unexpectedly fun evening in the country

On Saturday night I had to travel to Indiana to interview a family friend for a school paper
and it unexpectedly turned into a super fun night!!

I conducted the interview on my handy dandy "netbook" as we drove to Oldenburg Indiana

Home of....Well I am not sure, but we were going for dinner!
I finished the interview at dinner and everyone enjoyed a home cooked
Fried Chicken Dinner

* at dinner there was this old man and his wife sitting at the table next to ours. The wife was in a wheelchair and the sweet sweet husband fed his wife her supper. it was sooo precious how much he truly loved her! old people love is the best!

After dinner we stopped by a local "Whippy Dip" to have some delicious soft serve
with sprinkles!

After dinner we stopped by a local produce stand and bought
the sweetest yummiest Cantaloupe you can imagine!
{Little side of the road produce stands are the best!}

When we arrived back at our friends house we built a bonfire
and roasted marshmellows!

It was a lovely evening of doing fun summer things!

I could say it a million times...
Life is really about living for a BIG God while
experiencing the little things!

*Thanks for reading, have a great week!

"things that make you go....ahhhh"

So a beautiful friend sent an inspiring email today full of
so many things that I instantly feel in love with
~so I am sharing it with you~

{Love you Fran}

{please forgive me if I am stealing your pictures
I don't have any sites where these were found}

all twisted up

I am not really one to sit around and make things in the kitchen {especially in my time off from the bakery} but certain recipes come along that I cannot resist giving a try.

This is one of those recipes

I found it on a blog listed below and it is for soft pretzels. I must say they tasted really good and were super easy to make! Follow the simple steps below and tell me what you think!

Step 1: Dissolve 4 teaspoons of dry yeast into 1 1/4 C water and 1 tsp sugar. Let sit until creamy, about 10 minutes

Step 2: Combine 5 cups flour, 1 tbs oil, yeast water mixture, and 1/2 cup sugar in kitchen mixer bowl.

Step 3: Using a kitchen mixer with a dough hook, knead for about 10 minutes.

Step 4: Let rise 1 hour in a greased bowl.

Step 5: Take chunks and roll into long ropes. About 12-18 inches long and about 1/2 inch wide.

{Here is Joe helping with Step 5}

Step 6: Shape rope into pretzel and set aside.


Step 7: Once all pretzels are shaped dip them into a solution of 1/2 c baking soda and 4 cups hot water.

Step 8: Put onto greased cookie sheet and dust top with sea salt. {I also put a cinnamon/sugar mixture on half of the pretzels with the salt to make some sweet and salty!}

Step 9: Cook in 450 degree oven until browned, about 8 minutes.

ENJOY!

http://cagefreemonkeys.blogspot.com/2009/11/tutorial-homemade-soft-pretzels.html

...it's been awhile!

Wow...I cannot believe how long it has been.

I have so much to blog about but so little time.
I have also missed reading my favorite blogs...I think my problem is I go to sleep
WAY too early
I wish I had more time in the day to read and write and see all that people are up to!
...Maybe someday...

So I don't even know where to start
I will start with the good stuff
VACATION

We went to Hilton Head and we took along some Hilton Head newbies with us
My sister Andrea's husband Dave had never been on a vacation with us
My mom's sister Angie and her husband Pete also tagged along!

It was a great trip
WE love HILTON HEAD!
We always rent a house with a pool...walk to the beach everyday
we ride bikes to starbucks every morning
play games
laugh a TON!!
eat good food
take naps in the pool on rafts

IT IS FANTASTIC!
More blogs to come...I have a lot to talk about!

The Beach

...Oh how it has been too long!
Looking forward to spending a great week, with great people, in a great place!
See you soon!
But until then enjoy some pictures from past trips!


Norah's first trip to the Beach!
She was 3 months old!



Sunrise!

Beautiful colors!


Relaxing with my wonderful husband!

I can't believe it!

I am happy to report that my first quarter of Nursing school is over!
I actually cannot believe it!
All in all...I think it was a good precursor to the hard times to come.
It was good...I think I got A's in every class which was a super nice surprise!
It has only been one day since the last test but I am already excited for the next quarter. I am excited to learn some super hands on things and start learning what it really means to be a nurse!

God was so in control of this quarter!

It is so comforting to know we have a God who loves us and provides for us {even in the little things like Nursing School!}
He provided by giving me time to get work done.
He provided by being gracious to me in guiding me when taking tests when I felt unprepared!
He has placed some super awesome girls in my life to go through this journey with and hopefully be used to further God's kingdom!
He has shown me how much I need to RELY on Him
and NOT on myself!
I can do nothing without Christ!
I have learned so much...ABOUT MYSELF through this process.
Lately He has been teaching me to look through His eyes that everyone is made in His image
and that is enough reason to love others!
We have such a good God!

I am anxious about next quarter but confident in God's control!

On a side note...this time next week we will be on the BEACH in HILTON HEAD!!!!
{or as NC says "the big pool"}
We are so excited to spend a week as a family with our awesome extended family!
It should be epically awesome!

Also ... Joe is leaving for camp with the Youth Group tomorrow...I so wish I was going!
They are going to have a great week!

driving to Lexington

Today is Joe's 29th Birthday!! YEA!!!

Joe is in Lexington all weekend on business...BOOOO!!!

I am going to go visit him after school so we can celebrate his birthday together! YEA!!

We hope to find a good restaurant to go to!!

{When we used to live in Lincoln County going to Lexington for dinner seemed like the greatest thing ever!! But now that we live in civilization I am not looking forward to it as I once used to!}

I am sitting in class listening to the rain pouring down and I am dreading the drive!

This is what I am picturing the road looking like...

Luckily...my mom just bought the new Jack Johnson CD last night and I snagged it for the drive!

This is a spontaneous date night that is super fun...I just hope to stay dry!