Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving almost seems to be overlooked these days.  As soon as Halloween is over, all you see is Christmas trees and Santa Claus everywhere.  Thanksgiving is a time to rejoice and be thankful for all that He has given to us.  Thanksgiving was a little bit different for me this year.  In the past I have spent the day with family, eating, napping, and watching football.  For a few years I visited my sister and we had a Thanksgiving dinner for all of her friends who couldn't go home for the holiday.  This year I have entered the "grown-up world" and I have to work tonight.  Jon went home to spend time with his parents and friends, and that left me here to have dinner with Annabelle and Charley before I go in to work.  I was a little sad at first, but I made the most of it.  I bought Charley and Annabelle some Dingo rawhide/chicken treats for them to feast on while I ate my dinner.  They loved them!  She went and hid so no one would take her treat away, and he gobbled his up in seconds.  

I did my best to replicate the dinner I would have had at my grandmother's house today.   I bought a rotisserie chicken (closest thing to a big turkey I could come up with) and some mashed potatoes from Target.  I bought some green bean casserole and cornbread dressing from Central Market, and I made the infamous peas and cheese.  Every year we make a dish we have named peas and cheese.  It sounds and looks disgusting, I will be the first to admit that, but it is, by far, my favorite thing to eat at holiday dinners.  It's basically butter and velveeta cheese melted then mixed with green peas and mushrooms with some sugar and cayenne pepper for seasoning.  I love it!  I even had some Crystal Light peach iced tea!  For dessert I bought a mini apple pie, and I don't think it was the fact that I wanted dessert as much as it was the fact that the mini pie was so cute!  My dinner was good, but it wasn't the same as being home with all of my family.  It made me realize that not only is it about the big dinner, but most of all the precious time you get to spend with your family.  

This Thanksgiving I am very thankful for the life He has given me and the people He has placed in my life.   He has blessed me with an amazing family, a wonderful boyfriend, loyal puppy dogs, and sweet friends.  I have a job that is very rewarding and gives me the opportunity to care for people who need it the most.  I love everything about this life!  Thank you Lord!  

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High….
Psalm 92:1 

Precious Time

I have had so much fun this past weekend!!  Jon and I finally had a whole weekend off together!  Friday I made dinner, red beans and rice, and we hung around the house because Jon had worked that day and was pretty sleepy.  Saturday we woke up bright and early and ventured to Dallas to the museum to see the King Tut exhibit.  It was very interesting!  After the museum we went to the Northpark mall and did lots of shopping.  I was just looking for a dress for a Christmas party, but Jon racked up on some clothes!  We were there so long and we never even made it to the second level! We drove back to Fort Worth and went straight to Joe T Garcia's!  It was exactly what we needed after walking all day, and it was delicious, as always!  That night we just hung around the house because we were both pretty tired from the busy day.  Sunday we woke up and made pecan waffles..YUMM!  Then we went to see Role Models, which was hilarious! Since we went to the matinee movie, we had the whole afternoon left to do things.  We couldn't come up with anything to do besides eat! :)  Jon was in the mood for some barbeque and we wanted to try some place new, so we went to Red, Hot, & Blue.  It was just what we wanted! Perfect!  We came home stuffed and laid around on the couch and watched the American Music Awards.  Monday we woke up and planned on making German pancakes, but we didn't have all the cooking supplies we needed, so Jon made us a big breakfast of eggs, bacon, and biscuits! (If you didn't already know, we love to eat!)  We spent the afternoon looking for Christmas trees, but we never found one we really liked.  I did get a pretty wreathe for the front door, which I am super excited about!  We ended our fun weekend curled up on the couch drinking homemade hot chocolate and catching up on Grey's Anatomy.  I couldn't have asked for a better weekend or someone better to spend it with! 

You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.  

- Dr. Seuss

Make New Friends but Keep the Old

So it's been about 3 months since we have lived here and I am finally meeting new people and making new friends.  Unfortunately every time I have the chance to go out with new people Jon has to work, but we are trying to plan something when he can go too!  

On Halloween I was invited to go to Jessica's (she works at Cook on the 4th floor and went to college with Amanda and Gina, two girls I work with) house for a party before going out downtown.  We had a lot of fun!  We played a few drinking games which had us laughing all night.  We learned how to do the "stinky leg" and saw a bunch of promiscuously dressed girls out on the town.  Overall we had a really good time!

All the girls at Jessica's before we went downtown.

This past Monday when I got off of work I went to eat breakfast with a few co-workers.  I had always heard them talking about breakfast at Esperanza's, but I always doubted how good mexican food would be at 7 in the morning.  We all decided to go, and I quickly found out that mexican food at 7 AM is pretty good after all.  They had a few strange things on the menu,

 including cow's head meat and tongue meat, but I stayed away from those! I ordered something I could not pronounce that had chorizo in it, which I was told was mexican sausage.  I assumed it was patty sausage crumbled, but it was actually somewhat like chili mixed in with my eggs.  It didn't sound or look that great, but I really enjoyed it!  The dish is apparently one of the best things on the menu because 90% of the table ordered it.  

This past weekend I went out with Sommer and Tiffany from work, and a few friends of Sommer's.  Before we went out, Tiffany and I went shopping at Northpark Mall in Dallas.  It was a mad house!  There were so many people there that it made shopping not so enjoyable.  I did find some jeans, which I desperately needed, and Tiffany finally found a shirt right before we left.  So we met out later at Bone Daddy's to eat dinner and then went out downtown.  We first started at the Library, which was fun, although it was very crowded.  We then made our way to Houston St Club (I think that was the name of it), where they have a camera at the bathroom waiting line and a huge TV in the bar for all to be entertained.  You would be surprised how many girls go into the guy's bathroom, alone usually, because the girl's take so long in the bathroom!  It was fun to get out of the house and meet some new people!  I had a really good time!

Me, Tiffany, and Sommer at Bone Daddy's.

I'm very glad that I have accepted the invitations to go out with the new people I am meeting.  I have enjoyed getting to know them and meeting their friends.  I look forward to hanging out more often, especially when Jon can come and have a good time too!

Visitors

So, Jon and I have been here 2 months and have come to love it!  Jon's parents and our good friends, Matthew and Kay, helped us move in.  It was a job to say the least!  We moved in to a two bedroom apartment so that our friends and family would come and visit.  Our first guests were Amber and Devin.  We had so much fun when they came in town!  We went to the Dallas Zoo and then that night we ate dinner at P.F. Changs (one of my favs!) and then went out downtown.  We started at the Flying Saucer and then went Pete's Piano Bar.We had a blast!

  

Our next visitors were my parents and my little brother! We had plans of going to the Fort Worth Zoo but Hurricane Gustav ruined our outdoor plans.  We went to the mall and then to eat dinner.  We also made a stop by the water gardens in downtown Fort Worth the next day.  I loved it when my family came in town!  I always love their company!

 

A couple of weeks later Jon's parents came to visit, but I had to work.  I was only able to eat dinner with them before I went to work one day.  I know they had a good time, especially when they went to Central Market and racked up on some goodies!

* This picture is from a different time, but I didn't want to leave anyone out! :) *

I'm glad we have had so many people come to visit us, and I look forward to more people coming to stay!  We love having guests! :)

New Beginnings

I graduated from college in August and was ready for my "life to begin."  I accepted a job in Fort Worth, Texas and was anxious to move from home.  Jon and I packed our things and made the big move!  It was scary and exciting all at the same time! Scared of being an adult, totally on my own, with a new job/career, and my whole life ahead of me.  Scared of meeting new people and leaving all my friends behind.  Excited about leaving home (a little sad too), but ready to see what else was out there.  Now here I am!  I am a "real nurse,"  at an incredible children's hospital, and I work with great people! I couldn't be happier with my job!  Jon loves his job, and although we have totally different schedules now, we are adjusting.  Fort Worth is a fun city with lots to do.  Jon and I have slowly learned our way around, at least to the grocery store, the good restaurants, and the mall!  We are having a lot of fun in this big city!  Moving here was definitely a huge step, but I'm glad I took it!    Overall, I am very thankful that God has lead me down this path, and I am looking forward to what He has planned for me!

Trust the Lord your God with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6