being away...

so after i got married i moved to yuma, az...which really is not too far away from home in goodyear but STILL too far to enjoy the company of the women i love deeply, on a daily basis!!! today there is a festival in litchfield park and my mother and grama make it a point to go every year, it's like their date out together =) there is never a dull moment with these two and i just wanted to give them a shout out so that they know that i miss them immensely!

My sweet grama <3

And my beautiful mother <3

enjoy the rest of your afternoon in the warm spring sun ladies!!! love you both so much!

saturday sun!!!

happy saturday! the weekend is here and so is the heat =) after being locked up in our apartment the past couple of weekends, the hubby and i decided to get OUTSIDE and enjoy the beautiful sunshine! living out in the middle of the desert is somewhat limiting on just what to preoccupy yourself with, but we found a great hiking area and hiked for a good amount of time this afternoon!

...as you can see, the hills were rather intense!!! great on the thighs ;) 

he was a great guide and although i'm not marine, i was sure being driven like one!!!

the wonders of this world never cease to amaze me...the gorgeous mountains, the mysterious ocean or just simply the stillness of the desert! truly amazing <3

something so simple...

i decided to try something a little bit different than what i have made before...we have these amazing stuffed noodles and although they are good with a marinara sauce or flavored spaghetti sauce, i wanted something that was a little less red, first and foremost haha but something that was, light...

so i began by boiling some chicken!

then the stuffed noodles i was telling you about.

as i mentioned, we wanted to try something a little less filling yet still with CRAZY amounts of flavor =) i pulled up a simple recipe off of the internet and created a warm vegetable sauce that was simply to die for...

with a little bit of seasoning and about a 1/4 cup of vegetable oil, we had us a winner!!!

it turned out soooo good! the hubby approved and i could not believe how accomplished everything was! just one of those easy to prep meals that was full of flavor and left us fully satisfied!

Goodmorning!

what a great way to start the morning off...

we've got some banana pancakes, polish sausage, eggs and some bacon! (i don't eat bacon but the boy does so we added that as an *extra* side dish just for him)

funny story, we bought cranberry juice for the wedding, that's right the wedding that was now almost FOUR MONTHS AGO already, and we still had a whole container of it. we've been trying to get rid of it for months now! this week the hubby came up with idea to mix it with other juices to delude the strange taste that cranberry juice has, with the intention to not waste what was left...a week later and we FINALLY finished it off this morning =p (thank you Jesus, no more mixed drinks for me!!!)

happy SATURDAY!!!!!

it's been a while...

 it's always been something i knew, i mean everyone knows what a friend is- someone you can count on, someone you can turn to, laugh with until you practically pee yourself, love on and support... 

while speaking to a girlfriend of mine, i realized that i am truly so blessed with such great people in my life, even if they are miles away. i learn from them and will continue to take in every moment, experience life with them and truly inherit the fulfillment of a genuine friendship.

a life of adventure with the security of a God who loves me to the pit of my very soul, just because, "something as sure as the moon in the sky", instills a desire in me to live everything i do with purpose, giving all the praise back to Him, and loving on others as i do! 

as my evening came to an end i decided to take my dogs to a field to experience the freedom of nature in the form of an acre of grassy open land--to just simply run free in and "gallop" around if you will, which they did rather triumphantly i must add

...and seeing them do so was so rewarding! all we ever want to feel is freedom, freedom from the things that hold us back or from what we are called to be. they ran through that field like nothing was holding them back with all the courage and energy they had. 
i pray that as each day comes, i embrace every blessing obstacle or not, with the agility and enthusiasm as my two puppies did tonight! 


~ may you have those individuals in your life to share this journey with, even if they do insist on licking you to express their love ha ha ~

how great...

today was my first day being surrounded by at least ninety 4th, 5th AND 6th graders for an extended period of time!!!! what a great day! each of them so individually different and unique...getting to know them will be a blast and an experience in itself =) the innocence of tiny humans fulfills me and i can't wait teach them all i know ;)


the day ended with an - AMAZING - stew that i made for the first time, and it turned out to be a winner!!! now time to relax and enjoy some freshly made brownies and the company of the three guys in my life!

day 1

today is the day!!! a new day to begin blogging! i've never done this before and i am excited to share all of my life's notes...

today i was listening to the radio about how each of us have our own Mount Rushmore. how we have those individuals who have made an impression on us, individuals who have left marks in our life and hold a place in our heart, that will forever be a part of us. who are your faces on your Mount Rushmore?

this is fun! =) have a great day!!!