Our Trip to Disney World and Universal Studios!

Ever since Alex and I found out we would be moving to Alabama, we have been looking forward to traveling and seeing more of our beautiful country! Turns out, flight school keeps Alex very busy, with not much time for leisure, let alone travel! We have jumped at just about every chance we have had to see more of the South and its surrounding areas. In the last year, we have seen visited the gorgeous, sandy Panama City and Destin Beaches in Florida, visited the Georgia Aquarium and Coca Cola World in Atlanta, Georgia, and Pebble Hill Plantation in Georgia. We still have on our list Nashville, Tennessee and Louisiana, but what we were most squirmy to visit was Disney World and the Harry Potter World in Orlando, Florida! It had been many years since either one of us had been to Disney Land, and neither of us had been to Disney World! Alex's only memory of Disney Land was their churros sticks (he would remember the food out of everything!) Alex found out his start date for his Blackhawk course was 2 weeks away, so we immediately put in for a long weekend leave so we could take our hopeful trip to Orlando and it was approved!
Since Orlando is 6 hours away, we brought along some study material for Alex and I quizzed him on his 5 & 9's (which is how they refer to chapter 5 and 9 in his training manual that he is required to memorize for every type aircraft he flies) and we had a great time driving to our destination!
We arrived at our hotel in the evening and relaxed at the hot tub before we started out for Disney World in the morning!

We took the shuttle to Disney World and decided to start out at Magic Kingdom (the most iconic of all the parks) with the castle and characters. We rode rides, watched a show, grabbed some lunch and then headed to the next park, Animal Kingdom. There I convinced Alex to ride the water rafting ride where the warning reads "You WILL get wet, and you MAY get drenched" Alex was very hesitant, since although the weather was beautiful and nice, (about 70) it would be cold in the water, but I convinced him to go and we did in fact get drenched. Actually, there were so few people going on that ride that the "cast members" (Disney calls their employees that) told us that if we wanted we could stay on for another round without any more wait. Again, I convinced Alex to go again! And we got doubly drenched! It was so much fun, but so cold too!

Next we went on the safari, which was neat to see so many exotic animals. After the safari, we were both still very wet and very cold, and since it was getting late, we decided we should get a cab to our hotel. We couldn't believe how tired we were! Later for dinner we went to Red Robin for burgers.

The next morning we headed to Disney World's Epcot Park. We loved getting to visit all the different "countries" they had and visiting all the cute little shops. Since it was Spring, Disney World goes all out with their flower and shrub designs. All shrubs were shaped like  different Disney characters, it was beautiful. In the evening we went back to Magic Kingdom and watched the electric parade, light and firework show- it was spectacular!

Our last day we went to Universal Studios and I was aching to go see Harry Potter World! It was better than I could have imagined! They recreated the movies sets and shops! It was magical and the rides were exciting and fun. Hogwarts was just like it is in the movie- with the paintings coming to life and all! It also inspired Alex and I to have a "Harry Potter" movie marathon when we got home:-) Oh, and the butterbeer was delicious! Tasted like cream soda and butterscotch and ice cream, but better and more buttery!

We had such a great time, and so thankful we were able to take a little vacation but were also happy to have such a nice home to come home to- our sweet home Alabama :-) One last picture of Alex getting a Churro! It cost twice as much as it did back when he last visited Disney Land, and was much shorter than he remembered :-) Also, you can probably tell that I convinced him to ride another water ride in Universal Studios:-)

I am going to post a recipe I haven't tried as of yet, but plan to for when Alex and I watch the final Harry Potter film! I can't wait to try! I found this recipe at The Huffington Post:

BUTTERBEER
Start to finish: 1 hour (10 minutes active)
Servings: 4
1 cup light or dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
6 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
3/4 cup heavy cream, divided
1/2 teaspoon rum extract
Four 12-ounce bottles cream soda
In a small saucepan over medium, combine the brown sugar and water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring often, until the mixture reads 240 F on a candy thermometer.
Stir in the butter, salt, vinegar and 1/4 heavy cream. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the rum extract.
In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar mixture and the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Use an electric mixer to beat until just thickened, but not completely whipped, about 2 to 3 minutes.
To serve, divide the brown sugar mixture between 4 tall glasses (about 1/4 cup for each glass). Add 1/4 cup of cream soda to each glass, then stir to combine. Fill each glass nearly to the top with additional cream soda, then spoon the whipped topping over each.



Army Aircraft Selection

The day we had been waiting for since we found out Alex had been accepted into the Army's Warrant Officer "street to seat" program finally arrived! Wednesday, February 27, 2013 was Aircraft selection day for Alex and his classmates.
The "OML" (Order of Merit List) determines each soldiers class standing. The OML combines your grades for academics, check rides and the PT (physical training) test, and ranks you and your clasmates.  In each class, they are asked a couple weeks prior to selection to write down their dream list for aircraft. The four choices being the Chinook, Blackhawk, Apache and Kiowa helicopters and then the day of selection the amount of each aircraft available for selection is revealed, as is their class standing. Those higher on the OML get first pick of the available aircraft and from there on goes down the list until the last aviator chooses what is left.
The day before selection, Alex's class had their PT test. The PT test consists of 3 parts and in order to recieve a perfect score, you must accomplish 80 sit ups in 2 minutes,75 push ups in 2 minutes and a 2 mile run in under 13 minutes. Alex has always done well on PT tests, but has always been within 2 points of recieving a perfect score, and this PT test was worth a lot of points on the OML, so it was Alex's goal to make a perfect score when it really counted- he was VERY motivated to be able to be high enough on the OML to select the newest model of Blackhawks (the Mike model) In the early morning we had breakfast together and I prayed for him all morning. We also were very aware and thankful for al the prayers back home! His stats are the following: 86 sit ups in 2 minutes, 80 pushups in 2 minutes and 12:58 for the 2 mile run. I am SO proud of him! Woohoo! Beyond a perfect score!

Day of selection revealed there were 0 Chinooks, 5 Blackhawks, 4 Apaches and 3 Kiowas. Alex was high enough to be able to have his pick of any of the aircrafts, and ultimately decided (yes, you guessed it!) a Mike Model Blackhawk!!!

The Big, Beautiful Bird Alex gets to fly!

First Day of the Blackhawk course is March 19, 2013 and we couldn't be more excited! Along with selction, we were also able to put down our top 3 choices of where we would like to be stationed next. The 5 places we were able to choose from were Germany, Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Fort Riley in Kansas, Fort Campbell in Kentucky and Fort Drumm in New York. We put down

1. Germany 2. Fort Drumm, New York, and 3. Fort Campbell, Kentucky. We should know sometime around June where we will be headed! The expected graduation date for Alex is early August if all goes well. We are so excited and thankful for all the well wishes and prayers! We are feeling very blessed!

Garlic White Sauce Chicken Pizza

I made this a short while ago and it turned out great! I was thining of Papa Murphy's White Chicken Pizza. The roasted garlic used to make the white sauce is a must-do since roasted garlic and fresh garlic differ so much in intensity of flavor. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients for Pizza:

Pizza dough (home made or store bought, I like Pilsbury pizza dough)

Chopped roasted, seasoned chicken (I bought this from the deli meat department because of convenience)

Mozarella cheese

Parmesan cheese

3 green onions, finely diced

1 whole tomato, finely chopped

Ingredients for roasted garlic white sauce:

1-2 whole heads of roasted garlic (to roast garlic, simply chop the tops off, drizzle with olive oil and bake in oven for about 30 minutes) the garlic will be browned at the top and popping out of its casing. Peel remaining casings off of garlic and blend in a food processor until somewhat smooth.

2 Tbs. flour

1 Tbs. butter

1/2 c. milk

1/4 c. 1/2 & 1/2

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/4 c. parmesan cheese (or more)

1/4 c. mozarella

Start by melting the butter and adding the roasted garlic. Let sautee for a minute or two then add the flour. Followed by the milks and seasoning. While whisking, allow mixture to thicken then add cheese. Set aside.

Spread white sauce over partially baked pizza dough. Sprinkle cheeses generously, then add the chicken and veggies. Followed by another lighter sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Bake in the oven at 425 or until cheese is slightly browned, hot and bubbly. Voila! I hope you enjoy!

Mom & Dad's Visit to Alabama!

Hi Dad! (and Mom) Sorry I have been so absent on the blog! We've been on Alabama time for almost a year now, and the pace in the deep South is a bit slower than the rest of the world! ;-)
In January, Alex and I were lucky enough to get to have Mom and Dad visit our sweet home in Alabama for a few days and to experience a little bit of what Army life is like at Fort Rucker!

The first full day here, we spent the afternoon at the Aviation Museum and in the evening we were able to celebrate Mom's birthday with dinner and cookie cake for dessert.
That night, Mom and I made ourselves some hot tea, and I introduced her to the fabulous British drama "Downton Abbey," poor Dad had to retreat to his room to read for the rest of the night and Alex was stuck studying. By the end of the week we finished the first season, and watched a couple episodes of season 2!

Mom and I made a trip to the nearest town, Dothan, and we went to one of my favorite stores- Hobby Lobby, we spent a couple hours sipping coffees and browsing through all of the neat household decor and craft items there. For the remainder of the time, we went out to dinner, gave a tour of the post and visited the helicopter airfields, had some DQ blizzards, watched movies, played "Loaded Questions" and went to the church we go to here in Alabama. We are so thankful for the time we were able to spend together and are already looking forward to the next time we will get another visit! Love you! 

There have been some rumors going around in the family that I could be the milkman's daughter, I hope these two pictures put that rumor to rest. I am and forever will be the mailman's daughter. :-)

For this post's recipe, I want to share what I made for our Valentine's Day Dinner, Pioneer Womans Asian Noodle salad. Alex and I both loved this recipe! It has plenty of fresh vegetables and a wonderful homemade sesame lime dressing. This recipe could literally feed an Army, so next time I would halve the recipe. Also, I wouldn't leave out any of the ingredients, as they all blend excellently together! Your tastebuds will thank you for making this!

Pioneer Woman's Asian Noodle Salad

• SALAD INGREDIENTS:
• 1 package Linguine Noodles, Cooked, Rinsed, And Cooled
• 1/2 head Sliced Napa Cabbage
• 1/2 head Sliced Purple Cabbage
• 1/2 bag Baby Spinach
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin
• 1 whole Yellow Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin
• 1 whole Orange Bell Pepper, Thinly Sliced
• 1 bag Bean Sprouts
• Chopped Cilantro, Up To 1 Bunch, To Taste
• 3 whole Scallions, Sliced
• 3 whole Cucumbers Peeled And Sliced
• 1 can (about 10 Oz.) Whole Cashews, Lightly Toasted In Skillet
• _____
• FOR THE DRESSING:
• 1 whole Lime, Juiced
• 8 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 8 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons (up To 3 Tablespoons) Sesame Oil
• 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
• 2 cloves Garlic, Chopped
• 2 whole Hot Peppers Or Jalapenos, Chopped (Make sure to wear gloves!)
• Chopped Cilantro

Preparation Instructions

Mix salad ingredients together. Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. Mix with tongs and serve in extra large bowl or platter.