Happy Thanksgiving

Okay, I know that it's not quite the real Thanksgiving yet, but I work tomorrow so we are celebrating today! Casey's parents drove down yesterday and we are going to start cooking up a storm here pretty soon. Casey got up early before school and got the turkey in the oven so it could start roasting and would be ready by this afternoon. Mmmmm, tasty! So in the spirit of giving thanks, here are a few of the many things I am thankful for... * Our incredibly loving and supportive families and friends * My mom doing well after her surgery * Having a good job in uncertain economic times * My amazing husband of almost three years * Our time in AZ is down to less than a year * Alice and Scout * Our good health * My green VW Bug (shallow, I know...) * Rain in the desert - it's raining right now :0) Geez, that list got kinda lame toward the end, but as I sit here this morning that's the best I can come up with. I truly have a lot to be thankful for in my life. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

The Mega Update

Alrighty folks here it is: the mega update, a chronicle of what we've been up to the last several several weeks. This is going to be a super long post - so don't say I didn't warn you!

Before I get started with all the major events, I just wanted to give a shout out to my awesome husband. Casey is a fabulous scorpion wrangler. Last night we found one of these most unpleasant creatures in our house and was a manly man and took care of it while I played the girly girl and stood on the couch and squealed. Hey - they're scary little buggers! Just another reason I love you so much Case! So the two big things that have happened since the last post are my trip to visit Nicki in California and Casey and I going to Riggins, Idaho for Preston and Jodi's wedding. Oh and one little project I did in my spare time. The little project was redoing an old dresser that I've had for years. It actually belonged to my great grandma and had been in my grandma's basement for who knows how long. I thought I'd give it a new life so I sanded it down, painted it black and added new hardware. I think it came out pretty good! It now resides in the sewing/guest room and looks great :D

~before~ ~after~

Californ-i-a

Back in October I went to visit Nicki in California. We had such a great time having all sorts of fun adventures and just hanging out. We went to a great little area called Apple Hill outside of Sacramento where we saw beautiful orchards and vineyards and ate all sorts of tasty homemade treats. It was INCREDIBLE to see all of the wonderful fall colors. We had an absolutely delightful afternoon in Apple Hill!

One of my favorite adventures with Nicki was visiting the Jelly Belly factory. What a fun, fun place! Everything is decked out in bright colors and all things jelly bean, and because it was close to Halloween all of the employees were dressed up. Even the giant jelly bean out front had on a witch's hat. So festive! We took the tour, got our free samples, and enjoyed ourselves to the max. During the tour there were these two little old ladies in front of us. They were so cute and Nicki and I were joking that that would be us in 50 years!

Nicki happens to live only 30 minutes from Napa Valley so one afternoon we headed over there to visit a vineyard and do some wine tasting. First of all, Napa is BEAUTIFUL in the fall. There were so many vineyards and all of the fall colors were so vibrant. We did some wine tasting and walked around the grounds at V. Sattui Winery. Sipping wine, sharing stories, enjoying beautiful scenery - what's not to love? Our splendid afternoon was followed by a scrumptious dinner in Napa. Ah, good times.

Sprinkled in between these fabulous outings were the enjoyable things of everyday life that Nicki and I don't get to do together very often. We made french toast and ate it in our jammies, we vegged out and watched TV, we went to Starbucks. I feel like this post doesn't even begin to describe the awesome-ness of our weekend. Oh, Miss Nicki you are such an incredible friend and I miss you so so very much!

Wedding Bells

Last weekend we had the privilege of witnessing Preston and Jodi get married! Jodi is from Riggins (Idaho) and so all of the wedding festivities took place up there. Autumn in Riggins is pretty, but boy is it chilly! Okay, it wasn't as cold as I thought it would be, but keep in mind it's still been in the 80's and 90's down here! Preston and Jodi are such a great couple - they both looked so genuinely happy together and thrilled that this day had finally arrived. The wedding itself was a memorable one - I've never laughed and cried so much at one event! Casey looked so handsome in his tux and he did a stand up job as the Best Man. He was a little nervous about giving the toast but his delivery was great and he got all of the laughs he was hoping for.

All in all it was a wonderful weekend. It was so nice to be home - to see each of our families and lots of our friends. We're really looking forward to moving back home and spending more time with everyone.

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Okay, if you made it this far you are amazing, you should get a prize or something. Thanks for reading and being interested in our lives :D

My Poor Mama!

So I was planning on making this next post all about the last few weeks - posting pictures from visiting Nicki in California, pictures from Preston & Jodi's wedding, etc. But, life happens, and instead I am here posting about my mom's knee injury : ( Yesterday my mom slipped and fell at work and fractured her patella (knee bone). Ouch! She is doing okay and hanging in there, but she'll need surgery to fix it. Her surgery is on Tuesday so until then she is layin' low and trying to keep herself entertained. She's a trooper and she'll be alright, I just wish she wasn't stuck in this predicament. Send her all of the love, positive thoughts, and prayers you can muster up folks - she needs 'em! I'll keep you posted...

Confessions of a blog slacker

I can't believe the entire month of October went by without any posts. Sorry about that folks. Life has been busy, but good, here at the Babendure household. I'm going to try to update the blog either tonight or later this week, but wanted to let you know that we are alive and well down here!

Delicious Fall Recipe

I made this tasty dish last week and we both loved it! Enjoy : ) Pumpkin Bread Pudding 15oz pumpkin (canned) 2c half & half 2c & 2T brown sugar 2 large eggs 1 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice 1 1/2 t cinnamon 1 1/2 t vanilla (I also added some allspice & cloves) 1 loaf bread Whisk all ingredients together. Add to 16-20 slices bread cut into 1 inch cubes. Mix until all bread cubes are coated. Put in a 9x13 glass pan and bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Hope you love this as much as we did!