I Voted...

Today, is the day I look forward to every four years.
The day I get to exercise one of the greatest rights I will ever have.
A right that many people around the world do not get.
A right that thousands of women before me fought so hard to achieve.
A right that could and will change the course of American history, time after time.
A right so many take for granted.

I'm not here to tell you who to vote for, I'm just here to say educate yourself on the issues and vote.

So do your thing America!  Rock the Vote!

Stuffed Jalapeños Poppers

Taste of Home Original Recipe

Stuffed Jalapeños Poppers

what you need

• 1 pound Jimmy Dean Mild Country Sausage
• 1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese
• 1 cup Mexican blend cheese
• 25 jalapeños, sliced in half and seeds removed

how to make it

• In a large skilled, cook the sausage until no longer pink; drain.
• In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and Mexican cheese; fold in sausage.
• Spoon about 1 tablespoonful into each jalapeño half and place in ungreased baking dish
• Bake, uncovered at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes

Yield: 50 appetizers

Daniel and I made these Friday night and they were a huge hit with our friends!!  They are super easy to make and they were so good that I didn't even get a chance to snap a picture of them.  Enjoy!

My two favorite "F" words....

Well, now that I have your attention and hopefully a few more readers I can get to my post.

My two favorite "F" words.... Fall and Fridays!!

Let's just start with the fact that I LOVE a Friday like no other day of the week.  It's the day of the week that every teacher in America looks forward to... the quick pace of the day, the jubilation of 3:00 and the sound of the bell, and the finally the promise of a night with friends (adult interaction!) to bring you out of that teenage cloud you've been living in for the last five days. 

The second "F" is a given for anyone living in the South, with our Summers being so hot and humid.  They leave you thinking "Why did a I even bother to shower today?" the second you walk out the door.  So when the cool breeze of fall finally strikes our faces, we are the first the declare that is time for boots, scarves, and hot chocolate.  With the first frost of the season on the horizon though, Fall may not be here for long.  But that is okay by me, winter=snuggle time ;)

Happy Fall from (some) of The Penningtons!

I have to admit that I was missing the blogging world like crazy, but the demands of being a new teacher is more than I can bare most days.  I have finally started carving out some "me time" in my day by joining the gym about a month ago.  Its been a great way to wrap up my afternoons and feel better about myself.  I think I'm back in bloggerville though and hopefully to stay, but unlike the unwise politicians of the day I will not make any promises that I know I may not be able to keep!

So to keep with the "F" word theme of this post I am super excited to say that its First Friday at church tonight!  We get together with the other cool "young adults" of our Sunday school class to hang out, stuff our faces with pizza and grow in fellowship. I hope you have a great weekend and I'll see you guys real soon!

Summer :)

13.1

13.1, miles that is.  Yes, I am crazy and I have taken on the task of training for a Half-Marathon.

Now that Daniel and I are settling into our lives back near our hometowns I began to check out some 5k races in the area and I stumbled upon the Heart & Sole Half-Marathon sponsored by the YMCA.  I looked at Daniel, said "I'm going to run a half-marathon."  He replied, "Oh really?"  That is his usual response to the many great ideas that I come up with on a regular basis.  So naturally I had to prove him wrong and I begin training today!  I have even convinced him to run with me!!

The race is not until early next year, however I noticed that most of the training programs have you running 3-5 miles the first week, so I decided to start training immediately.  It might take me some time.  I haven't ran too much since I conquered my first 5k last December.  You may remember my desire to simply finish the race and how I surprised myself with running a pretty decent time considering I didn't train at all.  A half-marathon might be a little different.  Like 10 miles different.  So I am sticking with just completing the race this time... still breathing.

I'm not sure what it is about running, but it just makes me feel so much better.  I think its the fresh air and the pounding of the pavement.  Getting the frustration of the world out one step at the time.  I have been really looking at training plans, blogs, and running gear since I have been more and more interested in running.  Peanut Butter Fingers is one of my all time favorite blogs and she has some great advice on training for a half and for fitness in general.  She also gives great tips on running gear and convinced me to invest in some good running shoes.  I got this beauties for my birthday :)

Mizuno Wave Rider

I am currently drooling over a Garmin Forerunner 405.  These watches are seriously amazing for outdoor running, because they are GPS-enabled and can be programmed with multiple running programs.  They track heart rate, calories burned, average mile pace, distance, and much more. 

Finally, a run isn't complete without some awesome tunes.  I think Ipods are amazing and I am particularly fond of my very old, but incredible Ipod Shuffle.  I love how they clip on to your clothes and the songs are easy to change.  A good playlist is just as important.  I have used a great site called Rock My Run for a while now and they make running playlist that vary in length and bpm in order to get the most out of the type of run you want.  

So have any of you guys every ran a half-marathon?  I am looking for advice on the best training plans.  I know Hal Higdon has a good basic program, but I am looking for information from anyone who has actually tried a program.

Daniel and I are off for a Happy Anniversary Day Date... so excited to see where we are going 

One Year

Happy Anniversary to Mr. Pennington

I love you Daniel!

Here's to many more years of bliss!

Moving

We moved into our new place and we are neck deep in unpacking, painting, carpeting, cleaning, sorting, etc.  We are thrilled to be back home and once everything settles down we are looking forward to having family and friends over! Also, once its all said and done you will get to see some fabulous before and after photos of our new place. Oh and I started new teacher training this past Monday!  Wow this summer went fast!!!  New teacher training... you heard me right.  I got a job! Can I just say how thankful and excited I am to have a job after spending the last year in school.  God is so good to Daniel and I.

Apartment 254... you were awesome... even though you were tiny

home sweet home

As I write this post, I am thinking back to exactly a year ago today.  We were shaking our booties at Walnut Creek and celebrating our wedding rehearsal.  Its so hard to believe that tomorrow will mark one year since we said "I do."  Tonight, in a panic I asked Daniel were we still newlyweds???  I'm not sure I'm ready to give up that title.  Happy (early) Anniversary Daniel!

I know this is short, but lesson plans are calling my name.  I am such a procrastinator.

   

Doughnuts, Palaces, and Queens

Happy Hump Day!  This post was intended for much earlier in the week, but bare with me, I'm a busy lady.  So with that said lets recap the weekend!  My weekend rocked!  My mom and I went to see the NC Symphony perform at Tryon Palace on Saturday and it was wonderful.  We headed down to New Bern early in the afternoon and had a  delicious dinner date.

Once we arrived at the palace we put down our chairs in a good location and headed out to explore the grounds.  If you live in eastern NC and have never been you really should take a day trip or even stay overnight in historic downton.  The gardens of Tryon are absolutely beautiful and you could go multiple times each year and see completely different plant life each time.  They even have a vegetable garden, which my mom and I oogled over because we love fresh veggies!

Much to my surprise they have built an amazing new museum in New Bern called the North Carolina History Center and its breathtaking!  We got there too late to go, but I am already planning a weekend getaway for Daniel and I to visit.  I envision myself working there one day ;)

The symphony concert was nothing short of amazing.  The NC Symphony was celebrating their 80th birthday in conjunction with Craven County celebrating their 300th so there was a celebration all around.  The concert was a lovely mixture of 1920's pieces with George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue being the feature and songs dear to the heart of the symphony.  They played a piece that was played at their first concert in 1932 and paid tribute to one of their own musicians who composed a brilliant piece of work that was used when the US Open was played in Pinehurst a few years back.  

Families were stretched out across the lawn in a sea of picnic baskets, blankets, and lounge chairs.  As the sunset, the illumination of the orchestra created a magical glow on the palace and immediately following their last piece fireworks began to go off over the riverfront.  The star of the show was certainly the director, who was from Wales and he threw in some lovely English humor about the American Revolution and Governor Tryon (a British royal governor).

I know this post is getting a little lengthy, but I cannot go without mentioning the event of the century that I would have loved to of attended.  The Queen of England, Elizabeth II is celebrating her 60th year on the throne this week and it looks like the Brits had a fantastic time celebrating.  Not to mention the fact that I love any excuse to see the beautiful frocks that Kate chooses to wear for these events.  Do you find it ironic that the two longest reigning monarchs have been women?  I don't... it simply proves women can handle the strains of power far better than men. :)

the hiking chronicles

The gloomy rain has set in once again this week and its making me itch for the outdoors.  This past weekend Daniel and I did have the luxury of getting outside for a little while before the rain rolled in, so we took a hike in a local park and had a lovely morning.

We set out to a park we had not been to before (well I have, but not in many, many years) called River Park North.  Its a lovely little sanctuary of nature in the middle of a city and they even have paddle boats!  We didn't get to try the boats this time, because you have to reseve them, but they are certainly on the list for next time.  We walked the entire span of the trail and back again, during which we saw some incredible animal and plant life.  I even saw a snake in the water!

my new running kicks

My two favorite animals of the day were the little family of turtles and the beautiful blue dragonfly.  They were everywhere chasing each other... we were actually afraid they were going to crash into us a couple of times.

daniel's best karate kid pose

 We really had a lot of fun and I recommend it to any looking to get outdoors.  In addition to the hiking trails they have fishing areas, paddle boat and fish boat rentals, picnic areas, a playground, and a science and nature center.  Also for all you local Greenville residents "Sunday in the Park" starts up this weekend.  Its an awesome free concert series in Town Common Park every Sunday during the summer months.  Pack a picnic, grab your lawn chair, and enjoy an evening of free music.  I hope to see you there!

One last thing... if you are interested in music you may want to check this out this weekend too.  The North Carolina Symphony is playing at Tryon Palace.  Tryon Palace has a special place in our hearts, because if you remember thats were Daniel asked me to be his wife .  We went to this event last year and it was phenomenal.  They play outside on the giant lawn overlooking the river and it is simply beautiful.  They performed a Star Wars tribute last year... much to Mr. Pennington's liking!  Best part of it all... its free!

happy weekend!

summer