Shoulda Been a Bird

I love being outside so much that Dave says I should have been born a bird. I kind of agree sometimes, except birds don't get to do a lot of cool things like be photographers, get married, or eat taco soup.

Oh speaking of taco soup, I made some the other day and it was yummy. We ate it outside (again, the loving to be outside thing) on our patio which has been transformed into our dining room since we got rid of all the boxes. It's much better this way.

Taco Soup (makes around 20 servings, I freeze half of it and keep the leftovers in the fridge)

2 lbs. ground beef

1 onion chopped

10 oz can rotel

2 (16 oz) cans dices tomatoes (don't drain)

2 1/2 C frozen corn

15 oz can kidney beans

14 oz can pinto beans

2 C beef broth

1 packet ranch dressing mix

1 packet taco seasoning mix

Shredded cheddar and sour cream for the top

Combine ground beef and onion in a large soup kettle. Cook over medium heat until browned. Add the remaining ingredients except the cheese and simmer for 2-3 hours. Top with cheese and sour cream

Friday Night Fun

Last night was date night which means going out to eat (this time it was Logan's Roadhouse...oh dinner rolls how we love you) followed by a Red Box rental (or two). We usually bring the air mattress out to the living room and settle in for movie night.

Thoughts on X-Men Origins...not as bad as everyone said.

Could be because it had Riggins from Friday Night Lights as Gambit. That helped.

Anyway, the movie wasn't that bad. I liked it even.

The evening was followed by Dave playing a little Call of Duty while I played songs from the late 90s on his laptop. We rediscovered our love for 2pac's Changes and had a nice trip down memory lane. What's your favorite song from the 90s?

Speaking of the 90s...anyone recognize this girl?

You know you're jealous of my outfit. :)

Reminds me of Seminary Days...

I saw 5:15am on the alarm clock this morning.

Why would you do that you ask?

To go here:

San Antonio Temple

This is probably one of the most beautiful temples I have ever been in. I have never seen so much stained glass work and dark espresso wood. So beautiful!!

I went with a group of 4 other girls that go to my church. We all got up eaaaaaaaaarly so we could beat the traffic and get there by 9:00am, spent some time at the temple, ate lunch, and drove back. It was the perfect trip.

You better believe that when I got home, I did this:

Dallas for the Weekend

This past weekend I met up with my bestie (who says that?) from high school, whom I affectionately still call "Newhouse." Even though she's really Jessica John now...and has been for years...but listen people, some habits die hard.

We met at Dallas and spent the weekend shopping, eating, chatting, and watching movies. It was so much fun to catch up with her. And to experience the Galleria mall in Dallas. It was a beautiful site to behold.

Jessica Squared (I think Mrs. Wallace gave us that nickname in 11th grade)

Ice skating rink in the mall. Did I skate you ask? Of course not. I am the least coordinated person on the planet.

4 floors of majestic beauty. Bounteous shops full of sale items and not so sale items (this is the Galleria mall after all, there was a Tiffanies and a Gucci).

We chowed on Potbelly sandwiches while watching the skaters. There was one dad that was super intense with his daughter, "you are never going to learn if you slack like that" type of stuff. I hope she wins the gold medal one day and doesn't let him hold it.

4 HOURS later. Feet...hurt...purchases...make my...feet hurt less. This was taken only moments after finding the car. Turns out remembering B1 was not enough, we needed to remember what color garage we were in. Red, Green, Pink, Cyan, Blue, Orange, Chocolate Brown, Tan, Light Brown, Dark Brown, Purple, Lavender, Mauve... we were purple.

Gardening Like a Real Grown Up

I don't know why, but when I do things like buy furniture, organize my closet out of sheer free will, or plant flowers, I feel like a real grown up.

Yesterday Dave and I took 2 car loads of boxes and bins to our friend's house that live in our apartment complex. They are letting us store our junk in their garage (thanks James and Allison)! So guess what that means. We have a patio! Never had one before. Always wanted one.

This patio was bare and it needed some life. So we put our favorite antique table and chairs out there and Dave so graciously walked around Lowes with me for 30 (he would say 45, but what do men know about time...ha...ha...) minutes to pick out flowers.

Project of the day, COMPLETE!

This table and chairs belonged to Dave's great grandma

That's all for tonight kids, I am off to Dallas tomorrow to chill with an old friend (Jessica squared reunites)! Galleria mall...here we come. :)

The Wedding and Fun Times in Utah

Here are the rest of the photos from our trip to Utah. Dave's sister Meagan made a beautiful bride.

Utah was gorgeous (of course). Fall is so perfect there...the trees on the mountain were just turning red and gold.

Hello Handsome

We had to stop by Zuppas for Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup

Me and Steph!