Lately

I've been staring at a whole lot of this...



I think we are both in need of some of this.





That was from our honeymoon, the last time we went on a cruise.





We went to the Caribbean on a 14 day cruise. It was good, but I said I would never be on a boat that long again!


We decided to give in and do another cruise, but this time we go from Stockholm, to Talin, Estonia, and then to St. Petersburg, Russia. I love that for a really affordable price we can go to three cities and not have to worry about hotels, food, transportation, etc. You really can relax. It is quite a deal, although you do have to be back on the boat by dinner.

Of course, there is a lot to do on the boat.





I know it seems like we are always traveling. That's because we are. We look at living over here as a blessing and we don't want to watch it pass by. We want to see absolutely everything we can. Why not? Who knows what the future holds.

What I do know is that God has a purpose for all of our lives and we need to seek that purpose. I just pray that wherever we go and wherever God takes us, we project His love and mercy.

I will try to update the blog on the ship, but I hear the internet is very slow. You might not hear from me until next Tuesday. Then the daily updates will return.

I know you are thrilled.

We want what they're having!

After the Engineering Department Bar-B-Q, my already busy husband is now in high demand around here. Word spreads fast when good food is involved (no matter where you are in the world) and now Ryan is being summoned to share his skills with other departments.

He really hates it as you can see here...



When Ryan's boss heard the buzz, he organized a BBQ and guess who was the cook?



Yeah, he really hates it.



Ryan works in one of the best departments at the company. The area managers are some of the coolest people I've ever met. Not to mention they get to travel to some of the coolest places as well.



How could we not have fun with a view like this?



We brought marshmallows and taught everyone how to roast marshmallows. I told them that they had to be black or they wouldn't taste good (in my expert opinion).



I'm not so sure she agreed. I'm not saying they have to be black, I'm just saying they have to be black if you want them to taste good. Alright?

Then you have Felix.



I hope that when Ryan and I have a kid, if it is a boy, that he is like Felix. If not, I will just come kidnap Felix. Don't worry, his father is well aware of my plan.

You can take him out of Texas

but you can't take Texas out of my man!


It is Bar-B-Q season here in Germany, and therefore, we are both a little more in our element.

One of my English groups invited us to their department Bar-B-Q, but with a catch- they wanted Ryan to cook some 'Texas BBQ'. Well, you know we never pass up an opportunity for cooking in 90 degree weather over an open flame good food mixed with great people, so we went!



Ryan is schooling on the art of burnin' meat. This is the Engineering department, so they were interested in all the details. They wanted to have a sort of cook off between German BBQ and American BBQ (30 Germans against 1 American). Ryan conquered. They loved his steaks and chicken roll ups. At the end, they said, "Hey Ryan, next year same place?"

Here are some of my favorite engineers with their kids...






I am just a little obsessed with Photoshop. Can you tell?



It is definitely time for an intervention.





I love German babies. They are so stinkin' cute!

God Bless The Troops

God Bless the Troops for our freedom.

God Bless the Troops for their courage, strength, and bravery.

God Bless the Troops for their willingness to go for the call of duty.

and God Bless the Troops for having a military base in Stuttgart, Germany!

I have mentioned before that my uncle just moved to Stuttgart and he is in the military. Our schedules finally aligned and I got to go on base to the big Target (totally not what it's called) and get some stuff. Then, he took me to another base and I got to get some groceries.



I have adjusted to most of the German alternatives to American goods, but it is nice to be able to pick up a spray bottle and know what the heck it is supposed to clean! (We had a mopping fiasco not long ago).

Getting on the bases was actually surprisingly easy. All he did was show is military ID, our passports, and in we went! We were there for hours and bought pretty much the entire place. I have enough Downy to last me for a few years. I guess I don't really have to stock pile anymore, but I just can't help it.



As we were leaving with the entire store in our shopping cart:

Uncle: "Laura, I've pretty much been shopping on base since I was 18 years old, and I can honestly say that I've never left one with as much stuff as you are right now."

Laura: "I have a basement. Don't worry."

Uncle: "Wanna come back tomorrow?"

Ryan: "NO! We will see you in 6 months."

Now I have to run and find a place for all of this stuff.

Show Us Your Life- Wedding Dress

A blog I follow, called Kelly's Korner, is hosting a "SHOW US YOUR LIFE-Wedding Dress". I thought I would share a few pics with you of our special day...almost 3 years ago! WoW! It feels like yesterday, but so long ago at the same time.

We had the wedding of our dreams. I got my dress in College Station, how fitting!




We had a huge wedding with all of our friends and family.




I woke up the next day and thought, "Did I dream that?" I looked next to me in the bed and thought, "Whoa, I'm a married woman!" I didn't feel "married." Does anyone else know what I mean? I felt like we were living together as boyfriend and girlfriend and had a party to celebrate that. And everyone supported it!



And the Aggie War Hymn.



I had to include a picture of my comedic other half. He loves this picture.



We took pictures at the beach...









The best day of my life!

Chicken Enchiladas

I know, another recipe already? You haven't had time to make the last one. Well, I have a problem with trying new recipes. I do it often. Very Very often. I only share with you the ones that are the very best, though. I am sharing this with you for two reasons:

1. I remembered to take pictures of it.
2. It is quite possibly one of the best things I've eaten that I've made.

So there. That oughta sell ya!

Also, most of the casserole type recipes that I LOVE are made with cream of chicken, or cream of mushroom (which I love) but the Germans don't care much for processed food like that. So if it calls for cream of mushroom, I have to make cream of mushroom soup, and um, life is just too short for that friends!

On to the good stuff.

Click HERE for the original recipe.

What you need:
1/2 onion chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
2 Tablespoons of butter
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 4 oz. can chopped green chillies
1/4 cups of flour
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
2 1/2 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of sour cream
1 1/2 cups of sharp cheddar,shredded
1 bag of 6" flour tortillas, about 12 (my dish could only hold 10)
3 Tablespoons of butter


First, shred your chicken. Pull it all off the bone, take two forks, and shred shred shred.



Set it aside.



Then, chop up half an onion and a green bell pepper.



Throw them in a sauce pan with two tablespoons of butter. Let them cook until they are tender.


This is the best butter I have had. Yumm... If you live in Germany, go grab it! And yes, that is my Capri Sun to the right. I drink Capri Sun while I cook. My food tastes better because of it. I promise.





While those are cooking, open your can of chillies and dump them into a bowl with the shredded chicken.



I can't get a can, so I have to chop them myself.

While they were cooking, I started shredding my cheese.



Why do I shred my own cheese? I would love to say that it is healthier, tastes better, that I just have so much time, blah blah blah. No, I shred it because a block of cheddar is the only cheddar I can get. So there.

When your onion and pepper are finished, they should look like this.



Now, pour them in the bowl with your chicken and chillies.



Now, in the same pan, I added 3 tablespoons of butter, the flour, and the salt.



Whisk that around.



Now, add the coriander.



Ok, now slowly pour your chicken broth in a little a time, and stir constantly.



It will slowly meld into a sauce.





Next, remove it from the heat, and add your sour cream and half of your cheese. Stir to combine.





Then, you are going to take 1/2 cup and stir into the chicken mixture.



Grease your pan.



Now the fun part!

Take the tortillas and dip them into the sauce, then put a handful of the chicken mixture in each one.



The roll 'em up and start putting them in the dish.



Once,they are rolled up, top with the remaining cheese. I added some extra white cheese I had.




Then you pop in the oven at 350 for 25 minutes. Or until they look like this...



Ohhh the yummmyness in that picture!!

Then, dish it up.




Let me know if you try it and what you think! I think it's delicious.