Arrested Development

Erik and I recently discovered the tv show "Arrested Development," not to be confused with the rap group. The show was on for 3 seasons and despite a large fan base it was cancelled. We have been fortunate enough that some friends let us borrow their DVD collection, because let me tell you, once you start this show it's hard to stop. Basically it revolves around the world's most dysfunctional family and hilarity ensues. I highly recommend it, and if you're a fan of The Office, you'll like this too.

Happy Easter from Ethan

I just had to post this adorable picture of my brother Ethan from Easter. His little suit is so precious! I'm such a proud sister!

The class that stays together...

Here is a group picture of my nursing class that we took on "Scrub Day." The 30 of us have been in class together for 2 years, and 25 of us have been in class together for 3 years. Some days it's a good thing or a bad thing! As much as I'm itching to get out of college, I will miss these people. 

Jessica's Classic Cheeseball

Many times when I'm asked to bring food to a gathering I will make this cheeseball. Not just because it's easy, but because I love to eat it!

2 8 oz. pkgs cream cheese, softened
2 or 3 green onions, finely chopped
3 or 4 slices dried beef, finely chopped (you can find this where the spam is or you can substitute cooked bacon)
1 tsp. seasoning salt
1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
1 cup pecans, finely chopped

Lay out the chopped pecans on a cutting board or plate. Mix the first 5 ingredients together in a large bowl and form a ball. Roll the ball in the pecans until they completely coat it. Chill overnight.

Easter 2008

For the third year in a row we went to Erik's grandmother's house for Easter. One thing I love about this family is the way they celebrate holidays. Great food, great company, and fun kids to be around. Erik's three little cousins hunted for Easter eggs this year. Other than a little cold weather everything was great.

Those Elusive Creatures...

Very rarely do you get to see the elusive creatures known as "nursing students" in action at the hospital. Some of my classmates have gone photo-crazy trying to capture moments for our slide show at our pinning ceremony, and I happen to be in a few of them. Here we are with one of my instructors doing her "Navy salute." 

In the medication room we are very serious, as you can tell. Shot, anyone?

"The beast is loose in the streets of Bethlehem, the rats are in the corn."

I just finished reading The Stand by Stephen King last night. I've been reading this book since Christmas and thought I would never finish. It was definitely worth it. I would recommend this book to almost anyone. King has said that he wanted to write something like The Lord of the Rings in America, and he did a great job.

Books I recommend reading...

I thought I would list some books that I recommend reading since I just finished a great one and I'm always on the look out for a good book. Feel free to leave a comment if you have a book suggestion!
1. The complete Harry Potter series. I don't care what anyone says, these books are amazing, and the best part is that you can re-read them and not get bored.
2. The Hobbit. I wasn't crazy about reading this at first, but it truly is a classic.
3. Where the Red Fern Grows. Kind of a kiddie book, but I can never make it to the end without completely bawling, and for me, that's real emotion!
4. Anything by Mary Higgins Clark. I realize this isn't actually a book title, but I love her stuff, especially her first few books, and they are great mysteries.
5. It Ain't All About the Cooking, Paula Deen. I love watching her show and I have made some of her lighter stuff, and her story is really unexpected.
6. To Kill a Mockingbird. I read this before I was required to for my 10th grade English class and it's way better than the movie, which isn't bad at all.
7. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Another read from school but this book made me crave cornbread for months.
8. The Green Mile. Talk about emotion. This one will have you crying like a baby.
9. Fried Green Tomatoes. I love the movie and the book is great too.
10. Anything by Robin Cook. He writes medical mysteries, so if you get a kick out of that kind of stuff you'll like this.

This isn't an exhaustive list and I'm sure if I sat for a minute I could think of many more. Happy reading!

A Hot Mess

For those of you who watch Project Runway for whatever reason, you'll like this! Fierce!

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/play.shtml?mea=227155

Apple Fluff

This is my mother-in-law's recipe and one of my all time favorite snacks. It's also great as dessert or breakfast.
1 box vanilla instant pudding mix
1 tub Cool Whip
4 apples, any kind, chopped
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained well

Make the pudding according to the package directions. Add thawed cool whip (don't forget to thaw!) and chopped apples and crushed pineapple that has been drained. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving. Note: if you're watching calories use fat-free pudding and cool whip. It still tastes great!

Spring Break, Texas Style

We went to Waco, Texas for part of my spring break this year. Mostly it was a "business type" trip, not really for pleasure. However, we had a great time! We'll be moving there in mid-May and we went to see Baylor campus, which is gorgeous by the way, and for me to do some job interviews. Success! I got a job at one of the hospitals in town and I am so excited! Finally, the 3 years of pure torture in nursing school have paid off! We went to Redeemer Presbyterian Church while we were there and we really look forward to joining their congregation after we move. Erik spent some time in the law building on campus and he is super pumped about starting back to school. Ironic, huh? We had dinner with our favorite neighbors, the Achuffs, who moved there in February. This is such an exciting time for us, and Waco/Baylor seem like the perfect fit. I can definitely feel God's hand in leading us there.
We actually didn't take any pictures even though I brought my camera, but here is a picture of the Judge Baylor House B&B where we stayed. Ironically, the people who run it are from Union City (about 15 minutes from Martin) and they both graduated from UTM! What a small world!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it...Oh wait! It's Spring Break!

So instead of sipping daiquiris on the beach in Cancun or Panama City like a normal college spring breaker, I'm stuck in northwest TN where it's snowing! I love the snow but it seems like such a waste when school is already out. I mean, isn't the point of snow so kids can sleep in and lay around in their pj's all day instead of going to school? Oh well, I'll try to enjoy while it lasts!