Why did you marry him???

One of the few pictures I have of my husband as a child....I hope our children are that beautiful!

On Wednesday of last week I was able to go to the San Benito County Fair and watch my dear friends son show his hog. Yes I know I am a little weird, but I love a good hog show. I miss the days of showing and the competitive nature still lies with me.



I was sitting in the stands with Taylor, the sister of Trent who was showing and she asked me one of those profound, only a five year old could come up with it questions (and yes she was one of my three flower girls) " Why did you marry Bandon?" (Note - In the world of Taylor, Brandon has no r and is Bandon)......I had to think for a minute, how do you answer that to a 5 year old girl? Said answer was " Well Tay, because I love him with all my heart and I wanted to spend my life with him" .....Tay thinks...."but you love me too, right?" Courtney....."Yes, but you are a little young for me so I married Brandon".....Tay...."Okay" End of conversation! Out of the mouth of babes....I love that age.



But, that got me thinking, it has been 2 years since we married, how are things....well may I say perfect! Yes, we all have are issues and our problems and our spats, but really truly, I have married the man of my dreams and I couldn't be happier in the life I have. I think one more dog and well then a baby in a year or two and life will be truly, truly perfect or at least perfect in my eyes.

So Tay, thanks for making me think and Brandon.....Happy Anniversary "Babe"

New Favorite Lasagna!!

My mom made this for Sunday night family dinner.....it was AMAZING!

Classic Two Sauce Lasagna
By Judy Leonard



12 Lasagna Noodles Cooked
1 15 oz. Precious Ricotta Cheese
1 10 oz. Frozen Spinach Thawed & Well drained
2 cups shredded Mozzarella Cheese
¼ cup Parmesan Cheese
2 eggs
1 lb. Bulk Italian Sausage or Ground Beef
1 26 oz. Jar Classic Red Sauce
1 17 oz. Jar Any Alfredo or White Sauce

Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl combine Ricotta, Spinach, 2 Tbls Parmesan and eggs. Mix Well; Cook and Drain Sausage. In 9x13 Baking Dish spread 1 cup Red Sauce. Layer 4 Lasagna Noodles over Sauce. Top with half cheese mixture, 1 cup Red Sauce and Half cooked sausage. Repeat Layers. Top with Remaining 4 noodles. Spread Alfredo Sauce evenly on top. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Cover baked at 350 for 45 minutes; uncover and bake for 15 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.


SIDE NOTES –

I used Francesco Rinaldi Super Mushroom Sauce and Classico 4 Cheese Alfredo.

Also, I doubled the Mozzarella cheese and didn’t measure the Parmesan.

I used 2 lbs of Sausage, but it’s your discretion.

Barbecue Chicken Casserole....so yummy

I love to have the bags of "Simply Potatoes" in my fridge thanks to my Aunt Debbie! They are great in you need something for dinner fast! So last night I tried a new casserole...oh and it was yummy and there are no leftovers!!

Preparation Time: 10 minutes Time-To-Table: 45 minutes Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 package Simply Potatoes® Shredded Hash Browns
1 cup (4 ounces) Crystal Farms® Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
(I used 2 1/2 cups Medium Cheddar...it made it better :-))
1/2 cup chopped onion (I fried it up a bit so there were no hard onions in the casserole)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 to 3/4 cup barbecue sauce

Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 13x9-inch glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place Simply Potatoes®, cheese and onion in baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; drizzle with olive oil. Mix well. Spread Simply Potatoes® into thin layer covering the bottom of the pan. 2. Arrange chicken breasts on top of Simply Potatoes®. Pour desired amount of barbecue sauce over each breast. Bake, uncovered, 30 to 35 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and potatoes are crisp and golden brown.


Nutritional Facts:
Calories
470
Fat
20 g
Cholesterol
103 mg
Sodium
1052 mg
Carbohydrate
36 g
Dietary Fiber
2 g
Protein
36 g

Wedding Photographs

If you would like to see a few of my wedding pictures, please feel free to check out my AMAZING photographers site at

http://larrynordwick.com/#

Under Wedding Galleries; Pasadera

Thanks Larry! They are the most amazing things I have ever seem!

My Super Hero

I have so much to post, but this inspired me so much! So I will post all the fair stuff and life stuff soon, but first....MY SUPER HERO!

We have great neighbors! Ric and Bev are amazing people and parents and they have amazing kids, Amanda 16 and Jeffrey 13. Amanda and Jeff came over after dinner last night so that I could buzz Jeff's hair and Amanda needed to talk to my husband.

Amanda goes to an all girl private school in Salinas. She is 16 and a Junior and is sweet as can be. Today is Super Hero day at school and she had decided that Brandon was going to be her Super Hero for the day and she wanted to wear his Army uniform. She wanted to wear all of his fatigues. She looked so cute once we got it all together, I will take pictures at the end of the day today of the two of them, but it touch my heart and Brandon's heart that she feels he is a "Super Hero"!

I have to say that Brandon has always been my hero, what he went through growing up, his time in the service and the life he has made for himself, that is Super Hero in my book. And not only Brandon, but all of those who dedicate their lives to serving our country, THANK YOU! You are all my Super Hero.

Stressed!

Not trying to complain, but why is it that when things are the most hectic and chaotic, the husband must have something happen to him....last night he was complaining that his eye was itching and within 10 minutes it was swollen shut and is still swollen and black and blue!! Off to the eye doctor at noon, but why is it that it must happen just day's before the fair opens and I didn't even get to take glory in giving him the black eye! Oh but the story is that i got really mad at him and beat him....jk!

Childhood

Are you ever reminded of how great your childhood was or maybe still is!! There are days where I feel like I am still living my childhood dream.......i.e. having way to much at the Monterey County Fair!!

My girlfriend sent me a link to a video yesterday.It is a wonderful video highlighting the last year of fun and learning for Spring 4-H. It brought back SO many wonderful memories of my in FFA. It also helped to remind me of why I dedicate so much time to Monterey County Fair; the programs I help to support are what are going to help the youth of our community grow and be prosperous in the future.

I have no idea how to upload the file or the link.....but, it brought tears to my eyes!

Here is my shot at the link!

http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=50d2398d468cd9e7b27217&skin_id=601&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

10 days to the "Ride the Wave" to the Monterey County Fair!