the state fair of texas

Last year Matt and I missed the fair because we were busy with birthdays, wedding planning, and out of town for our honeymoon. We were determined to make it to the fair this year, especially since I got a free ticket and Matt got a discounted ticket through his work.

Since Matt takes the train to work and has a year pass for the train, we decided to take the train to the fair. An all day pass for me was only $4, so it was well worth it. We got on the first train at 9:24 and arrived at the gates of the fair right at 10:00. It was a quick trip.

Our first stop was to greet Big Tex and take pictures with him.

Our next stop was to try the Fried Peaches & Cream, which was awarded the best taste this year. They were delicious!! We opted not to try the Fried Butter. First off, it sounded disgusting, but secondly, it won "Most Creative" which doesn't necessarily mean that it tasted good.

After our brunch, we headed to a dog show. The dogs and trainers in the show were so talented. I think it would be so cool to have a well trained dog.

Our next stop was my favorite of all. We went to the Children's Barnyard.

This little giraffe was so cute. We never got to see him stand up because he was snoozing away. He was all curled up. I had no idea that was how they slept.

I got to feed this camel.

When I started to feed him, he just about ate my cup! I was laughing so hard at him!!

I also got to feed an emu.

Matt got to feed the bison.

And he also got to feed this funny little guy. I can't remember what he was called, but he was definitely funny looking.

This llama showed me his pearly whites and posed for a picture for me!!

I just had to get a picture of this little zebra.

And I just couldn't pass up this picture. The little piglets were going so hard after their mama's milk. Isn't the mama huge??

Can you tell that I LOVED the Children's Barnyard??

After the petting zoo, it was time for another snack. We stopped for some yummy roasted corn.

We stopped and watched a "Pirates of the Caribbean Diving Show", but it was pretty stupid so we left.

For lunch, Matt had to get a Fletcher's corn dog. Didn't he squiggle his mustard just perfect??

I love the breading of a corn dog, but I don't like the weinie. I never get corn dogs because I feel bad paying so much and not even eating half of it. But this year, I found a wonderful alternative, Fried Cheese on a Stick. It was just like a corn dog, but had cheese in it instead of a weinie. It was delicious!!

After lunch we took a tour of the Cotton Bowl. I had never been in it, so it was pretty cool. We got to go in the locker rooms, the press boxes, and the media room.

We also got to go down on the field and take pictures.

Before we left the fair, we had to ride the Ferris Wheel.

I had never rode a Ferris Wheel before so I thought it was pretty cool!!

It was so neat to see the whole fair from way up high. In the distance we saw downtown Dallas and we could even see The Cowboys stadium!! Crazy huh??

Our last stop before we left the fair was to stop for dessert. We tried the Fried Snickers. It was pretty good!!

I had so much fun spending the entire day with my husband. I don't think I'll ever miss the fair again!!

the newlywed game

Our ABF at The Heights is called "The Honeymooners". We are a group of young newlyweds who have all been married for less than two years.

Tonight about 7 couples from our class got together to play "The Newlywed Game." Fitting, right?

The directors of our class hosted the get together. Tom emceed the game and Cheryl brought cute wedding decorations and this adorable cupcake cake.

It was so fun to hear other couples answers to their questions. We had quite a few laughs. Some of the funny questions the girls had to answer (and match w/ our husbands answer) were...

What is one meal that your wife thinks you like but you really don't?

What sport or game is your wife way better than you?

If your wife got a wig, what color would you want her to have?

How many children does your wife want to have and what will the name of the first girl be?

We got all but the 1st one right!!

And here are some of the questions that the guys had to answer (and match w/ our answers)......

What was the name of the last girl that your husband dated before you?

How many dates did you go on before you had your first kiss?

What was the worst meal that your ever made and ate together?

What wedding gift did you get that you absolutely hated?

We got the first 2 questions right out of those.

I was hoping for first place, but we didn't quite make it. We got 29 points and the winning team got 40 points. We ended up in 4th place out of the 7 couples. Even though we didn't win, we definitely had a good time hanging out with friends!!

i love this little guy

priceless

This is our nephew, Preston, at his first soccer game.

No one told him that both teams score, so

this was his reaction after the other team scored.

(Picture taken by Grandaddy!)

Isn't this picture just priceless??

shave the day

I can't live without this stuff.

When it goes on sale, I stock up.

I have 4 extras in my linen closet right now.

It's that amazing.

Go to Bath & Body Works ASAP, and pick some up today.

You can thank me later!!

officer reunion

When I was in college, I was an officer in my sorority. It was so fun to serve along side these fabulous girls. We always had a good time when we were together.

Brooke, Ally, Martha, me, Gina, Jennifer, & Lauren

Martha lives out of state and was in Texas visiting family this week. When we heard that she would be in town, we did our best to get everyone together for a little "officer reunion." Four of us were able to meet up for dinner tonight.

Jennifer, me, Martha, and Brooke

It was so fun to catch up with these girls. We have semi kept up with each other through our blogs and facebook, but it has probably been 3 years since we all hung out last. It's crazy how we all just picked up right where we left off. We had a lot of ground to cover, but it was so fun to hear how everyone was doing. A lot has changed in 3 years. We are hoping for another "officer reunion" to get all 7 of us together sometime when Martha comes back in town for the holidays. I hope we can make it happen!!

meal planning monday

Monday : Dinner w/ some college friends!!

Tuesday: Corn Flake Chicken, Veggies, & Rolls

Wednesday: Veggie Quesadillas

Thursday: Chicken Alfredo & Crescents

Friday: Chicken Salad & Chips

Saturday Breakfast: Cinnamon Twirls

Saturday Lunch: Pizza

Saturday Dinner: Chicken Spaghetti, Veggies & Rolls

Sunday Lunch: Lunch w/ our ABF

Sunday Dinner: Swedish Meatballs & Veggies

25th birthday recap

My birthday celebration technically started yesterday.

Matt and I went and checked out McKinney Trade Days. It is similar to Canton, but much smaller. Since we were going to be out in the sun all day, Matt decided to give me my birthday present early.

I had debated on which sunglasses to get here, but I ended up picking out these lighter brown glasses. I really love them because they actually don't look that light. They really look more like the dark ones. I love them!!

Saturday evening, we went to Babe's with my family to celebrate Drew's birthday. My Mom went ahead and gave me my present when she gave Drew's his. I got birthday money to order this baby.....

I ordered my Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens last night as soon as we got home. It should be arriving in the mail sometime late this week!! I am so excited about this lens. McMama highly recommends it. It's a little and affordable lens that takes really crisp photos with blurry backgrounds. I can't wait to play around with it when it gets here.

Moving on to today...

We started this morning off quite early. My husband surprised me with a sweet birthday card and a Sonic gift card on my night stand. My husband is so thoughtful. I sure do love him. We had to get up early this morning to be at church for a Leadership Meeting at 8am. I didn't mind getting up early, because they had breakfast for us. They served eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, biscuits and gravy. Matt also randomly won a $25 giftcard to Olive Garden for answering a question right. It was a great way to start off our morning!!

After church we headed to Chipotle for lunch with my family. While we waited for my parents to get there, I decided I needed a birthday picture. But of course I forgot to bring my camera with me, so Matt took a picture of me with my new sunglasses on my iPhone.

My parents won a $100 (one time use) gift certificate a while back at an auction. My Mom suggested Chipotle for my birthday lunch since there would be a lot of us eating together. I love Chipotle, so I was excited to go there. When my Dad got up to the cash register, we hadn't even gotten to $100, so he paid for the family behind us and the guy behind them. I love how my Dad is always so generous to give to others. We were excited to get a free lunch, but I'm sure the people behind us were really excited to get an unexpected free lunch.

After lunch we came home, changed clothes, dropped Izzie off at the babysitters house (my parent's house), and headed to Sherman. We actually went to visit with Matt's best friend and his family. His father passed away suddenly this weekend of a heart attack. I'm glad that Matt was able to go down and be there for his best friend. Be in prayer for the McKee family as they are going through this difficult time.

Before we left town, we stopped by Matt's sister house to see their family. Our next stop was to BJ's for dinner. We lucked out in choosing BJ's, because they had great big TV's to watch the Cowboys game and they gave me a FREE Pazookie because it was my birthday!! I got a Peanut Butter Pazookie and it was amazing!!

(Again, I didn't have my camera, so please pardon the awaful quality of the piture.)

Overall, I had a wonderful birthday weekend, and it's not even over yet!! I get to celebrate with my kiddos and my Kinder team tomorrow!! Thank you to everyone who made my birthday special!!

happy birthday to me!!

I'm 25 today!!

I can't believe it. I'm a quarter of a century old!!

Happy Birthday to my little brother, Drew, too!! He's 21 today!!

babe's

We went to Babe's tonight to celebrate Drew's birthday.

(I get my birthday celebration tomorrow.)

*picture coming soon*

If you have never been to Babe's you are really missing out. You start off the meal with the most amazing salad ever. It's really only lettuce, but it has the best dressing. Next, you order whatever kind of meat you want. They have fried chicken, chicken fingers, catfish, chicken fried chicken and chicken fried steak. Our whole family happened to order chicken fingers. When they bring out the meat, they also bring out tons of all you can eat sides. They have green beans, beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, cream corn and biscuits. Mmmm Mmmm Good!!

*picture coming soon*

I don't think we ever leave the place without feeling full.

saturday breakfast

We are both on the go/quick breakfast eaters during the week. Matt usually eats a granola bar and some fruit before he leaves and I usually grab something and eat it in the car.

When we first got married we started a little tradition to make breakfast every Saturday. It's not always something huge. Sometimes it's just a can of cinnamon rolls. But we always have breakfast together on Saturday.

I'm going to start to share some of the recipes I make on Saturdays every now and then. Feel free to share any yummy breakfast recipes you have with me!! I'm always looking for something new to make.

Today I made Hobo Pancakes.

My Mom used to make these when we were kids. We LOVED them. We especially enjoyed watching them bake, because they form mountains and peaks while they they cook. Here's the recipe if you'd like to try them.

Hobo Pancakes

6 T. butter or margarine

6 eggs

1 c. flour

3/4 salt

1 c. milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter in a 9x13-inch pan. Whip eggs. Add flour, salt, and milk. Whip at least 2 minutes. Pour into the pan with melted butter. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve with warm syrup.

Enjoy!!

**I half the recipe for me and Matt and put it in a square pan.

drew graduated

My little brother graduated, and I never posted about it.

Part of the reason that I forgot to post about it was because I wasn't able to go. It was on the Friday night of my school's Meet the Teacher, and there was just no way I could miss that. Sorry I couldn't make it Drew.

Here is Dad, Drew and Mom at the graduation.

Drew graduated from TSTC in Waco, Texas with an associates in CAD. (I think) I'll have to get back with you on what CAD stands for. It has slipped my mind. But whatever it stands for, he is really good at it and enjoys doing it.

Congratulations, Drew. We are so proud of you and your big accomplishment!!

circle circle dot dot

Being a teacher, I feel like I don't really have the option of not getting a flu shot. Kindergartners are like walking germs, and I seem to catch most of the things they pass along. So today, I got my flu shot today. I got mine at Walgreen's for $24.99. Last year I got mine for $15 but I couldn't find anywhere that cheap this year. I could have waited, but we have already seen seasonal flu cases at our school so I didn't want to chance it. The nurse that gave me my shot said that the H1N1 shot would be out in mid October. I plan on getting that one too. I don't want to get sick, nor do I have the time to get sick.

So.....

Circle Circle Dot Dot

Now I've got my flu shot!

Do you plan on getting a flu shot? What about the H1N1 shot?

it's the simple things in life

It's the simple things in life that make me happy.

Like these new buggies from Target. I could push them around the store forever. They just glide through the store without a single noise. The wheels don't jiggle went you start to go. They don't make awful noises when you move. They don't suddenly get hard to push when your buggie is full. They are simply amazing. Has anyone else had the pleasure of pushing these red beauties down an aisle of Target??

I know I probably sound crazy for blogging about this or maybe I'm even crazier for tweeting/facebooking about it earlier today. Or maybe you think I'm crazy for calling it a buggie. Go ahead make fun of me!!

But if your Target doesn't have these awesome new buggies you should call and complain or something. Really. They are amazing.

wordless wednesday

ethan is almost here

My Mom made this bag and burp cloth for my little nephew Ethan who is due on the 4th of October. It matches his nursery perfectly.

We can't wait to meet the newest member of the family!!

On a side note:

I love not ever having to think of a baby gift!! I just call my Mom up and put my order in. If you are interested in ordering something like this cute bag and burp cloth check out my Mom's ETSY shop.

I wish I could sew half as good as she can. Maybe I'll put that on my list of things to learn how to do next summer.

happy birthday ryan!

My big brother's birthday was today. We celebrated at my parent's house with all the family. My Mom prepared a delicious meal. We had Turkey Tenderloins wrapped in bacon (grilled by my Dad), potato casserole, brocoli, fried okra, and rolls. Mmmm!!

But the best part was what Ryan picked for his "birthday dessert."

Mom's famous Eclairs

Here is the birthday boy, his wife, Ashley and baby Carson! Aren't they a cute little family?

Before we left my parents house I asked my Mom to take a picture of me and Matt. I haven't been taking a lot of pictures lately, so I'm really trying to take pictures everywhere we go. Matt was ready to go home and not really in the mood for pictures so I threaten him a little!!

And it paid off because I got a good picture out of him!!

I know this post is supposed to be all about Ryan's birthday, but I just had to post these sweet pictures I took of Carson. He is Ryan's pride and joy, so I'm sure he wouldn't mind.

Happy Birthday Ryan!!

which one do you like best?

I went birthday shopping with Matt tonight and picked out these Ray Ban sunglass. They are a brownish/black marble color. I love them because they look black with black clothes and brown with brown clothes. The only problem is that I found out this color doesn't come with polarized lenses. And I'm pretty sure I want polarized lenses since they are better for your eyes.

So now I have to decide if I want the same sunglasses (with polarized lenses) in.....

Tortoise

OR

Black

Which one do you like best?

Or should I just forget about the polarized lenses and get the original ones I pick out.

meal planning monday

Monday: Ryan's (big brother) B-day Dinner @ my parent's

Tuesday: Goulash, Cornbread & Fried Okra

Wednesday: BBQ Sandwiches & Chips

Thursday: Chicken Parmesan, Garlic Toast & Green Beans

Friday: Corn Dogs/Grilled Peanut Butter Sandwich

Saturday Breakfast: Hobo Pancakes & Bacon

Saturday Lunch: Chick-fil-A

Saturday Dinner: Babe's for Drew's Birthday Dinner

Sunday Lunch: Birthday Lunch @ Chipotle w/ my family

Sunday Dinner: Birthday Dinner with my hubby!!

early birthday celebration

We met all of Matt's family in McKinney tonight to celebrate my birthday and Stan's birthday a little early. We went to a restaurant downtown called Aparicio's. It was delicious!!

Stan and I both got a free sopapilla for our birthday. I haven't had one of those things in forever. It was soooo yummy!!

This was the best picture that we could get with all the kiddos. Aren't my nieces and nephews so cute??

And here's Stan, a.k.a Grandaddy, with all the kids. It's really hard to get 4 kids to look at the camera at the same time!!

Happy Birthday Stan!!

Thanks for a great night. And thanks for the birthday presents. I love you all of you!!

grilled peanut butter sandwich

On Sunday's I usually make something quick and easy for lunch. I had on our menu to have leftovers today, but that just didn't sound very good to us. Matt and I have both had sore throats this week, so I made some soup and grilled cheeses. As I was making the grilled cheeses I was reminded of one of my favorite lunches as a kid....

Grilled Peanut Butter Sandwich

It's as simple as a grilled cheese. Butter the outside of the bread. Spread the inside with peanut butter. Grill on the stove over medium-low heat.

This just might be what I eat next Sunday. I'm not sure if I'll be able to talk my husband into having one.

Have you ever had a Grilled Peanut Butter Sandwich or am I just totally weird?

What was your favorite lunch as a kid??

speaking of college football

Since I was just on the topic of college football (and it still happens to be on our TV), I thought I would share this with you.

Matt is watching the USC vs. Ohio State game, and the Ohio State band just performed. They are known for spelling out Ohio in cursive on the field. I had never seen it before, so I thought it was pretty cool. Here is a video of it, if you have never seen it.

Matt says that this is the only good thing about Ohio State. Hah!

But of course if I'm going to show a video of a random college band, I have to show you a video of my college band.

The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band.

If you have never seen the Aggie band, it's worth your time to watch it. It's very different from your typical college band. The Aggie Band is military style. The video doesn't do it justice though. Watching them perform on Kyle field is a true experience.

Gig 'em Ags!!!