Happy Birthday Natalie!

Happy Birthday to my favorite sister-in-law :)
Mike & I hope you have a great day!

They Love Each Other!

They can't keep their paws off each other!

They cuddle:

And they spoon!

what my baby wants, my baby gets...

No blogging today...Blackie wants me to stay off the laptop :)

life is good right now

Life has its ups & downs and right now, for us, its on an upswing :)
My Dad is back safe & sound from Iraq. Our whole family is so relieved and thankful for this. Mike and I have found a church. We are becoming members of All Saints' Episcopal Church. I've never been to a church that was as open, welcoming and accepting as this place. Its small, intimate, friendly and has about as much diversity as you can get in Northwest Arkansas. We are thrilled that we've found a place that feels like home. Everything else is going great-- I've tried a few new recipes that were awesome, I'll post them tomorrow. We've been slowly planning our itinerary for Florida (yay!!!) The weather has even cooled down a bit for us!! Hope everyone is doing well- we've all been slacking on the blogging :)

My Dad is Out of Iraq

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So freaking relieved :) He emailed my Mom a few minutes ago saying that he had landed at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. From there he should fly to Germany, then to Baltimore and finally back to Oklahoma. I can't wait for him to be back home safely!

I'm finally a good cook!

A few years ago I would have said that my cooking skills were minimal at best. But, I've been cooking everyday and have improved so much over the last few months. I made a few meals this weekend that made me feel like a pretty decent cook!

The first one is called a- Not Guilty Your Honor Sandwich. Weird name, I know-- but its so good! This is a recipe from one of our favorite restaurants back in Tulsa: First Watch.

Its a whole wheat pita, toasted and then filled with hummus, cucumber, spinach leaves, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, tomato slices and feta cheese. It takes just a few minutes to sautee the veggies. Its quick, easy & Mike & I love these things!

The next recipe is not nearly as healthy but might be the best meal I've ever cooked! I made homemade pasta sauce last night and it was to die for, seriously!! Heres the recipe:

Penne & Vodka Sauce

INGREDIENTS

* 1 (16 ounce) package penne pasta
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1/4 pound thinly sliced pancetta bacon, chopped
* 1/3 cup vodka
* 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
* 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter or margarine in a large skillet over medium heat. Add pancetta, and saute until lightly browned. Add vodka and stir until it is reduced by half, about 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes. Stir every few minutes.
3. Stir in pasta, and heat through. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

This was so simple and yummy- the pancetta makes the sauce. I plan on making it again as soon as possible!!

I also caved in this weekend and paid for the live feeds for Big Brother. Jackie do you have these?? Yes I'm a loser and can now watch the house guests 24/7. I already know the outcome of the competitions and all the gossip in the house before it airs on CBS. Its addicting!!

Church "Shopping"

Mike and I have been trying to find a church that we would enjoy going to on a regular basis. Yesterday I was searching the internet for an Episcopal church in our area and found this:
All Saint's Episcopal Church

It is exactly what we were looking for and we're so excited about going on Sunday. I think its right up our alley. Check out the little opening statement:

"We are a church without walls

- literally, in the sense that we do not yet have a fixed meeting place, and figuratively, in the sense that we are open, inclusive, and welcoming of all God's children. We are an emerging Christian community, not yet fully formed in personality or identity. We are in the midst of creation, but still relying on the wisdom of the saints' preceding us.

As an Episcopal community, our worship is grounded in the meaning, beauty and artfulness of the ritual of the early church. Yet theologically, we are constantly seeking to understand how Christ's life and teachings are relevant to us in the 21st century. We welcome you, no matter who you are, into this work of creating a new kind of church - a church that is both ancient and fully engaged in the present."

Sounds very cool to us. Umm... what else has been going on? We're playing racquetball on Saturday, that should be fun. I've read 2 books in the past week :) and Big Brother should be really interesting tonight!!

Pinkie & Tinkerbell

Just a few pictures of Pinkie with her favorite toy. She carries it with her everywhere!

Picture Post

These are a few pictures from our weekend in Tulsa- of us & our room at the Ambassador. I highly recommend the hotel- it was really wonderful! The weekend was terrific.

Tulsa Bound

I'm running around today trying to get everything ready for our weekend trip. We're leaving early tomorrow morning, driving to Tulsa and checking into the Ambassador Hotel. I told you guys that I have been talking to my biological father and we'll be seeing each other this weekend in Tulsa. He is the manager of the Ambassador and is getting Mike and I a room there for the weekend. So I'm terribly nervous and excited all at the same time. (On a positive note, The Ambassador looks like a fabulous hotel- we're looking forward to that!)

Mike and I are also going to Pam & Hank's going away party on Friday- I'm so glad we get to see them before they leave! It still doesn't seem real that they won't be in Tulsa anymore.

Saturday night we're thinking of going to the Drillers game. Mike & I have missed sporting events since we've moved :)

I think Sunday morning we'll do brunch with Bill (bio-dad) before we make the drive back to Arkansas.

Yikes, I have a ton to do today-- hope to see some of you this weekend!!

Its real now!

Mike and I have been looking for the perfect condo in Florida for our vacation. November has been creeping up on us and I'm so glad we found the perfect one yesterday! We booked it and I'm so freaking excited! Now that we have it reserved and paid for, it finally feels real :) Here is a grainy kinda crappy pic of the condo complex:

Here is a virtual tour of the condo: (be warned, as with most of the condos we looked at, it looks like it was decorated by the Golden Girls!)

Click me for a virtual tour!

We'll be within walking distance of some really cool shops, restaurants and bars. Plus Destin has one of the best outlet malls I've ever been to! There's Ralph Lauren, Coach, Off 5th- The Sak's outlet etc... I'm hoping I can trade Mike some golf time for some shopping time :)

So yeah, thats what is going on with us. Oh, and we're excited for our trip to Tulsa this weekend!