Good Bye Vacation. You Were SO Good to Me.

Alas, my winter vacation is over. I enjoyed every little drop of it.
Some of my favorite moments:

Seeing my Grandma. She was very ill and came here from the Philippines for medical care. I'm so happy to report that she is strong and doing well. She was doing so well, she asked me A MILLION times if I'm pregnant and if not... why? Then she proceeded to COMMAND Hubby and I to start trying immediately. I love her.

Baby fever in full effect. For now, I will practice holding other people's cute babies.

Hiking with friends. I only went twice, but that is two times more than I have been in the past six months. Winning! I went to Claremont Wilderness Park with some of my yoga/teacher buddies and then I went for a REAL hike with Hubby and his co-workers. I say "REAL" because this one required climbing, getting duuurty, seeing a coyote, and almost dying of butt cramps. I believe that constitutes as a real hike, no? We also brought Sonic along and he actually made it out alive!

We quickly recovered from our long hike with a couple of good eats! Can't get any better than that!

And tired puppy Sonic recovered with a long nap on the car ride home...or was that me? I don't recall.

Experimenting with new recipes! I've been in the kitchen making my very own recipes. I feel like a mad scientist in my kitchen except I'm not mad, but extremely content. Isn't it weird how food can make you feel like that? I can't wait to share them with you. I have 2 that I will post asap! Get ready to cook some delicious meals!

Stay tuned, friends!

The Vacation of Champions

Belated Merry Christmas, readers! I hope you had a wonderful weekend filled with family, friends, and lots of yummy food.

I am on Winter Vacation and loving every second of it. I have been busy with baking, cooking, and spending time with my family.

Blogging has always been in the back of my head, but truth be told, I really wanted to take a break and just ENJOY life. I heard a comedian once say that if Jesus Christ appeared out of the sky, we would all be on our phones trying to take a picture, or tweeting it, or Facebooking it instead of enjoying and experiencing that joyous occasion. So, instead of living through my camera, cooking with my camera, and eating through my camera, I decided that I wanted to fully enjoy my Christmas through these brown eyes of mine. And that I have been.....

However, I have been Instagraming a bit in lieu of blogging. So if you have Instagram... add me (missjoanna17). I will definitely add you because I LOVE looking at pictures of random things through different types of lenses.

So, here is my break in a nutshell thus far....

I won The Avid Appetite's blog giveaway! I received her yummy treats and just like that....everything was in my tummy!

I also cooked and baked a TON! And just like that.... everything was in my tummy!

Christmas Empanadas

And of course, there were presents. Amazing presents. My family knows me so well.

This vacation is delicious!

• How was your Christmas? Tell me what you got! I'm nosey like that.

 

Weekend Recap: I'm A Lucky You Know What

This weekend was full of good things... literally... good things.

Friday was Christmas Bunco. This is in fact, one of the best days of the year. I get to spend quality time chit chatting it up with 11 of my favorite girls. I truly love them so much. They don't know how happy they make my heart. (Many of them are camera shy so I spared them the embarrassment of plastering their beautiful faces on my blog.)

One of my students asked me what I was doing that night and after I told him I was going to have dinner with my friends, he proceeded to add that we will probably be talking about male ice skaters, "you know, because they have tight pants?" His words, not mine.

Sadly, we did not have time to talk about male ice skaters because we were too busy eating, laughing, and laughing some more.

p.s Brie plus cranberries equals heaven. It's simple math.

And we ate some more.

But, the highlight of my night was getting to rummage through my friend's NEW KITCHEN! Holy Moly! I died and gone to kitchen heaven.

Check out these sexy drawers. You can move those pegs around accordingly.

I really want to make food babies with this spice rack. Ohh my!

I love drawer. I love kitchen. I love friends.

Oh, and I'm loving this, too.

Hubby gave me an early Christmas present because my old phone decided to be a freakface and give me hard time. Even though it was being difficult, I feel bad for moving on to something bigger and better. I'm the type of person who gives feelings to inanimate objects. I am sorry Palm Pixi.

But, I have to admit, I have super obsessed with this thing and I am even more excited about the camera on this bad boy. Now I can take good pictures even when I forget my real camera!

See what I mean? Isn't Sonic just the cutest in my sweater?

• I need some cool Apps! What are some of your favorites?

Thursday Favorites: Another Flashmob

Favorite Drink:

Grande-Sugar-Free-Hazelnut-Soy-No-Foam-Latte-with-a-side-of-Madelines.

That's all one word, I think. At least when I say it, it is. I get this once a week, sometimes twice if I'm feeling sleepy. I don't know if you can see how they spelled my name...Joann... people always drop the last A! Bugs me. Some of my friends call me that, which I never mind, but when strangers do.... mmmm. ::shakes head::

Favorite Treat of the Week:
After Thanksgiving, all I could think about is PUMPKIN PIE! Last year it was ham, but this year.... I can't stop thinking about it. So I gave Hubby the puppy dog eyes and promised extra sexy time if he bought me one. Of Course he bought one.

Favorite Show:

Hubby and I watch this religiously every day. We could watch the same rerun over and over again.

via

HOLY CRAP! That zombie on the side scared the crap out of me when I enlarged it. Anyways, this show is just brilliant. And don't ask me why, but I love zombies. For some reason, I am not frightened by them. It's the ghosts and creepy kids in scary movies that make me crap myself. (I think I exceeded my use of the word "crap" for the day.)

Favorite YouTube Video:

Girls, get your tissues. Boys, take notes. Besides my own proposal, this is quite possibly the cutest proposal I've ever seen.

RIGHT?

Favorite Song:
An oldie but goodie. Weird video, but this song is awesome!

• What are some of your favorites this week?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Last week, I had my students make a poster of things that they were thankful for. To show them what I expected, I made an example showing my own. (Please excuse my crappy drawings!)  It was nice to put down on paper just a few of the things I am so thankful for.I felt like a kid again.

I thank the Lord for all these things.....

I am so thankful for my family and all the love that they show me and for being the source of comfort and happiness in my life. I have the best parents in the world, a brother that I can call one of my best friends, my nephew who is so stinkin' cute, and my husband who is all of these things and more, wrapped up into a handsome little package. I love you!

I am so thankful for all of my friends and for all the happiness and laughter that they bring me. My friends from back home, my college friends,  my bunco girls, my yoga girls,

my blogger friends, and my co-workers Thank you.  

Ruff Ruff! That means I love you in pup talk.

Lord, thank you for providing my family with everything we need.

I am very thankful that I have a job this year,

 one that I  love and can show passion for once again.

I am thankful for each one of my students, past and present.

I am so thankful for all of the blessings in my life, great and small.

I am thankful for YOU!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

Now LET'S EAT!

Drizzle of Gobble Gobble

T minus two days, my friends! Thanksgiving is almost here! The day where we remember all the blessings we have in our lives, spend time with our loved ones, and see how many plates of food we can shovel into our mouths before we KO. I'm excited and so is my belly.

Hubs and I already decided which of our families we will be seeing because you know that's a HUGE deal for newly married couples. We will have to spend many hours in the car, but it'll be so worth it in the end. Plus, two trips mean two different kinds of Thanksgiving meals! WHOO HOO!

I've already picked my outfit... something stretchy...leggings perhaps?

But, one thing I've had to put a lot of thought into before finally committing is what to COOK! Luckily I only have to bring a side dish or a dessert. I've decided I don't want to try something new. I don't want to stress out about whether it'll be good or not. Instead, I went through my recipes and found.....

Cheesy (Crack) Potatoes


via

SOOOOO addicting and delicious. This is a dish that is sooo good, yet so bad. It's ok, Holidays are meant for indulgences! I got this recipe in college from a friend (Hi Theresa!) and I was in loved right away! It's so extremely easy, too!
Ingredients:
1(30oz) bag of hash browns
1 can of cream of chicken
1 pint of sour cream
1 stick of butter
3+ cups of shredded cheddar

1. Mix together all ingredients. Pour into a casserole dish. Top with cheese.
2. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Eat. Repeat. Eat. Repeat.

See how easy that is? I really don't want a dish that's fussy and this is perfect!

Now what should I bring as a dessert? Let's recap Project Wifey Wife!

Maybe I should make my mini apple puffs?

Or how about my Bajan Coconut Kisses?

My Carrot Cake Cookies would be perfect....

I'll have to think about that more.... dessert is very serious, you know.

• What are you making for Thanksgiving?

Army Brat

I am proud to be a brat...a full on Army Brat. I am proud of that title because it tells the world that my dad served in the Army. Not only that, he was a Warrant Officer (Who Rah!). I'm incredibly proud to have a dad that worked so incredibly hard to become a high ranking military officer. 

Because of his hard work an dedication to our country and more importantly, our family, he gave me a childhood that I am truly blessed and thankful to have had.

Because of his commitment to the Army, we were stationed in random corners of the World. He didn't move kicking and screaming (like I did), but took orders to serve his country. Sure it was hard, but looking back makes me realize how awesome my childhood really was. 

I was born in Germany, moved to Colorado when I was a toddler, started grade school in Northern California, traveled to almost all of the countries in Europe by the age of 11, lived on the coolest training base in the country as a middle schooler, and graduated High School in the High Desert. I was also blessed enough to make so many friends along the way.

Germany circa horrible fashion days

Because of his hard work and dedication for so many years, I was given a full ride to college and grad school, tuition free. I cringe when I think about how much college debt people have to pay. I feel so lucky to have a father that worked his ass of to give me a better life.

Getting my teaching credential in 2006

Because of my daddy's hard work, I always had a roof over my head, delicious food to eat, a loving home, and a wonderful role model to look up to. I strive to have the drive and work ethic that he has. Even though he is retired, he continues to work for the Military in other ways. He loves this country and has done so much and in turn has given so much to me. He has given me the opportunity to have a wonderful life. He allowed me to see the world.



My daddy walking me down the aisle



Happy Veteran's Day to all those soldiers, past and present, who put their lives on the line for us.

I love you, Dad. Thank you for working so hard for your country and your family.