Sunday, January 22, 2012

Weekend Update with Recipes

This past weekend Daniel & I headed into Athens to spend some time with our families. We got in Friday night and were exhausted so we just chatted with Daniel's parents and brother and headed off to bed.

But on Saturday morning my mother in law, momma and I got up and did some thrift shopping at some garage sales/estate sales/thrifty stores. We found a few good things which mainly included fabric for some upcoming projects but the day was mostly just fun because we got to spend it together. After shopping we met up with the guys and had a little Mexican dinner at  one of the O'Neal favorites, Mercados.

We made it back after a little more shopping after lunch and soon got started on dinner where my mother in law and I tried a new spaghetti sauce recipe that turned out quite yummy! As always there were a few changes since we just used what we had on hand being a last minute meal.

First off, we halved everything in this recipe. It makes a lot. We used ground beef instead of sausage. Added some bell pepper with the onions. Used stewed tomatoes (because it's what we had). Italian seasoning instead of just basil. No brown sugar. And simmered for about 30 minutes. And everyone seemed to like it. :) 

Jo Mama's World Famous Spaghetti 
  • 1 small onion , chopped (optional) 
  • 2 lbs. Italian sausage 
  • 3 -4 garlic cloves , minced
  • 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
  • 2 cups water (for a long period of simmering for flavors to meld. If you don't want to simmer it as long, add less)
  • 3 teaspoons basil
  • 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
  1. In large, heavy stockpot, brown Italian sausage, breaking up as you stir.
  2. Add onions and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until onions are softened.
  3. Add garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce and water.
  4. Add basil, parsley, brown sugar, salt, crushed red pepper, and black pepper.
  5. Stir well and barely bring to a boil.
  6. Simmer on low, stirring frequently for at least an hour. A longer simmer makes for a better sauce.


Today we spend most of the day relaxing in Athens until Daniel and his Dad started working on trucks and chopping wood (such men, I love it :). Thanks to Daniel's parents we now have enough fire wood to last us through the winter. If we ever get one in Texas this year.

We made it back to Dallas and pulled into to our apartment and saw this little table just outside.Please excuse how frumpy our couch looks today, it needs a little fluffing.


But Daniel and I unloaded it (and all of our fire wood) from the truck and got the table all cleaned up to see it was from Pier 1, which means it was decently made and free. We'll take it! We weren't really looking/wanting a coffee table but it matched so nicely. We probably will sand it down (there are a few small chips in the wood on one side) and then re-finish it. But we like DIY projects around here, especially free ones.

We got settled back into the house and I started making manicotti, one of our favorite pasta dishes.
I use this recipe below and stick to it pretty closely. I do half the ricotta cheese and use fresh spinach and no parm cheese.

Ricotta & Spinach Stuffed Manicotti
  • 1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
  • 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 1/2 cup minced onion
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
  • 6 1/2 cups Classico® Tomato and Basil Sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 (8 ounce) package manicotti shells
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. In a large bowl, combine ricotta, spinach, onion and egg. Season with parsley, pepper and garlic powder. Mix in 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan. In a separate bowl, stir together pasta sauce and water.
  3. Spread 1 cup sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Stuff uncooked manicotti shells with ricotta mixture, and arrange in a single layer in the dish. Cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
  4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until noodles are soft.


Another recipe we tried earlier this week that we thought was AMAZING was Zucchini Rice Casserole! We left of the turkey sausage and kept it just a veggie meal and we used whole milk instead of low fat (we're whole milk drinkers at this house ;) We also used about half the cream cheese. We really LOVED this recipe! But I have to warn that it takes an incredible amount of time. I made it on a Sunday which was perfect. I wouldn't recommend it for weekdays.

Zucchini Rice Casserole

  • 1 1/2 cups long-grain brown rice
  • 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 4 cups diced zucchini , and/or summer squash (about 1 pound)
  • 2 red or green bell peppers, chopped
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups shredded pepper Jack cheese, divided
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) corn kernels
  • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 8 ounces turkey sausage, casings removed
  • 4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese , (Neufchâtel)
  • 1/4 cup chopped pickled jalapeños
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Pour rice into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bring broth to a simmer in a small saucepan. Stir hot broth into the rice along with zucchini (and/or squash), bell peppers, onion and salt. Cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, 35 to 45 minutes more.
  3. Meanwhile, whisk milk and flour in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until bubbling and thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add 1 1/2 cups Jack cheese and corn and cook, stirring, until the cheese is melted. Set aside.
  4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add sausage. Cook, stirring and breaking the sausage into small pieces with a spoon, until lightly browned and no longer pink, about 4 minutes.
  5. When the rice is done, stir in the sausage and cheese sauce. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Jack cheese on top and dollop cream cheese by the teaspoonful over the casserole. Top with jalapeños.
  6. Return the casserole to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.
I think those are all the 'new' recipes that were tried for dinner this week. Although, the manicotti isn't new. This week we have a few new recipes on the menu so we looking for them soon! Hope everyone has had a Happy Sunday!

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Recent Recipes

We're always cooking something up in our kitchen. We TRY our hardest to keep it healthy although slip ups happen from time to time. :)

I've added a few of the recipes we've tried recently and have enjoyed.

First off, I had seen the recipe for Earth Balls a while back on another blog and then when my friend Erin posted the recipe for them again recently I figured I needed to make up a batch and see what all the fuss was about. I like to think of them as a great little energy snack! The only change that I made to the recipe was to leave out the raisins and add in pecans.

 Earth Balls
1 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey OR maple syrup (I prefer honey)
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
 
Mix peanut butter, honey OR syrup and cocoa powder with mixer
Stir in raisins and half of the coconut
Chill for 1 hour, in separate bowl mix coconut and sunflower seeds together
Roll batter into small balls, then roll into coconut and sunflower seed
Keep chilled until you eat them
 
 
Any easy meal to make in the week that I got off of the Eating Well website is this recipe for Black Bean Quesadillas. Both Daniel and I really enjoyed these. We try to have two to three meatless dinners a week and this is an easy recipe to use. The only thing I changed was not using the oil.
 
Black Bean Quesadillas 
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed
1/2 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese, preferably pepper Jack
1/2 cup salsa
4 8-inch whole-wheat tortillas
2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
1 ripe avocado, diced
 
Combine beans, cheese and 1/4 cup salsa in a medium bowl. Place tortillas on a work surface. Spread 1/2 cup filling on half of each tortilla. Fold tortillas in half, pressing gently to flatten.
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 quesadillas and cook, turning once, until golden on both sides, 2 to 4 minutes total. Serve the quesadillas with avocado and the remaining salsa.
 
 
 This Pasta recipe below was also taken from Eating Well. I love Eating Well, Cooking Light & All Recipes websites since they list all of the nutrition facts and I can see exactly that is is I'm feeding us. Anyway, we really liked this pasta because it was so light. I find that "cream" pasta sauces are always too much/too rich for my taste. Daniel doesn't much care for them either. I made a few changes to the recipe. I added a little more whole wheat pasta (about 10oz), green bell pepper instead of red (but only because they were on sell at the farmer's market), I halved the amount of yogurt, and no pine nuts. The only thing I will do differently next time is leave out the peas and add in either some mushrooms or perhaps squash. We aren't pea lovers.

Creamy Garlic Pasta w/ Shrimp & Vegetables 
6 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
12 ounces peeled and deveined raw shrimp (see Note), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (see Tip; optional)
 
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook 2 minutes less than package directions. Add shrimp, asparagus, bell pepper and peas and cook until the pasta is tender and the shrimp are cooked, 2 to 4 minutes more. Drain well. Mash garlic and salt in a large bowl until a paste forms. Whisk in yogurt, parsley, lemon juice, oil and pepper. Add the pasta mixture and toss to coat. Serve sprinkled with pine nuts (if using).
 
 
There's nothing like a good stew in the crockpot! This is what we ate tonight with some cornbread! Delicious! I love making things that we both grew up eating (soups, stews, casseroles and such). I'm always working on finding a healthier way for us to do this though. Try finding casserole's without 'cream of something' soup in them. It's not an easy task. Anyway back to my point, this recipe uses spices from around the kitchen to go into the stew which makes me happy since I'm not a fan of buying the little stew/gravy/taco seasoning packet's. It turned out amazing! I always love something I can leave to cook while we are away enjoying our weekend! The only change made was using veggie broth instead of beef.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew 
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups beef broth
3 potatoes, diced
4 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped
  
Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery. 
Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours.
 
 
This Quinoa & Black Bean recipe has quickly become a favorite over the past few months in our home. It's another one of our meatless meals. We started replacing all of our meals that had called for rice with quinoa about that time after we did a little research on all health benefits of quinoa. Quinoa is a complete protein which is hard to find in plants and grains. There are MANY great things about it, I'd encourage you to do a little google search. :) It is more expensive than rice but I like to think of it as being "the meat" in your meal since it's a complete protein. Anyway.. we love this recipe! We eat it as the main dish instead of a side. We typically trade the frozen corn for fresh and use only one can of black beans.
 
Quinoa & Black Beans
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans
  
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, 
Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.


And the last recipe I'm gonna share for now is a new oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe. Sweet tooth is my middle name. And these are my favorite kind of cookies! I always change something with a recipe. Daniel always points out that I never just leave a recipe alone. I just like to add a little something extra to it. ;) With that said.... I used applesauce in place of the butter to take out a little of the fat. I halved the amount of sugar. And I used dark chocolate chips instead of semisweet. They turned out great and I'm glad I took out a little of the bad because they seemed to fly off the counter.
 
 Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup semisweet chocolate chip
 
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). 
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the quick oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. 
Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 
 
 
Like I have said, something is always cooking in the kitchen so I will try to post new recipes we try and like every couple weeks. Feel free to give them a try, they're O'Neal approved. :)
 
 

Monday, January 9, 2012

New Year, New Resolutions

I may be a couple weeks late on posting my resolutions for the new year but I want to put them in writing somewhere.

Church. Daniel and I have still yet to find a church here we like. We tried another one this past Sunday and it was just not a place we could see going back to. This seems to be the theme of our church going experiences lately. We have a few left that are close to home to try out so please say a quick prayer for us that we find our church home this coming year.

10k. We have had a membership at the YMCA here since October and have done a pretty good job at going consistently but I felt like I was up for a little bit of a physical challenge. I didn't want to commit to more than a 10k just yet, we will see how this first one goes. :)

CASA. I start my Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) training on the 18th of this month. If you've never heard of CASA, it's an organization that helps children who have been abused and neglected find the best environment for them to thrive in. As a CASA volunteer, I will be helping represent children and speaking up for them in courtrooms to get their needs met. I heard about this organization a couple years ago and have been wanting to become a volunteer since then. I'm so eager, nervous and anxious to begin. So my resolution is to do my best to help find these children the very best home.

Beach Vacation. Daniel and I have made a resolution to take at least two trips each year. One big trip and at least one weekend trip. We have decided that a beach vacation should always be in there somewhere.  That seems like the easiest resolution ever. :)

Here's to hoping that a year from now I will be able to cross all these things off of my "to-do list".

Sunday, January 8, 2012

I could have..

I could have written this post over four months ago but the truth is, I've been enjoying being with my husband entirely too much to worry about a blog.

We have settled into married life quite nicely and to say we love it is an understatement. There is nothing like spending everyday with your very best friend.

I don't have a lot to say in this particular post, I just wanted to share a few wedding photos. Most have already seen them, but these are some of the ones that I enjoy looking at. It is no where near ALL of the ones I love, since there are over 500 photos from the wedding it's hard not to have lots of favorites.


Stay tuned. Hopefully there will be more updates and posts on here shortly. There are lots of things that need to be changed/updated on this blog. After all, it is no longer just Victoria-ville. :) I'm taking suggestions for blog name changes!














Monday, September 12, 2011

Church Fail

So Daniel and I have been searching for a church home in the Dallas area now that we are all settled and that task has proved to be quite difficult. Perhaps it's because we attended the best church in the world, Cross Timbers in Denton. Boy do I feel dumb for not going absolutely EVERY Sunday no matter what and getting even more involved.

The church we tried last week reminded us a lot of church back home. Spending a lot of time talking about how you must be saved and how to prepare for life after this world. I know this is a big part of it. But when you already are saved you're ready to go out and help others. It was also the way the sermon was presented. We also went to the early service and might perhaps try the contemporary service and give it another go.

This weekend we tried another church. One that I had attended once years ago when I first moved to Denton. From the moment we stepped in the door I felt overwhelmed and got a sick feeling in my tummy. We found our seats in the 'ampitheater' I felt like I was at an opera house or a concert hall. And I could have been ok with that but I just felt uncomfortable. The worship began. Which is something I always look forward to. Then the singer belted out a Christina Aguilera song. I'm all about contemporary service and music but come on. Once the song was over the lead pastor stepped on stage and began to talk. Something about him just gave me a bad feeling in my gut. Another song started up and about halfway through I looked at Daniel with a wrinkled nose and my 'this is painful' face. He did the ole head turn to the door. I did a head nod 'yes' and we walked out before the worship was even over. As we walked through the doors Daniel said, "Thank you." And I said, "No problem. Sorry for making you dress up for nothing."

Maybe some will say we judged this church too soon and that we should have stuck it out. But our gut feeling was that we had to get out as soon as possible and an hour later would have been too long.

So our search continues for a 'Cross Timber-esque' church.

If you are currently at a church you love or know of one in the Dallas area, we'll take all the help we can get. :)

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Around the Corner

I have been an awful Bride-to-be blogger!!!! I cannot believe Daniel and I are getting married in just 3 short days! I don't know where the time has gone.

The planning is over and the getting it all done is actually here. We are very ready! We're ready for Saturday night to get here. We're ready to see all of our  family and friends and enjoy a great time afterward.

I can't wait to post the bridal pictures by our awesome photographer (Brynne Owen) and then very soon our wedding pictures!

After the wedding we'll get to enjoy a 'rest' day on Sunday before heading out to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands early Monday morning. We are having dreams of the beach and can't wait to do nothing but lay around, eat and drink. I can't imagine not taking a honeymoon right after your wedding, it feels like we deserve it after all this planning! ;)

So wish us luck that everything goes somewhat according to plan. Although, I don't even feel like stressing about it. As long as we're there at that chapel ready to say, "I do" I'm not sure what else there is to worry about. :)

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Recent Happenings

Much has happened lately and we have been very very busy. But of course nothing could ever be bad if these ladies are around. We always have a great time together and I'm glad I got to spend my 25th birthday with each and every one of them.

 We spent the day at Sneaky Pete's enjoying the outdoors and then had a cookout at Jenny & Claude's where I enjoyed meat for the first time in over 10 months. It was delish. ;)

After dinner the storms kept us from venturing to Fort Worth to celebrate a friends birthday so we stayed in and Erin Tobin, Daniel & I decided to play Wineopoly. Never again will we play regular Monopoly, who wouldn't love to play a came that has you "cheers" as you pass go. It's definitely our new favorite game.

 Princess turned one on the 26th of April and sadly this is the only photo I have from the party. :( I wanted more pictures of her in her tutu I made her but it's hard to get a one year old to sit still and plus cupcakes and presents are much more fun than cameras. She got spoiled of course, and I wouldn't have it any other way. :)
 At the request of Erin, I made Kinley's birthday cupcakes. We thought they came out pretty cute and watched the color scheme perfectly. :)

 If you've known me over the past 10 years you've seen this bad boy. Yep, after 10 years with the red wagon, we have parted ways. It was a bittersweet moment but we sold it to a dear dear friend and will still get to see it regularly, so I really can't complain. Especially when we got this last week.....

We got a new Cruze last Wednesday and have been ridiculously impressed by the gas mileage. We've gotten it up to 44 mpg even those it's been averaging over 35 most of the time. This is a huge difference from our trucks with their 17 to 18 mpg. Yeh, you could say we're totally stoked!

And lastly, we are searching for our new home at this very minute. Classes are officially over today, for good. Daniel will still be taking classes through the summer but online. With him working in Dallas and me interviewing for jobs in Dallas, it's no secret where we will be heading. We are looking to be in a new place hopefully by the first of June but no later than the middle of June. We are loving the Lakewood/White Rock Lake area and have concentrated our search there. Please pray for us that all these new changes go smoothly. Finding a new home and the entire moving process is never fun, but the end result is. So I look forward to getting past this next month and having a new home!

In wedding news, Save the Dates are out! The dress came in! Invites are ordered! Showers are being planned! Registry's are done! And there are officially 108 days until "We do!" :)

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

1st Sale

I sold this little number yesterday on Etsy to make it my very first sale!


I was overjoyed to say the least.

So I packaged it up and sent it all the way to New York this morning. Daniel and I think it's pretty cool that a little New Yorker baby will be modeling something that I made right here in my very own home. ;)

I hope it's the first of many more sales to come because I'm loving every minute of getting to make these sweet little outfits for wee ones. :)

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Overall Charm - ETSY SHOP

Well, after much thought, I've started an Etsy shop online. I've been wanting to do it for a long time and I'm not sure why I didn't. I think it was because I had a job.

It's so hard to get started on Etsy, your competition is steep. So I've also decided to post on my blog about new items that I make. Daniel and I have also talked about me getting a spot at the McKinney Trade Days come May. (I still need to make lots of inventory otherwise I'd do it in a couple of weeks.)

My shop consists of mostly baby goods. One of a kind dresses, overall, tops, bibs and such. I will also be making tutu's, after making one for Kinley's birthday I've decided to give them a go. I'm going to concentrate on baby and children for a little while and then start tackling home goods once I see where this all goes.

The main thing that is different about my shop is that instead of purchasing fabric from places like JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby or some place like that, I spend my time searching for different and unique fabrics at vintage and resale shops. All items are upcycled to keep my shop more environmentally friendly.

So here are the items I have up on my shop so far. It's not much yet, but I will be adding items almost daily. So if you are interested or know someone who would be interested in purchasing please pass along the word. I do custom orders on everything so just ask. :)


This upcycled dress was made out a skirt. This style is called the Amalie dress. My favorite part is definitely the keyhole back


These overalls were purchased at a resale shop and I added a little cuteness to them. This style is called the Ryla Overall.


Visit  http://www.etsy.com/shop/OverallCharm?ref=pr_shop_more or go to Etsy and type in Overall Charm at the top of the search bar. It will take you to my shop, Overall Charm. Keep checking back if you're interested, many new items to come soon. :)

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

A Few Engagements...or 20

I can't say thanks to our photographer Brynne Owen enough for the moments she captured of Daniel and I.

Daniel and I had been going a little back and forth before our engagement shoot. When I told him we were having engagement pictures taken he said, "Oh the one for the newspaper." I said, "Yes."

About a week passed and I told him a few ideas I had about our pictures and I was trying to decide which outfits to wear. He said, "Outfits. I thought we were only taking one picture."

I realized I might should have explained things a little better.

But after he got over the initial shock that it wasn't just one picture we started looking at other engagement pictures online. We decided that we didn't want pictures that looked exactly like everyone elses. Daniel was more worried about this than I was I think. But after doing lots of looking and thinking about what it is we wanted out of our photos, we talked with our amazing photographer and she said it all sounded great!

And here are a few (like 20) of my favorites.... ;)


 We shot the bus pictures at Daniel's grandpa's land. Daniel's grandpa passed away a few years back but I think it's a fun way to let a piece of him live on. Daniel and his brothers along with cousins used to play in this bus when they were kids. I also learned that when it snowed the whole family would go sledding on the hood of this bus because they could all fit while someone pulled them behind a truck. Such fun memories! I'm glad we can always have a piece of that hanging in our living room.













Like I said, we wanted something different and we wanted something fun. We knew that a lot of pictures are posed which still come out as gorgeous pictures but we also wanted something a little more candid. Something to capture our true smiles, laughter and happiness that we get to see on each other everyday. I'm in love with a man that makes my heart jump everyday that I'm with him. I'm in love with a man that makes me want to shout out how wonderful it feels to be in love. And I'm in love with a man who feels exactly the same way about me, and we want the world to see how great it is to love one another unconditionally. And how you're never to old to have.....a water balloon fight. ;)









Thanks again to our photographer Brynne, we can't wait to have you capture the rest of our wedding journey. Another thanks to our parents for all their help as well, we couldn't do it without you guys!