Homemade Fruit Snacks, Toddler Safe and Tesa Approved!

Usually I use this blog as a place to share cute stories about my little family, but today it's going to serve a more domestic, housewife-y purpose. It's actually kind of selfish, but I'm writing this entry for me. Let me explain: today I made some toddler-safe homemade fruit snacks for Tesa, but I combined several recipes I found on Pinterest (because I didn't have or didn't want to use some of the ingredients any one of the recipes had by themselves), and added my own twist, and they turned out AHH-MAZING, and I don't want to ever forget what I did, so I'm writing it all down and posting it here, because as everyone knows, once it's published on the Internet, it's out there forever. So yes, this blog post is just for me, but if you ever get a hankering to make your own fruit snacks, you can use it too! ;)

Please forgive my poor photography skills!

Homemade, Toddler-Safe Fruit Snacks (Steph's Version)

You'll need:

• 2/3 c fresh or frozen fruit (I used frozen blueberries my great aunt picked last summer in Illinois)
• 2/3 c fruit juice (I used no sugar added cranberry juice. I suggest using something citrus if you want a more traditional sour-ish taste)
• 2 T honey (I used wildberry honey)
• 4 envelopes Knox unflavored gelatin

*Note: These fruit snacks are NOT super sweet. I made these for my toddler, so I didn't want them to be sugary. If you don't care that they are a little more unhealthy, you could add a little bit of sugar, but I wouldn't use more than a tablespoon. Just my opinion.

Here's what you do:

• Combine fruit and fruit juice over medium heat until fruit is soft and turning mushy. Be sure to stir frequently during this process.
• Remove from heat and let cool a few minutes, then puree the mixture in a blender until it becomes a smooth, even consistency.
• Return to saucepan over medium-low heat and add honey. Stir until completely combined.
• Add gelatin slowly, making sure to whisk as you add so the mixture doesn't clump. I added one envelope at a time and whisked until all the powder was completely dissolved until moving on to the next envelope.
• Pour mixture into molds until you are out. If you don't have molds, you could use a 13" x 9" pan and cut into squares later. I had a few molds, but I still had some left over, so I used a small shallow bowl for the remainder and cut it into small cubes once it was set.
• Put it all in the refrigerator to set for 1-2 hours. I waited the whole two hours for mine, but I don't think it will take quite that long.

That's it. How simple is that?! Super easy, right? And way better for kids than store-bought fruit snacks. This recipe yields enough for what I would consider about 6 servings. As far as how long they keep, I can't really attest to that yet, but just in case, I plan on keeping them in the fridge to maximize how long they stay fresh. These are toddler tested and approved by my 16 month old daughter, and I plan on buying more molds and adding these to the regular rotation of snack foods.

Enjoy!

My Favorite Things List

As the mother of a small being who has only been around for sixteen short months, I am constantly amazed at how complex Tesa's personality already is. It's weird to think of her as her own whole person, apart from me, who has her own ideas and thoughts and quirks. The more mobile and independent she gets, the more I realize that she is developing into her own self, becoming more "her" than just a product of Tyson and I. It's bittersweet to watch; on the one hand I miss the days when I could hold her in one arm and she had no choice but to lay there and cuddle with me all day if that's what I chose to do, but on the other, I am so, so proud/happy/entertained to watch her grow and evolve and learn and react to everything that happens around her. I never want to forget the experiences and moments and little things that make my sweet daughter who she is, so I've created My Favorite Things List, The Tesa Edition. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

My Favorite Things List, The Tesa Edition

1. She uses her toy golf clubs more as swords or drumsticks.
2. She's the ultimate priss. She loves to be outside, but won’t touch grass, sand, or snow. In fact, if she sees other people touching it, chances are she will come try to knock it out of your hand.
3. She ALWAYS looks mischievous when she's doing something she knows she shouldn’t.
4. When she picks up something she’s not supposed to and you tell her no, she acts like it was her intention to hand it to you all along. "But Mom, I was just bringing it to you because I'm know I'm not supposed to have it, duh!"
5. She crawls from one end of the couch to the other, and when she reaches the end opposite of you, she looks back, grins, and crawls on back.
6. She absolutely won’t cuddle unless she's tired AND Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is on. Then it's ok to sit back with you on the couch. But only then. Really, don't try at any other time.
7. She likes to help empty the dishwasher, and groups the silverware together when she's handing it to you. She takes out all her small spoons, then all of the regular utensils, then large serving spoons, etc.
8. Every button or light switch passed has to be pushed or flipped.
9. She throws her pacifiers out of her crib when she’s ready to get up from her nap, then when we go get her out, she patiently puts them all back in, one by one, by dropping them in between the bars.
10. She dances to all kinds of music.
11. She gets so excited about bath time she runs around the bathroom screaming, “ba! ba!” while the water fills up the tub.
12. She gets frustrated when her hair gets in her eyes and impatiently pushes it away.
13. She has to have at least 10 pacifiers in her crib with her when going to sleep. One for her mouth, one for each hand, and a plethora of extras in case she needs to let you know she's awake. (See #9.)
14. She can’t be bothered to give anyone a real kiss. Instead, when asked for one, she just leans her face in your direction.
15. She loves to “jump" (a.k.a., bend her knees and stand up straight very quickly in succession; her feet never leave the floor).
16. She lets you know she’s done eating by pulling off her bib and promptly dropping her cup of milk on the floor.
17. She steadfastly believes the throw pillows do not belong on the couch - they belong in the floor.
18. When she gets sleepy, she rubs her eyes and then gives me a critical look, like it’s my fault she’s tired.
19. She makes “grabby hands” every time she passes the cookie jar.
20. She likes to help load the washing machine; and by help, I mean take things out one by one as you are trying to put them all in.
21. She sees every opportunity to go upstairs as the chance to race.
22. When she's trying to figure out how to make something work (turn on a toy, get the screen on the phone to come on, get her shoe on her foot) and she just can't do it herself, she makes a disdainful face and a noise of frustration and hands off the item, as if to say, "Here, handle this."
23. She sticks her feet out, one at a time, to help you put her socks on.
24. She tries to share her pacifier with you.
25. She likes to sleep face down with her little butt sticking up in the air.

These are just a few of the crazy adorable things that make up the ever-growing, ever-changing personality of my Tesa. I can't wait to add to this list over the years, and be able to look back and laugh at the memory of all these little quirks!

New Year, New Post (Long Overdue)

I think it’s been over a year since I've posted anything to this blog, so needless to say I’ve been a huge slacker. One of my New Year’s resolutions this year is to write more, whether on here, my other blog, or just for myself and not for the world to see. Writing has always been an outlet for me, one that helps me talk myself through my own experiences in life, gets things off my chest, and lets me express what I’m feeling and thinking better than I am able to say it out loud. I love writing, and if I could make a living simply reading and writing about whatever I wanted from my couch, I would probably be a millionaire by now. Or at least a six-digit salary earner. Anyway…

There are probably a thousand things I should write about to get this blog up to speed since the last post, but that sounds really boring and monotonous to me, so I’m just going to give a quick rundown and pick up where I want to.

Long story short, we had our baby, yay! It was (IS) a girl, yay! Her name is Tesa, and she is the cutest, perkiest, funniest, smartest baby in the world. Here’s proof:

Making dinner for Mommy and Daddy in her new kitchen!

She turned ONE in October, and I can’t believe I already have a toddler. There are days when it seems like I should still be pregnant and nervously preparing for her arrival. But in reality I have a walking (or running), talking (almost) little person with a big personality that consumes my life everyday, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

In June, we took her on her first big vacation, a cruise to the Caribbean. Everyone thought we were crazy, but our group had over 20 members of our closest family and friends, so we had lots of help. As you can see, she had a really rough time!

She was the star of the ship!

In December, we flew her across the country for a ski trip in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. She was not a huge fan of the snow, but she LOVED hanging out in the Baby Bjorn with Daddy and seeing all the pretty lights!

Could there even be a cuter face than that?!

In Tesa’s fifteen months, she has been in ten states, and flown over several others. She is quite a traveled baby, and lucky for us, she does so well in virtually any situation. She is seriously the easiest, most well-behaved child in the world. (Knock on wood!)

As good as Tesa is while traveling, it is HARD to cart a toddler and her massive amount of necessities with us everywhere we go. This year, we returned from our week long ski trip, and the very next weekend we turned around and drove to Atlanta, spent two days with Tyson’s family, drove back, spent a day with my parents, drove to my grandparents, and spent another day there. I love being so close to both families so that we can make those trips in a day, but it was a lot of traveling for such short visits! I can only imagine what it will be like when Tesa has a little brother or sister and we have TWICE the amount of clothes/food/diapers/gear/toys to lug around with us!

Despite the chaos and confusion of getting from one place to the next when we were supposed to, the Patrick family had a fantastic holiday. I see a lot of my family anyway, but it’s nice to have the whole crew together at once. And I love when we get to see Tyson’s family and they get to see all of Tesa’s new tricks and sweet faces. She is truly my pride and joy, and I love to see other people getting so much enjoyment out of her laughs and cuddles too!

Tesa’s Second Christmas will always be one for the books. It will be the one I always remember as the year we lost our dining room and Tesa gained a playroom. Seriously, there were JUST THAT MANY toys. To say that little girl is loved and spoiled would be the understatement of the century. Here are some pics of our adorable “dining room,” before and after:

I mean, even I'M kinda jealous of this playroom...

So now everything is returning to normal, some things more slowly than others (i.e., Tesa’s regular sleep schedule...), and though I’m sad to see the holiday magic fading away, I’m also kinda glad to be getting my old routine back, and doubly thankful for some much needed time at home. Tyson and I were talking about our plans earlier this week, and when we realized at the same time that we had no real obligations or any place we had to be this weekend, you should have seen the joy on our faces. It was like Christmas all over for us! All the traveling and visiting and jet-setting is great, but sometimes there’s just no better place than home sweet home!

Yes, that IS an official TN State Legislature bill supporting and urging the signing of Peyton Manning to the Titans

It's A Girl! (We Think...)

Pregnancy is a very convenient and all-inclusive excuse to use for just about anything; namely for why it's been two and a half months since my last blog entry. Not only is it convenient, it's also very valid... In the past four months, between trips to the bathroom (both to pee and puke...pregnancy is not pretty, people), frequent naps, doctor visits, working hours, and what limited social obligations I've been able to keep, it's hard to find any time to sit down and write an update that's more in depth that a quick Facebook status post. But at 20 weeks and 3 days into my pregnancy, things have finally started to quiet down and slowly return to normal, which I'm sure Tyson appreciates almost as much as I do.

After what has seemed like FOREVER, we've finally reached the halfway point and are now in the home stretch of the pregnancy. Just 137 days (give or take a week or so) until we get to meet our beautiful daughter, and we could not be more excited!

"Wait, daughter?" you say, "But I thought... Last I heard you were having a boy!"

Yeah, that's a funny story.

At 11 weeks, our doctor made a preliminary guess from an ultrasound that we were having a boy. Of course, there's a lot to still be determined at 11 weeks, and we were very careful and mindful of the doctor's warnings not to take that guess to the bank. At 15 weeks, just before Mother's Day, we asked our doctor if he might be willing to give us another ultrasound and make another guess about the gender since we were hoping to be able to tell our moms as a Mother's Day present if they should expect a grandson or granddaughter. Again, our doc said his best guess was a boy, but warned us that it was still too early to be sure. We told our families just that, and we were all content. But a few days later, curiosity got the best of me, and I bought an over-the-counter gender test that a cousin had told me about to see if we could confirm the whole boy/girl question. The Intelligender test claims to be 90% accurate at as early as 10 weeks, so I felt confident taking it at 15-16 weeks. The results were a very obvious BOY reading, so we proclaimed to the world (via phone and Facebook, of course) that we were having a son, and thus began to plan accordingly.

Fast forward to our 19 week ultrasound last week. I'm half-sitting-half-laying back in the vinyl doctor's office chair with my feet up in those stirrups, and the ultrasound tech asks us if we would like to find out the gender of our baby. We respond yes, and Tyson adds that we are pretty sure we already know what the results will be, since our doctor estimated a few weeks ago that we were having a boy, and a gender test confirmed it. We make small talk with her about the name we have already picked out for our son, when all of a sudden she gets quiet. And then she says, "So... You were thinking it was a boy...? Because what we're looking at here are girl parts."

I can not begin to describe to you the speed with which our jaws hit the floor as she pointed to the three white lines clearly displayed on the screen (classic telltale sign of a girl baby on an ultrasound picture). And then we just laughed, and Tyson said, "Well I instantly hate all boys now." Already an overprotective father to his little princess! :)

So anyway, a girl it is. Tesa Jane, to be more clear. Tesa, a combination of her parents initials, Tyson E. and Stephanie A., and Jane, the name of Tyson's absolutely amazing grandmother, a woman that baby will be forever honored to be named after. And seriously, Tesa Jane? How much more refreshingly Southern can you get? At any rate, she's already quite the débutante in the sense that she does not let me forget she'll be coming out into the world soon. I think even my doctor is flabbergasted with how much she likes to kick and squirm around in there! Tyson likes to say she's already high maintenance like her mother, but I think we all know she comes by it honestly from BOTH of her parents!

I'll try not to let it go so long between now and my next post, but until then, enjoy this YouTube video of what I can only imagine is the happiest baby in the world. Hopefully Tesa's temperament will be similar to this adorable little one!

Baby Bump Update!

This is a new experience for me... I'm blogging in the car on a roadtrip using my new work laptop, equipped with a Verizon aircard. It's amazing how far technology has come even in my 24 years, but I digress...

Anyway, I brought my laptop with the good intentions of getting some work done on the long drive up to Illinois for my cousin's wedding, but some issues with our main server have prevented me from doing so, so what better way to pass the time than write a new blog entry?

There's nothing much new in the Patricks' world, just me being pregnant. Anyone who's been pregnant before knows that's no walk in the park. I think I jinxed myself early on by assuming that since my mom never had any morning sickness with me or my brother, that I was in the clear. Boy was I wrong. At about 6-7 weeks, nausea hit me with the force of a brick wall and didn't subside for almost 2 weeks straight. Now, at 9 weeks and 5 days, I'm just now finally starting to feel semi-normal again, although I never know what sights, smells, or tastes will send me running to the nearest bathroom to dry heave for fifteen minutes. Tyson has been as helpful and supportive as possible, running to the store for the random bland food items I think I can stomach, and getting rid of the ones I can't. And he also doesn't complain that I come home at 5:30 everyday and immediately take a spot on the couch or in bed and don't move until it's time to go to work the next morning. Who knew growing a baby could be so much work, and cause so much exhaustion?

Morning sickness aside, the arrival of our baby is the one thing I've looked forward to more than anything in my life. I thought I was excited about our wedding, but the time flew by for that in comparison to the wait I feel like I have to endure until November when we'll finally meet our little Patrick. Every time I see a baby now, I get choked up and emotional and feel sad that I still have to wait so long. I know those feelings are ridiculous, and 7 months from now I'll be freaking out and thinking how little time I had to prepare for everything. But right now the due date just seems to be light years away!

So far, we've gotten two ultrasounds and two amazing chances to hear the baby's heartbeat. Our OB couldn't be more reassuring and positive about the pregnancy right now, saying everything looks perfect...which makes sense, since I can't imagine my baby being anything less! In our last visit, we actually got to see little tiny body parts...the whole head, and we could even see where the eyes and nose are forming, and arms and legs with little feet... Truly a miracle to see it! And we found out our little nugget is quite an active little thing! While watching the ultraound, tiny legs were kicking nonstop. It was so adorable, and Tyson especially was so giddy he couldn't stop laughing! The doctor told me to get my rest in now, because when TOM gets big enough for me to feel those kicks, I won't be getting any sleep! :)

Funny little anecdote...a true one...that happened to me recently: I'm going to be a bridesmaid in a friend's wedding in mid June. Obviously I'll be showing by then, and the procedures for doing a dress fitting are slightly different than for a non-pregnant person. My friend had called ahead and asked what the process would be for me, and they had told her that they would take my current measurements and ask me a few questions about how far along I was and whether or not it was a first pregnancy, etc. So last weekend I brought my mom with me to David's Bridal to get my measurements done. Of course, it's prom season, so the store was packed with a million teenage girls trying on dresses for that. We were assigned a sales associate who had worked there for less than a week. I explained that I was pregnant, and she asked me what size I normally wear. I told her a 2-4. She brought out three different dresses....sizes 8, 10 and 12. This alarmed me a little, but I didn't say much. She brought me to a dressing room, and right before I went in, she handed me a pillow with two velcro straps and told me I would need to strap it around my stomach underneath the dress. I just stared at her. This was not the process I had been expecting. Coming out of that dressing room was pure misery. I swear I had 50 sets of eyes staring at my huge deformed stomach, with a consultant who was poking and prodding my body but really not making any progress as to what we should do about sizing. In the end, after standing in the middle of that room for ten minutes in front of everyone, it was decided that my normally petite body should order a size 10 dress....3-4 sizes bigger than normal. Not in the mood to argue and really just wanting to escape from the store, I adopted the belief that too much fabric is always better than not enough, and signed the credit card slip and bolted.

So that's our life in a nutshell right now. Well, it's mine anyway. Sleep, pee, take prenatal vitamins, eat something...ANYTHING...as long as I can keep it down, repeat. They say the second trimester is easier...I'm about 3-4 weeks away from that, and I'm sure hoping for even the slightest burst in energy and appetite. Other than that, we're just spending our time making baby plans and, in Tyson's case, waiting for lake and football seasons, respectively. (I think it helps for him to break long waiting periods into smaller, highly anticipated parts...in Tyson's case, it's always summer fun and anything Volunteer related.) Until next post, here's to hoping for less nausea and potty breaks!

First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage, Then Comes Baby in a Baby Carriage!

Well if you believe everything you read on Facebook (and why wouldn't you?), word in the social networking world is we're having a baby. I must confess, this particular rumor is true! Tyson and I are going to be parents. God help that poor child, he/she never even had a chance at a normal life.

Tyson has already convinced me that our baby's first outfit, regardless of gender, will be a UT Vols outfit. He has also stipulated that Baby Patrick's first outfit home from the hospital will be a completely different UT Vols outfit. I used to think I had some semblance of reasonableness left in me when it came to the Vols, but I think Tyson must have completed my conversion phase without me even knowing it during the last football season. What other explanation can there be for a young, excited mother-to-be agreeing to deck their newborn out in orange rather than the traditional adorable pinks for a girl and blues for a boy? I must officially be just another crazy obsessed die-hard Vol for life. If this kid's blood doesn't run orange straight out of the womb, I'm afraid it's in for a life of torture by its father, and apparently even its own mother. There's no safe ground!

All kidding aside, we could not be happier or more excited about becoming parents. At barely six weeks along, we are already making plans for a nursery, itching to start a baby registry, and have started buying packages of diapers at every trip to the store so that we have a stock built up before the baby even comes. We've bought three baby books and have all but shouted our expectant status from the rooftops to anyone and everyone who will listen. We're pumped. And young though we may be, at my age of 23, almost 24, both mine and Tyson's mothers had already given birth to two children each by this point in their lives, so I have no doubt that we are ready and capable. We know how much life is about to change for us, and in fact it already has for me, but we welcome the challenge and can't wait to start building our own little family.

Our first ultrasound is scheduled for two weeks from today on March 24th. So far, so good at this point in the pregnancy. All my levels look good, and I've had absolutely no morning sickness so far (fingers crossed it stays that way). I tire out very easily, but other than that, not much has changed yet. Tyson has already become the junk food Nazi, denying me anything that wouldn't be good for the baby and asking me incessantly if I'm "supposed to be eating that." He's going to be a great dad! :)

Stay tuned in the upcoming weeks and months for more updates on Baby Patrick's progress. He or she should be making his or her first appearance in the world around November 7th, not even a full 8 months from now!

WARNING: V-Day Lovers Don't Read This

Ok, is it weird that, as a woman, I don't like Valentine's Day? I guess "don't like it" isn't the right way to put it. I guess it's more that I'm indifferent. It's like any other day to me. I don't look forward to it, or expect a big surprise, or even do much planning for it of my own. And I know what you're thinking, clearly I had a bad experience when I was younger when I was alone, or going through a breakup, or had a crappy boyfriend who didn't treat me right on that day... but no. Since high school, I've ALWAYS had a boyfriend on Valentine's Day, and with the exception of one year, they were all really good guys. Even the one exception year wasn't a bad one, it's just not a guy I would brag about.

So what the heck am I lacking that every other girl on the planet has, that makes me not care about this holiday? I have no idea. I used to think it was because I didn't buy into the whole consumerist Hallmark holiday idea, but I really don't think that's it. I mean sure, it's kind of ridiculous that it's pretty much just a day for all greeting card, chocolate, flower, spa, and restaurant companies to triple their year-to-date revenues in one day, but that really doesn't affect me, so who cares? If anything, it's a day of economny boosting that we desperately need in these times.

I've never been a very openly affectionate person, so maybe that's it. I'm not a big fan of public displays of affection, and aside from holding hands and an occasional hug or quick kiss, I've never participated in much of it myself. One of my biggest all-time pet peeves is going to the movies and seeing a couple of teenagers a few rows down in the middle of a heavy petting session while I'm trying to watch what's going on on the screen. It's distracting and inappropriate, and some stuff you just keep private. So maybe I just don't like that that kind of thing increases tenfold on Valentine's Day.

Today is February 11th and Tyson and I haven't even talked about making plans for Valentine's Day. A bunch of our friends have nice romantic evenings planned, or are celebrating early this weekend with some day trips or fun activities, but not us. I'm sure Tyson will do something sweet for me, as he always does. He is really good about spoiling and pampering me, despite me telling him I don't expect it. And I do make it hard on him, because Tyson IS a very affectionate person, and I'm sure it's frustrating to deal with someone like me when it's in your nature to be romantic. But aside from whatever sweet thing that Tyson has planned, I envision that our Monday night will be much like any other Monday night -- dinner in front of the TV watching HIMYM and Hawaii 5-0. And you know what? That sounds pretty damn near perfect to me.

One positive thing I will say about Valentine's Day... In recent years, I will admit I have come to look forward to this day for one reason in particular. My brother, one of the most infuriating, annoying, headstrong, obstinate, and disagreeable people in my life, does a complete 180 on this day. My parents have really raised this boy right, and I have to say, Erin is one lucky woman to have Justin as her boyfriend. In addition to the wonderful day I'm sure he will have planned for her, Justin will get me, my mother, and my grandmother all a Valentine's Day card and gift. He writes the sweetest, nicest things a sister could ever hope to hear from her brother. Seriously, his words always make me cry. And the gifts are always so thoughtful, which is a welcome change for a sister, especially when rest of the year at any gift-giving occasion he relies on me to think of and buy the gifts for our family members. One year he bought me two of my favorite movies on DVD, and last year, in the midst of some very stressful wedding planning, he gave both me and my mom gift certificates to a spa so we could go get a massage together. He is the best, and honestly I think Tyson and my Dad secretly hate it when he trumps them like that! ;)

So there's my Valentine's Day rant. I definitely don't mean to bring anyone down with my V-Day negativity. It's just not a holiday for me, and it probably never will be. In fact, if any of my single ladies wanna hang out on this day, feel free to holla at me. I'll be the one in the sweatpants with a TV tray watching whatever crazy antics Marshall, Lily, Barney, Ted, and Robin get into this week.

I'm So Bad at Blogging...

Ok, so I've been really lax lately with the whole blogging thing. My goal is to write a couple different blogs today to get adequately caught up, but not make the entries too excruciatingly long. We'll see if that actually happens...

So a couple of weeks ago, Tyson and I had our big housewarming party to break in our new house (even though we've had several get-togethers and football parties there already since we moved in). We had a huge turnout, way more people than we were expecting, and we had SO MUCH fun! We had people from both sides of the family come to visit, including Tyson's grandparents from Atlanta who drove three hours to see us, and several friends and even coworkers. It was so awesome getting to see everyone and visit and share our excitement. And I was so proud of Tyson and I for pulling off a good party with good food and fun!

As if Tyson and I haven't been busy and on the go enough, last week I had to go on an unexpected business trip for work to....Las Vegas! Yeah, I just had to go, haha! My company is in dire need of a new accounting and operations software, and the front runner in our software search just so happened to be at an air conditioning/heating/refrigeration expo in Las Vegas. So the company sent me and another coworker out to Sin City to get some more information and talk to the program developers. We stayed at the Bellagio overlooking the Bouldvard and the Fountains, and had an all out amazing time. Below are a few pictures from our trip:

This is the view from my 18th floor hotel room at the Bellagio.

Another view of the city, this one from the 3rd floor of the Hilton Las Vegas.

This inside of my room at the Bellagio.

The beautiful Fountains at the Bellagio.

Vegas at sunset.

The Bellagio from Las Vegas Boulevard.

The lobby of the Bellagio.

While we were there, we ate at Circo, a fantastic restaurant in the Bellagio. I had a duck-stuffed pasta with orange cream sauce, and I had a carmelized banana dripped with chocolate fudge for dessert. We also went to Margaritaville, did a little gambling at the slot machines, went to the minus5 Ice Bar, where everything is made of ice - the walls, the tables, the chairs...even the glasses they serve your drinks in. It's negative five degrees inside, and you have to wear a fur coat and hat to go in! It was such a COOL experience! (Pun intended.)

This is Tammie and I in the ice bar all bundled up!

We got back in time for SBXLV....for those of you who can't decode my abbrev speak, that's the Super Bowl. Again, we hosted a little get-together at our house, and I have to say, there were many highlights for the day, but the main one was NOT the game. First off, my brother's girlfriend, Erin, brought Just Dance 2 for the Wii, which was a huge hit for the girls. Such a fun game! And then probably most importantly, our friends Chad and Andee brought their sweet, sweet baby, Kenadie. (Collectively, we refer to the trio as Chanadie, haha.) Anyway, Kenadie was our core entertainment for the night. She is the happiest, most curious, funniest toddler ever...even our friend Graham, who is not a kid person, said he would like to take her home for a few days. She is the cutest!

So that's just a few things that have been going on with the Patricks lately. We have a lot of things coming up in the next few weeks too, so there are no signs of slowing down! This weekend we are going to a rodeo with some friends, next weekend is another fun outing planned (but I can't mention what it is yet because it's a surprise to someone who might read this...), the next weekend is a family trip up to Gatlinburg to get in some last minute skiing and snowboarding before the season is over, and the next weekend is my best friend's wedding! Only 22 more days until Abbey and Tanner tie the knot, yay!

I will try to get better about this whole blogging thing. I really do like to write and I love to read my friends' blogs just to stay up to date on their lives, so I'm sure there are people out there, even if not many, who like to stay up to date with ours. But as you can tell by my blog content, we've just been so busy lately! Hopefully things will start slowing down soon. Might not make for as interesting reading, but maybe it'll be an outlet for my more creative side. I know it's hiding in me somewhere! Til next time...

New Year, New House

Oh wow, so much has happened since the last post! Tyson and I closed on our new house (!*yay*!), Christmas has come and gone, our friends Maria and Brandon let us ring in the New Year at their wedding, we went on an AWESOME ski vacation, and Tyson started a new job!

The house is absolutely WONDERFUL, although we've been gone so much since we moved in that there are still boxes left everywhere that need to be unpacked. Tyson and I have committed to really buckling down over the next few weeks so that by the end of January we can have a normal, put-together home to live in. It's amazing how much space we have now! You could probably fit two of our old apartment in our house and still have some room left over. One thing is for sure, my parents, Tyson's parents, and Tyson's grandparents are all THRILLED to have all of our stuff out of their basements/garages/etc! They are also probably ecstatic at the thought of not having to move us for several years....heaven knows we've had waaaay too many "homes" in our six years together!

The multiple family Christmas concept is kinda new for Tyson and I, but last year we worked out an itinerary where we were able to fit a trip in to see both of our families, so our plan was to stick with that same schedule this year. Unfortunately, some of the best laid plans can fall through! We had a beautiful white Christmas up in LaFollette at my grandparents' house on Christmas morning, but all that snow and ice prevented us from making it down to Atlanta to see Tyson's family. We were really bummed that we couldn't make it down to see everyone, but considering when we were finally able to leave my grandparents' house a few days later, our cars were STILL having a hard time naviagating the icy roads, we knew we made the right decision. Luckily, Tyson's mom and brothers were coming up to Knoxville the following week to have Christmas with some of the local family and for Andrew's baseball camp at UT, so we were able to see them shortly after the holidays. Not the same, but definitely better than nothing. We will have to come up with a different plan next year too, because we are going on a super fun Disney World vacation with Tyson's family the week before/of Christmas, and we'll need to figure out a way to get back to Knoxville at some point too. Seems like it's always busy, busy for the Patricks!

On New Year's Eve, Tyson and I left work early and headed over the mountains to Mooresville, NC, where our friends Brandon and Maria were getting married. Brandon is the twin brother of Tyson's best friend/best man Mike. Coincidentally, Mooresville is also the city I used to live in before my family came to Knoxville in 1999. I hadn't been back there since we moved, and boy has it changed! I barely recognized it! We spent Friday evening at the wedding and reception, which was SO much fun! Maria looked absolutely gorgeous, and you could just tell how happy they were to be tying the knot. And Tyson and I were way jealous of their choreographed first dance...we definitely didn't have the discipline to stick with dance lessons for ours. We chose the middle school/hugging embrace stance for ours! But like I said, so much fun. Not only were Tyson and I celebrating our first New Year's Eve as a married couple, it was also the five month anniversary of our wedding, which we got to spend with some of our very good friends! We definitely missed our families though!

We spent all day Saturday in Mooresville looking around at some of the old sights in the town....our family's old apartment from before we built our house, the house, my old schools, my church....and we even visited with one of my oldest and dearest friends Stacy and her boyfriend Will. It was a lot of fun to catch up and talk like old times. On Sunday morning we got up early and met our friends Rodney and Callie in Davidson for breakfast. Callie has family in that area of NC and they happened to have spent New Year's there, so we decided to meet up for a quick breakfast before they headed back home and we headed north to Virginia for our ski trip. We ate at this great little place called Toast, which I would definitely recommend to anyone travling through the area or visiting someone at, say, Davidson College.

We arrived at Massanutten Ski Resort in Harrisonburg, VA just in time for the night time ski session. We had met my parents, brother Justin and girlfriend Erin, grandparents, uncle and cousins Corey, Riley, and Casey up there, and we were so ready to hit the slopes! My grandparents and mom took my little cousins Casey and Riley, to the timeshare to check in, and the rest of us headed up the mountain. Corey, at only 11 years old, took to that snowboard like a duck to water....I just can't believe how good he is! I am definitely the least advanced skier/snowboarder of the group. I stick to the beginner and some intermediate slopes...I'm such a wimp! We skied 5 out of the 7 days we were there (well they skied 5, I skied 4...). Needless to say, we were all very sore! We even went to Showshoe, WV one of the days (that was the day I took off....when we got there I took one look at those trails and though, wow, this is way above my level of experience, and decided to do some sight-seeing with my mom and grandparents instead!). I do think I improved overall this trip, so next year maybe I'll be able to take on some more intermediate slopes...but probably no black diamonds in my near future!

I think we were more tired when we got home than when we left, but another wave of snow gave us some more time to recover. School has been canceled for the entire week in my home county and Tyson's new job was canceled on Monday, and delayed on Tuesday and Wednesday! I went in about 30 minutes lates to my job on Monday, and we left about 30 minutes early, and it was delayed a little on Tuesday too. So it was nice to kind of be eased back in to the work week. Tyson is liking his new job so far, although he hasn't really been immersed in it yet. He is working with one of our friends, Clint, who is helping show him the ropes for now. Before long he should be raking in so much that I can quit my job and be a full time trophy wife! Not really, but here's to wishful thinking!

The next few weeks are scheduled to be just as crazy busy as the last few have been for us, but it's all so much fun that I really don't mind. I do miss the lazy weekends and weekly game nights we used to enjoy on a regular basis, but there will be plenty of time for that in the future. For now, we are just enjoying life with our friends and family and getting involved in as much as possible! Who knows when I'll even have time for another post...from the way things have been going, it might be 2012!

Christmas is Coming!

After Thanksgiving and the infamous "Black Friday with the Family" experience this past weekend, the holidays are officially in full swing. We went down to Chattanooga this year to my Aunt Tina's house for Thanksgiving with the whole family. It was the first time Erin, my brother's girlfriend, had been to a big family holiday gathering at one of our houses. I hope she doesn't think we're too crazy after this weekend, although I will say we were rather tame in comparison to most years :) We had family photos made, courtesy of Image Photogrpahy by Matt Wolcott, for the first time in WAY too many years, at Chester Frost Park. The scenery there was great, despite the fact that I sat in some kind of animal excrement... But anyway, it was great to have the whole family together to document how much we've grown since the last real picture, and I can't wait to see how the photos turn out!

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving meal, with everyone crowding in the kitchen to help. Even Justin and my cousin Matt pulled their weight, whipping up some very tasty mashed potatoes. There's a story behind the potatoes... a few years ago, Justin and Matt saw my grandmother using a mixer to mix the potatoes to the perfect "mashed" consistency. The boys were insistant that these were not mashed potatoes, but "whipped" potatoes, and vowed that they would take care of the potatoes the next year. However, they didn't take the job too seriously, and every year since, they have been hijacking the potatoes and coming up with some weird concoction of ingredients that normally don't belong in potatoes and serving them to us with evil grins. It's gotten to the point where we are afraid to eat them, which is positively a downright shame, since who doesn't love mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving? This year though, they finally got their act together and made some really great mashed potatoes, which is one of the things we were all extremely thankful for!

The next day all the girls in the family went Black Friday shopping. In previous years, we did the whole getting up at 3am thing to hit all the stores with the doorbuster deals and we went through all the ads the day before and made lists of everything we needed to get. But lately it's just too much hassle, and there are always those crazy people camping out at midnight that get all the good stuff before you anyway, so we've been taking it easy recently. We left the house at about 8am and spent the morning at the big stores like Target and Academy Sports, then took a break for lunch at Fuji Steakhouse (best fried rice I've ever had, by the way), and then finished the day with an afternoon at Hamilton Place mall. It was a pretty good day, and I don't think we scared Erin too much :) Below is a picture of me and my cousins and Erin showing our holiday spirit in Target.

Snowflake, reindeer, snowflake, reindeer

Saturday, as any avid Vols fan would know, was the last regular season football game of the year. Tyson's family came into town and his brothers stayed with us Friday night so we could get up early and tailgate. We got to UTFCU on the strip at about 7am (in the 25˚ weather, no less...) and proceeded to build a fort out of our Tennessee tent and sleeping bags and blankets. Then we cranked up the generator and plugged in the kerosene heater and one electric heater and huddled together for a few hours until it was warm enough to venture outside. It was pretty hilarious, and I'm sure we looked ridiculous out there, but we had a blast at our last football game for nine months. Here are a few pictures of our makeshift fort:

  



The fake fire is a nice touch, don't you think?



The kerosene heater was a God send, although it kind of
looks like it's catching someone's leg on fire right now...



Erin and I got these awesome shirts in Chattanooga on Black Friday!

So now our fun weekend is over and it's back to work and the real world. We used Sunday to pack some more boxes and then we went to Home Depot and ordered the refrigerator for the new house. Thanks to our many family and friends who gave us Home Depot gift cards for our wedding, and the great sale they were having on major appliances, we got a fantastic deal on a big side by side fridge!

The house is coming along great too. Our closing date will be sometime between the 15th and 23rd of December, so we are officially moving in about three weeks. So crazy to think about! I turned in our 30-day written notice of our last day to our apartment complex yesterday, along with our last rent check EVER, and it was a very liberating feeling!

Here is the most current picture of the outside of the house:



This week is another full week, with a little Christmas shopping last night, dinner with my good friend Abbey tonight, our first knoxAchieves mentor meeting tomorrow night, a meeting with the DJ from our wedding on Thursday to do our post-interview, and MORE Christmas shopping this weekend. It's only going to get busier from here on out too, with a trip up to Ohio to visit my dad's side of the family next weekend, and hopefully moving in to the new house the weekend after that, and then Christmas, New Years, and our ski trip to Massanutten! I love the holidays, but man do they tire me out!

Thanks for sticking around to read this (if you made it this far), and I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday season with your family too!

Mi Casa es....well, Mi Casa

I kid, I kid. Once we get moved in to this thing we can't wait to have everyone over to see the new place!

Anyway, things are coming along VERY quickly... In fact, it's looking as if we'll be in by the end of the year after all. We've already started packing up the apartment since we won't have all of our time to devote to it during the holidays. Neither one of us is all that thrilled about having to go through the moving process again, but once it's done I know we'll be so glad to be able to be sure that we're going to stay in one place for awhile!

Here are some of the latest pictures of what's done so far, although a lot has been accomplished since even these were taken!




Half way done with the siding, and stonework complete
(although you can't really tell in this picture).




Accented ceiling in the living room.




Doesn't look like it yet, but this is the kitchen.




The entryway, looking at it from the living room. Dining room is to the
right, office is to the left.




<3


Most recent updates on the house are as follows: Siding and exterior are done, minus the shutters, real front door, and garage door (temporary doors installed for now). Drywall is completely done, and the painting is almost finished. The trim package was supposed to have been delivered on Monday, but I haven't been over there since Saturday to check. The interior will really start moving along now that everything on the outside is pretty much done.

I am already mentally moving in in my mind. Where to put the couch and tv, how to arrange our bedroom furniture, how to set up the kitchen, ideas for all the extra space we have now... My mind is going non-stop with the possibilities! (Of course, I stop short when I realize a lot of my ideas require having a certain disposable amount of money, so...well, maybe next year.)

So like I said in the last post, exciting things are happening for the Patricks! Keep checking back for even more pictures as the house nears completion, and definitely stay tuned for a house warming party date!!

When Did We Become Grownups?

So... we bought a house! Or, we're under contract on a partial construction rather, and I guess we technically don't BUY it until we close. But either way, we are SUPER excited to be starting this next new chapter in our lives!

The house is in the Hardin Valley area off of Pellissippi, and zoned for the coveted Hardin Valley Academy school district. It's a two-story, three bedroom plus bonus, two and a half bath starter home in a medium-sized subdivision with a community pool...perfect for those little Patricks that'll be running around in the next few years or so! Here's a sketch of the front elevation of the house:

We just ordered a custom garage door and opener for the house today, and we have a meeting with the designer on Tuesday to start picking out our interiors, like paint colors, lighting fixtures, etc. Our contract date for finishing up construction is January 14th, but the builder wants the house completed by December 15th so he can have it on his books for 2010, so it's possible we may get to move in by the end of the year!

In addition to our house excitement, we are also going to Memphis this weekend to go out on Beale Street, and most importantly, watch the Vols finally win a game. The only time I've ever been to Memphis before was on a connecting flight and I never even made it outside the airport, so I'm really excited about this trip. We have a Friday night dinner at Rendezvous lined up, and our hotel is one block from BB King's and the rest of the Beale Street hype. We have a few friends making the trip over there with us too, so it should be a really good time!

Exciting things are happening for the Patricks. It's been a whirlwind of stress and surprises in the past few weeks, but I would trade it for anything. I can't wait to see what's around the corner next! Bring it on!

It's Great To Be A Tennessee VOL!!

So it’s finally that time of year again… Knoxville comes alive, the color orange floods the streets, and right before the leaves begin to fall, the Vols take the field at Neyland Stadium for the first home game of the season. It’s football time again on ole Rocky Top, and the excitement has taken over EVERYONE, especially Tyson.


Tyson loves UT football more than anything in the world, and that probably includes me. From the time he was a baby, he has bled orange, despite growing up in the middle of Dawg country. It’s no secret he came to college in Knoxville specifically for the free student tickets to the games. Last year, upon finding our seats in our normal spot, Tyson got really quite and started acting strange. I looked over at him, and there were tears in his eyes. He was literally crying. He said, “It’s just a beautiful sight.” Tyson didn’t even cry on our wedding day.

So needless to say, my husband is just a little anxious for kickoff on Saturday night. He has been adding to his “tailgate necessities” list since Monday, and every time I catch sight of it, it’s grown by 5-10 items. I’m trying to figure out where he thinks we’re going to put all this stuff, but at this point I’ve decided it’s best to adopt a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

We decided on a tailgating spot in the back parking lot of Regions on Cumberland Avenue. This year, they have partnered with the Knoxville branch of the Alzheimer’s Association and all the parking proceeds will go to this charity. I think we made a great decision, because the location is great, we pay for the whole season upfront, and we can come and go as we please all while helping out a great cause, as opposed to putting twenty bucks a game in the pocket of some random landlord (who’s already raking it in from their overpriced, under-managed apartments) for a blocked-in space in a gravel lot.

I have been informed by the powers that be (i.e, Tyson, my brother Justin, and our friend Josh) that tailgating will begin promptly at 8am. Kickoff is at 6pm. You do the math – yes, that’s right, there are TEN HOURS of tailgating planned on Saturday. What will you do for all that time, you say? Well, I am glad you asked, because we have PLENTY in store for all of our lucky tailgating guests.

8:00 am – ARRIVAL AND SET UP. We’ll get to Regions, set up our tents, our two tables (one for beer pong, of course), both cornhole sets, and fire up the grill. And by grill, I believe I meant, the god of all things tailgating. My brother bought us (read: Tyson) the Margaritaville tailgating grill that hooks into our hitch and swings out for your easy grilling convenience for our wedding present, and let me just say, it was created quite the hype in our little tailgating circle. I’m hard-pressed to decide if the boys are more excited about the actual game or the grill. It’s a close call.

8:30 am – BREAKFAST. Tyson doesn’t just tailgate with the intention of finding a parking spot and sitting and drinking all day. He does it big. We will have a full-fledged breakfast (courtesy of aforementioned grill) of bacon, sausage, bagels, etc. He has even informed me we will be making mimosas and poinsettias from the leftover champagne from the wedding festivities, just to start the mood off right.

9:00 am – CORNHOLE WILL ENSUE.

10:00 am – SCREW CORNHOLE, BEER PONG IS WELL UNDERWAY.

12:00 pm – NORMAL PEOPLE WILL BEGIN SHOWING UP. Of course, my family will have a 4 hour head start on those poor, unsuspecting fans, but this is the actual expected time for the crowd to really start coming in.

12:30 pm – THE REAL SHENANIGANS WILL BEGIN. Take this for what it’s worth. Alcohol + football + large crowd always = party, which may or may not get out of hand. Our one saving grace this year is that we are actually right on the Strip, under the watchful eye of several cops who may or may not care what the hell we are doing.

1:00 pm – LUNCHTIME. Remember how I said Tyson likes to go all out? Hot dogs and hamburgers are apparently not good enough for the UT-Martin game; we will be grilling steaks. Steaks that I put in marinade this morning before I left for work, because he insisted they be saturated for the just the perfect two-day time period before we eat them.

2:00 pm – HEAVY DRINKING WILL COMMENCE. With only 4 hours til kickoff, this is when the guys, namely my husband and brother, will decide they have not partied nearly enough for the game. This will, of course, be an incorrect assumption, since if we all remember correctly, they have been drinking for 6 hours already. But this won’t matter to them, they will insist on a Power Hour(s) forthwith.

3:00 pm – FIGHT NIGHT. Inevitably when you mix alcohol, sports, and die-hard fans, a fight will break out at some point. We can all thank God this is not a rivalry game, which means whenever a fight does occur on Saturday, it will most likely be the result of someone “borrowing” another tailgater’s hotdog buns (last year’s tailgaters, you know what I’m talking about…). At any rate, this is a disagreement that can easily be overcome with a couple bucks and/or beers.

5:00 pm – HEAD TO THE STADIUM. Tyson will insist we need to get to the stadium AT LEAST a half hour before kickoff so he can analyze the pre-game warm-ups taking place on the field. I imagine my husband to be convinced that he is on the coaching payroll for the Vols, as his criticisms and instructions that are yelled at the top of his lungs from the upper level bleachers are voiced with such fervor that General Neyland himself would take pause to listen up. Past years of experience have proven, without a doubt, that he will successfully endeavor to embarrass the hell out of me before the game even starts.

6:00 pm – GAME TIME. The players have run through the T, the coin has been tossed, and we’re lining up for kickoff. All is right in the world. Tyson is probably crying again. The next 3-4 hours will be a haphazard mash up of cheers, the wave, yelling at the ref, and lots and lots of Rocky Top. And this cycle will repeat itself 6 more times before the season is over. Yay me.

All sarcasm aside, I make fun of Tyson and Justin, but the truth is, I love it too. Maybe not to the fanatic extent that they do, but it really is one of my favorite times of year. How do you beat 100,000 orange-clad fans who are all equally passionate about the same thing you are and will do anything to let you know it? You don’t have to be a Tennessee student or alum to get caught up in the atmosphere. It is truly like nothing else in the world.

So I will suffer through the next four weekends (and three more later on) of no sleep and bad hangovers, and probably some disappointing losses. Because in Knoxville, while wins and losses may be important, it’s more about the fandom and the spirit of excitement that 11 players stepping onto a football field brings to an entire city and its surrounding counties. In the words of Charlie Daniels, “Down here football’s not just a game, it’s a way of life.”

Go VOLS!!

Our Wedding Video!

Here is a short video our awesome photographer, Pat Murphy-Racey of PMR Photo, put together for us combining some still shots and video. It is awesome! We absolutely love it!

More pictures and video coming soon!



Stephanie Kramer and Tyson Patrick Wedding from patrick murphy-racey on Vimeo.

Well, I guess the honeymoon's over...

Literally, I mean. Not figuratively.

Tyson and I spent a wonderful week in beautiful St. Lucia at Sandals Regency La Toc Resort & Spa for our honeymoon. The island is truly one of the prettiest places I've ever been.

We took a very long five hour flight from Atlanta to the Hewanorra International Airport in Vieux Fort, St. Lucia. From there, it was about an hour's bus ride north to the city of Castries where our resort was. As beautiful as the vegetation of the island is, I have to say, the bus ride to the hotel was humbling. Right in the middle of paradise was poverty at some of its worst. It was shocking to me to see the condition that some of the citizens there lived in. Flimsy aluminum panel and tarped-up shacks that were about the same size as my walk-in closet in my apartment (that I am constantly complaining is too small) were all that some people had to call home. The thin, ill-postured bodies of people who did not eat regularly like they should. People who walked up steep, mountainous roads in blazing heat and humidity to get to wherever they were going because they didn't have cars to take them there. All of it was so hard to watch from the comfort of my air-conditioned seat in the clean 15-passenger van that was taking us to such a luxurious resort. It's no wonder the world has such a negative view of Americans. Even the people we consider the poorest in our nation have infinitely more (in both possessions and opportunities) than some St. Lucians do. Before we had left to go to St. Lucia, I was selfishly wondering when our wedding pictures might be posted, since our photographer was leaving for a mission trip in Haiti the same week we would be on our honeymoon. I knew that trip would probably set the expected time back a little, and me and my spoiled American attitude were disappointed that the wait might be longer. But after seeing the conditions of that island, I had to chastise myself pretty severely. While I was enjoying myself on vacation, our photographer was building homes and helping people in a country just as impoverished as this one. He was helping people and making a difference, rather than just witnessing them as I was that day. I felt ashamed.

Sorry to go off on that tangent, but the impact that revelation had on me was pretty great. I have so much respect for people like Pat, our photographer, that take time out of their own lives to care about other people...complete strangers in most cases. Tyson and I would really like to get involved in some charity work after having that experience.

Once we arrived at the resort and got all checked in and saw all that there was to do, we immediately.....took a nap. We were exhausted. The past few weeks of our life have been so hectic that we were worn out. We did finally pull ourselves up to have dinner and do some site-seeing around the resort before calling it a night though.

The view from our room

We had a great week there. We swam in the pools, laid out in the sun, took an aqua bike out onto the ocean, played golf, got a couple's massage, shopped downtown in the local market, and ate and ate and ate...and drank and drank and drank. And we slept A LOT. There really is no excuse for us to be tired for like, the next month.

We got back Sunday night (much later than expected because the Atlanta airport is and always will be the most incompetent airport in the world, in my book anyway) and spent Monday putting our life back in order. Kind of. We did laundry, put luggage away, went grocery shopping, and started on our massive pile of thank you notes. (Sidenote, if you are expecting a thank you note from us, bear with us - Tyson is a slow writer and I stress over exactly the right thing to say, and that doesn't make for a very quick process.... I promise you'll get them in the next month...or two... just kidding. I think.)

So now things are finally starting to quiet down and we can get back to things like, I don't know, normality. We are talking about going on dates again (haven't been able to nail out a time/day just yet, but I feel confident we can come to an agreement in this lifetime), and starting to look for a house (grown-up stuff!!). The honeymoon is, most definitely, over, but our life together has finally just begun! :)