My Amazing Pot Roast

The title says it all. Although I doubt mine has any significant changes over others pot roast. A friend sent me a text asking how I did my pot roast today, and this month that has been a question asked to me about 5 times so I thought I would share here.

1 chuck roast
1 packages of dry onion soup mix
2 cans of french onion soup
1 bag of baby carrots
3-5 potatoes
 1 can green beans, drained
Salt
Pepper
Tony's Original Creole Seasoning

Set your crock pot to an 8 hour slow cook. Put your chuck roast into your crock pot. Take a kitchen knife and stab your roast in various places, turn it over and stab it 5-7 more times in various areas. Now put one can of the french onion soup and your dry onion soup mix in your crock pot.. Add your baby carrots, then cut up your potatoes into squares and pour in, followed by your drained green beans. Add your second can of french onion soup. And then my secret ingredient - pour a bottle of Shiner Bock beer in. Season with your desired amount of salt, pepper, and creole seasoning. I like my pot roast slightly spicy so I am very generous with the creole seasoning and add substantial amounts in the beginning of roasting, at the 4 hour mark, and at the 8 hour mark. Let cook for 8 hours and voila - I love this recipe cause it is quick and you come home from work to a home cooked meal without any of the hassle.

Tonight I am trying my hand at home made, complete from scratch, chicken enchiladas in green sauce - where I am evening making the green sauce by hand. If it is successful be looking for that recipe tomorrow night!

Back to the Grind

I can't tell you how much Devin && I needed that 3 day weekend together! I took a little bit of a break from all things work related - both from my 9 to 5 and my photography. I felt like a little bit of a slacker not doing my normal weekend routine but I've been burning the candle at both ends and I really needed a "me" weekend. So I got some much needed rest and relaxation. On Friday we spent the day in Lubbock - saw our dear friend Curtis and ate at Spanky's which had AMAZING cheese sticks and southern fried foods. Needless to say, I didn't start back on my regimen on Friday because I had fried chicken strips, cheese sticks, french fries, and coke zero. My bad!!! But it was so worth it. We originally went to Lubbock to pick up a futon a friend was needing to get rid of, but come to find out he didn't have the tools to take it apart and Devin had misunderstood between a Papasan chair and a futon anyways and he was kind of iffy about getting the futon when we hadn't made space for it anyways so we left the futon behind. We got back into Midland just in time for my Matron of Honor's jewelry party she was holding. She is a consultant for Stella & Dot - check out her online boutique here.

On Saturday I went and got more blond put into my hair. It has been a fun transformation to go from dark brunette to blond - I must say I look much better blond then I ever imagined I would. My hairstylist/friend Monica works at Carolina Skin Centre & Salon at 3303 North Midkiff Road. If you are looking for a local hairstylist I highly recommend her. I started using her when I was just 21! She is AMAZING and has such a kind heart. After I got the hair done Devin & I went and spent some time with my sister and her kids, Devin played Super Mario Galaxy with my nephew. We then went and picked up Devin's younger brother and went to the apartment to watch UFC. I am a big fan of UFC, I don't think I am quite as into it as my better half but I do love watching the pay-per-views each month. PLUS my boy Anderson Silva was fighting so I was really interested in these fights. OF COURSE he won, its Silva, 'nuff said.

Then Sunday we chilled out, Devin played his Call of Duty, we went and ate with a friend of ours, and just hung out at home - watched our shows... Nothing too exciting. But boy was it nice. I enjoyed my last soda and did a lot of reading up on diet plans and recipes before calling it a night around midnight.

I am super happy cause next weekend will be yet another 3 day weekend for me thanks to Labor Day. and we have a meeting with the wedding planner on Thursday. I have plenty to keep me busy  both with my 9 to 5 and about 4 sessions to finish up and send proofs out. Not to mention school. Ugh. School. Don't get me started about that.

So if you would like to join me on my road to 140 let me tell you a few requirements :

• WATER, WATER, WATER - At least one gallon of water a day!!! No soft drinks or high in sugar juices either. If you can stick to strictly water that is GREAT. I know every couple of mornings I will be getting my venti skinny soy vanilla lattes but other then that I will be downing water like it is nobody's business!
• Calorie intake - No more then 1300 calories a day. Period. I use an app to help me keep track of my progress each day on my iPhone called "Nutrition" it is free and really helps
• Exercise - I am starting the kettlebell challenge next Monday in addition to my daily routine. I might be joining the local gym to do in the mornings and the challenge in the evenings, but I haven't made a definite decision on that quite yet.
• Track your progress. Take a picture each and every day, keep tally of your morning weigh in, and stay positive!
• Don't forget your morning multi-vitamins, your vitamin B complex pills, and vitamin C supplements.

287.

Do you realize how much nice invitations cost!? Geez, we are talking putting $800 or so down for invite, response card, and envelope if you want custom made or letterpress for instance withOUT postage! Crikey. Well my budget won't allow for such an extravagant purchase, plus I would rather put that extra change into a DJ, or decorations for our actual reception. That being said. I am going to be designing my own invitations and getting a local printing company to print them - and my MoH and I will assemble them and send them out.
I already have a good idea of what I want and I am pumped about getting started on them sooner rather then later!

289.

289 days till we say I do.

So... this is going to sound ridiculously cheesy I am perfectly aware. This whole wedding planning thing has me pretty emotional - well, not necessarily the wedding planning, but the marriage. I mean, we are talking about something that is over 9 months away still. It doesn't seem to matter though, my emotions are on overdrive.

I consider my relationship and Devin to be one of those random coincidences that could have easily become one of those moments that you regret missing, or a "what if" that permanent stays in the back of your head throughout the rest of your life. And I guess that is why this whole getting married thing is such an emotional journey for me. Devin and I had enough thrown at us in the 4 years of our relationship, the fact that we made it through every obstacle to where we are now would be considered astounding for the average relationship. Devin and I are anything but an average relationship though. Everyone that get's married always spouts about how they were born to be together and that it is a destined coupling... and by no means am I belittling their beliefs in it being so - but I guess I just view Devin's and my union as more then that. We have this larger then life love, the type of love that love stories are written from.

I have such overwhelming respect and admiration for Devin and who he is as a person, not to mention the positive influence he has had on my life. And the fact that he has stuck through with me hand in hand through all the BS that has come our way is a true testament of our love for one another.

And now, 4 years later here we are, stronger then we've ever been and I am preparing to become Randi Williams. Our story didn't unfold in a traditional fashion by any means and there were times when it felt like we were just fighting an uphill battle. I can't even express the overflowing happiness and anticipation I feel towards becoming his wife and continuing on this path with one another, buying a home, having a baby, building careers, family vacations, family dinners, growing old with one another. It is a chapter that I am so excited and eager to start. I feel blessed and so thankful that Devin and I came into eachother's life as we did - and even through all the not so great moments it has led to us making the commitment in front of God, our friends, and family.

He truly is the love of my life, the reason for my being, the happy to my ending. The love that will never be topped or conquered for all the days of my life. He saved me. I love him with every fiber of my being.

290

290 days till we say I do.

We are pretty sure we found the reception venue here in Midland - just have to put the deposit down. I also designed my save the dates which will go out in a few months. I am really proud of them - don't worry I will post them once I have sent them out. Now I am already contemplating the invitations which I have a good 6 months to get done. I am considering trying my hand at a letterpress but that is taking on quite a big adventure - and with work, school, planning, photography, and ya know, sleep... Taking on too big of a challenge could end up with me not having invitations to send out.

We also have another registry confirmed now and I don't see us adding any more. We have both our Honeyfund account and a Dillards registry now - I just know that not everyone likes the idea of honeyfunds so we made the Dillards as an addition.

Well, I will leave it there for now - have to finish editing for the evening and hit the sack. The increase in my everyday tasks has my sleep schedule completely out of whack. I am excited to catch up on my rest come next weekend though - Mama is taking a 3 day weekend!!!

Sneak Peek of our Engagement Pictures!

Check out some of our engagement pictures at

http://mallorybuckphotography.com/blog/?p=389

(Just cut and copy the address into your address bar!)