Do You Have Your Tickets?...to the GUN SHOW!

So these pictures are actually a couple months old, but I just barely got them from my friend Britney. A while back, TJ and I went out near Peralta Trail with our friends David and Britney, had a little fire, and shot some guns. I have no idea what kind of guns we had (they were David's) but I'm sure if we ask TJ he will be able to tell us all about themTJ giving me a few pointers

"No, silly, don't shoot the ground!"

He's aiming for a jug of water...

And he was victorious!

Is there anything sexier than a man holding a huge gun?

Bono for President('s Day!)

Monday night, TJ and I went to see U2: 3D at the IMAX Theater. Let me tell you, it was one of the coolest things TJ and I have ever done (you know, besides getting married and stuff!). The movie was seriously just a U2 concert that was filmed in Argentina. For 90 minutes, it was like Bono was singing to me! Seeing it in 3D really made you feel like you were there...without all the hot, sweaty bodies jumping and pushing you around. So if you are looking for something way cool to go do, go check this movie out. You will love it!

Going Quad Crazy!

My sister's husband's brother and his fiance came into town yesterday to visit and we needed to show them a good time. So we loaded up the quads, grabbed some food, and headed up to Saguaro Lake to go riding. We were expecting the day to be nice and sunny, but we didn't let the overcast sky and cool air deter us at all.

With only 2 quads and 11 people, we were able to fill in any down time with card games.

Amy enjoyed her first quad ride for about 10 seconds...before she started screaming!

Wow, looking good!

Daddy showing off his mad quad-riding skills

The West Side Quad Riders

"We are having so much fun!"

On Valentine's Day and Why I Love My Dad...

So I have to start by telling everyone about my amazing father! My daddy is one of my favorite people for many reasons. He is funny, tough, kind, and patient...and he has been able to survive 25 years surrounded by all the girls in our family! So why am I starting my Valentine's Day post by talking about my dad? Answer: Because my dad made this Valentine's so special by taking us (me, TJ, Lindsey, Mike, Mom) to the Melting Pot! Let me tell you, if you have not been to the Melting Pot you seriously have to go. It was literally over 3 hours of straight eating...and we all know I love eating! And since I know you all care so much, I documented our evening of eating for you! It all started with the cheese course. We got to choose 2 different kinds of cheeses...one was a yummy cheddar and the other (my favorite) was Swiss with salmon pieces mixed in. We were literally scraping the sides of the pot! After a delicious second course of strawberry and walnut salad, it was time for the meat. The plate that TJ and I chose was so great...lobster, prawns, raspberry glazed chicken, and balsamic marinated filet mignon. We had two different cooking styles, one was burgandy wine with mushrooms and the other was a Caribean/citrus flavor. We made sure to eat it all! Then came my favorite course...dessert! We had one pot of dark and one pot of milk chocolate. I don't know which was my favorite...they were both so delicious! And the dippers...oooh, we had cheesecake, pound cake, brownies, strawberries, bananas, marshmallows. The best was the brownies, because that was chocolate on chocolate...can't go wrong with that! Aside from all the tasty food, I think my favorite part of the evening was being able to dress up. TJ let me go buy a new dress for this special night, and I am officially in love with my new dress. It was so great to dress up, go to a fancy restaurant, and spend a night laughing with my family and eating wonderful food! And that, my friends, are my thoughts on Valentine's Day and Why I Love my Father.

Iron Chef Challenge: Legumes

Yes, the Iron Chef cooking challenge is still on...I have just been lazy/busy these last couple of weeks so I haven't had time to try any new recipes. But, I vowed to get back in the game with this weeks secret ingredient: legumes. Since I could use any kind of legume (bean) I wanted to, it took me a while to decide on which recipe I wanted to try. Finally, I found this yummy recipe:

Black Bean & Rice Tostada

1 cup instant white rice, uncooked
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
1 package Taco Seasoning
corn tortillas
toppings: shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa
(**I added cooked ground beef to appease my husband's need for meat!)

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Spray both sides of Tortillas with cooking spray; place in single layer on baking sheet. Bake 10 min. or until crisp and lightly browned.
MEANWHILE, cook rice in large saucepan as directed on package. Add beans, corn and Seasoning Mix (and ground beef if you want it!); mix well. Cook 5 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
TOP tortillas with rice mixture and any toppings you choose!

TJ and I loved this recipe. This recipe makes a lot so we have a ton of leftovers...which will taste so delicious in burritos, soft tacos, or even more tostadas! As you can tell from the picture, my taste tester TJ really loved it (and he also needs a haircut!). Try my recipe and see if you love it as much as we did!

I've been tagged!

My sister Calli "tagged" me, so here it goes:
A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning
B. Each player answers the questions about themselves
C. At the end of the post, the player tags 4 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they are tagged.

10 years ago I was:
In seventh grade at Taylor Jr. High School. Ugh, remember how awesome we all looked at that age! That year I had amazingly awesome friends, decided I wanted to marry Tyler Shumway, and had absolutely no cares in the world. I miss seventh grade...

5 things on my 'to do' list today:
1. Write next week's lesson plans
2. Grade the math and spelling tests
3. Pick up medicine at Walgreens
4. Visit TJ's grandpa
5. Tell TJ I love him

Things I would do if I became a billionaire:
This is actually very tricky because if TJ finds out that I am now a billionaire, he will make me invest it and put the money away to earn interest (and most likely in an overseas bank!) However, if I could do whatever I want to without having to tell TJ about it...I would go shopping. Clothes, shoes, car, house...of course I will donate a good amount of my cash to the Church and other worthwhile charities! I would give TJ a fair amount of the cash to follow his dreams, 'cause when TJ is happy I am happy! Yeah, I could have a lot of fun with that kind of money...

3 of my bad habits:
1. Correcting people's grammer...it drives TJ (and I'm sure everyone else) crazy! Funner is not a word! These ones and those ones are double plurals...stop saying them!
2. Biting my nails...that seems like such a childish habit, I know, but I seriously have a problem!
3. Grinding my teeth...according to TJ I grind my teeth in my sleep. Apparently it is so loud that it keeps him awake at night!

5 places I've lived:
1. Mesa, AZ...for almost 18 years!
2. Gilbert, AZ...just one year at the grandparent's house
3. Gilbert, AZ...mom and dad's new house
4. Mesa, AZ...mine and TJ's first apartment
5. Chandler, AZ...my current abode!

5 jobs I've had:
1. Zakly Department Store
2. As Is Fashions
3. eBodega Sales
4. Heliocol Green Energy
5. Imagine my future position as a teacher!

Something most people don't know about me:
I'm slightly OCD... I cannot go to bed unless all the closet doors are shut, I cannot walk out of the house without double checking that every single light is off, I cannot get into bed if the sheets are twisted, I overanalyze most decisions I have to make, and I cannot make a decision about anything!

And I'm going to tag:
1. Lindsey
2. Karisa
3. Teresa
4. Karyn

15 Minutes of Fame

Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that my adorable hubby has been heavily involved with the Mitt Romney campaign. When working the political scene, TJ is definitely in his element...and TJ's participation in the Romney campaign has given me a glimpse of our future! Monday and Tuesday TJ was out all night doing what needed to be done for the campaign here in Arizona. At each event, the press has made an appearance and TJ was interviewed several times! Monday night you could have caught TJ on channels 3, 5, 10, and 12! And just last night TJ was on Channel 3 again after the results of the Arizona primary came in. Check out the link below to see TJ in action!

http://www.azfamily.com/video/localnews-index.html?nvid=215189

SUPER Super Bowl!

Last night was our SUPER Super Bowl party and it was fantabulous! However, I got caught up in the game so I totally forgot to take pictures (what kind of a blogger am I!?) so I will try to paint a picture with my words.

To start off, we invited way too many people! We love hanging out with all of our friends and we were so excited to have everyone show up...but there was pretty much standing room only. Our apartment is bigger than our first one, but it certainly isn't massive. So at one point in the evening, there was 17 people crammed into my front room. Six of us were crammed onto the couch, 7 people were sitting on folding chairs lining the walls (I think one person was pretty much sitting in the kitchen!) and the rest were sprawled on the floor.

The best part about having so many people come over had to be the massive amounts of food everyone brought over. We had cheese dip, bean dip, crab dip, brownies, pigs in a blanket, sub sandwiches, tons of chips, and plently of other goodies. We were eating throughout the game, making sure to pace ourselves so we didn't stuff ourselves before the first quarter was over!

Of course, I can't really post about a Super Bowl party without taking about the Super Bowl game we were watching. What really made the game fun to watch was half of our group was rooting for the Patriots and the other half was cheering for the Giants. After each play we were cheering and yelling...especially in the fourth quarter when things were extremely close!

To make my long post a little bit longer, I must say that if you missed out on our SUPER Super Bowl party you really need to make sure to make it to our next bash! Even though our house isn't the biggest, we love to fill it with friends, fun, and laughter. We love having friends over, whether it be for a game night or just to chat. So come on over!

Blitz for Mitt

Okay, since the primary is so close (Feb 5 in case you didn't know) today was a fun filled day of campaigning. There were about 10 "Walk for Mitt" events planned today, as well as a huge "sign hanging" movement. Unfortunately, people were more apt to go to the Gilbert Walk for Mitt event rather than the Tempe Walk for Mitt event so Summer and I had to create our own fun.

The sign pretty much says it all!

"I am so excited to Walk for Mitt!!"

This picture is so much better if you zoom in!