Tests, Guests, and Dinners

Its been a while since I've last posted. Sorry about that! Things have been busy in the Mudd household this past couple of weeks. I have had a crazy whorl-wind couple of weeks at school, with tests in my Anatomy lecture class (I got a 90!), my Human Development class (I got an 83. Still a B, so ok), and a practical exam in my Anatomy Lab class (haven't got a grade back on that one yet). SO, I've been studying my head off, spending more time with my nose crammed in a book or making notecards then I usually like. Ha. Who likes studying?

However, I did get to take a nice break from studying last weekend when Keith, Duncan, and I took a trip to Orlando to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure! Yay! Even though I couldn't ride much (I think all I rode was Jurassic Park, Posiden, which isn't actually a ride,  and the Popeye water ride), I still had a great time, especially because the atmosphere is so cool and the company was so good! Plus, I had a mug full of butterbeer and got my very own Hermione Granger wand!!!

On our way home from Orlando, we stopped in the Villages (near Ocala) for church on Sunday, where my dear friend, Sam, was the missionary speaker for the day. The church service was very nice and we went out to lunch with some members of the congregation at the Villages Country Club. After lunch, Sam headed to Tallahassee with us to spend a few days visiting before heading back to Atlanta. It was so nice to see her, especially since she had been in Guinea, West Africa, for two years! I especially enjoyed introducing her to my son. Here is a picture of the two: (they quickly became fast friends after jumping on Sam's bed together!)

Colin and Sam

Since I had a friend visiting, I decided to make a special dinner for her! I thought, since the fall weather is FINALLY arriving, it would be a good night for a mixture of late summer vegetables and comfort-food, so I made stuffed shells with eggplant, zucchini, and yellow squash topped with marinara sauce and a mixture of Italian cheeses. Here are a few pictures of the meal. I couldn't resist taking one before the marinara sauce was on because it was so pretty, and then Sam took some of the completed meal when she, Keith, Colin, my mom, and my sister shared it while I was at class.

Yum! Plus, you get to see some of my fall decor!

Today, since I have FINISHED (round of applause, please) my tests for the time being, I am going to concentrate on house work and sewing! I have a lot to get done before Christmas, so I've gotta work hard. Good thing I enjoy it! Ok, one more picture of Colin and his cousin, Eli, for the road:

Grandma took this picture of my son sitting on his cousin!

See ya'll later!

Yummy Dinner

OK - time for another dinner post! Tonight's dinner was especially scrumptious!! We had lightly-breaded, Italian-seasoned chicken breasts that were sauteed in olive oil accompanied by salads. But, if you check out the pictures, you will see that Keith and I each had different variations to our meals. My chicken and salad was also paired with sauteed red onions and yellow and red tomatoes, where Keith went with craisins and croutons.

There was also some Tuscan garlic sourdough bread, sauteed in olive oil on the side but, again, we ate our bread differently. I topped mine with some of the tomato and onion mixture and Keith dipped his bread in an olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Tuscan Parmesan herb mixture. Both equally yummilicious!! (Oh, and Lucy and Leo's cupcakes were BOGO today, so....dessert!!)

Here are the pictures:

My delicious dinner

Keith's delicious dinner

Here's what else is going on, besides great food:

Colin was sick last night. He had a temperature of 102 and was making all sorts of whimpery sounds from his room, so we decided to let him sleep with us. Maybe that would make him feel better. Man, was that a stupid decision! It was like he was on sugar crack. Instead of being all comforted and sleepy, he got WILD. He was jumping all over the bed, getting really close to our faces with his face and then laughing, climbing all over us, and just being insane. Stupid, stupid, stupid. No wonder we never let him sleep with us. It took about a half an hour to wear me down, but finally, I couldn't take it anymore and took him back to his own room and his own bed, where he promptly fell fast asleep and didn't make a peep till morning. Whew.

I am watching my 3 month old nephew tomorrow! It will be interesting to balance two kiddos, especially since my own is so clingy. I am hoping for a smooth and easy day.

PLUS, tomorrow is my 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!! I cannot believe it has been that long! I guess time just flies when you are married to your best friend! Keith is taking me to dinner at Shula's 347 Grill tomorrow night and then we are going to travel to Orlando for a weekend of theme parks! Harry Potter World - here we come! We'll make sure and say hi to Shamu for everyone too! I love you, Keith and can't wait for ten more years of adventures!!