Our time in Pennsylvania

So, I last posted about Mitch's interview, now I will share what we did for fun while we were in Pittsburgh! Again, sorry for the lengthy post, I love looking back and want to remember our trip :)

Mitch had spent the previous week in Colorado and I had been in Dallas, so on Wednesday we met in Kansas City. When we fly, we usually fly out of Tulsa because when I have flown out of XNA it is ridiculously expensive! So we normally take time to drive to Tulsa and the flights from there are so much cheaper. But when we were researching we found out that flying out of KC is super cheap! Since it is only 3 hours away from us, we decided we would meet and fly out from there! 

So Wednesday, I drove to KC and hung out there then checked into our hotel that night. Mitch got in about 10 that night and we stayed at a hotel right next to the airport so he just got a shuttle to the hotel. I checked into our hotel about 5 and occupied myself that night by watching American Idol and making multiple trips to the workout room ha!

We had a very early flight that morning, but we were so hungry that night, so we headed out get dinner! We came back and went straight to bed! We flew out that morning and we had a layover in Chicago then went on to PA.

I am not a fan of flying, so this is how I occupied myself during the flight...

And Mitch studied...

We had about a 3 hour layover and so this is where I spent my time...

Dunkin Donuts.... favorite coffee ever! This is where Mitch spent his time.. he is obsessed with Cinnabon! 

We got to PA about 3:00 and by the time we got out luggage and picked up our rental car it was close to rush our in Pittsburgh. It had also starting snowing! This is what we saw when we landed...

We knew it was suppose to snow, but when we went to get our rental car, they said they just upped then snowfall to 5-8in! We were a little worried, because well... we are from AR and when it snows 3in everything is shut down! 

So we made it about 10 minutes past the airport and we weren't getting anywhere. Mitch actually saw an exit for a mall and lots of restaurants and so we decided to do a little shopping, have dinner and wait for the traffic to pass. So we went to the mall and there is no sales tax in PA so we got some good deals! We both got some new golf outfits and I got some stuff from Express! 

We were getting hungry, so we drove around the shopping center and I saw a Bahama Breeze!!! Mitch took me there on one of our first dates and we use to go there all time when we had one in OKC. We were both so excited, but when we pulled up he saw a Bucca Di Peppo across the street! This is by far our favorite Italian place and they only have a few of them around. We always go when we go to KC and to Chicago. Mitch was craving it and even though we don't get Bahama Breeze often, Bucca Di Peppo is really hard to pass up!

We got some garlic, cheesy bread and split the baked ziti! It was delicious! I had never had ziti but Mitch really wanted it, so thats what we got. It was the best italian dish I have ever had! 

It was so good and I am still craving it. There is a funny story along with our dinner... We were in the middle of eating and I swallowed something that was really sharp and hurt my throat. I was able to get it back up (I know, kind of gross) and it was a little piece of metal!! My throat hurt for the rest of the night, but we did get our whole meal free.

Well then headed to the hotel. We stayed in Monroeville, about half way in between Pittsburgh and Latrobe (where Mitch's interview was). I didn't know where we were staying, but we pulled up to a really nice, huge DoubleTree! 

We had a big room and the bed was even a sleep number bed.. I had never slept on one and it was so nice!! 

We checked in to the hotel, got settled and then wanted to go out and explore the town. We got back to the hotel late that night and went to bed! We didn't have to be in Latrobe until 1:30 for Mitch's interview, but we wanted to see the town and have lunch there. Here is Mitch all dressed up in his suit ready for his interview! 

We left about 10 and explored the town then had lunch. Our original plan was for me to hang out at the library while he was in his interview, they said to allow 2-4 hours for the interview and testing. I wanted to ready my book, and I had some things for work I could have worked on. But I got there and it was closed! So I dropped Mitch off, drove around (there wasn't much more to see, its a very small town) then ended up back at Dunkin Donuts!

 It is a super small conservative town, which I really like. I love the small town feel with a big city so close. Here are some pics of the town..

The school

After his interview, we headed back to the hotel to change and then were going to go explore downtown Pittsburgh. We went and walked about the University of Pittsburgh. It was beautiful, especially with all the snow! On thursday when we got there, we had about 4in and then again about 4in on Friday night, if not more. I can't even imagine that much snow back home. It was like nothing even happened there. I loved it! There was beautiful snow all over the ground, but the roads we cleaned before we even got up! So nice to enjoy the snow without all the crazy hassle.

After going all through the university we decided it was time for dinner. We were so excited and had been waiting for this dinner! We watch the food channel probably too much, and a long time ago we saw this place call Primanti Brothers on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. We both looked at each other and were like " we have to try this place! " So it was conveniently in Pittsburgh and when we found out he got an interview there, it was the first thing we brought up ha! The Northeast in known for their sandwiches and this is one of the best!! So goooood! 

After dinner, we did some more shopping and headed back to the hotel for dessert! We had bananas foster with a Double Tree Cookie on bottom! Yum!

 Saturday, we slept in and headed back to the airport. We had the same route, doing through Chicago so we had some layovers. We left PA with actually a lot more snow than than had in Chicago, but they had the runways cleared and the planes de-iced already. Chicago was a little different. Their runways were coved in snow and it took forever to de-ice the plane. But we did make a stop at our favorite popcorn shop while we waited!

Many of you know my obsession with popcorn, and whenever we got to Chicago we always make multiple stops here! 

We finally made it back to KC, got our car and we planed on hanging out in KC for a while since we were suppose to get in at 3, but with all the delays, we didn't make it in to KC until around 6. We were both hungry and Mitch has been talking about this bbq place in kansas city forever. He really wanted to go there and well I love bbq, so I wasn't about to pass it up. It is called Oklahoma Joes and Mitch has been there multiple time, but it was my first. It is a little old shack inside a gas station but it has some of the best bbq! 

When we got there, the line was out the door into the paring lot and it was freezing!! It took us about 30 minutes to get through the line and Mitch told me they have this famous sandwich called the Z-Man and I had to get it.

So we both ordered it and it was delicious! I will have to admit, you can't really beat Memphis bbq, but it was good! Defiantly a place we will go back to. 

That sums up our little vacation! We had such a fun time and even if he doesn't get in, we are looking forward to going back to visit! I am working on a post about the first part of my trip (dallas). So check back in! Have a great weekend!  

Pittsburgh-Interview

We had so much fun in Pennsylvania! I am going to be honest, I was a little nervous about going. I know it is a long shot for him to get in this first round and for us to actually think about having to live there, but I am just a southern girl! I love everything about the south and couldn't even imagine living in the northeast, especially 19 hours from home. But actually starting to travel makes this process so real and we have to start thinking about our options! 
I kept telling myself to have an open mind and just enjoy our time there.

Well it was like I had a peace come over me when we got there. I actually really liked it, and of course Mitch did. I think he is going to apply for some more schools up in that area.

First off it is beautiful up there and Pittsburgh was such a cool place. A lot different than I thought. I was picturing very industrial, like Detroit. But it's not at all.
The school is in a small town outside of Pittsburgh and its only about 30 miles from Pittsburgh, and on the turnpike it takes about 20 min! We didn't know the area well, so we decided to stay in a town in between Latrobe and Pittsburgh called Monroeville. We were expecting it to be this tiny town and it was actually really big and so nice!!! It had everything there and you are still close to a fun big city!
If we did end up going there, we would most likely live there.  Mitch will only do about one semester actually in latrobe at the school, then the rest is lots of different clinical site all over PA, Ohio and West Virginia. He would only be at the school one time a week.

Mitch had his interview Friday and it went so well. Mitch is a people person and does not have any issues going through the interview process. The competition is just so intense getting into crna school. They told him in the interview that 500 applied, 200 got interviews and 30 will get in. And that is a lot for a crna program. On average schools take around 5-10 students. So we are just praying and we know that God will place us where He wants us. He has so many other school option, and it makes me excited to visit the others!

That about sums up his interview process and how we spent friday! I will do another post about our time in PA and what we did the other days we were there (and post pics)! 

Be praying for us as we begin this long process of school searching!

Happy Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday! It is so rainy and dreary here today... I think a nap is in order! 

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I am working on some posts from our trip! We had a blast and I can't wait to tell y'all about it.

Have a great day and check back soon! 

Carrot Banana Muffins

These muffins are amazing! I had to do a post just for them ha!! With Mitch and I trying to eat paleo we sometimes have trouble with breakfast foods and snacks. Well I came across these muffins about 2 months ago, bought all the stuff to make them and just never did.

So last night we didn't have much going on, so I thought I would make them. They are completely paleo so they are good for you. Sometimes its hard to think that something that tastes so good is actually really good for you and has nothing bad in it! My bosses have been living pale for 7 years and they always laugh because there 2 year old son eats cake for breakfast, but they are like, when it's all healthy and good for you, why not? They have a good point!

Anyways, back to my muffins... the second good thing about them, next to being healthy, is they smell up your whole house!!! The third thing is they are delicious!!!! When we got them out, we didn't even wait for them to cool. They smelt so good, so Mitch and I had one! They recipe makes a lot, so we planned on taking some on our trips, but after last night, there is not many left ha! 

(this is only half the batch)

They are great for breakfast or even just a snack. They are also good because they are sweet, so when your craving something sweet, this is a great alternative! 

They are super easy to make and people who are already eating paleo, will most likely have all the ingredients at home the majority of the time. So you can make them whenever without having to make trips to the store for special ingredients! 

Here is the recipe! Carrot Banana Muffins Try them... I promise you'll love them! 

Football and Friends

Well it is bowl week and I can say that I am very happy with the outcomes! Ok State and Arkansas won!!! We stayed up until midnight watching the Pokes play in the fiesta bowl on Monday and it was such an intense game.. Mitch and I wore on the edge of our seats for a while! But they pulled it out!

Go Cowboys!!

Then last night... the Razorbacks won the Cotton Bowl! We had a little party with some of our friends over to cheer on the hogs, and it was a lot of fun!  I meant to take pics, but completely forgot! We had so many yummy snacks, most not paleo, but it was okay for one night! We had chips and queso, fruit pizza, seven layer dip, chocolate chip cookies, and sausage balls!! It was all so good! 

Go Hogs!!

Today Mitch had to work and so I had a relaxing day! I got up and went to look at puppies with Jenna! They are getting a little black lab in a few weeks, so they went to see her. It is a family from our church that is selling them and they had so many little puppies!!! They were all so cute!! 

Later, Bella and I went on a walk. Once again taking advantage of this amazing weather. Then I got my nails done. It has been a nice low key day. I made paleo meatloaf and roasted carrots for dinner tonight.

It turned out so good! Here are the recipes...  Meatloaf This isn't the usually paleo meatloaf recipe we have used in the past. We thought we would try a new one and it was really good! 

Roasted Carrots The meatloaf recipe says to make this mashed cauliflower and garlic stuff, but we both do not like cauliflower so I found these carrots and they were delicious! 

Tomorrow Mitch works, but I am going to Tulsa to spend the day with my mom since her Birthday is this week and I will not get to see her before our vacation! I am looking forward to it! 

Hope y'all are having a wonderful weekend! 

Happy New Year!

Happy (belated) New Years!! Last post I did was all our highlights from 2011, and 2012 is already starting out great. We have lots of exciting things happening!
I love to post about way we have been up to so I can go back and see what we have been up to. So here is what we have been up to this past week.

New yeas weekend we didn't really have much going on. Mitch and I were both off Friday and we really just spend the day getting things done. We went and got him a new orange (go pokes) cover for his macbook! When we got home, I wasn't feeling well, so we rented a movie and jet relaxed at home. We watched Columbiana and it was so good!

I highly recommend it. After that, I have been wanting to go get my ring cleaned, so we went up to the square and I dropped it off and then we took Bella for a walk around the square. There are usually lots of people up there, so she loves it!

Saturday, new years eve, Mitch had to work, and since I hadn't been felling well I laid in bed and rented another movie. I watched Something Borrowed...finally ha! It is based off one of Emily Griffin's books and I was obsessed with her books when I was in college. I read Something Borrowed twice and just love it!! So I was so excited when I heard they were making a movie about it, but just never got around to seeing it. But, I really enjoyed the movie and its a must see as well.

Saturday night after Mitch got off, we had plans to go to Tulsa and go line dancing with my best friend Natalie, but the day before we found out Mitch was on call for Sunday, so we couldn'd go, just in case he got called in (of course he didn't). So since we found that out such last minute and didn't have any time to make other plans we what a very low key new years eve, but it was actually nice! We had been super busy over the past few weeks, it was nice to celebrate at home. Not of purpose, but going to PF Changs on NYE has become tradition for us. We have been there every year on NYE for the past several years. So we had a later dinner around 9:00 and then went back home to watch the ball drop! Hope y'all had a wonderful new years!

Sunday, it was a beautiful day!! We have been so lucky with this warm weather. I think it almost hit 70 this past week... I am not going to complain! So after church, we took Bella to the dog park and on a walk to Slaughter Pen. There are so many trails in nwa and we have really enjoyed taking Bella around!

Monday, we were both off again and  it was also the beginning of our 9 week nutrition challenge at crossfit. They promote paleo and are doing a 9 week challenge to help our nutrition and workouts. On monday the challenge began and before you go had to meet with a crossfit coach and they weighted you, took all measurements, bmi, body fat, etc and then talk with you about your goals. We had to pay $50 to enter the challenge, but if we meet our goals, we get it back! So thats pretty motivating! You can't really map goals in weight because you are working out and lifting so much, but they make you set your goals by how much body fat you want to loose. So we are a week in and so far have been doing great with our paleo meals.
Over the past two months, we have been incorporating paleo into our diet slowly and that has really helped. We know now what meals we really like, and how we feel after we eat non-paleo foods. if you are just starting out, I would highly recommend to just slowly add it into your diet and you will soon want only paleo foods. If you go all out right form the start, you will get frustrated. So when we started we would have 2 cheat meals week and if we were just craving something we would have it. The goal is not to deprive yourself from the things you love. Your eating habits will change on their own and its actually a lot easier than I ever thought. But since we are on this challenge- for 9 weeks it is nothing but paleo and that is really just to help us meet our goals. I mean, there are going to be times when we won't be able to stick on it even in these 9 weeks. Next week Mitch leaves for CO and I leave for Dallas, then we are off to PA! So I am sure there will be some non-paleo meals on our vacations :)

So Monday before our workout, we had one last meal and we chose Cracker Barrel! I love love love Cracker Barrel! My all time favorite meal is a big hot breakfast!! Mitch got his favorite- Blueberry pancakes.

I hope y'all have had wonderful holiday season and a great start to 2012. I am working on some other posts, so they are soon to come!!

Highlights of 2011

Last year I did a post about the highlights of 2010 and I really enjoyed looking back and reading it. So, I thought I would do the same for this year.

So, here are some of the highlights of our 2011...

1. I got a job!! I know I complain sometimes, but I try to always remind myself how lucky I am to have a job.
2. Mitch moved jobs. He moved from the med/serg floor to the ICU/CCU floor. He loves his job and I love hearing all his crazy stories!
3. Went on our first annual summer vacations with Will and Michelle! We went on a cruise to Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Mexico. We are so blessed to have them in our lives! We are in the process of trying to pick our next destination, so if you have any good suggestions, send them our way! Our plan was to switch off every year on who gets to pick the destination, girls then boys. Well Michelle and I picked last year, but since the boys are going on this week long ski trip to Colorado, they are letting us pick again this summer!!
4. 2010 was the year of crazy weather!! I seemed to always find myself saying, " I thought I moved out of OK" haha. We started the year off with one of the craziest snow storms ever! We had over 25 inches of snow! Then we went into floods! I have never really been in a flood... until this year. I remember we had to shut down of office and I got stuck in Fayetteville because of flooding. Then, tornados. There is not much to say, most of y'all know how much I am terrified of tornados, but we had a bad tornado season!! I'm anxious to see what 2010 brings.
5. I was going to put this in the category of weather, but the more I thought about it, it isn't really weather, so I made it its own category! I was in my first earthquake this year. Scared me half to death and I just pray I do not have to experience that again!
6. We joined Crossfit! One of the most intense workout programs I have ever been involved in. This may not seem like much, but it is a large part of Mitch and I's life and we love it.
7. Mitch started the application process to CRNA school! We are traveling to PA this month to visit a school. I'm sure this is only the beginning of  school visits! We are both really excited to get this process going.
8. One of the biggest highlights was getting the newest member to our family... Bella!! She has brought us so much joy over the past 6 months! I never in a million thought I would love a dog this much. I mean I wasn't even a dog person, but Bella has changed that. Her personality has really come out and she is so much fun to have around. She is a lot of responsibility, but it is worth every minute!

I am sure we have had many more exciting things happen, but these are the top ones that came to mind!

I hope y'all had a wonderful 2011as well, and we are excited to see where God takes us in 2012!!

On a side note: my best friend Elizabeth got engaged this past week! I am so excited for her and can't wait to start the wedding planning!! In a couple of weeks, I am spending 5 days in Dallas to help her with wedding stuff. We all know how obsessed I am with wedding planning, so I am beyond excited!

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM MITCH, SARAH AND BELLA!!