More Cancun pictures that were on Tyler's computer

Requested recipes...

My best friend Melissa recently asked me for some recipes... I buy turkey sausage everytime I go to the store almost, just so I have it all the time because you can make quite a few things with it and it's better for you than regular sausage and it's cheap! Two things Tyler and I love is just the simple "Zatarains's" New Orleans style gumbo mix with rice (box mix) and the mix just with rice. You can add chicken, shrimp, or sausage, but I always use the turkey sausage and Tyler really likes it. They're both quick, easy, and really delicious.

Another quick and really yummy thing you can make with turkey sausage is Tomato & Spinach Pasta. This is a recipe from my cousin, Sunny.

Tomata & Spinach pasta-

*2 cups penne pasta -7oz-uncooked (I used just plain macaroni one time since that's what I already had AND I always buy the whole wheat pastas to make it even more healthy and it doesnt taste much different from regular pasta)
*1/2 lb of hot or mild italian sausage (casing removed) (This is what the recipe calls for, but I used just regular turkey sausage(more healthy) and it was really good!)
*1 pkg (6 oz) baby spinach leaves
*1 can diced tomatoes
*basil, garlic, and oregano (I just added these seasonings myself-however much you think)
*1 cup of mozzarella cheese
*2 tbsp Paramesan cheese

Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile cook meat into large deep skillet. Cook on med-high heat until cooked through, stirring occasionally-drain. Add spinach and tomatoes. cook 2 mins or until spinach wilts. Remove and cover. Drain pasta; place in large serving bowl, add mixture and cheese; mix lightly. Serve with texas toast or garlic bread and WaaLaa!

Well there you go my fellow cooker. Hope y'all like it. It's pretty easy and fun to make, if you guys like pasta. I love to make pasta's cause there is no italian restaurant here in Clovis so it's always something different and fresh.

Apples anyone???

This has been our first summer in our house and we learn new things about it all the time. Since summertime has come I have discovered that one of the trees in our backyard is actually an apple tree! It's kinda fun to have an apple tree of your own. I never thought I would own my own tree that makes apples! So the other day I decided it was time to try one of these green apples. I went and picked two good-looking ones, washed them, cut them up, and then proceeded to taste them. I didn't think they would be that tastey since they are all pretty small, not like the big ones you can get at the grocery store. I was right. They were pretty sour. I thought it would be fun to make an apple pie though with apples from our tree so I called my good friend, Jan, (since she is a really amazing cook) and asked her if an apple pie would be good if it was made with sour tasting apples. And she said she thought you were actually suppose to make apple pies with sour apples. So there ya go! I was like perfect! My apples are sour! She told me my friend Kristin is known for her famous apple pies and that i should call her, so that's my plan...to make an apple pie with our very own apples before I go back to work...wish me luck!

Girls Gone Godly

We are having a girls sleepover tonight for girls in our youth group. We are calling it Girls Gone Godly. Me, Tyler's intern Ali, my friend Cristy Cross, and our pre-school director here at church are all doing short talks on different issues girls deal with: modesty/clothing, self-respect/body image, eating disorders, gossip/jealousy, dating. If you read this before tonight please say a prayer for us and the girls that will be there, that God will use this time to encourage them and teach them what it means to be godly in every area of their lives.

We're back from Alburqurque

we are through with trips for the summer. It's kinda a relief. I am going to stay home for the next two weeks and enjoy my house and home for a change. I feel like we have just gone, gone, gone all summer long, but every trip was really great though. So no complaints here. I'm just happy to get to stay home for longer than 3 days at a time.

Our trip to Alburqurque (I never know how to spell it correctly) was pretty good. We stayed at the Marriott and wished we could have brought that bed back to Clovis with us, it was comfortable. We went to the Aquarium Friday and got to see tons of different fish (sharks, sting-rays, sea-horses, etc) Tyler and I really liked that. The conference preaching was ok. It was mainly about marriage and family. The guy that made this new christian film with Kirk Cameron was the speaker. He made Facing the Giants movie too.
We loved being with our friends, the Osburns. They have 2 little girls and a baby girl. Aspyn, Makaidyn, and Pacyn. Of course I loved being around a baby all weekend. :)
I sit here on my couch as I write this and I just realized that I'm never quite sure how to end posts. Do I say bye? or just leave it as it is when I'm done....I feel like I always leave it without ever really ending it...ya know you've always been taught to have a good closing paragraph in your writing... oh well...

Off to Albuquerque for the weekend..

We are about to leave to go to Albuquerque for a family conference. We are waiting on our associate pastor, his wife, and 3 girls to pick us up in one of the church vans. We think this will be a good FINAL trip of the summer with the Osburn family. Two other couples from church staff are going as well but we are meeting them there. We will stay at the Marriott Resort and hopefully get to do some things around the city while we are there.

Snorkling

We had a such a fun time snorkling together. We both had never snorkeled before so it was pretty neat to get to do it together for the first time. We loved every minute of it, just being out in the middle of the ocean and getting to see underwater at all the colors and designs that God puts on things is remarkable. We hope to get to do it again someday.