I've been having some fun with cooking lately. I love to cook and nothing frustrates me more than being stuck in a "cooking rut." I'm continually asking Cardy for requests and I'm on a never ending search for great recipes and fun cookbooks. But what I've found are most recipes can be quite difficult &/or time consuming - not the types of concoctions I want to create when I've just come home from a long day at work. I always save those recipes for the weekend (and most often we end up eating out anyway).

Hallelujah for food blogs. Just like cookbooks, there are some that are better than others but I've been really lucky to find a few diamonds! It's amazing how many foodies are out there and thank God for the time & dedication they take to blog about their recipes (and so frequently too!).

For the Love of Cooking is by far one my new favorite blogs! She blogs daily and provides new recipes that I've found to be fairly easy and really, really good. I love the variety provided on this site - everything from Mexican to Asian to paninis to cookies. The pictures are great and helpful. I just love this blog.

Chews Wisely is another blog I've come to really enjoy. This is a weight conscious blog providing figure friendly recipes with nutritional facts and Weight Watcher point values. What more could we ask for? Don't be fooled - I tried the crockpot thai chicken recipe from this site and it was awesome!

Ancient Chinese Proverb says....

Last night at Pei Wei I grabbed 2 fortune cookies before our dinner came. I handed 1 to Cardy and I kept the other. We have a tradition of eating the cookie before reading our fortunes. He read his first and it was a pretty typical fortune - something like..."a great adventure is headed your way." I could not help but laugh out loud and smack the table when I read mine. Here's what it said:

"WORK ON IMPROVING YOUR EXERCISE ROUTINE"

Are you kidding me??? Thank you, O' Wise One! (That'll teach me to eat my cookie before my meal!)

Anyone see a trend?

1. Watchman
2. Wolverine
3. Star Trek

These are the last 3 movies I have seen at the theater. I don't want to be a complainer and I like to think I'm pretty easy going when it comes to movie genres but does anyone see a trend? These certainly weren't my picks and by the looks of it I think it should be my turn next!

our hearts still hurt. day by day we are trying to heal. we miss you. we love you. thank you for watching over us. cardy & jenn

Today is Cardy's birthday. He thinks I always make too big of deals about birthdays but I think it's the one day that's actually yours. Aside from holidays, birthdays are the only other day of the year we get to celebrate - & what better thing to do than celebrate yourself?! To me, birthdays are the day you should be able to do whatever you want. You should be pampered and spoiled and not feel a bit of guilt.

To Cardy: Today I will pamper and spoil you and let you do whatever you want. I love you and feel like the luckiest girl to be married to such a amazing guy. Happy Birthday, Baby!

Cardy is 31 today so I'm going to share 31 things I love about him:

1. He is my very best friend

2. We share the same memories from the last half of our lives

3. He is a great son & takes good care of his Mom

4. He's a wonderful brother and has a close relationship with all of his siblings

5. He's an amazing Uncle and loves spending time with his nieces & nephews. It just confirms what I've always known...he's going to make a great dad some day.

6.He keeps me laughing & is the funniest person I know. People always tell him he should do stand-up, I think he should be a comedy writer.

7.His sense of humor is unique. He's witty and quick and weird (think Conan O'Brien or Family Guy)

8. He's passionate about his job & he loves what he does for a living (turning a hobby into a career is not a bad way to make a living!) He has most guys dream job.

9. He's a loyal friend (and he has more friends than anyone I know)

10. He is amazingly smart. He retains anything and everything he has ever heard, seen or learned. (plus, i swear he has a photographic memory)

11. He has amazing sport's knowledge. He knows just about everything there is to know about football. I love learning about the game from him.

12. He is a devoted Denver Bronco's fan. We enjoy watching the games and discussing the team dynamics together.

13. He's strong and is a good protector

14. He's easy going and chill. This is a really good thing for me. It balances us out as a couple

15. He is happy with what ever I cook. He's never picky and he's a good critic. He helps me modify my recipes for the better

16. Have I ever mentioned - he's a Super Taster (at least he thinks so)

17. He's a really good snuggler & I love when he wraps his strong arms around me

18. He has the most luscious, full lips. I can't help but kiss them

19. He has lots of nicknames for me...synga, snakes, nakes, baby, ginger...

20. I love that he tries to incorporate me in some way in his video games whether it's in the credits or a character's name

21. He wants the best for us. He's a great provider and I know he will always take care of me

22. He has an amazing family both immediate and extended. He understands and values the importance of family and puts those he cares about first

23. He has faith

24. He's sensitive

25. He's a fantastic dancer. He can break dance, pop & lock, hip hop, crump, salsa....

26. He doesn't care what other people think. He secure and confident about himself

27. He's adventurous - whether it's night adventures in his car, adventures on bike or foot, or during our travels to other cities, he always wants to explore

28. He never lost his imagination or his creativity

29. Did I mention he's hilarious? (his humor deserves a double mention)

30. He's a great husband and I'm lucky to be married to him

31. I love him more than anything