Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Gatlinburg

Over the weekend, Jason and I along with some friends went to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Our friends had never been to Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge, so it was our opportunity to show them around!
Unfortunately, I left my camera at home, so I don't have many pictures...

Jason and I headed up on Friday morning. It was not great traveling weather-very cold and raining/sleeting. We made it to our cabin a little before dinner. Our friends left after work, so Jason and I were able to have dinner together at Calhoun's and relax at the cabin before they arrived. We had a pool table in our cabin so we played guys against girls but the guys kept winning!

These bears were on the rafters in the cabin
Saturday morning we hung around the cabin until it warmed up. There was a good possibility of ice on the roads, so we wanted to give it a chance to melt some. We went to downtown Gatlinburg to walk around all the shops. We had lunch at a place called Blaine's and checked out lots of little shops. I went in every candy store to see what each one had and ended up getting some chocolate mint patties and divinity from the first one we stopped at! We also found a moonshine distillery in downtown Gatlinburg! Jason was pretty excited; he has been watching that show Moonshiners and thinks the entire process is really interesting. They had it all set up where you could see each step.

It was, of course, a legal distillery!
Part of the Still
After walking around Gatlinburg all afternoon, we headed over to Pigeon Forge. Jason and I are already out of the apple butter we bought in October, so we had to stop back by the Apple Barn to pick up a couple more jars. Then, we ate dinner at the Applewoood Farmhouse. Yum!

Sunday morning after breakfast we headed back home. It was a nice weekend away!

Monday, January 28, 2013

Eating at Home

Jason and I are trying to eat at home more.
We've always eaten out a lot, but now that we have a nice, new kitchen we want to use it! I'm also hoping that eating in will help us save some money and eat healthier. I'm trying to make a menu for each week to help me out. I hate having to try to figure out something to cook so having a plan or at least an idea really helps me. I know the weeks that I work will be easier to plan than my off weeks. My off weeks are very unpredictable, but last week we managed to make it work somewhat.

This is what the first week looked like:
Monday- Parmesan crusted chicken (Publix recipe), asparagus & roasted potatoes
Tuesday- Crockpot Mexican chicken*, corn tortillas, cheese & sour cream
Wednesday- Chicken parmigiana with caesar salad 
Thursday- we had a free pizza from Papa John's
Friday- BBQ pork, zucchini chips & macaroni & cheese
Saturday- Salmon, asparagus, & roasted potatoes
Sunday- I didn't have a plan, but we ended up having pork tenderloin with zucchini chips and baked beans

*crockpot mexican chicken is a name I made up for putting chicken, a jar of salsa, a can of black beans, and some frozen corn in the crockpot and cooking it on low all day

Last week was my week off so it went a little different:
Monday- Jason and I were working out of town so we ate out
Tuesday- Homemade pizza (turkey pepperoni and spinach) with caesar salad
Wednesday- Grilled chicken ravioli (from Sam's) with marinara and zucchini chips
Thursday- Teriyaki chicken, green beans, and roasted potatoes
We left for Gatlinburg on Friday morning and came home on Sunday night, so there were no weekend meals at home.

I have a tentative menu planned for this week:
Monday- eating at Mom and Dad's
Tuesday- Grilled chicken ravioli (from Sam's) with alfredo & caesar salad
Wednesday- Tacos
Thursday- Baked chicken, zucchini, & roasted potatoes
Friday- Pork chops, green beans, & macaroni & cheese
Saturday- BBQ chicken (or pork), salad & mashed potatoes
Sunday- homemade pizza and salad

Hopefully we can stick to the menu this week. I'm going to have to find more easy and delicious recipes too!

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Over the Weekend

This past weekend was eventful.

We had a scare with Daisy on Saturday and had to take her to the emergency vet. It's a long story, but she is fine and is back to her sweet, normal self!

We had friends over for dinner on Saturday night and for the Falcons game Sunday.

House Warming Gift- Love it!
Charles and MC were in town over the weekend for a retreat with some of the kids in their youth group in Kentucky. On Sunday morning we went to church with them. I was able to sit by my husband and my brother at church. I loved it!! 

Charles and MC recently got a miniature dachshund puppy, and she came down with them. We were able to play with her too! She's long haired and her ears are curly. And I love puppies! She is super cute!

Ruth!
Daisy and Ruth
Daisy wasn't really sure what to think of Ruth. She doesn't spend time with many other dogs, and it takes her awhile to warm up. Ruth definitely wanted to play with Daisy though!

Sleeping on my dad
Ruth learned pretty quickly that my dad is the one with all the treats! She loves him!

Ruth and Aunt Kristen :)
Spending time with Ruth got me thinking about Daisy as a puppy and looking at her puppy pictures! I definitely have puppy fever!!

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

2012 Year in Review

Happy New Year!
We are settled in our new home and finally got internet over the weekend.
Looking back on 2012, Jason and I made a lot of wonderful memories!

January:

I finished up my training at the hospital and officially started my night shift position.
Jason and I spent a week in  Nicaragua on a medical mission trip.


I counseled patients using a translator.
Jason played games with the kids.
Charles and MC got engaged shortly after we returned home!

February:

Jason and I went on a weekend getaway to Asheville, NC with friends. We got to visit the Bilmore Estate, and it snowed!



March:

Jason and I spent a day together in Athens and checked out the zoo and the Botanical Gardens. We also celebrated Jason's 29th birthday!




April:

Jason and I went on a Spring Break trip with our friends to Florida.



Mom and I hosted a bridal shower for MC.

May:

We went to Milledgeville for Charles's graduation.



Jason and I celebrated one year of marriage with a trip to Jamaica. We climbed Dunn's River Falls, snorkeled, and enjoyed the beautiful ocean.



On Memorial Day weekend, we celebrated the marriage of Charles and MC!



June:

We went to Athens for a wedding, and I got to catch up with pharmacy friends!
We spent time on the lake and went camping in North Carolina.



At the very end of June, we signed the contract to build our first house.

July:

We celebrated my birthday.
We went on a road trip to Kentucky to visit Charles and MC.


Visiting Charles's school
August:

Daisy took a trip to the lake for swimming in her new life jacket!



We picked out all the tile and finishings for our house.
We road tripped to Maryland to visit family.



Construction on the house started!

September:

We went to Destin, Fl for vacation with my parents. It was a very relaxing trip!


Destin 2012
October:

We went to Gatlinburg with Jason’s parent’s to celebrate their anniversary. We got to see all the beautiful fall leaves and go to Dollywood.


Great Smokey Mountains
November:

We voted.
At the Tennessee Homecoming game, Jason and I had our picture made with Smokey IX.



We took another camping trip in North Carolina. This time Daisy went too!
We went to the Georgia vs. Georgia Southern game in Athens.



Charles and MC came down for Thanksgiving.
We closed on our new house November 30th!

December:

We moved into our first house.


We decorated the house for Christmas and celebrated our new home with family.



We were able to spend Christmas with both of our families!


2012 Christmas Card Photo
2012 Family Photo
2012 has been full of new beginnings and great memories.
I can’t wait to see what God has in store for us in 2013!