Road Trip!

We did it! Today is Ryan's last day of his John Deere internship and man, has it been awesome! We got to move down to Augusta, Ga for 3 1/2 months and he has got to do some pretty cool things and learn a ton at John Deere. I'm so excited because we get to see both our families over the Christmas break and take a HUGE road trip! We're leaving today after Ryan gets done with work and should get to Washington on Monday!

This is our mode of transportation and it is a beast! We've already put over 20,000 miles on it since Ryan fixed it in February and now we have 2,808 miles to get to Washington. Wish us luck!

:)

Taking in a Shirt

I found this really cute shirt, the other day but it was just a little too big. So I decided to try to take it in. I really like to sew but I'm not the best, I'm trying to get better. Sites like dana-made-it.com are really inspiring! It was actually easier than I thought and turned out just like I wanted! I was so excited!

Too big!

So I just took in sections from the back and sewed them up

The 2 big ridges in the middle are the ones I made, and the shirt already came with the little ones on the outside and that's how I got the idea to take it in. This is all on the inside and you can't see them when you're wearing the shirt. You could cut them off if you wanted, but I just left mine. I actually had to take it in in 2 more spots and it was the perfect size!

The Lord is Watching Out for us

My younger brother Harrison has been out on his mission for 9 months now!!! I can't believe how fast that's gone by. He's serving in the Knoxvillle, Tennessee mission and is currently in Chattanooga, TN which is only like 4 hours from us!! (That would be awesome if we saw him when we drive through Chattanooga on Friday, on our way up to Washington!) Anyways so my mom got a call from his mission president saying, Harrison is fine, BUT he got hit by a truck!!! He was crossing the street and the truck made a right hand turn, somehow not seeing Harrison and hit him! It was a big 2500 Chevrolet too! Thankfully he only hurt his knee and little and it should be fine in a week or two. Harrison said his companion that was 50 yards ahead of him heard it! I can't believe it!! That really testified to me that the Lord is protecting His missionaries and Harrison has work to do!!! I'm so proud of him serving his mission and he is doing so well!! I love my brother and the wonderful work he is doing! I love the Lord with all my heart and give thanks for all the blessing He has brought into my life each and everyday! If you are not LDS and reading this and want to know more information about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or otherwise known as the Mormon church, visit mormon.org! Its a great website and even a more greater church!

Him and his mission president and his wife

He's on the very left and with some other missionaries

Harrison is on the right

Weekend Fun

We had a really fun weekend because Ryan's sister Shalyse and her 2 kids were able to come spend it with us. We got to go see Santa, hang out and see some Christmas lights.

Ryan is such a good uncle and the kids love him!

Ethan has the cute smile and does it all the time!!

This was just too cute!! He's going to be such a good dad!! Can't wait til we have our own kids!

We had such a good time and hopefully will see them again sometime soon!

Gotta Love a Bargain!

So I LOVE to find good deals!! I just get so excited and loving telling people how cheap I can find somethings! I think its because my mom was so frugal and taught us how to be frugal growing up. We shopped at Good Will all the time and if someone commented on my outfit, I loved saying I got it at Good Will and people being like, "Really?!" There's this store called Plato's Closet and I really fell in love when I was living in Utah. Its the best!! Its all these nice hand-me-downs clothes for a WAY good price! Well in Augusta there's a Plato's Closet but also they have another one called Uptown Cheapskate and its just as good! So for my birthday I went shopping and here's what I found!

All for a grand total of $23.50!!! I got 4 really cute (well at least I think so) shirts for less than $25! I was so excited and love them all! I love deals! Don't be ashamed to shop at thrift stores, I think its smart, saves money, and is fun!

Birthday Party!

I turned 24 last Friday and it was a GREAT Birthday! I was able to talk to lots of family and friends and Ryan made the day so special! He is so cute and knows that since we moved to the south and I discovered Cracker Barrel it is my favorite restaurant! They have this blackberry jam that is delicious and Ryan bought me some! So when I woke up he had made me homemade biscuits (he is an AMAZING cook btw) and had this present for me to open in the morning and said it was thefirst thing I had to do! So I did and it was a box of Christmas lights!! I love Christmas lights and we have a couple strands around our apt and I have them on like all day, literally, lol! So i was excited for more but really didn't understand why I had to open that first thing in the morning. So I make my biscuit and put honey on it and Ryan texts me asking if I opened my present and I said, "Yes! Thanks for the Christmas lights!" Then he was like, "Did you open the Christmas lights box?" At that point I felt like a Melvin and realized he just used that empty box to hide the Cracker Barrel jam in and I was supposed to use that on my biscuits that he made, BEFORE work which he had to get up at like 5:30!!! He's seriously the best husband in the world!!

So around noon I was talking to Laurie who had called to wish me a Happy Birthday and in walks Ryan!!! I was so surprised to see him and he said that the sewer lines at work broke and they had to send everyone home!!! So poop made my day even more special by letting my husband come home early from work! haha We got to go shopping and Ryan was so patient and waited probably over an hour at least while I was shopping and trying on clothes. Then he took me out to...... Cracker Barrel! haha But he made it super special!! So little background story. When we were driving out to Augusta it was Sunday and we had to eat dinner and we went to Cracker Barrel. They have these daily specials and on Sunday, is Sunday fried chicken, and oh my!! It is amazing! Although, it was bitter sweet because the food was so good, but I could never get it again because we don't go out on Sundays!!! So Ryan called Cracker Barrel a couple days before my birthday and asked if they could specially make me the Sunday fried chicken!!! It was amazing and awesome!!

Then we came home and he made made me BTS cake!! Its so good (as you can see we had some the night before when he was making it! haha) It was such a great birthday! I love my husband so much!!! He always makes me feel so loved!! Thanks everyone for all the birthday wishes and I love all my family and friends too!

Egg Rolls

We had a combined FHE with some friends last night and we all bring a food to share and I brought egg rolls. Now these are the best egg rolls I've ever had and the reason is because, when I was probably a miamaid in Young Womens for an activity we had a man from Vietnam in our stake named Bro Skanchy and he taught us how to make them and I've been in love ever since!! I only made a half a batch last night so the portions might look a little small compared to what the recipe is calling for but you have to try them! They are delicious and really easy!

Ingredients:

2 or 3 packages of sausage (cook them first before mixing with other ingredients)

3-4 eggs, raw (first use 3 and see if the mixture sticks together well enough, whenever I use 4 there's a lot of liquid at the bottom)

1/2 head of cabbage, shredded

2 large carrots, shredded

2 bundles green onions, chopped

2 large white onions, chopped

Garlic powder to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

3-4 packages egg roll skins

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together except skins, using your hands is usually best

2. Put about a 1/3 cup of mix in egg roll skin and roll up folding ends in as you go.

3. Seal with a dab of water on the skin

4. Deep fry until golden brown, about 2-3 min at 350