Andrea's Bachelorette

Congratulations, Matt!

Congratulations to my hubby on his graduation!! Today is his last official day of classes at Asbury!!!!! whoooooooohoooooooooooo!

1st day of Fall Semester!

Today's my first official day for the Fall semester! I'm headed into it with a 4.0 --- after only 2 summer classes -- haha. We'll see how long it lasts :) I just realized, I don't even know the mascot for my new school. It might be a prairie dog...

Santa Fe

This weekend we went to Santa Fe to hear Matt's favorite piano player of all time - Doug Montgomery at Vanessie's. He was AWESOME. He takes requests and can play anything. We heard Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, Les Mis, Sound of Music, Flight of the Bumblebee, etc. He's really talented (as he should be since he graduated from Julliard)! This pic is of us at Vanessie's. I always seem to forget how pale I am until I see pictures of me next to Matt! ha!

We had a great time, ate some great food and happened to visit right during the annual Indian Art Festival. I thought this would be a great opportunity to pick up a cool turquoise bracelet or necklace. Every single woman I saw in Sante Fe was wearing about 20 pounds of turquoise - drapped from everywhere imaginable. So the plan was to swing by the art show this morning and join the turquoise trend. That plan died when I saw the first pricetag! Unbelieveable - plain simple pieces were going for $300. So we ate breakfast burritos and walked around for a bit and that was that. We also happened to run across a TRADER JOE's! Yipppee! The only place that sells Two Buck Chuck. Gotta love that! We left Molly home completely alone for the first time (no one came to check up on her) and she did perfect!

Our UN-invited front porch guest!

Season Tix

Matt and Dean got season tix to the UT games this season! Only 4% of the people who applied for the tickets got them, so the odds were outrageous! They are SO excited!! Here's a pic of the 2 biggest Longhorn fans I've ever met...This might be the only picture of them in existence where at least one of them isn't wearing burnt orange!

Cast Your Votes Now!

Ok, time to register your opinions, folks! I've painted the forrest green shutters (see below) white. Now, should I also paint the columns? What about the maroon door? White too? Vote now!

The "Before" shot of our house

Happy Birthday, MOM & JONATHAN!

Hope it's a good one. I'm going to eat some cake today on y'all's behalf. It's really no trouble...no trouble at all.

My beautiful nieces!

Yay Brooke, Michael, and Baby Stone! So excited about your news :)

Curtis & Kristin's Wedding -- The Venetian, Las Vegas

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Gustin

Big D

We went to the Big D this weekend for a quick visit. Here's a pic from Mom's blog of (clockwise from top: Mom, Matt, me, Me-Maw, Dad). We also got to see Granny, but didn't get a picture.

FIRE IN THE FIELD!

Lightning struck Matt's tank yesterday and it BLEW THE TOP OFF OF THE TANK! It also sent his transmitter flying and then caught on fire. WILD.

Banff, Alberta -- CANADA

I finally have a couple of pictures online from our trip to Canada!

Newsflash!!!!!! Cindy Beats Matt at CHESS!!!! Newsflash!!!!!!!!

I've known Matt for about 4 years, and TODAY was the FIRST time I've beaten him at Chess. That may not be something to brag about to many people, but I'm pumped! HA. He's a chessmaster so now I have to brag :)

Banana Nut Bread

Mom's AWESOME banana bread. Made it this morning and it is so good warm!

Banana Nut Bread
1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed RIPE banana
1/2 cup nuts
9X5 pan 350 for 45 to 50 min

Yorkie Couscous

YUM. This recipe is excellente and is quick to make! Nice recipe JaneT!

Grill some chicken breast and set to the side
make some couscous according to the package but add some green onions,minced garlic, garlic powder, and salt and pepper before boiling the couscous. When the couscous is done add some chopped tomatoe, feta cheese, and fresh lemon juice. Then take the grilled chicken and slice it at a diagonal and place it on top.

Mom Joins Blog World!

Mom's gotta Blog! YAY! Marys-pictures.blogspot.com

Digital Fortress - Dan Brown

Just finished a good book worth mentioning: Digital Fortress by Dan Brown (author of Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons). Very good book - again, it's a code breaking book but this one doesn't even mention the Catholic church. Seems like his other books are all anti-church, but this one is about the computer/digital world. Good read :)

Taco Soup a la Brooke

Mmmm, Brooke's comment reminded me of her awesome Taco Soup, so I'm going to post it! This is one of those recipes where you can throw in the kitchen sink. The secret ingredient is the Ranch Dip mix. This is my variation from Brooke's origninal recipe (I am lazy and use canned chicken :)

Taco Soup a la Brooke

2 cans corn
1 can black beans (juice drained)
2 medium cans Rotel or generic tomatoes with chilis
1 or 2 cans of white meat chunk chicken (drained)
1 can of chicken broth
1 packet of Taco Seasoning
2 packets of RANCH DIP mix (not the dressing mix)

Toppings:
Mexican Blend shredded cheese
Tortilla chips, crumbled
Onions

Boil everything together and add toppings right before you serve. Makes a HUGE pot and is even better as a left over. OLE!

I'll post the others after I actually make them and try them out. Thanks for sending a recipe Janet! Keep 'em coming!!!

Recipes and Books

Until school starts for me in July, I've got lots of time for reading and trying out new recipes...let's hear some suggestions!

I'll post any good recipes or books that I come across too (assuming I find the library out here...)!

Lately, I've been reading an author named Tess Gerritsen. Love her books. She went to med school, so all her books are scientific murder mysteries. Don't read if you have a weak stomach (lots of autopsy details).

As far as recipes go, I haven't really made anything that's really super special. My fave green bean recipe is:

3 cans green beans
2 Tbl soy sauce
1 Tbl minced garlic
sliced almonds
Heat until warm

I know, it's not gourmet, but it was a new recipe for me :) Now, bring the suggestions on!

Congratulations!

Just a shout out to all the little ones and mamas this year! Congrats to EMILY and her baby boy LUKE. Congrats to Brooke and BABY STONE (due December)! Congrats to Mary and LITTLE KOFAHL (due January)! Lots of babies :) yay!

Moved in....Calgary

Busy times for the Flehartys. We moved into our new house on Saturday (with LOTS of help)! Thanks to the crew in Big Spring and the crew in Hobbs for all the help. We all know I'm a wimp, so the heavy lifting is not my bag. Goodbye to the "corporate" apt in Andrews and hello house with a corral! Yeeehaw!

On Sunday, we were supposed to catch a flight to Calgary for Matt's training (I'm tagging along). When we got to the airport, they asked for our passports and/or birth certificates. This was news to us since Matt had called in advance and they told him he only needed a DL. Over Memorial Day weekend we drove over to Canada from Detroit and all we needed were our DL's, so we had not brought out BC's for this trip. AHHH. SO, we went back to Hobbs (from Midland) and Matt opened every single box in our new house looking for his BC....of course we didn't find it so on Monday, we just hopped on the plane without the right papers! Nerve wracking with all the Canadian terrorist issues lately. Luckily, a very nice Canadian customs officer let us through. Guess we don't look like terrorists?? Whew.

We were hoping that Calgary would be full of cool Canadian things to do, but basically it's the same as Anywhere, USA. The main thing that we have noticed about Canada is that everyone is really, really NICE. We're on a mission to find an Angry Canadian. No luck so far. I haven't even taken any pictures yet - that's how non-interesting Calgary is. Tomorrow, we're headed off to the mountains, so maybe I'll be inspired to take pics then. It's raining though, so I'm not sure how the mountain trip will work out!! Will post more lata' SCADA (Matt's at SCADA training, so I've been calling him a SCADA all week). Ciao.

Relay for Life

We're signed up to do Relay for Life, so if anyone would like to donate - Let us Know! The walk is the first weekend in June. Yes, that's the same weekend we are moving into our house, BUT you can walk anytime: day or night, so we'll swing it! Relay for Life benefits the Cancer society.

Sweet Beagle

She's toughing it out at Dean's house for another couple weeks. What a CUTE PUPPY! I think she has a career in modeling. This is her next to the Beagle from "The DOG."

Mom & Dad's Visit

Anniversary III

Tomorrow is our third anniversary. Happy anniversary, Hubby! Love you!

Wedding Bells are Ringing...

Congratulations to Andrea and Scott! Their wedding plans are coming along! Check out their website for more info. YIPPEE!

We had a great time in Vegas -- especially since the trip was paid for by Matt's company! We ate TONS (literally) of food and discovered that blackjack is pretty entertaining.

Favorite Restaurant: Hofbrauhaus, Las Vegas (Claims to be the only American restaurant licensed by Munich, but the one in Cincinnati had a better atmosphere!)
Favorite Buffet: Aladdin (Very tasty)
Worst Food: Sherwood Forrest (bland and overpriced)
Shows we saw: Hairspray (loved it), Mama Mia (entertaining, but not excellent)
Where we stayed: The Excalibur (nice room, castle motif)
Biggest Win: $40 on the "Wheel of Fortune" (dumb luck)
Biggest Moment of Fame: Matt was on the local news being interviewed about the newest world record in motorcycle jumping, which we watched happen at Caesar's Palace

Vegas '06

Matt found a friend at the Venetian who loved to hear stories about the computer convention. This guy was a great pal, he never yawned or looked around the room while Matt talked about wireless range and connectivity issues...

While in Vegas, Matt auditioned for Cabaret...

Which is the Real Man and which is the WAX MAN???

"Trevi Fountain" a la The Venetian

Bellagio Garden

Venetian

Our little disposable camera didn't do so well at picking up the backgrounds of where we were! Our digital camera is packed away, so we had to resort to the disposable.

Interop, Las Vegas

We're headed out on Monday to VEGAS, Babay! Matt's got an IT conference and we're making a vacation of it. We'll be gone Monday - Friday!

Ciao Bellas!

Update!

Ok, so I"m really slow at updating! I get it :) haha. It would help if I had internet at home right now, but our computer is packed away nicely until JUNE 1st WHEN WE SHOULD CLOSE ON OUR NEW HOUSE. Allison, you're right, I should be a realtor! HA. SO the next month I'll be getting the mortgage secured, coordinating the inspections, appraisals, home insurance, etc. FUN FUN. It's good I don't have a job right now :) I've actually taken the GRE and have talked with the dean of the education program at College of the Southwest in Hobbs, and it looks like I can get a masters and be certified to teach in about a year. That's the plan for now! I'll keep you posted.

The new house is out in "the country" which means well water and a septic tank. The house is actually in a neighborhood, but each house has over an acre, so it's called "the country!" Get this: Our house actually has a CORRAL. No lie. Matt's going to make Molly run in circles inside the corral. He wants to be the "Beagle Whisperer." Love it. Love y'all. Ciao for now.

HOUSE

We just accepted an offer on our house in LEXINGTON! This is great timing....! Now we'll be able to start looking for a house in Andrews and start really getting settled in. YIPPPEEE.

Apt

We decided to take an apt in Andrews, which is great because Matt's drive will only be 45 minutes. I spent the better part of last week driving around and talking to realtors, leasing agents, etc. and there were all of 3 available apts within a 2 hour drive between Big Spring, TX and Hobbs, NM - unreal! I seriously can't believe the lack of apts out here!

The best option ended up being in Andrews - which is also the safest/nicest of the 3 options so that was a good thing. We have rented a "corporate" apt, which means it is fully furnished and we won't have to unpack ANYTHING (except our clothes). That's great because the movers delivered our stuff to Dean's house and it is literally jam packed floor to ceiling in both his living and dining rooms!! The lease is for 3 months, so we are really hoping our house sells w/in three months so that we can find a more permanent place out here!

Here's the kicker - the apt doesn't allow pets. :*(
As you all know, this is devastating for me! I'm going to miss Molly like crazy! Dean's offered to take care of her until we find a house, so I am really grateful for that. I told Molly she was going to stay at camp until we could come get her :*(

So... bittersweet. I'm REALLY glad that we are going to cut down Matt's drive time though. That's the most important thing at this point! I'll keep you posted although it will be awhile before I post any pics since my camera docking station is packed away somewhere!

Ciao Peeps.

Mmm, the Land of Homemade Tortillas

I'm posting from the public library in Big Spring, TX (Matt's hometown). They give you a 1 hour time limit (I currently have 17 minutes left). The computer automatically shuts down after 61 minutes (even if no one is waiting)! HA - so this post may be short ;)

We left KY on Friday night and made it to Dallas Saturday afternoon. We spent the night with my parents and then finished up the drive to Big Spring on Sunday. We're staying with Matt's dad until we find some temporary housing. You wouldn't think that would be such a big deal, but real estate offices have literally laughed in our faces when we told them we were looking for something to rent until our house in KY sold. One lady said, "Honey, our town's been full for 5 years." Niiiiiicce. So it looks like our only option is going to be to rent an apt in Odessa and for Matt to drive an hour to work until we get a house. We found an ADORABLE town called Andrews, TX that is like a little gem in the middle of the desert. It's got really cute houses and a nice grocery store (these things are a welcome and pleasant surprise since we didn't know what to expect)! Andrews has an awesome school system and even has a movie theater! YIPPEE! So the goal is to buy a house there once ours sells in KY and then it will cut down on Matt's commute.

Things we love about West Texas:
1. HOMEMADE TORTILLAS
2. CHEAP FAJITAS (we're talking $4.99 for a massive amount of awesome fajitas)
3. AWESOME BREAKFAST BURRITOS
4. AFFORABLE THEATER - Midland Theater!
5. TUMBLEWEEDS - So cool
6. DID I MENTION THAT WE LOVE CHEAP MEXICAN FOOD???

Things we don't so much love about West Texas:
1. STICKERS - We forgot about these little Texas gems. Molly went out and was covered on all 4 paws with stickers. Poor little puppy!
2. SNAKES - Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
3. LIZARDS - Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
4. DUST IN YOUR TEETH IF YOU MAKE THE MISTAKE OF OPENING YOUR MOUTH OUTSIDE :)

We're glad to be back though. Will keep you posted next time I can convince the library to let me have a hour of computer time :)

3 days 'till we're Texans again!

We've been busy busy busy packing! Actually, Matt is much busier than I am since he is still 1. Working 2. A full time student 3. Trying to pack 4. Giving sermons. It's been a crazy last few weeks!

Thank you, Brooke, for helping us pack!!!

The Flehartys Are Moving to Texas!

Yes, it is official - we are crazy! We just bought a house and both have jobs in KY, but we just can't pass up this opportunity! We're moving back to the Lone Star State! Matt's going to be working in IT in the oil industry and I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do just yet -- I'll keep you posted. The plan is to move mid-March and look for an apt on a month-to-month basis until we get our houses sold here and I find a job. Once we have those two minor details worked out, we'll look for a house in West Texas. Matt's company is taking care of the relocation so we'll be fine in the interim (whew).

We hope to find a small church in West Texas similar to our church here. We really really like our church here and are sad to leave, but know that there will be a place for us in in Texas.

We're nuts, but we'll be in Tejas soon!!!!

Study

The newly painted "terra cotta" (not burnt orange, though my Longhorn hubby disagrees) walls in our study. We haven't moved much furniture to the new house yet. We're really s-l-o-w! We're trying to get all the walls/trim/doors/shelves painted before we move everything over. I'll try to post progress along the way.

Our New (Green) Dining Room!

Another view of our green dining room! Matt was leary when I said "green," but we like the finished project. We found these awesome oil paintings at a starving artists' sale the other day.

Molly - up to her knees in snow!

Molly running out of the picture before I could take it! Having fun in the snow.

Our new house, in the snow!

Our new street, in the snow!

Snow Day!

Too bad this snow day fell on a Saturday! No time off from work for us, actually Matt is working from home all day creating some DVDs for his office. He's learning multimedia pretty quick!

Molly has been sitting in an office chair by the window for almost two hours - just staring at the snow. She's completely in awe of it all! We put her outside and the little priss came running right back to the door! How would she have ever survived as a hunting dog?? HA

The only bad thing that we've discovered about Dish TV is - bad weather = no tv!! We can't watch TV when it is snowing or raining or windy. Wonderful. I'm actually surprised that we have an internet connection right now bc we're on wireless and piggybacking from the neighbor (shhhh)!!!!! Awful, I know.

Peace.

Hi Ho

Long time, no post!
We've been keeping ourselves busy these past few days, so I have been slow at the blog updates!!

First of call - Congrats to my cousin, Suzanne and her new husband, Jeremy, who were married last night in San Antonio! We weren't able to go to the wedding, but hope to see lots of pictures soon.

Our friends the KOFAHLS are on their way down to visit as we speak! They should arrive from NY around 10pm and will be here till Friday. Matt & I have to work, and they'll be at a conference during the day, but we'll get to hang in the evenings.

Matt learned to change the oil today!! Our new Wal-Mart (on the North side) doesn't have an oil-change place! Can you believe that??? What kind of "Super" Wal-Mart is this? I'm thinking they're getting a little lenient on the doling out of the "super" titles.... Anyway, my cute hubby took it upon himself to learn to do the changing. Our poor garage floor....but I am so impressed!

Oh, I just discoverd the wonder of a SWIFFER. Everyone needs one. Be sure to get the wet and the dry disposable Swiffer thingys. They're safe for hard-wood and tile and are AWESOME. I am no fan of a broom and dust pan - the Swiffer is magical. Snaps for Swiffer (especially if you have puppies that shed or a husband with dirty shoes).

Well, I'm sure I'll post again in about a week or so (at this rate)!

Keep it real foolz.

www.thebreastcancersite.com

It's about time for another Breast Cancer Site plug! Click here everyday!! Sponsors like Linens 'N Things pay to fund mammograms for women who can't afford them. They contribute for every click, so get clickin'!

www.thebreastcancersite.com

Longhorns = National Champs!

Matt and his dad had a great time in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl. They called me on game night and said, "We are watching the game, standing inside.....our hotel room." NO TICKETS. They saw people walking around waving thousands of dollars in cash (literally) and yet, there were no sellers. The local news reported that 10,000 Longhorn fans showed up to the Rose Bowl without tickets. 1). How would the news stations know how many people showed up without tickets 2). Longhorn Football fans are NUTS!!!

I still don't quite understand the fanaticism, but hey - whatever floats my little Longhorn's boat! I'm glad they had a fun trip and (gasp) I'm glad the Longhorns won. You have to remember, when the hubby is happy it is a good thing! :)

I assume if Matt had posted this blog, there would have been a pic of Vince. But since I'm the poster - I went with Lance and Matthew. I'm such a football fan!

HALIE JOINS BLOG WORLD

This time it's actually true! Check out the Hodgson's at:
www.steveandhalie.com


YIPPPPEEEE

HALIE JOINS BLOG WORLD

...wouldn't this be a nice headline to see? All in favor of Halie getting a blog?

We all know this girl would make for an entertaining blog!