Life in NY!

Here are some photos of our short 6 month life in NY!!

Freeezing in December

Brian at Niagara Falls in January

Brian and Billy at the Falls

Goshh i do miss seeing this!


Soooo Pretty!Me and my Mom playing in the SNOW!

Rockband Night with the Brian's Sisters and Bro-in-law

Halloween

(Mike, Trisha, Me, and Brian... LOL)

The Boys on Halloween!

Superman and Batman

Niagara Falls at Night

My sissy and me at the Falls in Sept

Top 2 Tuesdays!

Top 2 Tuesdays!!
Top 2- Favorite TV shows

1. Grey's Anatomy! Omgoshh, i could watch this show day and night! I am truly obsessed! I wasn't too sure how I was going to like it with all the new mercy west people coming in and then with George dying and Izzy leaving... i really thought Greys was going to be a bust! Luckily, it's still fantastic as ever!!!!

2. Call me silly, but i absolutely loove 19 Kids and counting! They are truly amazing individuals
who live by the word of God. I personally could never have that many children, but they are truly a remarkable family. They are now dealing with their youngest being in the NICU and all the struggles that go along with that. My bestfriend delivered her daughter 3 months early last August. Alyssa Marie was the most beautiful little girl and she went to be with Jesus after 11 days here on earth. I have seen how hard it can be for a family having a baby in the NICU and I really commend the Duggar's for staying true to their Faith and not turning away from God during such a hardship. God Bless little Josie

Other top contenders:

Private Practice

One Tree Hill

Secret life of an American Teen

The little couple

... and pretty much anything on TLC and Discovery Health =)

More Recipes!

Here are some of our Favorite Recipes, that require a bit more time to prepare! Trust me, they are worth the work!!

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Appetizer- Chuy's Jalapeno Lime Dip

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2 packets dry Ranch Dressing

2 cups Mayonnaise

2 cups Whole Milk

1 can roasted green chiles

1 can sliced jalapenos

(I use Hot, but you can use mild or medium)

Juice from 1 lime

Mix mayo, milk and ranch packets in a bowl. Refrigerate for at least 2 hrs to season. Pulse green chiles, jalapenos, and lime juice in a food processor. Mix in Mayo mixture until well blended. Chill in refrigerator overnight. The longer it sits, the better it is!! Serve with tortilla chips!

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Grilled Jerk Chicken

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4 boneless, skinless Chicken breast

6 green onions, chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 jalapeno peppers (3 seeded/1with seeds) minced

3/4 c soy sauce

1/2 c distilled white vinegar

1/4 c vegetable oil

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp allspice

In a food processor, combine all ingredients except chicken and pulse for about 15-20 seconds. Place chicken in a bowl with marinade mixture and refrigerate for 4-6 hrs or overnight. Grill chicken until juices run clear.

We normally will eat this with double baked mashed potatoes (see below) and sweet corn on the cob.

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Double Baked Mashed Potatoes

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2.5 lbs potatoes peeled and cubed

1/2 c sour cream

1/4 c milk

4 Tbsp butter

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/2 lb bacon cooked and crumbled

4 green onions, chopped

Cook potatoes on stove until completely cooked. Drain water and place in mixing bowl. Add sour cream, milk, butter, salt and pepper. Beat on low speed until light and fluffy.

Put half potato mixture in an 8x11 baking dish. Sprinkle crumbled bacon over top. Add chopped green onions on top of bacon and cover with 1 cup of shredded cheese. Cover with remaining potatoes and top with 1 cup shredded cheese. Bake uncovered in 350* oven for 30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

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Ultimate Banana Pudding

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1 large or 2 small instant pudding (vanilla or banana flavored)

3 cups milk

1 can Sweetened Eagle Brand condensed milk

12 oz Cool whip

Keebler vanilla wafers

fresh banana- sliced

Beat pudding and milk together. Stir in Eagle Brand Condensed milk until smooth. Fold in cool whip. Layer in a glass dish- pudding, bananas, and vanilla wafers. You may top with additional cool whip if desired. Chill in refrigerator and enjoy!

Weekend love!

We had a great weekend! Brian and I packed up our wonderful pooches and headed to Houston for the weekend. My dear friend, Amber, is expecting a little girl in March so we went to her baby shower on Saturday. It was Co-ed but it was definitely an estrogen fest... as B would say. He look as though he was in a torture chamber the entire time. He was a trooper though! It was pretty funny when we were playing the games. Brian acted as if we were speaking a foreign language. They brought a tray around with various baby items for us to see and then we had to write down everything we saw on the tray. B and I were on the same team and the moment we had to write everything down, he goes ummm yeah i dont even know what that stuff was! I know there was a diaper and a chew thing on it! haha!
We also got to see our wonderful friends! We got to see Kristina and her ever growing belly!! We cant wait to meet baby Mackynzie Lyla! It seems like all of our friends are expecting! God is truly wonderful!
We also hung out with Britt and her main squeeze, Randall. We had an absolute blast kicking their butt at the Newlywed Game... haha! I guess B and I have 3 years on them, so I'll let it slide this once! lol! We can't wait for them to come to SA!!!
My Mom was wonderful as always! She is like Betty Crocker meets My Big Fat Greek Wedding. She loves to feed you! You say you're not hungry, she'll say "okay, Ill make you something!" We got up this morning to the biggest "brunch" I have ever seen! She made scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, smoked sausage with bell peppers, sukiyaki beef, and fresh fruit!!! All that food for 3 people! haha! She is truly amazing and we love her dearly!
My sister was busy baby shopping with Kristina all weekend! They are doing the baby's room in Plum, Lavender and white! It's gorgeous!
All in all, it was an amazing weekend! Now we are back in San Antonio ready for another work week and then our wonderful friends, Travis and Steph, are coming from Dallas to visit! YAY! I haven't seen them since last summer and Brian just briefly saw them when he drove through Dallas on his way to SA from NY! We can't wait to spend an entire weekend with them! Hope everyone had a blessed weekend!! xoxo

Balls, Balls, and more Balls!

Kodi is officially OBSESSED with balls! The bouncier, the better! The nosier, the better! He just thinks they are the best invention in the entire world. Dexter, however, is only interested in taking everything away from Kodi. Once Dexter gets the ball/toy, he then destroys it. These dogs go through toys like they go through food! We have bought the extra strength, "chew-proof" toys... yet these two pooches find a way to rip them to pieces. Even though they are rotten to the core, we love our babies like crazy!!

Here are some more pics of our pampered pooches/furry children!

Top Two Tuesday!

Taylor's Top Two Tuesday!!!

Top Two
DREAM VACATIONS!

1. Fiji, of course! SOOOO PRETTY!!!

2. Scotland is one of Brian's Favorites! I think brian secretly wants to wear a kilt! hehe

My Bestfriend, My Love, My Valentine!

Valentine's Day was absolutely wonderful!! I woke up to Brian cooking me breakfast and being the sweetheart he always is! I was in the bathroom getting ready when Brian started yelling saying there was a MOUSE stuck under the dryer! I started FREAKING out screaming- especially the thought of a mouse in the house... ahhh!! Well I went into the laundry room and Brian kept saying dont you hear it... his butt is like sticking out of the side! I was so scared I couldn't even look! He kept insisting I look on the side of the dryer... so after about 10 minutes of trying to convince me, I finally gave in and looked! There was a BIG box and a card on it!! I didn't even see it! I was still trying to find the darn mouse! haha! Finally Brian was like did you even see it?! lol

He finally just said LOOK! It was a new BIGGER Crockpot! The one Ive been wanting forever now... Mine is just too small for when I cook for a party! =) I was so happy and he was like well do you want to go out to dinner or something. I kept saying, "Lets just stay in and ill cook so we can avoid the crowds." He then said, "Well how about going around 3ish so we avoid lunch and dinner crowds.... wanna go to Olive Garden or something?" I wasn't going to pass up Olive Garden Salad so I, of course, said yes! lol

Right before we left, Brian said "Hey lets go to this steak house Will was talking about." Not a huge fan of steak, I was a little skeptical... but being valentine's day I say okay because I know Brian Loves Steak. The whole way there he was acting like he was lost and calling Will and getting mad for not giving him the right directions. Before I know it, we make an abrupt turn into a parking lot and he parks. I was like umm what are we doing? He was like do you know where we are? I looked around and we were at THE MELTING POT! I was like BABy we cant go here it's Valentines day... we have to have reservations. He goes "Baby, we do! Ive had this planned for weeks now!!!" I almost fell over!!

We go into the restaurant and Brian had them put Red roses on the table for me. The dinner was amazing. We had jumbo shrimp cocktail for our first course. Then a tomato-Basil Cheddar cheese fondue that we dipped bread, veggies, and apples in for our 2nd course. An amazing greek salad for our 3rd course. Lobster, filet mignon, chicken, pork, tuna, steak, and dumplins that we cooked in front of us in a Caribbean- Citrus Base Broth for our 4th course.... and last BUT NOT LEAST.... a white Chocolate fondue with a hint of Strawberry that we dipped fresh strawberries, pound cake, brownies, bananas, rice treats, and cheese cake in... OH MY GOSH, SOOOO GOOD!!!!!! My mouth is watering just thinking about it!!!!

Brian is truly amazing! He is my bestfriend, my love, and MY MOST WONDERFUL VALENTINE!!!!!

Domestic Diva

Domestic Diva! haha... I dont know if I would necessarily go as far as that, but I do love to cook! I love to try new recipes! I also absolutely love to chop veggies! Brian even bought me a knife, specially for chopping! haha! He spoils me. You know it's bad when he comes home with a surprise and it's a new knife, or a new sugar jar and I get sooooooo excited!! lol

I'll have to admit, I have had many meals that turned out like "science experiments" but that's half the fun of learning.

(Note to self: dont try and make chinese food!haha)

Here are some of our favorite EASY-Hassle free recipes!

Appetizer- Buffalo Wing Dip
2 packages Cream Cheese

5-8 oz Franks Hot sauce

2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

2 cups cooked Chicken cut into chunks

Preheat Oven to 350*

Melt Cream Cheese in Microwave until smooth. Add Franks sauce and 1 cup Cheddar Cheese, mix all together. Then add Chicken and Mix. Put in a 8x8 ungreased glass baking dish. Cover the top with remaining Cheddar cheese and cook for 30 min! Serve with Tortilla Chips!! YUMM-O!!

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

2.5-5lb Roast

2 cans Mushroom Soup

1 package dry onion soup

1 can Beef Broth

1 large red onion- cut into chunks

2 stalks Celery-chopped (optional-if you have it) or you may use celery seed

1 package baby carrots

Put it all in a Crockpot and cook on low for 8 hrs. I usually will make it the night before and let it cook through the night and the entire next day... just make sure it's on LOW. It will just fall apart in your mouth!! Serve over Mashed potatoes! =D

Melt in your Mouth Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 c Flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 package instant vanilla pudding mix

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips or Chunks

Preheat oven to 350*

Sift flour and baking soda together and set aside. Mix together butter, both sugars until creamy. Add pudding mix and blend well. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add Flour mixture and blend completely for about 2 minutes. Stir in Chocolate chips. Drop spoonful of cookie dough on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes!

Check back for more recipes later!! :)

Scripture of the Day!

Heavenly Father, remind us each day that of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear. Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all humanity. Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy, and love. Remember to always love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

Matthew 5:44

Reason behind the name

You're probably wondering why I chose to name my blog- Faith, Hope, Love but the greatest of these is Love. Well to answer that question, it is truly quite simple.

My faith is my driving force in life. I truly rely solely on our Lord Jesus to help with any difficulties I may or may not face. He is always there to guide, protect, and most of all Love. I truly believe he has given me all things in life, as well as the love of my life, Brian. :)

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2 Peter 1:3
"As we grow in our knowledge of God, through His divine power He gives us everything we need for life and Godliness."

Hebrews 4:12
"God's word is alive and powerful"

1 Corinthians 13:13

"And now these three remain: Faith, Hope and Love. But the greatest of these is Love"

And of course my favorite verse...

1 Corinthians 13:4
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrong doings. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in Truth. It always protects, always trust, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."
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So to specifically answer the question, Hope is my spiritual truth and divine grace for believing all things are possible through Jesus. Faith is my driving force knowing I am not alone and will always be loved by our One and only. And Last but certainly not least, Love is my God.

As the saying goes, a life without Love is no life at all.

I truly feel blessed to know our savior, Jesus Christ, and to know what faith and love truly is. God has blessed me with a wonderful family, friends, and an amazing man to love and share my life with.

When things get tough, remember you are not alone and to always have Faith, Hope, and most of all Love! :)

New Home!

Our New home!! yay!!

FAVORITE PART--- KITCHEN AND TUB!! hehe

Quick Catch Up!

Lets rewind a moment to catch everyone up...

Brian and I lived in San Antonio for 3 years while he was in the Navy and I was finishing school. Brian's enlistment was up in September 2009 and if he didn't get a job offer he was going to move back to NY, his hometown where he grew up, and finish his bachelors degree. I, not wanting to be left in San Antonio, applied to nursing school in NY. Luckily I GOT IN! So we packed everything up, including our pampered pooches, and moved north. The drive was 32 hours and it was ROUGH! We had a 26ft uhaul with a 10 ft trailer towing Brian's jeep... slightly resembled a massive 18 wheeler... and I drove behind him in my car with the doggies.

We got to NY the end of Aug and we settled in our 2 bedroom apt. The dogs loved it, especially Kodi. He was sick of the Texas heat! It was so nice being so close to Brian's family, away from city life, and around the most beautiful landscapes- especially in fall. Well, December rolls around and Brian receives a phone call from Fort Leonard Wood about a job offer. (Note: Ft wood is where my bf and her husband are stationed) I was thrilled to think he might get a job in Missouri, well come to find out it was in SAN ANTONIO!!! Go figure! This job was just too good for him to turn down, so we loaded all of our stuff up and drove the 30+ hr trip again back down to Tx. So, here we are in San Antonio living life to the fullest. We miss his family and our friends dearly back in NY, but it was a fantastic opportunity that Brian had.

Brian is loving his job. He is working for the Army at Lackland AFB training individuals how to be military K9 handlers. I am updating my pre-reqs for Nursing school so I can start a nursing program down here.

It's great being close to my family and our Texas friends again. It seems like we are busy almost every weekend trying to catch up with everyone, even though we were only gone for 6 months. hehe. We are so very blessed to have such supportive and loving people in our lives, from NY and TX. When we arrived back down to TX, there were so many people that showed up to help us unload the uhaul. It seemed like everytime I turned around there was a new face. Lets put it this way, I lost count after 20. They had the entire uhaul unloaded withing 45 mins!! It took almost 2 days to load it!!!! We are so grateful for everyone in our lives. I truly believe we won the lottery with our wonderful friends and amazing families that have supported us and our crazy decisions.... including driving 30 hrs to and from NY!! =)

About Me

About Me

My faith is my number one. Jesus is truly my bestfriend and I talk to him daily. My friends and family are my backbone.

Love: my dogs, helping others, being positive, learning anything new, my wonderful boyfriend, sunny days, dancing, church

Dislikes: Negativity, bad language, crazy drivers

Brian

*The One and Only*

How we met
Brian was serving in the Navy and was stationed in Guam. His next duty station was going to be in San Antonio. A mutual friend of ours gave him my email to help him find a place to live in Texas. We started exchanging emails in February 2006. We developed a very good "pen pal" type of friendship for about 6 months. He finally moved to San Antonio in August of 2006. We instantly bonded and have been together ever since. :)

"US"

Our Furry 4-legged Children

DEXTER
aka "Dex-Dex"

3 year old Min-Pin, who is too smart for his own good.
He gets in trouble daily and is very head strong.... just like his daddy! haha!

KODI
aka "Kodi-bear" "Ko-Ko"

2 year old Bichon-Poodle, who just loves to be loved.
He is our "good" child. He just wants to make us happy 24-7!

"Our Family"