Bachelor Pad and Hot Dogs

So, wanna know what Bachelor Pad and Hot Dogs have in common? They are both things I love to hate. Why you might ask? Because they are addicting but so RIDICULOUS. And unhealthy. Well, the hot dogs are unhealthy at least. Although my husband might say Bachelor Pad is unhealthy also. Anyways, this past Monday was the premiere of Bachelor Pad 2 and of course I couldn't wait to watch. But, it was three very long hours long. Way too long if you ask me. Basically the whole three hours was Jake/Vienna drama. Don't get me wrong I love drama in my TV shows, but it was starting to get a bit ridiculous. As the very long premiere came to an end I was very unsure of who's team I was on. I have decided neither. Hope next weeks episode will focus on someone else!

Now to hot dogs. I don't know if I am alone on this but I love hot dogs. Like really love them. I would actually choose a hot dog over a hamburger any day. The sad part of this is that I am Nutritionist and I know how terrible they are. SO why do I still love them? Wish I could tell you. But I have found the solution, TURKEY DOGS. Some of you might have already discovered these. Probably many have. But I recently had my first tasting of them. And loved them! And here is the great part, depending on the brand, turkey dogs can be half the calories and half the grams of fat. That makes them a winner in my book. Are they still one of the greatest things to eat? Maybe not the greatest. BUT they are definitely much better than regular beef franks! That's a win for me!

Sorry I had to throw in this precious picture. When I googled "hot dog" this little cutie came up! Aw

Did I mention how excited I am for So You Think You Can Dance tonight? And tomorrow is the finale! Who is going to be the big winner? I'd bet money on Melanie! She has been my fave from the beginning. In honor of SYTYCD, here are my favorite dances from last week.

Sasha and Kent

..And Caitlynn and Marko

It is Done....At least till next season that is..

Ah sometimes I wonder who really reads my blog out there. Or better yet, if they enjoy reading it. Hm....I'll never know. But that's okay. I'll just keeping writing about the things I enjoy most. And one of those things just so happens to be silly reality tv shows called The Bachelor/Bachelorette.

Two nights ago was the finale, and I don't know about all of you, but I most certainly was not dissapointed. I left work at 5 just plain giddy to get home make dinner and some brownies AND watch the Bachelorette. I know I am silly and lots of people, including my husband and mother think I am crazy to love this show. But I really believe the reason I enjoy it so much is because I love seeing people fall in love. Okay, I am not going to defend myself any longer. I am a hopeless romantic and still have faith that this show CAN produce love..sometimes. Erin, one of my besties came over to watch with me. Which was fun because although we both loved both of the guys, I think she was pulling more for Ben and I was on JP's boat.

And it began...first up the meeting of the parents. JP had the first opportunity to meet Ashley’s family. All I can say is, Poor JP I still can't believe Ashley's sister ripped into him the way she did. He seemed so defenseless and defeated :( Out of every season, I have never seen a family member be that tough on a contestant. Good thing her opinion didn't change Ashley's mind :)

Ben’s family date was next, and even though I was team JP, I couldn't help but love the playful connection Ashley and him had. Ashley and Ben doing their dog voices, was the best.

Up until the plane arriving, Erin and I were still unsure who she would pick. But Ben was first, which typically means you are a goner. Poor guy. He was so confident. And when he started talking about losing one family member 4 years ago and gaining one today I almost lost it. I felt so bad for him. And I couldn't believe he got down on one knee. If he hadn't cut Ashley off and let her let him go before he did that! Shesh. I don't blame him for being so upset. That is how most people would be if they proposed and got rejected. Don't worry Ben. You hopefully will be the next Bachelor and you can find love again there.

Now to JP...Goodness I was so excited to watch Ashley tell him he was her pick. I thought his proposal was perfect and so so sweet. So happy that she picked him. They genuinely seem in love. I hope they actually will work. Oh and her engagement ring isn't so bad looking either. Talk about a rock. Goodness gracious its gorgeous!

Well,  it's been fun watching. Thank you Bachelorette for making my summers nights not so boring :)

"These Hill Country Flies are so Dumb"

So this past weekend I took a much needed girl's vacay with three of my best friends, Erin, Rachel and Amy to good ole Fredericksburg, TX. Now that we are adults (still am not used to saying that) trips like this are vital. Seriously. We talked about how they are even somewhat therapeutic. I have driven past Fredericksburg thousands of times because it is on my route from Abilene to San Antonio, but I have never taken the time to really explore there. For us this was the perfect destination for our away time because it was close to all of us and since Rachel has a ranch about 20 minutes from there we had a place to stay too!

So off we went to the German town. We arrived and ate lunch a nice little German restaurant. It was tasty, but had far too many potato sides. I mean come on, I know it's vacation, but we wanted to be a little bit healthy. Then we were off to shopping. Though I think the only thing that was purchased was a turquoise necklace (I have been a search for a good one for too long) and Rachel got a cute little dress. That.is.it. I personally was so excited for shopping in Fredericksburg. But sadly we found that we couldn't find much stuff that was our style and if we did it was way too over priced. Sad huh. Oh well, we made up for it by going back to the ranch and swimming and catching up for hours upon hours. I'm telling you, so therapeutic.

We had big plans for Saturday. One of the things we were looking forward to most during our trip was that we were going to go Wine Tasting. It is something we had all heard about and now that we are adults we wanted to give it a try! The initial plan was to get up early and head to the first vineyard. Did that happen? Of course not. Who gets up early on vacations? Certainly not us. We went to two places for wine tasting. One was much too crowded and the employees weren't much of help to us wine tasting newbies. But the second place we went to, D'Vine Wine, was much better. It was a much smaller tasting room but it was so much more relaxing and fun. Our server was much more helpful and I personally loved the wines here. I am still kicking myself that I didn't bring a bottle home of their Pomegranate wine! Gosh what was I thinking not getting some! After tasting, we were off to get pedicures and then we topped the evening with a scrumptious Mexican food dinner.

I was so thankful for this girl's weekend. I hope there are many more to come..

Finally

So you know how last week I talked about how all my shows I watch were somewhat boring me? Well, this week they have outdone themselves. I loved the Bachelorette, particulary because I am a huge fan of J.P. and Ben. So glad she has two good guys left. Very excited for the finale on Monday. I think I'll have a little ladies watching night at my house with wine and goodies. Sorry Shane :)

But the show the stole my heart this week was So You Think You Can Dance. I loved this episode! So many good dances. And I will even admitt, I enjoyed Lady Gaga being a guest judge. I know I know, I can't believe I said it. But she actually had some good critiques. These were my favorite dances of the night. So stinkin good. Time to share:

Of course Marko's contemporary dance.

And Melanie's Contemporary...Her jump through the air is incredible.

I also LOVED Marko and Ricky's hip hop. So fun

Oh yeah, this one wasn't too bad either. Shesh, they are all so good!

So, do you think I enjoyed SYTYCD this week? Yeah, just a little :)

Shane's new beginning

I have been wanting to write this post for a while now, but I had to wait till it was official. And now it is.....

Since I have known Shane, he has always talked about how he would love to be a Police Officer or a Fire Fighter. Even though he had a job with their Family Buisness (which has been such a blessing) and was going to school to get a degree in Physical Education, he just felt like he had a calling to do something that really helped people. But to be either a police officer or fire fighter, it would require him to get more schooling and with us getting married it just didn't seem like the right timing. So his dream kind of got put on hold.

Then a little over a month ago Shane came to me saying that he really did feel like he was being called to be a fire fighter and wanted to get my opinion on it. I knew this was something he was very passionate about, so there was no doubt in my mind that this is something he should do. We were on our way out of town as we talked about this and decided we would really pray about it over the weekend. And here comes the crazy part that gives me the goosebumps everytime I think about it...

As we returned to Abilene on Sunday we headed straight to Shane's parents house. It was Father's day and we wanted to spend time with his family. His parents live on a few acres of land and as his mom was fixing dinner she happened to look out the window and see that in the distance there was a fire starting right beside where their land begins. It was fairly small and didn't seem like anything to worry to much about but the Shane, his dad, and brother decided they would go check it out and call the fire department. It seemed to be within minutes of them being gone that Shane's mom and I watched as the fire started to grow from a very small fire to a huge fire. Then we watched a big gust of wind take the fire onto his parent's land and start heading towards the house.  At this point you could smell the smoke inside the house and the fire seemed to keep on getting closer and closer...fast. This is when it hit us. This could get to the house. We starting running around the house grabbing pictures and valuables. Have you ever been asked the question if there was a fire in your house and you could grab one thing, what would it be? I never thought I would really have to do that. It was a crazy surreal moment that the Haught family could be about to lose their house and all the memories and things inside of it. A rush of emotions came over me for them.

Luckily, the house has a "tank" or pond around it that stopped the fire from getting to the house. This tank is actually the pond that Shane proposed to me at. Although the house was saved and the fire department was able to contain the fire from getting to their house or any others, it was very scary and surreal for a while there. The whole time this was happening Shane, his dad and brother were out trying to get the horses together and out of the fire. When he returned to the house we went on the balcony of the house to look out over the land and see all the damage the fire did. As we stood up there Shane said, "You know this whole weekend I have prayed about this decision to be a fire fighter and for God to give me a sign. It sure did seem like this was a sign God was giving him.

The next day Shane called the fire department to see if they were accepting applications for their training program. They told him that the applications for the next semester were suppose to be due last Friday, but they were extended the deadline to the next Friday. How ironic huh? Seemed to be just another sign. Shane applied and then the process started of interviews and tests. Shane did very well and as of yesterday found out he got into the program! I couldn't be more proud of him. He starts classes in August and will be in "training" for a year. The neat part is that he can continue working as he is in school for this. I am so excited for this new beginning for Shane. I know God has big plans for him and I can't wait to see what is in store for him!

I love Bethenny

I recently stumbled upon Bethenny Frankel's website and completely fell in love. If you don't know who Bethenny is, she use to be a Real Housewive of New York City and now has her own show. She is also a natural food chef. That's the part I really like! Anyways, I love her site because she posts her favorite recipes. She is a health nut so her recipes are always healthy and nutritious. And this is why I really fell in love. I LOVE her recipes. This was the first one I tried out and it has quickly become one of my favorite things to make. I have always been a fan of alfredo sauce or cream sauces, but this one is a lighter version. And it is SOO tasty. YESS! I made a few slight changes to her recipe...and I think it made it even better! So here it is: Penne a la Carbonara [Although I used bowtie pasta instead :)]

Ingredients-

• 1 box whole wheat penne (I used bowtie because that is all I had)
• 1.5 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 6 pieces turkey bacon chopped
• 1.5 teaspoons salt
• 1.5 teaspoons pepper
• 1/3 cup skim or soy milk
• 1 egg beaten
• 3 Tablespoons chopped parsley (optional)

Preparation-

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then add the penne pasta. In a large skillet, sauté turkey bacon until crispy. Then coarsely chop. Place bacon back in the skillet. Cook pasta al dente, drain, leaving pasta slightly wet (adds texture and thickness). Add the pasta to the skillet with the bacon, add the remaining ingredients and fold until well mixed. Garnish with parsley.

What I did- 

When I made this I only had 2 pieces of bacon instead of 6 like it calls for. So I was trying to think of what I could add to make up for it. I decided to add some chopped onion and mushroom. Such a good addition! I cooked the bacon a little in my pan then added the mushroom and onion to it to sauté  all together. This was so easy and sooooo tasty!

Enjoy! :)

Thanks Sister!

As you can tell my blog has had a little face lift. It was so needed! My oldest sister Clarissa was the surgeon and made this thing super spiffy! Thank you thank you! You're the best :)

I know I'm lacking on doing my normal TV weekly updates. But it is because my shows are really boring me this week. The Bachelorette is losing my interest. Fast. I still love JP. But all they showed of him this week was him acting like a jealous little boy. I mean, I don't blame him. But they didn't show him near enough and when they did it was pouting. Major bummer. The highlight of The Bachelorette was that I got to watch it with two of my besties Erin and Amy. And we devoured some tasty Mini Blizzards as we watched. That was by far the best part of the night.

My show that normally always captivates me, So You Think You Can Dance was a snooze fest last night. At least I thought so. So dissapointed. I don't know what it was, but I was not digging any of the dances last night. I don't think I could even pick a favorite. Really the only show I've enjoyed this week is Love in the Wild. Which is a little cheesy....but a fun show. Shane watched it with me, so I was a happy girl!

Tomorrow Shane and I head off for a fun River Trip with new friends. I am very excited for it! But this means my evening will consist of:

• Doing 4 loads of laundry. Yep, 4. Maybe even 5.
• Packing...yuck. It is really the worst.
• Going to bootcamp. Really wish I could just skip, but since I will be wearing a swimsuit this weekend it's probably a good idea that I go.
• And make a pitstop at the grocery store to load up on food goodies for the weekend.

Looks like it's going to be a busy night for me!

4th of July in Colorado

You might be a little confused because about two post back I wrote about how I was going to Red River NM for the 4th of July weekend. And we did. And we quickly left to Colorado. Confused? Well we arrived in Red River on Friday afternoon only to realize that there were some pretty severe forest fires nearby causing them to completely closed their National forest the night before. Which is understandable. But with the forest closed down, that meant there was nothing for us to do. So we quickly tried to make a decision on where we could go from there and instead. Platora, Colorado was the decision! None of the Haught family had been there but were willing to see how it was. We drove about 2 more hours and then an hour on the most terrible dirt road in the history of mankind, and finally arrived to the beautiful Platora! The weather was beautiful, the mountains were beautiful, the trees were beautiful, the lakes were beautiful. Okay you get it, everything was beautiful. And as hard as it is for me to admit it, it was kind of nice not having phone service the whole weekend. I needed the break! Basically the whole trip we relaxed, rode ATV's around the trails finding some gorgeous places, the boys fished..alot, and we ate alot. Sounds nice right? :) Wish I had more weekends like this!

Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday to the sweetest dad I know!

Wish I could be there to spend the day with you. Love you



Summer Favorites

1. Mango Pico De Gallo - Oh my word........probably my most favorite thing in the world right now. Seriously, have yall tried this stuff? If not, you need to. Pronto. Like today. I don't even really care for tomatos so I've never been a big "pico" person. But something about the mango mixed in makes it oh so heavenly! AND it is so easy and simple to make! Yes! An added bonus. All you need is Onion (white perferably. It's sweeter) a mango, fresh cilantro, tomatoes (I like cherry tomatoes the best) and some lime. Cut up the onion, tomato, mango & cilantro then squeeze the fresh lime juice over and there you have it! The most amazing pico you will ever have in your life! It will look a little something like this...except your bowl should be more full than this. As you can see Shane and I have already almost devoured it all ;)

2. Hats - I will admit since I have been to college I have become a huge baseball cap person. Why? For the simple fact that it is so easy to just throw on a hat and go to class. The less time it takes me to get ready means the more time I get to sleep in. I know...very lazy. But true. This summer has been no differnet than the school year. Still wearing my hats. And in the summer they shade my eyes and face from the sun. Oooo I like that. AND in the summer they have super cute ones. I personally love my floppy hat. I like to call her "Floppy". I know, original. She is my pool and vacation hat. And this little fidora. This is the first fidora I have ever bought and Shane made fun of me endlessly the first time I wore it. But you know what, that is okay. I like my fidora thank you very much!

3. Bright and sparkly nail polish - Last week I was Target, like I always am, and wanted to buy some fun polish. I don't do this often. I looked through the OPI brand, which is typically my favorite, but it's way too expensive. Then looked through the Nicole brand. I liked some of them but they have a new "Beiber" line out and I honestly didn't want to buy any of them because all the names of the polish had to do with Justin Beiber. I know, ridiculous. So I picked up these babies. I had no idea how much they cost but when I got to the checkout I was pleasantly suprised. Only $1.99! Deal of the day for sure. I will only be buying this brand now when I need polish.

4. Chicken Salad...a healthier kind - I don't know about yall but I am a big time lover of chicken salad. Love it love it. And if I had it my way I would eat it everyday. BUT because it's not the healthiest choice out there I have to refrain myself. So when my mother in law told me about the recipe for a lighter chicken salad I almost died! The secret to making it lighter......GREEK YOGURT. I add in all the usual stuff I like in my chicken salad: Chicken, grapes, onion, celerey, salt, pepper, a little bit of lemon juice, dash of dill, little bit of mustard but when you get to the maynaisse part you don't put as much. Just use a small amount. Then compensate for the small amount of mayo with plain greek yogurt. This will help the salad to have the same consitency as normal but with much less fat and calories!  Easy huh? And super yummy.

5. Keurig brand sweet tea lemonade - To all Keurig owners: If you love tea this is a must have! I have fallen madly in love with Keurig coffee maker. To the point where it's the only way I like my coffee. Yikes. I didn't realize that it also makes wonderful tea! This particular one is a mix of tea and lemonade! Perfect treat for hot summer days :)