the morgan's

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-23T12:22:00.003-05:00

We're about to load up the car and head out for Christmas. Hope you all have a great one!

P.S.- sorry we didn't send out Christmas cards. My only excuse is that I have been studying for the last 6 months for a big licensing exam that I took last Friday and it took over my life (no word on whether or not I passed yet).

1 Year

2009-11-22T21:55:00.003-05:00

Where did the year go!? I gave Kent tickets to see Cory Morrow for our anniversary. Kent loves Texas country music and has been doing without since we moved to Florida. He played last Saturday in Birmingham, so we spent last Saturday there. Here's the only picture we got of us...and half of my face is cut off:

This is where we stayed. I had never stayed in a bed & breakfast before and we both really liked it! It was like staying in someone's home (I guess we technically were).

And here's the year old cake which was actually really good. We even ate it on our china (It's the first time we've used our china).

North Carolina

2009-11-08T18:00:00.003-05:00

Work has been incredibly busy and stressful lately, so I decided that I needed to get away from it for a few days. I headed up to North Carolina to visit Rebekah, who interned with me at Appalachian State 2 years ago. I was hoping to get some fall colors, but unfortunately there was an early snow this year that caused most of the leaves to fall. I did see some though! It was a good trip even though the weather was not the best. Lots of eating (I ate fried chicken every night I was there and even brought some home in a cooler- healthy, huh?), shopping, and visiting with friends! Here are some pictures:

We went to an old haunted schoolhouse. It was scary. This character here kept trying to scare me while we were in line because he overheard me say I am not a fan of clowns. He was scary until I heard him say something and he had a kid's voice. Little punk.

This is one of the places I really miss. Notice the fog in the background. It was like that pretty much the entire time I was there until the day I left when the sun came out...of course.

My last day there was the only day it didn't rain, so we went hiking. There were lots of these guys along the way:

The first waterfall we saw:

An old Homestead:

Stone Mountain:

Stone Mountain Falls:

A few remaining fall colors:

After the hike, we drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Check out that waterfall in the distance:

My last picture as I was heading back to Florida:

Olé!

2009-10-24T11:28:00.003-04:00

I'm putting an end to my blogging hiatus with a recipe. One of the things that Kent and I have missed the most since moving to Pensacola is good Mexican food. There is NONE here! I think I took for granted the good Mexican food on every corner in Texas..and also the fresh tortillas. I LOVE nice thick, fresh tortillas. I even went as far as going down to a questionable part of Pensacola to the "Taco Rock" (where I was the only one speaking English) in search of good tortillas...even those were bad (I think they were store bought). After that I decided to just try to make some of my own. I found a recipe online that is fabulous and SO EASY. Here it is:

Texas Flour Tortillas (adapted from The Border Cookbook by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison)

Ingredients:

2 cups of all-purpose flour (can make them whole wheat by substituting one cup of whole-wheat flour for white flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
3/4 cups of warm milk

Method:

Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and oil.Slowly add the warm milk.Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed.Knead for two minutes on a floured surface. Dough should be firm and soft.Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes.

After the dough has rested, break off eight sections, roll them into balls in your hands, place on a plate (make sure they aren’t touching) and then cover balls with damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes. (It’s very important to let the dough rest, otherwise it will be like elastic and won’t roll out to a proper thickness and shape.)

After dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a four-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s thin and about eight inches in diameter. (If you roll out pie crusts you’ll have no problem with this.) Don’t over work the dough, or it’ll be stiff. Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook.In a dry iron skillet or comal heated on high, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. It should start to puff a bit when it’s done.Keep cooked tortillas covered wrapped in a napkin until ready to eat.

Can be reheated in a dry iron skillet, over your gas-burner flame or in the oven wrapped in foil.While you probably won’t have any leftovers, you can store in the fridge tightly wrapped in foil or plastic for a day or so.

Makes eight tortillas.

Our week in Cameron

2009-09-21T11:18:00.006-04:00

I've noticed that my past few posts have not been very happy at all, but I guess that's just life sometimes. We just spent 5 emotionally exhausting days in Texas and I'm still trying to process everything that we experienced. We initially thought after driving all day Thursday (the 10th) that we would be able to sleep in and rest until Darryn's visitation Friday evening. We learned shortly after arriving that we would be going with Darryn's family at 8am Friday morning in a police escorted motorcade to Easterwood Airport in College Station (about an hour away) to pick up Darryn.

Friday was a hard day. The drive to College Station was actually pleasant. I sat next to Darryn's grandmother and we had good conversation...I think we were all avoiding what we were about to do. As soon as we caught sight of the airport the entire van went silent. When we arrived at the airport there were dozens and dozens of Patriot Guard Riders there waiting for us...holding American flags. We waited about 45 minutes for Darryns' private jet to arrive and then we went out to the tarmac for the "ramp ceremony". They had lots of military men there and one Captain who had been with Darryn since Afghanistan and stayed with him until he was buried. I can still see the flag-draped casket being rolled off the plane and I can still see the expression on his pregnant wife's face. I don't think those images will ever leave me. We were escorted back to Cameron and no one said a word the whole way back. When we passed through Caldwell the huge flag at their car dealership was at half mast. When we got back to Cameron the entire town was waiting for us. They were all standing at intersections holding American flags. We passed by the high school and every student and teacher was lining the sides of the street with flags. It was surreal and just the homecoming that Darryn deserved.

We then spent time at the funeral home where the Army Captain who had travelled with Darryn from Afghanistan informed us exactly how Darryn died. Darryn was in the second hummer in a line of hummers and the first one hit some kind of explosive. They all got out to secure the perimeter and Darryn saw that they were getting attacked by a rocket propelled grenade launcher. He physically pushed 3 guys out of the way, saving 2 of them. The 3rd died a few days later. I can't think of anything more heroic than that.

As a side note, central Texas had been in drought conditions for about 3 months with little to no rain. Shortly after we picked up Darryn, it started raining...and I mean raining. It rained pretty much the entire time we were there. They intially told us to prepare for war protestors, as they had purchased permits to protest outside of Darryn's service. I think the rain was a factor in keeping them away. How can you not believe that God and Darryn played a part in that weather?! It was definitely representative of the mood.

Friday night was the visitation. So many people came out (in the rain) to pay their respects. Saturday afternoon was the funeral service and they estimate around 600 people attended. The little First Baptist Church in Cameron has probably never had to accomodate so many people. It was such a nice service. There were 20 or so military people there and Darryn's family was presented with some awards (Purple Heart and Bronze Star) and Darryn's dogtags. I don't think I've ever felt so patriotic and so inspried to grow in my faith.

Monday we rode in another police escorted motorcade all the way to San Antonio so Darryn could have a military burial at Ft. Sam Houston. Bagpipes were playing. The rain held out, but it was still a cloudy, dreary day...consistent with our moods. They brought the casket to the site on a horse-drawn caisson. They presented flags to Julie and little Daylan as well as Darryn's parents and twin brother Jarrett. They did the rifle shots and a bugler played taps. Taps always gets me.

Darryn was a true American hero and I feel so honored to have known him. Please continue praying for his family and friends.

2009-09-13T23:32:00.004-04:00

A Hero...

2009-09-12T22:34:00.001-04:00

A scene from today (notice Kent in the front). It's been 2 stressful, long, emotional days so far and it's not over yet.

Please Pray

2009-09-08T12:24:00.003-04:00

I've really slipped on updating this thing, so I don't even know if anyone reads this anymore.

We found out Saturday night that one of Kent's best friends, Darryn Andrews, was killed in action in Afghanistan. He and his wife Julie have a son Daylan who just celebrated his 2nd birthday yesterday. Julie is also pregnant with their little girl due in December. Darryn's only surviving sibling is his twin brother Jarrett, as their parents also lost Darryn and Jarrett's older sister years ago. Truly heartbreaking. It literally makes my heart hurt to think about what the Andrews family is going through.

Kent has a very close group of friends from Cameron and I know he is struggling with the loss. We're heading to Cameron on Thursday and the service will be Saturday afternoon. Please pray for Darryn's family as well as all of his friends who are struggling with this loss, and the soldiers who are still over there fighting for our freedom.

Darryn, Julie, and Daylan

All the guys- Jarrett, James, Kent, Ryan, and Darryn

Darryn & Kent

Tough Weekend

2009-08-03T22:12:00.011-04:00

This will probably be a really long post with lots of pictures.

On Friday I left with Kent and my mom to spend the weekend in Havana {Havana is just a few miles north of Tallahassee- when my mom lived there the population was about 1,000 and it hasn't grown much since then} and Tallahassee. My mom and her older sister Sibby put my grandmother {Grandmammy} in assisted living in Tallahassee in January 2008 and she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. We went to visit her and go through the house to try to make a dent in all the STUFF. They built their home in Havana over 60 years ago. That is where my mom and her 2 sisters grew up. It is the house where my Grandpappy died 15 years ago and it is the house that Grandmammy didn't want to leave. It's also the house where I remember many Thanksgivings at the "kid's table" in the living room.

This was my first time visiting Grandmammy since she's been in the assisted living. I lasted all of about 2 minutes with her before I lost it, which then caused my mom to lose it. She had no idea who we were and didn't talk much. We didn't stay very long the first day we went to see her...it was just too hard. The second day she said a little more. We asked how she is doing and she said "Oh I'm pretty good. My daddy's taking care of me. He's a doctor". Hmm...her daddy certainly was a doctor. Maybe she does see him? Who knows. Grandmammy will be 90 on Thursday. She doesn't know that either.

Going through the house is quite the task...and very sad. There is so much stuff and the house just needs to be completely gutted. Kent worked his butt off cleaning off the porch and scrubbing the kitchen floors and counters. Me, my mom and my aunt Sibby kept getting sidetracked by pictures and memories. It's really hard not to. Now, on to some pictures!

This is what the trees look like around there...so pretty.

Here's the house...lots of memories here.

Meet Dotty Bowen. This is my mom's younger sister. I'm not sure how old she is in this picture, but this is the picture of her that was always up in the family room. She lived in the house up until she died. She died from an eating disorder when she was 35 and I was in the 4th grade. She's the reason I am a therapist specializing in eating disorders.

Meet Dr. and Mrs. Counsel Maxwell. These are grandmammy's parents. He had a 60-year career as a doctor and delivered over 7,000 babies. She was in the first graduating class at FSU...there were only 2 or 3 of them.

This is the house in Calvary, GA {about 9 miles north of Havana} where Grandmammy grew up. It is a bed and breakfast now and apparently is haunted. It's on acres and acres of land with pecan trees.

Here's the living room in Grandmammy's house. It's the only room in the house that looks the same. All the others are a mess with boxes and stuff everywhere. Walking in this room is like stepping back in time.

I'm tempted to take this chair and recover it...I think it has potential.

Not so much this one.

I was able to get some stuff from Grandmammy's house. The first thing is this cedar chest. It looks like a dresser, but it's actually a cedar-lined chest. This along with the mirror pictured below it came from my great aunt. Grandmammy got them after she died about 15 years ago. My great aunt Cat's husband owned an antique store and that is where these came from.

I was also able to get 12 place settings of Johann Haviland china. This came from my great grandparent's house in Calvary. I love it! The first picture is one of the serving pieces and below is a picture of some of it stacked up.

This is just a little oil lamp I grabbed that needs to be cleaned really well.

This is the cedar chest that Grandmammy was given when she married Grandpappy in 1941.

And I'm done! If you're still reading you're probably bored to tears!

Havana

2009-07-30T16:56:00.002-04:00

I haven't really posted in a while, but that's mainly because nothing has been going on. Just lots of working and studying. I'm taking the day off tomorrow and going with Kent and my mom to Havana {where my mom grew up}. We're going to visit my grandmother {who has Alzheimer's} in the assisted living home and then go to the house where my mom grew up and where my grandmother lived until she was put in the home. We'll be going through lots of stuff figuring out what to keep and what to get rid of. Not really a "fun" trip, but something that has to be done. Be back after the weekend!

New Pet & Peppers

2009-07-23T08:04:00.002-04:00

Meet our new pet. Kent named him Alfred and he's been hanging out around our house for quite a while now. The first time I saw him I went out to the garage to get a drink from the fridge and he scurried across the garage floor and nearly gave me a heart attack. I didn't like him and wanted to go away. I've gotten used to his presence now and if he's out there eating mosquitos then I don't mind him. After some investigating, it seems that he is a Five-Lined Skink.

Also, check out these habanero peppers we grew. Kent loves super hot food, so he ate these things. It gives me heartburn just thinking about it.

Friday with Fritz

2009-07-17T20:01:00.002-04:00

Happy Friday {he has no shame}!

Cross Country Trek

2009-07-14T09:11:00.002-04:00

Last Friday my brother {Matt}, sister-in-law {Jae}, and their 3-year-old daughter {Ella} embarked on their cross-country move from Seattle, WA to Newport, RI. It really doesn't get much more cross-country than that. Can you even imagine doing that drive?! Anyway, Matt has been documenting their journey here if you would like to check it out. They have been stopping at attractions along the way to liven it up a bit. So far they've been to places like Mt. Rushmore, Little Bighorn, and the 'Corn Palace'. Here's a picture of Ella at the Corn Palace, which she apparently enjoyed a lot more than Matt and Jae did. Today they make their way to Wisconsin.

In other news, I've officially started studying for the EPPP. This week's topic is 'Theories and Principles of Learning' {think Pavlov's dogs for those of you who took PSYC 101}. Fun times.

Friday with Fritz

2009-07-10T15:32:00.002-04:00

Cheer up Fritz...it's Friday!

Back from Colorado

2009-07-09T15:11:00.002-04:00

Kent and I just got back from spending a week in Estes Park, CO with his family and we had a great time! It was so nice escaping the brutal heat and humidity for a few days. It would take way too long to type out all that we did, so here are lots of pictures...and this is still only a small snapshot of all the stuff we did. Now it's back to reality {and heat}.

Kent and I spent the first night at The Stanley Hotel. This is where Stephen King wrote The Shining. The show Ghost Hunters has been there multiple times and Kent requested that we stay in the room where they found the most activity (Room 401). I was scared. Nothing happened. Well, except the TV turned off when I unplugged the iron...and our video camera scanned through screens we had never seen before....and the computer acted funny. But that's not ghosts, right?

Then on to this amazing house for the rest of the week {thanks to Kent's generous parents}

And here's the deck with hot tub right along the river {note that the hot tub at 100 degrees is cooler than it's been here in Florida}

Baby elk

Mule deer scrounging for food

Feeding baby ducks
Bear Lake

Enjoying the view

We played lots of mini golf

Moraine Park {while horseback riding}

Horseback riding through Rocky Mountain National Park

View at the top of the Aerial Tram {I faced my fear of heights- mainly because I knew I'd get to feed chipmunks at the top}

And here I am...
The Hole in One pose

Picture of the whole gang

Friday with Fritz

2009-06-26T15:55:00.004-04:00

Here's this week's edition of "Friday with Fritz". Check out those crazy eyes...this picture cracks me up. He is absolutley OBSESSED with that ball. We keep having to buy more raquet balls because they end up under furniture, we can't find them, and Fritz freaks. If you ask him where his ball is, he runs around the house in a panic looking under the furniture.

In other news, Kent and I are leaving for Slidell tomorrow to drop off the Fritz with my parents. Then we're flying out to Colorado on Sunday for a week of R&R in Estes Park with Kent's family. I CAN'T WAIT!

Awkward

2009-06-24T14:48:00.003-04:00

One of my friends just sent me this link and I have been CRACKING UP going through the pictures! In honor of this site, I present to you my awkward family photo...my brother and I with Santa circa 1982.

Friday Fritz

2009-06-19T17:12:00.003-04:00

Fritz says Happy Friday!

Oh Yes, Wait a Minute Mr. Postman

2009-06-14T17:42:00.002-04:00

Usually I'm excited when a package arrives. Not this time! Look how innocent it looks sitting there.

This is what was inside:

It cost the same as my wedding dress, but I wasn't NEARLY as excited to get this as I was my wedding dress. You need a closer look?

Yeah, so I'm supposed to study this stuff {that's a huge binder and 43 audio CD's + online pratice tests} for 10-20 hours a week for the next 3-4 months to take the national Psychology licensing exam. Did I mention that this exam is a beast and I know of people who have taken it multiple times {at over $500 a pop} and still not passed? I'm enjoying my last couples weeks of freedom, as the studying will commence after the 4th of July. Let freedom ring!

One of Those Days

2009-06-02T22:50:00.002-04:00

I was SO excited to try this recipe when I saw it posted the other day because there's not much better than the peanut butter/ chocolate combo. I spent tonight in the kitchen working on it, spent an hour smelling it, anticipating the moment I could take it out and eat a nice big, warm piece. Well, who woulda thought a loaf pan could be so darn slippery. It completely slipped out of my hands and landed upsidedown IN the oven. How does that even happen?! Leave it to me. This is what's left:

I almost cried. Kent had to come in and retrieve what was left {after he heard my scream from the kitchen} becuase I couldn't bear to do it. On top of that, our A/C went out this afternoon and they can't get anyone out until tomorrow. FYI- Florida is HOT in June. Here's to having a better tomorrow!

GOO-WAH-KAH-MOLE

2009-05-31T18:50:00.002-04:00

I have always loved cooking, and I remember my mom bought me my first very own cookbook when I was fairly young. I was going through all the recipes, reading out the names and the title of this post is how I pronounced guacamole. My mom corrected me. {I still pronounce it that way in my head when I see it written out}. I didn't know it would end up being one of my favorite things to eat.

Store bought "guacamole dip" doesn't even come close to the goodness of homemade guacamole. This is how I make mine, but this is definitely something where people have their own preferences.

I use:

avocado, tomato, lime juice, salsa, chili powder, and onion salt {you could also put chopped up onion, but I don't like it too oniony} {you could also add cilantro, but I HATE cilantro- I wish I liked it} I don't measure anything- I just add it until it looks right and have Kent taste test along the way.

and voila! goo-wah-kah-mole!

TGIF!

2009-05-29T15:33:00.002-04:00

Fritz says Happy Friday!

Decisions, Decisions

2009-05-28T15:08:00.005-04:00

This is what our minds have been going through for the past week. I HATE making decisions...especially BIG ones. Kent was called out of the blue last week and offered the position of football strength coach for Texas Tech. They also just happen to have a psychologist position open at their counseling center.

I think our minds have changed about 10 times an hour for the past week. There are lots of perks that go along with coaching Big XII. You have the fun of games and Bowl Games and free clothes, free cell phone, possibly free car, bowl bonuses, etc. However, the cons would be that Kent would be working from about 5:30am-7:00pm everyday...including weekends. We also wouldn't get Christmas off because that's when we'd be going to a bowl game. And did I mention we'd be living in Lubbock...9 hours from his family and 16 hours from mine? It was seriously a hard decision...HARD.

We FINALLY decided yesterday that we'll be staying put in Pensacola. It's no Big XII, but it is more freedom. The money they were offering just wasn't enough to justify all of the cons.

To rub some salt in the wound...I went home for lunch today and as I was driving back to work I got behind a truck with 2 Texas Tech stickers on it. I have NEVER seen a single Texas Tech reference since I've lived in Florida. Sigh.

Aggieland Weekend

2009-05-20T23:44:00.003-04:00

This is what I did last weekend. Fun times.

Bird, bird, bird...a bird is the word

2009-05-03T22:25:00.003-04:00

We had some people from my work over for dinner on Friday. I was trying to get ready before people started getting here, and I opened the door to let Fritz outside and a bird flew straight in the house as if he had been waiting for me to open the door. Of course Kent was not home yet, but he wasn't far. Kent has experience removing birds from the indoors from his time working in the weight room at A&M...they used to open the doors to let fresh air in, and in the birds would come. I felt sorry for this little guy because he was in the sunroom, so he kept flying into the windows trying to get out. Kent finally got him out with a towel and he was one happy birdie to be back outside.

To Die For..

2009-04-19T12:03:00.002-04:00

Muffins! I get most of the new recipes that I try from allrecipes.com. I like the ratings and the comments on each recipe. I can trust that if something has 4 1/2 stars out of 5 by 2, 827 people...it's probably going to be good. So this morning, I tried out the To Die For Blueberry Muffins. Yum! Now, I did make a few changes...one big one. Blueberries were way expensive, so I used fresh strawberries instead. I also used buttermilk instead of regualr milk, and for the topping I used brown sugar instead of white. They're obviously not the prettiest muffins in the world , but it seems like it's always the sloppiest-looking food that tastes the best. Happy baking!

Easter Weekend Recap

2009-04-14T23:06:00.006-04:00

We went to Slidell this weekend and I realized that this was my first time home for Easter since I left for college. So sad. It was nice! We dyed Easter eggs (Fritz LOVES eggs):

Saturday we ate lunch here:

And then we walked across the street and got some of these:
They had just been picked that morning and were the best I have had in a LONG time.

Sunday we went to church and had the full spread of Easter dinner before heading back to Pensacola.

And to end, these lovely roses are blooming in our yard right now (I love spring!):

craigslist, part deux

2009-03-22T22:53:00.004-04:00

Here's a picture of my second big craigslist find. I promise I'm done shopping on craigslist for a while. This is a piano from the early 1900's (I'm trying to find a serial # so I can find out the exact date). It plays pretty well. I may have a registered piano technician come check it out to see what it's tuning potential is. You would never guess what we paid for this! (Please excuse my slippers in the picture)And this is where we spent the afternoon. It was CROWDED (dang spring breakers!), so it was impossible to get a pic without random people in it.

I Love Spring

2009-03-21T21:13:00.003-04:00

Today was just a nice, spring day. The weather was gorgeous, and this morning I went and got the massage and pedicure here that Kent got me for Valentine's Day/ dissertation defense. It was a GREAT massage and much needed. After I got back we went to a nursery (Floral Tree Gardens) that is right by our house. We had NO IDEA it was as huge as it is. They have golf carts there for you to drive around the place. It was a lot of fun looking around...they have every kind of plant/ tree imagineable We made a couple of friends while we were there:

Friday Lunch

2009-03-13T15:58:00.005-04:00

Every Friday at work we take a 2-hour lunch and go somewhere different. Because the weather has been so beautiful, we decided to head down to "Crabs" on the beach for lunch today.

Here we are:

And this was our view:

Now I'm just trying to make it through the rest of the work day!

China Cabinet

2009-03-08T16:10:00.002-04:00

So after Kent and I got married, we really needed (wanted) a china cabinet so we could take all of our china out of the boxes. We figured we wouldn't be getting one for a while since they're pretty expensive. Every now and then I'll check out craigslist to see if anything strikes my fancy. Well, last week I found this great china cabinet for super cheap. I thought it was too good to be true, but we decided to drive down to Gulf Breeze Friday after work and check it out anyway.

Now, I knew we were in for a long evening because the couple of times I talked to the seller on the phone turned into at least 30-minute long conversations and I found out that she was married 27 years, just went through an awful divorce, just kicked out both of her kids, lives on disability for her vocal chords, has a lab, ex-husband has a girlfriend, she's lonely and all she has is her dog. I really didn't care to know all of that...I just wanted her china cabinet. And no, I did not share with her that I am a psychologist.

So we headed over to her place and she was quite the character. Let me just paint you a picture. 52-year-old woman (she shared that with us), bleach blond hair, spaghetti strap spandex tank top with no bra, short shorts, 3-inch wedge sandals, and a cigarette hanging out of her mouth. She has obviously spent way too much time in the sun and many years smoking cigarettes according to her voice, skin, and teeth. She referred to me as "baby", cursed like a sailor, and to be honest I was a little scared.

We ended up buying her china cabinet and turns out it is a solid wood Ethan Allen piece. We got it for $250...can you believe it! The one downside is that it smells like smoke (go figure). It has 4 boxes of baking soda in it as we speak...and I plan on washing it with Murphy's Oil Soap (thanks google).

On the way home with the china cabinet the lady called me and asked me if I have myspace (are you kidding?!). I knew there was a reason I cancelled my account a couple weeks ago...whew!

DONE!

2009-02-22T18:32:00.004-05:00

No more dissertation!! (Well, except for a few revisions). Last Monday, I finally defended it and after all of my stressing and worrying, it sure was anti-climactic. After presenting and answering questions for about an hour and 45 minutes, they sent me out of the room to talk about me. They brought me back in, each gave me a hug and congratulated me. I gathered my stuff and left thinking "that's it?". It was a weird feeling. After visitng with former co-workers at the counseling center, my mom and I headed back to Holly and Derek's house and I was out until dinner. We ate at Caffe Capri (one of my favorites) and then went back home for celebratory cake that Kent's parents brought from Cameron (as you will see in the pic). Being back in College Station really made me miss Texas...but I'll be back for graduation!! (May 16th-2:00 pm) This weekend I've been very lazy and for once I don't feel guilty about it!

Stress-o-rama

2009-02-13T11:37:00.003-05:00

This picture pretty much sums up how I've been feeling these days. I'm heading to Slidell today and then on to College Station with my mom tomorrow. I defend my dissertation Monday at noon. I'm a nervous wreck and my biggest fear is that I will be "that one" that is talked about for years in the program for not passing her dissertation defense. Don't even try to tell me not to worry about it...because I'm going to worry and stress. However, I am looking forward to (hopefully) celebrating with Kent's family after it's done.

I'm bummed that Kent and I will be apart for our first married Valentine's Day. In fact, we've NEVER been together on Valentine's Day. Ugh. But, he gave me my present last night, which is a gift certificate for a massage at a spa. Perfect gift for post-dissertation!

Family, Food & Fun

2009-02-01T18:52:00.006-05:00

My parents came to visit this weekend. It was a nice weekend, and it feels like all we did was eat! Kent made his steaks on Friday night. I still remember the first time my parents ate some of Kent's steak and they were talking about how good it was for weeks! Saturday Kent had to go up to the university and stretch out/ warm up 540 Girl Scouts (can you imagine!?) While he was doing that, my parents and I went out to lunch in Historic downtown Pensacola. We went to Dharma Blue, which is actually where they took me for dinner when I interviewed for my job. After Kent was done, we all went to the Joe Patti Seafood Market. This place is amazing (if you like seafood). It was actually just featured in Southern Living. It's backed up to the bay, so boats just unload the fresh seafood right into the market. We got 7 pounds of shrimp and cooked it 4 different ways (boiled, fried, and grilled 2 different ways). Other than eating, we did lots of wii playing. I can't believe it's already Sunday night again...boo!

Happy Birthday Kent!

2009-01-08T00:12:00.003-05:00

Today is Kent's birthday. We didn't do much, as Kent requested that we not do much. I cooked supper and made him a cake and of course we did presents. While the cake I made is not the prettiest, it is my mom's Devil's Food Cake recipe and it is SO good. This is the cake I always request for my birthday. Here's the recipe:

2 Sticks margarine

4 Tablespoons cocoa

1 Cup cold water

2 Cups flour

2 Cups sugar

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Teaspoon soda

½ Cup buttermilk

2 Eggs

1 Teaspoon vanilla

Frosting:

½ Stick margarine, melted

2 Tablespoons cocoa

3 Tablespoons buttermilk

½ Box or 2½ cups powdered sugar

Melt 2 sticks of margarine, add 4 Tablespoons of cocoa and 1 cup of water. Bring to rapid boil and pour over the dry ingredients and stir. Mix well and add ½ cup of buttermilk, 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Pour into 9 X 13 greased pan (glass works best). Bake at 375 degrees for 15 or 20 minutes. Mix frosting ingredients well and spread on cake while still hot. Sprinkle with pecans, if desired.

The date is set!

2008-12-19T12:54:00.002-05:00

February 16th is the dreaded day. Now let's pray that I can defend the thing. Hopefully the holidays can distract me some from stressing out too much.

Happy Birthday Fritz!

2008-12-14T20:24:00.003-05:00

Today is Fritz's 6th birthday (yes I know his actual birth date)! He has been a good little companion for 6 years and hopefully has many, many more years in him. He got an extra long walk and a special dog treat with frosting to celebrate. Happy birthday Fritters!

We're Married!

2008-12-09T09:16:00.004-05:00

Well, we've been married for a little over 2 weeks, but I haven't gotten around to blogging. The wedding was great...we had so much fun! Everyone told me to expect something to go wrong, and for us it was that our photgrapher and his assistant were violently ill and could not shoot our wedding. He sent two people in his place, but I'm still kind of nervous about how the pictures will come out. We made our way to Sandals Regency St. Lucia Sunday after the wedding. We had a few issues along the way. We didn't make it to St. Lucia until Monday and then our luggage didn't make it until Tuesday. After that, the trip was great! I'm already ready to go back to St. Lucia!

I was scammed!

2008-11-16T23:17:00.003-05:00

Booo! I have been a professional online shopper for so long, I think I was taking for granted that I never had any problems. Well, I got scammed folks! I ordered some items from this site for my wedding reception and for the bridesmaids. I ordered it a while ago and still don't have the items. I emailed the company several times with no response. They have absolutley no phone number on their site. I finally googled "Pick N Personalize scam" and guess what....I'm not the only one! I don't know how these people are getting away with taking so many people's money...it makes me SO mad!! Luckily, I called my credit card company and am in the process of disputing the charges. Ugh...what a mess!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T13:20:00.002-04:00

So it's a day late, but I hope everyone had a great Halloween! Kent and I passed out candy to trick-or-treaters. There were TONS of kids that stopped by. We went through our entire massive bowl of candy (which is a good thing because now I won't eat it). Here are the pumpkins that we carved (mine is the mean face and Kent's is the ghost).

Fall & Furry Friends

2008-10-19T21:43:00.002-04:00

Not much exciting has happened lately. This was the first weekend in weeks that Kent and I were both in Pensacola, so we really just enjoyed the beautiful fall weather here and ran around town for most of Saturday. We got into the Halloween mood and bought some pumpkins for the front porch (which will later be carved) and then watched the old Jamie Lee Curtis movie, "Halloween", which Kent found to be cheesy, but I always enjoy.

Today we've both been in work mode. Ugh. I have a presentation tomorrow and on Tuesday. I'm guest lecturing in a Personal Health class tomorow on Eating Disorders and Body Image. Tuesday I'm doing a training seminar for our staff on eating disorders treatment. I will be eating disordered out by the end of this week!

On a side note, Kent's 2 cats moved in with me and Fritz mid-August. I think everyone involved was nervous about how that would work out, but check out this picture I got tonight:

12 Hour Bridal Portraits

2008-10-12T00:07:00.002-04:00

What and adventure!! First of all, it was more difficult finding a place to have bridal portraits taken than it was finding a place to get married!! Everywhere around New Orleans has rules and restrictions and fees (some as much as $350) associated with bridal pics. I just don't get it...I'm not vandalizing the place...I'm standing in a white dress!

Anyway, so I took the day off of work on Friday to have my bridal portraits taken. The plan was to drive down to Metairie (about 45 mins away) to have my hair and makeup done at 10am, then drive to Baton Rouge (yes Baton Rouge....the only place we could find to take pics!) and meet the photographer at 1:30 all dressed and ready to start taking pics. We were going to take pics for 2 hours in the Old State Capitol and had to be out by 3:30 as they had a wedding rehearsal starting.

My mom and I thought we would have PLENTY of time to get to Baton Rouge, eat something for lunch and be ready for pics by 1:30...WRONG! We got stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic right outside of Metairie and then again in Baton Rouge. Then we get to the Capitol and they're setting up for some music thing they were having downtown which meant that most of the roads were closed...what a nightmare! We eventually found a spot not too far away, which is good considering we were carrying a dress, shoes, flowers, etc. It actually ended up working out for the best because we got started around 2:30 and got an hour of pics in at the Capitol and then went over to a park near the "new" capitol and got lots of outside pics. I love our photographer and had a really good time taking pictures.

So I changed and we got ready to make the 1 1/2 hour drive back to Slidell. By this time it's 5:00 and we still haven't eaten anything...which means I'm getting cranky! Guess what?? More bumper-to-bumper traffic! You couldn't pay me enough to live in Baton Rouge. We finally got home by 8:30. Who knew it would take 12 hours to take some bridal portraits?!

On a side note, my florist wanted to charge $100 for a bouquet for pictures, which I couldn't rationalize having my parents pay for. So...my mom went to the grocery store and bought 2 dozen roses for $8/ dozen and made this bouquet herself. I think she did a fabulous job...and in this pic the bouquet is 2 days old AND it's been through 2 1/2 hours of pictures and about 10 hours of traffic!

Engagement Pics

2008-10-01T21:24:00.000-04:00

Check it:

http://oeilphotography.blogspot.com/

Office Space

2008-09-30T12:41:00.007-04:00

And I'm not talking about the show, I'm talking about my own. I'm finally getting my office set up how I want it. I've been working here for a month and a half, so it's about time! It's really important to me that my office be comfortable and "homey". One, because I spend a heck of a lot of time in here, and two, because I think it makes clients more comfortable if they're not sitting in a sterile, boring office. Anyway, here are a few pics of what it looks like now. I still need a few things like a couple throw pillows for the sofa and another floor lamp, but it's getting there! I REALLY miss having a window in my office. I feel like a hurricane could be going on outside and I wouldn't know because I live in this cave, but it could be much worse so I won't complain too much!

Wedding this and that

2008-09-17T15:24:00.002-04:00

Not much has been happening lately, but I promised I would be better about updating, so here I go. I can definitely see why people elope because I feel like wedding plans/ details are taking over my life. I plan on putting invitations in the mail next weekend and I have pretty much all of them addressed, but there are still some addresses I'm trying to track down (and get Kent to track down). It'll feel so good to get those in the mail. I have my 2nd dress fitting on Saturday. Don't get me started on how the first one went, but I certainly hope this one goes better! We're also doing engagement pictures (finally....a little late!) on Sunday in downtown Pensacola. I'm pretty exicted about them. Here's the blog of the photographer we're using. I really like her style.

In other news, congrats to Mr. Morgan for passing his Adventure Boot Camp certification exam. This means he is now officially an Adventure Boot Camp instructor. If you don't know what that means, check it out HERE!

Long time, no blog!

2008-09-04T15:32:00.003-04:00

So, it's been ages since I updated my blog! There's been so much going on lately, I haven't even thought about it! Here are the bulleted points of what has been going on this past month:

moved to Pensacola...love the house!

drove to Cameron, TX for engagement party at Kent's parents' house...had a great time!

drove 12 hours back to Florida with a dog and 2 cats in the car...we're all still alive

started working at UWF on Aug.20th...like it so far!

I've already had to cover my computer with plastic twice at work before going home for Hurricane scares

Kent was hired at UWF as the "Director of Athletic Performance"

My parents evacuated Slidell to stay with me this past weekend because of Gustav. It took them 9 hours to get from Slidell to Pensacola. Their house is fine.

And I'll end with my new favorite candy...Hershey's Candy Corn Kisses. yeah, you heard me right. However, they don't taste like candy corn...they taste like buttercream which is even better. I wish I could keep the bag under my nose like a feedbag and smell it all day because it smells like heaven!! I will be stocking up on these because my guess is that they will be gone after Halloween.

Anyway, I'll try to be better about updating!

Byebye Boone :(

2008-07-29T22:40:00.002-04:00

Well today I finished my internship at the Appalachian State Counseling Center. I can't believe the year is over!! It was probably the hardest year of my life. The amount of work was ridiculous and I was away from friends and family (including Kent). I'm SO relieved that it's over, but I'm definitely going to miss Boone. Here are some of the things I'll miss the most:

the beautiful mountains, of course
the fact that I don't have or need A/C in the summer
the fall colors
Christmas tree farms
Rhodedendrums
Dan'l Boone Inn
Blowing Rock
The Best Cellar (where Kent and I got engaged)
going to the Biltmore Estate
hiking to waterfalls
Farmer's Market
Living half a mile from the Blue Ridge Parkway
no humidity
Mast General Store
fireflies

My fellow intern, Rebekah and I made calendars for all of our co-workers as a going away present. We used all of our favorite pictures around Boone that we have taken this year. I am sharing them as part of my final ode to Boone. It's 13 pics, so bear with me!

Cover:

January:

February:

March:

April:

May:

June:

July:

August:

September:

October:

November:

December:

Check and check

2008-07-24T21:33:00.002-04:00

Well, I am able to check off 2 of my goals that I set for my year in Boone. So, the first one is kind of nerdy. I always wanted to have a picture that was the "Photo of the Day" on booneweather.com. The man who runs booneweather, Ray, is somewhat of a local celebrity and everyone in Boone knows about booneweather. Well...after a year of sending in photos, mine was finally chosen and today my photo was the photo of the day!! It's a picture I took of Grandfather Mountain (notice the profile of a bearded old man) while I was at a park in Banner Elk last Friday. Here's the pic:

My second goal was to see a bear. After work I drove to Mountain City, TN to eat at a really great restaurant for a co-worker's retirement dinner. On the way there and on the way back I saw a bear in the very same spot. Why was he in the same spot?? Because the poor thing was dead on the side of the road. But it was a bear nonetheless, so I'm still counting it.

Unveiling of the Pottery!

2008-07-20T22:31:00.003-04:00

Friday night I went to the pottery studio to pick up my very first completed pieces. This means I built them out of clay, let them completely dry (which takes a while), fired them once in the kiln, glazed them, and fired them again. Pottery doesn't happen overnight, folks! Think about that the next time you complain about paying $30 for a lovely piece of pottery. Anyway, the blue piece is the ONLY thing I was able to make on the wheel. I don't know how I managed to make it and I have no idea what it is. The white vase I made by hand, which is obvious by the asymmetry. The rest of the weekend I have been packing my butt off. I am now officially stuck eating frozen meals, sandwiches or takeout, as all of my plates, pots, and pans are packed away...ugh!

Packing, Picking, and Potting

2008-07-13T20:10:00.002-04:00

That about sums up my weekend.

Packing- I have been packing up my place to move to Florida. I HATE PACKING! My dad is coming up here to help me load the truck on the 31st and we're heading to Pensacola Aug. 1st. I can't believe I've already lived in Boone for a year. I'm VERY excited about moving, but I'm starting to get sad about leaving the mountains...it's so beautiful here.

Picking- As silly as it sounds, I usually drive to get my mail because my driveway is SO steep. This weekend I decided to walk up to get my mail and noticed tons of blackberries growing around the mailbox. I picked enough blackberries to make a cobbler and there are still lots left to pick.

Potting- So it's not really potting, but I had to add the "ing" just so it would sound cute. I've been taking a pottery class this summer and it's a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. I just can't seem to master centering the clay on the wheel, so I've decided to stick to hand-building pieces for now. This weekend I went up to the studio to make a bundt pan. I'm excited to see how it comes out!

Blueberry Muffins in a Bowl?!

2008-07-08T11:23:00.002-04:00

I just had to quickly share my new favorite cereal. I'm a big cereal eater, or even connoisseur if you will. I eat cereal every morning and I usually switch around to different kinds so I don't get bored. Lately I have been eating the Cinnamon Streusel Frosted Mini-Wheats. They're very tasty, but I was starting to need a change in my morning meal. I was at the store yesterday and there it was, sitting on the end of an aisle- Blueberry Muffin Frosted Mini-Wheats. What the perfect combination! Blueberry muffins are one of my favorite breakfast treats, but let's face it...who has time to bake up some muffins in the morning?? Now there's no need to...you can eat your muffins right out of a cereal bowl!

Happy 4th of July Weekend!

2008-07-06T16:59:00.003-04:00

It was SO nice having a 3-day weekend...I wish I had one every week! My plan for Friday (the 4th) was to go to Lansing, NC with a fellow intern, Rebekah, to pick blueberries at this farm. Then, we were going to watch the fireworks in Jefferson because we heard they were supposed to be pretty good. So we made the 45-minute drive to Lansing and as soon as we got there it started storming. I was so disappointed. We decided on Plan B, which was driving back to Boone, eating dinner, and then going to watch the fireworks at Tweetsie since by the time we got back to Boone the sun was out (of course). So, after we ate we drove to Tweetsie and there were cars parked along the road for miles. Apparently people make a day out of parking and waiting for fireworks. I guess there's nothing better to do in Boone. I like fireworks, but not enough to park 2 miles away and and wait for an hour. So, the goals for the day were to pick blueberries and watch fireworks, and I didn't end up doing either one. Oh well. Here's a picture of my niece, Ella in honor of the 4th!

Dissertation Blues

2008-06-28T14:34:00.006-04:00

I am sitting here on a Saturday afternoon trying to motivate myself to work on my dissertation. My plan is to work on it the rest of the day today and tomorrow...not exactly a fun weekend. This dissertation is such the thorn in my side. I am determined to have the bulk of it written before I move in a month so I can defend before I get married. If there's one thing I've learned about grad shcool, it's that getting a Ph.D. has nothing to do with intelligence and everything to do with persistence. It's more about how much you're willing to put up with and how many hoops you're willing to jump through. Well, I've jumped through LOTS of hoops the past 5 years and this dissertation is the last one...and the hardest one in my opinion (aside from internship). It's hard to find motivation because I am getting my Ph.D. to help people, and the truth is, completing my dissertation will not make me a better clinician. I will get it done...and I will get it done soon so I can have my life and sanity back.

On a happier note, here are some pictures from last weekend...the roommate reunion which was MUCH more fun than this weekend!

Dan'l Boone Inn:

Jail Cell in Mayberry:

Opie's Candy Shop in Mayberry:

Fancy McDonald's outside the Biltmore:

Boone Bugs

2008-06-26T19:03:00.004-04:00

Boone has some of the weirdest looking bugs I have ever seen. This little fella who greeted me when I got home from work today is no exception. I mean, look at this guy...he looks like something from a sci-fi movie. I don't like bugs I'm not familiar with...they frighten me.

Carolina on my Mind

2008-06-23T21:10:00.006-04:00

So, this is my first blog post. I have resisted creating a blog for quite some time because I never thought my life was exciting enough to document on a regular basis. However, my 2 college roommates (Alisia & Emily) came to visit me in Boone this weekend. Emily convinced me that my life isn't as boring as I may think it is given that I am about to move, complete my Ph.D., start a new job, and get married. Anyway, she was able to sell me on the whole blog idea. We had a really great weekend...it was so good to catch up with them! I can't believe it's been 10 years since we first met our freshman year. Here are the highlights of the weekend:

Friday- All 3 of us managed to fall asleep by mid-afternoon. Their excuse was an early morning flight. I had no excuse. We then went out to eat pancakes for supper at the Mountain House Restaurant.
Saturday- Went in to Blowing Rock to pick up my wedding invitations (woohoo!). We then had a lovely lunch in downtown Boone at Our Daily Bread. This was followed by a trip to Mayberry (Mt. Airy). Alisia is an Andy Griffith Show fan (much like Kent), so this trip fulfilled one of her life dreams. We ended the day with dinner at one of my favorite restaurants of all time, the Dan'l Boone Inn (or DBI as the locals call it).
Sunday- We spent all day Sunday in Asheville at the Biltmore Estate. I am a 12-month passholder for the Biltmore if that tells you anything about how much I like it there. We took a Behind the Scenes tour which was very neat. As we exited the Biltmore, we stopped at the McDonald's in Biltmore Village. That may not sound like a very glamorous place to eat after strolling through the largest, most extravagant home in America, but this is not your typical McDonald's. The inside is complete with fresh flowers, a fireplace, tapestries on the wall, and a baby grand piano.

Monday- We started the day with a hike to a waterfall near my place off the Blue Ridge Parkway. We then had some fabulous hamburgers at Sonny's Grill in Blowing Rock. They're now on their way back to Forth Worth...boo! It was a geat weekend!

I will post pictures from the weekend later, but here's a blast from the past for now!