Learning to Cook

First recipe has been posted on my new blog, enjoy!

www.learningtocook-beth.blogspot.com

#46 check, check, double check

Yesterday Chad and I embarked on one of our "things to do before we die" tasks, sort of a way of celebrating our marriage. Yesterday marked exactly 30 days before we say our I do's so we thought we would celebrate now, 30 days in advance by doing something special together. We did, and we are so happy! I don't quite want to spill the beans on my blog yet because there are still people we want to talk to before we advertise online. We don't want people hearing through the grapevine if you know what I mean? This was a huge thing for me to do, something I have always said I don't think I want to do but now I can check it off my list, no regrets! #46aa One check for me and one for Chad! Yay! Y

30 days

Tomorrow will mark 30 days until we get married, yay! It feels like just yesterday Chad was asking me to marry him. Look how happy we were, we still are but this was the day before we left Hilton Head. It was a blast and a memory we won't soon forget. Yesterday we got the boys shirts, they are so awesome in person. Hopefully Chad's dad will love it so much he will want to wear it everyday. We will see them on Thursday so he will get to see the shirts then. I hope Chad's mom and I can get some shoe shopping done then. I got my shoes but there is always room for another pair!

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I don't know what I would do without Chad's parents. They have always been there for us. Mike (Chad's dad) has been on a wild goose chase for some citronella candles for me. We need 10, or more, for the reception. They will be a part of our table setting but we just can't seem to find the right ones. Most of the time when we find them they are in buckets, or in big pots. We have bowls that we are using with sand in them, so they need to be the perfect candle. Oh well, I am very grateful for him looking all around for me. There just isn't enough time in the day for me to look all over, nor the vehicle to take me there. So here I sit, no ride, no way out.

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I am on the phone with Chad now. I told him I was blogging and he said he wanted to know when I was going to start my, "Learning to cook" blog. He knows that when I start it he will get good eats, as long as it all turns out ok. I will get there. I haven't had the time. I am off tomorrow but so is my sister so we will probably be running errands all day (her errands not mine). She graduated on Saturday and she is off for a week before she starts her new job. Bigger pay, benefits, everything. She thought she would take a week off before she ventures into the real world.

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She's got me into this Justin Bieber craze. He has grown on me a lot. This girl ate a chip with queso from a tiny pool with a huge "Cubby" in it. The pool wasn't even big enough for him. It was full of queso and she ate a chip with "Cubby Queso" on it and won front row seats to Justin Bieber and backstage passes, what are the chances? I will eat some "Cubby Queso" to go see the Zac Brown band! Heck yeah I would. Anyways, I downloaded my first Justin Bieber song today, sad to say. I downloaded "Stuck in the Moment." I remember when I was a kid and I was crazy for Hanson, well, I am still crazy for them but they sound different now. Oh well, $1.29 later, I am "stuck in the moment." Photo courtesy of Brotha Fred

This week

This week marks a fun week for Chad and I. This Wednesday will be sort of a "rite of passage" for us. I don't know what's going to happen or how it will all turn out but we are excited! I will post some photos a month from now. It's the sort of "rite of passage" I tried to do with my grandmother when I was almost 16 I think when I spent all summer in Texas. Well, guess what Bojo, I'm gonna do it! We wanted to do something like this when we were in Key West but I decided for both of us that it probably wouldn't be a good idea. So we are going to do it before we get married, yay!

We had our first meeting with Pastor Scott on Saturday and it was great. We did some catching up and talked about spirituality and marriage; that it's the most important thing for a marriage because without God we wouldn't be here. Everyday Chad and I have a 10 minute devotional alone, reading in the book of John. And then we have a 10 minute devotional together talking about John, and then we pray. I think Chad and I are already really strong but I think God makes us stronger. Now we just have to decide which story we want him to preach about at our wedding, hmmm? We meet him in Kernersville this weekend on Saturday which should be fun. Then we are going to swing by Childress on our way home to take some photos of the grapevines and buy a case of wine.

I hope you all have a blessed week. I hope to post something on Wednesday about my sister, she graduated from Johnson and Wales on Saturday, yay! I took some great pictures for you Bojo! I will post something then! Have a great day!

Learning to cook

I have a new blog called Learning to cook. Since Chad and I are getting things of our own now so that we can have a full kitchen I am going to "learn to cook." Don't get me wrong, I know how to cook but I am going to try some new recipes and blog about them. I hope you will check it out. I hope to start sometime next week.

What a happy day!!!

Some months ago UNCC sent an email to my student email account asking me to do a survey of the new Student Union. The Student Union is a place for students to hang out basically. There is a Barnes and Noble, a food court, a movie theater, a salon and some other shops. I decided to take the survey because I really liked the Student Union. They decided to offer a drawing to all of those who completed the survey; the prize was a brand new Apple iPad. I opened my student email on a whim this morning because my semester is over, but something told me to check it. When I opened my email this nice gentlemen had written to inform me that I won the iPad!!!

I can't believe it! I couldn't find anyone to take me over there to pick it up this morning. Everyone was busy or wouldn't answer their phones. This afternoon I was able to go over and pick it up. I am so excited. I called everyone to tell them the fun news. These things are upwards of $500. They even gave me a nice case for it. I can read books, listen to my iPod, connect to the Internet, watch TV, everything!! I am so excited! I have my iTunes downloading now. I can't wait to play around with it a little bit.

What a surprise! I needed this, a boost to make me feel better. This has truly made my day! Yay!

It's done downloading!!! I am going to show everyone! My sister has won front row seats and backstage passes to Justin Beeber and tickets to American Idol. It's about time I won Chad and I something! Yay!

37 more days?

Could be 38 more days until our honeymoon, but it's also 37 more days until we become husband and wife. On June 3rd we are going to get our marriage license downtown. I am kind of nervous about it but it will probably be ok. I don't like going downtown especially to the courthouse, so... it should be interesting.

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We have pretty much all of our plans wrapped up. We just reserved our rental car for our honeymoon. We figured we would save the miles on our own car and put them on a rental car. Key West is many miles from Charlotte, NC. We had another group of friends offer to throw us a shower so that pretty much fills up our schedule between now and the wedding. Jill graduates this weekend, next weekend is Memorial Day then the following weekend we have two showers back to back then the next weekend we have another shower, then the weekend before the wedding we have our bachelor/bachelorette parties, then we're getting married!! :) Time flies when you're having fun!

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I think we have decided to take a video camera to Key West with us. It is going to be so pretty, we want to video tape when we go kayaking, when we ride the catamaran to go snorkeling, the lighthouse, the wildlife, etc... When we come home we can show everyone how amazing Key West is so we can plan a Family vacation there. Yay! At least we can say our room is paid for, all we need to pay for now is gas, food and fun! I don't think we will come back.

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37 more days!

Happy Birthday to You!!!

First, all I have to say is wow to whoever commented on my Trop-A-Rocka blog. That's exactly how I feel, whoever "Anonymous" is? I can't wait until Sunday to see how Bret is doing after all of his illness. He will be on Oprah today for those who don't know. :) Thanks for your comment!

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6 years and 2 days ago someone special entered our lives. Chad has been calling him our six-year old all week, hehe. Our birdy Jack turned 6 on Monday. I can't believe that it has been 6 years. When Chad and I first met on February 25th, 2004 we knew that we had a lot in common. All through art school I had a passion for drawing, painting, photographing tropical birds like macaws. I have tons of artwork in the closet of macaws that I had done. I didn't know at the time of meeting Chad that he loved macaws too. One day a few months into our being together we walked through this pet store in Monroe called Pet Palace; it is no longer there anymore. They had Scarlet Macaw and we went many times to play with him. Then we thought, we could handle one of these on our own? So we started to look around; we weren't going to settle for the first one we saw, he was $2000. We found a breeder in Wesley Chapel, NC called CCBirds; a family who had the same love for birds we had. Come to find out she just had 3 blue and gold macaws hatch. We went over to visit and as soon as I walked in the door she had me wash my hands she handed me a paper towel and she put Jack in my hands. He was no bigger than the palm of my hand.

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Now, 6 years later, he's a big boy. He has been saying some new things lately, like "Hold on," and his name, "Jack." Here are a couple of pictures we took of Jack and Charlie together, brothers. They try to play with each other but Jack doesn't realize that his can-opener can hurt someone and Charlie doesn't realize that he has 40 lbs of force behind his paws so it's kind of funny to see them 'try" to play together. He's 6 years old, I can't believe it! Happy Birthday Jack!

Trop-A-Rocka

Are you going to purchase Snapple's new flavor "Trop-A-Rocka" when Bret Michaels wins next week? Bret Michaels made it into the final two! I don't know how the finale will be since he has been so sick lately but I am so happy he made it to the finals! Sharon was third but I think Donald kicked her off because she was crying so much, oh well! I am so happy for Bret and happy for his charity to support Juvenile Diabetes. Their challenge was to create their own flavor for the Snapple company and all proceeds from selling it will go to the winner's chosen charity. Bret's flavor is called Trop-A-Rocka, awesome! It is actually a Diet Snapple for those with Diabetes, like Bret. Chad and I were kind of irritated by Bret during the very first episode but his creativity and drive helped us grow to like him more. Now we look forward to tasting Bret's "Trop-A-Rocka." Good Luck Bret!

Good Morrow

It's Sunday morning! I am so excited about Celebrity Apprentice tonight! I love Donald Trump and I love the idea of the show. There are only 5 left, my two favs still left, Sharon Osbourne and Bret Michaels. Donald Trump will be cutting them down to 2 tonight so we will see who makes it!
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On Friday night we went to see Cavalia in the Big White Top in downtown Charlotte; and... it was AMAZING! I never realized what horses are capable of! These horses would run out and do routines without any help, they just knew what to do. It was wonderful! Did you know that they have 62 horses that travel with them? They have 29 stallions which is the most stallions any show has ever traveled with. The photo on the left was my favorite part of the whole show. 2 horses ran out by themselves and rolled all over the ground then 2 more, and 2 more, and 2 more and then one final one. There were 9 horses all together and they were just out there alone, running together, and playing together. Then, one girl came out and had them doing all these crazy routines together. One girl, 9 horses, and they listened to her every word! Chad and I are going to buy the DVD when we get paid because it was so great, we want to see it again. Look it up online; they travel the world. Next weekend, sadly, is their last weekend in Charlotte. Here is a link to their website, http://www.cavalia.net/
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You want to see what else I did on Friday night, I held 2 red-eyed tree frogs!!! I can't get the picture to upload to the blog website so I am sorry I cannot show you. I am not one to hold creepy crawly things, but Dylan let me hold his frogs Friday night and I had to take a picture! They were cold to the touch. I guess their body temperatures are a lot different than ours. But, it was so great and I held them without flinching! I had them both grasping to one hand. Who would have thought, I, would hold a red-eyed tree frog?
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Chad and I are going on an adventure today, I don't know what and I don't know where but I am excited. I am so excited to experience life with Chad by my side and in 38 days I will be able to call him my husband! Have you sent your RSVP card yet?

Happy Hump Day

It's Wednesday, ohhh Wednesday. This week has really flown by for me. I don't know if it is that we are transforming the store (at work) to Father's Day, or that I am getting really nervous about the wedding so it seems like it is approaching fast and furious? Well, who cares, it's Wednesday and I am off from work.

Time to clean house and get some much needed playing done with Charlie, oh... and he's getting a bath! I think he is going through some sort of teenager thing; they say English bulldogs get it the worst, acne! Who would have thought a dog could have acne, but he does, and we cream him up every night before bed, poor kid! The vet said that after he is fixed it will go away. Serves us right for waiting; we thought we would wait because it would give Charlie a chance to get some of those masculine bulldog features, like the blocky head, and the wide chest. He is definitely getting there, my sister says his head is too big for his body? Poor kid, getting picked on too. We will probably get him fixed while we are in Key West because we decided that since he is still young and rambunctious that it is in his best interests to stay at the vet this time. Then, after he is all fixed maybe he might calm down a few notches and can stay with one of his grammy and grampy's?

This afternoon I am fixing dinner for Chad too, "Mozzarella Meatloaf." Have you heard of it? Well, it is great, and Chad has never had it before. He loves it when I have dinner ready when he gets home. He will be excited about this one, especially if he has to work overtime. He has been working overtime a lot lately which helps our wallet but it's hard on him. He is the manager of the new company in their business, "Metal by the inch." They have a policy that it will ship out the same day you order it, so it puts a lot of pressure on Chad. He will have a good dinner when he comes home tonight. :)

Have you sent your RSVP yet? I have gotten maybe 15, and 95% of them are yes. I hope yours is a yes too! I hope you all have a happy hump day!

Looks Like Someone Has a Case of the Mondays

It's Monday, but today marks the start of a new week. Thursday I will take my last two exams, so that means no more school this semester, yay! Today I have to go in to work and clean up the mess from Mother's Day and bring in Father's Day.

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How was your Mother's Day? We spent Mother's Day with Chad's mom on Friday evening and Mother's Day with my mom yesterday. Chad's mom lost her mother some months ago so I know it was probably hard for her yesterday. I think we did good for both of our Mother's, gave them things that they like to show our appreciation for how much they have done for us in our lives. My sister and my dad and I all went in together and got my mom "Cavalia" tickets. I am so excited, we will go on Friday to see it. Sad to say, Cirque du Soleil doesn't allow cameras, bummer! We have been to all the Cirque du Soleil shows that have been to Charlotte. This show will be a little different because it involves horses. I would have loved to have done something like this for Chad's mom but she is undergoing some minor surgery, today actually, so I didn't know if it would be appropriate. All in all I think our Mother's enjoyed their days!

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And how was my day, I am not a Mother-Mother, but I do have two animals who call me mommy. Lets not talk about babies. I cannot tell you how many people have asked when we are going to have kids since we are getting married next month. We aren't ready for kids yet! I am almost 25 and Chad is 26, too young as far as I am concerned. We want to see the world, and enjoy ourselves as a married couple, and have a good financial pillow underneath us before we jump off that cliff. I am not saying never, just give us some time. I graduate next year so, maybe sometime after that, after we have bought a house, and after we go to Ireland/Scotland.

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I had a lovely day yesterday with my animals. We got up around 8am and went to the 4-mile Creek Greenway off of Rea Road by Trader Joe's. It was awesome! We have never been there before but we always see it when we go to Trader Joe's. So we set out to explore it yesterday. It is literally a four mile walk through the woods/wetlands. We saw so much wild life and Charlie was in heaven. It was the best way I could have started my day. We all got great exercise yesterday! We then went to Ride Now, a motorcycle place in Concord to see what they had for their sidewalk sale; lots of t-shirts for $6.99. Chad got one and then we headed home to spend some time with my mom. We all sun-bathed by the pool for a few hours in the afternoon and had hamburgers on the grill for dinner.

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All in all it was a great weekend. We did go out "dancin" on Friday night at RiRa, it was AMAZING! We love The Plaids, since they can't come to our wedding we are going to have a party sometime next year and have them, because they Rock! We were out until wee hours of the morning but it was fun, and we will continue to see them when they are around because they are so much fun, not to mention they know us by name now! :)

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I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day and I hope you have a great week! Enjoy your Monday!

Good Morning Blog

The beginning of a long day I am afraid. I have to work today and it is the Friday before Mother's Day! Do you know what that means? I work in a card shop so that means lots of people waiting until the last minute for Mother's Day cards. Well, I guess it's not last minute until Sunday, but we will have a lot of sales today.

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We are going over to Chad's parents house this evening after work to celebrate Mother's Day. Chad's mom as of earlier this week still had to work on Mother's Day so we may or may not see her on Mother's Day. We were going to have another girls day sometime because she and I still need shoes for the wedding. As a matter of fact I think we all need shoes for the wedding, I don't even know if Chad's dad and brother have any shoes to wear with their outfits either, hmmm? Chad doesn't so I can bet they don't either. We miss Chad's middle brother and his wife a lot. "Just give it time," Chad's mom says, so we are giving it time...

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After we celebrate Mother's Day with Chad's mom this evening, guess what? Our night is not over! We are going to RiRa to see The Plaids; Our all time favorite local band! We were going to have them at our wedding but they are busy unfortunately. So tonight we will go see them! Guess what, I also have to work tomorrow morning. We better not stay out too late. I will have to be on my game tomorrow because it will be even busier. Maybe I will at least get a nap on Saturday afternoon? Sunday I hope to get more sun. I am pretty brown as it is, but I keep working on it so my wedding dress will look pretty against my skin.

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Here are a couple of Bridal Shower pictures. Chad's Aunt Nancy called me last night, she is so sweet to have jumped in to help Whitney plan the Bridal Shower for Chad's side of the family. Anyways, here are some photos of the shower my sister threw for me. The picture on the left is the toasting flutes Chad's mom bought me. It was so special because I had just added those to my registry so we could get them for the wedding, and she got them, Surprise! I was so happy, they are so pretty! The picture on the right, CRATE AND BARREL, CRATE AND BARREL! Thanks Lori, you are the best!

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This picture on the left is more Crate and Barrel, some utensils Chad picked out! The lady at Crate and Barrel insisted on Chad carrying the "zapper," look now we have a gravy whisk! We all need one of those! haha... And of course the picture on the right, Fine China, a whole place setting. I was so happy! I registered for it at the last minute because they say you only get one chance, this was my chance and I got a whole place setting, and then some... :) There are so many more pictures but there is not enough time to post them all. But it was a wonderful shower and I will forever be grateful to all of those who put in the time to make it happen, a

and all of those who have given me such wonderful gifts. You all made happy memories for me!

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I guess I better get to work. egh... I'll make it. Ask me at about 2am when we are still sitting at RiRa talking to the band, ask me how I feel then. I know it will be fun, but it's going to make for a long day tomorrow! Hope you all have a Happy Mother's Day for those who are Mothers! :)

Bridal Shower, Over in a Flash

I have been up since 5am. My sister and I went to the Belk Charity Sale this morning and spent the rest of the morning preparing for the shower. It was a lot of fun, but it's 8pm and I am beat! I was very happy with the turnout. It was a lot of fun! I think everything I received was from one of our registries: toasting flutes, fine china, towels, knives, cook books, Tommy Bahama sheets, etc, etc, etc. I have already opened almost everything and hope to put most of it to use with the exception of my fine china. When I have more energy and time I will post some photos for you to see! I hope you enjoy the rest of your Saturday!