Much to be Grateful For

First off, I figured out how to make the pictures quite LARGE but I'm not sure if I like it or not - for a post like this it makes it incredibly long.  So let me know what you think!

Ryan and his classmates have decided that school isn't worth losing your insanity, so I've been able to spend a lot more time with him and them.  We definitely had plenty of bonding time during Duke's Graduate Campout for season basketball tickets.  Around 2,000 students gathered in tents, RVs, and U-Haul trucks for two days straight and had to be ready at a moment's notice to check-in as the obnoxious alarm rang at any time - day or night.  We had a tent in this mess, that we sort of stayed in the first night, but there was not much sleep going on.

So as you can see, we were catching shut-eye whenever and wherever we could on Saturday.

I just realized that this picture happens to be pretty much our favorite of Ryan's classmates!

Because you will be seeing more of them in the future, they are (L->R):

Patrick, Annika, Melina, Hillary, Ashley and Laura.

See, there they are with a few others!  We went dancing in Raleigh last Friday at a place called "The Mirage" and had an absolute blast.  It was our time to prove to his classmates that we weren't just a boring married couple.  They were definitely in awe of our ability to cut a rug!

Ryan and Patrick put their manshake to music and turned it into a dance.

Heavens, we may have proved that we can have fun, but we were EXHAUSTED after our night out and spent almost the entire following afternoon watching football and sleeping in our hammock.

This week we got all dressed up for the Physical Therapy's "Black and White Party"

Poor Ryan, still can't quite get enough sleep and still crashes whenever he can - this time as he was home for lunch.

This Friday night, Ryan was in heaven as we went to Duke's Countdown 2 Craziness - the kickoff of Duke Basketball 2010-2011!  He didn't win season tickets, but 19/40 of his classmates did and they then divide them up so he/we did end up with 10 tickets.

On Saturday we went to Raleigh to watch Nebraska at the Huskers bar, but we won't talk anymore about that.  At least we finished the night off happy with our dear friends Hillary and Laura as we carved pumpkins and watched Disney Movies.  

Lastly, I have been so frustrated with finding a full-time job that last week I began picking up applications for part-time retail jobs.  After only turning in two resumes, I got a call back and hired at A.C. Moore.  It's a craft store almost identical to Michael's and it makes me happy.  BUT, I am still holding out for one more full-time job that I feel I will love.  It is a Life Enrichment Coordinator at an assisted living home and I would be planning the activities for the elderly.  They told me they want an interview, I'm just waiting for the phone call! So please cross your fingers and say a little prayer. Until then, I really am so grateful for this other job, no matter how small it may be because it gets me out of the house and into an environment that I love. 

Also, after an exchange of a dress that was a total failure, I got this in mail today. I immediately fell even more in love with it once I threw on the belt and boots.  I might still be wearing it...

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

I made these last night and they were oh-so-tasty and HIGHLY recommended!

6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice ( 1-2 limes)
1 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (about 3 small chicken breasts)
8-10 flour tortillas
1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 ounces green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream


Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour
(if you can let it set several hours EVEN better).
 Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with
chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas.
Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade. Pour sauce on top of
the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and
crispy on top.

Hands--Down Favorite

I love this movie.  It has always been and always will be my favorite Disney movie.  Maybe it's Belle's brains and sass, her father's eyes when he puts on his inventor goggles, Gaston's incredibly thick neck and the swell cleft in his chin, or possibly the Wardrobe as she so gracefully dives on the intruders.  And who can forget the heartwarming snowball fight and first dance? Siiiiigh.

Disney finally let it out of the vault and put it on DVD and I've mentioned it at least three times now hoping Ryan will pick up on it *hint hint*  Needless to say I was THRILLED when my friend Ali texted me today wanting to watch it.  The best part? It was still on VHS.  Welcome back, childhood. :)

My long lost hubby

Holy smokes, I haven't posted a picture of Ryan since he started school!
And for good reason, we haven't taken any.  I also realized that I STILL haven't taken any
pictures of our friends = no proof that we actually have friends.  Fail.
Well, feast your eyes upon the existence of Ryan and our friend Mitch!

I know, I know, he kinda looks like a creeper since he doesn't have our matching shirts or blond hair,
but we DID invite him.  Cross my heart!

While we're talking about failure, let's look at a few more pictures from the Duke Football game, shall we?

This is their entire marching band.  I realize that it's not a huge university,
but I think my high school band was bigger! Jordan would be so disappointed.

 

Next up... do you see anything wrong with the colors in this picture?

I can't really give just Mitch and Ryan crap for being on their phones because I was too (until it died), as was another friend, Erika (though imaginary at the moment due to the lack of photo).  We really did try to cheer on the Blue Devils, but when the final score is 62-13... 

 

Oh, Duke football.  I guess that's what we get when we have athletes who study things like:

Public Policy Studies

Biological Anthropology & Anatomy

Evolutionary Anthropology

Why yes, I did go home and start scanning through the roster to see their majors.
Don't judge.

For the Beauty of the Earth

Okay, okay. Maybe this wasn't the beauty you were expecting. Scroll a little further down for that. I do think these critters are so amazing, though! They spray our apartments for bugs and must do a good job because we have at least 6 petrified giants outside our front door. This first bad boy, however, is still alive. :)

Sigh... isn't this just so beautiful and inviting?
I am so spoiled to have this in my backyard. I can't wait until it starts changing color!
Sadly...If I had my way, Ryan and I would spend evenings lounging in our hammock...
and yes, that is our pool lounger. And yes, it is still warm enough to use it - sorry Nebraska!

It keeps coming...

Yeah, so like I said... I have gobs of free time. This week I made a quilt top out of my high school t-shirts and now I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to quilt it (machine, hand, tie?).
Then I decided to revamp my yellow pillowcase with a little feminine touch.

And I had fun making a flyer for our ward BBQ.
Next week I start the job hunt back over seeing as how things didn't go as well as I'd hoped the first time around. Anyone want to pay me for all the fun things I've been doing? :)

Wedding Album

I finally figured out how to use Adobe InDesign (a FABULOUS graphics design tool) and have started making our wedding album. Oh happy day!!!