Blog Challenge ~ Day 9

Day 9 ~ Friends

I've been pretty blessed in the friends department.

As far as best friends go I have three.

Carolyn. My partner in crime since the 3rd grade who helped me sneak wine coolers and prank call boys.

Nikki. One of the first people I met my Freshman year of college. She was there the first (and last) time I smoked a cigarette. We were roommates. Twice. She was there the day I stole an orange cone and walked it all the way down High Street. We mastered the fine art of chewing 5 pound bags of gum. Together we've planned our weddings and had our first babies. She's been there through it all and I can't imagine life without her!

Maria. My sorority sister and roomie. We had dueling pampasan chairs and a love for the Coyote Ugly Soundtrack. She witnessed me "surf" the hallways many a Friday night and forced me to stop studying for finals on my 21st birthday so I could hobble down to the bar on my broken foot and buy my first legal drink!

All of these lovely ladies were my bridesmaids along with my sister in law Jade. Each one is very different from the other but together balance out my life. I don't know what I'd do without them!

My first year of college I met a pretty fantastic group of people. We've stayed friends through it all and until the hubs and I moved 10 hours away, we saw them all on a regular basis. Now unfortunately our visits are limited to holidays and brief trips back to Ohio...but we've done our best to keep in touch. Every year for as long as I can remember we all go down to Hocking Hills, OH for our annual "camping" trip. I use the term camping loosely because it involves indoor plumbing, satellite TV, hot tubs, and mass amounts of beer. We do usually have a fire pit complete with all the smores fixins, that's about as rustic as it gets. We had to miss last year for the first time ever....but I'm hoping to make the next one!

And last but certainly not least are the wonderful women I've met through blogging. When I started this thing I never in a million years expected to meet such awesome people. In a new town where I'm still trying to find my place, I'm lucky to have these ladies make it feel a little bit more like home!

Tasty Tuesday ~ Venti Coffee and a Pizza Casserole

I usually make my Tasty Tuesday recipes on Monday....however we're on about day 10 with a sick baby so needless to say there was no cooking in the EyeCanSee kitchen. There was also no sleeping in the EyeCanSee bedrooms as little Jamie was up every.single.hour. This has pretty much been his routine for a week now. So much for sleeping at all let alone through the night. Poor little guy and his snuffly nose. Poor mommy and her lack of sleep. Today I treated myself to a Venti Caramel Macchiato...thank god for Starbucks. Some days it's worth every penny!

I still have my recipe to share, I just can't say whether or not it's any good! I'll let you know the final verdict when I get around to making it....or maybe one of you could take a stab at it and let me know if it's worth making!

Pizza Casserole

1 Lb Ground beef (or Turkey)

1 small onion, chopped

1 15 oz can pizza sauce

8 oz elbow macaroni, prepared according to package directions

1 8 oz pkg shredded mozzarella

1 3.5 oz pkg pepperoni

(I can already tell I'd throw in some garlic too...can never have enough. And depending on the sauce, maybe some extra Italian Seasoning to spice it up...or a good shake of red pepper flakes for some heat)

Brown beef and onion in large skillet over medium high heat. Drain and return to pan.

Stir in pizza sauce, macaroni, mozzarella and pepperoni. Spoon into a greased 2 qt baking dish

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Bon Appetite!

Blog Challenge Catch up!

Day 6: A picture video of something that makes you happy

Jamie was talking up a storm the other night....but of course the minute I whipped out the camera he stopped. Either way he makes me happy everyday!

Day 7: Favorite Movie

For years and years it was Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Now it's Mean Girls

Gotta love vintage Lohan

Day 8 ~ A Place you have travelled

For our honeymoon we took an 8 day cruise through Panama, Costa Rica and Belize. It was amazing and we can't wait to take another one....next time we're thinking Alaska! Fun fact of the day: The reason I started my blog is so friends and family could follow along on our trip since we would basically be unreachable. These posts are some of my very first and I love having them now to look back on and remember our honeymoon!

Happy Monday!

30 Day Challenge ~ Day 5

Day 5: Siblings

The Foo. That pretty much sums up my older brother Matt.

He's a lover of all things wine, video games and sports.

We joke that if worm races were a sporting event on tv....he'd watch it.

He could live off of Runzas and LaCasa's pizza.

He's the king of bullshit.

But as far as big brothers go, he's a keeper.

One of the first few days after I was born, my proud big brother waited outside all day long to tell everyone his little sister had arrived. He also took it upon himself to invite the mailman in to show me off. A bit of a shock to my mom as she comes downstairs to find a strange man standing over my bassinet. We continued to be best pals in those early days. Building forts out of the couch cushions and having "sleepovers" in the hallway. You see, our mom would never let us stay in each others rooms, but apparently we found a loop hole....cause one night she found us sleeping on the floor in our doorways which were right across from one another.

As we got older ... I still wanted to tag along and hang out with him and all his "cool" friends. He usually saw me as the annoying little sister. The one who tried to put My Little Ponies in his Star Wars ewok village. Apparently this is a no no. They also can't play in GI Joe's jail. Who knew.

We went through those awkward "I hate you" teen years but as soon as I started high school and he went away to college we became friends again. We bonded over KState football and weekends at the lake. We worked together at Arby's. He generously "gave" me "his" car for my 16th Birthday....ya know, the one my parents had bought him 4 years earlier. He took me out drinking for the first time and gave me shots of tequila. Apparently a rite of passage in the David family. I snuck him into the Ohio State vs Michigan game using my sorority sisters student ID. Not an easy task. When a boy broke my heart he offered to beat him up. The day I graduated from college he got me a bottle of Cristal so I could drink it straight up, just like P. Diddy. He's the reason I can "proudly" say I've walked barefoot across the state lawn of Texas. We stood up for each other at our weddings and he was there the day Jamie was born. I don't think I say it enough...but he's a pretty great big brother and I'm lucky to have him.

30 Day Challenge ~ Day 4

Day 4: ParentsWhen it comes to parents I'm definitely one of the lucky ones. They've been there through my best and my worst times...seen me through thick and thin. Even put up with me at times they probably would have rather thrown in the towel. They know I'm not perfect and love me anyways....faults and all. They've always been the "fun" parents. The kind who all my friends adore and enjoy hanging out with as well. They have a wonderful marriage. One I've always admired. After 37 years they still love each other, which these days is pretty darn amazing!

My mom. My "vessel of life" as she likes to call herself. Where to begin. We're more alike then either one of us will probably ever admit. Strong willed....a bit hard headed. She speaks her mind...sometimes too much....sometimes without a filter, but that's what I love about her. (Most of the time) She hates country music and "funny" meat. Pink is her signature color. She LOVES chocolate. She's technically challenged...but getting better. I do believe she even knows how to "boot up" the computer now, as long as she has her cheat sheet nearby. She puts herself before anyone else. She's funny and tells the best stories. She's often the butt of all the family jokes, but takes it in stride. (Most times) She's one of my best friends. I talk to my mom pretty much everyday...lately I've seen her most days as well since she's playing nanny for Jamie while I'm at work. She's the one I can go to for anything and I know she'll listen. She'll tell me the truth even when it's not what I want to hear. She's a great mom. If I'm even half the mom she is, Jamie is going to be one lucky guy. My dad. He's not your typical sports loving, golf playing, TV watching dad. (Which by the way makes buying Father's Day cards tricky...have you ever noticed Hallmark thinks ALL dads play golf or fish??) You're more likely to find him in the kitchen or on the boat. As a little girl he made smiley faces on my hamburgers out of ketchup and was probably the only dad who could braid their daughter's hair. He picked out my wedding dress when most dads wouldn't be caught dead in a bridal salon. He's the peacemaker between me and my mom. He has a lead foot and rightfully earned the nickname Mario...as in Andretti. He hates mushrooms but loves all things lemon and lime. He always sings the wrong words...except to "No Diggity" but that one he saves just for me. ;) He's stubborn and usually gets his way, but we love him nonetheless. He loves being a grandpa. I don't really think of myself as a daddy's girl....but I'll always be his little scooter.

30 Day Challenge ~ Day 3

Day 3 ~ First Love

This one, believe it or not, was actually kind of a tough one for me. While I was tempted to take the cliche route and choose my husband, I knew in the back of my mind this wouldn't be the honest to God truth. I did love someone before I met him. At least I thought I did.

I didn't really date anyone seriously through high school or college. It wasn't until I was 24 that I had my first real boyfriend. The first person I said "I love you" to. At the time I thought it was love. But in hind site I realize it really wasn't. I think I was in love with the idea of love. At 24 when all the people around me were planning weddings and finding their soulmates I was starting to fear I'd never be in their shoes. I'd be the eternal third wheel. Always the bridesmaid...never the bride. So I did the worst thing a girl can do. I let myself fall in love with the first person I found. I let him break my heart. I was young and foolish. I'll admit it. But do I regret it? Nope. Because in the end it taught me what real love was. That's the love I have for my husband. The kind where you don't have to be someone you're not. The kind that doesn't lie to you. The kind that makes you feel like the prettiest girl in the room. The kind that's unconditional. That's the kind of love everyone deserves and I feel like the luckiest girl alive everyday knowing that I've found it. Even if I did have to kiss a few frogs along the way.

I feel like I just won the lottery....

This morning I opened our online bank accounts to the most glorious site I've seen in awhile.

Direct Deposit.

From MY work.

That's right folks.

For the first time since August 18th I'm a contributing member of this family again!!

For someone who's been steadily earning a paycheck since the mid 90's, going nearly 2 months without earning a dime was rough. Not just on our finances, paying the bills with half our income was hard enough, but on my ego as well. I like working and helping to support our family. I'm proud of the fact that I bought my first home at 22 and was financially stable all on my own. Not dependent on anyone but myself. So while it was really hard to go back to work and leave my little man at home, the working girl in me was anxious to start bringin' home the Benjamin's again. Imagine my surprise when I started back to work on September 20 only to discover it was the start of a new pay period...which means I wouldn't actually get paid until today, Oct 13. Yikes! I have to slave away for 3 1/2 weeks before I even see one single penny? Lame! But today was the day folks...the day I've been waiting for....pay day!!

Looks like a little shopping is in order!

Or maybe I'll just pay the mortgage.

Decisions, decisions.....