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February 28, 2013

Exploring Our New(ish) Town

This last weekend Gavin and I had plans to explore downtown Nashville and go to the Country Music Hall of Fame. When Gavin won tickets to the Opry from a radio station they also included tickets to the Hall of Fame. We were going to go on Saturday since I had the day off, but when we got to the Hall of Fame there was a line around the block to get in. It just so happened to be a free admission day and since we already had tickets we decided not to wait in line.

We were already downtown and decided to explore some areas that we hadn't been to yet. The area we checked out is called "the gulch" and is an area of revitalization. We went to Yazoo Brewery and Gavin tried a new beer they had on tap. After that we checked out a liquor store called Frugal MacDoogal. Now the fact that we check out new liquor stores all the time might seem a little odd to those of you in Oregon or California. However, because of the Tennessee liquor laws the only place to buy wine or beers above 6.3% abv. Every liquor store has different stock and we are always looking for new wines and beers. At Frugal MacDoogal's Gavin found a couple beers that he had been searching for.

Our last stop of exploring was to try a Nashville dish called hot chicken. It is fried chicken that is then smothered in cayenne pepper or paprika. The place we went to is called 400 Degrees and it lived up to the name! We tried the 100 and 200 degree chicken and it still made me sweat and my eyes water. There are actually quite a few places around Nashville that claim to have the best hot chicken and eventually we want to try all of them!

Sunday after church we went to a potluck lunch with other young married couples at a couple from the church's house. It was great to be able to spend time getting to know other young couples and just having a fun afternoon! We are really excited to be getting to know some other married couples our age!

In other news, this week I finished painting our dresser and nightstands! I am really happy with how they turned out and I will be posting about it soon. Right now I am deciding which knobs to use and then they will be done!

In my last post I wrote how Gavin had his last licensing test this week and I am so excited to write that he passed! So he is done with all of his tests before getting a spot as an internal wholesaler! He is interviewing next week and any prayers for his preparation and the interview itself would be much appreciated!

Well, that was a lot of writing and no pictures - sorry! Next time I promise that there will be more pictures!! Thanks for reading!

February 21, 2013

The Past Few Weeks

Eeep! How is it almost a month since I last posted?! Well I thought I would tell you about what we have been up to through my instagram pictures and fill in where there aren't any pictures.


A few weeks ago we made a quick trip down to Ikea in Atlanta to get some furniture. Part of the reason I love Ikea so much is because we could fit a queen bed frame, dresser, 2 nightstands and a coffee table in the 2 door Accord!


We experienced our first tornado siren going off and then two days later we had a dusting of snow! There was definitely damage from the tornado that we could see around town, but thankfully nothing too major. 


We went out to lunch and got a flat tire...


This was my drive into work a couple of weeks of ago! It was snowing so hard, but by the time I got off it had all melted away.


Before we went to a party at one of Gavin's coworkers for the Superbowl I made cookies and Gavin put together our bed frame from Ikea.


Our new bed all put together! It has been so nice to not have the mattress on the floor anymore.


For Valentine's Day I made dinner and we had a nice dinner at home. Gavin had his series 63 test the next morning, so he was also studying for that. He passed the test and only has one more test to take before he can get a spot and an internal wholesaler! He is taking the state insurance test early next week and will then be able to interview!


We had Monday off work together and ran some errands, including going to Home Depot to buy paint for our dresser and nightstands. I was going to paint yesterday and today, but it has been too cold! I'm hoping I will be able to get some painting in this weekend since it is supposed to get above 50. The paint says that it is supposed to be at least 50 out and I am going to follow the directions rather than risk it.


Well I think that is pretty much it for now!

February 5, 2013

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies!

I always know I have found a good cookie recipe when I take the cookies to a party and don't take any home. I made these cookies to take to a Super Bowl party at a couple of Gavin's co-workers place and brought home a very empty plate! I hope you give these yummy cookies a try soon. They definitely satisfy a craving for a good chocolate cookie!

1 3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
3/4 cup Firmly Packed Light Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (the recipe called for Dutch-processed, but I just used plain old Hersey's and they came out fine)
1/2 cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup Milk Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup White Chocolate Chips
1 1/2 sticks Unsalted Butter
1 Large Egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1. Preheat over to 350 F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, granulated sugar and cocoa power. Whisk together. Add all of the chocolate chips.

3. Melt butter on the stove or in the microwave. Whisk in the egg and vanilla extract. Add all dry ingredients and stir until well combined. I had to use my hands and then end to get it all combined.

4. Place a generous tablespoon full 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Flatten each ball before placing on the pan. (This helps the dough to spread out and make flatter cookies while baking).

5. Bake until the tops are cracked and dry, about 12 minutes (it was more like 15 for me). They will be soft on top and in the middle, but will firm upon cooling. Slide cookies onto racks to cool completely. Yields approx. 30 cookies (I think I got 32).

Recipe from A Baker's Field Guide to Chocolate Chip Cookies