Girls Night Out

While in California I was able to get together with 3 of my good friends to go out to dinner. It was fun catching up and hearing about what everyone was up to. It felt like we were never apart!

Me, Lisa, Kacie, Jenny

Me and Kacie

Lisa and Jenny

There was a group of old ladies at the table next to us, all wearing hats. We decided this is what we will be like when we are old!

El Torito

Last night Josh and I decided to eat at our favorite restaurant in California - El Torito. They have the best Mexican food! They are a bit more pricey than we would prefer, but it is always worth it.

Movie at Downtown Disney

My family and I decided to go out to a movie last night and headed over to Downtown Disney to see Avatar in 3D. My best friend Kacie meet us there to watch the movie too. I haven't seen her in a couple years so it was good to be together again!

Me and Kacie

Christmas Run

Christmas afternoon, some of my family members and I decided to go for a run. It had been 2 1/2 months since I had been running so I felt way out of shape, but it was good to get back to running again.

Michelle, Omar, Josh, me, Lindsay, Preston

Christmas Eve

Since Christmas Eve was the only time the whole family would be together we decided to open presents then. It was a lot of fun exchanging gifts and seeing what everyone got.

Beach Day

Josh, Josh's brother, Alex, and I drove down to California yesterday to spend some time with my family for Christmas. We went to the beach today so the boys could play in the ocean while we were here. They had a blast, even thought the water was freezing! I think they are headed back to the beach tomorrow for some more fun.

Cajun Grilled Salmon

2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon pepper
3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 1/2 pounds salmon steaks or fillets

Mix all marinade ingredients and pour over salmon. Marinate for 1 hour. Place fillets over medium hot coals. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes each side or until done

Josh's New Ride

Josh has been saving his money for a while and finally decided he wanted to buy a motorcycle. He rides it every chance he gets and will be sad when he has to put it away for winter.

Baby Blanket

Here is another baby blanket I recently made.

To Die For Blueberry Muffins

Muffins:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup white sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup fresh blueberries

Crumb Mixture:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup butter, cubed
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon


Make crumb mixture by combining 1/3 cup flour, ½ cup brown sugar and ¼ cup butter in a bowl. Mix well with a fork. Place in fridge until ready to use. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin pan with muffin liners. Combine 1½ cups flour with ¾ cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Combine vegetable oil, egg, milk and vanilla in a separate bowl. Mix well. Add to the flour mixture. Batter will be thick – like cookie dough. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups until almost full. Sprinkle crumb mixture on top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

My Birthday

I had a great birthday on Tuesday thanks to Josh. He surprised me with flowers when he came home from school. Then we headed to Olive Garden for dinner - one of my favorite restaurants. We came home and played my favorite game, Settlers of Catan, and had cheesecake. Thanks Josh!

1/2 Marathon

I decided to run another 1/2 marathon this year and signed up for one at the beginning of August. I was pretty nervous for the race because I injured myself while training back in June and really had no idea how well I would do. To my surprise I finished 10 minutes faster than last year with a time of 1:56:01!

Family Pictures

With the whole family in town last month we decided it would be a good time to take some family pictures. A few of them are a bit dark, but still turned out nice.

The Whole Family

Danielle, Andy and Bridget

Kate, Jack and Bridget

Me and Josh

Alex, Jeff, Josh, Jack, Justin and Andy

Justin, Tina, Kate and Jack

Josh's Truck

Josh decided he wanted to rhino line his truck while his brother Andy was in town last month. They scuffed up the existing paint so the liner would adhere better then applied a few coats of the liner. It was a lot of work but Josh loves how the truck turned out.

Homecoming Surprise

Came home from vacation to this:

Family Reunion

Josh's family had a reunion with all his cousins a couple weeks ago at a ranch. There were several activities for us to do while we were there and it was fun catching up with Josh's family. They had horseback riding (we had to wear helmets and life vests to protect us if we fell off), archery, basketball, tennis, swimming and a lake to play on. Our favorite part was probably playing games with the family.

Josh

Josh

Josh and Me

Me

Jack

Justin and Josh

Josh and Justin

Justin, Jack and Josh

Josh

Justin and Jack

Me

Josh

Danielle and Bridget

Kate