Back in 'Bama!

It's good to be home!
We have been here for over a month so I thought it was time for a picture post.
Here is our new home (for the next 3 years anyway).

It's July!

You guys! It's July!!
AKA Moving Month!
AKA My Birth Month!
AKA Zach is almost one year old!

I am going to be 30 years old in a few weeks. EEK!
I am going to be the mother of a 1 year old in a two months!!
I am going to be a resident of Southern Alabama in a little over a month!!!

We took Murphy to get his Health Certificate today.
This Saturday he will be flying to Oklahoma to spend some time with my mom.
THANK YOU MOM!
She will now be the proud (temporary) owner of both of the Holz dogs.

The movers will start packing up our house next Tuesday and by the Friday we will have turned in the keys to our little piece of paradise.
We will either be staying at the hotel on post (boo!) or the hotel we booked in Waikiki (yay!).
Depending on whether the post hotel fills up before then.
Either way, we will be living in a hotel the last 10 days we are on island.

My car gets put on a boat on the 19th.
We spend my 30th here (boo again).
We say goodbye to our Church Family on the 21st and fly out that evening.

We will be in Oklahoma for about two weeks before we make the road trip to Rucker.
EEEEEEEEE! I am so ready to get off this island!
 

Lately

There is a lot of good stuff happening to my little family.

- Ryan finished the last course of his! Now all he has to do is wait for graduation.
- My cousin T is coming to visit next week!
- Z said "dada"! and has started standing on his own for a few seconds at a time.
- Ryan, Riki and T's birthdays are just a couple of weeks away.
- We have set up almost all parts of our move to Rucker.
- Mother's Day was fabulous! Definitely my new favorite holiday :)
- Z got to see Ryan flying.
- Ryan made an A on his thesis. 46 pages total!
- We have started looking for houses at Rucker.
- Our nephew C turned 1!
- Ryan's cousin is almost done with boot camp.
- Our brother-in-law joined the Army National Guard.
- Our other brother-in-law is over half way done with his deployment.

I know there are a lot more updates that I am forgetting but like I said - lots of good stuff!


 

I Love My Ice Cream Maker

Ryan and I received an ice cream maker for our wedding (thanks Aunt Sarah!).
And over the past five years I think I used it exactly once.
Until I asked C what kind of birthday cake he wanted and then everything changed.
He said that he wanted a red velvet ice cream cake.
(I think Ryan was really the one who wanted it, but we will say C did).
Anyway, I had never made an ice cream cake and had never heard of one with red velvet.
So of course I got way too excited about the challenge.
In the end, I made a regular red velvet cake in two 8 inch rounds.
Then I used my ice cream maker to make homemade cake batter ice cream.
I transfered one layer of cake to a spring form pans, covered it with my ice cream and then topped it with the second layer.
I let that freeze for a couple of hours and then I iced the cake and then returned it to the freezer for the rest of the day.

I don't like red velvet so I can't be sure how good it was but I definitely want to try it with a chocolate cake soon.
Next time I think I will use a little less cake and a lot more ice cream.
Here is the end result:

 

 

And even more exciting to me is my newest adventure.

Ryan is flying nights, so Z and I decided to play in the kitchen,. 

We made Greek Frozen Yogurt :)

I added blackberries and raspberries and holy moly!!

Yummy!

 

 

Now that I got my little man to sleep, I am going to do some serious spring cleaning.

Love you all!



Update!

It's been a few weeks since my last post.
Since my last update, Janette came for a visit, we took a little family vacation and Z turned 8 months old.
That's a lot of updating.
First things first, Janette's visit :)

If you know Janette, you know she likes to have a plan.
However, Hawaii decided to force her to throw her agenda out.
We very rarely have rain that lasts more than an hour.
And even more rarely have rain that lasts more than a day.
But of course, we have an all out rain-a-thon the day after she arrives

We did manage to get her sunburned the first day she was here when we took a walk to the lagoons.
But that was just about the only real sun she saw.

Our plans for skydiving (I was not diving) got canceled THREE times!
Our plans to jump off of the Waimea Rock were canceled because the Locals weren't doing it.
If the locals aren't doing something, you should never, ever do it.
Our beach cookout had an uninvited party guest, you guessed it, RAIN!
We didn't let it dampen the mood though.
We still had a great time at the cookout.
And we still managed to get some pool time and beach time in almost every day.
We visited Pearl Harbor and Ford Island.
We even went to a luau.
All in all, it was a really fun visit.
And maybe it was good that Janette was forced to go with the flow.
After all, that is the island way.

The day after Janette left, we headed out for our family vacation.
Here is a brief summary of events:
Big Island.
Thunder Up!
Lava Tubes.
Kilauea National Park.
Volcano at Night.
Black Sand Beach.
Lava Devastation.
Maui.
Thunder Up!
Whale.
Ocean Center.
Road to Hana.
Garden of Eden.
Beach time.
Mama's Fish House.
Wind Surfers.

And finally, ZBob is 8 months old!
It seems like every month has more new adventures.
He learns so much more every month.
He does so much more.
He is such an awesome kiddo.
I really think he makes it easy on us.

P.S. We are leaving Hawaii on July 21.
P.S.S. ZBob's first birthday will be in Oklahoma on August 3rd, so please mark your calendars!!


 

Relationships

I've been wondering..
What if we gave each other the benefit of the doubt, instead of always assuming the worst?
What if we chose to dwell on the good things someone has done for us and not the bad?
What if instead of having our feelings hurt by lack of communication, we reached out to them instead?
What if every time we thought negative things about someone, we forced ourselves to think of five good things about them?
What if we truly forgave each other instead of just stashing away a list of offenses?
What if we called just to check in on each other?
What if we started sharing our good news and not just our bad?
What if we wrote to each other just to say something nice?
What if we put away our pride and mended old relationships?
What if we apologized for hurting each other and meant it?
What if we helped each other out without being asked?
What if we stopped saying and started doing?

If we tried to do these things, would our relationships grow stronger?
If we decided that we would try to improve our end, would it create change on the other end without them even knowing?
They say you can't change other people, you can only change yourself.
But maybe you can.
Like that saying goes, "Dress for the job you want, not the job you have".
Dress for the relationship you want, not the one you have?

I am going to try to be the change I want to see in my relationships.
I really think that most conflict is just a lack of communication.
I don't believe most people go around trying to hurt each other.
And if they do, why are they in our lives?

Who knows maybe it will work, or maybe not.
But either way, I will know I did everything I could.
And I have a hunch, I will get much better sleep at night.

Anniversary in Pictures.

We're going "Home"!

Fort Rucker, where Ryan attended flight school, is called the "Home of Army Aviation".
And "Mother" as the pilots affectionately call her, has called us home.

Ryan is so thrilled, this is the assignment that he wanted, that we've prayed for, for months!
Ryan will be attending a course to learn to be an instructor pilot and then he will stay in Fort Rucker to teach new students how to fly.
He will have two students at a time assigned to him and he will teach them everything he knows about the Blackhawk.
Ryan is so patient and humble, that I just know he will be an awesome instructor.

His briefing on the move will be next week, and that is when we will get all of the firm details.
But our guess is that we will be due in Rucker in late August.
Which means we should leave here in July.

This also means my 30th birthday will be during this time frame.
Ryan said we can go/do whatever I want.
Any suggestions? (Not Vegas)

Thanksgiving

 

Yesterday we took Zach to his pediatrician to get his second flu shot.

It was supposed to be a quick in and out visit but when we went in for his 6 month well baby checkup his doctor wanted us to get him sleeping through the night.

When Ryan voiced concerns about Zach being hungry during the night and possibly not getting enough to eat if we didn't give him his night feedings, she decided she wanted to follow up with us to see our progress when we came back in a month.

So we had a full blown check up.

When she came in the room she asked how Zach was sleeping.

I immediately started gushing about how it only took 3 days of her method to get him sleeping through the night and how much better things had been since then for Ryan and I since we are getting a full nights sleep.

Her face lit up and she said she was so proud of us and that she doesn't usually hear praise.

She said that when things work, people don't say anything.

It's when they don't work that she hears about it.

 

Since then, I have been thinking about that.

We all know that's true, you hear much more about negative things that positive.

So I think it's time for a little Thanksgiving in April.

 

I am thankful for my husband. He is such a great dad. Like yesterday, he juggled his work obligations to make sure he could be at Zach's appointment. Or even though he is in his last semester of college, working like crazy and preparing to PCS, he still makes time for Zach and I everyday. As soon as he walks through the door, he is on the floor rolling around with Z. He gives him a bath everynight and puts him to bed so I can cook dinner and unwind. He always puts our comforts above his own and he never complains. He is hard working and honest and everyone loves him because of it. If a friend calls, he drops everything to help them. I am so proud of him and to say he is mine.

 

I am thankful for Zach. He is such a joy. His smile is the best thing in the world. He is so sweet and so bright. He makes me so proud I sometimes feel that my heart literally might explode.

 

I am thankful that Ryan got his orders!! I am thankful that he got the job he wants and the duty station. With all that is happening in our country, I am thankful he has a job, period. Let alone one that allows me to stay home with Z.

 

I am thankful that Janette is coming to visit. I am thankful that I have friends that I can text when I need to vent. 

 

So while I have a lot of things weighing on me. Lots of things I feel compelled to complain about. I am not going to, I am going to try to be thankful for the good things instead.

 

What are you thankful for?

P.S. I changed my settings so you don't have to sign in to comment :)

 

Janette's Pinterest

Last week I was seraching for recipe ideas for an Easter potluck.
I ended up on Janette's Pinterest page for what seemed like hours.
I snagged two recipes that I promptly had to try.
And here are the results.

Sugar Cookie Bars

 

My bars didn't end up quite as pretty as the model but I think they were very festive. However, I had to double the recipe for icing to cover them. And I didn't think they turned out to be that great. The cookie was a bit hard and I didn't even cook it for the recommeded time. So next time, if there is a next time, I will try to get a softer cookie.

 

Artichoke Crusted Chicken

 

Sorry about the half eaten chicken, it smelled so yummy that I lost my mind and jumped right in. The chicken is delicious, you may be tempted to add more of the topping but I think it's best to stick with what it calls for. It can be a little overpowering if you get too much.

 

Easter

My little family had quite a busy Easter this year.


Saturday we dropped off some food for the Easter breakfast at our Church.
Then we headed over to an Easter egg hunt in our old neighborhood.
It was nice to see all of our old neighbors and see how much all of the kiddos have grown.
Zach sat that egg hunt out because there were so many big kids and it was pretty competitive.
He hung out in the shade with his daddy and watched the other kids duke it out.
After the hunt, we came home and went swimming.
The pool was the warmest it has been since we have lived here so I even joined the boys.

Sunday morning we went to Church and Zach had a great time watching all of the people.
He fell asleep for most of the sermon but woke up in time to say goodbye to Pastor.
We came home and opened his Easter baskets.
The Easter bunny brought him a basketball goal!
After Z's nap we headed over for a potluck and egg hunt.
Z found two eggs including the grand prize egg!
He got to hang out with a 4 month old and they had lots of laughs together.

All in all, it was a great weekend.

 

Tackling Mom Recipes

This past week, I got to try something very scary.
Making someone elses favorite recipe. One that their mom makes!
Yes, we all know OUR mom is the best cook, ever. ;)
So you can imagine the pressure.

Ryan's good buddy has started joining us for dinner on Wednesdays so I asked for his favorite dish.
Chicken and noodles and mashed potatoes, he said.
Of course Ryan and I started in with 100 questions because we have never heard of that.
It's basically chicken and teeny, tiny dumplins served over mashed potatoes (for us midwesterners).
I was sold, I had to make it.
So I asked him to get his moms recipe for me.
And then it was on like bing bong, Jack.

His mom makes her own noodles, which I have never done.
I was also informed that the text message recipe she sent was one of her first texts ever sent, so I had to do some research to clarify what I was getting myself into.
Surely she did not need me to buy "8 billion cubes".
That's a lot of cubes!  :)

I found a similar recipe for homemade pasta on Pioneer Woman's site.
So I combined the two recipes and it turned out great.
I sent the boys to happy hour, turned on some music, put on my apron and got to work.

The chicken and mashed potatoes part was a breeze.
The noodles was also relatively easy, just time consuming.
When the boys got home, I was knee deep in cutting my noodles.
C made fun of my precision cutting.
He said his mom just gets the pizza cutter and is done in seconds.
I told him that her recipe warned me to keep them as thin as I could, and I was not messing around!
20 minutes later, I finally had my noodles cut!
Slow and steady, right?


Chicken and Noodles and Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

Noodles
4 Eggs
2+ cups Flour
Salt & Pepper to taste

Chicken
2 Cans Chicken Stock
8 Chicken Buillion Cubes
3 Bone-In Chicken Breasts (We only like white meat, you can use dark if you prefer)

1. Beat 4 eggs in a large bowl. Add salt & pepper.

2. Add flour, one cup at a time, until the dough is stiff. Like so:

 

3. Kneed the dough until it is smooth, this took me what seemed like forever.

   ( PW is very good about showing pictures of what it looks like when it is ready versus not)

 

4. At this point, I let the dough rest for about 20 minutes.

 

 

4. Once it has had a nice little siesta, it's time to party. Roll it as thin as you can get it.

 

5. Use a pastry cutter or pizza cutter to cut long thin noodles (about 1/8 thick).

 

6. Put the noodles in a bowl with flour and shake around to coat them.

 

7. Let them rest while you prepare the chicken. (These are some lazy noodles).

 

8. Bring your chicken stock and buillion cubes to a boil.

 

9. Add your chicken and cook until done.

 

10. Start your mashed potatoes.

 

11. Remove chicken breasts when cooked through and start deboning.

 

11. While you are deboning, add your noodles to the pot. Use a fork to keep them from sticking to the bottom of your pot.

 

12. Add the chicken back into the pot. Keep stirring.

 

13. Finish up your potatoes.

14. Serve!

 

 



Testimony

I have had this blog on my heart for so long.
Six months to be exact.
I have laid it out so perfectly, so many times in my head.
I am sure to fall short of my own expectations.
But here goes.

As I am sure all of you know, Ryan and I have struggled with infertility for years.
We knew we wanted a family early on in our marriage and we were ready to get started.
However, life had other plans for us. Or rather God had other plans for us.
Of course, we didn't see it at the time.
Naturally, we were filled with grief and despair, anger and resentment.
And overwhelming impatience.

We tried every fertility treatment in existence to no avail.
I tried every home remedy I could find.
You name it, I ate/drank/lathered in it.

Through all of our ups and downs, we stuck by each other.
There was never a question about the sturdiness of our relationship.
Just whether or not we would ever be parents.

In September 2011 we did a frozen cycle and we got pregnant.
We lost the pregnancy very early on and we both knew that was the end of fertility treatments for us.

As Ryan's deployment date got closer and closer, we found ourselves feeling drawn toward adoption.
It had always been in the back of our minds but we had been so steadfast in our pursuit of fertility treatments that we neglected the idea.
Until we didn't.

Once we decided that adoption was the path for us, there was an overwhelming peace.
I no longer laid in bed cursing my body (and God, and anything else I could think of).
I knew that when the baby God created for us came along, we would know it.
And then there was Z.

God has never revealed himself to me the way he did during those first days.

We got "the call" on my grandparents anniversary (and cousins wedding day).
Which is so special because my grandparents adopted three little girls (my mom being one of them).
In my heart, I just knew it was a sign that this was it.

In the days leading up to "the call", Ryan's grandmother, Nanny, passed away.
Those were some of the hardest days of the deployment for Ryan and I.
Ryan's mom said that she had comfort knowing that Nanny had gone to Heaven to handpick a baby for us.
At the time, we had no idea how true those words would be.
Ten days after Nanny became an angel, we were told that a baby would be born the next day and that he would be our son.

I still get goosebumps thinking about how plainly we have been shown that our loved ones still look out for us.

Z is almost 7 months old now and everyday Ryan and I feel more and more thankful.
During our evening walks, our conversation often turns to the way things have played out.
They say hindsight is 20/20 and looking back, we wouldn't change a thing.

So thank you infertility:
For bringing us closer to God.
For making our marriage stronger.
For insuring we never take a moment for granted with Z.
For giving us five years of getting to know each other on a one-on-one basis.
For time to travel and experience things we would not be able to do otherwise.
For changing us both for the better.

I hope that our story can help other people.
Even just one would be great.
I pray that someone would read this and remember that God has a plan.
And even though that plan is probably so far from what you have planned, it's going to be perfect.

I am certain that Z was created to be our baby.
He is perfectly suited for us, and us for him.
It is not a coincidence.
It is not good luck.
It is God's plan.
It was always meant to be this way.  

Baby Food Day

There is something very rewarding about making food for Zach.
It makes me feel like some sort of super hero.
I know, I'm weird.
But hey, it makes me happy, happy, happy.

Before:

 



After:

An Update

It seems I might be turning my blog into a food blog, and I don't mind it.
I love food, I love a new recipe, I love perfecting an old recipe, I love when someone asks me for one of my recipes, I love making people happy by making something they love.

But despite the appearance of my blog, cooking and eating is not all we do here in Hawaii.
So here's a quick run down of what's going on:

- Zach is crawling! Not creeping, not scooting but CRAWLING (this is craaaazy)!
- Ryan starts the last course of his college (at least for now) career this week.
- Ryan should be getting his orders sometime this week (or maybe next - thanks Army).
- Murphy has been shaved due to a recurring skin rash (poor Murph).
- We love watching Duck Dynasty, Jack.
- We have been going on family jogs most nights.
- Zach is sleeping through the night!!!!!
- Janette comes to visit in less than a month :)
- We have mastered the art of being a one car family.
- We are on season two of the West Wing.
-  Zach has started to enjoy baby food.
- I am getting pretty good at making baby food.
- We are hating not being able to watch most Thunder games.
- Ryan passed dunker training, so that's a big relief for him (I knew he would do fine).


Well, I think that sums it up. The only other thing of note is that we have a lot of friends going through a lot of hard times and we would love prayers that we would know what to do and say to comfort them.

Love you all!

I love Pinterest!

Sundays are family shopping day for us.

After Church we head over to Hickam and have lunch at one of their restaurants and then Ryan and Zach go walking around the PX (or BX as they call it) and I head over to get groceries.

I LOVE grocery shopping, Ryan does not. So this set up works out great for us.

I like to walk down every aisle and imagine things I could cook up with new found ingediants.

However, this week I was on a mission.

I had a whole list of Pinterest recipes that I have been dying to try and so I was good and filled my cart with items on my list (mostly).

 

When Zach woke up Monday morning I told him it was time to get busy.
So I set him up in the kitchen floor with pots and pans and spatulas and he played me music while I worked.

 

We made a Blueberry Crumb Bar and a Crock Pot Chicken.

Both were a hit! (According to Ryan)

 

Crock Pot Chicken (as revised by yours truly):

Ingredients:

 

Rub Ingredients
4 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper

 

3 1/2 to 4 1/2 lbs roasting or fryer chicken
1 cup chopped onion, approx 1 medium to large onion
4-5 carrots, scrubbed, no need to peel, chopped in halves or thirds
4 celery stalks, cut in thirds

10-12 Fingerling potatoes
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

Directions:

1. Combine rub ingredients in a small bowl.

 

 

 

2. Remove chicken from packaging and remove neck and pouch with organs. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels.

 

3. Rub garlic all over outside of the chicken. Put garlic inside the chicken. Rub the rub all over the outside and inside the chicken.

 

4. Place onions, carrots and celery inside the slow cooker.

 

 

5. Place chicken on top of the vegetables. Cover slow cooker and cook chicken on low for 4-8 hours.  Cook until the internal temperature of the leg is at 160 degrees F (Do not be alarmed by the black potatoes, they are meant to be that way - they are actually purple).

 

 

6. Remove chicken and place in a 9x13 glass baking dish. Place baking dish in the oven under the broiler for about 4-5 minutes. Allow chicken to rest after removing it from the broiler for 5-10 minutes.

 

Afterthoughts:

 

- I almost chickened out of using the cayenne pepper but I am glad that I didn't the rub had a wonderful flavor. BUT if you don't like spicy, I would definitely omit it!

- The carrots were Ryan's favorite, he says double the carrots.

- I added extra garlic, I minced it and rubbed it on the outside of the bird.

- The potatoes did not absorb the flavor very well, maybe next time I will poke fork holes in them or just cut them in half to help them out.

 

 



Blueberry Crumb Bars

 

Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar

1 tsp baking powder

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup cold unsalted butter

1 egg

1/4 tsp salt

Zest and juice of one lemon

4 cups fresh blueberries

1/2 cup white sugar

4 tsp cornstarch

 

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.  Grease a 9×13 inch pan.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly.

3. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.

4. Bake in preheated oven for30-45 mins, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

 

 

Afterthoughts:

 

- It is a thin line between getting the blueberries cooked enough and burning the crumble. I think next time I will cover it with foil for the first fifteen minutes to allow the blueberries to cook longer.

Zuppa Toscana

My mom and I are slightly obsessed with the Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana, so when I saw a copy cat recipe on pinterest I knew I had to try it while she was in town. The recipe is really easy and the soup tastes a lot like the real thing!

 

 

Zuppa Toscana

Make about 10 servings

Ingredients

1 lb. Italian sausage
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup white wine
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
2 russett potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks
2 cups fresh kale, torn into bite size pieces
3 cups chicken broth
2.5 cups water
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook until well browned (you might want to attempt to make the chunks of sausage a little large, mine were tiny and while it was still yummy, I think larger bites of meat would have improved the soup). Remove the cooked sausage from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; set aside. Add the onion to the pan and sauté until tender, about 7 minutes.

2. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan and cook for one minute. Add the wine to the pot and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Add the potatoes, kale, chicken broth and water to the pot. Return the sausage to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer on medium-low. Here is where the recipe I found said to cook for twenty minutes and serve but I think that would be a mistake. At this point I transfered the soup to my slow cooker and allowed it to cook on low for a few hours.

3. When ready to eat, stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

 

Things I learned from this recipe:

- The soup taste even better heheated the next day.

- Do not be tempted to put more heavy cream. It makes it a little too strong.

- I added extra kale because I love it. It didn't change the taste of the soup.

 

Time Well Spent

I dropped my mom off at the airport last night.
It didn't really hit me that she was gone until this morning.
It was only a week but I got used to having her here to talk over coffee each morning.
Needless to say, this morning was a sad one for me.

We didn't do a lot of touristy things this time around.
I think she got that out of her system during her first trip.
We took walks, watched movies, cooked dinners, drank coffee, ate chocolate, Thundered up, talked about life, played with Zach and enjoyed the beauty of Hawaii.
It was the vacation with my mom I have always wanted.

The past year has been a tremendous year of change for my mom.
I feel like I have "my mom" back.
The one that I remember from my early teenage years.
I knew she was still there, she just needed to find the courage to make her way back to the surface.
And now she has.
I am so proud of the changes she has made.
She has found her independence and she has taken her life back.
Seeing her with Zach this past week was so heartwarming.
I will carry those memories with my for the rest of my life.

She is a great example that it is never too late to turn it all around.
And while I recognize that she is never going to be "perfect" (as she reminded me repeatedly) she is trying to be the best version of herself.
I think that is what counts.

It is so nice to hear her talk about her goals, friends, Church, and new hobbies.
There was a long period when I wasn't sure if she would have those things again.

Welcome back, Mom.

Reflection

As I type this, a man that has meant so much to our family is being remembered at his funeral in Oklahoma.
I wish that we could be there to pay our respects and to share with others what his kindness meant to us this past year.
On Feb. 11, I received a call from my aunt letting me know that Dave had been killed in a car accident.
As it always does, death seems unreal, unfair and ill-timed.

Dave was the attorney who handled our adoption.
He and I spent countless days calling each other back and forth, trying to resolve the newest issue that had popped up with finalizing our adoption.
I don't believe our adoption was particularly difficult but these things are just very emotional.
And it is no small feat to adopt a baby.
Over the months it took us to finalize, David worked tirelessly to make things easier for Ryan and I.
Staying up late to send things to Ryan in Afghanistan, letting me vent about things beyond his control and always being honest with us even when he knew we would be upset.
He always had our best interest in mind and he often told me to let him be the "bad guy".
I think he should have earned some sort of title as therapist for the amount of counseling he provided me during those trying times.
How many attorneys allow you to cry and scream and then give your encouragement in return?
He was one of a kind.
He was thoughtful, smart, funny and honest.
And I only knew him for a few short months.
I can only imagine what richness he brought to the lives of those who were fortunate enough to know him for years.

Thank you for everything you were and everything you did for us, Dave.


 

Curry Chicken Salad Goodness

Janette taunted me on Facebook yesterday by telling me she was having Curry Chicken Salad for lunch.
So today I decided to treat myself with some of my own.
I. Love. This. Stuff.
And it's so easy and you can really make it however you like it, it's impossible to mess up.
And so I thought I would share my recipe with anyone who hasn't had it before.

1. Boil chicken breast for 15-20 minutes or until completely cooked through.
2. Remove chicken from water and allow to cool.
3. Shred chicken with a fork or by hand.
    This is what mine looks like when I'm done, you can make it chunkier or finer.

 



4. Sprinkle enough curry powder to coat the chicken.
5. Add mayo and stir, again it's up to you how much you like.
6. Add craisins! I add lots and lots.
7. Add chopped celery, chopped pineapple, diced apple or nuts.
8. Season to taste with salt and pepper. ( I usually skip the salt).
9. Give it a good stir and add more of whatever you like most.

TADA! Easy Peasy.

 



 



I usually make enough for at least two servings because it is just as yummy the next day.

I eat mine as is but it makes a great sandwich too :)