perfectly paired with ice cream or a tall glass of milk. <span style="font-style: italic;">(or both if you choose!)</span> the making of this cake reminded me alot of the <a href="http://thekitchensinkrecipes.com/2009/05/10/dear-texas/">texas sheet cake</a> and i bet i could make a brown sugar brandy version of the icing to top this off too.<br /><br />i can feel my culinary mind expanding!<br /><br />--------------<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Now Playing:</span> The Get Up Kids - <span style="font-style: italic;">"Sympathy"</span>bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254425473060426355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16722786.post-33259414569535724142009-10-29T23:47:00.008-04:002009-10-30T00:39:56.851-04:00farm field trip!this past sunday, the crew from work <span style="font-style: italic;">(& respective husbands & boyfriends)</span> went to the farm! we picked apples, took a hayride, picked pumpkins, ate donuts <span style="font-style: italic;">(which i had no idea was part of the experience) </span>& had a blast doing it all! it was nice to get away from make-up <span style="font-style: italic;">(expect the few that wore lashes :P ) </span>& the daily grind of crazy customers.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kN5hbFez3vwYwODiUob-dFIw0f-5YhoPPtATEQLtiU8UWL068Od8fjowKl1cdXgwECvxGCgqB4V2mIMg7GxwUJGKPIcnBUPe_ee9Anr654oWyQ6UpvBskj7PK_s93KrUnlnaZw/s1600-h/farmmacday.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kN5hbFez3vwYwODiUob-dFIw0f-5YhoPPtATEQLtiU8UWL068Od8fjowKl1cdXgwECvxGCgqB4V2mIMg7GxwUJGKPIcnBUPe_ee9Anr654oWyQ6UpvBskj7PK_s93KrUnlnaZw/s400/farmmacday.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398236132561691778" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnm8ZkEYhhPhKcvceq_jrBX7naENzgYCFDvyGRxDA9R7VvQlHxE6S06iPUh06L1ycjvFeMT9aUCFvW394SOhk1NGDgwGNIty3HW5-DWsM4CU9eDrsG530jNekyZdaq0SSWeuZ-tg/s1600-h/farmmacday2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnm8ZkEYhhPhKcvceq_jrBX7naENzgYCFDvyGRxDA9R7VvQlHxE6S06iPUh06L1ycjvFeMT9aUCFvW394SOhk1NGDgwGNIty3HW5-DWsM4CU9eDrsG530jNekyZdaq0SSWeuZ-tg/s400/farmmacday2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398236129974843490" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRKJsm5QiY0MCDx38OFwLWpSvv1rh-RJsAzCbqQl1UVNXAuZDmj9D1W0gtvlbAat4Y_VpMhcT7vNknO2efJmNgeDXYSE6I_m_ntc7krKlrFLc1YcN80ZxmJU-GvlnFl-rMXOK59A/s1600-h/farmmacday3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRKJsm5QiY0MCDx38OFwLWpSvv1rh-RJsAzCbqQl1UVNXAuZDmj9D1W0gtvlbAat4Y_VpMhcT7vNknO2efJmNgeDXYSE6I_m_ntc7krKlrFLc1YcN80ZxmJU-GvlnFl-rMXOK59A/s400/farmmacday3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398236130813695810" border="0" /></a>of course i picked a green pumpkin, that's just how i roll<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV_apjurYDgaNX14HlA1ctL9qIJEA783j9lDVS68pvjDuj2liFl6JtRNlWCtl9i2ks3XSWe7FvwpQAwA61u1HwtcyNRJyN2IE0COZ_6gBsXOgw3__OzF4ZsstRcn5wV_9TihqLpw/s1600-h/farmmacday4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV_apjurYDgaNX14HlA1ctL9qIJEA783j9lDVS68pvjDuj2liFl6JtRNlWCtl9i2ks3XSWe7FvwpQAwA61u1HwtcyNRJyN2IE0COZ_6gBsXOgw3__OzF4ZsstRcn5wV_9TihqLpw/s400/farmmacday4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398236123038780050" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWINE61uiUkXyUC6vi_y3ORrU0czp3rrqkMDdk_tpjBLTKi4_tvhKUk-8WBcLNuDO3T7ibZZZukvq_vyZY7YeJJ78ge_8lGN6onbW7ScAWgZtl6yCh6oup7rcZsu9ucGjHiJnpPg/s1600-h/farmmacday5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWINE61uiUkXyUC6vi_y3ORrU0czp3rrqkMDdk_tpjBLTKi4_tvhKUk-8WBcLNuDO3T7ibZZZukvq_vyZY7YeJJ78ge_8lGN6onbW7ScAWgZtl6yCh6oup7rcZsu9ucGjHiJnpPg/s400/farmmacday5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398236121330457186" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0sgjdjclvwvLtsb5pKTITNmWodRcO4sA6Vi6xSeXK-83R2s68T6SU2US4zt48XsSJ0hkNEAH6Zztc9hm9qScxvQFyxOLrNQpbAPZKS5MnTaHsRQ1A9NZ9vtF6zx7Im4_jFXUffg/s1600-h/pickinapples4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0sgjdjclvwvLtsb5pKTITNmWodRcO4sA6Vi6xSeXK-83R2s68T6SU2US4zt48XsSJ0hkNEAH6Zztc9hm9qScxvQFyxOLrNQpbAPZKS5MnTaHsRQ1A9NZ9vtF6zx7Im4_jFXUffg/s400/pickinapples4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398236519990916770" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTHr_CtBULEgeeKvqJ6xka8kch3aDUqb5lB7VX_R7g5iuxzPNtrDfh-Mfn-OwjSRRsp1XCyxSOxc_4nwKiu9Rp5lD3BcMHYoja1kByDBAU58GhUd8Fe5N6dQX9dvtN1SregOChDw/s1600-h/pickinapples3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTHr_CtBULEgeeKvqJ6xka8kch3aDUqb5lB7VX_R7g5iuxzPNtrDfh-Mfn-OwjSRRsp1XCyxSOxc_4nwKiu9Rp5lD3BcMHYoja1kByDBAU58GhUd8Fe5N6dQX9dvtN1SregOChDw/s400/pickinapples3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398244927211590370" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKoTxG8nHYFE4uA_i4izR5LrPns2FvbhHrVjUC7rFh0cqWYM6yYvksx3ZASWFKJTdU_hSTEaoKJ7CIG3HtF7h_nq9ujRBxTjmUp1xxY41puATJAelcCzMiDuizuoefi0T4Oo4ig/s1600-h/pickinapples.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKoTxG8nHYFE4uA_i4izR5LrPns2FvbhHrVjUC7rFh0cqWYM6yYvksx3ZASWFKJTdU_hSTEaoKJ7CIG3HtF7h_nq9ujRBxTjmUp1xxY41puATJAelcCzMiDuizuoefi0T4Oo4ig/s400/pickinapples.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398244932859953042" border="0" /></a>mostly i was excited about apple picking, there were sooooo many varieties. red delicious, granny smith, fuji, enterprise, roma, ect, ect! i got a few of each & even sampled a few out amongst the beautiful trees. they were all amazing & i couldn't wait to get to baking! <span style="font-style: italic;">(i'll post those later :) )</span><br />i feel really blessed to work with such wonderful people. for a good while i was very unhappy in my various job situations but i totally lucked out with my crew! i can honestly say that no matter what, i've made some great life long friends & i feel so lucky to have them apart of my daily life. i've learned & grown so much over the past 2 years & i owe alot of that to them & mac. love you all, xoxo.!<br /><br /><br />--------------<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Now Playing:</span> Yellowcard -<span style="font-style: italic;"> "View From Heaven"</span>bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254425473060426355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16722786.post-11138804158967255892009-10-24T09:29:00.001-04:002009-10-24T09:29:00.369-04:00"when you slow down all the details spill out"it's been a long time since i've heard anyone call me "OC" or outta control. i believe it was james roberts <span style="font-style: italic;">(my youth minister of long ago)</span> that started it, along with some other names i am sure he had for me. it didn't really stick but it was definitely the truth and still is to a certain degree. i have a way of saying the things that other people don't want to say, or don't want me to say! luckily, as i have grown older i have learned <span style="font-style: italic;">(for the most part)</span> & earned the gift of <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discernment">discernment</a>. this memory was brought on by stumbling across <a href="http://www.doubletakesblog.com/2009/10/threadless-is-alt-of-ctrl.html">this shirt</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBnrSbJuzdz58zBcHMN2QZ7iTCrVCCBZhBjfA_v4WRirEM8hdqnC3budihWR2lBB2O7UKj1eTbk5HOofaP1f0fkOIazla0yDD-2vwUNlSgX-PwYeyLwuhzzTRD3H1XnCJLPfn4w/s1600-h/ocshirt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBnrSbJuzdz58zBcHMN2QZ7iTCrVCCBZhBjfA_v4WRirEM8hdqnC3budihWR2lBB2O7UKj1eTbk5HOofaP1f0fkOIazla0yDD-2vwUNlSgX-PwYeyLwuhzzTRD3H1XnCJLPfn4w/s320/ocshirt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395977905207150850" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrmBDG8fRbpCy888k5xXUHcIzNBZmSJlZExPH-46mj_CK9jAKPcGcjlY29Kto9WX1HVRS6bnvRrD78N15TivmNVvd4LUh3T2gvHe6kTZijFXdfymdFRreHjujVMcVELr0bHLjEvw/s1600-h/ocshrit2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrmBDG8fRbpCy888k5xXUHcIzNBZmSJlZExPH-46mj_CK9jAKPcGcjlY29Kto9WX1HVRS6bnvRrD78N15TivmNVvd4LUh3T2gvHe6kTZijFXdfymdFRreHjujVMcVELr0bHLjEvw/s320/ocshrit2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395977909266443986" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.threadless.com/product/2047/Alt_of_Ctrl#zoom">Via Threadless Tees</a><br /></div><br />now that to me, is some super cute tech-y humor.<br />thanks for the memory!<br /><br /><br />--------------<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Now Playing:</span> The Honorary Title - <span style="font-style: italic;">"Accident Prone"</span>bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254425473060426355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16722786.post-29258070099196174412009-10-23T10:01:00.000-04:002009-10-23T10:01:00.558-04:00"we all, we all wear dignity"i've seen several of the state charm necklaces out & about. i'm not much of a jewelry wearer <span style="font-style: italic;">(mostly i just wear my wedding rings)</span> but i really like the idea of these.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgav6OtbEalggWFRts9i_Yiw_aZCPyZTDW4HpwQ4jappmqhDwXEJ3Yu7jlKvjbRmVAvZQBV08AfU48R_9oA0NW_Xl1k3lKUwd0gLNwxTrVDByLC-0uL46qsHY1EW8Knzq0RYuv3Jw/s1600-h/statenecklace.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgav6OtbEalggWFRts9i_Yiw_aZCPyZTDW4HpwQ4jappmqhDwXEJ3Yu7jlKvjbRmVAvZQBV08AfU48R_9oA0NW_Xl1k3lKUwd0gLNwxTrVDByLC-0uL46qsHY1EW8Knzq0RYuv3Jw/s320/statenecklace.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395239647728036978" border="0" /></a>image via<a href="http://alilovescurtis.blogspot.com/2009/06/little-utah.html"> ali loves curtis</a> -- necklace via <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27507776">elsabags</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">not bad for 12 bucks! you can find a few more necklaces <a href="http://www.stateofmine.com/states.html">here </a>& <a href="http://www.mayabrenner.com/html/necklaces_states.html">there.</a> i'm alway alittle nervous about getting jewelry because i have a knack for losing it. i recently lost the pair to my earrings that pete gave me for my birthday a few years ago & i get sick to my stomach when i think about it. i keep hoping that one of the cats just pushed it under something & that i'll find it soon. <span style="font-style: italic;">*crosses fingers*</span><br /></div></div><br /><br />--------------<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Now Playing:</span> Relient K - <span style="font-style: italic;">"The Last, The Lost, The Lease"</span>bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254425473060426355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16722786.post-62555607113450789412009-10-22T12:55:00.000-04:002009-10-22T12:55:00.397-04:00keep calm and carry onholy smokes! i've never been a calendar person, if there is such a thing. i guess because my folks never hung up a calendar, i never got into the habit myself. but over at <a href="http://www.designcrushblog.com/">DesignCrush</a> they are having a <a href="http://www.designcrushblog.com/search/label/calendar%20swap">calendar swap</a> <span style="font-style: italic;">(which i'm debating on joining)</span> & a <a href="http://www.designcrushblog.com/search/label/round%20up">daily round up </a>for some amazing calenders. today i found my favorite! i purchased mine & all i need to do is get some ink to print them & we'll be good to go.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3o5SiZNsHbbG1rYAxF-TjHIM7qrp2LvaQivQNgnqyNLF3i3-69HnKQcSoM2JFhatCtH5u1hPh-gjdSPV3Pdkhpz4QwX7XmNcuIr5jRH1GEX9a-tuZPJ5ukLsD8IFrd4yrVgnv7w/s1600-h/keepcalm+calendar+women3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3o5SiZNsHbbG1rYAxF-TjHIM7qrp2LvaQivQNgnqyNLF3i3-69HnKQcSoM2JFhatCtH5u1hPh-gjdSPV3Pdkhpz4QwX7XmNcuIr5jRH1GEX9a-tuZPJ5ukLsD8IFrd4yrVgnv7w/s320/keepcalm+calendar+women3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395225692970400418" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwP5CQ6iR28DcKzBZSfbXGOXcldoTzNzFWf413UOYuM6G0A2JTbygLw40cbp6S2Hrmkgz8gJLgQyb9e12hl_yOa27RMK9pj4uq5_DcCWn7tMLJTACIbzaYNyEe63xcM2DYJ7DDg/s1600-h/keepcalm+calendar+women.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwP5CQ6iR28DcKzBZSfbXGOXcldoTzNzFWf413UOYuM6G0A2JTbygLw40cbp6S2Hrmkgz8gJLgQyb9e12hl_yOa27RMK9pj4uq5_DcCWn7tMLJTACIbzaYNyEe63xcM2DYJ7DDg/s320/keepcalm+calendar+women.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395225686019500946" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYfi-MZHee78Cqskhi2dL9QGOh56nRh0fRsS09MUiDYPWQp_dHHQvsKzcNwhL0GJbWRqNHiEQO5-YPxfJOow7uubDAtG6Z5r74EeOgoUlOiLumeTwzQU_q0iwZNfrVtt7n_mg3NQ/s1600-h/keepcalm+calendar+men2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYfi-MZHee78Cqskhi2dL9QGOh56nRh0fRsS09MUiDYPWQp_dHHQvsKzcNwhL0GJbWRqNHiEQO5-YPxfJOow7uubDAtG6Z5r74EeOgoUlOiLumeTwzQU_q0iwZNfrVtt7n_mg3NQ/s320/keepcalm+calendar+men2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395225688198353954" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsUQWjtFOq5T7nyZlc8KUo9JsH8LNiD0YYpnwBgdf3-fbM5LUItymLu-vBTSDx3VLZ9qL-PUFVGpJAnzAeYlQ6ITV6ffXHBpob3LdcTXptkR759imuBssadKTxJmkMlPjltn-d9g/s1600-h/keepcalm+calendar+men.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsUQWjtFOq5T7nyZlc8KUo9JsH8LNiD0YYpnwBgdf3-fbM5LUItymLu-vBTSDx3VLZ9qL-PUFVGpJAnzAeYlQ6ITV6ffXHBpob3LdcTXptkR759imuBssadKTxJmkMlPjltn-d9g/s320/keepcalm+calendar+men.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395225684283443890" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6146270">littlebrownpen</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">there are two different versions, one for women & one for men. they're a pdf file so you can print as many as you like. pete liked the man one so i got it for him to put at his desk. i think i might make some extra copies for work & a few friends. if you aren't familiar with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keep_Calm_and_Carry_On">"keep calm"</a> logo <span style="font-style: italic;">(i guess you would call it that)</span> check it out<a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/keepcalm/pool/"> here.</a><br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiviCLGSVwvHCe9WHdtjlzV-ctEvNu3QHfaDN4KyGB6ENbHHPx0UrKs_4t-PrgRKq2Cuazix856cBAzJACWI9CHfdEfWJ761zmZ3VBoYgY0p0uQtdf-xwR2Dtnmy6ff6HAfuNatHA/s1600-h/keepcalmcupcake.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 287px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiviCLGSVwvHCe9WHdtjlzV-ctEvNu3QHfaDN4KyGB6ENbHHPx0UrKs_4t-PrgRKq2Cuazix856cBAzJACWI9CHfdEfWJ761zmZ3VBoYgY0p0uQtdf-xwR2Dtnmy6ff6HAfuNatHA/s320/keepcalmcupcake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395232122990535906" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32704606">jennysbakeshop</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">i would also love to get my hands on one of these bad boys. anything cupcake and i am in! hey christmas is coming up soon<span style="font-style: italic;"> *hint* *hint*</span><br /><br /><br />--------------<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Now Playing:</span> The Get Up Kids - <span style="font-style: italic;">"Sharin' Stone"</span> <a href="http://www.daytrotter.com/dt/the-get-up-kids-concert/20030982-7400.html">(daytrotter session)</a><br /><br /><br /></div></div>bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254425473060426355noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16722786.post-14138304941103953682009-10-20T12:47:00.000-04:002009-10-20T12:47:00.468-04:00"there is a holiness to the hearts affections"oooooo! i can't wait to see this. i'm never up on new movies <span style="font-style: italic;">(unless there is mad hype about them)</span> but i just saw these amazing photos & watched the trailer for the movie <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7IwhVQa8Uk">Bright Star</a>. it's about the famous poet John Keats & his love for Fanny Brawne, bring on the tissues. now it is a must see!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQAuwb5q2DL33zPj03BvBstfy8NoUP_oPEexSsUUQgFgnrK3BI_S67oypOXvzMGAsRuFwLL_nnXEEfvlxlS0-SPZxaYjBY9qIeEWuuCWoWVgfGKPBF-pBWmf1-gXinzmZA7cR4vw/s1600-h/brightstar7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQAuwb5q2DL33zPj03BvBstfy8NoUP_oPEexSsUUQgFgnrK3BI_S67oypOXvzMGAsRuFwLL_nnXEEfvlxlS0-SPZxaYjBY9qIeEWuuCWoWVgfGKPBF-pBWmf1-gXinzmZA7cR4vw/s400/brightstar7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394093869804561058" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv2IiaVIluVbPwtJuACmytInA7EjYKqKwe0XIW-piYf-dcJM6RrduMfBJlhb7M2wD8_5z4HDqdJQKD_gv4AmGgG_Ar0kU2l5G4ZZMgRg9eSOMdeAHO-Jdz_fxptMi0XTP6-3faVA/s1600-h/brightstar5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv2IiaVIluVbPwtJuACmytInA7EjYKqKwe0XIW-piYf-dcJM6RrduMfBJlhb7M2wD8_5z4HDqdJQKD_gv4AmGgG_Ar0kU2l5G4ZZMgRg9eSOMdeAHO-Jdz_fxptMi0XTP6-3faVA/s400/brightstar5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394093724322957730" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkhFrgNg8kjXCk57y_GRk9Ki7wu0oAsG67v99Xlq79dM3ngoI9f9qOCEudtfJqC_cBvnz92D9zENQVt2bYa6lA5eT78cBHxhy6virXfM-lfOGYvo5MDhbYL4cpB4S9NW9eW4VDPQ/s1600-h/brightstar4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkhFrgNg8kjXCk57y_GRk9Ki7wu0oAsG67v99Xlq79dM3ngoI9f9qOCEudtfJqC_cBvnz92D9zENQVt2bYa6lA5eT78cBHxhy6virXfM-lfOGYvo5MDhbYL4cpB4S9NW9eW4VDPQ/s400/brightstar4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394093713784880146" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJd0EZXH8j2fuabAXc-MHLM1ODHRsCbP2-Mj-8Rz2mHeSVOymJFJKJbUUeTdoea3I2upPnS1Sfdc5e80NoXn1iXJcuBY_MZ2BoYRxMjjEITGch96suZp8b5xlMuzI6gzuXJu7wSw/s1600-h/brightstar3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJd0EZXH8j2fuabAXc-MHLM1ODHRsCbP2-Mj-8Rz2mHeSVOymJFJKJbUUeTdoea3I2upPnS1Sfdc5e80NoXn1iXJcuBY_MZ2BoYRxMjjEITGch96suZp8b5xlMuzI6gzuXJu7wSw/s400/brightstar3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394093708500993282" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibaH1JMJ1HyWEuQAcDaNXMxD4hkj2slvIoRg6PDVhNN6CnS81bg5MLq4MMl7lAgxGdFrqbkQHO1o6pSrUKXhcqbRycImvckroynMkxb2k-VE1lJcjyDgiQwF6HexYA9S5CriItGQ/s1600-h/brightstar2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibaH1JMJ1HyWEuQAcDaNXMxD4hkj2slvIoRg6PDVhNN6CnS81bg5MLq4MMl7lAgxGdFrqbkQHO1o6pSrUKXhcqbRycImvckroynMkxb2k-VE1lJcjyDgiQwF6HexYA9S5CriItGQ/s400/brightstar2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394093700904333042" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibnWxbgQ1jKCfEqXjzmRkJlBhfLXuJqbk019KLhFHGA2CEVuSLBoUw8D0UbHLnAqC-ocWsLG8QfWKnOk1M5zTEXasXMF8UAIJv59McR7tkSVhxvBjzql0BtaYzzByWRy5REzhAPg/s1600-h/brightstar.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibnWxbgQ1jKCfEqXjzmRkJlBhfLXuJqbk019KLhFHGA2CEVuSLBoUw8D0UbHLnAqC-ocWsLG8QfWKnOk1M5zTEXasXMF8UAIJv59McR7tkSVhxvBjzql0BtaYzzByWRy5REzhAPg/s400/brightstar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394093698907643570" border="0" /></a>Via <a href="http://elseachelsea.typepad.com/frolic/2009/10/bright-star-1.html">{frolic!}</a> & <a href="http://mumandlark.blogspot.com/2009/10/to-feel-for-ever-its-soft-fall-and.html">Mum and Lark</a><br /></div><br />i always love watching movies from different time periods and im sure this one wont let me down. oooo! can't wait to see it! <span style="font-style: italic;">(just had to say it again)</span><br /><br /><br />--------------<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Now Playing:</span> Tumbledown - <span style="font-style: italic;">"Movin' On"</span>bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254425473060426355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16722786.post-19338287469828162862009-10-18T18:30:00.008-04:002009-10-18T19:27:30.378-04:00"where would you go with a lasso?!"it took me a while to get to posting this, laziness is such a curse!<span style="font-style: italic;"> (the truth, it's been stupid busy at work, so i've been some what preoccupied -- hello holiday retail season!)</span><br /><br />this past tuesday we had a morning meeting for work & to gear up for the holiday season, so i made some <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/10/breakfast-apple-granola-crisp/">festive apple breakfast granola crisp</a>. it was so easy to make, and quite healthy that it just might become a morning stable for pete & i. i didn't take any pictures like planned but i assure you that these pictures are a ton better than my blackberry could ever take.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-upaCp6jAVPW3j_oOO_8WK6t1_nE8OXyEiwvwcJug8ydh7oenVb2bmfO6MjqE7Qg83vJAy1lyP6yjcnJtf-HL_jb85kAT051IgX9RzGaZhP_Xx15gjIwF-E4E_PNwAMSxTzelQ/s1600-h/applebreakfastcrsip2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-upaCp6jAVPW3j_oOO_8WK6t1_nE8OXyEiwvwcJug8ydh7oenVb2bmfO6MjqE7Qg83vJAy1lyP6yjcnJtf-HL_jb85kAT051IgX9RzGaZhP_Xx15gjIwF-E4E_PNwAMSxTzelQ/s400/applebreakfastcrsip2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394073223800752658" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVkFcIJIUsFY5p961xAV2IMR-fzTUVrdW1nE-ydTZl5YqeRiGr2Sd3nuX63Z7dnuIx3MPB3o9RxTdycEgN2qv_RlV5jVu41keyq68d-BBZtuf0D6dPK_9YWD4jsk7cSw7Nfb-M-Q/s1600-h/applebreakfastcrisp3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVkFcIJIUsFY5p961xAV2IMR-fzTUVrdW1nE-ydTZl5YqeRiGr2Sd3nuX63Z7dnuIx3MPB3o9RxTdycEgN2qv_RlV5jVu41keyq68d-BBZtuf0D6dPK_9YWD4jsk7cSw7Nfb-M-Q/s400/applebreakfastcrisp3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394073213590448514" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIWo7VcwM6I6PER3y53RJxg9whUWnUxL4kjVhFtNBvKu80ZofS9VuInYeOvNeilBS67g_XwLHOq-fLuGNF1WfxJljPf4wTUQ0Qk-JSLwHaa-aHoXIKDhS70QMLWTBAeK4cPVb_fg/s1600-h/applebreakfastcrisp5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIWo7VcwM6I6PER3y53RJxg9whUWnUxL4kjVhFtNBvKu80ZofS9VuInYeOvNeilBS67g_XwLHOq-fLuGNF1WfxJljPf4wTUQ0Qk-JSLwHaa-aHoXIKDhS70QMLWTBAeK4cPVb_fg/s400/applebreakfastcrisp5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394073232780965234" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQ1LqLs54tt6sqBobJFDoEJtsc4NTw7I1L_FaPjo3gV0671MuRx_2hqmoemD10fd9m7027iAwrhMvlOTu81GcTRFD-F4ahDYRVpzCxNC_1kKdnv7imZ6ofCqtS6trw9eJor_zuA/s1600-h/applebreakfastcrisp4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQ1LqLs54tt6sqBobJFDoEJtsc4NTw7I1L_FaPjo3gV0671MuRx_2hqmoemD10fd9m7027iAwrhMvlOTu81GcTRFD-F4ahDYRVpzCxNC_1kKdnv7imZ6ofCqtS6trw9eJor_zuA/s400/applebreakfastcrisp4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394073212462713506" border="0" /></a><a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/">Via Smitten Kitchen</a><br /><br /></div>i ended up doubling the crispy topping because i had such an over flow of apples, but it was so easy i just might end up using it for all my crisps. i used a good mix of different apples & the taste was amazing. it's not super sweet like a dessert so you feel good about having it for breakfast. the best part is that i made it the night before, popped it in the fridge, and it was ready to go for the morning! this recipe will defiantly because a stable for us!<br /><br />this week while grocery shopping i won a free turkey! so i've already begun planning out my thanksgiving menu! <span style="font-style: italic;">(can you believe its only a month away?!)</span> this year we are having dinner at our apartment, which will be good for me because i wont have to transport all my stuff to my sister-in-laws house, but i'm nervous for my first true holiday at my place. i'm trying to plan early so i don't get stressed out as time moves closer! have you planned anything for the holidays?! any good family recipes to share?! even though i am nervous, i am excited to get cooking!<br /><br />lastly, i have some blog love. as you know i follow a <span style="font-weight: bold;">TON</span> of blogs of all different sorts. one of my recent favorites has been <a href="http://leloveimage.blogspot.com/">Le Love</a>. the name pretty much says it all, its all about love! the good, the bad, the heartbreaking, and breathtaking. its such a beautiful blog with some great photos that i find myself always right clicking to save.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOC02FiSM-F1JOCGFViFKhs3zTEa7LKPOfBzEoIS3L1rFusDAtJnygi_F7GHVvWgNS7jQ9NZUsvp_nBM34Hi5-XbERvDzuKGhC-Dmmec_XQJyBO9QvLnLDX1VuKfFnwkigQF5f5A/s1600-h/lelove.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOC02FiSM-F1JOCGFViFKhs3zTEa7LKPOfBzEoIS3L1rFusDAtJnygi_F7GHVvWgNS7jQ9NZUsvp_nBM34Hi5-XbERvDzuKGhC-Dmmec_XQJyBO9QvLnLDX1VuKfFnwkigQF5f5A/s400/lelove.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394079002236392050" border="0" /></a>i love the header because i think it's so cute. but also i'm so curious about washer/dryer combo on the bottom. <span style="font-style: italic;">(i need one!)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6-WvkA_YmvQFU7csclcVt7MIku-JcEiBhDpnaUWg7u-Cc9culo0trtR_rL05PpArw_iablLnxTIBZmsZxbXTVk0XaEeKiC5eX7qjOHOuBd20U5ZzYXRTiATm9vY2RDYS1MMgUg/s1600-h/lovemap.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6-WvkA_YmvQFU7csclcVt7MIku-JcEiBhDpnaUWg7u-Cc9culo0trtR_rL05PpArw_iablLnxTIBZmsZxbXTVk0XaEeKiC5eX7qjOHOuBd20U5ZzYXRTiATm9vY2RDYS1MMgUg/s400/lovemap.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394079019075331602" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAD9FTnvo_LjkmkWJ_313IYQrvLX9m-grA80bK1tCtAwf11b5lD99bNBz5XeJ6RcePpRTQF2Eu_cb24o3VUMr3h5RsD-knO_jaygD6ZFYPXQ8-wIZzE0D_THqYKMpDlsjdUZzyvw/s1600-h/miss+you+so+much.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 394px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAD9FTnvo_LjkmkWJ_313IYQrvLX9m-grA80bK1tCtAwf11b5lD99bNBz5XeJ6RcePpRTQF2Eu_cb24o3VUMr3h5RsD-knO_jaygD6ZFYPXQ8-wIZzE0D_THqYKMpDlsjdUZzyvw/s400/miss+you+so+much.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394079025505786754" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwW3C6WF9b8JziEvSoqtyt6DgL8lvO8jUwlfGaZEdihpvWfc09M-fFIGiq-LQBoODgeXZqTRZW2hf8FbV02IVyEA4XKYjAcpZ2P-R2-JTNHJh25Fzn7xNOkYXgPYHDxJH4LkG1QA/s1600-h/homeit.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwW3C6WF9b8JziEvSoqtyt6DgL8lvO8jUwlfGaZEdihpvWfc09M-fFIGiq-LQBoODgeXZqTRZW2hf8FbV02IVyEA4XKYjAcpZ2P-R2-JTNHJh25Fzn7xNOkYXgPYHDxJH4LkG1QA/s400/homeit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394079011085507810" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA2_IerFzC5leiCZYjnLUE7x27QAsaZ1c2J5qqB6e9Fx5C1XDaAEbuTMaE5srmBzQFZtflPjWhNNVejnNvrtT2hV26T5Tox5H-MRfuGlRTCUiVK8YKFqZWN_ZSBsco0MLqm493tg/s1600-h/duskdancing.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 313px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA2_IerFzC5leiCZYjnLUE7x27QAsaZ1c2J5qqB6e9Fx5C1XDaAEbuTMaE5srmBzQFZtflPjWhNNVejnNvrtT2hV26T5Tox5H-MRfuGlRTCUiVK8YKFqZWN_ZSBsco0MLqm493tg/s400/duskdancing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394081325154950530" border="0" /></a><a href="http://leloveimage.blogspot.com/">Via Le Love<br /></a></div><br />so here is to a great week! be back soon!<br /><br />--------------<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Now Playing:</span> Crystal Castles - <span style="font-style: italic;">"1991"<br /><br /><br /></span>bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254425473060426355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16722786.post-75669279778718935452009-10-12T22:25:00.005-04:002009-10-12T23:13:29.744-04:00"& keep your feet on the ground"the pass week has been a whirlwind of craziness. my emotions couldn't be any more heighten & i guess i don't really know how to explain it. i know this is rather vague but for the time being it will have to do. <span style="font-style: italic;">(for those that know & read this little space of mine on the interwebs, thank you for all the love & prayers)</span><br /><br />but! mixed in with all that life had to throw at me i still managed to get some cooking done! as i type this my index finger is sore because i touched the top of my breakfast apple granola crisp & it burned it slightly. i guess that's what i get for touching it right out of the oven. <span style="font-style: italic;">(i'll share the crisp tomorrow)</span> the week before last i made some amazing chili<span style="font-style: italic;"> (pete even said so!)</span>. now, i've never followed a chili recipe, partly because you can put in whatever you want, and i love that fact. chili is always a good, cheap and easy meal for me to make for my work lunches. i make a big batch & then divided it up & i'm good for the rest of the week. so i don't have a chili recipe to share, but rather a grand side dish for your own amazing chili. cornbread! since i'm from the south i can't help but love cornbread, especially when it's paired with a nice bowl of chili. but some of the down falls of cornbread is that it can be dry, bland, & flat. well i can tell you my cornbread was anything but. it was light, fluffy, moist, and anything but bland! i found this recipe for <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/01/hibernation-fare/">cheddar cornbread</a> on <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/">smitten kitchen </a><span style="font-style: italic;">(who just had the most adorable baby, besides <a href="http://www.williamsonfamilyadventures.blogspot.com/">zane </a>of course ;) )</span>, and i couldn't wait to try it. the recipe includes cheddar <span style="font-style: italic;">(obviously)</span>, cream corn, chili powder, buttermilk and was a cinch to make. <span style="font-style: italic;">(i've officially said my goodbyes to <a href="http://www.jiffymix.com/">jiffy</a>)</span> i may even alter my mama's cornbread stuffing recipe for thanksgiving because yes, it was that good!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2hlUlXJIuMwhZqnZnE1makunJUinSQIQi_maqtRdHUWC8NGG9qIg_NfZjo_vrMir7CK3styPLoZ44GRNjxnKl3BMeJwQ0QGCXA9KGaiC8GqF28h-OLMDLBNA3oedfeAq00noyg/s1600-h/chilincornbread3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2hlUlXJIuMwhZqnZnE1makunJUinSQIQi_maqtRdHUWC8NGG9qIg_NfZjo_vrMir7CK3styPLoZ44GRNjxnKl3BMeJwQ0QGCXA9KGaiC8GqF28h-OLMDLBNA3oedfeAq00noyg/s400/chilincornbread3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391914172908719938" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkSwVVjZzEE0YzVMCBkZPL9iuCORB_hVdG6guqR3S5ILiHVoOOuLUyr55ygu2oqjx4n324ZQ09zjR8JOyc57QJQNmFu-rAODPxmMW3jl7Bhn3pqlwWXGzEg_4SgRHNET0Ss4q5cQ/s1600-h/chilincornbread.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkSwVVjZzEE0YzVMCBkZPL9iuCORB_hVdG6guqR3S5ILiHVoOOuLUyr55ygu2oqjx4n324ZQ09zjR8JOyc57QJQNmFu-rAODPxmMW3jl7Bhn3pqlwWXGzEg_4SgRHNET0Ss4q5cQ/s400/chilincornbread.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391914161585212514" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs73eH-_XJI3sg34raFAV-p-pwWYYrBvey5Y5GexOqcqOoP-tWM77WvdZhEOTX2EWhNtIaU8jG4E1lCMBJ9dExEm42h6BH3w0ksQZsDAikttJWAFY5XyAI892z27bKiDgXds4Vfg/s1600-h/chilincornbread2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs73eH-_XJI3sg34raFAV-p-pwWYYrBvey5Y5GexOqcqOoP-tWM77WvdZhEOTX2EWhNtIaU8jG4E1lCMBJ9dExEm42h6BH3w0ksQZsDAikttJWAFY5XyAI892z27bKiDgXds4Vfg/s400/chilincornbread2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391914162964690050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">(all packed up & ready for work)</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">i can't tell you how easy & delicious this cornbread was. there are so many other things you can add to make it your own & taste just the way you like it. so get cracking & make some chili & cornbread!<br /><br />i'm loving that it is october & the apartment has a chill to it so i can wear my hoodies all day long. i'm hoping to make it to the pumpkin patch & maybe even pick my own apples! the air this time of year is so fresh & amazing. i can honestly say i love living in new jersey for that reason alone. it's nice to have seasons!<br /><br />--------------<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Now Playing:</span> Brand New -<span style="font-style: italic;"> "The Quiet Things No One Ever Knows"</span><br /><br /><br /></div></div>bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254425473060426355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16722786.post-44098687751667162482009-09-29T21:54:00.008-04:002009-09-29T23:15:15.394-04:00Penguin Pridei know i have talked about this before but just in case you didnt know ... pete is a huge hockey fan, especially a pittsburgh penguins fan. over the years that we have been together i have fallen in love the with game, and now i am proud to call myself a penguins fan too! the best thing about penguins is that they are so darn cute!<br /><br />here are some examples,<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzNKVGUp8mKqAFNfFBJN9kwso575fyYCDvpLuhGQTIMJoR9-FP3OYhVJXDvlKwhazkiCKPc9XHRqQsLAcPsKhOLl62GQoL9ygO58YcDUemte7DQY53yQdsWYfCWcr7zmo_keM_vg/s1600-h/Sid-Geno.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 217px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzNKVGUp8mKqAFNfFBJN9kwso575fyYCDvpLuhGQTIMJoR9-FP3OYhVJXDvlKwhazkiCKPc9XHRqQsLAcPsKhOLl62GQoL9ygO58YcDUemte7DQY53yQdsWYfCWcr7zmo_keM_vg/s320/Sid-Geno.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387080790692522722" border="0" /></a>Sidney Crosby & Evgeni Malkin<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(Malkin is cute in that dopey russian sorta way)</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmdhYWY4Wng9SimfvDQOHu4LGdje9ZksUWmoPIIvDNUSX-DEpV1ZYDhjXNMqvLiiRS8JuftAXauVypXigNxcBRxl71DGmezkS6ziSpNp2KD80Sadviz80nMm8MtOkzsfNdIQtBsA/s1600-h/penguinsring.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmdhYWY4Wng9SimfvDQOHu4LGdje9ZksUWmoPIIvDNUSX-DEpV1ZYDhjXNMqvLiiRS8JuftAXauVypXigNxcBRxl71DGmezkS6ziSpNp2KD80Sadviz80nMm8MtOkzsfNdIQtBsA/s320/penguinsring.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387080774159225890" border="0" /></a>not that you can't read, but this is the <a href="http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=500355">championship ring</a> the penguins received for winning the stanley cup this year. i think it is rather impressive, alittle much for my taste, but it has a cute quality to it. <span style="font-style: italic;">(haha i am sure thats exactly what the players would say, "cute")</span> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI42w08dOrzNnFjCKXmbRaPGYJInGLEmANdX3TM10yLOfdd6BLX7ekcn8qoA8FRj0GhcHsoA7lou6nvHczR-uDvJC8mPYeGbJLUzyLiFvNjixCxdbjYR3zPMvoDghFISrvkwiNsg/s1600-h/penguinsparade.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI42w08dOrzNnFjCKXmbRaPGYJInGLEmANdX3TM10yLOfdd6BLX7ekcn8qoA8FRj0GhcHsoA7lou6nvHczR-uDvJC8mPYeGbJLUzyLiFvNjixCxdbjYR3zPMvoDghFISrvkwiNsg/s320/penguinsparade.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387080221081813154" border="0" /></a>showing some penguin pride at the <a href="http://bekahlikewhoa.blogspot.com/2009/06/lets-go-pens.html">parade</a> back in june.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1JF0PcwBKagp1Y2ZT1oDhHRwK3N4yTeMZuk-a89PgWHEtrqlN3S0SOTw-GPv4bsJUTOjz5gPUvbvj9xtBCCbOw1-pkW_RyJzYoY1HytoSyD3qZYAOjGQoxHwdrWOcO0Nx8sonQ/s1600-h/penguiniphonecase2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1JF0PcwBKagp1Y2ZT1oDhHRwK3N4yTeMZuk-a89PgWHEtrqlN3S0SOTw-GPv4bsJUTOjz5gPUvbvj9xtBCCbOw1-pkW_RyJzYoY1HytoSyD3qZYAOjGQoxHwdrWOcO0Nx8sonQ/s320/penguiniphonecase2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387080219794167666" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEint9A05Qa2P2bl0-znsljCZoHhuip_wOGrpdm9Wd50kOqxKyWfpJ3CWDCiDZU15T4m49k46Jj7wz6HHaw5QtTOvxdnP5g7sguY82Gkqf0bWLy8FDcObIM1xDzPia-wsTpooKsDFQ/s1600-h/penguinbbcase.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEint9A05Qa2P2bl0-znsljCZoHhuip_wOGrpdm9Wd50kOqxKyWfpJ3CWDCiDZU15T4m49k46Jj7wz6HHaw5QtTOvxdnP5g7sguY82Gkqf0bWLy8FDcObIM1xDzPia-wsTpooKsDFQ/s320/penguinbbcase.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387086416661797730" border="0" /></a>these iphone/blackberry cases are insanely adorable. I found these in this delightful Etsy shop, <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6383708">SydneyAngel</a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(i need to invest in a sewing machine so i can make my own)</span><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi556CywvwoRsmiYFpy6fr0pp1GhgJxWJxUuukp-03Nwla3Ha_WrYx9yDHt2he_apxlh32HIWBxZGroSk3QWcBtREWHAYnfxWvIUoYkfKMxkdvpEycAqxU17oJL_8YzZziMap1nYA/s1600-h/penguincardcase.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi556CywvwoRsmiYFpy6fr0pp1GhgJxWJxUuukp-03Nwla3Ha_WrYx9yDHt2he_apxlh32HIWBxZGroSk3QWcBtREWHAYnfxWvIUoYkfKMxkdvpEycAqxU17oJL_8YzZziMap1nYA/s320/penguincardcase.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387080205730372194" border="0" /></a>i have been searching for something to carry my business cards in and i think i may have found it. i really love this <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=31720564">card carrying case</a>. apparently the image of the penguins is a picture taken of some artwork in subway train station in nyc. i've already begun planning a sunday afternoon that pete & i can go on this little adventure. <span style="font-style: italic;">(he doesnt know it yet) </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1ix0LOFyhxT4j4GvwwIuicokdl9GYth4wi3f9QgTZVqZtfqsGWv-Ox__d6sfCllMLqLYIfQJ2E2dszXYJfYHUSos8R5D9Hw0Ygjsk7CP-gkWlM7tQ-INeVw1vU8gHGCXNSIogA/s1600-h/penguinsoverdinner.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1ix0LOFyhxT4j4GvwwIuicokdl9GYth4wi3f9QgTZVqZtfqsGWv-Ox__d6sfCllMLqLYIfQJ2E2dszXYJfYHUSos8R5D9Hw0Ygjsk7CP-gkWlM7tQ-INeVw1vU8gHGCXNSIogA/s320/penguinsoverdinner.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387080201964822786" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"Penguins Over Dinner"</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">mari & i spotted this at a thrift store not to long ago. i wish i purchased it when i saw it. so random & cute.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKpJJt9i6QbDpJEhxPBTd86GY0e3caevRE7N63OGlPUpaVQEy_C6u3qDf4YyarG6vRZP-gfGkVK0sNQqLTBemdfO6BJdpKWh5aYZQeJdfFzfavNwKLuKE9bjLWw_NZtYwqQvxBg/s1600-h/penguins.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKpJJt9i6QbDpJEhxPBTd86GY0e3caevRE7N63OGlPUpaVQEy_C6u3qDf4YyarG6vRZP-gfGkVK0sNQqLTBemdfO6BJdpKWh5aYZQeJdfFzfavNwKLuKE9bjLWw_NZtYwqQvxBg/s320/penguins.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387075297205551122" border="0" /></a>these little guys we saw at the <a href="http://www.dwazoo.com/d/">dallas world aquarium</a> we visited while we were on vacation. you'll have to have<a href="http://lovehampton.blogspot.com/"> hampton</a> share her story about these penguins one day!<br /></div><br />hockey starts at 3pm on thursday! you can imagine the excitement around our house. last week i ordered the hockey package & ive enjoyed watching some of the pre-season games. here is to a great season! let's go pens!<br /><br />--------------<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Now Playing:</span> Nightmare of You - <span style="font-style: italic;">"Heaven Runs On Oil"</span>bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254425473060426355noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16722786.post-34779383102806497262009-09-28T21:34:00.010-04:002009-09-29T00:12:15.218-04:00"the truth is i'm to tired to play pretend"i have stumbled upon a 4 day weekend! <span style="font-style: italic;">( a weekend for a the retail employed )</span> although i could have used this time for a greater purpose, i will not look a gift horse in the mouth <span style="font-style: italic;">(whatever that means)</span> & use this time wisely.<br /><br />by using my time wisely, what i really mean is wandering the interwebs <span style="font-style: italic;">(which has been slow)</span> for pretty pictures and inspiration for things i really, <span style="font-weight: bold;">really</span> want to try. so in order to justify the 2+ hours <span style="font-style: italic;">(now 3+ because of posting this!)</span> i have logged in tonight, i am sharing with you all that i have found. <span style="font-style: italic;">(well mostly all of it)</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPFdD0Uueku7yhHpkNXJbKz5FWB2P8OITaO08eSA3Es4bCa5b5Wdk4wT6QGtSJ7v9wf3jT8Hmo3HkNuAPc-SYRW_ZwLiT8clbcYIljmwcZ9OsSNaKUJ-Logm16RA51L8SVKgULLg/s1600-h/sexygun+tattoo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPFdD0Uueku7yhHpkNXJbKz5FWB2P8OITaO08eSA3Es4bCa5b5Wdk4wT6QGtSJ7v9wf3jT8Hmo3HkNuAPc-SYRW_ZwLiT8clbcYIljmwcZ9OsSNaKUJ-Logm16RA51L8SVKgULLg/s320/sexygun+tattoo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386700192365712818" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.designcrushblog.com/2009/09/picture-it_28.html">- via DesignCrush - </a><br /></div><br />how sexy is this tattoo?! i wish i was badass enough to have this tattoo and to have thought of it first!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPzkAtdvqfP2Lg6aLNrbRA5BzcKLSOl-XI08X2rkk0-OQ2DyaXA0n8EGoVT0Z3brbs77lsDFEArW5eU1QXLPhy3KnSFot6lEUnIRj6lG_DFXhPuaZk9ubt2p4C5fUSZnfn3wNqg/s1600-h/pumpkinspicelatte.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPzkAtdvqfP2Lg6aLNrbRA5BzcKLSOl-XI08X2rkk0-OQ2DyaXA0n8EGoVT0Z3brbs77lsDFEArW5eU1QXLPhy3KnSFot6lEUnIRj6lG_DFXhPuaZk9ubt2p4C5fUSZnfn3wNqg/s320/pumpkinspicelatte.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386702364188327378" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/beverage/diy-pumpkin-spice-latte-096277">- DIY Pumpkin Spice Lattes -<br /></a></div><br />like any good american, i have fallen under that pressure of consumerism & enjoy ordering over priced lattes from starbucks from time to time. especially in the chilly fall/winter weather, ordering a pumpkin spice latte & a slice of pumpkin bread can make anyones day, mmmmmmm. but now i can bust out my little coffee maker & make my own!<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">btw, i am not a coffee drinker generally but i love these.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-p8GCe1Hu2p5DYdydsy7uEKAtKeTZXzbu-lxfs8XVdvNMVL4HyiMusCJmVeS7ehcU04gqQlnpoZ1rTQ1hCGU1WNRMY31vok_2NLHmcdEsKYzq2jX5MDXy5p_cYTMkSfbhSLM7w/s1600-h/classicbigglassesdarknails.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-p8GCe1Hu2p5DYdydsy7uEKAtKeTZXzbu-lxfs8XVdvNMVL4HyiMusCJmVeS7ehcU04gqQlnpoZ1rTQ1hCGU1WNRMY31vok_2NLHmcdEsKYzq2jX5MDXy5p_cYTMkSfbhSLM7w/s320/classicbigglassesdarknails.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386706286770000754" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20onblur=%22try%20%7Bparent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully%28%29;%7D%20catch%28e%29%20%7B%7D%22%20href=%22https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-p8GCe1Hu2p5DYdydsy7uEKAtKeTZXzbu-lxfs8XVdvNMVL4HyiMusCJmVeS7ehcU04gqQlnpoZ1rTQ1hCGU1WNRMY31vok_2NLHmcdEsKYzq2jX5MDXy5p_cYTMkSfbhSLM7w/s1600-h/classicbigglassesdarknails.jpg%22%3E%3Cimg%20style=%22margin:%200px%20auto%2010px;%20display:%20block;%20text-align:%20center;%20cursor:%20pointer;%20width:%20320px;%20height:%20222px;%22%20src=%22https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-p8GCe1Hu2p5DYdydsy7uEKAtKeTZXzbu-lxfs8XVdvNMVL4HyiMusCJmVeS7ehcU04gqQlnpoZ1rTQ1hCGU1WNRMY31vok_2NLHmcdEsKYzq2jX5MDXy5p_cYTMkSfbhSLM7w/s320/classicbigglassesdarknails.jpg%22%20alt=%22%22%20id=%22BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386706286770000754%22%20border=%220%22%20/%3E%3C/a%3E">- via dustjacket attic -<br /></a></div><br />i really just love the look of this photo, and the feeling it gives me. its so classic. i don't think i'll ever grow tired of over sized sunglasses & dark nail polish. this blog is filled with amazing photographs, it was largely the reason i have spent so much time on the computer tonight.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgi8UvAV7wCrj_fHmmZerH7AOLtVq8PyRjG74334WbwDBumI8TAft50k3qvpxpFReorj4kBPYOuKNtk9wdDMxHpmhMCoFheS8Gz_0Qozm1gFCUXk7DdWXNa5mxuBSgas7u3E17cw/s1600-h/dresserproject2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 249px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgi8UvAV7wCrj_fHmmZerH7AOLtVq8PyRjG74334WbwDBumI8TAft50k3qvpxpFReorj4kBPYOuKNtk9wdDMxHpmhMCoFheS8Gz_0Qozm1gFCUXk7DdWXNa5mxuBSgas7u3E17cw/s320/dresserproject2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386708798333689458" border="0" /></a><a href="http://dmdinsight.com/blogs/post/182-weekend-project-2-days-2-nightstands">- via DMD Insight -<br /></a></div><br />have you ever heard of the term "ikea hacked"? well neither did i until tonight! but since i saw this post on re-vamping a dresser purchased at ikea <span style="font-style: italic;">(oddly enough pete & i took a day trip there today, love that store)</span>, i've been inspired to do the same. then of course i had to look up "ikea hacked" and i found <a href="http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/">this delightful blog</a> on doing just that! we are in despressed need of some quality storage, that looks nice, and is fairly inexpensive <span style="font-style: italic;">( i'm so tired of looking at plastic bins)</span>. obviously, you can go purchase some unfinished wood furinture & do this same thing, but this post really got my wheels turning!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqy4wyQ-33OqunYsPvnixfhLEbiiL0ayW91JTeyDS5Ly4fqnSGhCrIh5sFHWNynV3aV1gpqO_1rK2oXhVmFtX84dCM4y0D9NVaKdLWx4eMsvuazVJ5Nr5EhpbeCyp7ZwaRIQVK6Q/s1600-h/granolaball.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqy4wyQ-33OqunYsPvnixfhLEbiiL0ayW91JTeyDS5Ly4fqnSGhCrIh5sFHWNynV3aV1gpqO_1rK2oXhVmFtX84dCM4y0D9NVaKdLWx4eMsvuazVJ5Nr5EhpbeCyp7ZwaRIQVK6Q/s400/granolaball.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386713325776171522" border="0" /></a><a href="http://vallozamae.blogspot.com/2008/10/heaven.html">- No Bake Granola Balls -</a><br /></div><br />pete & i love our chewy bars. most of our shopping adventures to the pathmark include the purchase of at least 2 boxes of chewy bars. but after seeing this post, i clearly need to start making my own. its super easy & so much healthier.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2uk1fYTNho2Bok7piiHVy75NCooD3NbTAZ0QOZekUOOb1QuqQ1xe0bwCqDr3DW_ypLr38hFFroarPYhS1EnUH6W-8Cr-aGxG_0SCxpLSeYUJI579MKci7SiC3FbPUWbWyc38wQ/s1600-h/franklin+stool+fold.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2uk1fYTNho2Bok7piiHVy75NCooD3NbTAZ0QOZekUOOb1QuqQ1xe0bwCqDr3DW_ypLr38hFFroarPYhS1EnUH6W-8Cr-aGxG_0SCxpLSeYUJI579MKci7SiC3FbPUWbWyc38wQ/s320/franklin+stool+fold.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386716212471530994" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvvOQYsPr9UVR1HesMdqj0vMVfkeAEQfEWQwSwSWyxsvilCpRle7QcGmQS0np_HfZ8H_PxI5p6wSVNNhGVvjGHkxYVPpkhTI87pV6XF-Pgdv0AsgMaM8r_1YiNvi0xuqJGLttxQ/s1600-h/franklin+stool.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvvOQYsPr9UVR1HesMdqj0vMVfkeAEQfEWQwSwSWyxsvilCpRle7QcGmQS0np_HfZ8H_PxI5p6wSVNNhGVvjGHkxYVPpkhTI87pV6XF-Pgdv0AsgMaM8r_1YiNvi0xuqJGLttxQ/s320/franklin+stool.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386716204444393378" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20059301">- Ikea Franklin Bar Stool -<br /></a></div><br />lastly, this find comes from pete. why pete was browsing the <a href="http://yummy411.blogspot.com/2009/03/makeup-artist-tools-tall-folding-chair.html">beauty blogs</a> this morning is beyond me, <span style="font-style: italic;">(hahahahaha)</span> but he came across the perfect chair for my freelance makeup work! because of his find, we made a trip up to the ikea by us to check out the chair and if it would really work. its perfect & i'm excited to have a back pain free wedding.<br /><br />it's amazing how far the internet has come. you have given me so much oh! lovely internet. thank you <3<br /><br />--------------<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Now Playing:</span> Motion City Soundtrack - <span style="font-style: italic;">"Last Night" </span>bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254425473060426355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16722786.post-29453331550857056772009-09-23T21:18:00.004-04:002009-09-23T22:05:02.783-04:00birthdays & browniesfirst ...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Happy Birthday Pete!<br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8ATNA4u7C5mXv0Id-pHew3LGHduumwa_dcAuSrOUem_J90f9QnvxAmCw21ivL-FLD6l_HDK87rFQRq4hoNEY9HYX-8s5oDzf3Szd_w6pyjWzBoExcGNz4ZoU1fUxsSXKO0BnJw/s1600-h/bandp13.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8ATNA4u7C5mXv0Id-pHew3LGHduumwa_dcAuSrOUem_J90f9QnvxAmCw21ivL-FLD6l_HDK87rFQRq4hoNEY9HYX-8s5oDzf3Szd_w6pyjWzBoExcGNz4ZoU1fUxsSXKO0BnJw/s400/bandp13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384841221541514274" border="0" /></a>this picture was taken when we first started dating, and we were camera whores. <span style="font-style: italic;">(thats what long distance does to you!)</span> but we are still as goofy as ever!<br /><br />so happy birthday to the one that loves me no matter what, accepts me just like i am, and never ceases to make me laugh! i love you, pete!<br /><br />last night, pete & i went to go see face to face in nyc & without a doubt we had an amazing time. between singing along with the crowd, the lovely waitress at the all-night diner, & the great breeze through the city last night, we couldn't have planned it any better if we tried!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlGkW-xidpY7oceseOztbV0zzBZG9sE7WD8TQCwPugPimS7MPQoxoWIFf-WObhtzwreiUT5qDgfE5gDiCdDLusCtNAIvyfHEcl1driWfRCrgUwqCPNrkAS-TTMSyRfZxWeuewag/s1600-h/facetoface2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlGkW-xidpY7oceseOztbV0zzBZG9sE7WD8TQCwPugPimS7MPQoxoWIFf-WObhtzwreiUT5qDgfE5gDiCdDLusCtNAIvyfHEcl1driWfRCrgUwqCPNrkAS-TTMSyRfZxWeuewag/s320/facetoface2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384844596492410226" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU1WFGIb_UtPS4vXJY4CR1-6rjrJJJDoJEusVN-dpClB-4iRzCmVF2hBI5w3e5I3TYzmfxr1oATzTlbP8lLTKlFxaatWFIc7oSSX-UBkDKxp6bONPlO8N66B_wi7Jv5DkYkhwo3A/s1600-h/facetoface.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU1WFGIb_UtPS4vXJY4CR1-6rjrJJJDoJEusVN-dpClB-4iRzCmVF2hBI5w3e5I3TYzmfxr1oATzTlbP8lLTKlFxaatWFIc7oSSX-UBkDKxp6bONPlO8N66B_wi7Jv5DkYkhwo3A/s320/facetoface.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384844594815292482" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJLfaS4ZFJ3c-wj-5h4Lq5dIrSVBR041tepteT8jQP5d5GpGoSJcnvwUmIU8DTjnb9B_rgJjMdg-sVThYKM2Wl2RGMSxjr-WgOVcC0buBVq13r_U_IfkhC423RGruHqv9x6QdUCw/s1600-h/facetoface4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJLfaS4ZFJ3c-wj-5h4Lq5dIrSVBR041tepteT8jQP5d5GpGoSJcnvwUmIU8DTjnb9B_rgJjMdg-sVThYKM2Wl2RGMSxjr-WgOVcC0buBVq13r_U_IfkhC423RGruHqv9x6QdUCw/s320/facetoface4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384844608565046994" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjurIm1xl-KeY6O84eDT5KEcOLrHnGGO_v29zOJXWrYUkQnK94Re036ipuHu50LS03evhuHXJJGl_6CersEXDtjpkfpRVpiWwAnc3Dk6iRsl9uCSMwGIiCe7p0LS-Iqn96RhFuNsw/s1600-h/facetoface3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjurIm1xl-KeY6O84eDT5KEcOLrHnGGO_v29zOJXWrYUkQnK94Re036ipuHu50LS03evhuHXJJGl_6CersEXDtjpkfpRVpiWwAnc3Dk6iRsl9uCSMwGIiCe7p0LS-Iqn96RhFuNsw/s320/facetoface3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384844603617284882" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6BtfmFo1_akL7oL_FLCdroMSDFESTm2kmirR-xfWyH_39vKZugU2gglXUjtvNGRyPH5jgYvFhXTXmltW5w7l9piX-XbeF8dpUt4c7Jr8iZtfRwGvK2_aT6aMdUfGXxXpO5Lu8BQ/s1600-h/facetoface5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6BtfmFo1_akL7oL_FLCdroMSDFESTm2kmirR-xfWyH_39vKZugU2gglXUjtvNGRyPH5jgYvFhXTXmltW5w7l9piX-XbeF8dpUt4c7Jr8iZtfRwGvK2_aT6aMdUfGXxXpO5Lu8BQ/s320/facetoface5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384844620443203682" border="0" /></a><br />for his birthday i made some <a href="http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2008/04/old-school-fudge-brownies-with-walnuts/">simply wonderful brownies</a> <span style="font-style: italic;">(by recommendation of alvin)</span> when i had attempted the <a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/amazing-black-bean-brownies-recipe.html">black beans brownies</a> <span style="font-style: italic;">(which turned out awful, probably more of my fault than the recipe's)</span> pete begged me never to follow a brownie recipe ever again and just go with the box stuff. of course i didn't listen & wanted to prove him wrong! so i made this super simple, almost one bowl brownie recipe. the only thing i changed was the addition of white chocolate <span style="font-style: italic;">(his fave!)</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6EkYDv8xPKpFQknfjHHE6zsR65uIFP12RqYVaG1AS1Af5yTO0zIvI3J1hfqDvCM6SQVz6rPDCmkebrtoo6pn3O-gTK64Ac0OhIyB-17Tdkf97u-UDby5mhB79-PAfBRbWk-g9dA/s1600-h/birthdaybrownies.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6EkYDv8xPKpFQknfjHHE6zsR65uIFP12RqYVaG1AS1Af5yTO0zIvI3J1hfqDvCM6SQVz6rPDCmkebrtoo6pn3O-gTK64Ac0OhIyB-17Tdkf97u-UDby5mhB79-PAfBRbWk-g9dA/s320/birthdaybrownies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384846252902158802" border="0" /></a>i have redeemed myself & i am now allowed to try out more brownie recipes if i so choose! now go out and make some yummy brownies for your loved one's birthday, they'll appreciate it, promise!<br /><br />lastly & again ...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Happy Birthday Pete!</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">thank you for always being the one, xoxo</span><br /><br />--------------<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Now Playing:</span> Northstar - <span style="font-style: italic;">"For Member Only" (live & acoustic)</span>bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254425473060426355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16722786.post-28973221499189631962009-09-21T23:04:00.010-04:002009-09-22T00:58:15.530-04:00"it's not so complicated"has it really been a month?! believe me, it's not for a lack of goings ons! it's just amazing how time has just zipped right on through to the end of september. where to begin?! ...<br /><br />well, i finally did it. i convinced pete that i needed a blackberry. <span style="font-style: italic;">(like that, <span>"i needed"</span>, b/c a new phone was not what i <span>"needed"</span> by any stretch, but hey, i'm only human) </span>the truth is that his phone was on its last leg, and getting the blackberries for the both of us turned out to be a really good deal. <span style="font-style: italic;">(thank you ups!)</span> i really love having it, and i am so happy that pete loves it too. i was alittle nervous that he wouldn't like it but he loves getting his sport updates, and playing texas holdem'. <span style="font-style: italic;">whew.</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-AWZvzUIL4vCS6JCnKUttxpGoghsjqJ-4sTBw9TdVlKQPQ_x3PtmcKC3v_9nLd_x8EiHIceQLPULVrlj35DIZgcYovJFvfg48gykRvg-tX0zycJlGEqYpW-lDuZi2IMq8PmuSgQ/s1600-h/blackberry-tour-9630.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 318px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-AWZvzUIL4vCS6JCnKUttxpGoghsjqJ-4sTBw9TdVlKQPQ_x3PtmcKC3v_9nLd_x8EiHIceQLPULVrlj35DIZgcYovJFvfg48gykRvg-tX0zycJlGEqYpW-lDuZi2IMq8PmuSgQ/s320/blackberry-tour-9630.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384128175555788018" border="0" /></a>so pretty : )<br /></div><br /><br />since my last update we have been to texas and back again. it has been 2 years since i had been home, and man it was good to be back. everything has changed so much but at the same time it still felt just how i'd left it. we spent some quality time with old friends, and amazing family. we played alot of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase_10">phase10</a>, a little<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_hold_%27em"> poker</a>, and learned how to play <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mille_Bornes">mille bornes</a> <span style="font-style: italic;">(grandma didn't like that game as much) </span>i got to spend a good amount of time with my good friends tommy & crystal and their new little boy, zane. <span style="font-style: italic;">(baby fever!)</span> we visited south oaks, got rained out at the ranger game, made some new friends at a charity cocktail party & baked! over all the trip was great, we didn't get much rest but it was a vacation well spent. here are some pictures in no particular order & i made them small so it doesn't blow up your internet connection. click to enlarge!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHoZ1irZhQFEfBTzvJK-w4Dri5IpCbXhdq9di3iTJzOGqdYpICTK68VseFvEb_QpQsdLzjGQEemzCW2eB5BF8JB_ugVy9HU8jB3PgGGRfv3iP9HTilkyonyD3CKeG8RSaF5WUbKQ/s1600-h/zane6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHoZ1irZhQFEfBTzvJK-w4Dri5IpCbXhdq9di3iTJzOGqdYpICTK68VseFvEb_QpQsdLzjGQEemzCW2eB5BF8JB_ugVy9HU8jB3PgGGRfv3iP9HTilkyonyD3CKeG8RSaF5WUbKQ/s200/zane6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384135791480975250" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGM1AbPHgziv-ghhH3WQ2bfhg-d_1CathgRahn3d2h6KlMBrDyrU4g3gnisyRAw5i_3zu_MBnPtF3bpLona6NDWlzrDRSXL0gdhgZGsxBq3DdR498ZajljjvyoflrqaAyv0eRc6w/s1600-h/zane5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGM1AbPHgziv-ghhH3WQ2bfhg-d_1CathgRahn3d2h6KlMBrDyrU4g3gnisyRAw5i_3zu_MBnPtF3bpLona6NDWlzrDRSXL0gdhgZGsxBq3DdR498ZajljjvyoflrqaAyv0eRc6w/s200/zane5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384135703208343522" border="0" /></a>how sweet is he! he feel asleep on my chest & that alone made my heart melt.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9dpPbrR5JDlabqdJGxI7aw0yaqwyD6Ow1lV4el7Kh-NjpT8eGjrhbmqyDiWao6S6NCbbMKZZx_q2HwNe_jB20m6HOzIrRG99wB56IIv4y4ZtLoPCaXfRuxlENepURUxvmLc6XQ/s1600-h/zane4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9dpPbrR5JDlabqdJGxI7aw0yaqwyD6Ow1lV4el7Kh-NjpT8eGjrhbmqyDiWao6S6NCbbMKZZx_q2HwNe_jB20m6HOzIrRG99wB56IIv4y4ZtLoPCaXfRuxlENepURUxvmLc6XQ/s200/zane4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384135695892791826" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_lzYLzoAokfE3XOIdpKODSzIXFwnKuMgYfHz6G6kvpA6gfq5znybSRIdRKimjfrCQI-M-IM0IvKaCLsCUp9-pS_QzzzNFUZrf3Jxk0K5q3_Ourhk9YuCyUQ_yHsfC7Cp9gs-Qg/s1600-h/zane3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_lzYLzoAokfE3XOIdpKODSzIXFwnKuMgYfHz6G6kvpA6gfq5znybSRIdRKimjfrCQI-M-IM0IvKaCLsCUp9-pS_QzzzNFUZrf3Jxk0K5q3_Ourhk9YuCyUQ_yHsfC7Cp9gs-Qg/s200/zane3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384135691461941314" border="0" /></a>he is a good baby, tommy & crystal lucked out. i hope pete & i are just as lucky!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0n71PMtxT4ri7KSvvBXjsBS08Touy4Mwgm_UkrzVn9KcSokdFuJ7L321djkkSoICAZKo2WcgMF5lZ2_xctL7R47fCLVbkOf3egkiAaree7Q6Cj9SXzw4cCbT9Gg1-yMfXbYFYA/s1600-h/zane2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0n71PMtxT4ri7KSvvBXjsBS08Touy4Mwgm_UkrzVn9KcSokdFuJ7L321djkkSoICAZKo2WcgMF5lZ2_xctL7R47fCLVbkOf3egkiAaree7Q6Cj9SXzw4cCbT9Gg1-yMfXbYFYA/s200/zane2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384135684747002722" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_34rTv4tQbffe24bL7XWqp540hfThfO7KXJDKOYFZiJ_J9-O5112MYrOFzIqIc36P39j1UtX-ubPtfGTkAzTsYxEFmNz4oxrQ7Ey0pGW7T0aHpbb_8_BfRwRMVxM13dh4tMJaEw/s1600-h/zane.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_34rTv4tQbffe24bL7XWqp540hfThfO7KXJDKOYFZiJ_J9-O5112MYrOFzIqIc36P39j1UtX-ubPtfGTkAzTsYxEFmNz4oxrQ7Ey0pGW7T0aHpbb_8_BfRwRMVxM13dh4tMJaEw/s200/zane.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384135678205015618" border="0" /></a>tommy enjoying fatherhood. in the second picture zane looks like an old man or just like dr. dan (his grandfather)<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrG_aU4pvCkAS65_SohsLImt1_SgwapM1cGVXIk-xR4jWgMkhGC_etpYhhjZvmnyaFS1qAbF93G9JjxCSX4CgbROjr0TI4wzMfAPUZBVr8CU0UVX4sKtISFeIdV57zKZgGte0uaw/s1600-h/rangergame2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrG_aU4pvCkAS65_SohsLImt1_SgwapM1cGVXIk-xR4jWgMkhGC_etpYhhjZvmnyaFS1qAbF93G9JjxCSX4CgbROjr0TI4wzMfAPUZBVr8CU0UVX4sKtISFeIdV57zKZgGte0uaw/s200/rangergame2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384135377571359458" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQZdAB-pIzj4aaj542nMivVIME7X7nmjZ3nEhSa7V08U1IaqmStkXneOzauauIhtaaZ2fvg-_QYkpRb0zG5RP2gm3zZk1kKTD2ZsoSpc-Xyrp3RaE5I-bTEcmkYBM24EDyV4WqA/s1600-h/rangergame.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQZdAB-pIzj4aaj542nMivVIME7X7nmjZ3nEhSa7V08U1IaqmStkXneOzauauIhtaaZ2fvg-_QYkpRb0zG5RP2gm3zZk1kKTD2ZsoSpc-Xyrp3RaE5I-bTEcmkYBM24EDyV4WqA/s200/rangergame.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384135374934050610" border="0" /></a>the rain out ranger game, even though we didnt get to watch a game, we had a good time.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_gtFlzLFIpw_Pg5Fxbv4vVHHbNZul5xKptioUMosMSKw8xvT7xZGA7FVc7sSUSOYWzv6OWSizuQuYfQpYggAOvPTZnr251UzOL4YMbd4XcBNS9DcnOtVIdqp1C3bxwds8lXNzuQ/s1600-h/petendaddy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_gtFlzLFIpw_Pg5Fxbv4vVHHbNZul5xKptioUMosMSKw8xvT7xZGA7FVc7sSUSOYWzv6OWSizuQuYfQpYggAOvPTZnr251UzOL4YMbd4XcBNS9DcnOtVIdqp1C3bxwds8lXNzuQ/s200/petendaddy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384135365473980834" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdaILbT8pzqE3TMeJQ4hHNZ1ijMOm-Mb6neiMNXHQYMS34wndO7W1t-UBJkAk6DMVlmJpeQskHsLlzNicgEpQAmItjF8S_55GaCtM8xab-zzZ2Ms0reIqtpTnutMEIJ8Zq4JE8Bw/s1600-h/petenbekahrangergame.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdaILbT8pzqE3TMeJQ4hHNZ1ijMOm-Mb6neiMNXHQYMS34wndO7W1t-UBJkAk6DMVlmJpeQskHsLlzNicgEpQAmItjF8S_55GaCtM8xab-zzZ2Ms0reIqtpTnutMEIJ8Zq4JE8Bw/s200/petenbekahrangergame.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384135355591550658" border="0" /></a>pete & my dad, and then pete & i at the ranger game.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKVVpLxHM6RRPfIayAkku13owGJYCi30YgUzOrLNuiRimeXIWRVdISXxAItqxBNpiXLRIHGPDDfcnrS1cN8zzrvRhJJFLbxgFww27TYdJaST3KHPTbYHuIRHO2HgEGMAdukMTW_Q/s1600-h/mamangrandma.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKVVpLxHM6RRPfIayAkku13owGJYCi30YgUzOrLNuiRimeXIWRVdISXxAItqxBNpiXLRIHGPDDfcnrS1cN8zzrvRhJJFLbxgFww27TYdJaST3KHPTbYHuIRHO2HgEGMAdukMTW_Q/s200/mamangrandma.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384135352649659922" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWx3ihA_8CZlCCas5jUJQcbp63elxSYvTl9Et0PMBxT_kH_lLEsJvOetYadXAqyEtAdOvDUZwZsWgDuLNYax61nPlurjSC0VR0RY4Hq2ShAn2XZDxx5FJLzR_hC8sUpSY1XRt-og/s1600-h/mamanbekah.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWx3ihA_8CZlCCas5jUJQcbp63elxSYvTl9Et0PMBxT_kH_lLEsJvOetYadXAqyEtAdOvDUZwZsWgDuLNYax61nPlurjSC0VR0RY4Hq2ShAn2XZDxx5FJLzR_hC8sUpSY1XRt-og/s200/mamanbekah.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384134832167436402" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">grandma b & mama at the dallas world aquarium<span style="font-style: italic;"> (which was awesome!)</span> and then me & mama at the ranger game<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVi_NVC1AcY2W3-JrwC5Lt0t-qkHAFMTE3RxWbrNekXfQsWKEzgQ8ryL4xxgWo_V1mnQn3WHNvh-70V-vcX5HCZ3tP66f5fmZusMNJSYAHO6HBAemOfxGPQeOKCpFRhCw5TA-WbQ/s1600-h/cinnimonrolls.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVi_NVC1AcY2W3-JrwC5Lt0t-qkHAFMTE3RxWbrNekXfQsWKEzgQ8ryL4xxgWo_V1mnQn3WHNvh-70V-vcX5HCZ3tP66f5fmZusMNJSYAHO6HBAemOfxGPQeOKCpFRhCw5TA-WbQ/s200/cinnimonrolls.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384134824398713602" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZKCl7r5AOkviDhliG3fSkwwW-f1ZCSBNlujIAGPw6XmmsIP6LPE5bQSkkJK80MkWJ-47HlJL2UCZu1eeLYB0BnvWtdRhzrOQw86rKsC-EmddK1Fxa-hhL3vN-qa8yO2uXlS7TTg/s1600-h/carrotcake.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZKCl7r5AOkviDhliG3fSkwwW-f1ZCSBNlujIAGPw6XmmsIP6LPE5bQSkkJK80MkWJ-47HlJL2UCZu1eeLYB0BnvWtdRhzrOQw86rKsC-EmddK1Fxa-hhL3vN-qa8yO2uXlS7TTg/s200/carrotcake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384134815915863474" border="0" /></a>some baked goods! <a href="http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2008/09/easy-cinnamon-roll-muffins/">easy cinnamon rolls</a> & <a href="http://thekitchensinkrecipes.com/2009/03/10/a-simple-request/">carrot cake</a>. i also made <a href="http://thekitchensinkrecipes.com/2009/08/17/pancakes-with-a-story/#more-5960">homemade pancakes</a>, & a <a href="http://thekitchensinkrecipes.com/2008/01/21/the-best-part/">lemon cake </a>that didn't turn out so good. any baked good that calls for cake flour just never turns out well for me, so i'm over cake flour.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQyn6NRWIrbMY6Fvq22HrmyN7aPzqKiV-bxRIqgQLzXmbOQLFqevLbAYsguhzkhzQxsGHPW9hlgWG8AofUGyCNFkJjO8SyKtRHRvATh-aCu6QZggp8zNL0e2de08ug4VHejuw4w/s1600-h/butthampton.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQyn6NRWIrbMY6Fvq22HrmyN7aPzqKiV-bxRIqgQLzXmbOQLFqevLbAYsguhzkhzQxsGHPW9hlgWG8AofUGyCNFkJjO8SyKtRHRvATh-aCu6QZggp8zNL0e2de08ug4VHejuw4w/s200/butthampton.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384134811597417074" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-zvGM3J4f4hjY8imnZ5bS2-ILHt4yA62hZXPm5kHKFUb9ZV4zG_FgfzaZi59gEpE5Gl4lsiXf6W0psXsLeSzN0U1xoMR6K4TafxyN_j8KmZYyg4u5UA7-0GsPRTbtuxaSeLb0g/s1600-h/butt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-zvGM3J4f4hjY8imnZ5bS2-ILHt4yA62hZXPm5kHKFUb9ZV4zG_FgfzaZi59gEpE5Gl4lsiXf6W0psXsLeSzN0U1xoMR6K4TafxyN_j8KmZYyg4u5UA7-0GsPRTbtuxaSeLb0g/s200/butt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384134804823272866" border="0" /></a>hampton & i in awe of the rear end of the mannequin at forever21.<br /><br />i have some more pictures but i think i'll save those for a facebook album. i didn't take as many pictures as i would have liked but i say that everytime. i can't believe we have been home for a week now. sometimes going back to reality just plain stinks!<br /><br />while we were in texas, pete & i celebrated our 2 year anniversary. 2 years, whoa! now i know that is no milestone but with the ups & downs we've had in those 2 years its nice to be here. even with the craziness we have gone through, i am so glad to be here with him. i don't think anyone else could ever handle either of us : ) love you, baybeh xoxo<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3XTZzAT_Zo048svjNyCpjLUq8QQeKm70DwhI87sbjNe6PbdWcm7cpN3sL2k9k2ltb_raeHFlRN89s5TbUV-0xvfu9HLMR2foJMBOJ2csN33PYrOTGsjcvQZk5Rc5u2Pr0-GO2Lw/s1600-h/weddingday.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3XTZzAT_Zo048svjNyCpjLUq8QQeKm70DwhI87sbjNe6PbdWcm7cpN3sL2k9k2ltb_raeHFlRN89s5TbUV-0xvfu9HLMR2foJMBOJ2csN33PYrOTGsjcvQZk5Rc5u2Pr0-GO2Lw/s320/weddingday.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384141382463845634" border="0" /></a><br />hmm, i'm starting to lose focus on all the goings ons. but i think i nailed down the important things. i have some projects that i am working on, and also some great recipes to share!<span style="font-style: italic;"> (of course once i attempt them)</span> i'm loving the days as they get cooler & cooler. it's going to be a great end of the year. i can feel it!<br /><br />tomorrow night pete & i are gonna go see face to face in the city. can't wait!<br />it was nice to update, we'll do this again soon!<br /><br /><br />--------------<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Now Playing:</span> Face To Face - <span style="font-style: italic;">"Sensible"</span>bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254425473060426355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16722786.post-308966241077847732009-08-26T00:16:00.004-04:002009-08-26T01:07:50.079-04:00"cause even slurred words can contain some truth"august has been a month full of birthdays, so that means ALOT of baking has gone down in my kitchen!<br /><br />at the beginning of the month i made <a href="http://thekitchensinkrecipes.com/2008/04/14/birthday-cake/">vanilla cupcakes</a> with chocolate <a href="http://cupcakeblog.com/?p=31">ganache frosting</a>. sadly, despite the wonderful yummy name, they turned out utterly horrible. i was very ashamed & baffled as to were i went wrong. not to toot my own horn but i can hold my own when it comes to baking, and read & follow a recipe quite well, but these just flat knocked me off my arse! <span style="font-style: italic;">(not in the good way!)</span> i didn't even take pictures, thats how bad they were : (<br /><br />so to redeem myself i made a simple <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Davids-Yellow-Cake/Detail.aspx">vanilla yellow cake cupcake </a>with super sweet buttercream frosting <span style="font-style: italic;">(i just followed the recipe on the domino powdered sugar box)</span>. my friend bentlee had requested these for his birthday, and they were a huge hit!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha27FPg-AEbdjw9IuUYjo52zw5P5Dnw52sInoEbFfSdZ0YnXn7d8E2m3KeZqexOuCNETljJlrtnPK8ly2q7_y7otISIk-GUYSeeLmy0ZcLXkUbSy1qGpjQ7NAYx1vH5Au0QAKs7Q/s1600-h/bentleecupcakes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha27FPg-AEbdjw9IuUYjo52zw5P5Dnw52sInoEbFfSdZ0YnXn7d8E2m3KeZqexOuCNETljJlrtnPK8ly2q7_y7otISIk-GUYSeeLmy0ZcLXkUbSy1qGpjQ7NAYx1vH5Au0QAKs7Q/s320/bentleecupcakes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374123349099849426" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWoH4GOmDbfDHy8JjD4OLG6ZOgP2Ash7Qcp9T4S3c-A0bHvQdWhrWsVy-o1aa-lEDiN1XR0Pqrr25W0TCLKN8HhyQzUbfJiOFEVKvtMRDMPdnuvkcjNl4VRRNOXSm6Nbuc7eijPw/s1600-h/bentleecupcakes2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWoH4GOmDbfDHy8JjD4OLG6ZOgP2Ash7Qcp9T4S3c-A0bHvQdWhrWsVy-o1aa-lEDiN1XR0Pqrr25W0TCLKN8HhyQzUbfJiOFEVKvtMRDMPdnuvkcjNl4VRRNOXSm6Nbuc7eijPw/s320/bentleecupcakes2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374123340998450802" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">(sorry for the camera phone picture, i couldnt fine my digital, yet again!)</span><br /></div><br />i even practiced some of my piping skills to give them that extra special touch. i was very pleased with these & they were delicious! rave reviews from my favorite test audience <span style="font-style: italic;">(my co-workers)</span><br /><br />after that, mari requested some sort of banana cake for her birthday. to follow up my success the week before, i made <a href="http://thekitchensinkrecipes.com/2008/03/26/banana-layer-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting-or-ugly-cake/#more-990">banana nut cupcakes</a> with <a href="http://bakerella.blogspot.com/2009/08/monkey-business.html">cream cheese frosting</a>. these turned out great! i was so pleased with myself & even alyne <span style="font-style: italic;">(friend/co-worker)</span> told me "best cupcakes you have made to date!" the cake was super moist, sweet but not overly sweet, and had a great melt in your mouth texture. the only thing i changed in the recipe was i added a cup and half of chopped walnuts, turned out wonderful! in the past i struggle with making cream cheese frosting, & pete would beg me to just buy the canned stuff. my previous attempts always seemed to turn out translucent & a sticky oozy mess. but i was not going to be defeated by a canned oil filled icing, i couldnt be! after searching numerous sites, i think i found the perfect recipe, it was like a dream. fluffy, sweet, & tangy. pure perfection!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuimR45jZ9SA714ZQnJp40CIiO-dvuJT1N6SXrkNqJwtRd9HearSBAf2Yp05b5S05nHUW6OdOD3oqWdTfmfbD9W3PlS_QMCDgpKQ5tO1KtZGe2-Dy6FqBVuY9eLpQlbWC5T7bd_Q/s1600-h/iguess+152.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuimR45jZ9SA714ZQnJp40CIiO-dvuJT1N6SXrkNqJwtRd9HearSBAf2Yp05b5S05nHUW6OdOD3oqWdTfmfbD9W3PlS_QMCDgpKQ5tO1KtZGe2-Dy6FqBVuY9eLpQlbWC5T7bd_Q/s320/iguess+152.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374126755112951506" border="0" /></a>the mess that doubling a recipe can cause. the batter got so big i had to spit it in half just so it wouldnt over load my bowl & hand mixer.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPm4qRqI4Mofkq56JL4zQKqMNdAAmz2LprSxyj50NXM5yAqnj4Ux08ot7MsGg2T2dMB2wfH6vl3gaulUHx7TM7D0mWqimfwWdSli_kG5on7GNTn7VCr5MD_fnOkpKvzTZzi9zVQ/s1600-h/iguess+157.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPm4qRqI4Mofkq56JL4zQKqMNdAAmz2LprSxyj50NXM5yAqnj4Ux08ot7MsGg2T2dMB2wfH6vl3gaulUHx7TM7D0mWqimfwWdSli_kG5on7GNTn7VCr5MD_fnOkpKvzTZzi9zVQ/s320/iguess+157.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374126765141795154" border="0" /></a>various toppings, sprinkles, coconut, & walnuts.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKmQ4HVSdXG2ZrJlxoJCCdBmwRNO7upktYRLibE7UwbB8N7rlW2R0ofLtRJQon8w2YD-Nb_2vtyPTFPUnaSmapWmnjsIHcU3VQrlt8n7rmZ8J7XVmzk07QNtYCGJc_REQJyj0LcA/s1600-h/iguess+169.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKmQ4HVSdXG2ZrJlxoJCCdBmwRNO7upktYRLibE7UwbB8N7rlW2R0ofLtRJQon8w2YD-Nb_2vtyPTFPUnaSmapWmnjsIHcU3VQrlt8n7rmZ8J7XVmzk07QNtYCGJc_REQJyj0LcA/s320/iguess+169.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374126777660830514" border="0" /></a>my favorite cupcake pan is the texas sized one. <span style="font-style: italic;">(i love it partly because its "texas" size :) )</span><br /></div><br />next week for marixa's birthday i'm going to make chocolate cupcakes with three different frostings. & practice piping some more <span style="font-style: italic;">(chocolate buttercream, mint buttercream, & peanut butter) </span><br /><br />so get to baking people!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">** less than two weeks until i'm in texas!</span><br /><br />--------------<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Now Playing:</span> Death Cab for Cutie -<span style="font-style: italic;"> "Talking Like Turnstiles" </span>bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254425473060426355noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16722786.post-9077776758410092962009-08-18T00:01:00.006-04:002009-08-26T00:15:41.793-04:00if you would have asked me 5 years ago ...<span style="font-style: italic;">... i would have thought i would either have a kid, or at least be pregnant at this point in my life. now that thought scares me! my how things have changed!</span><br /><br />tonight while going through my daily blog roll, i was hit with an overwhelming sense of sadness. this might be hard to explain but bare with me ...<br /><br />one of my best friends, crystal, is pregnant and embarking on this crazy, wonderful, & amazing journey of parenthood with her wonderful hubby, tommy. it's hard to believe sometimes that we are old enough to be married, paying rent, and working real jobs, let alone be thinking about having children!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPnwpKOqL7-cfsGNYVcHZqHIuqdmtN4J99OVyq7U6XQePxRnUMgxuY5JhMOTFURgvl66Hz5z-bWSd6U5WZDeWE35EnlkYFXC_xPMiqbr5kFUHnneE7-ZepH2ZLCz-c7KHaBDlzNw/s1600-h/crystalpreggers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPnwpKOqL7-cfsGNYVcHZqHIuqdmtN4J99OVyq7U6XQePxRnUMgxuY5JhMOTFURgvl66Hz5z-bWSd6U5WZDeWE35EnlkYFXC_xPMiqbr5kFUHnneE7-ZepH2ZLCz-c7KHaBDlzNw/s320/crystalpreggers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371161281041451474" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">so cute & preggers!</span><br /><br /></div>pete & i are very clear on the fact that niether of us are ready to have children just yet. there are a bunch of reason why we feel this way, but if it were to happen tomorrow, we would be excited none the less. but for now we're content on being just pete & bekah. although i'm happy with our current situation, i can't lie & say i don't have a touch of baby fever. i get excited when i imagine what he or she would look like, what names we would choose, and what type of parents would we be. seeing alot of my friends having babies on facebook & seeing so many babies & pregnant ladies at work, i can't help but wonder.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfhAXaTtduSP6NG5lko95n5mKxrhTSOQPw-NKhb8dD2j8tedHic0TfCc4s_zm_8sOLoduasdIj7pKajtoACRl-BPQezec1Ami3UvUZvhqjaoAha3HqKXQv0emjpYy4IYr5BxH9hg/s1600-h/crystalandme3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfhAXaTtduSP6NG5lko95n5mKxrhTSOQPw-NKhb8dD2j8tedHic0TfCc4s_zm_8sOLoduasdIj7pKajtoACRl-BPQezec1Ami3UvUZvhqjaoAha3HqKXQv0emjpYy4IYr5BxH9hg/s320/crystalandme3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371161267864806946" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">one of the best bridesmaids ever!</span><br /><br /></div>now with that being said, after reading crystal's <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.williamsonfamilyadventures.blogspot.com/">blog entry</a> tonight i was overcome by sadness. i wish i was in texas experiencing all of this with her & tommy. i was so excited <span style="font-style: italic;">(&honored)</span> when she called and told me she was pregnant & then again when they found out they were having a boy. i've followed her blog & facebook filled with photos, and the descriptions my mom would give me when she saw her at church. i can't tell you how happy i am for her <span style="font-style: italic;">(&toms)</span>. i just wish i was there! i wish i could have been at her baby shower, helped with baby zane's room, and see her growing belly. i know it sounds crazy to say i'm sad, but i can't seem to think of another adjective to describe how i feel right now. i'm sad for myself that i'm missing out on these amazing life changing things in her life, because her & i have experienced many life changing experiences together. <span style="font-style: italic;">(it happens when you've been friends since 5th grade!)</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgla9oNWzGd6ZWWL9j4MIGfzGyNguYrIM5JrYMbLcdoN4oCxYq6jKLv7IskXuoSiuzizSnkR-p-8QQ0CkdKzj_1q2n_0IN6ltymhVc50C7__CQ5WmZCl6ehMGC-hA9BBQ63-n9Hww/s1600-h/crystalandme2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgla9oNWzGd6ZWWL9j4MIGfzGyNguYrIM5JrYMbLcdoN4oCxYq6jKLv7IskXuoSiuzizSnkR-p-8QQ0CkdKzj_1q2n_0IN6ltymhVc50C7__CQ5WmZCl6ehMGC-hA9BBQ63-n9Hww/s320/crystalandme2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371161260990760146" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">i think this is when we were in 8th grade, south oaks fall festival</span><br /><br /></div>luckily, her due date is september 10th & i will be in texas! i'm so hoping that zane will come before or while i'm in town so i can meet him.<span style="font-style: italic;"> (haha because its all about me, kidding!)</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfa17LfNLlJAv-l89GiIIffmf5pps5AklpjTVmk2J2r2WnRt2YGSUeDTWBF7T0Vjeq5fzTCMLjDGAHkm0PYQp6LXw8xYA46lm4-CGwwILbuqBzOjcTgaibLdnnz2sUTPBfI3G4fg/s1600-h/crystalandme.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfa17LfNLlJAv-l89GiIIffmf5pps5AklpjTVmk2J2r2WnRt2YGSUeDTWBF7T0Vjeq5fzTCMLjDGAHkm0PYQp6LXw8xYA46lm4-CGwwILbuqBzOjcTgaibLdnnz2sUTPBfI3G4fg/s320/crystalandme.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371161257253274530" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">i can't remember where this was taken, but i'm pretty sure we were either junior or seniors in high school</span><br /><br /></div>it's funny how different our lives are & how different they are from what we talked about & imagined they would be like. there is a huge part of me that wishes that pete & i lived in texas. that i was surrounded by my friends & family, and not relying on facebook for daily updates. but of course, i'm not so sure i would change how everything has played out either. its kinda funny, i'm reaching that age of where enough time has passed to see what is & what could have been.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">even though i am sad for myself in this moment, i couldn't be anymore excited & ready to see her in september. so get ready crystal! <span style="font-style: italic;">( & zane!)</span> love you xoxo<br /><br />--------------<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Now Playing:</span> Cobra Starship - <span style="font-style: italic;">"Pete Wentz is the Reason We're Famous"</span><br /><br /><br /></div>bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254425473060426355noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16722786.post-48198604775283233542009-08-12T21:56:00.007-04:002009-08-12T22:56:06.504-04:00bella vs. sookieok, ok, ok. so maybe i'm alittle behind on the whole twilight gig & alittle ashamed that i've jumped on the hype bandwagon, but i can't help it, i love it! i've finally finished the whole series, and while i was slightly disappointed with "Breaking Dawn", overall i really enjoyed the books. they were super easy reads & kept me entertained, to where i would spent 5 straight hours reading at a time. <span style="font-style: italic;">(maybe i'm just easily entertained!)</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjjEB2xwxD8nryO1Qv1So0nf0Cv-UdFpu2JBFPbSj5f8Qnu0PsgUa-ZGKidZUKApOLQ8HpkW6bBnahIKQ1w-5bAT1ttFSR7sSqMP_wb47O6Fp8a7eONmsHhWBjUWlvSlPC_tA5A/s1600-h/twilightcovers2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjjEB2xwxD8nryO1Qv1So0nf0Cv-UdFpu2JBFPbSj5f8Qnu0PsgUa-ZGKidZUKApOLQ8HpkW6bBnahIKQ1w-5bAT1ttFSR7sSqMP_wb47O6Fp8a7eONmsHhWBjUWlvSlPC_tA5A/s400/twilightcovers2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369263125454447906" border="0" /></a><br />i'm excited for the release of <a href="http://www.twilightthemovie.com/">"New Moon"</a> in november & "Eclipse" in june 2010. liquesa and i have already set up a date for us to go see it! <span style="font-style: italic;">(we've been twilight buddies at work)</span> but if you haven't read them & you enjoy a good love story, along with some good mystery you should check them out. i know some of you out there are closet fans! it's alright, let it be know! : )<br /><br />between reading the twilight series, i picked up on the <a href="http://www.charlaineharris.com/bibliography/bibliog-sookie.html">"Sookie Stackhouse Series"</a>. if you haven't heard about it, i'm sure you've heard of the hbo show, <a href="http://www.hbo.com/trueblood/season2/">"True Blood"</a> <span style="font-style: italic;">(which is soooo good! anna paquin is great!)</span> the show is based off the 8 novels & both are extremely entertaining! a group of us at work are obsessed with the show & talk about it all time.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDTsK83OWiKbRU83XWH9COsyU3egFdglckVyhgOvWwy1bKyCXOUh8U8GfWsTA3mSK4r39MCHcd63BxMr3E1NlIMKYNyRGPLZvVMvNcreUf6IiGznx__hHzc2V89FIHlBqyUUSCA/s1600-h/trueblood.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDTsK83OWiKbRU83XWH9COsyU3egFdglckVyhgOvWwy1bKyCXOUh8U8GfWsTA3mSK4r39MCHcd63BxMr3E1NlIMKYNyRGPLZvVMvNcreUf6IiGznx__hHzc2V89FIHlBqyUUSCA/s320/trueblood.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369266253485732898" border="0" /></a><br />i've read some talk that<a href="http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/index.html"> stephanie meyers</a> <span style="font-style: italic;">(author of twilight)</span> ripped off <a href="http://www.charlaineharris.com/index.html">charlaine harris</a> <span style="font-style: italic;">(author of the sookie stackhouse books)</span>. while there are quite alot of similarities between the books, overall the stories are very different & both enjoyable for different reasons.<br /><br />this little vampire kick i've been on has been a fun mindless getaway for me <span style="font-style: italic;">(mostly on my lunch breaks at work)</span> & i'm excited to finish the rest of the sookie books eventually.<br /><br />so, get to reading people! & watch true blood, you won't be disappointed! <span style="font-style: italic;">(unless you're my mom, she wouldn't like it to much! haha)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">BTW</span> i'm not quite sure if i will be dvr-ing the new cw show <a href="http://www.cwtv.com/shows/the-vampire-diaries">"The Vampire Diaries"</a>. but i can't say that i am not slightly intrigued. of course its got pretty much the same plot as twilight & true blood, alittle mix of both it seems. so who knows, we'll see! fringe & heroes comes back in september, now that is worth watching!<br /><br />--------------<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Now Playing:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">"How Long Is To Long"</span> - The Get Up Kidsbekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254425473060426355noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16722786.post-51914180319501301292009-08-03T21:55:00.004-04:002009-08-03T22:21:10.651-04:00"baby, what do you know?!"pete & i were in desperate need to go grocery shopping after weeks of eating out<span style="font-style: italic;"> (& junk at that!)</span> we finally made it to the pathmark.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiPxHKRY87vOxyCl_EgPhmT2DDjRtP8eOzuTTradF4Twui8HJCXP-GOegvY633zkcmfjz6mUnnt0A37GobaWPghHjF-AggL9CeaB4QL2_eK8S1HtfAQj8zLzHvIY-5vRQPJdYbOw/s1600-h/fridgeempty.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiPxHKRY87vOxyCl_EgPhmT2DDjRtP8eOzuTTradF4Twui8HJCXP-GOegvY633zkcmfjz6mUnnt0A37GobaWPghHjF-AggL9CeaB4QL2_eK8S1HtfAQj8zLzHvIY-5vRQPJdYbOw/s400/fridgeempty.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365921979402216562" border="0" /></a>as you can see we were down to the bare minimum! <span style="font-style: italic;">(i had just put the chicken & eggs in when i deciced to take the picture)</span> kinda sad if you ask me, especially for someone that loves to cook!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPcho_NNdsgbnqJcfivMfPmooRbqvZrA7F93pIos4kUZ15nzqCE3LnCj4e_DDGFK377Xkv0XcmI7S2rQABzCzbTgye7tYQLqH9bqPcF0l-TLcVzIjKsPruXkFcrw6rPkhd2NihQ/s1600-h/fridgefull.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPcho_NNdsgbnqJcfivMfPmooRbqvZrA7F93pIos4kUZ15nzqCE3LnCj4e_DDGFK377Xkv0XcmI7S2rQABzCzbTgye7tYQLqH9bqPcF0l-TLcVzIjKsPruXkFcrw6rPkhd2NihQ/s400/fridgefull.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365921971611434882" border="0" /></a>then after a fun filled hour at the store we had a plentiful fridge. we made a pack that for the rest of the week we would only eat what we bought today & what we would make. after spending a silly amount of money on eating out in july, our wallets need this much needed break. <span style="font-style: italic;">(not to mention our bodies!)</span> so tonight we hopped right to it & made "grilled chicken ranch pitas" yum! pete is really good at coming up with quick an easy meals & together pitas we made. it was alot of fun to share our tiny little kitchen and enjoy our well executed meal.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6QTvj1RuMht2mz2Eae_m1KUwJK60axhxc1hiGUibYglDUjsm4EyLaWUK30pS8sTNPeqLUdqP56gw8gnoKO-QDV0DXLdOaW5JX5oUybh6D6IbalPj5_som9dtw6BcOJdxPse2Sdw/s1600-h/pitachicken.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6QTvj1RuMht2mz2Eae_m1KUwJK60axhxc1hiGUibYglDUjsm4EyLaWUK30pS8sTNPeqLUdqP56gw8gnoKO-QDV0DXLdOaW5JX5oUybh6D6IbalPj5_som9dtw6BcOJdxPse2Sdw/s400/pitachicken.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365923880290853586" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">(sorry for the camera phone picture, i couldn't find my digital at the moment)</span><br /></div><br />Here is the run down of the "recipe"<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Grilled Chicken Ranch Pitas</span><br />2 chicken breast, grilled & cut into strips<br />1 cup of chopped lettuce<br />half of a small onion, finely chopped<br />half of a cucumber, chopped<br />1/2 cup of grape tomatoes, quatered<br />1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese<span style="font-style: italic;"> (or any shredded cheese you like)</span><br />1/2 teaspoon salt<br />1/2 teaspoon pepper <span style="font-style: italic;">(we like our food peppery)</span><br />2 tablespoons of lite ranch dressing<br />2 warmed pitas, spilt in half<br /><br />Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix well. Fill pitas & enjoy!<br /><br />the nice thing about this meal is that its super easy, filling, & not all that bad for you! pitas are also a great meal starter, pete & i kept coming up with ideas of what to fill the rest of our pitas with. hope y'all enjoy it just as much as we did!<br /><br />--------------<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Now Playing: </span>Voxtrot - "Berlin, without return"<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">( i am currently obsessed with this song, its been on loop all day, <3)</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span>bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254425473060426355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16722786.post-22358181747955134782009-07-31T23:42:00.005-04:002009-08-01T00:01:03.387-04:00happy birthday mama!before july is over & august begins <span style="font-style: italic;">(can it really already be august?!)</span> i need to say ...<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">happy birthday mama!</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYs5prpAn4PYMWR7Irq1y4eDymxwyQhXLrM0AdfR68vZKUsc4idR1tacAoEzCHluBiFzuc3S9fWS5o0pYlxK7WnXJKhlvNXAx-rrF9Zvw_F9u1TlihXR7fZrC4yyL1CCVS-3OVA/s1600-h/IMG_0001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 262px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYs5prpAn4PYMWR7Irq1y4eDymxwyQhXLrM0AdfR68vZKUsc4idR1tacAoEzCHluBiFzuc3S9fWS5o0pYlxK7WnXJKhlvNXAx-rrF9Zvw_F9u1TlihXR7fZrC4yyL1CCVS-3OVA/s320/IMG_0001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364837758149094882" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">i feel so blessed to have such a wonderful mom. even though we don't always see eye to eye or at times think we are crazy, she is the best mother i could have ever asked for. my mom is the quite & reserved type, and of course i am not, i'm more the loud & eccentric type. <span style="font-style: italic;">(but most of y'all knew that)</span> she is an amazing listener & always surprises me with her never ending wisdom. me & her have been through alot together, and as i get older our bond grows stronger. <span style="font-style: italic;">(despite the distance) </span>it was so wonderful to spend time with her while they were up this month & i can't wait to see her in september! one month away!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-ky52wEDBhac7LZFVXhKUGSWKeqLbNRCDc31JOjcywIH7utcwv1yeDYuQZh9nG51yRPcETGvFAUvcKK-MX8UdsKHNTnM3yhABTo84dQnbIDlZnfJXZsUr-TPPiOY0-YmTU8Srw/s1600-h/mamadaddybing.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-ky52wEDBhac7LZFVXhKUGSWKeqLbNRCDc31JOjcywIH7utcwv1yeDYuQZh9nG51yRPcETGvFAUvcKK-MX8UdsKHNTnM3yhABTo84dQnbIDlZnfJXZsUr-TPPiOY0-YmTU8Srw/s320/mamadaddybing.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364839532287935698" border="0" /></a>don't be fooled, she might be reserved, but probably way more goofier than me. it had to come from some where!<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqCtgeLKtX0bRe6CLupqz0IsMim0PAJ1LJMmtyJgp5DktuPO5Xz6F3DV34QFwrbR3M2ujzUN6Sgde2S1tDAMBPnI0rgpcj1J3Vba-74TV4RK0YWSzo1J3hT8_mzAhXIjoajOR1lA/s1600-h/getting+ready+-+bekah+two+%2841%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqCtgeLKtX0bRe6CLupqz0IsMim0PAJ1LJMmtyJgp5DktuPO5Xz6F3DV34QFwrbR3M2ujzUN6Sgde2S1tDAMBPnI0rgpcj1J3Vba-74TV4RK0YWSzo1J3hT8_mzAhXIjoajOR1lA/s320/getting+ready+-+bekah+two+%2841%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364839241272808466" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPh670yv5FBwF79dP6AS3YaRFXyqH-1Az5gOXR_lhxPX8ddBjXq9II7W7jYuR0Kenx3CkiJgZGzVufVa6RBO_zLBjNb2cqi2t2AXUCUbgfeKKMt5YSa6EqwMgoSF__5F-13aBQqw/s1600-h/getting+ready+-+bekah+two+%2872%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPh670yv5FBwF79dP6AS3YaRFXyqH-1Az5gOXR_lhxPX8ddBjXq9II7W7jYuR0Kenx3CkiJgZGzVufVa6RBO_zLBjNb2cqi2t2AXUCUbgfeKKMt5YSa6EqwMgoSF__5F-13aBQqw/s320/getting+ready+-+bekah+two+%2872%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364839234945668306" border="0" /></a>love you, xoxo<br /><br /></div>bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254425473060426355noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16722786.post-85511832056674403172009-07-29T22:28:00.005-04:002009-07-30T07:39:04.752-04:00Bon Appetit!last night at work, while waiting for 6:30 to come along so i could head home. my friend <span style="font-style: italic;">(and manager)</span>, juanita asked if i wanted to go see a free preview of the new movie <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.julieandjulia.com/">Julie & Julia</a>. hell yeah! i wanted to see that movie when it came out & to see it for free was even better. if you don't know anything about it, it's based on the 2 true stories of Julia Childs & Julie Powell. of course you know, Julia Childs is a famous cook/tv personality & Julie Powell is a food blogger that decided to make every single recipe in Julia's cookbook for a year. it was super cute & had some good laughs. both Meryl Streep & Amy Adams were absolutely delightful in the movie. so i encourage all of y'all to go see it when it comes out. i'm sure all my blogger friends will enjoy it that much more!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5gockhUe-p4ZoXhhJbnKf43PWHaaC8Kme5obkT5PSXxILbY51rXEeqdQocYK9E8LrFAhArMuE1A4o1bdMAcUEJK5jwT5ZbEAakMdFFVc7BnvcgTIn8GncDCvFwUj7Z12ZeuvjA/s1600-h/julieandjulia.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 215px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5gockhUe-p4ZoXhhJbnKf43PWHaaC8Kme5obkT5PSXxILbY51rXEeqdQocYK9E8LrFAhArMuE1A4o1bdMAcUEJK5jwT5ZbEAakMdFFVc7BnvcgTIn8GncDCvFwUj7Z12ZeuvjA/s320/julieandjulia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364076559096989682" border="0" /></a><br /><br />now i must look up flight info like i promised my sister in law i would do. going home to texas in september! i can't wait! :)<br /><br />--------------<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Now Playing:</span> Tegan & Sara - "Nineteen"bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254425473060426355noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16722786.post-60322952396186406862009-07-27T22:22:00.004-04:002009-07-27T22:30:07.576-04:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1nRANa54pmDng9Oi0apJ5nQ1_mnYMM7DA-XLSt8ZaGGrePg_EsujeoSPrcm2Xegp5-LMBKB4qJrBCNTlENr5E6MxVzlYFg_bJgtztLAwavT42gTTmq7DbDHpjTqJd7gL4Qc2mnQ/s1600-h/whitehousephotos.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1nRANa54pmDng9Oi0apJ5nQ1_mnYMM7DA-XLSt8ZaGGrePg_EsujeoSPrcm2Xegp5-LMBKB4qJrBCNTlENr5E6MxVzlYFg_bJgtztLAwavT42gTTmq7DbDHpjTqJd7gL4Qc2mnQ/s400/whitehousephotos.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363332181748877122" border="0" /></a><br />i think this is really cool. the white house has a <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/">flickr photostream</a>. some of the pictures are really awesome, & it's kinda neat to follow the goings on's in the white house. a while back, pete & i watched this nbc special about a day in the life of the white house. it was really interesting to watch & in a strange way you felt like you were apart of the craziness! hope you enjoy this as much as i do!<br /><br /><br />---------------<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Now Playing: </span>Northstar - "Two Zero Two"bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254425473060426355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16722786.post-1026692191435069692009-07-26T22:43:00.005-04:002009-07-26T23:34:36.949-04:00birthdays & rain<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3NUgy7wsLEQn1oTN2dfARVXN-zLUzcMDqgClWckPQtKkKG8Oe49WZXppHq-3nXn-6LUh05dxjNIiQ6fY9IUn4NQEEFkSjDXVtQVlhT4DUzE7hP0Plmynp-cgUy6bFmfFezCWJw/s1600-h/handsinrain.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3NUgy7wsLEQn1oTN2dfARVXN-zLUzcMDqgClWckPQtKkKG8Oe49WZXppHq-3nXn-6LUh05dxjNIiQ6fY9IUn4NQEEFkSjDXVtQVlhT4DUzE7hP0Plmynp-cgUy6bFmfFezCWJw/s320/handsinrain.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362970452114369458" border="0" /></a>it's raining. i love the smell of the rain. there was even some lighting thrown in there & for a moment it felt like home. the other night bentlee & i were closing & we decided to go to chili's for some margarita's after work. it was that muggy but cool breeze you get right before a summer storm, the sky flickered with lighting, and the smell is just so soothing. i said to bentlee, it feels like the south & he understood exactly what i meant. he responded with "i loved sitting outside and watching the storm pass through" & it is so true. i use to sit outside in the garage with my dad, watching the lighting & reaching my hand out to feel the rain. the connection of "the south" me & bentlee have is a great comfort for me. its like being in this north east bubble with an alli, he is wonderful!<br /><br />today is my brother, kelly's birthday! i always make a joke between my brothers of who is my favorite. but the best part of it all is that i will always be their favorite sister, thats the thing about being the only one! of course i don't have a favorite, but the best thing about growing up, and being a "grown up" is that my relationship between my brothers & i has turned into so much more than i could have ever imagine. i still suffer from little sister syndrome from time to time, but i feel so blessed to have them as my brothers. kelly & i never really grew up together, and we often go way to long from seeing & speaking to each other. even still, we have always had a closeness & a sense of respect for one another.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0AkMgu6RQ6vZK-WoOTFW2vNP-smt70vTo4qEB8KSslujMkpkqADPH0Ghwqt9gmKALDEQDjN05Gjz-CWz2_hAEvS8AwPkHkbF1K86YmI85pkSI4-PhfDOztCkXVwHNhoj842YtPQ/s1600-h/alabama+09+354.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0AkMgu6RQ6vZK-WoOTFW2vNP-smt70vTo4qEB8KSslujMkpkqADPH0Ghwqt9gmKALDEQDjN05Gjz-CWz2_hAEvS8AwPkHkbF1K86YmI85pkSI4-PhfDOztCkXVwHNhoj842YtPQ/s320/alabama+09+354.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362973799408337154" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaRJ36GN2q8zCquQiqcfRICDP3nlS2sdWBJGDsOYfiiXYqiyf9d0oGpFGDn0SxgKTsn3_KKNZ6yQ6rZJ4PU8pkpMrHWVs4O7VrfH7vI4wZti5FLlO9LUj89VTXC-crL1eHBntlQw/s1600-h/alabama+09+194.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaRJ36GN2q8zCquQiqcfRICDP3nlS2sdWBJGDsOYfiiXYqiyf9d0oGpFGDn0SxgKTsn3_KKNZ6yQ6rZJ4PU8pkpMrHWVs4O7VrfH7vI4wZti5FLlO9LUj89VTXC-crL1eHBntlQw/s320/alabama+09+194.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362973788508931330" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ0bcPt_fyaYXJINXeQTdfhtPYZM1V9-hJtbxmrWQFbCfLRkVhcgsS-T6q1sgulwxQNKnHAR1P0TU8pamh9T1Vw72nfd2a41GsG0sVhLadXyIxB9Bq6MlUiLBM5IjSplLjsk0UmA/s1600-h/kellycamping.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 305px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ0bcPt_fyaYXJINXeQTdfhtPYZM1V9-hJtbxmrWQFbCfLRkVhcgsS-T6q1sgulwxQNKnHAR1P0TU8pamh9T1Vw72nfd2a41GsG0sVhLadXyIxB9Bq6MlUiLBM5IjSplLjsk0UmA/s320/kellycamping.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362973775887603122" border="0" /></a> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Happy Birthday Kelly! xoxo</span><br /></div><br />july is a busy months for me & birthdays. this past friday was our nephew aidan's birthday. i can't believe he is actually one! its hard to believe that it has been a whole year.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgra3TYiysihg2qOON-sTdmXVHGIZ0CtE4vFnz27_fx8DF6aS9yDjMdy5ZWS30VVRscQygHknAqEVpmL7LT5UmUWXB0JSgQ8vYaHeBkZ9gPVvw5NhPBsJtBO3HjQxU_zKqULtdP0A/s1600-h/aidanbirthdaycupcakes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgra3TYiysihg2qOON-sTdmXVHGIZ0CtE4vFnz27_fx8DF6aS9yDjMdy5ZWS30VVRscQygHknAqEVpmL7LT5UmUWXB0JSgQ8vYaHeBkZ9gPVvw5NhPBsJtBO3HjQxU_zKqULtdP0A/s320/aidanbirthdaycupcakes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362975336853084338" border="0" /></a>for the party i made a cupcake stand with some red velvet cupcakes. i've been working on my piping and i was quite proud of how this turned out.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDegRcfvjKi9yE9_SCyZ11UdGd42hAP4cHXsSco-j4IfMBT5J8kbyXRl9DhgpNEGGvXSYBUor9FBlTsJIL9pCSEmUI3VEOHQ0_0HKGMX7Y8uCTm74sUOqdG8TqDUCIni9bLWU1Q/s1600-h/aidannme.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDegRcfvjKi9yE9_SCyZ11UdGd42hAP4cHXsSco-j4IfMBT5J8kbyXRl9DhgpNEGGvXSYBUor9FBlTsJIL9pCSEmUI3VEOHQ0_0HKGMX7Y8uCTm74sUOqdG8TqDUCIni9bLWU1Q/s320/aidannme.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362975332022535938" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Happy First Birthday Aidan! xoxo</span><br /></div><br />he is so cute! pete & i got to have some fun with aidan before the party started. he's alittle shy & since we don't get to see him as often as i like, i was excited that he was coming to us & playing more. it's so hard to believe he is one! its amazing how time flies and how much he has grown.<br /><br /><br />at the end of the week is my mama's birthday & then its august! like whoa!<br /><br />--------------<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Now Playing:</span> Face to Face - "Complicated"bekahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05254425473060426355noreply@blogger.com0