mini road trip

We solved our transportation problem (more on that later)- so we took a mini road trip-

now I want to go on more. Counting down the weeks for back to school makes me sad- so I just won't think about it.

It was a fun week - Jay drove down to Texas with us on Sunday night. He could not stay the whole week but we figured that he could at least drive with us down there and then hop on the train back. Now truth be known- I wanted Jay's company. I wanted to be together for a mini road trip. But I also wanted him there for this:

OK- it looks fine right? WRONG! Click on the picture and see that sky bridge up kind of in the middle of the picture? That alone could keep me from driving to visit our friends.
Here is a another photo that we found on the internet looking at it from the other side.

Its tall, its unavoidable and it goes on forever. It reminds me of driving across the bridge in Portland Oregon to drive to Washington and how I almost froze out of fear. Or from our trip last summer to the Grand Canyon. I have a totally real fear of heights. Don't misunderstand. I am not afraid of driving. I have driven many a long-distance road trip, with kids, by myself. It's heights I am afraid of!

And here is the 2nd reason I needed Jay with me, (besides wanting his company!)
Jay took the kids for the morning, and while they went to the Texas Mint:

Donna and I went and each had a massage then lunch.

It was heavenly.
I was cashing in on my mother's day gift!
For mothers day I asked, I begged for a gift cert. for a massage from one of Donna's friends, Hannah. (who also does pre-natal massage, and no I am not pregnant-see here) I knew that we would be going to Texas sometime in the future. So Jay agreed.
It was a perfect day for a massage- rainy, misty.
To top it off, Jay took care of running to walmart to buy diapers and wipes. (I left the box, sitting in the garage that had everything we needed-oops!)
That night I dropped Jay off at the train station and he rode back home.
The plan was for him to ride back down at the end of the week and we could do some more vacationing together -(and no, I did not need his help for the way back- no scary skybridge driving on the way back to OKC!) but we tried buying tickets too late. So we will just have to take a few days here and there to get our vacation in!

The rest of the week was spent:

canning

black beans & potbelly's hot peppers (I am so addicted to these right now!)

braiding hair

running- who knew I could run faster in Texas?

going to a water park

jumping on the trampoline in swimwsuits

playing in all the dress ups

playing make-up and hair

shopping for new sunglasses

rock band
star wars battlefront
played baseball
(and these next two photos have nothing to do with what we did, but would you look at those curls?!)

and a lot of hanging out and movie watching!

Somehow the older boys did not end up in alot of the photos- but all the kids were there, and they all had fun.
Thanks Ryan's for letting us come- and for "vacationing" with us!

What to Eat Wednesday

Chicken Olive Calzones

I first learned to make calzones from Jay's mom. She makes them the best-(of course!) My friend Donna shared this one with me. It was different from the way my Mother-in-Law makes them, and a fun addition to our recipe book
I am pretty sure I got this from her when we were living in Utah. When Janelle was over a few weeks ago she requested it for our lunch. She remembers eating it when we both lived there. Here is an odd tidbit of info- Janelle thinks I say the word "calzones" funny. The way I stress certain portions of it. She laughs when I say it.

1 ½ cups chopped cooked chicken (18 ounces)
½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
¼ cup chopped celery
¼ cup pitted ripe olives
½ teaspoon dried basil crushed
¼ teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup soft style cream cheese with chives and onion
1 10 ounce package refrigerated pizza dough
(or frozen Rhodes rolls or bread dough thawed and risen)
1 beaten egg
1 Tablespoon water
Parmesan cheese
Spaghetti sauce

For filling, in a medium bowl stir together chicken, jack cheese, celery, ripe olives, basil, oregano, garlic powder, and pepper. Stir in soft- style cream cheese. Set aside.
For calzones, unroll pizza dough. On lightly floured surface roll out dough into a 15 x 10 inch rectangle. Cut into six 5-inch squares. (Or use the Rhodes dough and divide into pieces and flatten out) Divide chicken olive filling among the dough. Brush edges with water. Lift one corner and stretch dough over to the opposite corner. Seal edges of dough well with tines of a fork. Arrange calzones on a greased baking sheet. Prick tops with a fork. In a small bowl combine egg and 1 Tablespoon water, brush over the calzones. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.
Bake in a 425 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.. Serve with heated spaghetti sauce, if desired.