Party Time in Honor of Miss Pepa Paniagua

This week was Pepa's birthday (May 28th) and last night we celebrated her 26th year in Addisson. Her sweet parents flew in from California and came to dinner with the Massey's, the Longnecker's and the Stogner's-minus Blake :(, he had to work late.

We ate at the new Cristina's and the walked across the street to Pete's Piano Bar for a really fun night of singing, dancing, and just plain FUN! Happy birthday sweet Pepa! Here's to you and another amazing year :)

Diane, Me, birthday girl, & Rachel outside Cristina's

Diane and Me

The Love of my Life

The girls at Pete's, and also Pepa's friend, Kate, from Seminary

Pepa on stage with a rather flamboyant Bachelorette. Pepa was not sure about this girl! Good Times!

My turn on stage..Head...Shoulders..Knees and Toes....

I believe I was on the stage doing this same song last time we were at Pete's Jordan and his fellow IFD, Jorge. He made a stop in to say hello!Good times, again, at Pete's Piano Bar! Happy Birthday, Pepa!!

A 'Little" Trim?

Since we moved into our house last June, we have been talking about 'trimming' our trees in the front yard. They are very large trees, and the branches had begun to hang low and almost touch the roof of the house. Anyway, Jordan planned with one of his fire buddies to spend the morning after their shift cleaning up the trees. Well..This is the picture he send me while I was at work..A little TRIM of the trees? I don't think so! BUT- the after is a very clean and tidy front yard :)
I have such a handy husband :)

Cole Kirkpatrick

6 years ago, Jordan, Jordan's sister Jenna, and myself worked at Sonic in Flower Mound. Our Sonic was not one of the most busy restaurants, but, we had our fair share of regulars that came daily, sometimes more than once! One of those regulars was a lady named Amy, and Amy was 9 months pregnant with twin boys. She would come several time a day to get herself a Cherry Dr. Pepper, and sometimes drinks for her daughter, Caroline, and husband, Kyle. What started as a babysitting job, turned into family. My sister-in-law, Jenna, began to nanny for this family just weeks after the Luke and Cole were born. Although Jordan and I are not as close with them as Jenna (She sees them daily!) We have still grown to love and care for the whole family! Jordan and I have both babysat and been around the kids, and Jordan's parents even made arrangements to attend the kid's open house in place of Amy and Kyle when they were unable to make it due to a business trip running long. Last night Jenna sent an email about Cole. Cole has always been the smaller of the two (Luke is a BIG boy!) and had severe asthma and really has been plain sick for most of his young life. Although this is the case, you would never know it by looking at that boy's bright face. He is just precious. Cole just turned 6, and with all that had been going on they went in for a MRI of his brain in December. All was clear on those results. However, the Lord works in mysterious ways!
Cole had been complaining of chronic headaches and had a cold basically since February, and with his extreme asthma and low immune system, it is hard for him to fight off something as simple as a cold. His pediatrician wanted him to see a specialist to see if he could have his adenoids and tonsils taken out, who then ordered him a CT scan. So they went in for that and since this time they were mainly focusing in on his sinus', thinking he had a sinus problem they zeroed in on his face. With that being said this time around the doctors found a tumor on his sphenoid bone, which is right below the brain, which they missed when they did the scan in December.
They will be going to see the pediatric neurosurgeon on Thursday of next week to talk about the possibilities and I just ask all of you to please pray for this sweet, young boy. Also, please keep Kyle and Amy (parents) in your prayers. It's a very stressful and nervous time. I appreciate it, I know they will appreciate it.

Bree and Cole @ Pappasito's Jenna and Luke (Cole's twin brother)

Thank you for your prayers!

In the Moment

Jennifer Jennings posted this picture of Jordan and I from our photoshoot. She took so many that day, I haven't seen half of them! She is very talented, and if you are looking to have some pictures taken, I strongly recommend her. I just thought this one was precious, and totally in the moment. I love pictures that capture that!

Memorial Day Weekend

My little brother (well, not 'little'..let's say, younger) Patrick had to have surgery on his ankle this past Friday due to a sports injury, and so, Jordan and I decided to make a last minute trip to Austin to visit him, and hang out for the holiday weekend. Jordan was at the fire station on Saturday, so, we left bright and early on Sunday and was there until yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon. The weather was beautiful, and Pat seemed to be doing well, so it was a really nice trip. Good to getaway for a mini-vacation.

Sunday we spent in Round Rock and my mom made dinner and my other brother, John, and his girlfriend came over, too. It was a lazy evening with movies and video games due to the fact that Patrick was confined to the sofa.

Patrick and I in his semi-permanent bed..the living room sofa!



Tha ankle ;(
Jordan being a sleepy head. He was up the night before for several calls, and then drove for almost 4 hours in the car. He needed a nap.

Memorial Day- A Beautiful Day!

Jordan and I spent all of Monday in Austin with my Dad and youngest brother, Sam

My very buff husband and little bro, Sam playing 'HORSE' in the pool @ the Loft

My dad got in to play, too!!

Jordan feeling good about himself..beating a 12 year old.

After plenty of sun and fun at the pool, we walked to the amazing Whole Foods to pick up some salmon and scallops for grilling! I decided that the potato spread was too much not to take a picture, and about 2 seconds after my flash, a man fell from the ceiling to remind me 'We do not allow pictures in our store.' Ok, so he didn't come out of the ceiling, but out of no where to scare me silly! I was quite embarrassed, but, he let me keep my picture of the potatoes.

Tuesday, it was back to school for the kiddos, and so Jordan and I stuck around to pick Sam up from school and take him to his after school program for Austin City Youths. In other words, about 4 hours of nothing but running, playing, and sweating! Love to know that he does this after school, not video games!

Me (looking 'lovely' without any make-up) and my quickly-growing-getting-bigger-everytime-I-see-him-brother, Sam

Jordan and Me!!

Cheese! Last picture before my camera died!
Another fun time in Austin!!

Crazy Eights..

Miss Mindy tagged me in her post, so..

Tag Rules...
1. Mention the person who tagged you.
2. Complete the list of 8's.
3. Tag 8 of your wonderful blog friends!


8 things I look forward to:

1. Beginning my internship in August. I really can't wait to start on my journey to becoming an Registered Dietitian!
2. Actually being an RD! I watch my dietitian friends at Baylor, and oh, how I long to write TPN! :)
3. Going on a vacation (destination TBD) with Jordan, just the two of us
4. Having a tan!! I just need one really good day in the sun, and then I'm set for the summer. I got lucky inheriting this from my mother's side of the family (Indian!)
5. Hopefully buying a new home in Flower Mound sometime this summer
6. Staying in a cabin and floating the river with our awesome IFD friends
7. Daphnee being potty trained. She's so close!
8. Making dinner tonight. After being out of town since last week, I really am looking forward to it


8 things I did yesterday:

1. Slept in
2. Ate super yummy breakfast at Austin Java in downtown Austin- love their EGGS
3. Drove home from Austin..
4. Tried to finish my book, New Moon (Book #2 in the Twilight SAGA!) while driving home from Austin ( I really need to start my new book A Severe Mercy for my book club!)
5. Stopped to get gas and Subway for lunch..while driving home from Austin
6. Struggled with the language barrier between myself and the housekeeping management when we called to say we left our phone charger in the hotel room..in Austin. I think we got it figured out, though!
7. Ate cereal for dinner
8. Snuggled up next to my hubby in our own bed, after what seemed like a loooonnnnggg ride home from Austin (seeing a pattern here?!)


8 things I wish I could do:

1. Sing
2. Get paid to travel the world
3. Be a professional chef, without the headache and horrible hours.
4. Spend more time at the gym. I feel like I am always so rushed.
5. See my brothers everyday. I realize how much I miss them, especially after being with them for an entire weekend
6. Clean my house using the "Mary Poppins Technique" (I stole this~ it is a very strong desire of mine, too!)
7. To always be in a good mood.
8. Have a constant IV of diet coke with no harmful effects (stole this one, too!!)

8 shows I watch:
1. The Hills
2. Top Chef
3. Grey's Anatomy
4. 24
5. Castle
6. Fringe
8. Rescue Me
....There are so many more. Kinda sad that I (we) have sooo many!


8 bloggers I tag:
1. Shay
2. Melanie
3. Katie Martin
4. Katie Kim
5. Kara
6. Angela
7. Pepa
8. Jackie

When Friends are Family

Last night, Jordan, Daphnee, and I went to Jordan's cousin's house to BBQ and fellowship for a Friday night evening out. Melanie and Brian also invited Josh and Jennifer (Jordan's other cousin, Josh is married Jennifer and Josh is Melanie's brother. I know, confusing!) We grilled out fajitas and Brian made Sopapilla Cheesecake for dessert! I LOVE getting together with the Titsworth's and the Jenning's!!

Jennifer, Melanie, and Amber

Jordan the 'Jungle Gym'. About 90% of Jordan's time was spent rough housing with his little cousins. Cousin Katie and cousin David

Me and My handsome HubbyDavid is 2 1/2 years old, and the most entertaining little man, ever!! Jennifer was playing silly games with David and asking her to point out her features, like, "Where is Jennifer's eyes?"..Where is Jennifer's nose?..elbows..chin.."

"Where is Jennifer's..." hmmm what do you think??

Jordan and Crazy David!

Jordan's cousin Josh and David in a Home Depot Bucket..

Daphnee was thirsty!

Playing outside waiting for the fajitas to get through on the grill...YUM!

This weekend started off with a great time on Friday evening, and continued on into today when I spent the majority of the morning and afternoon with one of my very best friends, Stephanie. We started off our Saturday the way any day should be started, a yummy breakfast! We ate at a place called Benedict's off Belt Line in Addison, and it was delicious! I had the Bistro Omelette that had goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes, smoke salmon, cucumber and herbs. It was topped with a Hollendaise sauce and was decadent to the very last bite! After our hearty breakfast we drove to Dallas on a mission to a place called Buffalo Exchange. It is similar to Plato's Closet, which is a place I am familiar with and used to frequent when I was in high school. The original store, which opened in 1974 was one of the very first stores that bought, sold, traded, and took clothing items and accessories on consignment. In other words, a place to buy previously worn clothing for cheap, cheap! Anyway, you have to come into the store with the mindset to dig. There is so much to look at, with no organization at all! We got out of there with some great steals. Steph got two pairs of shoes, pants and a blouse for about $75. I bought a dress by Miss Sixty for $14.50. YES, fourteen dollars and fifty cents. I love it, too! It was a great day to spend with Stephanie. It is so nice to have things to do when Jordan is at the fire station. Leaving for Austin tomorrow to go visit my brother, Patrick. He had surgery on his ankle on Friday. Be back on Tuesday!

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!!

Fox 4's Pet of the Week!

Daphnee has been selected as a finalist for Fox 4's Pet of the Week! She is a doll if I do say so myself! Vote for Daphnee-Click HERE and then click the VOTE NOW! button on the right side under the picture of this week's winner! Hopefully she can get enough votes to be in that top spot!

Thanks!

Beautiful Weekend (s)

Mother's Day Dinner at the Massey's
For Mother's Day, Jordan and I made dinner for Bree, his mom, and served it at their house. Jenna and her boyfriend, Adam were there to celebrate, too, and provided yummy appetizers!

One the menu was..

• Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
• Spanish Rice
• Black Beans
• Fiesta Salad

and for dessert..a Raspberry Trifle, and it was yummy!
It was good, mild weather, so after dinner we sat out in the backyard and drank coffee and watched the dogs play.

Libby checking out this little 'thing' that keeps biting her tail! Dinner at the Lambert's

This past weekend, we were invited to eat dinner at our good friends new home. They just built a beautiful house in Aurora, Texas. Jordan and Gary are both at the same station on the fire department, and over the years we have become close.

Lily Lambert- She is precious!

The grill was 'broken'..so we brought the burgers inside ;) Tasted just as good.

I made cream filled cupcakes, and Lily ate her whole cupcake..one finger lick at a time.

'Bubba' (Gary's nephew), Lily, and the dogs playing hard in Lily's room

Stephanie's Going Away Get Together

Saturday, all of the girls got together to say 'goodbye' to Stephanie. She took a job as a nutritionist at Head Start and will no longer be working at Baylor :( We all know this is not the last time we will see her, but it gave us a good reason to go eat sushi at Blue Fish, and then dessert at Pokey O's in Dallas! If you have not been there, I suggest you go. Pick your cookie, then pick your ice cream..the ultimate ice cream sandwich! It is delicious! My Pokey O Pick? Oatmeal Raisin Walnut with Blackberry Cobbler ice cream. W-O-W.

These past weekends have been beautiful, and not just the weather, although, yesterday was heaven sent.

Days of Taste 2009

"In this age of fast and frozen food, we want to teach school children about real food – where it is grown and how it is produced – so that they can develop an understanding and appreciation of how good food is supposed to taste.” - Julia Child, AIWF co-founder

Last week, I had another amazing opportunity to be apart of the Days of Taste program. I did it last October/November and loved it so much, I did it again! The program lasts for two weeks and during this time, young 4th and 5th grade students from local Dallas schools are brought in for a not-so-typical field trip to the Dallas Farmers Market. Each child got $1 to take to the market and purchase a fruit or veggie to go into a big pasta salad that they make themselves!

It was so rewarding to watch these kids learn new things and actually enjoy the idea of fresh fruits and vegetables from their very own city's market!

Days of Taste is sponsored by many businesses, but one of them is Pacugio, gelato place (Italian Ice Cream!). The owner and creator, Cristiana Ginatta, was so nice to come and speak with the kids about what she does, and best of all, she brought samples!!! This is one of my favorite spots to splurge, and we first visited while in Austin, but, there are several in the DFW area. Check it out if you haven't! It is delicious..or should I say, delizioso, buonissimo, or, saporito!

The First Day:
We had a large group!! The students are listening well to the volunteer chef, Jennifer Hood.

My Girls. We were the Red Pepper group! We decided to make our pasta salad with all vegetables-

Day Two!All the volunteers

All my best girlfriends from Baylor came with me the second day I volunteered
MKat, Me, Deeku, Shells Bells, Racheee Van

Close up! I see you, Shelley!

My Lemon Team! This time, my kids wanted to do all fruit! It is AMAZING how much you can buy for $5 at the Farmer's Market!

• 1 carton of sweet strawberries
• a small bunch of crisp purple grapes
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 soft green pear
• 1 juicy apple
• a handful of tart blackberries
• 1 mango
• 3 ruby red plums
  

I had a blast, once again!! Yay for Days of Taste!