This Unfamiliar Road

It's been quite a while since I've participated in Five on Friday.
Here goes...




ONE. Baby Shower Fun
I am co-hosting a baby shower for a dear friend of mine and I am loving how things are coming together!



TWO. KitchenAid. Mixer.
A totally unexpected gift from my Mom for Christmas...I have been finding any and every excuse to use it.
Ain't she a beauty?




THREE. Planner
There's just something about that quiet time in the morning when I get to sit with my coffee and my planner. It's peaceful. It's happy.
(And yes, I totally used Mickey Mouse Clubhouse to entertain my child so I could have 20 minutes to myself)


FOUR. American Idol
I know I'm probably one of the few remaining fans, but I still love the original singing competition. I am happy with the {talented!} judges and I think this season is off to a great start!

Hey y'all!
It's been another crazy week, and I feel like I'm just spinning my wheels. You know-Those days when you are in constant motion getting things done, yet look around and you haven't even made a dent!

Still, I need some "me" time so I thought I would recap our fun trip to Alabama!

We left Saturday morning to head to Tuscaloosa.


As we neared the town we spotted lots of cars/SUV's decked out in gameday gear. We had so much fun blaring Rocky Top and getting pumped with other UT fans driving by :)


 Our hosts gave us the VIP treatment: watching a band performance, free food at The Quad, excellent seats, and a personal tour of campus!





Even though our boys in orange lost, it was a great trip and a perfect weekend getaway for Mommy & Daddy!

After a year of (blissful) parenthood, I have come to realize some of the things I miss most about life before Peyton. 

Now, these things aren't extravagant (no European vacations here); rather, these are things that non-parents do everyday yet typically take for granted.

1. Decide to go somewhere, and leave within 5 minutes. 
It sounds silly, I know. Before baby, you realize you're out of bread or get a craving for ice cream and within 5 minutes, you're out the door! After baby, you have to time things perfectly- baby must be well-rested and well-fed or you're looking at a meltdown. And you better be proficient at packing that diaper bag-this can add 30 minutes to your departure time!



 

First Comes Love...

Our best friends Keenan and Alyssa have been dating for almost two years now. They met at the country club we all worked at, and they're seriously one of those couples that was just meant to be. 
 
 
Ben and I decided to host a game night at our house-a great time to spend with friends without getting a babysitter :)

Keenan thought it would be a great opportunity to pop the question! We were playing Mad Gab, and he devised a plan to "draw a card" that said "Wheel Yum Harry May"

None of us anticipated Alyssa's extreme competitive nature, so it took her a minute to catch on. She was shocked! And it was adorable.

Then Comes Marriage...
 It was so special to be a part of the engagement! Let the wedding planning begin!

Can you believe it's been two years since we said "I Do"?!

It amazes me how quickly time passes, and I know it's only going to speed up from here! This year, Ben planned a wonderful two days of fun! He was so great to plan it all, because honestly, folks-I don't have the energy for anything 'extra' right now!

On Monday night, we went to our favorite date night restaurant The Melting Pot. We used to go here annually for our [dating] anniversary but haven't been in a few years! The food was fabulous, as usual, and we both waddled out of there with very full bellies.

As newlyweds, Ben and I are always trying to come up with fun & interesting date nights that won't completely blow our savings. Most of these nights turn out to be a Netflix rental and some chinese food, or Monday night football with homemade pizza. I do miss actually going out to a movie sometimes, but those dates are SO expensive. After movie tickets and popcorn & candy (because, please...the best part of the movie experience is the popcorn and candy), we end up spending around $50! And that's without dinner.
So...last night, Ben had the opportunity to watch a film on campus as extra credit for one of his classes. He asked me to meet him there, and I was really dreading it at first (I mean, he is a history major). But, I decided to make the best of it. I picked up Panera (yum!) on my way to campus and we had dinner together in the University Center (so romantic, I know) then settled in (classroom stadium seating!) to watch The Battle of Algiers. The film was actually very enjoyable (although I could have done without the lecture before and after...) and we didn't leave campus until 11pm (it was like a real date night!)
Grand Total............................$17.00
I know- I can definitely do better than that. I am going to continue to challenge myself to find fun, cheap date nights. I love what one of my fellow bloggers did for her cheap date night.
I would love some ideas : )

Last night was a great "pizza night", due mostly to Monday night football (Sidenote: I needed Percy Harvin to get me 6 points for Fantasy and he ended up with a huge 28 points! What a night!)

Whole wheat crust and "traditional" pizza sauce

I like just enough sauce- some delivery places put waaay too much!

I had Mozzarella cheese, but then saw a "Pizza Blend" so I opted for that

Mushrooms!

And Pepperoni!

More Cheese!

Yes, I like to cook in my PJ's-way more comfy

The finished product! The orange cheese throws me off but it was tasty!

Of course, on our UT plates with a side salad!

Ben's response? "I can honestly say this is the best homemade pizza I have ever had" 
Yay! Maybe next time I will try to make the crust myself!


Pizza, Beer, and Football on Monday night= success!

Mustang loves watching football!