1 crazy weekend...

The third weekend in February, I had signed up for a CME conference in Alabama. I went to PA school in Alabama and God blessed me with some amazing godly women to surround myself with while I was getting my degree. (He knew how much I needed y'all!) Two of these dear dear girls were signed up to go to this conference with me and we were all going to stay at Beth's house since she lives in the city where the conference was being held.

I was REALLY looking forward to seeing Beth and Ash because I just really RARELY get to see them. So, Zack and I were planning to drive to Alabama after work on Thursday.

Wednesday night I was awakened by the worst noise I have heard in our 5.5 years of marriage...the sound of Zack throwing up...poor poor Zack! I have NEVER seen him so sick. He was really quite pitiful! We debated for a while about whether he had caught the stomach bug that has recently been plaguing our fair city or if it was from the 5.5 year old wedding cake that he had eaten. (Zack and I found our wedding cake topper when we cleaned out the freezer the other day and he just HAD to try it). I was hoping that whatever had brought on the vomiting would QUICKLY go away so that we could take our trip as planned.

Poor Zack was miserable and was up all night throwing up. He came hobbling into our bedroom at about 5 to change into some clothes....I heard him shuffling about in the closet and asked him what he was doing...to which he replied, "I need some gaterade, I am going to CVS to get some"...to which I calmly...and rationally replied..."No, you are not...you can barely go 5 minutes without vomiting"...SO, needless to say, I was making a gatorade run at about 5 o'clock in the morning on Thursday morning.

I got up and went to work as usual albeit a little tired while Zack tried to get some sleep. He finally got something to help with the vomiting thanks to my sweet Dr who had pity on him when I told her how pitiful he had been. That at least help slow down his episodes of vomiting.

After work, I went home to see how my man was faring and to try to figure out what to do about the conference. Poor Zack was still feeling pretty lousy and I was torn as to whether I should leave him. Zack's dad ended up coming up to stay the night with him and I headed out for Alabama on my own. (Have I mentioned that I love my in laws?! We are so thankful for all that they do!)

I made it to Beth's house pretty late and I got there just before Ashley pulled up. I have seen Beth a couple (although not often enough) times over the last few years, but probably had not seen Ash for about 4 years. It was SOOOO good to see those girls!! I do wish that the other girls could have been there too, but I will take what I can get!

We had a good time Thursday night talking and as Danny calls it reveling in our high school reunion moment. We headed to bed and planned to get up in the morning to go to the conference.

They don't come any cuter than this!!
K had just learned how to pull down the zipper on her jammies...SO cute!

Friday morning, we hung around Beth's house for a while so that we could spend a little time with her SWEET little girl. and to grab a bite of breakfast. A little while later we headed to the conference which almost felt a little bit like a PA class reunion since there were several people/ faculty from our PA program that were attending the conference.

Third from right Marybeth - Classmate
Forth from right, Rich - Program Director

The conference was pretty good...these things are always better when attended with friends and we all were having a good time...that is until after lunch....

the infamous meal!!

The only thing worse than being sick is being sick at someone elses house. After I had lunch at the conference on Friday, I started to feel nauseated...I kept trying to will the feeling away...sitting perfectly still in the lectures...sipping on coke, but the feeling wouldn't leave. I mentioned to Beth that I wasn't feeling great and I was really unsure about whether I should drive home or stay.

We went back to Beth's house after our meeting was over and picked up Danny and K and headed out to dinner. We went out for some pizza ...I opted for a salad.

Beth and Danny

Ash and I
I was feeling a little green!

By the time we got back from dinner, I was feeling AWFUL...and apologizing to Beth for getting sick at her house and possibly exposing her sweet daughter to this terrible bug! Beth was SO gracious and told me not to worry about it and lovingly offered me some anti-nauseal medication that I willingly took. I then laid down on my bed and shivered drifting in and out of consciousness while Beth, Danny, and Ashley talked around me. I was really disappointed that I was not feeling better and that I could not spend time with them...but I felt terrible.

Before they went to bed, Beth brought me a 2nd pill for nausea and a throw up bucket to be placed by my bed....I really have some amazing friends! I'm not sure how much later it was, but I woke up in the middle of the night to rush to the bathroom to throw up.

Not thinking about how long ago it might have been, I took a 3rd pill for nausea and went back to sleep hoping that I hadn't woken anyone else up and that I would feel better in the morning.

Thankfully a little rest and a shower proved to make me feel quite a bit better...So, I headed off to day 2 of the conference with Beth and Ashley. I really could not tell you what any of the talks were about because I literally slept through all of them. I would wake up long enough to see Beth smiling at me and then I would (sitting straight up in my chair with my face slightly covered by my hair) fall back to sleep...the worst part was we were all sitting on the front row.

I did wake up long enough to have my picture taken with Ash and Beth and to catch up on the latest scoop from Rich who was the program director of our PA program while we were in school. He was walking past us and said, "man this really freaks me out!" Beth, Ashley, Julia and I used to sit on the second row throughout PA school and Rich was having flashbacks...(obviously to his favorite PA class ever!!).

front row sitting ....
almost just like old times...
we just needed Julia to make this photo complete!

We went to Beth's parent's house for dinner Saturday night and I was able to eat dinner. I was feeling a lot better, but was still REALLY drowsy from all the medication that I had taken the night before. I feel asleep on Beth's parent's couch shortly after dinner and slept until we left. I was feeling much more awake when we got back to Beth and Danny's house and I was able to spend some time laughing and talking with Beth and Ash...

Ash and I found time to decorate Beth's plants

then there were the night time rituals and the super cute wild hair!

and of course, we had to brush our teeth before bed!

Sunday we went to our last few hours of conference...and honestly, I think that they were probably the 4 most interesting lectures of the weekend...or maybe they were just the only four I was awake for! :)

After our conference let out, we went to meet Danny and K for lunch. We went out and had BBQ at the Half Moon. It was really good BBQ!

Man proudly showing off his prey!

This is Danny's HUGE BBQ potato...looked A-mazing

Beth had BBQ chicken, Collards, and Mac n Cheese

While I opted for a pork plate with fries

and Ash had pulled pork with fried green tomato

Lovin some collard greens! mmm mmm

After lunch, we headed back to Beth and Danny's for a little while until Ash and I had to pack up and go.

One Sweet family!

It was such a blessing (despite being sick) to see these girls! They are amazing, fun, godly women and I always love spending time with them! I hope that I get to see them again soon! Miss you girls!!

Love these girls!!

Happy Birthday little C!! We love you!

Little C turned 1 in February, and Zack and I felt very blessed to be able to be there to celebrate this exciting event! Ya'll thank you SO much for including us in this special day!!


Hector had made a very sweet video of pictures of C over the last year and so after a great dinner, cake, and a time of presents, we all got to sit down and remember the last 12 months of C's life. What an amazing reminder of God's blessings! C is such a sweet boy and it is so fun watching him grow a little more each day into the man that God desires for him to be! We love you C and hope that you have many more birthdays filled with love and laughter!

Valentine's Day 2010

Usually Valentine's Day is a special day in our house because it marks the halfway point for another year of marriage. This year, however, I was on call so it took a little bit of the excitement out of the day.

About 3-4 years ago, Zack started a tradition of making dinner for me on Valentine's day...he has been getting more daring every year. The first year, Zack made a citrus salad, potato skins, and he bought cheesecake for dessert. The whole meal took him over 5 hours to prepare....but as he has gotten braver in the kitchen he has also gotten a little bit faster.

Zack got me those beautiful tulips too!

This year he made Sirloin with mushrooms, mixed veggies, garlic bread, and a warm pear parfait for dessert. It all tasted wonderful...and it was nice to not have to him make me dinner for a change!

February Fury...let it snow

Zack and I were excited about the snow but were worried that it might keep his parents and brother from getting to come up here for the weekend. Thankfully, Zack's parent's were able to get on the roads before things got very bad. So, while we waited for them to get here, Zack and I decided to make a snowman. (Zack was REALLY excited about this after his disappointment after our last snow.) So, we went out and rolled ...and rolled...and rolled snowballs to make our snowman. Zack was determined that we were going to have a life sized snowman. So, by the time he was satisfied with the size of our snowballs (the biggest snow balls he had ever seen) they were too heavy for us to lift.

We took a break to wait for Zack's parents to get here so that Matt and Daddy G could help lift the snowballs to construct the snowman. While we waited, I started dinner. I tried out a new recipe last night, Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo. Zack and I had a LOT of soups and beans/Mexican inspired meals recently. So, I was looking for something pretty simple but different. The fettuccine turned out pretty good. I thought that it had a pretty good flavor and Zack and his parents/brother seemed to like it. So, I guess that it is a keeper recipe.



After dinner, Zack, Daddy G, and Matt went outside to complete our snowman. I had found an old sheet to use for a scarf, but it ended up getting used as hair making our snowman a snowwoman. We didn't have any carrots so we improvised and used oreos for eyes, nose and mouth. Then Mamma Sandy added the finishing touch of an apron...Mrs. Buttersnow. :)

Adventures in baking.

I have always been a little intimidated by recipes that call for yeast. Last year, I tried to overcome my fear. I had read a couple of blogs where the authors talked about how easy homemade pizza's were to make. So, I decided to take a chance and make some pizza dough....well, that experiment was a disaster. We ate the pizza, but the crust really was like a brick...yuck! So, after that amazing failure it is understandable that it has taken me several months to work up the courage to try using yeast again.

Tonight I decided to try a recipe for homemade French loaves. I was encouraged that the dough actually rose this time and Zack and I agreed that the finished bread was actually pretty good. It had a crispy crust with a soft inside. My skills with yeast still need LOTS of improvement, but at least I had a small baking victory tonight!

demolition and family time.

Zack and I spent last weekend with family. Zack's brother and our sister in law invited us to their house for the weekend, and we went down along with Zack's parent's and youngest brother to celebrate Ben's birthday.

Zack and I left after work on Friday so we didn't get down there until pretty late. We spent a little time catching up with family before we all headed to bed.

Saturday, the boys started demolition and construction for Ben and Rachel's new master bed and bath. They have been wanting to do this for a while and now that they are pregnant, they have a little more incentive to get them moving on the project. The guys spent a large part of the day ripping down walls, pulling off trim, and pulling up carpet. They really got a lot done! I was really impressed with them.



While they were slaving away, Rach, Mama Sandy and I went out for girl time. We went to a great little paint your own pottery place that Rach has been to before. I didn't realize it until we left, but I didn't take a single picture while we were there. Rachel painted a travel mug, Mama Sandy painted a tooth brush holder and I painted a "You are Special" plate. After completing our works of art, we headed over to McAlister's for lunch. We all shared a big thing of chili nachos and then got a little soup, salad, or sandwich of our own. Zack and I used to go to McAlister's a lot when we lived in Mobile, but we don't have one in the little town that we live in now. So it was a little treat to eat there. After lunch, we went to help Rach find some maternity clothes. She found a couple of really cute things.

We went back to Rach and Ben's to check on the guys. They had gotten onto a roll and they were getting a lot done. So, we let them keep working while Rach threw a couple of lasagnas that she had made into the oven to bake for .dinner. About 2 hours later, the guys finally got to a stopping point and we all sat down to dinner


Dinner was really good and Rach had gotten Ben an A-mazing red velvet cake for his birthday. It was really moist and the frosting was really good. After dinner, the guys played some games on the Wii and then we headed to bed so that we could get some sleep and be ready for church the next day.

Zack's dad was really excited about the red velvet cake.

These boys can make a competition out of anything! Here thy were trying to see who could get lowest to the floor while doing a squat.

It was guys day at Ben and Rach's church Sunday. So, Zack, and his father and brothers went to a breakfast that the church put on for the men. Mama Sandy, Rach and I showed up a little later to meet them at Sunday school. The guys all ended up singing in the men's choir during the church service, which is a little out of Zack's comfort zone, but it was really fun to see them all up there singing together.


We went to a Mexican restaurant for lunch and then headed back to Ben and Rach's house. The guys played a REALLY REALLY long game of settlers while Mama Sandy, Rach and I watched a movie.

Trying something a little...different.

About three weeks ago, our church started a Daniel fast. So, for the last 3 weeks Zack and I have been trying to find things to eat that did not contain sugar, meat, or dairy...and on top of that we could only eat whole grains....which unfortunately often means bland unflavorful foods. We basically eaten Vegan for three weeks...we were not completely by the book, but we did the best that we could and I tried to find food options that were as flavorful as I could. I think that overall it was successful. It was definitely a challenge and the food definitely was not what we would have normally eaten, but at least we found things that we eat for the last three weeks. Some of these recipes I will probably make again...with little changes here and there...like CHEESE!! I took pictures of all the meals that we had at home. They are pictured from most recent to less recent. We were able to eat a couple of meals out...soups and salads basically.

We only have a few days left before the fast is over...and we will probably eat leftovers until then, but I do have one more recipe in the wings if we need it. If I make it I will post it later.

The fast has been a good experience...and while I didn't have any HUGE revelations from God, it was a time of remembering to rely of God and a time of obedience.

Falafel with Tahini Sauce,cucumbers, hot sauce, and lettuce in a whole wheat tortilla with green beans and baked potato.

This is what the Falafel actually look like. Zack and I had never had these before, but they actually were pretty tasty. I made them with whole wheat flour.

3 layer Bean Dip with whole grain tortilla chips
We had this at a church social and I decided to make it for Zack and I

Homemade Roasted Red Pepper Hummus.
I have been on a hummus kick for a while and I love Roasted red pepper hummus with pita chips. This recipe turned out good. I had to add a little extra salt for flavor, but over all it was really good, and roasting the red pepper was a lot easier than I thought it would be.

Hearty Meatless Minestrone

I found this recipe in a cooking magazine and thought that it looked like something a little different than what we had been having seemingly night after night...black beans. The soup really had good flavor and texture.

whole wheat Black Bean/pepper burritos
These were good, but a far cry short of the flavor of our normal chicken burritos.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce
I really am not a fan of whole wheat spaghetti...but this was an ok meal...probably one of the least flavorful.

Roasted Veggie Couscous
This was really good. Zack loves couscous, so he really liked this meal.

Homemade Hummus
I made 2 varieties of homemade plain hummus...this version was my favorite of the 2. good with celery, carrots, or corn chips.

Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms

These were actually a lot better than I thought that they would be. The recipe called for cheese which I left off, but I bet that it would have made them even better! These smalled great cooking because of the rosemary.

Black Bean Soup

This is a recipe that I got in my homemade soup book from Mama Sandy for Christmas, I had to adjust a few things in the recipe to make it completely fast friendly, but it had great flavor and we ate it with tortilla chips.

Stuffed Peppers

I found this recipe on a Daniel Fast website...it was ok...it was a little blander than I had anticipated and the brown rice has a different texture than regular white rice....plus we were running late to small group so it didn't cook quite long enough.

Veggie Wraps

I found this recipe on a Daniel Fast website. It smelled AMAZING while it was cooking...but there wasn't much to it. I think that it would have been better with stir fried veggies rather than a coleslaw mix.