January

On Sunday, January 18, my grandmother Longoria past away.
We went to Brownsville, TX for her viewing and to say goodbye, until we meet again.

She was a good women who raised 9 kids with a loving husband by her side. 

It was a beautiful viewing and many came to commemorate her life. Unfortunately we could not stay long so that same day we headed back home with my brother and sister.  

The day was so beautiful, I like to think that it was grandma telling us that she is happy and in a better place. 

To be honest I was not able to communicate with her very well because my Spanish is not so good. I kept procrastinating when I would finally be better and tell her my thoughts and ideas. I wanted her to know that she raised a incredible man whom I call dad. I am so grateful for him and his example in my life.

Lately in church there has been a lot of talk about visiting the temple. My parents, Nathan and I have gone once a week these past two weeks. Thanks to my Aunt Rachel we were able to take family names on my mothers side. I don't understand everything but I do know that families are forever and

life continues after death.

Make it Count!

This is the last week before I go back to work, so Nathan and I tried to make it count! Monday we went to the Prairie Lights in Grand Prairie, TX. We have visited Prairie Lights in the past but this year was by far the best we've seen. The lights were so well organized and well thought out.

Here are some of our favorites. 

Raising the flag on Iwo Jima.

The Alamo.

The nativity. 

The tunnel as you are leaving. 

Tuesday, December 30th was my brother Alex's Birthday! We celebrated by going to Ton's Mongolian Grill. We then went to the movies to see "The Hobbit." I know the movie did not get great reviews but we absolutely loved it! 

Me and the 18 year old Birthday Boy! 

For New Years Eve, we went to our brother-in-law's parent's house and had a blast! There is always good food, dancing, and just parting all night long! We admit we were getting tired towards the end but we made it! 

After the traditional kiss at the stroke of midnight we took a New Years selfie. Don't mind the lights slashing our faces;)

New Years day we went to see Trains at North Park Mall. They had a creative display of trains traveling through popular cities around the country. All the proceeds for the exhibit went to the Ronald McDonald House in Dallas.

Here are a few of the highlights. 

By the way, my siblings loved it!

I thought this was pretty random and funny. Aliens taking over! 

A part of Dallas.

The hot air balloons were moving up and down.

The State Fair of Texas w/Big Tex.

We ended the day by having dinner at Pho 95 in Arlington. It is one of our go-to places because we love Asian food! The spring rolls w/Peanut sauce is amazing and nothing beats pho on a cold, rainy day.

"Something about that Christmas time!"

I don't know about everyone else but the Holidays are an especially hard time to stick to a routine. It is a time to eat good food, enjoy events that only come once a year, and spend time with family!

I love living by my family again! We are always being invited for meals and I love watching my siblings grow. Priceless!

During these past two weeks I have made only two recipes. 

Spinach Tortellini Soup w/ rolls. The soup was delicious, definitely making this again!

The rolls did not rise, which continues to be my problem. I have been given new techniques in hopes that one day my bread will rise. 

Chicken Lo Mein 

I love Asian food so I was really looking forward to this. The taste was great and I think next time I will add broccoli for more texture. 

Friday night we went to dinner to celebrate my best friend's birthday.

 Stock & Barrel was the place of choice.

Very cute place. Food was flavorful and different. 

Overall we had a great time! Happy Birthday Roxann!

My brother-in-law Jordan got married and my sister-in-law Heidi wanted all the girls to wear this to the reception. The night was filled with good eats, laughter, and lots of dancing! 

Christmas eve we had a little dinner. And my sister-in-law Jamie made these cookies for the kids to decorate and, of course, they loved it. 

This Christmas we made sure to mail Santa and let him know the family would be staying with us.

On Christmas Eve I was sitting down reflecting on this year, counting my blessing, and I wanted to capture this wonderful moment.  

 At night time it happened again. The kids went to bed and I was staring at our tree and the angel on top. I am reminded how grateful I am for my family and the love and support they give. I am so grateful for my Savior and His sacrifice that I can be made whole. I strive to follow his example and share the happiness He has shared with me.

Christmas morning with the Longoria's.

This year our Christmas presents to each other were passes to Six Flags/Hurricane Harbor and a Piano! I am so excited for the opportunity to play again! I love it! 

Cooking/Baking A Storm!

First and foremost, I must confess that our 5K training has been postponed until the holidays are over. I didn't want to be that person that starts going to the gym in January and then in February everything goes down hill, but it will only be half true. We will start our training again in January and continue to do our best to live a healthier life style. 

Last Sunday I was going through our office supplies when I found a lot of pictures from our engagement and stationary from our wedding. So I decided to recycle and use them for our Christmas cards this year. 

I found this card idea from Pinterest and thought it was cute and added a personal touch. 

A big thank you goes out to my sister-in-law Anna! I have been wanting to be consistent about eating at home more, having a budget, and not wanting a crazy amount of left overs. (Twice is enough for me.) She informed me that she pins 4 items to her menu board and makes them for the week. They have left overs for lunch and stick to a $90 grocery budget.  

So I did exactly that...well to the best of my ability. We did get pizza one night but three out of four recipes and $65 of groceries made a successful week for me. 

First was One pan Mexican Quinoa 

Day 2 was Foil Baked Salmon

Last dish was One Pot Zucchini Mushroom Pasta

One of many desserts this week was chocolate chip cookies! Nathan's favorite! 

This has been awesome! I have come to find out that I love cooking and it makes me appreciate my home even more! We are set for next week with new recipes that we can not wait to try! 

This week we also had the privilege to baby sit our niece while her parents were moving their last bit of things into their new home! Congrats Bryan and Laurel on your first home!  

My brother Adrian has been in Orchestra since 5th grade and this is the first time I went to one of his concerts. "Bad sister!" I could not have been more proud of him! They all did such a great job and I love him so much! 

 After the concert we had the kids spend the weekend with us. Our traditional breakfast of pancakes and eggs. 

It being the last week of school they had a lot of studying to do which worked out for us catching up on house chores. In the evening we went to Highland Park to look at all the nice homes decorated for Christmas; another yearly tradition!  

How long do you think it took to light this tree?

Today we went to my parents house for lunch and I made gingerbread cookies! 

Last but not least I made my first pie! Yummy apple pie! 

Overall a really great weekend made up for a really long week! 

Starting to look like Christmas

This week we had my family over for dinner. On Monday, we tried to make sugar cookies for dessert and failed. So we tried again Wednesday and succeeded. Yay! 

As for work this week, it has been busy for the both of us so Nathan and I decided to have a few dates. Our first one was Thursday. I made breakfast for dinner; pancakes, turkey bacon, and eggs. Then we watched "Santa Clause is coming to town." (Christmas classic) 

Friday we went to the Fort Worth Drive-in. So much fun and we got to see "Mocking Jay: Part 1" and "Interstellar." As a side note, the first time Nathan and I held hands was the Ennis, TX drive-in, in February 2008.

It  is crazy to think that after 6 and a half years of marriage there are still many firsts! This weekend Nathan and I put up Christmas lights. There is something to be said about doing projects together, it is always a great bonding experience. 

Thanks to Leilani Ram and her example of a lighting ceremony, we had one of our own. We stood outside and oohed and awed as the lights came on, then we sang "Silent night." We ended the night with watching "It's a wonderful life." It was great to be reminded that there is more to life than ourselves. We are so grateful for our savior and His love for us. There is no better time to cherish our family and our life here on earth. 

One can not be sad when they count their blessing! 

Thanksgiving Week

This past week we had some of Nathan's family stay with us. It was so much fun having family together for Thanksgiving. Here are a few of the highlights. 

Family service project was our half bath. Thank you so much to all who helped, we absolutely love it! 

It took a few days but the transformation is amazing! 

Heidi was the ring leader of the project.

Before

After

Nathan and I still need to find and put up accessories but that will not be a problem. 

Another project that required a lot of man hours was crafts for Jordan's wedding.

We also have to make skirts, one down, many to go. 

My dish for dinner was a cranberry-raspberry jello w/pineapple and walnuts, compliments of Paula Dean. 

Last but not least, as promised last week, we have pictures of the outside of our home. 

Hope y'all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!