Pittsburg

Two weekends ago we headed to Pittsburg, PA to visit our friends Webb and Rose Estes. We had a blast! Unfortunately, the drive was long and foggy. Friday night we chitchatted for a little bit but soon went to sleep so we could be well rested for the weekend. Saturday, Rose made an scrumptious breakfast, French toast (my favorite)!

After showering we headed to view the city by the famous statue "Point of View". The piece depicts George Washington and the Seneca leader Guyasuta, with their weapons down, in a face-to-face meeting in October 1770, when the two men met while Washington was in the area examining land for future settlement along the Ohio River. (Which obviously happened)

Pittsburg is a beautiful city with their rivers and yellow bridges! Next, we ventured down to the city shops. It was crazy packed with vendors trying to sell their produce and Steelers football products. Later, we went to a restored church that had been converted into a brewery. Don't worry, it was de-sanctified first :) We tried 8 different beers and ate lunch.
Let just say, when we got home some of us needed a nap. Others of us played the board game Ticket to Ride.

Sunday we headed to church and listened to a great message from a series called Advent Conspiracy, then came back- packed a lunch and took the train to Hienz Stadium to watch the Steelers football game! We had such a great time. Great seats too!

Unfortunately, our trip was cut short due to a death in the family. Instead of staying through to Monday, we left to make it back in order to attend my grandmother's funeral. Overall, our trip was incredible and we were so blessed to have enjoyed the city of Pittsburg with our friends!

Sweet Potato Apple Fritters

Welcome fall.

I recently strolled across a similar recipe for these and decided to try them out tonight. I'm terrible at throwing things together but this time I think I impressed myself!

Here it goes:
1 cup of cooked mashed sweet potato (about one potato)
1 apple peeled, cored and shredded
1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup of sugar (or sugar substitute like Splenda)
1 large egg (or equivalent egg substitute)
1 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 tsp of salt
Optional: sprinkle some pumpkin pie spice in there.. Go ahead its *fall*
Serve with: honey, maple syrup, or powdered sugar.

Heat 1 Tbl spoon of butter / or generously spray a large skillet with cooking spray on medium heat. Drop spoonfuls onto the skillet making sure they don't touch. Give them a little press to mash them down a little bit. Cook 3-5 minutes on each side until golden. (You might have to repeat this step until the mixture is gone: about 10-15 fritters)

*(After mixing everything in the bowl, I started cooking them on the stovetop and it is quite amazing how some smells automatically trigger a memory. It must have been the 'frying' of the apples that made me think of my nanny. She has long entered the gates of glory but I felt her right beside me as I was whipping these tasty treats up in the kitchen. I miss her so much but I am so happy that God gave me a little piece of her in a fond memory tonight)* Hope you get something sweet out of making these for yourself, enjoy!

UVA

   One of the best things about fall is football! One of my favorite things about fall is - hanging out with friends during football!! This weekend we headed to Charlottesville with Justin and LeighAnne for the UVA vs. Maryland game. Richard and I went to a small college so we never experienced tailgating, dressing up in school colors, piling into a big station, and watching decent teams play football.
   It was so fun. Anyone who knows me wouldn't be surprised how much I love dips. Tailgating is a great place to bring out the finger food! Even though the weather was a little chilly we had enough food and drinks to keep our energy up for the game.
   It was the Cavaliers versus the Terps. Kickoff was at 3pm and everyone was shouting Go Hoo's!! Unfortunately we walked away defeated 27-20. Before we headed back to Richmond Leigh Anne suggested stopping by a local place for sandwiches at Durty Nelly's. I grabbed one called the Jefferson and it was so good. Surprisingly, the combination of turkey, bacon, coleslaw, and 1000 island dressing was really good!
   I was pooped when we finally got home but it was definitely worth it. We had a great time and we are so blessed to have friends that invited us. I hope we have many more times like yesterday.

The Hylton-Hite Shindig

   A couple months ago we were talking with our small group friends, Justin and Leigh Anne, about her sister's upcoming wedding. The wedding was to take place in her home town and the reception was to be at her parents property. Her dad (along with family and friends) were building a huge barn on their land to host the party. As we were talking to them, we pretty much volunteered ourselves to help out considering that the wedding was only 30 minutes away from my parents house. They took us up on our offer and we ended up bartending!
   Before anyone arrived, Richard and I decided to open up several bottles of wine so we could be prepared for the rush of people who wanted to get their drink on! Luckily, they had a huge freezer that held the beer. All we had to do was pour wine, which was a lot since we were serving for 250+ people.
   The reception was a blast! Her dad built this barn in such a short time but the overall feel was rustic and beautiful. Along with the barn they put up a big tent which held around 32 tables underneath. Everything was great, from the mason jar flowers and strung lights to the BBQ and coleslaw! The bride, Allison, was stunning. Her dress, as well as the bridesmaids, were one shoulder (which is one of my favorite looks). The whole wedding party looked wonderful.
   My favorite surprise of the night was DJ Jake! Jake is married to my sweet friend, Anna, whom I went to X-ray school with. Since school we have went our own ways but always try to catch up when we can. Anna has 2 kids now -wow- how just a couple of years can change so much. Seeing Anna was the icing on the cake for my night!
   Most people would look at helping out as a job but it was so fun! It was great being apart of the Hyton-Hite Shindig! We felt very much like family pour drinks throughout the night. Everyone was so nice, maybe because they are mainly *southern* ;) Allison's parents were so sweet to make accommodations for us to stay at their house that night so we wouldn't have to drive or get a hotel.
   Since we were so close to Eden, I called my parents and we met up this morning for breakfast. Man, did we need a good meal before the trip back! It was so nice to meet up with them at Clarence's for a quick bite and hugs <3

Here are some pics from the wedding



Me & Anna (& her little girl eating a cake pop)



blurry pic of the bride




Mr & Mrs. Hite's first dance



I woke up this morning and looked out - this is what I saw



battle scars



Newbee

   What's new?

                                   Blogging!

Welcome to my 1st post. I wanted to start a blog mainly to write out thoughts and updates where family and friends could come an learn about things going on in my life :) Before making my page, I was very amazed at how big this "world of blogging" really is! I'm excited to share life with you and I am so happy you have decided to read this today!