Keeping Me Young

So this post is a little late but....better late than never right? Last weekend, we had our niece Allison over for a sleepover and then took her to White Water!

We started the night off right, with a movie and popcorn!

We watched Diary of a Wimpy Kid. It was really a funny movie! This little boy is a really good little actor too.

We woke up bright and early the next morning and Uncle Josh went and got us some doughnuts! Then we were off to White Water! Allison is a little dare devil.....I swear nothing scares that girl! As soon as we got there, the first thing she wanted to do was The Mega Wedgie!

I think her favorite part was the Wave Pool. We spent HOURS in that thing!

I think we had 13 kids in our group.....10 boys and 3 girls! Whewwww! My Aunt reserved one of the private cabanas. It was so nice to have our own little area and not have to worry about our chairs being taken.

We did lunch brown bag style.....we had sandwiches, chips, fruit and lots of water! When you've been swimming in the heat, it's easy to build up a pretty big appetite that's for sure, haha! This is my sweet cousin, Ethan. He and Allison buddied up and had a lot of fun together!





After we left the park we had to swing by Orange Leaf for some yummy frozen yogurt before taking Miss Allison back home. She had never been there before. By the size of her yogurt and the look on her face when she was eating it....I think she's a FAN!. We had SUCH a good time! I love Allison to death and always enjoy spending time with her. Plus, she helps keep Josh and I young!

Muffin Melts

Here's another awesomely tasty recipe from The Pioneer Woman! It's an egg salad-type spread that you heat up on a English muffin. It's great for those of us who are too busy to have a real breakfast every morning. I made this Sunday morning and I've been eating on it all week. Just keep the spread in the fridge and spoon it out as you go!

What You'll Need:

12 whole hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 cup mayo
12 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
6 whole English muffins, split

What You'll Do:

Combine eggs with all other ingredients. Fold together gently. Cover and store in the fridge.

When you get ready to eat, spread on English muffin halves and broil 3-5 minutes.

For a quick work-friendly version - toast the English muffin half in toaster before spreading on egg mixture. Then heat in microwave about 45 seconds.

Also, for a low-fat version - cut out the yolk from the eggs, use whole wheat muffins, reduced fat cheese, light mayo and turkey bacon! I cut out the egg yolks, used whole wheat muffins and reduced fat cheese and they were delish! I think the Worcestershire is what really makes it!

Normalcy

This week Josh worked a day-shift schedule so that he could go to some training. It was soooo nice having having him home when I got off work each day! I got a glimpse of what our life would be like if he had a normal 9-5 job. It was so great! We ate dinner together each night and watched some movies. He goes back to his regular schedule tonight and I am NOT looking forward to it. I got used to going to bed with him each night and waking up with him beside me in the mornings.

This week is the last week of his summer semester and then he only has 2 more semesters left before he graduates! I can't wait for that day to come. Maybe then he'll have an opportunity to work better hours. And maybe then we can think about starting a family of our own!

Shred!

I had a major wake-up call last week when it came time to put on my bridesmaid dress for Jennifer and Patrick's wedding. My dress barely fit and I even had to get it altered a little so that it would fit comfortably! So, I've decided I need to TAKE ACTION! I've heard a lot about the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD and read some really good reviews on it so I decided to give it a shot. I am REALLY going to give it my all this time! I am at my heaviest weight since Josh and I met and it does not feel good at all! If you've ever read my blog, you know that I love food and I love to cook. I'm hoping that I won't have to give my love for food up completely but I'm willing to do whatever it takes. I went to the grocery store yesterday and tried to get some healthy alternatives and I think between that and some consistent exercise, I should be able to see some results.

I did my first Shred workout last night and whoa, that Jillian Michaels doesn't mess around! It is only a 20 minute workout but it is INTENSE!

So...here's to Jillian Michaels and to me trying my best not to hate the woman! Ha ha, please pray for me!

Independence

This Independence Day weekend, the Vietnam Memorial Wall was in Norman. Josh and I stopped by on our way to dinner Friday night. It was very emotional.....I don't really have a lot of words to describe it so I thought I'd just share some pictures.

Just two years ago Josh was in Iraq. I was reminded on Friday just how lucky I am to have him home safe with me.



Please continue prayers for soldiers over seas, for families who are separated, for generations of families who have loved ones lost to war, and most of all for our COUNTRY.

Shower Time!

I had the pleasure of helping host a shower for my brother-in-law (Patrick) and future sister-in-law/best friend (Jennifer) recently! I don't know about you guys, but I LOVE showers!

I think the food table turned out great!



One of the hostess has recently gone into the cake making business. She did such a great job on the cake.....I mean, how cute is this cake?!



Bride with her hostess.

She got so many great gifts!


Jennifer and I are both lucky to be part of the Phillips family.
They are awesome!


Jennifer and Patrick make such a great couple!
I can't wait to see what God has in store for these two!

Josh's mom (Patti), sister (Lindsey) and niece (Allison) came into town for the shower. It was so great to be able to spend some time with them. We had a cookout at our house and Josh's grandpa (Jim) and his wife Helen joined us! We had such a great time eating some yummy food, visiting and playing with Allison.

Patti Ann


Grandpa Jim

My handsome hubby

Card playin'!

And...we even snuck in some shopping with Allison!
I really hope I have a daughter one day to shop with....so MUCH FUN!

3 Years!

Yesterday marked 3 years since Josh and I got married. I really can't believe it's been that long. Most days I feel like we are still newlyweds. But, we have definitely learned a lot about each other over the past 3 years. People change and I just pray that we continue to grow together and support one another. So far, we have done just that!



Josh,

You are my everything. You are the one to pick me up when I am down, the one to calm me down when I am too excited, the one to hold my hand when I am scared, the one to make me laugh when I am sad. You are there for me in good times, and bad. You are one of the few constant things I can count on in this crazy world we live in and it makes me SO HAPPY to know that I will be able to count on you FOREVER. You are such a genuine person, it shows in everything that you do. Words can't express how much I admire you and how proud I am of you. You have been everything I need in a husband and a friend, but you don't stop there. You always strive for more. I can honestly say that being your wife has made me a better person. You have changed my life in a way that I can not even explain. Thank you for being you and loving me the way only you know how!

Love Always,
Chelsea


On another note.....yesterday also marked the end of an era. We said goodbye to 'ole red. Josh and I have been through a lot with this truck. It was really kind of sad to let it go. It is kind of funny to think about getting attached to a truck, but we had so many great memories in this truck that it is understandable I guess. We did replace it with a beautiful new shiny white truck though, and I look forward to making many new memories in it!