Sedona

Last weekend, my parents came in town. We decided to take a short one night trip up to Sedona, AZ. It was SO beautiful!!! I definitely recommended visiting if you are in Arizona :)

Early Saturday morning, we drove up to flagstaff on I-17. It is always a beautiful drive, but this time we got to see a few trees that looked like Fall!This is exciting, because we don't really change seasons much in Texas or  Phoenix.

When we got to Flagstaff, we turned to go South on Scenic highway 89A toward Sedona :) Our first stop was Oak Creek Canyon.

We drove through the mountains and past the creek until we got to the red rocks in Sedona!

Everywhere we went had the most fantastic views! Check out a few views from restaurants and shopping:

We stayed at a hotel called: Sky Ranch Lodge. I highly recommended it! It was under $100 which is cheap for Sedona. It had a fireplace and the BEST view!! Here are pictures from the hotel:

Chapel of the Holy Cross was a place we heard about.....take a look! It is definitely worth seeing!

Since the Texas Rangers are in the playoffs for the world series, we made time for them too! Dad sent this picture to Channel 4 news in D/FW and apparently it got aired a few times :)

Finally, the most memorable experience was a helicopter ride over the red rock formations! It was a little bumpy because of the storm in the distance, but it was so FUN!

We had a lot of fun with my parents! Arizona is a beautiful place to live! 

Black Bean and Beer Chili!!!!

It is getting to be the time of year where a lot of us like to cook chili, soup, or stew. Here is one of my favorite recipes that I've adapted from the Women's Club of FW cookbook! We are going to try and make homemade chicken noodle soup for the first time tonight!!! I also make really good tortilla soup and chicken n' dumplings! If you have any favorite soup/stew/chili recipes, send them my way :) Soup is my favorite food, and Sean is learning to love it as well!


1 lb ground turkey or ground beef
2 small onions, chopped
1 medium sized green bell pepper, chopped
28oz. can petite diced tomatoes
1 1/2 c. dark beer
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
salt and black pepper
------------------------------------------
2c. beef broth
1c. beer
1 or 2 (15oz.) cans black beans, rinsed and drained




Brown ground beef (or turkey) with peppers and onions. Stir in the next 9 ingredients (where line is drawn). Simmer covered 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in broth, beer, and black beans. Simmer 45 minutes. Serve with shredded cheese and Frito's, if you like!

Being Healthy

Sean and I have made a lot of life changes since the Spring of 2008. We finally realized that although we're young, we're not invincible! We have been driven to lead healthy lifestyles through some experiences we've been through. In March of 2008, Sean was at a hospital in Houston for about 5 days with a collapsed lung that happened spontaneously during a day he was student teaching. A few weeks later, his roommate (and one of our best friends), Maura, was diagnosed with Sarcoma. Maura was the healthiest person I knew. She got me started on this health-kick! She battled cancer for over a year and passed away in May 2009. We miss Maura every day.

We try as hard as we can to make the best healthy choices. Here are a few truths we try to live by that are in mostly all of the health books out there:

• It all starts at the Grocery Store
• DUH! If you buy crappy junk food, that is all you will eat!!!
• TIP: Make a dinner menu for the week with healthy options, make your list, and STICK TO IT!
• Water
• We drink at least the "8 cups a day" that are recommended....but we try to drink MORE! On a good day, I will drink a gallon of water
• Fruits, Veggies, and Whole grains
• It is no secret....these are the best foods for your body! Plain and Simple!
• Frozen is a GREAT option because they retain more nutrients than canned or even some fresh!
• Meat
• We try either to not eat much. If we do,  we try to stick to chicken or turkey. Fish is good too, but smelly! haha!
• Fun time for yourself
• be sure to have fun...it keeps the brain happy!
• read about it
• keep yourself informed by reading nutrition labels and trying to understand all the health facts out there....you are worth it!
• exercise
• yep
• sleep well every night
• one of the best cures for anything!
• Eat pure foods in moderation
• Salt and pure sugar are fine....just limit it
• Try Agave Nectar or Honey instead of sugar

I guess that is it for now! I am kind-of enjoying this blogging thing :) 

Salsa

Since college and especially since we've been married, I have become quite comfortable in the kitchen! Sean and I try to cook every night since it is cheaper and healthier than going out to eat! Here is one of my favorite recipes! Try it and you'll NEVER by a jar of salsa again! Sean hasn't always like Mexican food, but partly because of this salsa, it is his favorite! It has been a hit at every party since our Sophomore year of college at SHSU!

 

1-2 jalapeños (start with one and add bits of the second if it isn't spicy enough)

1 can of tomatoes (14.5oz)

Cilantro (handful)

1/4-1/2 onion

¼ clove garlic or spoonful of minced garlic

Lime and lemon juice (about a tablespoon of each)

Salt, garlic salt, possibly onion powder

Blender or food processor

I don’t measure anything, just put some stuff in the blender and keep tasting until ya like it!

1. Pour canned tomatoes into blender

2. Chop up garlic, onion, cilantro, and jalapeño and throw it on in there

3. Squeeze some lemon and/or lime juice in

4. Season it with salt, garlic salt, possibly onion powder

5. BLEND and Taste….just add to it if you wanna.

Lollipop Girls

Nicki, Allison, Pam, and Mary

I grew up with these girls. We've known each other since Kindergarten/early elementary! We met through church and ended up becoming best friends who also sing together :) These girls have been there for me through the good and bad times through the years...they even remember what pre-Sean life was like! haha! One day at a church talent show, we sang the song "Lollipop" with a stupid little dance (pretty much all jazz squares)....and then the older women at church started calling us "The Lollipop Girls"...and it stuck! Now two of us are married! It is so crazy to think back on all we've been through together! I am so thankful to have such a close-knit group of girl friends! Gotta love 'em!

Mary's 16th B-day!

Our last Sunday singing at St. Barnabas before college

The College Years....

Sean and Mary's wedding

Allison and Michael's wedding

Christmas 2009

Dream Vacations

Sean and I love to travel....who doesn't? We've been to many wonderful places together, but here are five things on our "to do list":

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Trip to the Vineyards....California, Washington, Italy.....somewhere :)

We should totally do this while it is only 5-6 hours away!

Beach Bungalow house

Paris...really we'd like to backpack several places in Europe sometime soon :)

Saving Money

Sean and I have learned a lot about saving money in the last few years. Our first year of marriage, we were in a small town called Pampa, TX. We didn't really have the poor newlywed life, which was AMAZING! Sean had a nice job as a youth minister that paid well (considering the cost of living was nothing in the little town)! We had a 2 bedroom house for $485/month and people in Pampa considered that to be expensive!!

We moved to AZ in August 2009 and THEN started to feel like the "poor newlyweds"....Sean is a full time masters student at ASU and I am a music therapist here in the Phoenix area. In March 2010, all of the music therapists in the entire state of AZ received a 51%pay cut....yep...it has been tough, but now we are having fun laughing at ourselves in the ways we try to save money! We have figured out that it is the little things we do that add up the most savings.A couple of my good friends have asked me for some money saving tips....so here are the things we have been doing to cut costs:

• Shopping at Goodwill for lots of stuff and also Costco--CHEAP gas, coffee, cereal, computer ink, paper products...it is worth the $50/year if you live close by! 
• Using the TV antenna...no cable
• Using less toilet paper and paper towels
• re-using notebook paper...don't just write a list on one side and throw it away....use the other side next week
• cooking at home every night....duh....BUT only use one package of meat and make it last the whole week! OR cook a roast or whole chicken on a Sunday and use the left-over meat for the next week or two.
• make a dinner list for the week, then a grocery list for the week and stick to it when shopping!
• using gladware when we pack lunches every day to save $ on plastic zip lock bags
• Setting the air to 80 degrees....stinks, but it helps
• Netflix-the cheapest form of entertainment! $9.64/month gives you movies to watch instantly online, plus one movie at a time in the mail! 
• Staying with friends and family when traveling! We've been able to visit many neat places(such as Hawaii and San Diego) and haven't had to pay for a hotel!
• Walmart price matching program
• Hate those annoying grocery ads that come every week in the mail? Try searching for the good deals on meat, produce, milk, toothpaste, etc....take them to Walmart or Target and show the cashier what other stores are selling items for....you'll save so much $!

Money is tight, but we are still able to have so much fun :)

If anyone else has some $ saving tips, send them our way! 

First Blog Post

Hello Friends,

This is my first time ever trying to do a blog....can't say I will keep up with it, but I'll try! I have enjoyed keeping up with friends through their blogs, so why not join in?

Sean and I have been in Arizona for a little over a year. I have been working as a music therapist and Sean will be graduating ASU with a masters in vocal performance in May!! We're enjoying our second year here very much! Already, we've had so many more get-togethers with AZ friends! This makes it so much more fun since we REALLY miss our Texas friends and family! We've enjoyed having the adventure out here....California road trips, Grand Canyon, and other beautiful AZ sights. The Summer is finally cooling down....we're still in the 100's but we're almost to the beautiful resort style weather that lasts most of the year :)

I'll try to update with funny stories and pictures soon :)

Mary (and Sean)