Crab Stack

T-5 days until summer school is over! It honestly hasn't been that bad...except for Physics. I am taking an English and Physics class during summer this year to get ahead. I have been putting off this Physics class since I entered college for one simple reason: I strongly dislike science. It has never been more clear to me now that I was not born to be a Physicist.

Needless to say after a stressful week of trying to understand Physics I was so excited when I recieved a call on Friday that my monogrammed swimsuit bottoms were ready! Clint and I are having our engagement party on the river, so I decided that I wanted to monogram a pair of my bikini bottoms for the occasion. They turned out fabulous!

Also on Friday Clint made our favorite appetizer from Saltgrass Steakhouse at home! We have a good friend that works there, Kaitlin, and everytime we eat there we always have to order a Crab Stack. It is so good! It's a $15 appetizer at the restaurant so since we love it so much Clint decided to try and make it himself. It turned out so good and it was relatively easy.

Clint's Crab Stack

-3 avocados
-Pico de gallo
-Lump crab meat
-French's French Fried Onions

1. Make a cylinder funnel out of computer paper and tape it together.
2. Place it on a plate
3. Peel and slice the avocados into tiny cubes and place at the bottom of the funnel
4. Cut up the crab meat and place on top of avocados
5. Add pico de gallo (as much or as little as you like)
6. Top with French's french fried onions
7. Slowly remove the cylinder so all the ingredients are stacked ontop of one another
8. Enjoy with chips!

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Double Date Night

Yesterday was jam packed with activities since 10:00am! Well the beginning of the day was not too exciting due to the fact that I spent it at summer school. Thankfully next week is our last week!:) I am so excited.

My mom, brother Cole, and his friend Adam drove down from Houston on Thursday. My mom and I drove to South Austin to try on wedding dresses while Clint took the boys to show them around Texas State. He is trying to convince Adam to come here on a football scholarship! (Do it Adam!!)

Meanwhile my mom and I had absolutely no luck at David's Bridal. The dresses were all beautiful but none of them really jumped out at me as "the" one. Once we were done we decided to eat dinner at one of our favorite places to eat together, La Madeline! I ordered an amazing cup of tomato basil soup, ceasar salad and pasta salad. It was so good! I could eat their tomato basil soup every night!

After dinner my mom and I headed back to the apartment to meet the boys. After a long day everyone decided to sit around the couch and watch "Swamp People". I had never seen the show before but was intrigued. It follows the lives of families that catch alligators and live on swamps. The best part of the show is the people. They are hilarious.

Look at how focused everyone is on the show, haha. Can you spot the two furry babies?

After that amazing display of intellectual television we all decided it was time to call it a night.

The next morning after class my mom, Clint, Cole and Adam picked my up and we headed straight to New Braunfels to float the Comal River. It took us close to an hour to find a parking spot! It was crazy. We thought we could beat the system and parked in the Schlitterbahn parking lot, but we got kicked out:/ After finally finding a place to park we blew up our toobs and headed to the river!

We enjoyed relaxing on the river and soaking up the sun, but when we got home I realized how tired being outside all day makes me. But then Clint informed me that he had planned a surprise double date with our friends Grant and Christi so there was no time to rest! I was immediately excited 1. Because I LOVE doubling with Christi and Grant because they are hilarious and awesome. 2. I love surprises!!

Our surprise double date took us to the Corral Theater in Wimberley which is an outdoor movie theater that shows movies under the stars!

We were under the impression that the Corral Theater was picnic style. So Clint and Grant had packed blankets and tons of pillows for us to lay out on on "their huge grassy field" as Clint thought. We were definitely wrong but it was still so much fun! We saw the premiere of Cars 2 so we were surrounded by tons and tons of precious little kids who were so excited to see Lightning McQueen!

We had so much fun! I loved how I could look up at anytime during the movie and see so many beautiful stars! Clint did such a great job planning this double date:)

Dress Coma

Wow it is so hot outside today! Gotta love that Texas heat. Clint and I decided it would be the perfect day to lay out by the pool. As he was getting ready I noticed that Bo and Belle were looking especially precious this morning. I grabbed my camera and attempted to use them as models for a "photo shoot" of some sort. I tried to get on their level by laying on the ground but I think they just thought that I wanted to play with them because they would just attack my face with kisses. I did manage to get some cute ones so here are Bo and Belle's modeling debut on my blog:

"Are you looking at me?"

Hard to Get

"This is my Derek Zoolander face"

Big ears are all the rage this season

"Hi"

"Don't Worry, Be Happy"

Haha ok now on to something actually productive. I am currently stressing out to the max about my wedding dress! Two days ago my mom recieved a phone call from our consultant at Alfred Angelo, Pickles (yes that is her name) and she informed us that their particular store was relocating so all of the dress are 50% off. We jumped on the opportunity and I drove to Houston to go and try on the dress I had in my mind that I wanted. The only catch was you have to buy it off the rack as is. However, the dress I wanted was in great condition and was my size and would only little minimal altering. It sounded perfect!

But...

I put on the dress and decided it wasn't "THE" dress anymore. EEEEK! Back to the drawing board! My mom, Allie, Clint's mom and Laura, my future sister-in-law were all there with me and I had to start from scratch trying on new dresses. I almost went into full-on panic mode. I was ready for this huge stress to be lifted but now it was back!

However, the best part is I enjoy trying on dresses so its fun for me. I am just ready to know which one will be my dress! My mom and everyone laugh at me because all of my favorite dresses are complete opposites. They literally have nothing in common. One is very couture, one is classic and elegant and one if fun and flirty. I really don't have a preference, I just want it to look great!

So after 3 hours of trying on dresses my head was spinning. We decided to call it a night and head home. Ever since then my mom has been emailing me countless dresses to look at. I probably have about 30 saved on my computer! I am definitley in a dress coma. Oh and guess what!? My mom is driving in from Houston as we speak so we can go try on some more! This time we are expanding our horizons and tackling David's Bridal!

Wish me luck that I will have a dress soon!

Lions, Tigers and Bears Oh My!

So sorry for being M.I.A. the last couple of days, I have been crazy busy/sick.

I had an amazing Father's Day weekend with my awesome dad! We woke up on Sunday and wanted to do something fun so we decided to all pack up and head to the Houston Zoo. I don't know what it is about the zoo, but while I was there I felt like I was trasported back to my 10 year old self. It was so much fun to feel like a kid again! I think Clint and my brother Cole felt the same way because they were running around every where screaming how "awesome" the apes were. One in particular was truly amazing. I don't remember what kind of monkey it was but it was HUGE and hairy. He was posing for pictures and then walked over to the glass window and put his face right up against the face of a little boy. Then if that wasn't cool enough he put his hand against the glass to the little boys. It was like a scene from a movie! This was the only picture I could get on my phone, I was so flabergasted I couldn't pull out my phone fast enough.

After that experience I decided that I wanted a pet monkey. But I want one that stays small and drinks out of a bottle lol. And of course one whose hair always sticks straight up :)

After the monkey-business (haha get it) we went the the reptile house. Now, if you don't know me very well then you don't know that my parents using have to guide me through this particular part of the zoo because I close my eyes the entire time. This would happen from ages 4-15....well at age 21 this time was no different. I am deathly afraid of snakes, I'm not even sure why God created them, I'm sure there is a good reason but I just can't seem to see why. I tried to suck it up and be brave and put on a brave face since my fiance was there and I didn't want him to think I was a complete wuss. The first thing you see when you walk in is an albino crocodile. It was so cool! He had been living there for 10 years and was the coolest looking thing I had ever seen. The lighting + my camera didn't give this croc's picture justice but if you are ever in Houston, you have to go to the zoo and see him! After this I looked in the next window and saw a viper or python of some sort and bolted. So that was the end of the Reptile House for me.

By 4:00 the heat was kicking in and we decided it was probably time to go.

The next day Cole had a 7 on 7 game and I got to endure the Houston heat again from 9-1. But it was worth it because look how adorable this picture is of my brother and the coach, also known as my dad!

After the game Clint and I headed to the mall to pick up a couple things and I spotted more cuteness in the form of this couple.

Ahh they made my day! Clint and I followed them for a good 2 minutes just smiling at the sight of them (yes we felt very creepy).

Okay here is one last adorable picture. I begged Clint to let me buy it but he wasn't feeling it. We took Bo and Belle to PetSmart to get them out of the house while the exterminator came (we are currently have an ant problem) and we found this little baby and had to put Bo in it!

I will leave ya'll with that:) Have a great Wednesday!

Meatball Subs and a Surprise

If you read my blog yesterday you know that Hillary and I were attempting to make meatball subs for dinner last night. Well there were amazing! We are seriously considering opening up a restaurant;) They were incredibly easy to make and tasted like heaven! Here is what we did:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

We combined 1/2 pound lean ground beef in a bowl with
-3 tablespoons egg whites
-1 cup Italian bread crumbs
-1/2 cup onions chopped finely
-1 teaspoon minced garlic
-2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
-2 pinches of ground parsley
-1/4 cup Parmigiano cheese
-Sprinkle course salt and pepper

1. Mix everything together so all the ingredients are mixed together well.

2. Form the meat into balls and place them on a baking sheet ontop of foil.

3. Bake the meatballs for 11-12 minutes or until the edges of the meatballs are a golden brown.

If you are feeling really adventurous you can make homemade marinara sauce. We, however, used Prego!

After we warmed up the sauce all we had to do was construct our sub and sprinkle on some shredded mozerella cheese and we were good to go!

I knew it was going to be good because the aroma in the kitchen smelled like an italian restaurant and Bo was drooling! I wish I could of given him some of the meatballs but he is on a strict no protein diet..poor baby:(

So needless to say dinner was a success! Now today was kind of rocky. I had a physics exam that almost made my brain explode. I stayed up almost all night studying for it as well as waking up this morning at 7am to begin to review some more. It was a rough morning! The exam went okay, there were definitely some tricky questions but there were also some I knew which was a good feeling. The best part of my day was when I walked into our apartment and was greeted with this...

:):) I love you Clint! He is the absolute best! I love surprises and flowers and when they are wrapped up in one, well you can't get much better than that! Look how beautiful they are! They were even accompanied with a special love note which has definitely made my week!

Clint, if you are reading this at work (on your break of course) thank you for being so thoughtful today! You made me smile so big when I walked in the door! You can always turn my day around from good to GREAT! I love you xoxo

Yay for tomorrow being Friday!

Anyone have any big Father's Day plans?

Thank you Texas State!

Starting August 1st, Texas State will become a completely smoke-free zone! I am so excited to finally be able to walk across campus and not accidently walk into a cloud of smoke. It is so funny because we have distinguished "smoke-free" zones located in the breeze way of the library but it seems that those are the places that the smokers tend to gather the most! I really hope that they enforce the new rule by having the entire campus become smoke-free so we can all start to breathe a little easier!

Yahoo!!

Currently Hillary and I are attempting to make home-made meatball subs. We are trying to become more "domestic" and have been trying new recipes. So far our greatest success has been our eclairs we made from SCRATCH! We are extremely proud. Even though they look like deformed fingers they tasted like heaven.

If our meatball subs turn out I will post a picture and recipe tomorrow:) Well for now I am going to try and study for my physics exam while I cuddle with this pretty lady by my side!

See ya'll tomorrow!

Harry Potter Confessions

So I found out today that there are only 30 days left until the final Harry Potter movie comes out, eek! Both Clint and I are extreme Harry Potter fans, and I mean extreme.

But first, on a sad note(sorta) I read today on E online that Hugh Hefner and his fiance Crystal Harris broke up just 5 days before she was supposed to walk down the aisle! Ouch! Now who could of seen this one coming? My guess would of been the 60 year age difference but that's just me.

No but really I feel bad for him. He should of stuck with Holly Madison! Did anyone else out there love The Girls Next Door?

Alrighty back on a happy note,do I have any muggles out there who are both equally happy and sad about the final Harry Potter film? I have been a fanatic since the first book came out way back in the 90's. I know that everyone says that the books are better than the movies, and usually its true, but in the case of Harry Potter I am obsessed with BOTH!

So are you ready to know how hardcore Clint and I are? Back in December we road-tripped it up with our good friends Adam and Scottie to Orlando to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! It was magical.

That's us with Hogwarts behind us. I know for a fact that if it wasn't so expensive we would get married in that very spot.

Alright, now that I have unleashed my inner nerd into the world I think I am going to finish making dinner since Clint is about to be home from work!

What is something you are obsessed with that brings out your inner nerd? Leave a comment below!

Bridal Extravaganza

It has definitely been a great weekend! My mom and Allie got into town last night around 7 and we decided to go eat dinner at Saltgrass Steakhouse, which was delicious. We met up with Ashley and her boyfriend Matt(who is a sweetheart!). We sat outside on the patio by the river and enjoyed our meals alongside the beautiful view and perfect weather.

After an early night in I awoke bright and early full of excitement for the day to come! My mom, Allie and I headed out to pick up Ashley and set out for Austin to go to Alfred Angelo, where we would be trying on dresses.

Before we arrived at Alfred Angelo we all agreed we could use a little snack and we opted for some gelato. I of course got tiramisu flavored!

We met Nina, Angie and Amelia there to begin trying on some dresses. I decided I wanted to try on a couple to get their opinions, I think I know which one I finally want! But I am still not 100% sure.

After trying on some of my top choices I noticed a familar dress in the window and asked the bridal consultant if I could try it on. Can you guess where you have seen this dress before?

Yep, its the Kate Middleton replica! It was a couple sizes too big so the sleeves look a little funny but it was really cool to try on. :)

After I was finished it was the bridesmaids turn! While they tried them on I was happy to finally get to relax a little bit and hold sweet baby Amelia!

Yes, I am a tad obsessed with her!

So after that we all went to grab some lunch then headed off to the bridal extravaganza! Let me tell you, it was so intense in there! There were so many vendors, cake samples, flowers and people trying to talk to you. But, I had a lot of fun. It was awesome to get some ideas flowing on what I wanted to do for my wedding. I was so glad that Nina had the idea of us all going(thanks Nins!).

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

The Perfect Dress

Before I get to dress stuff, how cute are those two!? Needless to say I am completely obsessed with my two puppies! Bo is the white one and is 11 years old. Clint has had him since he was born! He surprises everyone with his age because he has the energy level of a 6 month old! He catches the attention of EVERYONE he meets because of his ears! They are definitely attention getters. He is my shadow and he is my favorite little guy to cuddle with(I know he feels the same!)hehe.

Belle is the little black and white fluff ball, although at the moment she is "naked" because Clint shaved all of her hair off for her "summer-do". She is 5 months old on Monday..ahh she's growing up! I went to a flea market in Houston called Trader's Village one day while I was visiting my parents and saw her and decided that Clint and I needed a puppy. I thought at the time it was a great idea, let's just say the surprise did not go over well at first but Clint eventually fell in love with her.

I could dedicate an entire post to these two rascals but I want to talk a little about what kind of wedding dress I am looking for!

FIRST: I know I definitely want a sweetheart neckline! No ifs, ands or buts. A strapless sweetheart is a must have for me because I think it looks the best on me.

SECOND: My mom and I went to try on dresses a couple of months ago with a completly open mind so we could spend hours there and narrow it down to a top 5 so we could then take my bridesmaids, Clint's mom and other important people with us to help make the decision and not make them sit there for hours and hours with me not having a clue what I want. So, at that first appointment I thought I wanted a ballgown dress. Well, after trying on two ballgowns it was clear that I definitly did not want to go in that direction. My prom dress was a ballgown and I wanted my wedding to obviously stand out from prom. Can you spot the big yellow dress? Lol (I wanted to be Belle from Beauty and the Beast)

So I am now leaning toward a mermaid or trumpet dress! I think they are very elegant looking. I can't post the dresses I am leaning towards because the groom to be reads my blog! But when the day comes and I buy my dress I promise to snap a picture of a sneak peek!

Question: What does your dream wedding dress look like?

Homemade Tiramisu

Happy Friday everyone! I am so excited it is finally Friday! It was a long week of summer school to say the least. I am extra excited for this weekend because tomorrow my mom and Allie (my maid of honor) are coming into town and then on Sunday all of my bridesmaids along with my mom are going to try on bridesmaid dresses as well as go to a bridal expo! It is definitely a jam packed girls weekend! :)

One love that Clint and I share is our sometimes over indulgence on dessert. On our very first date we learned that Tiramisu has always been our absolute favorite dessert. I know that I always have it on my birthday every year (and any other day if I can help it). I was even lucky enough that my Sweet 16 birthday cake was an enourmous tiramisu cake that served about 50 people!

In high school Clint had an Italian teacher who swore by her grandmother's authentic tiramisu. Lucky for me Clint sweet talked his way into her heart and she printed off a recipe for him that is now in our cookbook! We made it and I was so surprised how simple and delicious it was! We were literally licking the bowls and spoons as we were going, it was so tasty!

Here it is!

Dr. Ferrero's Tiramisu

Ingredients:

EGGS, 3 separated
SUGAR, 5 tablespoons
MASCARPONE CHEESE, 6 ounces
HEAVY CREAM, 1 cup
LADYFINGERS, 1 large package (approximately 36)
MARSALA WINE, 1 cup
ESPRESSO COFFEE, 1 cup
UNSWEETENED COCOA POWDER, 1/4 cup

Directions:

1. Combine egg yolks and sugar in a medium-sized bowl and beat well.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks.
3. In a third bowl, beat the cream to stiff peaks.
4. In a fourth larger bowl, combine the egg yolk mixture with the mascarpone. Then fold in the cream and mix well to produce a creamy mixture. Finally, add the egg whites.
5. Arrange a tight layer of ladyfingers in a serving dish (half of the ladyfingers).
6. Using a spoon, drizzle about half the wine and half the espresso over the ladyfingers.
7. Cover the ladyfingers with half of the mascarpone mixture.
8. Cover the filling with a second layer of ladyfingers and drizzle with the remaining wine and espresso.
9. Cover with the remaining mascarpone mixture.
10. Place the dish in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours
11. Top with cocoa before serving.

Clint and I were joking that since this was so good that we should make our own tiramisu wedding cake! Who knows, maybe we will ;)