What I Ate for Lunch Today

So usually for lunch, I eat a grilled cheese or heat up leftovers from the night(s) before and today, I did a little of both.  I named it my open-faced Bruschetta and Brie Melt. Aaron would lovingly classify this little lunch in the "chick food" category. Whatever, it's delicious. {And I know he would gobble it up!}

It was so easy that I felt compelled to share. {And it was too pretty not to photograph!}  

Here's what you need:

~ 1/3 of a french baguette cut in half lengthwise (or any type of bread you have or like)

~ A small handful of spring mix (or spinach, arugula, basil, etc)

~ Several slice of Brie cheese with the rinds cut off (I'm a cheese rind wimp!) (Goat cheese would be delish too!)

~ Two heaping spoonfuls of my bruschetta tomatoes (Quarter a pint of cherry tomatoes, julienne some fresh basil, add about two Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil, a splash of good balsamic vinegar, and sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste!) (and whatever you have left over is delicious for bruschetta with your leftover baguette- toast it, rub a garlic clove on each piece, and spoon your tomato mixture on top. YUM!)

Here's what I did:

~ Lightly toast the baguette slices in the oven for a few minutes on 450 degrees while you're prepping the other ingredients.

~ When the bread is toasted, arrange the ingredients: lettuce on the bottom, sliced cheese in the middle, and tomatoes on the top.

~ Turn on the broiler, throw the sandwiches in, and watch the cheese melt for about a minute or two. 

~ Enjoy your open-faced Bruschetta and Brie melt!

And yes, I did add Buffalo and Ranch Doritos to my lunch as I do every. single. day.  I can't get enough of these for some reason. Doritos on the side or not, if you make this sandwich, you won't be disappointed I promise!!

Hittin' the Books... again

 In May of 2009, I graduated from Mississippi State University with a bachelor's degree in Marketing. Never in a trillion years did I even think about stepping foot in a classroom ever again. I had put in my four years, earned my degree, and I was DONE.

So, have you ever heard that saying... "If you wanna hear God laugh, tell Him your plans"? Well, obviously, I'm living proof.

As you can tell from the picture above, I am immersed in science classes... 16 hours of science classes {and labs}. Thankfully, I'm at my local community college and while the classes are challenging, I'm not dying... yet.

In college, you could always pick out the "old people" in the class... You know, they attended every single class, asked questions, always had their homework thoroughly completed, and were dressed in decent clothing- you know, something other than an oversized t shirt with a hat covering bedhead. In an auditorium/classroom of grungy half-awake college students {me included most days} they stood out to me, and I thought to myself, "Thank God I'm young and getting this done now." Ha!! I crack myself up. While I am still "young" and graduate school-aged, I still feel like an old married nerd ;) in my classes. But what's so amazing is that, I couldn't imagine not attending class, not looking halfway decent, with my homework thoroughly completed! It's amazing what a few years of maturity will do to your mental state and realizing that there is a purpose to the material you are studying.

What is my purpose exactly? Well, all of the classes I am taking are pre-requisites to the University of South Alabama's accelerated nursing program. There are tons and tons of reasons why I've made the decision to start taking steps toward nursing school and I'll share a few of them with you...

- I've grown up surrounded by physicians and nurses my entire life... my parents, aunts and uncles, mother in law, etc. and I have always soaked up every "medical" thing I hear them say. It's just in my blood! {pardon the pun} I love to learn about the human body. So much so that Aaron {with his complicated shoulder issue} nicknamed me the "Ortho-parrot" because I would always talk to my Dad {an orthopaedic surgeon} about his ailments and then repeat exactly what he said... and then sometimes, I would come up with my own theories about why his arm was feeling a certain way and discuss them with Dad to see if he agreed. I love it. {Aaron might say I love it too much.} ha! He's glad I love it too much because where would he be without his own personal "nurse" to help him recover from his many surgeries and procedures?

From surgery #1 until now he's been trying to convince me to become a nurse, and I've finally given in!

{yes, that clear line hanging down his shirt is a pain pump that's hooked inside his neck... he is a trooper.}

- I'm not interested in a full time job as of now  because I enjoy being with Aaron all year round and no amount of money could take me away from him for 6-7 months. But, one day I very well may be ready to work part time or full time and in an economy like we have now, there isn't exactly an abundance of flexible, good-paying, "working mom" marketing jobs out there. {If there are, I would love to know.} As much as I love the medical field, the practicality of it is the deciding factor to me. I'm all about practical.

- And last but most certainly not least, I have found that there is nothing more rewarding than helping people when they can't exactly help themselves. I have loved interacting with all of the patients while working at my Dad's clinic during the off season and I thoroughly enjoy scrubbing in to watch my Dad "in action" in the OR. I have also enjoyed listening to all of my sister Jessica's nursing school stories {the good, the bad and the ugly}. {She's also been trying to convince me to bite the bullet and do it!}

So there you have it- a few of the many reasons why I'm making moves towards going to nursing school. The program that I would like to get accepted into is an accelerated program for students who already have degrees. It only takes 12 very intense months to complete and you get your BSN {July to July, or January to January}.  I would love to have another degree in my back pocket before the young 'ns start coming :) but we will see how it all plays out with Aaron's career and everything.  His dream is just as much my dream.  The thought of missing out on an entire baseball season makes my stomach sick but God is in control, right? He will lay everything in place for us and I know I shouldn't waste time worrying about how we will make it happen.

Oh, and only one {hard} year of nursing school actually sounds appetizing to me now. Three years ago, I would have never believed it... Once again, I've learned firsthand that if you wanna hear God laugh, tell Him your plans!!

Too Good to be True

As deer season is dwindling down, some of you may be up to your eyeballs in deer meat that your husband so lovingly brings home... or maybe you've killed a few yourself! Well, I have a way to help you relieve your freezer with a particular recipe that I know you will say is waaaay too good to be true.   So, obviously I talk about Pioneer Woman often and rightfully so... I religiously make some of her recipes and her beef tenderloin is one of them. Only, I've been using the same recipe with a free substitution... 

Aaron's deer meat!  The first time I took a bite of this deliciousness I said, "Alright, this is too good to be true... this CANNOT be deer meat!" And I guarantee you... you will too! Here's what you do...

Generously salt the tenderloins {or back strap if that's what you have} with Lawry's seasoned salt and sear them in a cast iron skillet with 2 Tbsp. of butter and 2 Tbsp. of olive oil. {Obviously I have too many pieces in the skillet for a perfect searing job but whatever, it still works.}

I know, meat is not attractive, especially when you photograph it but just bear with me. While the meat is searing, crush whole peppercorns in a ziploc bag with a mallet.

When the searing is done, place the meat in a roasting pan and drizzle the excess oil and butter from the skillet onto the meat. Then, rub the peppercorns all over the meat.

Place about 1-2 Tbsp. of butter on each piece and place in a preheated 475 degree oven for about 12 minutes. Depending on the thickness of the meat, you may need to put it back in the oven in 3 minute intervals until it's done the way you like it.  Let the meat "rest" for a few minutes before you start slicing it.  Medium well is the perfect amount of doneness if you ask me. 

Y'all, you have to make it to believe it. No more chewy, gamey toughness anymore... it's more like eating a beef tenderloin. {Not quite, but almost ;) }  Oh, and make sure you slice it really thin. Also, I know there's a lot of butter involved but think like I do- deer meat is leaner than beef so a little extra butter never hurt anything! :) 

Enjoy!

Run Like a Girl

Early this morning, we laced up our brightly colored running shoes and ran the First Light Marathon in Mobile... all 26.2 miles of it.

"We" includes my sister Jessica and her sweet friend Caroline.

... and of course, Courtney and I. Courtney has always been a constant in my life, especially when it comes to competing together. We're so blessed that we have each other to train with.

And I was so excited to be able to run a marathon with my baby sister! First a half ironman, now this, what's next? Ha! {That's the LAST thing I want to think about right now as I can barely move from my chair}.

Shall I give you a little timeline of our day?

I was fully prepared the night before: my clothes were laid out, my watch and ipod were charged, and my race food was ready to go in my little "fanny pack" {that's what I call it}.

We got up before the crack, and on our way to the race we saw a double rainbow... we said either it was a "sign" that today would be a good day... or that we would never run another marathon again... 

We made it in the nick of time and even got to run to the bathroom one more time.

... and we got ready for the start! And you're probably wondering why I resemble more of a "Roller Derby Queen" rather than a marathon runner... I'm wearing compression socks and of course I had to get a cute color right? I decided to wear them because I have had {posterior tibial} tendonitis on and off in my ankles since marathon training last year and I wanted a little more stability for today's race. I was still in pain for about 24 of the miles but I don't even want to know how bad they would have been if I hadn't had the extra stability. So there you have it! {That's why I look like a goofball! :)  }

The gun went off and we were excited and rarin' to go!

Parts of the course were so beautiful. My mom was our photographer and head cheerleader. I wish I could have gotten a picture of her taking pictures of us. She was so cute!

She said all she had to do was look for my hot pink socks and then she could pick us out in the crowd!

Mile 12... life is good.

Mile 15... life is hard but still good.

Mile 19... life is getting more hard {for me, mainly}...

... but we're all still trying to smile through the pain.

Our lovely fan club and the thought of being DONE got us through the last six miles.

... and then the "eye of the tiger" mentality set in as we got closer and closer to the finish.

This was Caroline's very first marathon and she ROCKED it. We were so proud of her!!!

Court got in the zone too... Can't you tell?

Me... I was just hanging on for dear life. We all finished about ten seconds in between each other.

We didn't run quite as fast as we wanted to but we also didn't expect the temps to be in the 70's on January 8!

Ahhh... celebrating at the finish line... such a good feeling!!

If I had gone at it alone, I know for a fact that I could not have kept the pace and finished as strong as I did. It's amazing how much more enjoyable it is when you've got a group of fun friends to share the experience with.

We were all so proud of ourselves and each other.  The feeling of accomplishment is definitely a boost.  We ran a freakin' MARATHON! 

... and we're all still alive to tell about it. Mentally, it's an amazing feeling. Physically, well words don't quite do the soreness justice, but I think we ALL say it was totally worth it.

New Years and a New Adventure

I have to admit... I'm glad the holidays are over in a way. I'm excited to return to normalcy and a good 'ol routine. Boring, I know. Don't get me wrong- I looooove Christmas and it's full of all good things, but I'm worn slap out. 

The year 2011 was full of many ups and downs and the last few days were definitely on the upside.

We spent New Years with our dear friends Brad and Emily Corley at Bay Town in Sandestin and it was so so good to be together again.  

You know those friends you have that no matter how long it's been since you've seen them last, you always pick up where you left off? They are that to us. And unfortunately, my little Bellie girl did not make the trip... They didn't tell me she wasn't coming until we actually saw them because Em said she still wanted me to come! Ha! {That's how much I love my little cutie pa tootie!}

We enjoyed mild temps, delicious food, and this adorable little town. 

When we got back from Destin, the inevitable was drawing near... the next day we would be heading to Atlanta to shop and enjoy some mother-sister time before sending Julie off to Africa. Her last night at home, mom made her favorite dessert... creme brulee. {She used Barefoot Contessa's recipe and it was better than any I've ever had.}

We stayed in downtown Buckhead in the heart of all our favorite shopping. 

The store in the phone pic below was where we spent the majority our time. If you like good quality and most importantly- "cute" workout/lounge/run around town clothes, you will love this store like we do.

We ate at California Pizza Kitchen for Julie's last meal before her flight. We both enjoyed the "salad pizza" with salmon since we assumed that salad and fish would probably be scarce in the great plains of Africa.

We then took her and her 200 lbs. of luggage to the airport.

We had our little "kiss and cry" and watched her walk away. She is one courageous girl let me tell you.

She got through security and the last thing we saw was her little yellow scarf waving in the air to say goodbye one last time. Who knew you could be sad, excited, scared, and at peace all at once?

If you would like to see and read about her three month African adventure you can follow her cute {and rather hilarious} blog. {http://kapsowarkenya.blogspot.com/} Apparently she's too cool to "follow" mine but I know she would be delighted if you followed her! God is truly at work in her life as you will see, and nothing brings her proud big sister the fam more comfort than that.  We would GREATLY appreciate your prayers for her!

Hope you all had a very happy new year!!