Kitchen Adventures 3.2

It seems I don't get to go home very often, but when I start going it seems like I do several weeks in a row. This was the case recently, though I went to different "homes" each time. This past weekend I made the trek up to Kansas City with my friend Shaye for our friend Stephanie's wedding. On the way, we stopped and saw my Aunt Lori at the travel center, which was a nice break from the road, and it was great to see her. Then we continued up to my cousins Rob and Eileen's house in Overland Park. I don't get to see them often, but their house is always open to me whenever I make my way up to KC, which is wonderful. It also gives me a little time to chat with them since I don't see them often.
Our fun activities included the rehearsal dinner and bowling Friday night, visiting the Nelson-Atkins art museum and seeing our friend Andy Dale before the wedding, and of course the wedding and the reception. I am so happy for my friends! I can honestly say I have rarely seen two people more perfect for each other than Stephanie and Brian. Best of luck you guys!
To top off the lovely trip, we stopped in El Dorado on the way home, hoping to see my grandparents and some friends. However, we got there too early to see Nana and Pop, so after leaving Pop's birthday picture at their house we headed over to Spangle's and met Tom and Cory for lunch. I had not seen Tom since Christmas and had not seen Cory since his accident a couple weeks ago, so it was great catching up with them. Here are some pics from the trip.


Famous shuttlecock at Nelson-Atkins


Saying the vows


First dance. Good job Brian!


Me and Shaye after the reception


Cory, Tom, and I catching up at Spangle's

When we got home, I did not have time to go to the store until Monday, when Shaye and I stopped after stamp club. Fortunately, I had most everything I needed already to make my dinner for the week. I always enjoy trying recipes that friends and family love. What better judge can there be than someone you trust? I got this one from Marcus back when we dated. It's pretty easy and very delicious, which of course is my favorite combination! :)

Poppyseed chicken

Ingredients:
2 c. diced cooked chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3/4 stick butter, melted
1 c. sour cream
1 tube Ritz crackers
2 tbsp. poppyseds

Directions:
Mix diced chicken with undiluted soups. Add sour cream and salt and pepper to taste. Roll crackers with rolling pin in plastic bag until finely crushed. Add poppyseed to melted butter, then add crackers to butter mixture. Put chicken and soup mixture in buttered casserole dish and top with cracker/butter mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Life as I Know It

Apparently me and blogging are not meant to be a regular event! Lots has happened in the last three months, but here are some highlights.

The highlight for March was going home at the end of spring break to go wedding dress shopping with Karen. It was a highly successful experience, since she found her dress! It's gorgeous and she will look lovely. I also got to meet up with my old friend and college roomie Jenny, which was wonderful since we had not gotten together for a couple years. The nasty weather that weekend was followed by lovely weather, so I went motorcycle riding with the boys, which was lots of fun. Gotta fill that need for speed!

April brought about the beginning of spring. It comes much sooner down in Norman than it does at home. Flowers bloom sooner, temperatures start climbing earlier, and allergies kick in early. :) But I love spring,so it's all good. I took on a little more responsibility at church by helping more with children's church planning, which has been a great blessing. Lots of social activities to keep me busy too, of course. Baseball began, so of course we had to take in a game. Here are a few pics from the outing.




Shaye and I


Shaye and Kate

Girls night and small group also kept going. We had some fun social outings together, celebrated birthdays and other fun times, and in general enjoyed each other's company.

May lived up to its reputation of stormy weather. Norman was threatened by tornadoes twice and actually got hit on the east side with the first one. There were also some crazy hail storms, but luckily those stayed north of Norman. Our friends that were deployed made it back, so small group has been wonderful with them back. We started a new Bible study called Lead Like Jesus which has been really good so far.

We also had lots of changes happen in May. Kate moved to Colorado at the end of the month to work on a dude ranch for the summer. Here are the cupcakes I made for her going away party, which was loads of fun.



I also moved since I needed a smaller place. Mom, Dad, and Karen came down at the end of the month to get me moved from the old place to the new one. It was a pretty good move, and it was great seeing the family for a bit. We even got to explore Norman a bit by eating at Hideaway Pizza and The Diner, two must-eats in Norman. I must say, living close to Campus Corner and work is definitely going to have its benefits!

So lots has happened, and lots of changes have occurred. But through it all, I still have my family and friends. I have applied for several jobs at different places, and though a part of me would like to be away at times, I keep hearing "Stay" whenever I pray about what to do. So, I guess I'll stay and see what God has in store for me here. :)

Here are pics from the latest baseball outing. Friday night fireworks-lots of fun!




Me, Shaye, and Marcus


Shaye and I