atlanta wedding

Hannah and Elliot, our great friends, got married this weekend! We flew down to GA for a whirlwind weekend cramming in time with family, friends, wedding duties, and celebrating these two tying the knot. We loved it.  

Hubs falling asleep (with iphone in hand) before we took off on Thursday

And now, I'm on the couch and about to crash.  It's 10pm and my eyes are heavy.  But the lack of sleep was worth it all!  

Hannah is one of the women who first shared good news of Christ with me.  I never had heard or thought about a relationship with God before.  He was an etherial nebulous reality, but not part of my life.  It was during my freshman year in college that Hannah befriended me and we grew in Christ together.  She was in my sorority: LITB forever. 

Hubs knew Elliot well since he'd lived in Minneapolis.  They were great friends, roommates and co-workers.  Hubs also knew Hannah's family well.  So with many many connections I'm leaving out, we were both thrilled to pieces when they announced their engagement and we had an excuse to visit the motherland again before winter.  

The wedding was beautiful: bride, flowers, sunshine, dresses, songs- everything!  I loved getting to be a part of it all!  I thankfully also got to see so many great mutual friends I hadn't seen in years!  So great.

cute luncheon cookies

amber enjoying her oreo mini cupcake

nail salon- man asleep mid-pedicure.  Hannah and I are both trying to get our men to go!

what's cookin'

One of the things we've loved about being back at our place in Minnesota is cooking!

Here are some of the things I've been making:

1. Fried Okra- because my husband was raised on Southern food and this is a Knight family staple I tried my second attempt at it.  I got okra at the farmer's market and I think the fresh okra made all the difference. Last time I tried frozen okra because in winter up here there's no other option.  Our last night in GA we stayed with some very Southern friends and they taught me how to make the okra:

-Slice the okra
-Soak okra in buttermilk for 15 min in the fridge (I used half skim milk and half, half and half since I didn't have any buttermilk); just enough for the okra to be covered
-take the okra and put dredge it in cornmeal
-on high/medium-high heat, heat the oil (I used canola)
-throw in breaded okra and wait until they turn golden brown and crispy

2. Quinoa- despite the fried okra, we've been trying to eat healthier.  Some friends of our introduced us to the China Study and EatRightAmerica which talks about how to combat overeating but being under nourished.  Heather's Quinoa Recipe (minus the tofu) 

3. Grilled tomatoes-I'd gotten a ton of tomatoes at the market and wanted to use them healthily.  I found this recipe from Food Network for simple grilled tomatoes.

4. Slow Cooker pulled pork- we had to cook for about 50 students so I found this recipe to throw in a couple of 8lb pork shoulders in the crock pot for a massive but less expensive meal for everyone.  It turned out great.

5. Dijon porkchops with glazed carrots. I've never made these carrots, but this is what we'll be having tomorrow night. Pork chops recipe and grilled glazed carrot recipe.

It's finally here...

g a m e d a y!  

I've anticipated start of this season like crazy lately.  It means fall is really here, school is back in session, the weather will soon turn chilly (or relief is coming if you're in GA) and I look forward to Saturdays with even more excitement. It means leaves will change soon, more soup and warm food, and weekly glimpses of home!  

fall is coming!

The fall brings memories of college: tailgate hopping, pulled pork and barbecues, classy gameday outfits, carefree time with friends, anticipation, and after filling our 92,000+ seat stadium, hearing the bugle play and Larry Munson's classic voice narrate the best all time plays, after all that, then we get to watch our team play and win :).  

a favorite campus past time 

i loved blackout games

It's a tradition in our 2 person family to wake up have a home cooked breakfast while getting the biggest college game picks and previews with Gameday.  Lee Courso picked Georgia to win today.  And I respect him all the more for it!  

college gameday

Today up here, we had a tailgate with the students we "work" with and it went great.  The team won their opener and everyone was pumped for the weekend after their first week of classes.  I love getting to spend time with these women I mentor and meeting new faces.  Post this small tailgate at small school, we've been checking the scores up big games.  But really we're over the top excited for the BIG game. Georgia and Boise are playing tonight on ESPN.  I wish I could be there, but praise the Lord for TV coverage and a husband that's just as excited :).

It's also another excuse to have people over! Our friends Caroline and John went to high school and college with me and are fellow Dawg fans!  How gracious is the Lord?!  

thought I'd leave you with this: even Uga gets into the Auburn rivalry. it's one of my favorite Georgia moments ever :)