Wrapping Things Up in Pennsylvania

Once we made the decision to move we immediately started packing up the house one box at a time and putting the packed boxes in the garage so they would be out of the way. Packing actually wasn't that bad! We also got rid of a lot of stuff that we didn't need.

We took a break from packing to enjoy the beautiful weather out on the lake with our friends Kim and Dave and their cute son, Logan. 

We grilled and had a delicious picnic dinner while the sun was setting over the lake.

Out with Andrea and Elissa!

We took another break from packing to be outside! Jake and Tyler golfed as Margaret and I relaxed in the golf cart!

I just found this picture! Dinner with the Meekers and the Capeharts at Youell's Oyster House in Allentown a couple months ago. This was a belated birthday dinner for Jake and Jim who both have February birthdays!

Saying goodbye to my office at Lehigh University!

Enjoying one last Saturday morning breakfast on the deck...

 

SO thankful for all of the friends who came to help us load the truck the night before we left. Don't know how we would have done it without you!!

 

Definitely going to miss these two! Love the Nelson's!

Marg and Andrea helping me clean out the fridge! Those little bottles were so great for cooking with wine!

 Alice is ready to go! I'm so glad she likes riding in the car...

Pulling out of the neighborhood! Jake drove the truck and I followed in the 4Runner.

Roman Ruins

Before Jake and I left the Lehigh Valley, we got to squeeze in one more murder mystery dinner party with some friends! The first and second murder mystery dinners were so fun, we just wanted to do one more with the group!

Dave and Elissa hosted and the theme was "Roman Ruins". Andrea ended up being the perpetrator this time. Everyone had great roman costumes (Elissa was Egyptian) and the food was delicious!

A cable guy rang the doorbell while we were trying to get a group picture, so we had him snap this photo for us. He asked if we were college kids and Elissa responded by saying, "No, we are young marrieds" (like a description of a sunday school class...it was funny).

 

 

On The Move Again...

I'm really behind on my blog! Jake and I have been really busy lately...long story short, we are moving to Knoxville, Tennessee really soon! Like, in two days!! If you would have told me a month ago that we will be moving on May 25th, I wouldn't have believed it would be happening so soon.

Even though we want to live in Knoxville, it is bittersweet that we are moving now. We have developed relationships with great friends and gotten involved at a great church. Actually, I just realized that I was typing these exact words last Spring when we were moving from Nebraska to Pennsylvania. We have been so blessed to move around the country and see new places and make new friends and have new experiences.  We are excited to start another chapter of life in Knoxville, but will miss the friends we have made here so much! The Lehigh Valley has really felt like home to us for the past year!

This will be the 3rd consecutive year that I have moved over Memorial Day weekend...

1. Memorial Day Weekend 2010: Moved to Nebraska (Graduated college in Ohio on May 1st, moved out and lived in Tennessee for the month of May)
2. Memorial Day Weekend 2011: Moved from Nebraska to Pennsylvania
3. Memorial Day Weekend 2012: Moving from Pennsylvania to Tennessee

What will Memorial Day Weekend 2013 bring? Just kidding! That's A LOT of moving...I think I'm ready to unpack picture frames and actually hang them up this year!

I am really excited to say that I already have a job waiting for me in Knoxville. I am going to be working as an Event Planner for the University of Tennessee starting in June. Once I got the job offer, Jake and I were pretty sure that the Lord was opening up doors for us in Knoxville and that we would be moving soon. We both had a peace about me accepting the job, even though Jake didn't have a job yet. Well, the Lord definitely is opening doors because Jake got not one, but TWO job offers last week for positions in Knoxville! It feels so great to trust in God's plan!

Everything is just wrapping up so smoothly here in PA...our lease on our town house is ending...the school year is over at Lehigh...and everything just seems to be working out!

Ok...now I have to get back to packing...

Weekend with the Barrick's

Jared and the adorably pregnant Susannah drove from Nebraska to Pennsylvania to visit Jake and I! In case you didn't realize, that is 1/2 way across the country! They were with us for the weekend and they left Monday morning to continue their vacation in Washington DC. They are both Omaha natives, so they were super excited to explore the east coast!

We spent the evening on Thursday catching up since it has been almost a year since we saw them. On Friday Susannah and I went antiquing while Jake and Jared did some home improvement things. After that we all went to Bethlehem to enjoy the warmer weather. To prep for our journey to Philadelphia the next day, we watched National Treasure. We spent all day Saturday in Philly and all day Sunday in NYC. It was so fun showing them around both cities! It's kinda nice knowing my way around these cities enough to be able to show people around. I am an event planner, so naturally I made itineraries for both days, highlighted maps, made lunch reservations, ordered tickets for Independence Hall (Philly) and The Lion King on Broadway (NYC), and decided on parking locations way in advance. We didn't necessarily stick to the plan the whole time, but I definitely wanted Jared and Sus to see as much as they could!

Here is our weekend in review:

In front of Independence Hall:

 

The first and longest continually running post office in the US. It is the only post office in the US that does not fly an American flag in the front of the building because it was operating before the flag existed. The passage way on the right led to Benjamin Franklin's house and printing press. The brick walls in the tunnel are original.

The first bank of the US

The second US bank

Elfreth's Alley (below) in Philly is the nation's first residential street. These were typical homes that artisans, craftsmen, and merchants lived in. 

House for sale on Elfreth's Alley! The whole house is seriously 9' wide and going for about $600k!

Jake and I infront of Congress Hall

Liberty Bell

Jared and Sus get all the photo credit for the pictures in Philly because I didn't have my camera! I love the history in Philly and Jake and I got to see a lot of things we didn't get to see last time we were in Philly.

Now to New York City...

View of Lower Manhattan from the Staten Island Ferry

Isn't he cute... :-)

Visiting the Charging Bull in the Financial District. This statue represents a bull market and is a token of optimism...

Central Park....Jake and I took a similar picture on this very rock last October when I was in the city for the very first time!

We saw The Lion King on Broadway and I love, love, LOVED it!

We are so glad you guys came out to the east coast! Hope to see you again soon and we can't wait to meet little Baby Barrick!

Recipe: Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Snack

If you're like me and have a sweet tooth, but don't want to indulge in too many desserts, you'll like this guilt-free treat!

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

1 T. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 T. raw sugar

1 T. boiling water

Peanut Butter

1 T. chia seeds

1 Banana

Combine all three ingredients for the homemade chocolate syrup and mix well. 

Slice the banana on a small plate and spread peanut butter over top. Sprinkle the chia seeds and drizzle the chocolate syrup. Enjoy!

Recipe: Crock pot Lemon Pepper Chicken

I have gotten into the habit of cooking a whole chicken in the crock pot on a weekly basis. If you are trying to get your family on a whole foods diet, I would highly suggest cooking a whole chicken! It's great for lunches (instead of deli meat) and you can use the entire chicken by eating the meat and using the bones and skin for making chicken stock. One 3-5 pound chicken provides plenty of meat for us AND about 2 quarts of homemade chicken stock, every week. We consume 1-2 quarts (more in the winter) of stock each week. I try to be creative with it by using stock as a nourishing base for all sorts of meals (cooking grains and legumes, soups, stews, stir fry, etc.).

Homemade stocks and broths are essential for good health because they are loaded with minerals and nutrients. You will not find the same nourishment from store-bought broths and soups. In fact, store-bought soup and broth - even organic - is nothing but water, sodium, MSG, BPA, and who knows what else! Have you ever wondered why chicken soup is traditionally eaten when you are sick? Homemade stock aids in digestion and prevents and combats the stomach bugs and the common cold. I don't get nervous about flu season...Jake and I have avoided getting any allergies or sickness for several months...I don't actually remember when either of us was sick (but I'm probably going to get sick now that I typed that!).

And now for the recipe, which is why I created this post....

Jake was getting sick of the same seasoning I was using for my chicken each week, so I decided to change it up. I love lemon so I decided to throw some lemons and pepper together and it came out great!

Lemon Pepper Chicken

Zest of one lemon
Juice of one lemon
1-2 T. olive oil
3-4 T. homemade lemon pepper seasoning
2 cloves minced garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste

Juice a lemon into a small bowl. Combine the olive oil and seasoning and mix in the lemon juice. Pour mixture over the chicken in the crock pot. Sprinkle lemon zest onto chicken and then slice the lemon (that was zested) and add on top. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 5 hours.

Raw chicken:

Cooked Chicken:

Bone broth: