its been so long...

So someone so kindly pointed out to me that it had been a while since I have blogged. Here I am... blogging.
I know a lot has gone on since the last time I wrote here and I am going to try to hit on the most of them.

1- We got to go back to Michigan to visit the family and had a blast! We were able to hang out with both of Justins brothers and their kids, we watched River (one of our nephews) playa bit of his all star baseball game, we went fishing for hours and of course watched some fireworks on the 4th of July. (which is way more fun when you watch them with kids around)
We also went over for a full day of swimming, ladder golf (if you've never played you need to google it), grilling out, and family time with J's dads side of the family. The day went by way to fast.
I would say one of my favorite memories from this MI trip would be our fishing trip that lasted a good 6 hours. It was just Justin, his brother, two of his boys and me hanging out on the boat, fishing, laughing and catching some fish. I probably caught 10 fish and discovered my hidden talent.


Also, while there we hung out with J's mom and dad and of course enjoyed it. When you don't see people very often you tend to really cherish any time you do get with them.
Our trip ended after 10 days of nice relaxation and reconnection with family.

2- Justins business took on a new name and new office hours. Instead of working nights and weekends Justin now works full time for himself and his best friend came alongside him. Its wonderful that they are able to spend time together and get wok done. The new name is Total Tech Experts and that name encompasses exactly what they do. Call them for any computer problems/questions/or to set an appt.

www.TotalTechExperts.com

3- My salon has been picking up business left and right and on top of that I have moved from Plaza Park Salons to Mattison Avenue Salons. The best part is I moved to the diagonal corner at Park and Preston and have been able to keep all of my clients. The new salon is fabulous and trendy. I have met some new  people and made some new friends and kept some of the old. It has been such a positive move and I look forward to continue building my business and expanding my knowledge in hair styling. :0)

www.CarolenGraySalon.com

Thats most of the major stuff that has gone on here in our world. Thanks for reading or rather thanks for letting me write down some memories. Talk at ya later

where to begin...

Gosh there has been a lot to happen in our lives since the last time I updated so I hope I can remember it all.

First, a big CONGRATULATIONS to my best friends Brandon and Aubreigh Cox on the birth of their son (my nephew) Grayson Charles Cox. He is a handsome, funny little man and so calm. Also, he is a replica of his dad.

Isnt he adorable!?! He is two days old in this picture!

Im SO PROUD!

He had Jaundice so he got to wear these cool shades when he went under the light.

 Now, in other news Justin and I have paid off all our debt and are 100% debt free! So I am going to do the Dave Ramsey (virtual) scream, "WEEEEEEEERE DEBT FREEEEEEEEE!"
This is extra exciting for us because now we can save our money and then work toward paying off our condo! Phew!
It has been hard to stay on budget sometimes but we did it! And we are going to continue to do it! God had really been blessing us with paying bills and giving us willing hearts to want to work toward the same goals financially.

My business has continued to pick up, with some slow weeks still but that is to be expected especially during summer.

Justin and I just hit the 9 month mark of being married! How great is that! On one hand it seems like its been forever and on the other it seems to have flown by. We are so comfortable with one another I feel like I have known him my whole life. God was definitely behind the meeting of he and I.

Well that is all I can think of at the moment. Sorry it has taken me so long to update, life has been happening and I got swept along.

15 seconds to rest is NOT long enough

So here I am at work with 40 minutes to kill and instead of doing something productive like say, cleaning up hair I choose to sit on the computer. (don't worry I clean like every other week) j/k j/k every day.

Now that you know I am a clean person I would like to share whats been going on in our lives.
The transmission on Justin's car (my old car) is now starting to give out. But only sporadically says the mechanic. Great, it will be sporadically broken when we need it to work. LOL So far so good though, thank Lord for your provision.

We finally heard from the IRS stating that we will receive our home buyers credit check in the mail in the next 6-8 weeks. I'm not kidding we have received no less than 7 snail mail letters from them stating that our paperwork was being reviewed or that they needed more paperwork in order to review it. Way to buy your time IRS, well played. Whats funny to me is that when they want our money they want it NOW! No excuses they don't care if you're living in a box under a bridge, at some point that box belonged to them (them being the government) and the land it sits on is definitely theirs so pay up!

In other news, I took off about 2 and 1/2 weeks from exercising and went back on  Wednesday night thinking I could get right back on that treadmill and run 2 miles. Boy was I wrong and my body let me know quickly. Between the aches and pains running through my legs, feeling like they were on fire and then the pang in my side I barely made it a quarter mile before having to take at least a 15 second break. But boy I surely think I earned that 15 seconds dont you think?


P.S. 15 seconds is a lot shorter than you think.

But here is what I looked like AFTER my mile ... worth it. :0)

GF Chicken Parmesan

So I copied this recipe from a friend because it sounded SO good and made sure to make it all GF.

So here it is (with a big thank you to Jennifer Bethune)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Pasta (I used egg noodles)
spaghetti sauce
shredded Parmesan
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 cup (GF) flour, 1Tbsp paprika, 1tsp pepper, 1tsp "italian seasoning". (combine this all in a bowl)

Boil pasta. While boiling, tenderize (flatten) chicken until 1/2 in thick or slightly less, cut in 2 pieces. Mix all seasonings and flour in large bowl. Bread chicken with ... See Morethe flour mix, then put in large frying pan (with about 1-2 Tbsp of EVOO) on med-high heat. Fry for about 2-4 mins each side or until chicken is done all the way through.
When pasta is finished, plate pasta, then chicken, pour some sauce on top and spinkle (or handfull lol) parmasean on top. Makes 4 servings. :) green bean and/or salad are delicious sides.


So you may notice mine didnt have any cheese on it. This is because I am also dairy free and did not have any rice cheese on hand. NO biggie it still tasted Awesome! 
I guess technically that just makes it a chicken and noodles dish, but it was SO good!


Here is a picture of the finihed product (I almost forgot to take the picture) 

well its not letting me post a picture right now.... but ill get one up soon

Gluten Free Goodness

Maybe no one believes me when I say, "I love to cook!!" Therefore, I thought I would let you all in on our meal from this evening.

 Gluten Free Fried Chicken! I know what youre thinking,
Q: "really? Gluten Free FRIED chicken? Is it better for you because its gluten free?"

A: No it is not ANY better for you but still just as tasty!

Q: Just as tasty, huh?

A: Absolutely! It was so good I have been thinking about it all night wanting more! (I made enough for leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Two meals out of one! WOOHOO! For being fried the batter actually tasted lighter. It didn't feel as heavy on my stomach and maybe that has a little to do with not overeating, it could have to do with the fact that it was GF therefore I didn't feel horrible after eating it. Or maybe it was a little of both.

Q: So how did you figure out you could make it GF?

A:  My lovely friends gave me this awesome GF Kitchen Cookbook for a wedding gift and since I started using it Ive never looked back. Some of the recipes are a little drab (and we like food spicy around here) so I spice it up.
Since I am only gluten intolerant most, if not all, spices don't bother me (as of yet) and I do not anticipate them starting to bother me any time soon.

So now I will leave you with an impromptu picture I took of my meal right before devouring it.

Everything on this plate is dairy and gluten free. The potatoes do have Almond milk, a little vegan butter, and some olive oil in them. This meal was SO yummy! I cant wait for lunch tomorrow... maybe breakfast? :0)

Gym Rats

So as I have been working out I have taken notice that there are about 3 different groups of people. Let me outline these groups for you. (WARNING: This is how my mind works, sometimes. Okay ALL the time!)


Group 1- This group is usually the older crowd with the occasional pregnant woman sprinkled in. This group of people generally like to take it slow on the treadmill. This could also include the social work-out person. You know the person there looking for a mate so they are chatting up EVERYONE of the opposite sex. When you find them talking to someone of the same sex you start to wonder.  I find them to be inspiring that they still get out and workout! Way to go Group 1!

Group 2- I find mostly wanna be runners in this group. This consists of the people who get on the treadmill and start by walking and transition into running. But about half a mile into MUST stop for water. (I am partly in this group but slowly making my way into Group 3 I now start by running and dont stop for about 1.5 miles to get a sip of water then im right back on!) I'm working on it. Dont judge me :0)

Group 3-  This includes ALL serious runners. You know the ones, they get on the treadmill start running and don't stop. They are running before you get on your treadmill and are still running once you're done.  I like to think I am in this group but I don't think my status has shifted from Group 2 into Group 1. 

Today I had this thought. What would happen if someone from group 1 melded into group 2? Would a pregnant woman be able to run? What if an OLDER, pregnant woman worked out hard core. What then!?!?! My groups would be completly ruined.

So nevermind just ignore my groupings all together. They are totally and completely off base. However, I will continue to hold these people in their respective groups. Thats just the way my mind works. Oh and don't even get me started on the groups of weight lifters. They are even funnier than the runners.

Here's a little preview of THAT... The guy on the right on his phone. Check out the 80's cut, awesome cut-off shirt, and sweatpants. Watch out... he means business.

More on that later.

Eat more chik'n

So I found this awesome group on facebook called The Crockpot Recipe Exchange. While going through all the awesome recipes on the page I discovered this (which is what is for dinner). I have made a few changes to it...


Chicken Tacos 

4 chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups water
1 packet of taco seasoning
red, green and yellow peppers
 

and anything else you think sounds good thrown in there! ( I added creole seasoning, salt and pepper, basil leaves and chili powder) We like things hot and spicy around here!

I cut up the chicken into strips so that they would be like fajita style meat. Throw everything into the crockpot and cook on low for 5 hours. Once its done drain any excess water and add any extra seasoning you would like.

I cant wait to try this out tonight. Ill let you all know what the husband has to say. Also, I will post a picture once its cooked! YUMMMMM!