Summer Lovin' part 2

So much love happening this summer that I couldn't fit it all in one post! Just a few more exciting and fun events until I'm all caught up! Why you ask? Because this blog is a way that my family and I can look back and recap life. I don't know about you, but without pictures I would likely forget so many moments. Pictures AND words are the best way to keep track of those moments that you want to remember :) We also have friends and family all over the country and so I want to make a better effort of keeping them in the loop so that we can stay connected! So without further adieu....

Bryan and I in Columbus celebrating Sean's Law School Graduation! 

Celebrating Father's Day with the BEST DAD EVER!!!

If you haven't been to Tremont Tap House on a Tuesday, it's a must go! It's bring your doggy day on the patio! Our friend Mary Jo brought a litter of puppies that she recently fostered and they were a huge hit! Here's one little guy just hanging out with us as we enjoy some delicious food and brews.

Summer time means breaking out the mini-bike for some fun! Mike felt like a kid again!

Yes, this is still the mini-bike. Our friend Tricia is mini too, lol. 

Surprise date night dinner @ Pier W! Isn't he the best?!

Gorgeous views of the Cleveland skyline!

I tried my first oyster! They were delicious!

Crab cakes appetizer

Fried Perch on top of a risotto

Simply prepared Halibut and veggies--YUM

Nautical decor inside was pretty cool

He's so thoughtful :) We love date nights!

We've spent lots of time with family this summer with all of the summer birthday parties! Here's a kodak moment with Bryan and little Scottie! Scottie loves to RUN! So this is a rare moment to catch! lol

Another one from 4th of July Fireworks:)

Just a little cuddle time

Dad came to visit us for the day and we got to hit a bucket of balls together at the driving range. Believe it or not, only a couple hours before this a tornado came through our area! 

There's something so relaxing about being at the pool....

Oh and our little Tiger. Tiger turned 18 this past April. He has definitely slowed down and loves to sleep and lay in the sun. We are treasuring our days with him as we know they are numbered.

Days 5 and 6: Voting and Prayers

While I'm definitely thinking about what I'm thankful for day-to-day, it does appear to be challenging to write about it every single day especially during busy weeks like this one! So today will be for yesterday and today. Going ahead, I may not post every day, but I will surely cover all 30 days when I do!

Gosh, as if everyone everywhere wasn't talking about voting anyways...I have to go ahead and add it to this too. This is the dialogue that is going on in my mind right now, but the truth is that this blog is a record of my life, something my family and I can look back to and say...oh yeah! I remember that! So yes, I am talking about voting.

Don't worry, I'm not going to make this yet another political rant. Instead, I just want to say that I'm thankful for the opportunity to cast my vote. I'm thankful that we live in a time and in a country where I can voice my opinion and have my voice somewhat heard via casting my ballot. I think we, as a society, lose site of this. We most likely forget about this sentiment because during this campaign time, so much hostility surfaces. It's actually saddening to see so many unproductive arguments take place due to differing opinions. Don't get me wrong--I feel strongly about my voting choices and the political candidates and issues I vote for; however, I also feel strongly about the ability to carry on conversations with people who have differing opinions without being offensive, abrasive, or breaking relationship ties. Having the ability to listen and carry on dialogue doesn't mean that you are allowing people to change your mind. To me it means that I'm acknowledging the fact that we are different, but that I still have a larger obligation to love and care for people regardless.

I am thankful for living in a nation that I can vote. It's liberating! I actually get excited to go to the polls, greet the same lovely ladies who check my name off and hand me my ballot every year. It's kind of cool to stand at your little booth and work your way through the complex language of the ballot issues. I love that when I am finished with my ballot, it's always the same cute, old man who instructs me to tear off the bottom tabs and insert my ballot into the scanner one at a time. Oh and then we get the sticker! Can't forget about the very cool, fashionista sticker that I get to sport for the rest of the day! Then I get to oogle over the baked goods for the PTA bake sale and make my donation in exchange for some delicious home baked goods! Yumm!

So after all of these descriptions, I bet you're wanting to know our personal choices for voting day....Well, Bryan got chocolate covered pretzels. I got peanut butter cookies with the peanut butter cups in the middle. :) Haha

Moving on...

I am also thankful for prayers. We are so blessed to have so many prayer warriors amongst our family and friends. Whenever we are in need it is so nice to know that we have been blessed with people who are willing to appeal to God on our behalf right alongside us. When we are feeling down and out, we have people who are constantly keeping us lifted up in prayer. Like I've said in past posts, I just love Matthew 18: 19, 20. There is something so special about a community of believers praying together! Joining in purpose to pray! You all know about our number one prayer request right now (babies) and I'm just so thankful to know that so many of my family and friends have reached out to me to let me know that they're praying. I believe the Bible to be the living truth and so I know that God hears our prayers based on His promise in Matthew 18:19, 20. So to all of my praying warriors: Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Day 3: Down time

Today I'm thankful for the weekend! As I'm sure the rest of you can agree, today I am so happy to just be relaxing! I wish I could say that I'm occupying my time doing some super cool activity, but I suppose I'm a little more "duddy". As fun as super busy, fun activity weekends are sometimes I so desire a weekend of minimal responsibilities or obligations.

This is one of those relaxing, minimal responsibilities weekends. A weekend free to do whatever it is I'd like to do. So here it is: I got to catch up with a few people on the phone. We had dinner with our awesome, fun and chill friends- the Myers and then Bryan and I got to just chill and watch our latest show "Parenthood". By the way, if you're looking for a new show to watch, this one is a hilarious drama about families. I don't know about you all, but it can be challenging to find a show that both the husband AND the wife equally enjoy. We really like this one!

To some this sounds totally boring. To me, it sounds absolutely perfect! Let's get real, these kind of weekends are few and far between and I am surely thankful for the much needed down time!  

Fun Fall Treats and Recipes

Don't you just love fall? The cool, but not too cold, weather. The colorful trees. Fun holiday gatherings with friends and family. There are so many things to look forward to in fall! The only thing not so fun are the extra calories from all of the good food! Note to self: hit the treadmill tomorrow! haha.

Bryan and I hosted a few friends last night and I had the pleasure in making a few fall treats for them. They were a huge hit, so I thought I'd share the recipes!

Pumpkin Dip

I love this recipe for it's simplicity and light fresh taste! It only requires 3 ingredients! Yes, I said 3. I found it on my favorite website ever, Pinterest, and then my mother-in-law made a suggestion to alter one of the ingredients and she was totally right! Anyways, here it is:

1 can of pure pumpkin (15 oz.)

1 container of Cool Whip

1 package of cheesecake JELLO pudding

Mix all the ingredients together and whala! You have a delicious, light and fluffy pumpkin dip.

For presentation I carved out a pumpkin and used it as my bowl for the dip. 

I provided apple slices and Nilla wafers for dipping.

It was delicious!

Spinach Artichoke Dip 

This one is also a huge hit and I apologize in advance, because I do a lot of it to taste so it takes a little experimenting. I found this recipe on the food network website and then altered to make it my own.

I also use my dip sized crockpot. I love it! When preparing for a party, there is nothing better than being able to just throw all the ingredients into a crockpot and let it cook! It saves so much time in the kitchen and did I mention it's delicious?

1 package of frozen spinach (defrost, but don't drain)

1 jar of artichoke hearts (with juice)

1 package of cream cheese (8oz.)

2/3 cup of sour cream (I don't measure this out, I buy an 8 oz. container of sour cream and use all but approximately 1/3)

1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella (I don't measure this, I buy a 16 oz. package and use most)

1/2-1 cup of parmesan cheese

2-3 cloves of garlic

2 dashes of cayenne pepper

1-2 dashes of crushed red pepper

1/4 tsp. of Worcestershire sauce

Put all of these ingredients together in the crockpot and let it cook for 2 hours. In the process of cooking, stir occasionally and cook to taste! I used multigrain scoops tortilla chips for dipping.

Bryan and I had a great time preparing yummy fall treats for our friends and we even had some costume fun to add to the festivities. Our theme was '80s!

Bryan aka Mr.T

 

Gotta love me some 80s fashion!

Oh and look who joined us for some fun! This is Dottie Fox. She's the newest member of our group. Isn't she beautiful?!