An evening Downtown...

Last Night I went to dinner with Mom and a friend of hers downtown. It is kind of funny that I live 15 minutes from Downtown Jacksonville and I rarely go there. One of the main spots to go downtown is The Landing. The Landing is a combination of restaurants and shops, but since downtown is not one of the best places to go they have a hard time keeping places open. There are only a few times a year when you will find a large group at The Landing and those are events like concerts, the Gator Bowl or the infamous Florida vs. Georgia game.

The Sun Setting Over the Bridges

Another View

The Landing

A friend of Mom's was in town for a work related conference and since her and my mom hasn't seen each other in a while they decided that we would meet for dinner. Since she was staying at the Hyatt right next to the Landing we decided that might give us the best options for food. So when we got down there we all decided that we would go to The American Cafe because it had the most variety of food on the menu. One thing you will learn about me is that I LOVE pasta and some of my favorite pasta dishes comes from the American Cafe. So for my dinner last night I had the Original New York Pasta Pie. I have had this before, but it was amazing! It is Penne Pasta tossed in mariana sauce with pepperoni, italian sausage, mushrooms, black olives and diced peppers. Then it is topped with mozzarella and parmesan cheese and baked! YUM!

The Original New York Pasta Pie

After dinner we walked my Mom's friend back to her hotel and as they were talking I found this to be a good time to take a few more pictures!

The pretty trees lit up outside the Landing

The Main Street Bridge lit up at night.

A view of the other side of the river.

Vision Board 2010

For 2010 each member of our team at work created a Vision Board for what they wanted to accomplish for 2010. If you don't know what a Vision Board is it is typically a poster board on which you paste or collage images that you've torn out from various magazines. The idea behind the Vision Boards on that when you surround yourself with images of whom you want to become, what you want to have, where you want to live, or where you want to vacation, your life changes to match those images and those desires.

For my board I did professional and personal goals that I have for 2010. Below is the picture of my Vision Board and then I am going to explain what each thing means to me and why I want to achieve these goals in 2010.

1. In the top left corner and the bottom right corner you see the letters PR. I have my degree in Public Relations and PR is my love. I have known since I was in Jr. High that I wanted to do PR. For 2010 I am going to re-focus on my love of PR and my goal is to start my career in PR.

2. I would like to make 2010 about me growing up and getting out on my own. I would like to be able to know that I can be out in the world and supporting myself. So on my board I have an apartment in the bottom left corner and a new vehicle in the top right corner.

3. I want to make 2010 all about me. So what I have on the board that represents this part is a few different sayings:

             "Discover the Unknown"

             "Be a Better You"

             "Venture All - See What Fate Brings"

             "Change the Future"

             "Imagine All You Can Be"

I am going to take these sayings and apply them to my everyday life!

4. Down the right side of the board I have a 100. This is to tell myself that I need to put 100% into everything I do in 2010.

5. Down the left side I have Trust. In the past few weeks I have had some minor freak outs about things that are going on in my life so this is to let me know that I need to Trust that everything is going to work out the way that it is meant to be.

6. Lastly you will see the Eiffel Tower and some other French items. I have these on here because I would like to use 2010 to travel abroad and Paris is the place at the top of my list!

Now that I have my Vision Board done I need to come up with an action plan of how I am going to get all of these goals accomplished. As I reach these goals I am going to check them off my list. I will update my blog each time I accomplish the goals!

Another Food Blog Entry

Last night I did my first meal after being inspired by Julie and Julia. I decided that I was going to wait and do a Julia Child recipe after I get my cook books, so I made Beef Stroganoff. The dinner was amazing and again I had no leftovers! After dinner was done I made cookies and we played the New Moon Game! Another great night!

My Plate! Yum!!

Cookies and Milk

The Game Set-Up

To see how I made the Beef Stroganoff check out the food blog! http://kwcooking.blogspot.com/

Happy 3rd Birthday Callie!!

Today my little puppy turns 3!! I can't believe that I have already had her for 3 years! She is the best puppy that I have ever had, and she is a lot of fun to be with. Below are some of my favorite pictures of Callie over the past 3 years!!

Callie's First Day Home! She was sooo little...

Awwww...

One of her first toys!

I think she likes the camera!

Looking a little sassy!!

My Little Gator Girl!

Aren't we cute!

She loves the beach!

I Love this picture!

Cute!

Yesterday Mom and I took a trip to Petsmart and bought her some new toys! Mom bought her a pack of 4 different squeaky toys and I bought her a squeaky birthday cupcake!! And today Callie gets to go to Petsmart and have a "spa day" and we also took her on a surprise road trip to Bruster's Ice Cream to get her a doggy sundae!! Happy Birthday Callie!

Callie and her B-Day Cupcake Toy!!

She likes her new toy!

Callie on her way to her Birthday Surprise!!

Callie's Birthday Ice Cream from Bruster's

Callie eating her Birthday Ice Cream!

Julie and Julia...

Last night Mom and I decided that we were going to watch the movie Julie and Julia. I figured that it was about time that we did, since I did get the DVD for Christmas. Watching that movie inspired me to amp up my cooking. As some of you know I have started a cooking blog, I have been very proud of the food I have made so far, but after watching the movie I decided that I am going to try to make some items that challenge my cooking skills. So after the movie was done last night I went on Barnes and Noble's website and proceeded to order the Mastering the Art of French Cooking and Mastering the Art of French Cooking 2. Let's just say that Mom is way excited that I am going to start cooking out of these books, when I get them!

Dear John..

Not too long ago I saw the preview for Dear John and told my Mom that it was a movie that I wanted to see. I then decided that before the movie came out I wanted to read the book because you never know what Nicholas Sparks is going to do. So far every Nicholas Sparks movie that I have seen has brought me to tears and this one is going to do that as well. I have finished the book in under 2 days and the book was amazing! I am not quite sure that I like the way it ends, but the book was still great! I can't wait for the movie to come out!! Feb. 5 is not that far away...

Beef and Chicken Enchiladas on the Food Blog!

Last night I made Beef and Chicken Enchilada's! All of the information aboutt how I made them is on the food blog!

http://kwcooking.blogspot.com/

First Food Blog Entry of the Year....Pan Fried Chicken!!

For 2010 one of my resolutions is to cook one new meal every week and document it on my food blog. For my first week of cooking I decided that I was going to make Pan Fried Chicken. There was some conflict over what was going to go with it, so I decided that we were going to have fettuccine and alfredo and rice and chicken gravy. The meal was so delicious that Mom, Brandon and I left nothing to have for leftovers!

Pan Fried Chicken

My plate... Fettuccine, Mushrooms, Chicken topped

with Alfredo Sauce and Vinter's White Wine.

To see how I made it please visit my food blog....http://kwcooking.blogspot.com/

Happy New Year!

As I am looking forward to what 2010 has in store for me, I want to share some of the fun times that I had in 2009!

*Valentine's Day 2009 - For our Valentine's Day Randy and I went to the Melting Pot and enjoyed an amazing 4 course dinner.

*Randy and I's Mini Vacation - Before Randy left for Michigan we took a little vacation. We stayed at my uncle's beach condo in Crescent Beach and hung out around St. Augustine and took a day trip to Orlando. It was a nice to spend that time together before he left!!

*WICKED!! - Mother's Day weekend I got tickets from work to go see the play Wicked! I was so excited to go because the book is one of my favorites and it is one of my favorite soundtracks! It was also nice because I got to go with a group of some of my favorite people.

*Friday's at 14th! - My and two of my best friends decided that over the summer we were going to go to the beach every Friday since we didn't work! It was so much fun, and it was a great escape from everything that had happend earlier in the week!!

*Trip to Seattle - In June I got to go visit my Dad and Sisters out in Seattle. I primarily went out there because my youngest sister, Alisha, was graduating. While I was there we went to Forks, WA which for thos of you who don't know is where the Twilight Saga is based. We went on a tour around the town and got to do a lot of really cool shopping! While we were there we went to Port Angeles, which is also part of the book! Everyone had a really good time and it was a great trip!!

Instead of posting all of my pictures from Forks, here is the video I made!

Dazzled By Twilight

*Trip to Detriot - In August I went to Detroit, MI to go see Randy. I was there for 3 days, which was too short, but it was a great trip. While I was there I got to see an amazing mall, which by far is my favorite mall that I have ever been to. We went and walked around a park, and he also took me to Downtown Detroit to see everything that was on the Riverwalk. I have a great time and I can't wait to go back!!

*I have a Nephew - In September a great friend of mine had a baby boy and I now have a nephew!

*Zoo Trip - Right before my birthday Christie and I took Brandon to the Zoo for the first time. He had never been to a zoo before, so it was great to see all the fun he had at the zoo!

*Birthday Week! - For my 26th Birthday Mom and I took a trip to Orlando. While we were there we did some shopping and just spent time having fun! This was definitely one of the best birthdays! Then when I came back me and all of my favorite met up for my Birthday Dinner at Cheesecake Factory!

*Mickey's Very Merry Christmas - I was very excited that we were going this year because we didn't have the time to go the past few years. We went to Mall at Millenia, Downtown Disney and then Magic Kingdom. We all had such a great time that we will have to do it again next year!

I wrote a letter to Santa!!

Cinderella and I

Me on the People Mover

The Castle with lights

Mickey's Premium Ice Cream Bar!!

A close view of the castle.

Mickey and Minnie

Happy and Doc

Me with Pooh and Eeyore

Decoration and Snow down Main Street!

*Christmas 2009 - Christmas was pretty typical this year, we did the annual Roadhouse get together on Christmas Eve, we did the Christmas Eve service at church and then Mom and I exchanged our gifts that night! Christmas morning Mom and I did stockings after we ate breakfast and then we got ready for the rest of the family to come over. When the family came over we decided to do presents first and then eat our dinner! It was another successful Christmas!!!

Nana and Honey's Christmas Tree

A view of some presents

Mine and Mom's presents to each other.

Mine, Callie's and Mom's stockings

Callie laying on her naughty shirt!

Falon and Josh got a Wii.

Kenny, Sydney, Josh and Falon

Mom's New TV

Me, Falon and Kenny gave this to Nana and Honey

My Christmas Dinner Plate!

Nana and Honey

*Bonfire- Christie had some Swedish friends that came to Jacksonville and we decided that we were going to give them a little taste of the South! Randy smoked ribs and turkey and we had mac and cheese, potato salad and a regular salad! We also introduced them to the world of smores! It was a great time!

We used Christmas Trees as Fire Wood

Ribs and Turkey!

Yummy!!

And the bonfire begins...

Nils having his first roasted marshmallow!

Everyone mingling!

Randy and I

I wanted to put a Christmas tree on the fire

I made it!

My tree on fire!

Randy and I again!

Chris, Adurady and Randy

Christie's turn to put a tree on!

Her flame!

2009 was a great year and I can't wait to see what 2010 has in store for me!! Let the new adventures begin!!