New bedroom

Kerb requested pictures of our room. Probably because when she was here last all we had was a bed and all the walls AND ceiling were a midnight purple.
After months of it, I texted Matt one morning and said, "Sorry but i'm not spending one more night in our room like that. I cringe every time I walk in it. I'm going to paint it ok.. I'm seriously going to Lowes right now." He laughed, and of course said to go right ahead.

So I did. Its not fancy shmancy or anything. And while it didn't turn out exactly how I pictured it, I still like it. Especially thinking of how it was before. I'm still looking for some space fillers.

Oh, and there's pics of the yellow pillows I made this week :) 

From D.C. to New York

When I got home from Arizona, Matt had our corner table full of goodies for me (which he usually does for special occasions). Reisens, Andes, Dove Chocolates, and Plane Tickets! Score. He took me to Washington D.C, Philly, and New York to celebrate me FINALLY being finished wtih school. (Isn't he sweet).
We spent 2 days in D.C., drove to Philly for the day, then headed to New York for the next couple days. It was super exciting, I loved it. And it made me grateful for how easy it is to get around over here. I dont have to take a train, subway, or cab to get where I'm going everyday.

*sigh* the D.C. Subway. Where we had what I call our "Movie Moment" The doors on those things are only open for (I swear) like 10 seconds to let you get on or off. And if you decide last minute you're at your stop (like we did) you better hurry. So, our movie moment went kind of like this- 

Matt- "this is our stop.." (starts heading out the door)

I follow. Literally 2 steps behind him, because I turned to make sure we didn't leave anything sitting on the seat, i'm paranoid

Guess 2 steps behind is 2 much. 

The door closed right between us. I tried to stop them. Then tried to open them. 

Matt turned around and faced me, on the opposite side of the glass. I had my hand on the window, and we just stared at each other as I was taken away. 

Oh, and Matt had my cell phone

And all the money

So i got off on the next stop, got on the subway heading back to Matt, hoping HE wasn't coming to ME. 

Anyway. He was there. It worked out. But I almost peed my pants in the process because I was so nervous.

Renting bikes in D.C=Best decision ever. 

 Arlington National Cemetery was one of my favorite places. 

We really did have the best philly cheese steaks in Philly. Words cannot describe...

 Jersey Boys was amazing. I'm listening to the soundtrack at this very moment.

Thanks Matt for yet another amazing Trip. xoxo

Sew What...

I've decided to start sewing. And i'm super excited about it. I wanted to make an Apron as my first project. Why I decided to tackle an apron instead of a handkerchief or something simple, I dont know. BUT i'm a little proud of my apron. No, I haven't cooked in it yet. I'm still afraid of getting it dirty. Which makes no sense, I know. I'm ready to make another one now that I know what I would do differently. But my next project is yellow ruffle pillows for our bed. My goal is to do them this week.

And I would like to thank PINTEREST, which is where I now find all the projects I want to do, recipes, and home decorating. I'm addicted. It makes me want to make everything I see.

This time of year...

Its finally my favorite time of year-Fall. And Utah is the perfect place to be for it. I absolutely love seeing all the leaves changing colors, and wear hoodies! We've got all the apples and pears you could ask for from our trees in the backyard. And tomatoes, squash, bell peppers, grapes... whatever else too! It's way more fun cooking with food from your backyard.

 

 Our mini Blue. The dogs freaked out for a while when they first saw this. Its my new favorite deco

I love walking into our house that smells and looks like fall. And this new house has been so much fun to decorate.

Catch Up Numero Uno

I've been going back and forth trying to decided whether or not to keep up with the blog. But 2 people in the last 2 weeks have asked for an update, so we'll keep it up a little longer, for our 2 readers :) 

It has been a CA-RAZE-EE past couple of months, to say the least. 

We decided I should go back to AZ for 3 months to do an extra Vascular program at my school so that I can take my Registry test sooner. So from July-Sept we were apart most of the time. It was much much harder than both of us anticipated. 3 phone calls a day and visits every once in a while is just not enough. I felt so awful leaving Matt alone for 3 months. But he had the dogs to keep him company, and I missed all of them like crazy. Our good friends Monica and Derek Johnson offered up their guest room for me, and put up with me the whole time. They made me feel right at home and we are eternally grateful. It's a big deal having someone else live with you. 

I am glad I could have some girls nights with my az friends, and see family while I was there. 

A few days after I got to AZ our lives came to a haulting stop. Matt's beautiful older sister Britni passed away. Britni was a gorgeous, kind, generous, one of a kind person. I could honestly go on and on about her.  I can still hear her contagious laugh in my head. Our lives will never be the same. My heart aches for her little family, and all the Wrights. And never before have I been so grateful for the Plan of Salvation. I know she is being taken care of. And I know we will be with Brit again. 

Love you Brit

We had sort of an eventful week this week. Although, our idea of "eventful" is doing anything besides work and netflix.

Zoey had surgery on her ACL on Wednesday, and has been drugged up ever since. The poor thing has to stay in her crate unless we are right there with her to make sure she doesn't use that leg. I feel so bad for her.And we have to hold that leg up with an old scarf whenever she has to go outside. So it's kind of a pain, but I guess we're lucky she's only 70 lbs unlike some of her 120 lb relatives...

On a happy note :)

Matt has been working so hard on fixing up the backyard and the house. The family that lived here before us did a lot of work on the inside of the house... but looks like hardly any on the outside. And now that the weather is getting warmer (finally!) Our backyard is super green and I was able to plant flowers out front. Now i'm in love with our house. It's a lot of work, but worth it. And I do admit it will be hard to go back to rocks and cactus in our front yard instead of this. 

Louisiana Chicken Pasta

If you haven't ever tried the Louisiana Chicken Pasta at The Cheesecake Factory, I think it's safe to say your life may be incomplete.

Matt was craving it so I told him I would give it a shot and try to make it myself. I found the recipe online and, not to brag or anything, it turned out really really close to the real deal.SOOO Good.
So if you're looking for a new recipe to try, try this one :). It does have a little kick to it, just to warn ya.

INGREDIENTS:

For the Chicken

• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (grated)
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons flour

Cajun Sauce

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 small yellow pepper (chopped)
• 1 small red bell pepper (chopped)
• 3/4 small red onion (chopped)
• 3 whole garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/4 pints whipping cream
• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 4 tablespoons fresh basil (thinly sliced)
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 (12 ounce) package bow tie pasta
• 1 cup mushroom (sliced)

Directions:

1. 1. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat.
2. 2. Add yellow and red bell peppers, mushrooms, and onion to same skillet,until crisp-tender, about 4 minute.
3. 3. Add garlic and crushed red pepper to skillet and saute 3 minutes.
4. 4. Add whipping cream and chicken stock.
5. 5. Simmer until sauce re-heats and thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.
6. 6. Add basil and 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese to sauce, stirring to incorporate.
7. 7. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, simmer; sauce will reduce and thicken.
8. 8. Wash and drain chicken breasts.
9. 9. Pound until very thin (the thinner the chicken breasts the better).
10. 10. Mix breadcrumbs, flour, and Parmesan cheese together.
11. 11. Place milk in dish for dipping.
12. 12. Dip chicken in breadcrumb mixture and then in milk and then back in breadcrumbs.
13. 13. Place in fry pan that the oil has been heated and fry at medium high temperature until golden crisp and cooked through.
14. 14. Add more oil as needed.
15. 15. Remove and drain chicken; keep warm.
16. 16. Meanwhile, cook bow-tie pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite.
17. 17. Drain and return to pot.
18. 18. Add sauce and toss to coat.
19. 19. Place pasta with sauce on plate, and top with chicken breast.
20. 20. Serve, passing additional Parmesan separately