goodbye twenty-two

 a lovely autumn morning spent walking the pups and sipping pumpkin spice white hot chocolate.

Ally and I spent the evening watching Vamp Di. 

I'm determined to hook her on it. 

How could you not love it with costumes like this...

and this...

I think I've turned another one folks.

Tomorrow is my birthday and stuff...

I celebrated a little early with a bavarian cream empanada

and a pedi with olive green OPI.

I also listened to this, just pondering the last year.

twenty-two was a good one.

In fact, I don't think anyone can top last year's birthday,

especially when it's a husband-less one.

But twenty-three sounds like a good age. 

Mature.. but young. 

Wish my husband was here. Lame.

Oh well, I guess Damon and Stephen will have to do.

a good day

Good Days Are...

trips down memory lane

fresh peaches and cream

time with the domans

 and bathing beauties :)

now on to some Mad Men and puppy time.

golden ticket

Just what I needed to hear...

Peachy

Haven't been keeping up too much with the blog lately... 

which is a good thing.

It means I don't have too much time on my hands.

Idaho and Utah have been treating me very well. 

I miss Jake terribly but at least I can miss him surrounded by family and friends.

He is doing well, his first flight is today! I'm so proud of him.

That boy is enduring a lot of stress to achieve his dream.

IFS is no walk in the park, but if anyone can kick it's trash, it's Jacob Kearns.

Yesterday we took Maizey into the Vet for some shots... poor girl.

She was sad and sore all night until little Reagan Doman came in.

I don't know what it is about dogs and babies, but the second she appeared Maze 

couldn't keep herself from jumping and licking the baby all over. 

Today I will run (okay, probably walk) around the river with my bestie.

Then I'll buy a new bra and make lots of peach cobbler.

Yeah... it's going to be a good day.

1. My favorite parts of my old home

2. Water Lilies

3. CK doing what she does best

4. Brigham Fruit Stands

supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Finally home from Utah... I was sad to leave but soo happy to be done driving!

My in laws surprised me last night with an early birthday present

Mary Poppins! 

It was a lovely night out with my sisters, I'm such a lucky lady.

The top moments of the night would have to include all of the half naked people walking around SLC

(some sort of anti-clothing demonstration... disgusting) 

and seeing some family after the show! 

liam

I have the cutest little cuzzies. 

Liam and I had a lunch date today... he's absolutely adorable.
I'll be sad to leave Logan. Mostly because I'm alone and probably not going back for a while.
I hate that it's no longer my home... I miss the Courtney that lived there.

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.  ~Anatole France

lazy maizey days

The wittle fluffy and I are having a good time here in Idaho.

We hang out with baby Reggy

 

and eat lots of cupcakes...

 We enjoy time in granny's backyard

and playing chase with my new shoes!

Today I'm going to Logan town.. so excited. Wish I had the husband with me!

puppy ambush

Hey remember how I really wanted a puppy? Well I got one... no big deal.

How did this happen? My mother. 

She ambushed me. It all happened so fast. 

But I'm loving her...Crazy Maizey.

We celebrated by taking the fluff ball to a fancy lunch at 3's Company downtown. 

They gave her some homemade dog treats and us a grilled peach (divine!)

I'm stable like wet cardboard.

Finally got rid of all of our unpacking mess yesterday. 

(It was exhausting...)

So we rewarded ourselves with some chicken fajitas at Cafe Garcia. 

(They have an awesome salsa bar. Love.)

After that, Jekyll turned into Hyde as he watched the BYU game...
and I locked myself in the bedroom for a Mad Men marathon :)

(except for when the ridiculous lightning storm interfered with it.)

 But sleep and church made up for it, it was lovely morning.

Tomorrow we part ways. It'll be a hard but rewarding split.

Why? Because absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Forever Lazy

I saw this today while I was at the gym

(you heard me, I. was. at. the. GYM.)

I almost fell off my machine with uncontrollable laughter.

These folks are trying to out do the Snuggie! 

I didn't think that was possible.

Soo if you see me wearing one of these (I won't lie, I'm tempted)

please, PLEASE slap me across the face.

Even if it's perfect for tailgate parties or down time with your pets...

guilty

I'm guilty of...

waking up and watching Mad Men on the couch... for hours.

needing ice cream daily.

reminiscing way too much.

desperately needing a vacation.

sobbing on my husband's shoulder like a child.

being incredibly anti-social.

making baked goods then eating them all.

drinking Pepto straight from the bottle, we're good friends.

being a dreamer and not a doer.


... man I feel better. I think it's time for me to fly home and recharge.

inspired by lil sis

Ugh

Oh hey, I'm still alive. Barely.
This week has been a moody one... Each day seems to be a repeat of the last,
ending with another headache after watching WAY too much television
and eating WAY too much sugar. (I'm forming great habits as you can see...)

But I'm looking forward to next week, it holds a lot of exciting things for Jake and I.
I can't believe I'll be without him for a month. After constantly being with him and only him all day every day, it will be very strange to fly solo.

Whenever I get in a rut, I pull out this handy guide.

It's probably my fourth time reading it.

It never fails.

 Vampire Diaries. Season 3. Tonight.
It's sad that I'm this excited. I sort of planned my day around it.

tragedy

Jake and I spent our weekend watching The Kennedys on Netflix.

It is a very interesting show. We are learning a lot about this crazy couple.

(assuming everything about this show is based on truth..)

Things like:

Bobby Kennedy should have been President.

John Kennedy was not the great husband I thought he was. Poor Jackie.

His parents were nuts.

After watching this American tragedy unfold, we turned on the TV and watched another.

I was really young and naive when 9/11 happened. I hardly understood the magnitude of the attack. Watching all the coverage last night was almost like watching it for the first time. It's just as shocking.

It breaks my heart that so many families were destroyed because of such evil.

 On a lighter note... I fly home in a week!
Jake starts IFS (Flight Screening) on the 21st and I'm going back home to spend those few weeks with my family and friends. I know I haven't been away for long but I am so, soo excited.

Tommy

Last night Jake and I traveled the long distance to Stillwater, OK to see the movie Warrior.

It was a 139 minutes of heart wrenching movie magic. 

Every actor was amazing but Tom Hardy... Wow. Brilliant.
(Ashley Landon if you're reading this, this guy is your husband's celebrity twin)

I don't have one negative thing to say about the film and that is a miracle. 

Has anyone noticed the ridiculous amount of commercials they show before movies?

TEN minutes of commercials and TEN minutes of previews before the movie started!

Give me a break. I do not pay ten dollars to see that.

 

 I found this on pinterest the other day... 

It's exactly what I needed.

I have a major problem with comparing myself to others.

It usually happens when I spend too much time on Facebook.

I look at other peoples lives and the fun they're having and get all depressed about my situation.

Pathetic! I have so much be happy about and desperately need to gain some perspective.

I mean, whats better than watching your husband yell at the TV for hours and hours? 

Man I love college football.

...I guess I'll just read this over and over again until it sticks.

It's Coming...

It's barely fall and I am just itching to make all of pumpkin favorites...

You all know how much I loooveeee putting it in everything.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese.

Pumpkin Pie French Toast

Pumpkin Donuts

 Pumpkin Pie White Hot Chocolate

 YUM.

Yuup!

Another week in Enid is half way over... it's been a pretty productive one!

Jake and I are having fun playing house. We're spending lots of time trying to tend our yard
because it hasn't had any sort of attention in years. The poor thing is so dead and patchy.
In other news...

I decorated the door today with a little craft from pinterest

Jake and I watched lots of Storage Wars on A&E.

You should definitely Tivo it. Barry is my favorite, of course.

and we stopped by the thrift store today and bought a sewing desk.

 

I have big plans for this little beauty! 

I'm just trying to decide on the color I want to paint it...

bragging

I would feel ungrateful if I didn't give my husband some props for his anniversary gift.

I woke up to this morning to a lovely bouquet.

Connected to each rose was a memory of relationship so far...

How adorable is that? Thanks husband!

Downtown OKC

Yesterday, to celebrate our anniversary, we took a drive to OKC for some shopping and sightseeing!

I had a lovely, long date with Target, and Jake had an affair with the entertainment section at Sams.

We also stopped by Bricktown in the downtown district. It was a lovely part of town surrounded by old factory buildings and canal that runs through it. Later on we stopped by the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial. Jake lived in Northern Oklahoma City at the time of the explosion and remembers hearing it go off when he was in school. I had never known much about it since I was pretty young at the time, so it was an educational experience for me. The memorial was a beautiful place complete with a reflection pool and 168 chairs symbolizing those claimed by the attack. The entire day was just what we needed, a day away from this chaos filled house! Now it's back to reality and time to finally finish unpacking. Thanks for all of your calls, texts, videos, and fb postings... I'm glad to know our marriage is so greatly supported :)

Adorable Bricktown complete with water taxi rides and rocking dock tables.

Memorial at the Murrah Building

Two Years

Two years ago today I made a huge decision.

I married my best friend. 

I was young (well, I'm still young)

I was naive (still am)

And hopelessly in love (...still am)

I knew that I had to have him in my life. 

He makes me a much better person

He calms me down,

makes me laugh to the point of tears

and takes care of me no matter what.

I really hit the jackpot with this one ladies... 

Thanks for being my husband Jakey boy!

I can't remember if I have shared this quote before, but it's definitely a favorite.

"there is no greater risk than matrimony.

but there is nothing happier than a happy marriage."

--benjamin disraeli, 1870

Pot Roast and Princess Leia

Nothing like a delicious Pot Roast dinner and Star Wars marathon to end a Sabbath day.

This was always my favorite meal growing up.

If you're looking for a good recipe, use Pioneer Woman's.

If you don't know who Pioneer Woman is... we've got a problem.

Oh, and did you know she lives in Oklahoma? We're practically neighbors.

I'm thinking about driving to her ranch and stalking her for a day.

On second thought... maybe I'll just stay at home and watch her cooking show instead.

Tomorrow is our two year anniversary.

Twooo Years.

We're driving to OKC in the morning for a little day trip.

This time we'll actually be able to walk around and such.

We're suppose to be getting much cooler temperatures this week, high 70's! 

It's probably the best anniversary present we could get.

Goodnight everyone!

Chicken Pillows

So I'm posting another recipe... mainly because I keep losing it and I figure if I post it here I will be able to find it easily! This is a classic chicken dish that I'm sure you've all had before. If you haven't... you must. My first time was sophomore year of college, my roommate Chelsea, who happens to be an amazing cook, made it for all of us and I inhaled it in two minutes. The ultimate comfort food. It's sooo good and has been a favorite ever since.

Chicken Pillows

         2 pkg. Crescent Rolls

         Filling:

1-2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 pkg. cream cheese, soften
2 TBS. worchestershire sauce
1 TBS. dried onions

Mix filling ingredients until well combined. Spoon teaspoon full onto crescent roll and fold/pinch edges closed around filling. Place onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 until golden brown.

Gravy:
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 C Sour Cream (can use up to 1 cup if desired)

-combine and warm on stove. Serve on top of chicken pillows.

I like to serve with mashed potatoes and extra gravy alongside green beans sauteed with butter and slivered almonds.... yum.

Gross.

Another lazy day at the new house...

Jake spent his time on the couch watching college football.

I didn't mind, he's only been talking about it for months.

He did take a short break to spray for pests around the house.

We found a spider nest on every window and every corner outside.

This big Brown Recluse made me shudder.

As long as they stay outside I think I'll be fine.

I think I'll put a trap in every room just to make sure.

 Later, I spent my time shopping and unpacking. 

I'm determined to make this house an organized one.

After a lot of research Jake and I purchased a white Samsung steam washer and dryer.

(with the sale price and military discount we got a GREAT deal)

I love it. It came today and I've never been so excited to do my laundry.

No more quarters for us!! 

Hope you had a lovely Saturday. How about them Aggies?

Luca Spaghetti

 

Today while unpacking I put in Eat, Pray, Love.

Which naturally made me crave Italian.

So I had it for Lunch and Dinner.

I've been trying to perfect the art of spaghetti for a while now.

I loved my mom's sauce growing up. Jake loved his mom's sauce growing up.

So I've been trying to make mine with the best of both.

Tonight I think it worked.

What I used:

Olive Oil

Chopped Garlic

Lean Ground Beef

(a little Balsamic Vinegar...)

Basil, Oregano, and Onion

Four Cheese Bertolli Tomato Sauce

Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Oregano, Garlic

and Mom's secret ingredient... Tomato Soup!

First I heat some Olive Oil on the stove and throw in some chopped garlic and let it get nice and golden! Then I add the ground beef and brown it, a lot. Momma Kearns says that the only way to get flavor out of your ground beef is to practically burn it. I season it with Lawry's, pepper, basil, oregano, and onion powder. Once it gets nice and brown I add the diced tomatoes, including the juice in the can. I let it simmer until the juice has been absorbed and it's nice and thick. Then I add the Spaghetti Sauce. I let that simmer until its thick then I add half a can tomato soup! YUM. Serve it up with some of Walmart's Garlic Parm French Bread, lightly toasted with butter and melted cheese.

 Tonight we had the Directv man over to set up our dish.

You could tell he had a rough day. It was six o'clock and he hadn't had a break.

So I packaged up some of that spaghetti and gave him some on his way out.

After he left, he gave us a call to let me know it was the 

"best damn spaghetti he's ever had." 

The rest of the night I had a smile on from ear to ear :)

Home Tour

Welcome to our new home.

If you were here, which sadly you aren't, you'd walk in and see this to your right.

Sliding doors on both ends and I love that you can see into the living room.

There's a lot of cabinet/counter space and a dishwasher, what what!

Oh and an ice machine. Love!

 

Here's the living room.

It's much bigger than our apartment but our couch is still way too large and in charge. 

I have no idea what to do with it... and what is with the pole?

Jake and I already hate that worthless thing.

What I do love is all of the light and we have screen doors that go out back to a small patio.

Last on today's tour is the empty but lovely laundry room. 

We purchased a washer and dryer yesterday and I am soo excited to use them! 

More on that later.

All in all, today went pretty smoothly!

Except for this...

Candle wax. Everywhere. 

Don't worry, I cleaned it up pretty quick...

That paper towel and iron trick works wonders.

But really, the movers were great and so far, only one thing broken!

The poor kitchen table came out of the truck ripped apart. 

I guess we'll have to get a new one... darn.

I'll post more pictures or maybe a video later once we get unpacked and cleaned up.

This will be a busy anniversary weekend... but I think we'll take some time off Monday for a day trip to OKC.

Love you all!

5 AM

Today I woke up at five...

you could say I'm preetty anxious.

Just too excited for today's events.

We finally have a place we can call home

and I can't wait to grab those keys and give lodging the bird.

I think it's safe to say that our first month here was a little more than challenging,

but I know all of the obstacles made us more resilient and wise.

So here I am, wide awake, finally up to hear the sound of reveille

the music seems to signal the start of our permanence in Enid.

Military living... it looks like we're finally here to stay

It's definitely too late to turn back now.

Aww hell what have I done..??