the most amazing jo-jos!!

my parents came to town last night

and we went to one of myself and dean's favorite spots to eat.

bobs burger and brew. they have good burgers..

but they have AMAZING jo-jos.

the portion is huge..perfect for a group!

and the best dipping sauce: sweet baby rays bbq sauce

they also had my favorite soup (of the day)

homemade chicken noodle.

i had it once before and it was so good!

sadly, i didn't even touch my malibu chicken burger.

i was so full! yeah for leftovers : )

new dress

the new dress i ordered online!

it should be here in a few days!

i'm so exited..i've been so good lately

without buying clothes..that dean said i could get

this dress..and it was even on sale!

jewelry holders

some earrings

(either posts or ones that just won't hang

on my current holder)

my rings

i went back to goodwill that same evening

with dean this time..to show him these holders

which i wanted to use for my jewelry.

i got each one for $3 and i'm so glad now that i bought them!

i may paint them in the future but for now...

they look so good!

my new cake/jello tin

while dean was out golfing today...

i decided to check out some spots close to our apartment.

i had fun walking through joanns, looking at vogue patterns

(my favorite!) and fabrics..getting inspired

for designing clothes in the near future

(hopefully! i have such a passion for fashion)

i also went to goodwill which is where i found

the pan/tin pictured above.

this one by far was my favorite..and only 75 cents!

i'm excited to bake a cake in it and i

could also use it as a jello mold!

breakfast for dinner

the best way to have a waffle!

tonight we had breakfast for dinner!

oh how i love waffles..luckily dean does too!

(he likes his with just syrup on top)

although i have two waffle irons i tend to use

my rose one more often then just my regular round one.

i am so glad i bought this when i did...

because i have never seen a prettier waffle : )

the best way to have a waffle by far is

with strawberries and coolwhip (or whip cream)

this particular waffle is made with the

heart healthy bisquick mix and adding only one egg white and fat free milk..

then topping with fresh strawberries and fat free coolwhip!!

so it's not too bad for ya either!

oh how i love making food healthier and

with less calories/fat/sugars etc!

desk chair

i am absolutely loving this chair to the left! it can be found at target.com and would make a great decor

chair for my desk! i am currently shopping for a unique desk chair. i am not normally attracted to the

mustard yellow..however i think this chair is just FABULOUS!

sadly, this chair is not quite in my current price range..so i have some more hunting to do!

the desk to the right is also from target and is my current desk! i bought this desk because it is so

simple and elegant looking and i love the rich expresso color!

jeremy's wedding

some of my favorites from jeremy and emily's wedding!

loved how the light turquoise and the fuschia pink came together!

jeremy and emily are such an amazing couple

and i'm looking forward to future get togethers!

i am loving all of the wedding ideas i've been getting lately : )

hopefully someday i will be able to use the knowledge of my own wedding

with all the other weddings and ideas i have gathered over time

and become some sort of event/wedding planner someday!

wedding present

tomorrow we are heading to Seattle

for my friend jeremy's wedding!!

jeremy is my long time friend from college

and was my best guy friend until dean and i started dating.

so we go way back : )

although i havn't known emily as long as jeremy..

she is an amazing woman and i couldn't imagine anyone

else better for jeremy than her!

i am so blessed to know them both and am looking

forward to hanging out with them in the days to come!

this weekend also marks another milestone.

this sunday..not only is it father's day..

but it also marks 3 years since dean and i started dating!

dean is the most amazing man and i am so blessed

to have him as my husband!

side note: did i mention i love wrapping gifts?!

classic sourdough bread

the most AMAZING sourdough bread!!

it's made by Harvest Classic Bakery

based out of Nampa, ID.

i fell in love with their black bread first

then i tried their sourdough and both are so delicious!

last visit to Idaho i looked all over for a loaf of sourdough

and i could not find it anywhere!

it was a sad day because i thought that it wasn't popular enough

and that they were no longer making it.

however this time in Idaho my friend rachel and i

went down the bread aisle to get some hotdog buns

for a bbq we were having and low and behold...

one loaf of Harvest Classic sourdough..just waiting for me!!

it made my day to say the least!

lesson: don't lose faith. there is hope!

darts w/ friends

rachel, myself and monica (dean's sister)

dean and nate

girls vs. boys

thats always how it goes!!

whether it was playing darts or battle of the sexes..

sadly i must report us girls lost this time around.

however we did win 1 game of darts

and when we bowl on the wii

you can almost count on rach and i winning

in bowling..however we didn't end up

playing on the wii this trip.

but we always enjoy playing against our husbands!

joanna!

myself and joanna

at the flying m coffee garage

see previous post.

on the way to idaho (5 hour drive!)

we came across this rainbow...

which i must say, i have never gotten that close

to the beginning/end of one before!!

it was so amazing!!

this time in idaho was the most relaxing trip yet.

i got to see both joanna (@ the flyimg m)

and katie (at her new townhouse) whom i wasn't able

to meet up with last time i was in town.

oh how i miss them!

on top of that, i spent some quality time

with rach (which is always much needed!!)

and it's always fun as we continue to plan our lives

together again..that is once dean and i move back to idaho!

luckily no one has started to build on either side of them!

i hope it stays that way..because we are going to live next door!!

i can't wait. i think the thought of our future

being in idaho is what is keeping me pretty optimistic these days.

oh how i just wish it was already 2 years from now!

flying m

im sitting here at one of my favorite coffee houses.

the flying m (nampa, idaho).

it is one of the many places that i used to call home

during my college days (which i can't believe was 3 years ago!)

i miss it so much, especially their chai tea.

they make it from scratch and it is the best ever!!

i am waiting for my friend joanna here at the m

and to catch up. i can't wait until we are living in idaho again

and can hangout with my friends whenever i want!

rachel and nate were so kind to let us stay with them

while we are here. we love them so much!

anyways sadly i have no photos to post today

since we are in idaho for the next couple of days

i didnt bring my camera cord..hints no uploading photos.

in other news i had an interview yesterday before we left town

at this luxury spa downtown. it's so nice on the inside and

we will see how it goes, there are a few things that are

hindering my decision on whether on not to work there.

however i have some time to think about it because

i am heading back for a second interview on monday.

have a blessed weekend to you all!

spinach and ricotta stuffed shells

last nights dinner was a total success!!!

i made 'spinach-and-ricotta stuffed shells'

it was quite good and good for you!

you could hardly taste the spinach!!

you begin with a layer of spaghetti sauce

and then the 'stuffing ingredients' are

ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses (i used all low fat)

along with frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed dry) and some seasonings

i made one layer of the jumbo stuffed shells

then followed by a light second layer

(for a total of 24 jumbo stuffed shells)

and then topped with spaghetti sauce

and sprinkled with a little mozzarella cheese!!

the recipe said it served six

and it definitely would!

dean and i will be having leftovers tonight

and maybe tomorow.

let me know if you would like the actual recipe.

relaxing day..

first i must say that i have a new favorite drink..

coke zero + whipped cream flavored vodka.

it takes like vanilla coke...its amazing!!

dean's dad introduced us to it last weekend!

i am so that i was able to find it here in yaka-vegas!!

dean went out golfing with a buddy today

so that leaves me by myself for the most of the day!

i rented the movie 'nine' and watched it..not too bad!

since it was so nice out i laid out for a bit...

and did a little bit of reading.

i love sophie kinsella and all of her books!

i hope to one day own all of her books..i think

i only have a couple left to go!

on a different note..i am going to surprise dean

and have dinner ready whenever he comes home!!

i am going to try a new dish..that calls for jumbo pasta shells

and three different kinds of cheeses!!

i hope it turns out well!

amazing layered dessert!

i've been wanting to make this layered dessert

for quite some time and decided today was the day!

it was my late grandmothers recipe and one of my favorites!

it's made of layers of graham crackers sandwiched with

layers of vanilla pudding/milk/coolwhip

and finally melted chocolate frosting drizzled on top!

right now it's in the fridge setting up

and i can't wait to have some in an hour or so!!

Oregon ducks baseball game!

dean and myself

dean's dad kelly, and girlfriend lori

this past weekend we went to an oregon ducks baseball game!

both dean and his dad love the ducks so it was a dream come true for dean!

we had a great time although they ended up losing.

it was the first time that dean and i have gone to a game together..

usually i would just watch him play!

Memorial day in Eugene, OR

dean and i got to spend memorial day weekend

with his dad and grandma in eugene

we had a great weekend and i enjoyed looking

at these hanging baskets that were placed around the yard.

im glad it was sunny and i could sit outside and get some sun!

the pansies reminded me of my late grandmother

who also used to have pansies planted in her yard.

oh how i miss her.

we also got to have a bbq with his family and had some

amazing food courtesy of dean's dad, who is an fabulous cook!