Making Pizza...

I love when a meal is simple and quick to make.  This is both....and I love it!  You start off with canned pizza crust.  Spray the pan with Pam and then roll out the dough.

Then, add some sauce.  I don't like too much, but you can add as much as you like.

Next comes the cheese...yum, yum!!  I used a mozzarella and cheddar mix.  It takes nearly a full package.

Finally, you add toppings.  I prefer to stick with pepperoni, but you could get creative on this step :)

The last step is to shove it in the oven and bake on 425 for 12-15 minutes.

ENJOY!!

Andrea :)

I've always wanted to....

have my very own apartment...and since July 1, now I do :)  It may only be for a short time, but I am OH SO excited!!!  Just wanted to share this awesome news!!  I've been gone from NYC with work for the past couple of weeks and while I'm not too happy about leaving these fun midwest cities and my family, I am pumped about getting back to my own place!!

Andrea :)

Baby Tour 2012: Full Steam Ahead

With meeting my niece behind us, Baby Tour 2012 is full steam ahead.  A couple of weeks ago, we were able to visit with Chris' college friends Fess and Amy along with their kiddos - all three of them, Rich and Melissa's little Trey (AKA Chris' godson), and Chris' grad school friends, Eric and Colleen's little one, Alanna, in the Philly area.  We left for Philly after I finished Race #8.  We made it to our hotel area around 3pm and got some yummy Chick-fil-A before doing a little shopping at Target.  How convenient, right? :)  It wasn't long before we headed out to Fess and Amy's house.  I was able to meet their two oldest boys - Ethan (5) and Braeden (3) - and we both were able to meet Luke.  Ethan and Braeden were talkative and ready to play immediately.  I have a feeling they don't meet too many strangers.  All very cute kids.  Chris briefly held Luke, but I wasn't able to snap a picture before Chris passed him off to me.  Super sad about that :(

After visiting for an hour or so, all the adults headed out to Cheeseburger in Paradise for dinner.  Melissa, Rich, and Baby Trey met us there as well.  It was great to finally meet Chris' godson.  He is such a big boy already!!  I'm glad we had the opportunity to see him now since he'll be 7 months old the next time we both see him in October!  He was so good during dinner.  We were able to hold him for a while before we headed back to the hotel.

The next morning, we were up early for Luke's Christening.  I had never been to one of these before so it was very interesting for me.   Here are a couple of pictures...

After the service ended, there was a lot of picture taking with all the little ones.  They are all just so adorable!!

Chris and his godson, Trey

Group Shot with Trey!

Chris is starting to get the hang of this holding babies thing...haha :)

Loved Luke's little outfit.  Absolutely precious!

Justin took this one prior Luke's Christening.  Great looking family :)

After the service ended, we headed back to Fess and Amy's for lunch, super yummy cake, and fellowship with friends.  And of course more picture taking with the babies :) It was a lot of fun!

Aren't they just adorable?

Eventually, we had to get back on the road so we could get back to NYC, but we did make one more stop at the home of a couple of Chris' friends from grad school.  We went to their wedding over Memorial Day weekend last year so it was pretty neat to be able to swing by and meet the newest addition to their family, Alanna Grace.  She reminded me so much of Brinley as she is only a couple of weeks older.  I didn't get too many pictures, but I did manage to get one prior to Alanna making a big mess in her diaper :)

We had such a great time meeting all these babies (and spending time with their parents), but we did realize that for as much joy as those little ones bring, they are also a whole heck of a lot of work.  Eventually, we'll get there, but for now we are happy to keep the tour moving right along.

Andrea :)

15 Day Challenge: Day 15

I couldn't resist being a day late for the final day of the challenge.  Just seemed fitting considering my pattern throughout the past 15 days :)

[Day 15]: What's the best compliment you've ever received?

The best compliment I have ever received is that I have a great family.  I do have a great family.  And it always makes me happy when other people recognize that fact.  Growing up, I thought every family was like mine.  Every family had all the fun we had and enjoyed being with one another as much as we do.  As I got older, I quickly realized that some people don't have the same family structure or environment that we do.  Now that I live so far away from them, I realize how great they are even more.  Luckily, I get to spend the next couple of days with all of them.  SUPER excited about that.

Family group shot from Memorial Day Weekend 2012

I really enjoyed being able to participate in this challenge.  Look forward to keeping up with a lot of new blogs as a result.  Hope you all have a great week!!


Andrea :)

15 Day Challenge: Day 14

[Day 14]: If you were only allowed to watch one movie for the rest of your life, what movie would it be and why?

Hands down, no doubt in my mind, it would be Remember the Titans.  When I first moved to New York, I had a suitcase and duffle bag.  The first things I asked to be shipped to me from home were a couple of penguin items and my Remember the Titans DVD.   I have already addressed my passion for all things Denzel so that explains part of the reason this would be my pick.  However, the main reason is the content of the movie.  I love football, but this is more than that. This is an incredible story about a team coming together in the midst of both scary and dangerous times of racial integration in the early 70's.  BUT overcoming the odds, they eventually integrated personally, and were successful on the field because of it.  That is a lesson that is invaluable.  My favorite line in the movie is when the Julius and Gerry are having words regarding the dynamics of the team and Julius says, "Attitude reflect leadership, Captain." and walks away.  There are SO many other good lessons and lines in this classic.  I could watch it every day and be enthralled in the story every time.  If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it, but hopefully it is a favorite of yours as well.

There's only one more day of the challenge left.  I'm kind of sad about that.  Hope you all have a fantastic day!!

Andrea :)

15 Day Challenge: Day 13

[Day 13]: What are your favorites?

Let the favorite fun begin :)  I loved this one....

Favorite Prayer:

God, grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

Favorite Season/Month:

Summer/July...and if you've been keeping up with my posts for this challenge, you should have guessed this easily :)

Favorite Bible Verse:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

Favorite Band:

Rascal Flatts....love them!!  I can't pick just one song as a favorite though.  There are FAR too many!

Favorite Restaurant:  

Chick-fil-A...without a single doubt! 

Favorite Quote:

I have come to realize that LIFE is about taking CHANCES...sometimes you WIN and sometimes you LOSE...but in the end I've learned that absolutely EVERYTHING happens for a reason.

It's true!  I think this one is a combination of various quotes, but I love it!

Favorite Vacation Spot:

This one is tough.  My favorite vacation with my family was to Hawaii, particularly the luau.  My favorite vacation with just mom and dad was our couple of days in Rome.  My favorite "vacation" with my brothers was Super Bowl XLIV.  My favorite "vacation" with Chris is when we go to Vermont (well at least so far).

Favorite photo of me and Christopher:



From our first trip to Vermont :)

Andrea :)

15 Day Challenge: Day 12

[Day 12]: What are you most looking forward to in the next six months?

This one is pretty easy for me.  I am MOST looking forward to Christopher moving to NYC so we can finally be in the same city after roughly 2 and a half years of living in different places.  Nothing is completely certain yet, but I am positive that the move will happen within the next six months!  There are some opportunities on the horizon and the timing and situation just seems right this time.  We are both hoping and praying this all becomes a reality by the end of the summer.  I can't wait!  I know there will be some adjustments and our relationship will change as a result, but I know these will all be for the better and I am very exciting about all of the possibilites they will bring.

I'm also looking forward to:

- celebrating my birthday later this month...over the course of several different days and several different places...yes, I am one of THOSE people :)
- our August vacation
- running my last NYRR qualifying race in September
- going to Pitt in October for Chris' godson's baptism
- seeing my family at some point in the fall (and hoping my niece isn't too grown by then...she's getting so big, so fast...and I'm not sure when I'll be seeing her again after these next few days...makes me SO sad)
- relaxing after our busiest season at work ends in about a month

What are you looking most forward to in the next few months??

Andrea :)