Vacation: Family, Friends, and Contest Winners

Well, you may have noticed that I've been posting about our upcoming vacation and a contest. That contest has closed and we have two winners! Congratulations Aubrey and Ben! Aubrey came in with 8 correct guesses and Ben had 3 correct. Our two winners will now be mailed a prize in the next few weeks!

Day #1: We embarked on our two week vacation last Thursday and our first stop was good ol' Fargo, ND! Our day consisted of the Air Museum, BWW, a Redhawks game, Space Aliens, and The Fiddler on the Roof.

Day #2: Jamestown was the site of our next adventure. Time spent with family is always nice. But when we have the opportunity to spend time with our niece and nephew, we capitalize on that. Since hubs and I didn't see much of the am hours, our afternoon was packed. Canoeing has to happen when Grandpa and Grandma have a river in their backyard. And if that's not enough water time, the local outdoor pool is always a good option. Fortunately Aunt Kelly is the reigning cannonball champion! And after dinner, a nap, and a drive, we ended our day with the gun range and the DQ. 

Day #3: After a quick visit to see hubs' grandma, we left for Fosston (home of Cordwood Pete). A cousin was tying the knot and we were asked to be the host and hostess...so we celebrated with them. It's such a blessing to be able to visit family and to celebrate with them. I think all of my cousins and aunts and uncles were able to make it to the wedding. How fabulous is that? Just being able to support, love, and be with each other is truly a blessing. 

Day #4: Despite our attempts to leave as early as possible (8am), we didn't end up hitting the road until somewhere around 9:30 or 10:00. Oops! So, we popped in our book on CD and left for Sioux Falls, SD. A dear friend of mine lives there and I have missed her dearly. I think it's been almost 3 years since we've seen each other?! Yikes! And her sweet little girl was able to join us for coffee. One hour doesn't suffice when catching up with a friend, but our chat was good for my spirit. I have missed her laughs, her mannerisms, and her sweet heart. 

We did need to keep trucking, so off we went. We finished our trek to Lincoln, NE and met our hosts for the evening. If you have not used or heard of Airbnb, you should check it out! People rent out rooms, couches, guest houses, etc in their homes to others traveling through the area. It's usually pretty reasonable for prices and you get to meet some really great people too! If you're ever in Lincoln and need a place to stay, look up Nicole on Airbnb. She's great!

Day #5: Another long day of driving was ahead of us. Quite a few hours separated us from our next destination: Denver, CO (area). To make a long day of traveling short and sweet...we made a detour in 

Lincoln and then hit the road. 

After supper with a friend in Denver, we spent some down time with family. What we did on day #6, is yet to come. Stay tuned. 

How Many Things Can I Learn in a Year?

We've been married for a little over a year now and so many people keep asking, "How was the first year?" or "What did you think of the first year?" Thus far my response has been, "Some days I can't believe it's already been a year and others I can't believe it's only been a year!"

And that's the truth! Our first year of marriage has flown by. We've laughed and cried, smiled and fought, agreed and compromised. 

And through this first year of marriage I've learned things. Some lessons I expected to learn. And others were a surprise. 

I learned that I still really struggle with doing dishes...they're one of those extreme hatreds in my life. 

I learned that after living on my own for 5 years does not prepare me for my first night alone after only 5 months of marriage. Minimal sleep was had that night. 

I learned that it's not very hard to convince me to watch "just one more" episode of our current tv series. (Parks and Rec right now...in case you were wondering)

I learned that I'm way more selfish than I thought I was. *surprise, I know...*

I learned that the things that make my husband happy, can be sacrifices for me. (Biking many miles? Really??) *Okay...it hasn't been that awful...*

I learned that there are certain types of time spent together that I need.  Watching tv is being together. But I desire quality time. Talking, (board) gaming, reading, dreaming, are the things that I desire. 

I learned that I love to cook for my husband...but it's hard to agree on meals that we both want. 

I learned that I really just want to make my husband happy. 

And in the end, that's my goal. 

At a wedding yesterday, Pastor Seth recounted something a family member had passed on. He said that if we remember that love is patient and kind, that's what matters. That's what matters because after that, the rest of 1 Cor. 13 takes care of itself. 

Patient. I'm still working on that. And it's hard. 

Kind. Also a struggle sometimes. Sometimes the sharp words come faster than the kind words. 

Those are two of my marriage goals for this next year of marriage. Show patient love and show kind love. 

 

Vacation--Say What?!

There is one huge perk of teaching and having a flexible schedule during the summer. 

Two words: Road Trip!

Say what?!

We will be traveling a little more than 3,000 miles over 14 days.

Over those 14 days we will be traveling through 7 different states.

We'll be seeing family, friends, and each other.

I'll hopefully post a few times throughout out two weeks.

As a little teaser, here are a few photos of places we'll be visiting.

Can you guess all of the cities correctly? If you do, I'll send you a prize. There might even be some prizes if you know more than anyone else!

Oh...and no cheating!

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

#11

And from #11, we will be heading back home. The challenge will end on Sunday, July 13 at 6pm. If you think you know all or most of our destinations, comment to win! Top 3 readers with correct guesses will get a prize! 

The First Year (not just ours)

I was asked to speak at my cousin's fiancee's bridal shower last weekend *a few weekends ago...oops!*. So...I needed to come up with something unique to tell them. So I asked a friend (who is about 10 months deep into her first year of marriage) and my husband to help give some advice. Coupled with my "advice", here's what we've got!

*Make sure to check back later next week for an anniversary *say what?!* update as well as a "Year 'By the Numbers'"...*

Many people have heard countless pieces of advice about marriage and life with spouses. Those of us who are married may have even had the advice directed at us. Who in here has received or heard the piece of advice that says, “never go to bed angry with your husband”? Many of us have. Just last night I was visiting with a friend about the very topic of “Newlywed Advice” and what we’ve learned since being married (she’s been married 7 years). Her response to “never go to bed angry/upset with your husband”? “Sometimes I just need a cool down period. It’s okay to go to bed mad with your husband.” She’s called it the best advice she’s ever received.

So, upon speaking to others who are in their first year of marriage--here’s some advice or things we’ve learned in our first year.

•The things you love most about them will also annoy you the most.

•Listening to your wife is a skill to be practiced. Daily.

•Admiration and appreciation are action verbs.

•Just because you CAN poop with the door open doesn't mean you SHOULD.

•You learn to become a better sharer...whether you like it or not.

•Hold on tight to your first and last bites of any meal you love--he’ll try to take them.

•The first time I heard Kelly Entzel/Mrs. Entzel, I didn’t know who they were talking to. Brag about your new last name--it’ll help you get used to it.

•Make time for date night--even if it’s eating PB&J and driving around dreaming about your future together.

•Your marriage won’t and shouldn’t look like everyone else’s. Figure out what works for you and rock it.

And no matter how crazy, loud, annoying, and snarky our family can be--don’t forget--it’s because we love you and you’re part of the family.

Fathers' Day 2014: Recipes

As promised, here are the recipes I used for our Fathers' Day Extravaganza! 

First, I started the cheesy potatoes before we went to church. I found the recipe here. The best part of this recipe is that they're made in the crock pot!

Directions

Prep Time: 10 minutes (it took me 20-25)

Cook Time: 4 hours  (I cooked them a little longer--4 hours 15 minutes maybe?)

Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes  (4 hours 40 minutes [max])

Yield: 8 servings 

Ingredients:

1 can--cream of chicken soup

1 c. sour cream

1 T onion flakes*

1/4 c butter, melted

1/4 t salt*

1/4 t pepper*

1 (32 oz) frozen, cubed hash browns, thawed*

2 c. sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions

Combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, onion and butter in a large bowl. Add hash browns and 1 1/2 c. cheese and stir until combined. Pour into 4 qt slow cooker, cover.*

Cook for 4-5 hours on low or until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over potatoes and continue to cook 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

*My Modifications

I used real onion. It made the preparation more time consuming, but it provided more flavor. I used approx. 1/4 onion, diced.

Instead of using 1/4 t salt and pepper, I added a dash of fresh ground salt and pepper so that my guests could add more to personal preference during the meal.

Because we only had the shredded hash browns, I diced up red potatoes. There were probably 5-7 potatoes in the crockpot. I will use at least one potato per serving next time so that they don't end up too runny.

The original instructions say to combine in a large bowl, but I didn't want to dirty more dishes before company came over. So I combined everything in the crockpot. Since I used a liner it was a tad more difficult, but definitely doable.

Next, the pork chop marinade. I tried this recipe out on some friends a few days prior and we loved it. Here is where I found the original recipe.

Directions:

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Inactive Time: 1 hour*

Cook: 10 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1/4 c honey

2 T vegetable oil*

1 T apple cider vinegar

1 t ground cumin

1/2 t red pepper flakes

8 (1/2 inch) bone-in pork chops *

Salt & Pepper--freshly ground

Instructions:

Marinade: In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, oil, vinegar, cumin and red pepper flakes. 

Sprinkle both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper and place in a re-sealable plastic bag with the marinade. Let rest on the counter for 1 hour. That's easy.

Heat a grill or grill pan over medium heat. Remove the pork chops from the bag and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on the grill and cook until the pork chop releases from the grill, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side for another 3 minutes.*

*My Modifications

For the ingredients--I used olive oil instead of vegetable oil and instead of 8 pork chops per recipe, I used 4 chops. Since I used 8 chops for Fathers' Day, I doubled the rest of the recipe.

The inactive time for these chops was right around 18 hours (yes...overnight). 

Even though the instructions say to grill the pork chops around 7ish minutes, make sure the internal temperature is 145° and give the chops a 3 minute rest period.

Well...that was our big meal for Fathers' Day. Fortunately both of our dads love pork chops. It was a hit and we are fortunate enough to have them here.

What are some of your favorite recipes?

Ch-Ch-Check 'em Out!

I've been on a reading kick. I mean, I usually am reading blogs/magazines/articles often. But the last week or so has been amped up QUITE a bit! So I wanted to share my top 5 articles I've read this last week. Some are from blogs and others are from magazines (that stemmed from blogs) and I hope you like them as much as I did!

1. Camp Patton
Grace definitely has a way with story telling. I came across her blog one day as I was perusing the blogosphere and fell. in. love. She's the sweet mama to four precious children. Click on the blog title to go right to her blog homepage!
The post she put up this last week is called "too much ado about absolutely nothing". I loved it. In it, she talked a little about their newest baby, Phoebe, who has the SWEETEST, chubbiest cheeks around and proceeded to relate a story from a weekend event while her hubs was working overnight. Go read it. Thank me later.

2. The Life of Bon
Bonnie teaches English too! I started reading her blog about six months ago and was hooked. Her personality shines through her writing and I feel like we're friends! She talks about her progressing pregnancy, her students, her marriage, and her faith. She's a well-rounded blogger and I keep coming back for more.
I recently read her post about how she got scammed in preparing for her trip to Hawaii. It's called "Scams and vacation mishaps". It piqued my interest as they (she and her husband) are currently traveling in Germany. Read it!

3. Bedlam Magazine
I know, I know, I know. This is my blog. I'm supposed to be sharing other blogs for you to read. Sorry. This is a great magazine. It was created by authors Cory Copeland and Cassi Clerget. I've read both of their blogs and have enjoyed their writing immensely. But...I read an article discussing the impending, dreaded (for singles), wedding season! *bum bum bum!*
Molly Chambers wrote a hilarious piece for Bedlam Magazine entitled "I Do (Not Have Enough Booze for This)". She discusses the three "Bs" to keep in mind during wedding season.

4. youaremyfave.com
I've never read this blog before and I loved it. A friend was tagged on Facebook and it dealt with breakfast. So...what's not to love? It's called "a breakfast club is my fave" and unfortunately it left me hungry when I was done reading. Since that was the only "downside" to this post, I decided it must share.

5. be.do.say.go
Aubrey is one of my favorites ever. I'm not even kidding. She's encouraging, real, funny, inspiring, and a great friend. Last night she posted "Bless this new week." and I needed to hear it as a reminder. The song on her blog last night was such a great reminder that God gives so many blessings and I always have a reason to praise Him. Check it out. You'll be glad you did.

I do have to say, this post ended up being longer than anticipated, but that's okay. Check these blogs out. They're just little pieces of my life I'm able to share.

*No, I was not sponsored to post about any of these fine writers. I chose their posts of my own accord. Now go read and be happy.

Fathers' Day 2014--By the Numbers

We seriously love our families. Our dads and our moms. And our siblings. 

Husband and his sibs might pick on their youngest sister incessantly, but they really do love her. 

*I think*

Anyway...

Our parents have been wanting to get together for the last year (since our wedding), but schedules have never really allowed. So we (hubs and I) thought it would be fun to have everyone over for Fathers' Day. So, we did. 

Not only did we have family over for lunch, but my parents were here for breakfast too! We had a full day of family, food, and fun. *Yes, I did need to add alliteration here. Don't judge.*

We're going to do a "By the Numbers" post to show what all went down.

Fathers' Day 2014

2 meals

12 caramel rolls

1 pineapple

8 people

8 pork chops

1 easy marinade

1 new grill

7 potatoes

4 lbs of potato salad

1 spinach salad

2 dads

2 siblings

3 couples

2 gift certificates

1 grill

4 veggies

1 fruit trifle

countless laughs

It was a great day with parents and siblings alike. Dads, if you're reading this. Please know how much we love you. We wouldn't be the individuals nor the couple that we are. You've shown us how to behave as functional people, as mature Christians, as a spouse in a loving relationship, and as a parent. We admire you and love you more than words can say.

To round out the day, my husband let me take a nap on the couch and he even drove me to Five Guys Burgers and Fries for supper...at 9:45 at night.

So that will about wrap up my "By the Numbers" post for today. Check back here to see the marinade recipe I used for our pork chops and the cheesy potato recipe too!

Hope everyone else had a lovely Fathers' Day. And as usual, please feel free to link up with me for your own "By the Numbers" post. Grab the button and link back here.

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