Buying Houses and Makin Babies =)

This one goes out to two of my favorite people! First up, I'm so happy and excited for my good friend Whitney!

Whit just bought a house. A HOUSE! Congrats on being a Homeowner, Whitney! The place is so cute, and I can't wait to hang out at your place more often. 

Real life is definitely happening, you guys! We're getting married, we're buying houses, and next up, we're having babies!

Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Mike and Katie Johnson! Baby Lily Marie is here! So happy for you two! She is so beautiful!

Congratulations to one of my oldest and dearest friends, Holly!

She and her husband Mike are expected a little girl in a couple more months! It was so fun to celebrate with her and shower her with baby gifts for little Baby G!

Can't wait to meet this lucky little girl! She will have the best parents! I can't believe we are all grown up. I've known Holly since I was like 7, we've grown up together, having slumber parties, making up dances, doing each others hair, etc. I can't believe she is now going to have a little girl of her own, putting on slumber parties, doing her hair, and taking her to dance classes!? How did we get so old!? Congratulations my sweet friend!

I'm definitely not the only one with a big life event happening soon! Congrats to my friends who are tying the knot, buying up real estate, and having children! So happy for you guys!

Hangin With The Hasemeyers

Congratulations to my dear friends Ashley and Stevie Hasemeyer! My elementary school friend got hitched last month, and as promised from the post below, here are some pictures from the beautifully picturesque wedding. Ashley and Stevie are so perfect for each other, and I am so happy for them! Such an amazing couple! Check out my beautiful girl!!

I love this next picture, She is looking right at Stevie, just so happy!

This wedding had tons of wonderful do-it-yourself touches that were so creative and lovely. Check out the altar that they made with different color and size strips of lace and fabric. It was a perfect setting to say, "I Do."

The wedding cake was lovingly made by the Bride's little sister, Chanelle. It looks so professional and delicious!

Check out the spread! The tables was adorably decorated with different size and shape vases among candles and pretty pink flowers. I love the color contrasts that Ashley picked out. Everything just looked so perfect together on a pretty sunny day.

That last picture above shows how the family even strung lights over the tables to create an intimate and classy setting for the evening! I'm telling you, no small detail was overlooked! Everything was so perfect!

Here is the next couple to get hitched! Shout out to Joey and Lynnea Soon-To-Be Ruiz =) Can't wait to see another good friend walk down the aisle. Gotta love life-long friends! 

I'm so pumped that I got to take a picture with the Gorgeous Bride. Gosh, Ashley, I was crying like a baby watching you walk down with your Dad! You are so amazing. I love you, girl! She is so stunning.

Here's part of the Bridal Party smiling pretty for the camera. I love the light ballet slipper pink dress. These girls rocked it with their beautiful hand-made jewelry. So lovely!

After dancing the night away, one last picture with the Bride before she heads out! I had such a great time with these girls. What a beautiful wedding! Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Hasemeyer! Thank you for letting me be a part of your special day!

We Are Growing Up!

I would like to give a shout out to Ashley Williams! Very, very soon-to-be Ashley Hasemeyer!! AHH! I know it sounds silly, but I am so freakin excited and I am seriously starting to get butterflies for this Saturday! If I'm getting nervous/anxious tummy, I can't imagine how Ashley or Stevie may feel right now!

Ashley (Shmo is what I like to call her) is the most beautiful woman I know, inside and out. She is so amazing, and I am thrilled that she has found the love of her life! She deserves nothing but the best! I'm so proud to call her my friend! I've known Ashley (technically) since I was 5 years old! I cherish her friendship, and I cannot WAIT! to see her walk down the aisle, in a big white dress, smiling from ear-to-ear no doubt! She will be the most GORGEOUS bride!

Stay tuned for pictures from Ashley and Stevie's Wedding, but while we wait, let's check out some fun pre-wedding celebrations for Ashley!

The Bridal Party! OH HEYYYY girls!!!! Can't wait to dance with all of you ALL night long! Ash! Save a dance for meeeee! I LOVE YOUUU!

The girls set up the CUTEST spread for our girl! Check out the decorations!

Then, I had the pleasure of relaxing poolside, VIP status with the girls in PARADISE! Check this place out! AHHHH! I wanna go back!

Congratulations, Ash! Just a couple more days! I wish you all the happiness in the world... and lots of babies =) Side by side or miles apart, good friends are always close to the heart <3

Stirring Occasionally

Before all of this Wedding nonsense, Kev and I really wanted to start a Food Blog. We even came up with some catchy titles for it; Stirring Occasionally.com just rolled off the tongue so nicely! Much to our dismay, the url was taken. Not much later, Kev slapped a ring on my finger and here we are kids, She Said reYES! came about. I figure we can post wedding updates, then once the wedding has come and gone, we can keep up the blog with some cooking posts for my Foodies out there =) Kevin and I have been heavily influenced by The Pioneer Woman's Blog, we just love how many pictures she posts of the step by step process so here is our best imitation:

Chicken Tortilla Soup with Kevin and Alexa =)

What you'll need to make this tasty dish:

To begin:

Please chop up yellow onion, red, yellow, and orange bell pepper (or whatever bell pepper combo you have), celery, and the all powerful and delicious GARLIC. Throw all of this into a stock pot with some EVOO coating the bottom and let it cook down.

As you can see above, I chose to buy a rotisserie chicken already cooked and ready to go. We were in a hurry, you can boil a coupla chicken breasts and shred them just the same, but to make it easy, just pick up a whole rotisserie chicken and shred it into the pot

This is also when you season the heck out of the goods in the pot. We used Cumin, Chili Powder, Garlic Powder, Seasoning Salt, Salt and Peppa. Mix it all up and let it cook for a coupla more minutes. Also, toss in a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies to spice it up as well.

Then we pour in the chicken broth:

OHHHHHH YEAHHHHH! Throw a can of black beans in the pot for good measure. Gotta get in that extra protein. Once all the goods are in the pot, bring it to a boil. This infuses the flavors =) Once boiling, reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes to really get down and dirty.

Whilst waiting for the pot to boil, you must prepare the toppings. I like to have a little fun with my food. Here is my rendition of what to top the Chicken Tortilla Soup with.

"Avocado is food's kryptonite... it exposes food's weakness, which is that when you pair any food with it, it instantly becomes the most delicious thing on earth." -Adam Richmond (Man vs. Food)
Let's take it step-by-step, shall we!? (Warning, the following images are what I like to refer to as "Food Porn." Proceed with caution. Brace Yo'selves...)

We start with a bowl'o goodness...
Crunch up some tortilla chips!

Add gobs of avocado. (This makes the whole dish for me, the more avo, the betta!)

Top with black olives

And last but certainly not least, folks, CHEEEEESE.

The final product?

SHUT. UP.  But, does he like it?

YES! Yes, he does! Success! On a gloomy, rainy day. This is the perfect meal paired with a nice salad or cornbread and honey. Very tasty! I suggest to taste the soup periodically throughout the process so as to gauge if it needs more spicing. Here are the details if you would like to try it yourself!

3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for bottom of pot)
1 yellow onion minced
1 yellow, red, and orange bell pepper minced
1 stalk of celery chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced (if you have a garlic press, I would use that)
1 whole rotisserie chicken (or 2 big chicken breasts cooked and shredded)
1-2 tablespoons of cumin, chili powder, garlic powder (more to taste)
a coupla dashes of salt and pepper
1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 can black beans
1 32 oz carton of chicken broth

toppings:
avocado
tortilla chips
black olives
cheese
sour cream?

Let me know if you try it and like it!



Our New Home!

Kevin and I finished registering this weekend! WOO-HOO! That was super fun! It is crazy to think that all those things we scanned might end up in our cupboards and cabinets! Kev and I have the same taste in home goods which made it super easy registering.

Not only that, but we received our first gift!

SO AWESOME!! A big thank you to Steve and Frances! It was so fun to open up our first present! It continues to become real, we're gettin htiched and we've got the flatware to prove it! =)

A Tribute to Those Before Us

I would like to take a moment to shout out to those who are already married and going strong! Kevin and I were naming off all of the weddings we've been to as a couple and it is quite the list!

When we first started dating, we attended the Nathan and Lindsay Lambert's wedding. I wish I had a picture, but unfortunately these were the days before digital cameras! Seven years later, this happy couple has two little boys!

Next up, Steven and Becca Boyd's wedding! Kev and I had been dating for six months! Seven years later they now have two beautiful little girls!

After that, Kevin and I attended Natalie and Bryan Davis' wedding at the Victoria Community Church. I remember watching as the stage rotated during the ceremony and I loved snacking on the mashed potato bar and dancing all night!

Next, I had the honor of being in my Grandparents' wedding. Kevin and I are actually sharing our wedding date with my grandparents and great-grandparents. So, it will be special to see them and celebrate with them on our date!

Up next is the wedding of Travis and Amy Cotsenmoyer!

However, this is a picture of Holly and I at Trav and Amy's Wedding!

Michael and Katie Johnson's Wedding was so beautiful! Kevin was an achilles tendon-less Groomsman in this wedding =) Check it out!

Trent and Heather Knapp's wedding was freakin awesome!

Holly and Mike MacNeill tied the knot eight months ago!

Brooke and Jayson Moss's wedding was amazing! I felt like I was in Hawaii!

We didn't get a chance to snag a picture with the Bride and Groom =( But, check out that background!

Andy and Leah Thomson got hitched almost six months ago!

We didn't get a chance to take a pic with the Thomsons either, but isn't she a gorgeous bride?

Just recently, we attended Heather and Jason Davis' wedding!



Check out that view of Laguna Nigel =)

Next up? Ashley Williams is tying the knot, not too long after, it will FINALLY be my turn! And two weeks after me? Lynnea Erwin! Can't wait for the months ahead!

As you can see, I don't have too many pictures with the Bride and Groom. Very rarely was I able to get up close to snap a picture with the guests of honor. I know it is terribly hard to take pictures with everyone, but I do regret not being more aggressive and asking them to smile for the camera with me.

We've been to a lot of weddings together, now Kevin and I are looking forward to walking down the aisle ourselves. Can't wait to put my own white dress on and dance all night with my close friends and family! Thanks for the memories, guys!



Where My Girls At!?

Today, Whitney, Holly, Ashley and I went on a mission to find the perfect Bridesmaid dress for the Stovner/Reyes Wedding. These girls are hilarious and didn't mind sharing a tiny dressing room at the first location. Here are some of the options we found..

I just love the ruffles, Holly! lol Some of the bridesmaid dresses were hideous! But we were able to find a couple of options that fit the bill and that the girls can even wear again after the big day! lol If anyone is in the market for a bridesmaid dress, I would suggest going to Mary Me Bridal in Orange, CA. They have a whole store dedicated to bridesmaid dresses in every shape and color, and you don't need an appointment to try things on!

Here's a winner that Ashley spotted:

HAHA! We had a lot of fun today. Thanks for coming out, ladies! I love you to pieces! I can't wait to see you all up on the altar with me in pretty purple (or aubergine) dresses =) HAWT! I promise not to force you to wear puffy sleeve and hats...this could be you, don't tempt me..