Destination: Dallas

We are leaving on another road trip tonight and I can't wait!

Tomorrow we will be attending the Cotton Bowl to cheer on our Arkansas Razorbacks as they take on Kansas State.

I am so excited! We weren't able to go to the Sugar Bowl last year so this is definitely a treat.  Plus we are going to Dallas, which is a super fun place to go.  And the game is being held at Cowboys Stadium, which is ridiculously awesome!

Football, fans, fun: I can't ask for anything more.  Plus, the weather should be really nice in the 60s and 70s.  While we're there, I'm sure we will do some good eating, shopping, and maybe even go the zoo.  I love zoos and we haven't been to the one in Dallas yet.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend.  I know I will.  Hopefully, we will come out with a win, but even if we don't it will be a fun trip!

Recipe: Circle Fries

I finally got all the Christmas decorations down last night.  It seemed to take forever, but I'm glad it's over and everything is back in it's place.  By the time it was done I was ready for dinner.  I had some leftover pulled pork for a sandwich, but I wanted something to go with it.  I don't know about you, but most of the time when I have a sandwich I crave fries to go with it.  I know fries are not the healthiest thing, but I really wanted some.  I have been wanting to try a recipe for Circle Fries that I found over on Our Front Door so I decided to give them a try last night.  Boy, I'm so glad I did.  They are delicious and a lot healthier than typical fries since they are baked.

Here is what you need:



potatoes (any that you like)
cooking spray
salt (I used Lawry's)

Wash and slice the potatoes in pieces about a quarter inch thick.



Place the slices on a cookie sheet or stoneware.

Spray potatoes with cooking spray.  Flip slices over and spray the other side with cooking spray.  Sprinkle with salt.



Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes until tender and brown.



Enjoy!

Holidays and Friends: More Alike Than You Think

Today is the last day of Christmas Vacation. Hubby returns to school (Yesterday turned out to be part of Christmas Break, which he didn't know until after he drove to school. The online calendar was wrong.) and I am leaving to Northwest Arkansas.  My afternoon will be spent putting away Christmas decorations, which is never as fun as putting them up.

Tomorrow I return to work for a professional development day, and the students start back on Thursday.  They'll be there without me, though.  Thursday, we are heading to Dallas to root for our Razorbacks in the Cotton Bowl.

It's sad to leave the holidays behind us.  It is such a busy season that I know I don't really take the time to stop and enjoy them until they are gone.  We work so hard on the decorating, cooking, and gift buying that we don't always stop to enjoy the moment and reflect on the meaning of the season.  I am trying to be more conscious of that.

These thoughts brings friendship to mind.  There are friendships I have that used to be so much stronger and closer.  I didn't take the time to relish and nurture them like I should have.  These friendships have suffered because I got so into the busyness of life that I didn't stop and appreciate what I had.  There was marriage, babies, and jobs that got in the way.  Friendships take time and energy.

Some friendships became hard for me, not because of fights or any other trauma, but because of jealousy.  It's an issue I have struggled with.  Instead of trusting God and his plan for me, I was (and still am at times) jealous of what my friends had: house, job, marriage, kids.  So I chose to distance myself rather than work on the problem through prayer.

So while the holidays are over for another year, I don't want to distance myself from friends for another year.  While we may not be close (physically or in a friendship sense), I choose to let the jealousy go and relish my friends.  I know they are still my friends and would love to heal our bonds.  I am choosing to trust in God and his plan for my life!

How We Celebrated

After a busy holiday season full of travel, we spent New Year's Day at home unwinding and recuperating. Hubby heads back to work today so we needed the down time. We enjoyed a home-cooked meal that may seem more traditional for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but it was perfect for us. Since we spent Thanksgiving in Chicago and Christmas at Disney World this was our chance to have our favorite holiday food: fried turkey.

Here is hubby getting the bird in the frier.



My mom also whipped up some of our other favorites including dressing, noodles, peas in cream sauce, cranberry sauce (that was from a can, but it's still one of my favorites), and a fruit salad.  She also made the best part, candy bar pie for dessert.  Yummy!  No ham or black-eyed peas for us, but perfect just the same.

Here is our spread.



The afternoon was spent on lesson plans and football for hubby.  I did my lesson plans, caught up of Facebook and some blogs, and of course had to get my Pinterest fix.

It didn't seem like New Year's Day without the Rose Parade and bowl games, but I 'll get to enjoy those today.  I don't have to head back to work until Wednesday so I have a couple more days off to enjoy.  Tomorrow I'll head back to NWA and begin tackling the Christmas decorations.  Wish me luck!

Looking Ahead

I have been very sporadic about posting on the old bloggy and I ask myself why.  I think it's because I have been trying to figure out what kind of blog I wanted it to be.

Did I want it to be about the daily happenings in our life?

Did I want it to be about the thoughts swirling in my head?

Did I want to write stuff that would get readers?

Did I want to talk about our travels?

Did I want to write about the fun, new recipes I tried out?

The answer to all of those questions is yes.  I have been so busy worried about what kind of posts I wanted to include that I just pretty much quit posting altogether.  I have come to realize that my blog isn't going to be just like any of the blogs I read.  I'm not just like any of those people.  I tried to hide who I was to be like others.  That shouldn't be my goal.

I am a wife, daughter, teacher, traveler, foodie.  Most of the blogs I read are by mothers.  That's fantastic!  I can't wait to be a mother, but that's not who I am yet.  I love reading about their experiences because I know it offers me insight to things I will be encountering in the future (hopefully, not too far off).  In the meantime, I want to make this blog what the title says it is: a journal.  Journals can include all sorts of things.  It can be about what's going on in our life.  It can be about my thoughts, hopes, dreams, sadnesses. It can be about where I have been or where I am going.

I am going to stop trying to pigeon-hole this blog and make it mine in this new year.

Speaking of new year, my resolution for the new year is: TRUST!

I'm not talking about trust in humans, I want to fully put all my trust in God.  I want to slow down and listen to what he is telling me and guiding me to do.  I think this path will relieve a lot of the stress and worries that I put on myself.  This trust will hopefully lead me to a more peaceful and serene life.

I hope everyone has a blessed 2012!