How Pinterest of me!

See, I don't really do this sort of thing. 

I don't blog about my "Pinterest accomplishments"But I'm too excited about this one...I have to!

Thanks to Pinterest, I made my first real meal...and my family LOVED it!

First, I started with the super easy "Slow Cooker Coca-Cola Barbecue Chicken."
Looks delicious, right?Well...it tastes as good as it looks!

Ingredients:
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (mine were frozen when I put them in the slow cooker)
1 lemon, quartered 
1 onion, quartered 
1 20 ounce bottle of BBQ sauce (any brand or flavor you prefer)
1 can of Coca Cola 
Directions:Peel onion and cut into quarters.  Cut lemon into quarters.  Place chicken breasts in crock pot.  Place onion and lemon quarters on top.  Pour in entire bottle of BBQ Sauce and entire can of Coke.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.


Of course, every main dish needs some super yummy side dishes! My first side was the basic baked potato. But second was...Skinny Broccoli and Cheese Casserole."



Ingredients: 
1 (16 oz) bag frozen broccoli florets
6 oz. fat-free cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp. light butter, melted
Slivered almonds, chopped as garnish


Directions:Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.  Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a boil.  Add frozen broccoli, cover and cook for about 5 minutes until thawed.  Drain water and mix in cream cheese until broccoli is completely coated.  Divide broccoli evenly into four mini ramekins and set aside.Mix breadcrumbs with melted butter in a bowl and sprinkle over each broccoli mixture.  Garnish with chopped almonds, if desired, and bake in preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until top is browned and dishes are bubbling.  Enjoy!


*This recipe says to divide into four mini ramekins....I just used a casserole dish! 
**Also...this recipe is simply 118 calories for 1/4th of the dish! Just 3 points (if you do weight watchers). It's perfect!!And of course...the only way to end a delicious meal is with a just as delicious dessert. So check this out!
Gooey Butter Cake!!
Ingredients
1 box yellow cake mix
3 eggs
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
4 cups (1 lb) powdered sugar


DirectionsPreheat oven to 300 and spray a 9×13 dish with cooking spray. Mix cake mix, melted butter and one egg to a soft dough. Press into the bottom of the pan. Mix powdered sugar, softened cream cheese and remaining two eggs until smooth, about 1-2 mins. Pour on top of crust. Bake at 300 for 40-50 minutes until top is golden brown.

*This amazing Gooey Butter Cake Reminds me of my wonderful days at IBC when Sister Pat makes this. My favorite dessert!

And that completes my first complete home cooked meal! I was so proud of myself that I simply HAD to share it with you!

Genetics Don't Matter...

Tonight, as I was texting a very close friend of mine, I was reminded of how true this quote actually is. I though about how I would word this just right for my followers on Twitter, or my friends on Facebook. But it's not an easy explanation to fit into 140 characters...not much is these days.

You see, not everyone is blessed with friends who are family. Not everyone is blessed with family that isn't blood. Lots of people only know family to be the ones who they share their genetics with. And those are the people who truly miss out.

Don't get me, I have a wonderful family for the most part... I have a mother who would do absolutely anything she could for me. And I have a brother who would be there for me in a heart beat...even though we fight like ten year olds. I have a sister in law, who I love as if she were my own. And a niece who is as fun as they come. In addition to those four, I have several aunts, uncles, and cousins who I have never felt as close to as I do now. They are all precious, wonderful people. I am truly blessed.

However, I also know what it is like to have family who should be there, but isn't. Family who is more concerned with their own lives, than with how they are affecting others lives. You see, family is supposed to love you unconditionally. But, unfortunately, sometimes...they miss the memo.

That's where this quote comes in. Tonight I was reminded of the family that I have that I did not grow up with. The family that I have that does not share my eyes, or my smile, or my hair color, or complexion. The family that I have that does not share the understanding of the quirkiness of the rest of my family. But they understand me.

While I have aunts and uncles and cousins; and a mother, a brother, a sister-in-law, and a niece; I also have some other family that is special. I have a grandmother that adopted me as her own last night,  stating that everyone should have a grandmother that spoils them. I have an older brother that is as protective, crazy, strict, and fun as they come. I have another older brother and sister who tease me and pick on me constantly, but open their house to me daily...and their kids? Well they're like my niece and nephew. I have a sister in New York that would do anything she could for me. And I have some family that I can no longer reach, but one day will see again.

You see, I am blessed. These people...they want me in their life. They would do anything they could for me, and many of them already have done so much. The accept me, they love me, they are always there for me. Hopefully you are just as blessed as I am. =)

"Together they journeyed through the aisles, tackling one problem at a time...together."

That is what best friends do, isn't it? Literally and figuratively. They walk up and down every aisle in the store until they find what they want; or what they need. Sometimes it's a quick find, and other times it may take a while. Most people would give up and get frustrated, but not best friends. No, they endure until the end.

This blog is dedicated to my best friend. The girl that lives some 600 miles away from me; or one hall over...depending on the season. The girl that goes on road trips with me, even though we both know that we will end up miserable. The girl who got me addicted to scarves...even in the summer. The girl who walked in at the worst time of my life; and stayed. The girl that never made me feel bad for feeling. The girl that allows me to vent freely. The girl that I can sit silently with and feel as if a whole conversation had occurred. The girl that I shoot a look from across the room and she immediately knows my thought. The girl that is my best friend.

Without Miss Amy Elizabeth, I believe I would be utterly and totally lost. I love her to death...and miss her a little more every day; aching for our reunion. She is the true description of the best friend and I am so blessed and thankful to call her my friend.

2011

2011

A year of change, a year of blessings, a year of victories.

The best year and the worst year, all in one.

1. This year I learned that the worst life-changing event can actually bring blessings.
2. This year I learned that change really does build character.
3. This year I learned that life doesn't give you lemons, but you can still make lemonade.
4. This year I learned that the little things, like reese's peanut butter cups, make the difference.
5. This year I learned that family includes irreplaceable friends.
6. This year I learned that the closest people are the ones who suffer when you suffer, the ones who laugh when you laugh, and the ones who are always on your side, even if you're wrong.
7. This year I learned that you don't always have to have things planned out, sometimes you need to just 'go with the flow'.
8. This year I learned that if you want to change, you're the only one that can make the change.
9. This year I learned that the best kind of friend is the one that can listen without saying a word, the one that can sit and just be, the one who sticks through the worst.
10. This year I learned that the worst time of your life can also be the best time of your life.

This year brought me change. I learned how to adapt to the unthinkable, prepare for the improbable, and be happy in the midst of grief. I learned how to "go with the flow." I learned how to just be.


This year brought me blessings. It brought me a best friend (for unbearable road trips and a shared love of floors), a big brother (who gives the best hugs and can make me laugh when all I want is to cry), and reconnected me with a little sister (who has known me through the best and worst, and loves me the same).


This year brought me victories. I was victorious over my doubt. I was victorious over my fear. I was victorious over my insecurities. I learned how to stick up for myself, and my friends. I received strength and peace that are unthinkable. I was victorious this year because of God.


2011 brought hardships and blessings, and both have opened my eyes to how big my God is. And for that, I will always be grateful for the year 2011.

2012: Bring it!

A Thankful Heart

Thanksgiving: a day that is set aside each year to remember how blessed you are.

Last year, I was convinced that Thanksgiving would forever be the worst day of my life. That every year I would remember what I have lost. That I would never forget November 25, 2010 and how it unraveled my entire world. That I would never be able to be happy again. That I didn't have anything to be thankful for.

This year, I am still convinced that Thanksgiving is a day that will never be the same. It is a day that I will always remember with a slight negativity to it. Never will I forget November 25, 2010 or the days that followed. But, I am happy, and I do have so much to be thankful for.

Today,exactly one year from the day that I received a phone call informing me that my youth leaders, mentors, friends, and brother/sister were no longer with us, I choose to be thankful. I am thankful for every day that I got to share with them. I am thankful for the love they had for me. I am thankful for the crazy times we had together. I am thankful for every prayer they said for me. I am thankful for every drive we made together. I am thankful for every lesson I learned from them. I am thankful for every conversation I had with them. I am thankful for every time they prayed with me. I am thankful for every lazy Sunday afternoon we had together. I am thankful for every service we played together. I am thankful for every bit of support they gave me. I am thankful for every memory I have with them. I am thankful for Josh and Kristen, period.

Josh and Kristen were two of the best people I have ever met. Hands down. They are everything I want to be. I will never be able to thank God enough for placing them in my life at the exact moment I needed them there. Although our time together was so short, I cannot help but be happy for them. As much as I want them here on Earth with me, they have been rewarded for their lifetime of dedication, what more could I ask for?
I could be angry with God. I could throw the towel in and give up. I could walk away from the very essence of what Josh and Kristen were, Christians. But I refuse. I refuse to let this tragic loss keep me from serving the God that Josh and Kristen led me to. I refuse to let one valley defeat every mountain I have climbed. I refuse to let this be my end.

Sure, it hurts to think that I'll never get to really say goodbye to them. It hurts to think about all the things in my life they will miss out on. Especially graduation this year. It hurts to think of all the memories that won't be made with them. Of course I miss them. Of course I have days when I can't avoid the pain. Of course I think about them every day. But, if that weren't the case, then they really wouldn't have meant that much to me. 

So today, one year from the worst day of my life, I am reminded to be thankful for what I have. I am reminded to always make sure to let the people you love know exactly how much you love them, because one day you may not be able to. I am thankful for friends and family that stick beside me through the hardest times of my life. I am thankful for friends that have turned into family. Most of all, I am thankful for two people that took the time to teach me, mold me, and shape me into the Christian I am today. They never gave up on me, never got impatient with me, and most of all, never walked away from me. What more could I ask for?

Through all this, I simply remember, they are just one breath away.

365 days...

In one year, a lot can change.

365 days.

8,760 hours.

525,600 minutes.

31,536,000 seconds.

A lot can happen.

Actually, a lot can happen in just one second.

One look can change two lives.

One text can ruin a friendship.

One mistake can end a life.

It doesn't take a year to change things.

It can take but one second.

Looking back to a year ago, a lot has changed.

I've changed.

I'm different: for the better and the worse.

In some ways, I'm thankful.

In other ways, I hate it.

A year ago, I took for granted what I thought I would always have.

A year ago, I didn't know what a bad day actually was.

A year ago, I thought nothing could hurt me.

A year ago, I thought I had everything I could ever want.

It's been 365 days.

8,760 hours.

525,600 minutes.

31,536,000 seconds.

And a lot has changed.

Now, I know what's important and make sure that I don't take anything for granted.

Now, I know what bad days are, and how easily they can come.

Now, I know I'm not invincible. That inevitably, bad things happen to good people.

Now, I know how blessed I am, but I had to lose the most important things to realize.

A lot can change in one year.

Right now, I am a different person than I was last year.

And next year, I'll be someone else.

But if what I experience in that time brings me closer to my Savior;

then I can handle any change life throws my way.