Gettysburg, PA

Dustin and I have been in Philadelphia for 4 years now.  Since we've been here, we've tried to make it a point to get out and do things.  You know, not get stuck in the routine of life and never go and do fun stuff.

So far, we've:
- visited Boston, Mass.
- visited NYC
- visited Baltimore, MD
- experienced the Jersey Shore, many times. That includes, Atlantic City, Cape May, and Ocean Grove Beach.
- visited Lancaster and the surrounding countryside
- skied in Vermont
- anniversaried in Ontario, Canada - saw Niagara Falls
- flew to Portland, OR for a week
- hiked the countryside of eastern PA to a small extent
- experienced Philly to a decent extent.  There's just SO much to take in.


One of the things left on our Bucket List was to visit Gettysburg, PA.  Some of you may be wondering, "Why Gettysburg?" and some may have no doubt in their minds why we would want to visit there before leaving this state.

Well, for starters, we are from Chickamauga, GA.  The only reason some people have ever heard of Chickamauga is because of the battle that took place there during the Civil War.  It was the third bloodiest battle of the War.  We kind of have a cultural connection with Gettysburg just because we are from Chickamauga.  "You're from a small, historic, civil war town?  OMG!  I'M from a small, historic, civil war town!"
Secondly, it is the bloodiest battle and probably the most significant battlefield of the Civil War.  Confederate General Lee lost to Union General Meade - a major turning point in the war.
Lastly, President Lincoln gave the famous Gettysburg Address at the National Cemetery in Gettysburg.  You remember, "Four score and seven years ago...".  A pretty monumental moment in history.

I know, I know, too many words.  I'm getting to the pics....

Let me just brag on my husband for a minute.  After I strongly suggested on Friday night that we go to Gettysburg on Sunday, and thinking that we would just throw the plans together last minute on Saturday night after I got home from a day trip to the beach...he called me in the middle of my sunbathing to fill me in on all of the plans he had made for the trip the following day!!!!!!!

Relief and excitement.  He had written out an entire itinerary...including two outlet mall stops!  A breakfast stop was planned at a great diner in Lancaster.  We were going from point A to B to C at specific times.  Grabbing lunch at a specific time.  And leaving a at a specific time.   All I had to do was be in the car by 7am.  Yes, 7am.  When the Tommey's get excited about something, you better believe it's going to be executed in an intense and meticulous manner.  I LOVE HIM!

Here are the pics......

6:40 am + fresh bang trim.

So happy!

Philly at 7am.  I'll miss this skyline.

The Pantry - our breakfast stop.
It looked about 700sqft. and a bit uncertain.
But it was SO awesome!!!

Skillet Breakfasts.  OMG.

Sourdoug toast, homefries, and a scrambled, delicious mess.

14 Grain toast, homefries, and bacon, onion, broccoli skillet.

The Visitors Center - it was VERY nice on the inside and out.

Checking out the cannons.  Though he said he would probably have been in the infantry.

McPherson's Farm.  Where the first of the fighting began, day 1.  Also, the PA countryside is so beautiful.  There are fields of corn and farmhouses and barns EVERYWHERE...it's one of my favorite parts of PA.

Eternal Peace Monument.  There's an flame at the top that's always lit.

Overlooking some battle grounds.

The coolest monument we saw that day.  I don't remember what the inscription said, but it was for the PA troops.

Luthern Theological Seminary.  It was used to as a hospital to care for the wounded.  Sound familiar, Gordon Lee Mansion?

Appalachian Brewing Company.  The beer is Dustin's.  Don't worry.  But isn't the stamped bun really fun?!

Ten - AH - See. All day, son!  Imagine me saying it like this. Or this.  

General Lee on top of his horse, Traveler.  Probably the largest Confederate monument in the park.  One of my favorites too.  

I can't remember exactly, but if this pic was taken in front of the above statue of Robert E. Lee, then this is where the Confederates charged the Union in the most devastating battle at Gettysburg, Pickett's Charge.  After losing this battle, Lee began his retreat back into VA.

Lieutenant General James Longstreet.  Look at his beard.  He was Lee's second-in-command.  

Monument for Louisiana.  It was eccentric to say the least.  A lot like Louisiana, if you ask me.  Cool enough to take a picture of though.

Mississippi.  

Don't remember exactly.  Probably the farmhouse/barn of the family whose farmland was used as a battlefield.  What would you do with thousands of men fighting in your backyard?  Stay at home and try to protect what's yours or brave the unknown and possible run-in's with the enemy to get out of Dodge?

He wanted his picture taken at the top of this Observation Tower.  I think he's so cute!  Especially which the camera pouch latched onto his belt.  He's my favorite person, period. 

FINALLY!  Only one, insignificantly sized monument for the Georgians.  I have a friend who thinks our state motto is funny.  Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation.  Anyone else think that's funny?

I don't feel very encouraged by the inscription.  Maybe it's just my perspective.  Anyone agree?

No comment. 

Little Round Top and Big Round Top

Ooo!  This is a good one!  See next pic.

Last surviving Conferderate veteran...117 years old!!  Died in 1959.  He lived through the Civil War, WWI, The Great Depression, WWII, and he saw the Civil Rights Movement begin.  I would have loved to have heard this man's perspective on life.  

Devil's Den.  Zoomed view from on top of Little Round Top.  Where I was standing was Union high ground, looking down onto Confederate territory.

Looking up at Little Round Top.

A bloody battlefield. 

Pennsylvania Monument - the largest one we saw...maybe not the tallest, but definitely the most grand.

New York - had the most monuments of any other state that we saw.  Fun fact:  volunteers for the Union from New York were over 440,000.  

It might be difficult to tell, but in the distance, is the monument I showed earlier of Robert E. Lee on his horse on Seminary Ridge.  When I took this picture, I was standing in the location of the Union army, Cemetery Ridge.  Seminary....Cemetery....strange, very strange.
Anywho, the Confederates charged from directly across this field in the battle known as Pickett's Charge.  The Union won and the Confederate casualties were approximately 6000+ men. It was an ugly, ugly fight. Needless to say, the Rebels began their retreat the next day.
  

Oh look!  One final Confederate taking his charge.  It that a gun he's carrying?!

What a minute!!  That's no Confederate.  That's Rocky Balboa!!  Adrienne!!!!!

We had lots of fun.

Swoon.

Add caption

The National Cemetery.

Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address Monument, though this isn't the exact place the address was given. 

This monument marks the spot where the address was given.  Though President Lincoln wasn't the main speaker that day.  His address was only two minutes long and the main guy, Edward Everett, his address was two HOURS long.  No wonder no one remember his speech.   

In the end, the three days of battle at Gettysburg totaled 51,000 Confederate and Union men wounded, dead or missing.

War sucks.  It really, really sucks.




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One Pan Pasta with A Side of Slang

**note: I thought it would be fun to post a recipe while brushing up on some modern slang.  All links direct you to UrbanDictionary.com, which will, as I'm sure you can guess, give you the definition of the highlighted word if you don't already know it .  

**another note:  The UrbanDictionary can/does contain strong and/or explicit language at times along with some raunchy definitions.  Consider it an NC-17 website, depending on the word.  The definitions are submitted by your common, everyday, immature teen/twenty-something/thirty-something that still lives at home with their parents, so just be aware. 

Here we go....

I owe a lot to Martha Stewart.

Though she's done time in the clink (Let's be honest, so has Nelson Mandela, though the two should never be compared. My bad.), she's never failed to woo me with her effortless decorating style, her OCD organizational tactics, and even her vivid interior paint selection found at the Home Depot.

The Martha Stewart Living magazine is my ATF (definition #3). 

Which brings me to the actual reason for my post. Martha's One Pan Pasta recipe, found in this month's Living issue.

I'll be honest, quite frequently, her recipes (and other magazine recipes) can be a little too time consuming and require too many strange, hard-to-find ingredients. That's just not my jawn.

But this, most certainly, is.





I don't even LIKE tomatoes. But isn't it so pretty?!

Also, you can disregard the feet in the pic. My friend Janell, a shameless instagram addict (though I'm thankful for her vice because I would not have this beautiful pic), has a thing for taking said photos with feet in them. I hope you're not grossed out. I'm not.  I'm more grossed out by the condition of my hardwood floors.  They are original and very old and everlastingly grody (they look this way even when they're clean!).  I've scrubbed that floor Cinderella-style (on hands and knees, mop bucket, and scrub brush...minus cheery birds and mice.  They're too ghetto around here to sing and dance with.) a couple of times, only to be rewarded with less dinge and no sparkle or shine.  Was it even worth it?  I don't think so; I need sparkles.

Back to the point....

If you're a crockpot-aholic, this is your kind of recipe. Basically, it's a pasta that's cooked in a straight-sided skillet along with all of the other ingredients. There's no draining. The water will cook out, leaving it's fortunate consumers with a creamy, al dente pasta.

It's stinkin' FABOO!

And what makes it even better....there are minimal ingredients and only TWO steps.

Check this beast out (defintion #2):

ONE PAN PASTA
Serving Size - 4 (but really it's more like 6)
Prep Time - 15 minutes
Total Time - 20 minutes

Ingredients
12 oz. linguine noodles (I used spaghetti noodles)

12 oz. cherry or grape tomatoes - halved or quartered if large

1 onion - thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic - thinly sliced (I used minced garlic that comes in a jar, but fresh garlic is much more flavorful in my opinion. Do it if you can.)

1/2 tsp. red-pepper flakes

2 sprigs fresh basil, more for garnish if you're in to that

2 Tbs. EVOO, plus more for serving (you won't need the extra, promise)

2 tsp. coarse salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper (I used the reg. Don't stress yourself)

4-1/2 cups of water

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (Okay, I do prefer the fresh stuff, but the powdery kind is just fine. That's what I had on hand.)

Directions
1. Combine pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, red-pepper flakes, basil, oil, salt, pepper, and water in a large straight-sided skillet. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil mixture, stirring and turning pasta frequently with tongs, until pasta is al dente and water has nearly evaporated, about 9 minutes.

2. Season to taste with salt and pepper, divide among bowls, and garnish with basil. Serve with oil and Parmesan.


SHESH!!!! (definition #2)



- the rave

Wilde and Crazy

 I'll try to keep this short and sweet.....

I am making myself clear here?!




Okay, okay...I'm sure you're wanting more details so here you go.

1.  Dustin and I are having a baby!  It was a HUGE surprise.  Totally unexpected.  We're SUPER DUPER excited!  Though, at first, we both felt like we had been hit by a truck.  You know, shock will knock the wind right out of you.

2.  I'm 15 weeks into this crazy-ness.  I feel GREAT!

3.  1st trimester wasn't bad.  No upchucks, just a persistent queasiness.  I'm through that part now.  My appetite got really weird.  I couldn't do anything but eat small snacks A LOT.  Now, I feel a little more normal.  Still eating frequently and a little more quantity.

4. We heard the baby's heartbeat today!!!!  No ultrasound pic, just the audio.  But what a relief.

5.  No baby bump yet.  It's kind of like the awkward stage when you're in between hair cuts.  No, I don't mean for my hair to look like this, it just does.  No, I'm not trying to grow it out, I just haven't had time to get to the salon.  You just hope no one decides to comment until you've either obviously cut you're hair or have decided to grow it out.  Or until you're obviously preggo and not just chubby.

6.  I have two baby related Pinterest boards!  So fun!  They were a secret, but they're public now.  Check them out! One for Wilde and one for me!

7.  We are going to find out the gender.  We don't care if it's a boy or a girl.  We just want a healthy baby.  We're just so excited!

8.  I think it's a boy.  I have no reason behind this.  Maybe it's because we call him/her by a boyish name.  We'll see if I'm right about this soon enough!

9.  We are calling our baby Wilde.  For now.  Maybe it will carry over into his or her name, who knows.  It's the only name Dustin and I mutually liked before this baby thing even happened.  So we joked about it.  And now it's what we call him/her.  More on the origins of that name in another post.

10.  I told Dustin about the pregnancy on his birthday.  At his birthday celebration.  With our housemates.  And video taped it.  For your viewing pleasure....(you may want to skip to 2minutes in, the beginning he's opening other unrelated gifts).

11.  I'm knitting/sewing baby stuff like a psycho!  You'll be seeing some of it soon!  This has been so much fun!

12.  We're moving back to Georgia.

13.  Did you hear that, WE'RE MOVING BACK TO GEORGIA!!!

14.  It's been a whirlwind around here.  Two major life changes in a matter of months.  This baby has thrown our lives into an upside down crazy town.  Lots of thought, prayer, and deliberation have gone into this decision, (unlike with Wilde), and we want Wilde to be able to grow up alongside his cousins and with his grandparents and great-grandparents and aunts and uncles nearby.

That's all I've got for now.  Obviously, I will be keeping you up to date along the way.  Wish us luck, we'll be seeing you Georgians August 1.


I need a nap.

the rave


P.S.  This will be my mom and step-dad's 14th grandchild.  My dad and step-mom's 7th grandchild.  And Dustin's parents FIRST grandchild!!

P.S.S  Dustin's mom was so emotional when we told her the news that when I asked her what she wanted the baby to call her she said "I don't care.  It can call me Dirt."  So, she's Grandma Dirt (for now)!  Tell me that's not hysterical!

Happy Fathers Day!

Happy Father's Day Dad!!!

Here are a few pictures that epitomize the reasons why my dad is awesome.  Prepare to be amazed:

He's a craftsman and entrepreneur.
Windy Hill Wood Works.  Go buy a pen from him at the Chattanooga Market.
I'm sure your dads would love to have one!

He's shameless.  And also lots of fun.
He usually drags my stepmom, Becca, down with him, as you can see.
But not always.

He does unexpectedly cool stuff.
Like curling with my step brother.
He's taken dance lessons with my sis and biked in a 100 mile race,  to name a few.

 Let's not forget his infamous impressions of Rocky Balboa.

He LOVES his family...especially all of his grandbabies.

And he thinks I'm pretty awesome too!
(Though this picture doesn't technically show that, I'm sure that's what he was thinking at the moment.)


I love you and think that you are the best dad in the whole world.

Period.

April Showers Bring May Flowers...And Now It's Almost June!

My Best Friend's Wedding - Real Life
April 5-15, 2013

Happiest week of April for sure!  Being able to spend time with my very best girl was just what I needed.  Though we were busy, busy prepping for the big day, Ashley and I definitely got in some way over due quality time.  I didn't take any pictures of the two of us.  Why?  Because I'm a doofus.  But there will be some excellent wedding photos by our good friends Kori and Kendra. Unfortunately, I am not able to post any pictures of the wedding.  Mostly, because I can't pull them off of facebook and because I don't know that Ashley has any her wedding photos yet or not.  Also I didn't take a single picture, except of the decor right before the rehearsal.  Sheesh.  But I did get a nice one of Dustin and I right before the rehearsal.

Menu Board by Me.

Center Piece.
They were all different, but similar.  Very classy.

Yep.  That's a deer.  Ashley and her mom are the only people that I know who are able to pull off classy with a deer head.  FYI, there wasn't a stitch of camo. 

The groom's table. Not quite finished.

Portland, OR
May 5-11, 2013

I only want to preface these pictures by saying:
1.  This was may first trip to Portland (and the west).
2.  It was mid 70's low 80's and sunny the entire week.
3.  I didn't get pics of Powell's bookstore, but it's freaking amazing!
4.  We met some cool people through Dustin's training that we spent most of our free time with.  And Sandy too, of course!

The Tommey's right before Sandy's band, Comanche Joey, went on.
We were at Eugenio's.  Here are some of there tunes.  Sandy plays the banjo.

Lovies.

Brothers.

VooDoo Doughnuts.  There's nothing Krispy Kreme about this joint.
If you're ever in Portland, you've got to stop by.  It's definitely one of a kind.

Dustin ordered the Memphis Mafia.  Fried dough, banana chunks, cinnamon, chocolate, peanut butter, peanuts, and chocolate chips.  It's the one in the front.
I ordered the Butterfingering.  It's a chocolate cake doughnut with vanilla frosting and butterfinger crumbles.  It's the size of a regular doughnut.  Dustin's, clearly, isn't.

The Commons Brewery.
Dustin's got the Flemish Kiss.  I've got the Palette Cleanser. Sandy's got some Oatmeal Stout that I can't remember the name of.

The Sampler.  The only way to go.
Their Flemish Kiss was the all around favorite.

Cannon Beach

A wild crew.  Also, it was cold!  51 degrees and windy.

Cape May, NJ - Memorial Day Weekend
May 25-27, 2013

Did I bring my camera?  Yes.
Did I take a single picture?  Nope.
Did I/we have a blast?  Heck yes.
Did I meet new friends who spent 3 months on a base in Antarctica?  YES!  Kacey and Dave, you're awesome!
Did I get to watch my friend Amy turn 30 and wear my faux glasses for her Nerdy Thirty birthday?  I did! I did!
But, did I take a single, stinkin' picture.  Hex to the NO!  Booo.


Well, I'm back online.  For now.  I hope to share more things soon.

Until then....

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New Etsy Stuff!

It's not a ton, but it's all I have time to post about today.

Spread the word.  These are great finds!!

Washboard - $25

Maria Helena Doll - $18

Magis, Roma Doll - $12

Santa Pitcher & Mugs - $15

Dairy Scale - $25

Hopefully, I will be able to update more.  But for now, this is all I've got.


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