Twinkie Cake

So, I do promise that I make healthy food (sometimes!) but, I saw this recipe on Al Dente's blog, and I HAD to try it for Mike's family. You see, we all get together on Sunday's, kind of a family tradition, and they love when I make some of my yummy treats, so this was a must make!

Twinkie Cake

1 chocolate cake mix prepared as directed on box
6 twinkies
powdered sugar for dusting
cool whip for serving

Prepare cake as directed on box, and place twinkies around the circle of bundt cake pan. Cook cake mix as directed on box, and you have a crazy looking cake! The yummy cream filling in the cake is no longer in the yellow cake, so for a nice creamy taste, we added a dollop of cool whip for fun. Enjoy this recipe - it had rave reviews from all!

Garbage Plates

Tonight was Nichole's 28th Birthday. To celebrate we bought tickets for her fiance Jay, me, Mike and of course the birthday girl to go see Rusted Root. I met them at their home with dinner, we went unhealthy but SOOO good! I made garbage plates! Those that are not accustomed to garbage plates (must not be from Rochester!)

Basically, you take macaroni salad, baked beans, fried potatoes (aka french fries), basically anything and you pile it on a big plate with a cheeseburger or hot dog on top with lots of hot sauce! It tastes amazing, its not very appealing to the eye, but let me tell you - no one from Rochester has never tasted one of these buggers!

General Tso's Sesame Pork and Brussell Sprouts

OH YUM! I've been so busy lately that i've been neglecting my blogging - that doesn't mean that I don't have time to look at everyone else's blogs, I just LOVE following some of these fabulous blogs, but I cannot contribute nothing - especially if i'm reading all these other amazing blogs. So, heres quite a yummy meal that we made last week...

1/2 bottle Iron Chef General Tso sauce

3 pork tenderloins (no bones)

2 T. toasted sesame seeds

1 T. EVOO

Its pretty basic here guys, cut the tenderloins in thin strips and brown slightly, add the sauce and the seeds and you are good to go! We served this with some lovely brussell sprouts - I love those little guys, and of course some brown rice. Healthy and delicious, how can you not love it?!

Bachlorette Party!

My best friend Nicki is getting married on September 27th, I am in the wedding, and the non-offical photography of the events that lead up to the wedding day, that being said, I have plenty of pictures to share from the amazing adventure that is getting married. Its totally wedding-fever. After Nicki and Jay's wedding, I'm MOH (thats matron now!) in a wedding for my friend of forever Lynda (her's is in June thank goodness, I need a break!)

Trashed my Dress

Last week Mike and I spent the afternoon with photographer, Sue Egan, trashing my wedding dress. Its a new "fad" that brides are getting into, where they wear their wedding dresses one last time. Of course, I HAD to do it. So, we found an amazing deal (and an amazing photographer) to take these pictures for us.

We are so glad we did it for a few reasons...1. "The Day" goes by SO fast that you hardly have time to breathe, let alone take wedding portraits. This just felt like the right opportunity to get those pictures that we never had the opportunity to get on the wedding day. 2. What bride doesn't want to look like a princess for one more day??? and 3. We LOVED our wedding pictures, but as I said before, I didn't think we got enough. So this gave us the chance to get a lot more "bridal portrait" type of shots. Good stuff.

We had a FABULOUS time. It was probably the most fun i've ever had at the amazing Stony Brook State Park. Beautiful place, and made for a seriously gorgeous back drop. I had a huge smile on my face the entire time - you can certianly tell by the pictures!

check them out at http://seganphoto.blogspot.com/

Week 2 of School

I am offically in my second week of classes, yesterday I completed class 3, so I think its a good time for me to make my assumptions of how the rest of the semester is going to go.

I am taking 5 classes and working 24 hours a week, now, that doesn't sound like a lot - and it didn't sound like a lot to me at the time - but now that i'm knee deep in school work, spending time at work is certianly becoming a bit of a burden to my education. I have to work, I can't just quit, and I really do like the people I work with so I have no intentions on leaving, its all about time management though.

As of today, I have 6 short stories to read, a journal to write, and study for 2 quizzes tomorrow. YIPPEE! This is the stuff that I don't miss - AND I have to work until 5pm, and go to my lasik consultation this afternoon.

I'll get through all the work, I just think the hardest part is the time in between my Tuesday and Thursday classes, there is really not a ton of time for me to do work, and so the burden of finishing my school work is pretty heavy.

Anyway, enough about the homework - the 5 classes that i'm taking are: History after 1865 - right now we're discussing the time after the Ammancipation Proclomation, haha remember that?! We're discussing the end of slavery and the presidency of Johnson. Its VERY interesting and my teacher rocks. Then i'm off to "Short Story" again, something i'm very interested in, I wish the teacher was more into class participation, but the stories are exciting and fun to read. Then off to "Introduction to Ethics" ohmygod. Poke my eyeballs out with sticks please. This class not only is SO boring, it doesn't make ANY sense. I'm done talking about that class. ICK. Then i'm off to Adolesecent Psychology. The class is interesting, and the teacher great, my only issue is that it requires a lot of prior knowledge of Psych101, and I haven't taken that in well over 8 years - so needless to say, i'm a bit rusty. Lastly, I have, Literature of Horror. Its again, a very exciting class, we're reading Stephen King novels, reading about vampires and we get to watch a few great movies.

All and all i'm pretty excited about my classes, we'll see how they go for the rest of the semester.

Rest in peace dear doggy

(This is the only picture of Halley that I have at work - its on my MySpace, but its a good representation of her, eyeing the Christmas cookies!)

Saturday, September 6th 2008, my family had to put our family dog down to sleep. I got a call from my parents late in the evening on Friday, they thought she fell because she wasn't standing on her own anymore.

We had plans on going camping that weekend, my brothers and everyone else was already at the site, and we had plans on leaving that next morning. I didn't know what to do, should we drive down tonight to tell them? (there was no cell phone service) or should we stay here and be support for my parents? Should we go camping like originally planned?

I ended up leaving a message for the park ranger to tell our family that there was a "family emergency" and to call us as soon as they could. The ranger called me at 8am the next day and I got a call from my brothers in less than 30 minutes. They told me that we should still come camping - theres nothing else we can do at this point, shes lived a long life and if this is her time - then its time.

I contacted my parents, and they were planning on keeping her "around" until Monday so that the boys could say goodbye, I explained to my father that Halley is in so much pain, you have to bring her to the vet. He agreed, and scheduled an appointment for 11:40 that day.

They called me at 11:50 and told me that they agreed the best decision was to put her to sleep. Mike cried - and I tried to keep my composure. As of now, and now that I look back on the situation - I didn't really cry as I had expected I would, it hurt - don't get me wrong, but I know now that shes in no more pain and loving life in doggy heaven :)

I'm glad that we decided to go camping, it made the pain that much easier to deal with, and we all had dinner as a family on Sunday. My brothers are still upset, but i'm glad that we didn't wait it out, she was in so much pain, the vet said she was panting so hard because of the pain that she is in. Thats no way for a family pet to live, regardless of age or decisions that you have to make.

So, may our dear Halley rest in peace, she will always have a place in our hearts and I will never forget the wonderful years of unconditional love that she has given us.

A-Camping we will go!

This weekend Mike and I went camping with my cousins, Amanda her husband Andy, Rebecca, her husband Kevin, and my brothers Bob and Mark. We got there late Saturday afternoon and only camped overnight until Sunday morning.

(Bob, Kevin, Andy, and Mark on the balcony in the rain)

It rained - the ENTIRE day Saturday. ICK. So, basically we were stuck inside playing games and entertaining ourselves with adult beverages, a camera and one cool pair of sunglasses :) We still had a nice time, and the site we stayed was very nice too, we were in an "A-frame" cottage, it had two bedroom areas, a full kitchen, and a living room/dining room area, off the cottage was a nice deck, and off one of the bedrooms was a balcony. So being that we had 8 people staying with us, we had plenty of room for being cooped inside the house all day.

(Mike and his can of Corona)

I think we would return to Oquata State Park, and certianly stay in this cottage again.

As long as it was nice out this time!

(Rebe sportin' the rad sunglasses)

(Mike and I in my Subaru)