Valentine's Day!

This Valentine's day we had a nice low key picnic at home in the living room while watching movies! It was a nice day just to spend together. We made a fruit tray, and a cheese/cracker tray and I made pioneer women's chocolate cake that was super yummy! In the early evening we took a stroll around shorline village to work off all the cake =)

I hope everyone enjoyed their Valentine's Day! I love you Baby!!!

Honeymoon Part Deux ~ Graduation Trip

As most of you know our honeymoon was a flop, and I just graduated Nursing school. So to redo our Honeymoon and celebrate nursing school graduation we took a 10 day vacation to Puerto Rico and a southern Caribbean Cruise. I plan to blog each island separately, but I just have to do Puerto Rico first as it was my absolute favorite island out of all that we visited. We got to spend the most time there and the food was excellent!

We started our journey in San Juan, we stayed at a hotel on Condado Beach. The El Canario hotel was just ok. We picked it because it was a smaller boutique hotel and less expensive choice. The front desk staff wasn't very nice and the room was mediocre. But they did upgrade us to a "suite" it was nice to have the extra space.

After checking in we rented a car; first stop old San Juan, one word: gorgeous. Now I'm a sucker for old architecture so this may not be for everyone, but if you like old things definitely check out the forts! We went to El Morro and San Cristobal forts. El Morro is right on the tip of San Juan, I could have spent all day there.

"Capital Building"


There is lot's of other things to do in Old San Juan there is a beach, a park, shopping, boating, exploring, and of course eating! If you’re looking for a good place to eat in old San Juan I would recommend Cafe El Punto on Fortaleza street. It’s a main street for major shopping in San Juan. But this gem of restaurant can be found smack in the middle of all the action. They had the best plantains! Great Puertorican food!!

After spending all day wandering around we got some rum punch and daquiri's at Senor Frog's to watch the Super Bowl.

The next day we left bright and early and headed our for El Yunque, in the northeast mountains of Puerto Rico, is the only rainforest in the Caribbean. We drove up the curvy roads up the the mountain; as we got further up and hiked inward the landscape changed drastically, offering us great visual rewards around every corner. I highly recommend seeing this if you are ever in Puerto Rico.

" Driving in the Yaris =) "

"Overlooking the Rainforest"

"La Coca Falls"

"La Mina Falls"

After our long Hike throught the Rainforest we worked up quite the appetite so we headed down the mountain to Luquillo Beach.

We ate at a beach front place on a local's recommendation, La Parrilla. DELICIOUS! Best Mofongo ever...I can now die happy =)

I had PR beans & rice like the one's Ramona's Dad made me once. La Parrilla came in a very close second!


Mostly after that we drove around visited Fajardo and other beautiful things. My Camera died so I didn't get any pictures =(. But if you ever go there spend some time in Fajardo it's gorgeous and has ferry ships to Vieques, another amazing place!

We were pretty full so for dinner we went to Plaza Las Americas a huge shopping mall. We actually ate at a PR style fast food kiosk in the mall. It was so so, but I enjoyed our time at the mall, because it was such a cool mall!

Puerto Rico is a Fantastic Place, and out of all the islands we visited it is the one we would like to go back and spend more time. I felt like we didn't get to see everything. Next time we go I def. want to go see the south side of the island, and the cool caves on the west side I keep hearing about. Plus I don't know how long I can go without real PR Mofongo ;)

Next up a review of our ship and St. Thomas.

Goodbye 2009 Hello Twenty-Ten...or however you say it!

2009 was fun, stressful, overwhelming, and exciting. Overall a productive year! Mostly the year was filled with school for me and work for Josue, but we managed to throw in some fun here and there!
Here are some recaps from the last year

January: Vegas with the Hubby and Sac town takeover with TKN
February: Moved into our first home in Long Beach. Started Nursing school (Met new friends), & turned 24
March: Adopted our Kitty Lola, Started Clinical
April: First ever trip to NYC w/ Aunt Maddy, and Kimi, Britney Spears Concert
May: Josue became an associate manager
June: Vegas with the foursome =)
July: Passed level one & two with A's and at the top of my class
August: Celebrated our first wedding anniversary
September: Temecula wine tasting trip with TKN
October: Vegas with Vanessa to see Dane Cook, Camping with Josue in Lake Isabella,
Walk for Hope
November: Lot's of nights in and out with the foursome including the universal weekend
December: Welcomed our first TKN Baby Grayson. Visited NC with family for Christmas, and had our first party at the house welcoming in the New Year!


Of course I had to make some goals for the new year =)

-Graduate as valedictorian
-Pass the NCLEX
-Learn Spanish (wishful thinking)
-Lose weight (isn't this everyone's) but mostly just being healthier
-Don't get in an accident or die on vacation (joking....kinda)
-Buy another car
-Save for a house
-Start our family plan


In 2010 we have so many exciting events planned. Puerto Rico & Cruise, Mexico, Maui, Camping, Graduation, new job, showers, babies, weddings, and so much more!

Here's to a prosperous & blessed 2010 to all!

New Favorite Song

The only place I can find this song besides the christian radio is on Youtube.com so I'm putting it on my blog so I can hear it whenever I want ;)

Sometimes I totally feel like this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0EB_xeSjwo

Pumpkin Cream Pies

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

I found a pumpkin whoopie pie recipe on Martha Stewart's website, but I changed it up quite a bit. It was a huge hit on Thanksgiving. They are yummy, but not healthy at all. Of course you could definitely substitute applesauce for butter, splenda for sugar, and use wheat flour, but for Thanksgiving I didn't. Here is the recipe I made:

Cookie/Cakes

1 stick softened unsalted butter

1/2 cup oil
1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 can pure pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour

Filling

2 sticks softened cream cheese ( I did use the 1/3 less fat kind)

1 Jar Marshmallow cream

1/2 cup butter softned

1 box confectioners' sugar (you can use less if you don't want it to be too sweet)

2 Tablespoons Milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream together sugar and oil. Add eggs and pumpkin. Gradually add sifted dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Drop by tablespoonsful (the best thing to use is a small ice cream scoop) on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool cookies.

Beat together all filling ingredients together frost the bottom of one cookie and sandwich another cookie on top.

Chill for at least 20 minutes.

Margarita Monday

Monday nights used to be filled with going to Margarita Mondays with Co-workers at Acapulco's in Whittier, but since I started school I haven't been able to go. So in place of that my Friend Cesiah and I have a Margarita once in a blue moon at the house and chat. I thought I'd share our super simple "healthy" Margarita recipe

2 cups strawberries (fresh or frozen) or any type of fruit really.

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup sprite zero

5 packets of truvia or splenda

2 shots of tequila (sometimes we use silver rum and make them daiquiris)

Ice to thicken

ENJOY =)

A Student Nurses Prayer

Lord:

I know we go through this every day but please give me the knowledge as to why I actually wanted to go to nursing school and remind me of how much I like nursing. Lord, give me the strength to make it through those six hour lectures without falling asleep. Lord, please give me the patience to make it through eight and twelve hour clinicals with instructors that can’t just give you the right answer and on the same note, please give the instructors the ability to teach us what we need to know to be able to pass the NCLEX and be a competent and safe nurse in the real world. Please give the nurses at Suburban the ability to remember what it was like to be a student and give us just a little more respect (oh and please let the CNA's not be so jealous and RUDE). Lord, give me the endurance to read all the assigned readings and be able to remember it when I am taking a test with four possible right answers. Lord, give my family and friends the ability to realize I really am on the edge of insanity, and to not be offended when I cannot be hang out with them this year. Finally, Lord, give me the vision to see that one day I will be a real nurse and I will never have to wear this ugly uniform again.



-Daniella