Canada, eh?

Our annual family vacation to Canada was a SUCCESS!! The majority of the gang went up Friday night and stayed until Monday, but due to work and the need for money, I went up on Wednesday evening and stayed until Sunday. It was the epitome of a relaxing time with a safe amount of entertainment (both at the expense of one another and purely innocent!)

A little background…this cabin is the same cabin we have been coming to since I was in grade school. It sleeps 13, but not comfortably (couches, beds that need new mattresses, etc.) I would compare it to luxurious camping! The amazing this is that it has a huge deck, is 50 feet from the lake and has its own dock! We basically live on the porch and in the water! It’s perfect in my opinion! There is also a competition each year to see who can catch the largest smallmouth bass, largemouth bass and pike. I won a few years, but NOT this year. This year I won the “Largest Sunny” prize! i.e. Nothing.

Ok, so I arrived around 10pm on Wednesday and immediate had a special drink courtesy of my family! It was a much needed beverage to end a 7 hour drive a little harassment at the border. I have never had any issues getting into Canada, but this year was an exception. Why am I the lucky person who gets to pull under pavilion #1 and proceed to the yellow counter? I am innocent as they come (I was in a sundress and looking, in my opinion, adorable). 6+ hours of driving down, less than an hour to go, dealing with rain and now this…I was irritated to say it nicely. Luckily after telling the customs guard where I was going, how long I was staying, where I am from, my age, my name, the purpose of the trip, that I didn’t have any weapons, plants, animals, etc. I was released and sent on my way. Thank God they let me into Canada!!

Thursday was a beautiful day! We did some morning fishing and I caught nada. This year was a slow fishing year. Shucks! After a few hours of dedicated fishing, we headed in for an amazing breakfast of some killer homefries, bacon, pancakes and eggs! Needless to say, I cleaned my plate and washed it down with glorious coffee!! Yum!

These are pictures of my posing for the fishies (and Ryan)!!

It didn't work.  The fishies were probably blinded by my utter whiteness! It's ok, fairness is a sign of beauty, right?!?

I was happy and giddy to be out on the water!

Reading in my (front) "No Your No Seeing Double...
(Back) It's the Sarahs!
St. Patrick's Day 2006

A good book is vital in Canada because we get up early to fish, eat breakfast and hang out for a few hours, then we go on an afternoon adventure, come back, go fishing and eat a late dinner. Any downtime, which there is plenty of, is generally spent playing cards, Frisbee or reading! I read a great book called, “When Love Walked In.” It is not a mushy romance as the title insinuates, but it was really good! I also started “Wicked” like the play, and am excited to finish that soon! So far, it is amazing!! I tried to read “Mennonite in a Little Black Dress,” “The Sex Lives of Cannibals” (supposed to be really funny) and “The Art of Racing In the Rain.” If I ever get to these books, I will let you know how they are. If you receive them as a Christmas/birthday present, I hope you have better luck than I did. They were all recommended to me, so hopefully I will get into a reading mood and knock them all out!

Our three afternoon adventures were all fun, but in very different ways! On Thursday my brother and I kayaked out to an island in the middle of the lake while my mom and other brother swam near us. It was about a half of a mile in length, but with the waves from boats and nasty lake weed, it was more challenging that swimming in a pool. Once we got to the island, my brother and I switched places with my mom and brother. Keep in mind that I can honestly say that I have not spent more than a few hours in a pool/lake/ocean/body of water all summer, but I swam the half mile like a stud! It was actually easy! I think I should take up swimming because my body felt amazing the next day!! (Sorry no photos, but apparently since I was in my tan and cream bikini, I looked like I was skinny dipping!! That is according to my mom!)

Friday’s afternoon adventure was an hour boast trip to the Locks, cliff jumping and my 15” largemouth bass catch!! The Locks are still hand pumped (I am sure there are machines inside, but everything appears to be traditional and old fashioned). We watched a few boats start at the top lock and move their way down to the next lake! It was pretty interesting! Here are some photos from that experience.

Alphabet Soup!  That's what the water scum reminded us of at least!

Top view of the locks

The lower lock being filled so that its water level is even with the lock above it (where the boats are)

The water is getting higher...

Here come the boats!!

After the locks, we drove the boat over to the rock jumping cliff! It is a 30+ foot rock cliff with a few lower points that we can jump off of! Tom, Sam and Mike were the first three to jump off! I was still on the boat taking photos. I quickly swam out to the cliff, climbed up and was about to jump when I realized that Bonnie still hadn’t jumped… I gave her the option to either jump immediately, or let me go first. There was no way I was standing 30+ feet above the water and looking down for more than a second. She told me to jump, so I did!! I landed flat footed. Silly me. You concentrate on jumping and not tripping while you run and you completely forget about any jumping technique…if there is such a thing! After me, Bonnie and my mom jumped off the 15 foot rock and then we heard ”Ahhhhh” and we saw my dad running off the highest point! His forearm flopped! He jumped and his arms were out at 90 degree angles to his sides and we heard them hit! He’s a stud! I honestly don’t know any other 60 year old fathers who would do half the things my father does! I can only hope that I am as energetic and outgoing as he is for my children and grandchildren! That will be a topic for another blog though! We all jumped off once and then swam around and tried to touch the bottom of the lake. The water was so nice, so we just goofed around!

Once we were all cooled off, we drifted along some cliffs and went fishing and that is when my dad caught my hair with his hook and worm!! Here’s proof.

After the hook and worm was safely removed, I caught my 15” largemouth bass!!! It was the only real fish that I caught and I was oh so proud! I wish I could show you a picture, but my little sister took it and it’s all stomach (small person’s view of me…eek!) It has officially been added to my list of top 10 worst photos of me! I will not be sharing it with you…sorry.

After a few other people caught fish, we headed home and got ready to go night fishing. It was an uneventful evening. The next morning was also uneventful. That is basically the theme of the rest of the trip in regards to fishing. Sadly.

The next eventful moment was Saturday afternoon when we took the boat out with the tube attached to the back! My mom was first, then Bonnie and I went together because we didn’t want her falling off and hanging out in the lake by herself until we pull back around to her. I was scared to death that she was going to head-butt me and I was going to lose some teeth. Luckily, she went flying off one way and I went off the other way, but right near each other! I went out for another ride by myself and it was really fun! I was airborne a lot and held on for death life!!  With each jolt, I had to make the decision to hold on with all my might of let the whipping get the best of me and most likely skip across the water.  I held on!  The absolute best tuber in my family is Tom!  He was like Evil Knievel on that thing!  There were times when he was virtually upside down and he would flip it back in midair!  Craziness!  It was soooo entertaining to watch!  I wish I would have recorded it.  Shucks!

Dad doing his thing!
(Sorry, I don't have many photos on my camera)

Other than that, we read a lot and experienced some beautiful weather and skies! Enjoy!!

View from the Cabin!

Recipe: Betty's Guac...Mmm Mmm Good!

My love for guacamole started when I moved to San Diego to be with Ryan!  Growing up, my family always had taco nights, but guacamole was never part of that.  I recently found out that is absence was because my family isn't too fond of avocados.  To be honest, they consider them slimy.  Either way, I love guacamole and have been experimenting with it for about a year now.  To date, the recipe below is my most successful creation (according to my female coworkers, and believe me, they know their food)!

Ingredients:
4 Avocados (soft to the touch)
½ Medium Red Onion
1 Can of Chipotle corn, Mexi corn or Fiesta corn (Chipotle is my favorite)
1 Medium Tomato
1 Clove of Garlic
1 tsp +/- Salt
1 tsp +/- Pepper
Directions:
Place avocados in refrigerator
Chop the onion in little cubes
De-seed tomato and chip into little cubes
Rinse the corn
Crush the garlic
Add Salt and pepper to taste
Mix above ingredients together and place in refrigerator
Slice/mash avocados into the mixture and serve chilled

Serve with chips, tacos, etc.

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Recipe: Breakfast Burrito!!!

Ryan and I love burritos, but especially breakfast burritos!!!  I came across this recipe and wanted to share.  (My printer isn't working and I secretly didn't to lose it, so I am posting it!) 

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/how-to/how-to-make-a-breakfast-burrito-113583

What You Need


Ingredients

1 cup rice - brown or white

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

1 onion

1 15-oz can black beans - or your favorite bean!

1 1/2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese, about 4 ounces - or your favorite cheese!

6 eggs, whisked

Large flour tortillas

Salsa

Optional Extras: Roasted potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, roasted poblano peppers, crispy bacon, cooked sausage

Equipment [OR] Tools

Griddle or skillet

Lots of prep bowls for holding ingredients

Instructions

1. Cook your rice - We like cooking rice in a large amount of boiling water (like pasta) and then draining it at the end. Rice can be prepared the day ahead.

2. Roast your vegetables - Cut the peppers and the onions into large chunks and spread them onto a baking sheet. Drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast them under the broiler for 15-20 minutes, until the peppers are soft and all the vegetables show roasted surfaces. Check the veggies every few minutes and remove any that look done before the others. Slice all the vegetables into long strips.

3. Cook your eggs - We like our eggs soft and creamy, so we cook them slowly over low heat. You can also fry or poach eggs for breakfast burritos. The yolk splits as you roll the burrito up, covering everything with warm, runny yumminess.

While roasting the vegetables and cooking the eggs, rinse the beans and warm them in the microwave. If the rice was prepared ahead of time, also warm the rice. Set up a space on the counter where the burritos can be assembled.

4. Melt the cheese on the tortilla - Melted cheese is the key to an excellent breakfast burrito! Wipe the pan clean that was used for eggs and set it back over low heat. One at a time, warm the tortilla shells with a sprinkling of the shredded cheese. Place a large lid over the tortilla to help the cheese melt and keep the tortilla from getting too dried out.

5. Assemble the burrito - Spread a little of each filling down the center of the tortilla.

6. Fold the burrito - Fold the top and bottom of the burrito over the inside (or leave the top open, as we did), and then fold in the sides to make a neat package. Eat immediately while the cheese is still gooey!

Additional Notes:
• These instructions make enough to make 5-6 burritos, depending on how much you stuff them.

• If you have leftover tortillas, here are a few ideas for using them up: What to do with Leftover Tortillas.

Decorating Wesbite & Ideas

Hello!

A coworker recommended the following website to me and I absolutely love it, so I thought I would share! It is called "Apartment Therapy.com."  It has great photos, "green" ideas, affordable ideas and is great for when you need a bit of inspiration!(http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/)

I am in the process of making/fixing/altering several items for my future home and plan to post on each item, but I figured I would write about with the hopes that my readers might have some suggestions.

1. I refinished an old ladder.  It is approximately 12 feet in height and 2 feet in width, so I have decided to cut it into two pieces, one approximately 4 feet that will hang over a kitchen island and hold herbs and pots and the other I piece I am still unsure about.  I was thinking about turning it into a quilt rack since my step mother in law has given us some beautiful quilts and I would love to display them and because I think quilts help bring a warm feeling to a home.  My other idea is to somehow attach old photo frames to it and hang the ladder with a collection of photos from both sides of my family.  Any suggestions are much appreciated!

2.  I am making a fabric headboard for our queen bed.  I found a shower curtain that is white and has a big brown oak tree on it that looks awesome!  I am planning on taking plywood, putting foam on top of it and then covering it with the shower curtain (which is fabric, not plastic).  Then I was going to frame the outside of the fabric area and stain the wood a dark brown.  We cannot afford or rather are not willing to spend the money on a bedroom set, so I am trying to be thrifty and creative when decorating our bedroom. 

3.  I am reupholstering my kitchen chairs. I have yet to select a color, but I am thinking about going with a deep brown and some texture because dirt will show up less.  I am open to color options and fabric types!

4. I am in dire need of two night stands with drawers - I am completely willing to sand, paint and do a little cosmetic touch-up if need be.  We are looking for a coffee table (no drawers necessary), an old trunk (leather or wood), dresser drawers for a little boys room and an entertainment center (just the lower drawer portion because our TV hangs on the wall). Once those items are purchased/found, I will work on them and post photos!

I would consider myself a crafty person, but I am new to the projects I am about to take on.  If anyone is experienced or has suggestions, please let me know!!!

The Tradition of Letter Writing is Still Alive

While some may think that letter writing is a dead art, it is still alive and well in my life. I have always been the person who sends a card for birthday and holidays, a thank you note for any gift or special visit, and letters to friends who

have moved away. The gift of receiving a hand written note is something that no electronic message can replace.

Ryan learned this art while we were on our engaged encounter weekend in San Diego. We had to write letters to each other in a journal and while at the time is seemed a bit tedious, it has helped our communication grow stronger. The older couple that ran the weekend told us that they write a letter a day to each other. It is your time to express your thoughts, feelings, frustrations, and accomplishments without interruption. Ryan and I thought this was a little extreme, but now that we don't have any physical communication (and phone calls are extremely limited), we have learned to rely on the written word. While we email as much as we can, we also write a letter a day (or try to write one a day). So far I have received #1 through #21, #34 through#41, and #43 through #45. I have never been so excited to check the mail for a letter! Getting a letter is the highlight of my day/week/month! Just holding something that I know Ryan has touched is absolutely heavenly! I absolutely love that he has adopted the art of letter writing. He is the best husband! I love him dearly!

I really want to do something special with these letters that enables me to read them from time to time. I am thinking a pretty box, but there is a part of me that wants to be a bit more creative. If anyone has any suggestions, please don't hesitate to suggest them!

The 'Other' Sarah is ENGAGED!!!

For all of you who don't know, my best friend in college (and now) and I have the same wonderful name and we were known as "The Sarahs."  We were basically together 24/7 freshman year, and then slightly separated for the next three years because we both changed majors, but overall, we were together a lot! 

So the big and fantastic news is that she is engaged!!!!  I am just a smitten best friend right now!  My Sarah got engaged yesterday to a wonderful man and the love of her life! 

The love birds in front of Independence Hall!

And now in front of the Liberty Bell & Independence Hall!

(I made them take these photos...Sarah didn't want to, but thanks to me, they now have documentation!) 

The awesome part for me was that the proposal happened at LaSalle, so I was able to see both of them the day of!  With them both being from out of state, this was huge!  I cannot wait to help with the wedding planning!  I just cannot express how completely and utterly happy I am for them! 

Congratulations you two!! 

Apologies for being a delinquent blogger…

This post is going to be all over the place dating back to May 2010. It will cover the weeks before deployment, deployment day, a summer course, baby shower, 4th of July, my best friend’s engagement, and much more! Enjoy reading!
The weeks, especially the week, before Ryan left for deployment, we spent every possible waking second together enjoyed all of life’s little pleasures i.e. eating, golfing, hand holding, kissing, you get the idea! It was glorious and we didn’t focus on the cloud looming over our heads; we just smiled and enjoyed being with one another!

My parents threw a little going away bash for Ryan before he left. It was relaxed bbq in the backyard with close family and it was perfect! Ryan and my brother manned the grill and were studs!

Brother in-laws

Even with working hard at the grill he found time to shower me with kisses!

I love him so much and miss moments like this more than words could ever explain.

xoxoxo

We had fun playing with our niece. At that time she was a crawling machine! Now she is a wobbly walker and is getting cuter by the day! Give Ryan and I a few years and we will have a little one of ours, but he/she will probably have red hair, no eyes, and a tiny booty, but cuter than a button! Hehe!

Crawling to get 'Puppy'!  (Everything is 'puppy' to her!)

A few weeks later...

We went to The Melting Pot for the first time and shared a little nock in the back of the restaurant with a bottle of champagne!

Pre-dinner cuties!

In our nook with our amazing meal! 

We had one of the special dinners for two consisting of a cheese fondue, individual salads, a main course of steak, chicken, shrimp, tuna, pork, dumplings, mushrooms, potatoes, and more, and then we had a flaming turtle chocolate fondue for desert!! (I’m not sure of the exact desert name, but it was something close to that and it was glorious!) We walked out of there feeling like we each gained 15 pounds, but every pound was worth it! The service was exceptional, we weren’t rushed, it was just an amazing evening and we would pay the money for that quality of service time and time again.

Another date night before Ryan left was a Mexican style picnic on Mt. Trashmore in honor of our time in San Diego where we fell in love with Mexican food and our first few weeks in Virginia Beach when we shacked up in a hotel next to Mt. Trashmore.  I know, Mt. Trashmore sounds like a horrible date site, but it is actually quite nice!  It is a park made from an old trash depository and there is a lake, a wooden tree house and a few miles of trails!  We justed goofed off, took pictures and enjoyed the light breeze while cuddling!  It was a very sweet evening! 

Tears were flowing...

"See you soon.  I love you!  Stay safe..."

There are no words to describe the feeling of holding the love of you life for the last time in several months, so I am not going to try to explain it.  All I can say is that I don't wish the pain on my worst enemy.  I love my officer with all my heart and nothing in this world can take that away from me. 

Ryan drove my car to base with me in the passenger seat.  I can't wait until he is in that driver's seat again!  Driving will feel right again!  There was a breakfast on the ship for all family and close friends on the sailors.  It was very nice, but very hard.  Everywhere you turned, you saw little kids and wives either crying or standing tall and trying to be strong.  I failed at the "not crying" thing, but in my opinion, tears are sign of love and strength and not a sign of weakness. 

Before he changed into his whites.  I love him!

I couldn't get enough of him.  Holding back tears.

Ow ow!!  Sexy Babe! 

(This photo was for the daddy doll!)

Ever since time, nothings been found that's stronger than love...

And with a final bear hug and a passionate kiss, we had to part.  I stood on the shore and watched my baby pull away.  Well, I stood and cried until the ship actually started moving and then I ran the length of the pier and waved and cried and wanted nothing more than to jump into the ocean and swim to him. 

Ryan is second from the left and smiling for me!

This ship is slowly moving... :(

This is where I wanted to jump of the pier and swim to him...

You can't see it in this picture, but Ryan's ship is out there.  I, along with other wives, drove to the beach to watch the ship go by one last time.  I can't wait until it's coming the opposite way!!  That day will be a glorious one! 

That day I drove home to Pennsylvania and listened to our wedding CD (and Rush) the entire time.  I did really good at not crying while driving.  The only two times I practically lost it was when Sarah called and when Delia called.  To this day, when someone asks me how I am holding up, I cry.  I seem totally fine until asked that question, so word to the wise, don't ask me, I know you care.   I got home and lost it.

Since that day, I have been working 32 hours a week and enjoying staying busy.  I took an Intermediate Microeconomics course at Temple this summer and did well!  It is a prerequisite for graduate school (hopefully in the fall).  I've lost about 10 pounds since Ryan left and it's not because I am not eating, it is because I had 10 pounds to lose.  Ryan and I both gained weigh while we were living out of hotels and not caring about working out before he left.  I feel much healthier now and plan on staying close to this weight!

The 4th of July was a hard weekend for me.  All the patriotism was amazing, but it was a constant reminder of my baby (not that I am not always thinking of him anyways).  It just made everything a little harder.  On the 3rd, I had one of my best friend's birthday parties which was a lot of fun and then I went down to Penn's Landing with my family and listened to the Philadelphia Orchestra and saw fireworks!  The orchestra was amazing!  They played patriotic songs and then some more traditional songs.  On the 4th, I went to Philly by myself and walked around historic Philadelphia, saw a Tea Party Demonstration (looked like a bunch of our parents sitting around in lawn chairs), wrote a letter to Ryan in Rittenhouse Square and then met up with Delia for a little 4th of July party and then the Goo Goo Dolls and Roots concert on the Parkway!  I left early because Ryan was scheduled to call me...and he did at 11pm!!  It was absolutely perfect!  I love the sound of his voice!  It just makes everything better. 

The Philly Phanatic just puts a smile on my face!  Crazy Thing!

All in all, I promise to be better at blogging!  Please feel free to leave any and all comments!