Dear, Summer: I'm glad you've made your apperance early, but could you do me a favor and not be outrageously HOT this year? Love, Liz

Yep.

The summer of 2012 looks like it might be a hot one.

A really, really hot one...

I love summer just as much as the next person. There's camping, campfires, s'mores, swimming, going to the drive-in, flip flops, tank tops, county fairs, rodeos, grilling, and gardening...but I just loathe the heat sometimes! Especially when it's humid! Me and humidity aren't the best of friends.

The other day I commented to my Grandpa Wallace how much I hated the mugginess, and he promptly told me, "At least you're not where Mike is where it's 110 every day."

Well...got me there.

I know I should be grateful for this kind of weather, because some people don't even have summers. That's something I need to work on: not getting all worked up about things I can't even control. So, starting now, I'm gonna take each day in stride and find things to be thankful for! That'll get my mind off of the summer heat. I am thankful that where I live, I experience all four seasons.

But, I gotta tell ya, that I'm a Fall/Winter girl, even though I was born in springtime :p Probably because that's when hockey season is in full wing haha I LOVE me some hockey!

Speaking of....GO RANGERS!

They're 2 wins away from going to the Stanley Cup Finals! The first time since 1994! And after the regular season they've had, they really deserve it! I hope to see Lundqvist raising the Cup in a couple weeks...that guy defends the net like a boss! And this Kreider kid who only just started playing for the Rangers when the playoffs began has already become one of my favorites along with Callahan, Dubinsky, Gaborik, Stepan, Del Zotto, Rupp, and Boyle!

Alright, if I don't stop talking hockey now, I'll just keep going and going haha....

Mike Update

We skyped with him on Sunday for a little bit. He said his flights have gone well and one flight in particular, they were transporting explosive-type things! He says its as hot as ever there, but he's doing good. Misses us and home obviously. If you'd like to send him a care package, feel free to ask me and I can get you the address. I don't want to put it on here for the whole world to see. Mike had Monday off, but said he'd most likely have a flight today and probably one or two more this week. His plane hasn't had to transport any injured soldiers as of yet, so that's a blessing. But he is connected in some way to all of us by phone or internet, so drop by his facebook and give him a shoutout! I know he'd appreciate it! And so would I, knowing that there are so many of you who acknowledge what he's doing for our country and always encouraging him and praying for him.

Have you noticed they're are no pictures? I usually try to put at least one in my posts, but my poor little camera has a bent in lens cover and I've had to send it to a repair station so they can fix it. I still have my old camera I used before this one (that I only recently got for Christmas) but I just haven't remembered to take any photos lately.

But, I've edited a lot of pictures from my favorite show, Heartland, so I figured, why not share some with you? Even if you don't watch the show, I hope you like them : ]

(Disclaimer: I own none of these photos. All rights reserved to CBC and Heartland.)

Have a great week, everybody, and like it says in that last picture: Live adventurously, Laugh about every thing...and smile like Jack.

ERW

Categories: edited pictures, Heartland, Hockey, horses, New York Rangers, photography, summer, update

Taste of Home Cooking Show

Wellll, as promised, I said I'd share with y'all about the Taste of Home Cooking Show. I hadn't been to one until last night, so I didn't know what to expect...

...Something else I didn't expect was to win something in the raffle! I know we all say to ourselves, "I never win anything in this raffle or that raffle" and I'm the same way! No joke, Lauren and I were just saying that very thing, when 10 seconds later, the emcee pulls out my name! It's not like I won a cruise or trip anywhere. All I won was a reusable bag from Price Chopper with assorted foods inside...but I was excited anyway! haha :] because, like I said...I never win anything...but last night, that all changed!

When we walked in the Saratoga Convention Center, we all got a bag filled with coupons, spice samples, Taste of Home magazines, and that fateful blue raffle sheet that I filled out.

Before the cooking show started, we walked around all the different vendors. Most of them were obviously food vendors who were promoting their businesses. A lot of them were local businesses, too. One vendor was called Sticky Fingers, and from one end of their table to the other was filled with caramel AND chocolate coated apples (apparently apples that won't brown even after cutting it in half)with different crushed candies like snickers, reese's PB cups, reese's pieces, and oreo stuck to them. Some of them had white or dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate. My Mom got the dark chocolate coated one :p yum! We haven't tried it yet...maybe tonight...Mmmm

The main event was the cooking show. We had a chef named Michael Barna. Does his name sound familiar to you? Maybe, maybe not. I didn't know this until last night, but he is a hand model. I guess they used his hands in the movie Signs for when Mel Gibson's character cuts off one the alien's fingers. He mentioned another movie they used his hands in, but I can't remember. He's also made local and national commercials and helped open three gourmet casino restaurants. and he's pretty funny. He kept us laughing through the 10 recipes he showed us how to make from one of the magazines we got in our goodie bags.

The "kitchen" was set up on a stage, and they rigged up a camera directly above where would prepare the food. The two giant screens on either side helped us see what he was doing.

And the cool part was that people could win the food he made! Sadly, we didn't win any food, but that point I had already won my bagful of food, so I didn't care. Mom also won an American flag with a collapsible flag pole. We thought it fitting since we have Dave and Mike in the military :]

All in all, it was a fun night! If you love cooking or looking for new stuff to make, or just want a night out with the girls, I would totally recommend going to one!

Go >>>HERE<<< to find a cooking show near you!

Laura, Me, and Mom

Teri, Lauren, and Laura

Me and Mom <3

Don't those look amazing!?

checking out the vendors

Laura's lovin it!

Yep, we sat in the back. We're backrow Baptists, so give us a break! Still, we had a good view.

Mom's bug eyes! haha

Michael Barna

The food I won! Panko bread crumbs, Thai Chili Roasted Garlic, Peanut Butter, Tomato Bruschetta, Olive oil, Balsamic Vinegar, and Stone Ground Wheat crackers. During the show, I opened up the crackers and bruschetta and snacked on that! haha I was hungry, so I just ate the food I won instead of going to buy something.

ERW

Categories: family, Food, girly stuff, photography

To All the Mommas...

Happy Mother's Day!

Yes, I am saying that even though we recognized Mom nationwide yesterday, but really, every day is Mother's Day! (right, Mom?) ;)

Thank you Mom for all you do, but I can never say thank you enough! You still love me even when I mess up, you support me in everything I do, and have taught me how to be a loving, kind, and gentle woman. And you're pretty cool to boot :) My prayer is that I can be as good a wife and mother like you are!

Dave, Mike, Mom, Laura, and me, Liz!

Hope all you other Moms had a wonderful day being pampered and waited on!

As usual, we took Mom out to eat with our grandparents after church and later, we went over to my sister's and had coffee and desserts with my family and my brother-in-laws family. We kids had to come up with desserts to make, and the funny thing is, we all thought: FRUIT! But in different styles of course.

Nick (brother in law) made an amazing fruit platter with dip. His sister, Lauren made this brownie/cheescake scrumptiousness with sliced strawberries on top, and I brought angel food cake, strawberries and raspberries and blackberries to put on that, and whipped cream to top it off :p Mmmm, everything was so good! and Nick also made this drink called Patriotic punch. It's like a sweet tea but with cranberry juice, apple juice with apples and strawberries floating in the drink. Yummy!

And tonight, as a Mother's Day gift my sister, Lauren, and I are taking ours and Lauren's Mom to the Taste of Home Cooking Show. Never been to one, so I'm excited to see what it's like. I'll tell y'all everything about it some point this week.

OH! We got to skype with Mike yesterday morning before church! This was at 8am here, but where he is, it was 6pm. He said this week that he was going to be doing a flight into a more dangerous area of the Middle East. Everywhere he goes, he has to carry a firearm with him. It's also wicked hot over there. He said it was 110 there yesterday! Luckily, they have a pool. We were busting on him when he said we was going to go for a swim after skyping! The Air Force sure knows how to treat their guys! The Air Force also reminded them all to call their Moms! haha

Last thing...I finished the material for school on Handling & Restraint, and now I get to do the fun part (har har): studying. Most of the material I've retained pretty well, so I should do fine, but your prayers would be appreciated, for this exam and every one I take in the future.

Until next time,

ERW

Categories: college, Dessert, family, Food, holidays, Mom, Mothers, prayer request, U.S. Air Force, update