Weekend full of wedding bidniz

Joe and I are slowly getting to the last leg of wedding "to-do" items on our list....which I must say, is very comforting. Fortunate enough to have a good friend with a thuper thweet camera, Joe and I enlisted John to take our engagement pics. Good times were had around campus late yesterday afternoon. For a couple of highlight shots, visit ol' John's blog aqui------> :-)

This morning, amidst the sudden, 30 minute Oklahoman snow blizzard, Joe and I ventured to our tuxedo appointment. Dear Joseph tried on a tux we had picked out, and boy-howdy he looked good! Pictured above is the smooth criminal himself.

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Kiddos

Some snaps of some little ones from the past OU/Texas game.

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Food Porn

This, my friends, is hot chocolate for the strong of heart. It ain't no Swiss Miss. A combination of cocoa powder, good thick milk, and a spoonful of sugar, this hot chocolate satisfies your deepest of cocoa cravings. A new favorite evening drink of Joe and I's, it is a must share.

Take about a tblsp and a half of cocoa powder and just enough milk and combine it in a small cooking pan. With the burner on about medium flame stir your cocoa and milk until you begin forming a paste-like consistency. Slowly begin adding milk, little bits at a time, giving the paste a chance to dilute itself. Keep adding milk in small increments until you have about two teacups worth of hot chocolate. Add as much sugar as you'd like for your own personal tasting. Joe and I like about a tblsp in our concoction. Pour into small teacups, and enjoy! For added delight.....whip up some of your favorite heavy cream into a fluffy treat and add a dollop of it to your steamy treat. :-)

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Cozy

As temperatures dipped into the twenties, motion was made to create fire. Joe and I labored over our logs trying to get the Oklahoma timber to stay lit. Joe chopped up some kindling, and all was well after we got those babies to light under our girthier logs. S'mores had been rosted and devoured, and the homemade chili was next in line....'Twas a picturesque winter evening.

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Fancy that

Royal Northern College of Music = Accepted. :-)

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Estrogen domination

After a riveting couple of hours of playing charades on New Year Eve, let's just face it, girls rule and boys do indeed drool. Pictured here are Joe, John and Jerod, J cubed if you will, sporting the traditional loser "L" upon their foreheads after facing the wrath of their female counterparts.

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Pastry from afar

Lacey brought back some delectable treats from the land of the boot. Pictured here is a chocolate hazelnut piece of heaven. Joe and I took care of this one in less than a minute. For a couple of days, we housed some real deal salami. You ain't had no salami until you've had the Italian kind. Sheesh....it was good. Dry cured with spices of all kinds, it was definitely hard to stop eating slice after slice after slice after slice......

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*drool*

The New pots and pans....are great! Joe volunteered to cook up a drool-worthy feast while my mom and I did a little shopping up in the city. It consisted a bed of spinach pasta, covered with a pancetta, portobello mushroom, onion and sweet pea cream sauce. Hory mory it was delicious. Props to my kitchen savy fiance!

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Thank you Santy! Or...my soon to be mom and pops. :-)

Joe and I had an early Christmas with his parents last evening. It was an evening filled with great food and stories of old. Joe's dad had us all laughing with stories of when his parents' visited Italy for their vacation. One included a fiasco with a taxi driver, ending up with punches being thrown and the ladies doing their best to hold back their testosterone driven men.

New in the kitchen, a 10-piece cookware set!! No more evenings of recycling one pot and one pan throughout the preparation of one meal. No sir-eee! Next on the menu....Pumpkin and Roasted Corn Soup.

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Ohhhhhh, Tree de la Christmas

A picture, not too interesting or sophisticated of my four foot pre-lit Indiana Spruce. Not to forget....in my very own newly cozied-in apartment. :-)

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Snow day!

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Feedery

Coco is seen here scarfing down his own plate of Thanksgiving goodness. A small helping of turkey, green bean casserole, sweet potato, and even stuffing was enjoyed by this furry little monster. Of course, a nap soon follwed this gravy of a feast.

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Summer color

My Chaco-tanned feet on the rocky beaches of Riva del Garda, Italy. Oh, how I miss having a nice shade of color to my epidermis.

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Changing colors = Sweatshirt weather :-)

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Europe.....again.

Just want to thank Lacey, for making me send in a DVD last year for the Youth Orchestra of the Americas. I was hesitant and unsure of myself sending that audition tape in....but lo and behold, it's led to a multitude of incredible experiences. Thanks Unchi.

I got an email yesterday from Youth Orchestra of the Americas, inviting me to tour with them for the summer of 2007. Incredible. I'm so blessed to be presented with such opportunity. I miss Europe and was hoping I'd get to go back again someday....but little did I realize my return is just around the corner.

I've conjured up a map of the places YOA will be touring this summer (July 1st-August 22nd). We will be performing in the Concertgebouw Hall in Amsterdam, the Vienna Konzerthaus, Malta (a small island republic, located south of Italy), Montpelier France, Riva del Garda (Italy), Venice, THE Vatican, and Pompeii. How fantastic.

I can't wait.

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Mamma mia!

Lacey, Jesse, Antonio and I crawled into Fulvio's trusty Fiat this summer for three consecutive days of Italian backroads adventure. We even made it to an Italian McDonald's one of the days. Here's a clip of us crusing in the Italian Alps, with Anotnio and Fulvio enchanting us with Italian tunes.

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Evening abode

Myself along with approximately 50 others have been spending our evenings this past week in the orchestral pit of Holmberg Hall. Because of Mozart's generousity in deciding to write sparsely for trumpet, I've had much time to do government homework, sudoku puzzles, read, pick my nose and take pictures during my week long pit residency. These are just a few from....I think Monday.

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risky business

Went to the new Super Target with a gift card in hand. Joe and I were on a mission...we headed straight to the bakery section knowing exactly what we wanted. But, unfortunately the raspberry chocolate cake we had been looking forward to was sold out. *sigh* So we bought a pound of roughly 15 different flavored Jelly Bellies instead.

We went back to Target a couple of days later to run errands, this time with something else on the mind to buy. Wandering around the health and beauty section we found what we were looking for. With a nice set of hair clippers in hand, we walked to the cash registers to redeem the rest of the gift card.

After doing some research online and reading a couple of articles, Joe and I put the clippers to the test Saturday afternoon. After about an hour of slow and steady clipping and scissoring, I must admit, Joe's hair came out a great success! Hail to gift cards, internet search engines and a trusting fiance. :-)

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Pots and Pans

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Three Legged Dog

Took a press pic for Three Legged Dog the past weekend. If you know anyone who'd like a blues band, contact these fine gentlemen!

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