This is my Heartbeat Song

Jordan and I had a fantastic break this past weekend.  We got the opportunity to hang out with our friends, Nathan and Mallory!  They had plans in the Dallas area so we organized a little game night since we hadn't seen them in a while!

Top: The four of us decided to go to The Rock to eat a little pizza.  This place was just being built when they moved.  As usual it was delicious food!  Jordan and I like the "Crazy Train" pizza a lot.

Bottom Left and Right: We played several games after dinner and I discovered that I am HORRIBLE at the game, Pit.  As in, I never had positive points!  Despite my losing streak, I highly recommend this game.  The game is loud and hilarious.  Oh, and it also works a better with a larger group.  With only 4 people it was a little tricky to trade for goods. 

After playing Pit, we played a rousing game of War and then moved on to Pictionary.  Mallory and I usually give the boys a run for their money with Pictionary but again, we had some bad luck.  I hate to make accusations but maybe there is some cheating happening?  Still, Mallory and I have a wicked-fast drawing of the United States!

Even though we are no longer next door neighbors, it always seems like old times when we finally get together; as if no time has passed and we settle into our normal easy conversation.  

Sunday morning I decided to get a little more creative than usual in the kitchen for breakfast.  I made a Pioneer Woman Cowboy Quiche.  It tasted amazing but I think I underestimated the preparation.  It took for-ev-er.

Top Left: Sauteed onions - they got a little burnt but I caught it just in time.

Top Right: Pie crust prep!

Bottom Left and Middle: I thought I would make the bacon in the oven.  My brother, Scott, taught me how to do this last Thanksgiving and it worked out great!  If you decide to do this, I highly suggest using foil to line your pans.  I also used a piece of foil on top because the grease splatters and makes the oven nasty.

Bottom Right: Quiche ready to bake!  After I took this picture, I covered the edges with foil.  Any time I make something with a crust, it turns out much better with foil to protect the edges.

What seemed like hours later, Jordan and I enjoyed a yummy breakfast treat!

Pioneer Woman calls for a deep dish but since I wanted to use a normal pie crust and pie pan, I also made some mini quiches (not pictured).  This made a great breakfast on-the-go during the work week.  I just love Ree!

Moving on to a new topic... Mallory and Nathan participated in a bowling league recently and they ended up getting a free bowling ball out of the deal.  Well, of the four of us, I am the only one who does not own a ball.  It's just never been a priority I guess.  That is not the case any more!  They were kind enough to give me their extra league ball so Jordan and I went to get it drilled for my grip on Sunday.  

At first, I was thinking we'd get around to drilling the holes sooner or later, but Jordan pressed the issue to get it done ASAP.  I'm really glad he did because it fits well and the little chore is done!  I'm looking forward to our next bowling outing! Now I just need to improve my bowling skillz.

The process was actually really interesting.  They measured my hand using a fancy tool (bottom left) and then marked the measurements on the ball (right).  The logo on this 12 pound bad-boy is "Fireball".  Since I bowl maybe 12 miles per hour, I'll be ironically sporting this logo. 

Top Right: After measuring the distance between my fingers, they needed to measure the diameter of the holes.

Left: After the initial drilling, the sales associate had me roll the ball at him to test it.  Having once had my finger stuck in a bowling ball as a child, it made me nervous to trust the snugness of my new bowling ball.  In the end, I asked the sales guy to give my thumb a little more space.

Bottom Right: The finished product!

After the bowling alley visit, we decided to go to the new Nebraska Furniture Mart, in the Dallas area (grand opening).  Everyone has been buzzing about this place and how wonderful it is, so we decided to check it out for ourselves.

I was shocked from the moment we exited off the highway.  The parking lot alone was a monstrosity!  This place is like an IKEA times 10 plus a Home Depot and a Subway.  We kept our pace pretty fast and it still took us several hours to get through it.

Top Left: I mean, the place is so big, we had to take a selfie in front of the raffle car.

Right: Oh the mixers!!!  We already have a beautiful mixer but, wow, all the colors are so delightful!

Bottom Left: They even have a whole section dedicated to colleges and universities.  I loved this pretty Texas Tech plate!

All the walking really started to wear us out so we grabbed a bite from Cousins Maine Lobster food truck.  Yes, there were so many people that food trucks showed up.

Top Left and Right: The lobster tacos were amazing!  

Bottom Left and Right: Jordan and I have been worried about our oven lately.  I'll have to share that fun story later, but basically, we are in the market for a new stove.  

Let me tell you, that whole decision is such a rabbit hole (at least in a woman's brain it is)!  

For example: I start to think if we get a new stove, we might also want to get a new dishwasher at the same time so they match and can be installed at the same time, right?  The dishwasher is making a funky noise so it would be a proactive decision.  We have a gas stove so a plumber would handle both installations.  And if we aren't planning to update anything else in the kitchen (ie cabinets or counter tops) then maybe we should get attractive appliances to help boost our house appeal when/if we decide to move.... I'm telling you, the thought process goes on and on.  

After checking out stoves at Home Depot, Sears, Lowes, and Frys, I finally came across a stove I actually felt excited about at NFM.  I really like the stove pictured above.  We've been debating the concept of a double oven with 2 doors verses a single oven with 1 door.

I love the idea of having two ovens so that I can cook at 2 different temperatures but it seems like the bottom oven is way too low to the ground.  Do I want to bend down so low while trying to manhandle a turkey for Thanksgiving?  Well, this Samsung oven solves that problem.  It has a "duo-flex" separator that can be removed whenever you want (and stores between the oven and the drawer).  Whether we use it as 2 ovens or 1 oven, it has one large door.  It's the best of both worlds!  Oh, and at a HUGE price jump... womp womp.  Figures the stove I actually like would be expensive.  For now, we've not made this purchase, but the seed is planted folks.

Lastly, I'm super excited about my new fitbit surge!!!  This sucker is pretty fancy and measures all kinds of things.  It counts my steps, tracks my heart rate, sleep quality, vibrates when I need an alarm or need to get in more steps.  So cool!

Top Left: Either I'm a heavy sleeper or I need to turn up the sensitivity.  Apparently, I slept very well the first night I had it.

Bottom Left: It's chunky on my wrist, but I love that I can read text messages on it without digging my phone out of my purse.

Right: This is an example of what the heart monitor looks like in the Fitbit app.  Can you tell when I was in Nebraska Furniture Mart?  I reached some good "fat burn" levels just getting excited about all the pretty things!

That's about all I have for you guys tonight!  Hope all is well!