i am a rockstar...

fine. i will post. but for some reason i dont feel like it. am i in blogger depression?? i still read everyone elses posts and enjoy them, but the blogging spark that used to gleam in my eye has all but disapeared and i dont know if i can get it back...
i will tell you of a recent trip we took to tucson, az. (i would rather talk about my adoption process but there is absolutley nothing going on with that, so it would make for a lousy post)

this past thursday we left for arizona to go to erics cousins wedding. eric is mexican. (well, hes half mexi/half italian) his familia is mexican. those guys throw quite a wedding party! or shall i say fiesta?
for the rehearsal dinner they had rented out a mexican restaurant/outdoor bar hacienda type thingy. (i dont know what hacienda means, but it seemed like a hacienda) we all dressed fabulously...if i do say so. we were up to out eyeballs in guacamole, tamales, tortillas, and chilli rellanos, not to mention the open bar....oh the open bar...heres what i had: a margarita, a daquiri, a mojito, a shot of some wierd thing, a cherry amaretto sour and of course a dr. pepper...now, you may be thinking, "tara, you are a drunkard" but i must let it be known that i only kept drinking cause it wasnt doing its job! i wasnt trying to get drunk, but i little tipsy may have made the night more fun....nope. all that and i went home clean as a whistle. i suppose it was the lord, he can do such things.
anyhoo, that was a night of fun. the next day was the wedding. it was a fabulous affair and again we dressed fabulously. after the ceremony there was cocktail hour with an lobster tail, shrimp and of course an open bar. we visited, we ate, we drank. (i drank 7 up)
then we moved inside for a 5 course meal. i had chateau breon (a delicously tender steak with a port wine sauce) and eric had a rack of lamb...he loved it but it made me gag. too gamey. ugh.
there were 4 different bands at the reception but the hit of them all was the mariachi band. they were fun and we danced the night away. did i mention there was another open bar?? the bar was so open that we all got these rediculously pricey cigars...if they want to give it to us for free, were going to take em, right?! (but i didnt smoke or drink all night)
this fiesta lasted from 6:00 until 12:00....long night.
the next morning there was an after wedding brunch at a huge gorgeous resort. they served things like filet mingon, lobster, caviar, huge lavish deserts, and basicly everything you could ever want to eat. (i didnt not eat those wierd things for breakfast, i had belgian waffles with fresh berries and fruit and a mimosa)
theeeen, there was an after the brunch party. we ate we drank we ate more. then we left and flew home to boring old oklahoma. who wants to come home to oklahoma when you can party like a rockstar for free in arizona??!!

stayin alive...

this cutie pie is a friend of a friend of a friends son, who they adopted from ethiopia a last month- hes got the best moves ive ever seen from a 3 year old! dont be jealous that my sweet little baby will be just like him! i like to watch the other little guy in the background too...ok. i couldnt get the video thing to work so youll have to go to the link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFznR8jgDGU&eurl= (turn up your sound)

babies babies babies....

now heres a little story all about how my life got flipped turned upsidedown....

back in the day i wanted to do mission work in africa. that is the reason i went to AIM. but the africa field closed because it was too dangerous. so i went to portugal (or porty as i like to call it) and kinda forgot about africa for a while. then last year we had a team from Invisible Children come to our church and do their presentation and it tugged at my little heartstrings, so we bought way too many t shirts and dvds and bracelets to help support those children in africa. anyway, it rekindled something in me and so i talked to eric (or er as i like to call him) about my desire to maybe go to africa one day...he was super supportive and said ok, but it wasnt really his passion or anything. then a few weeks ago he told me that the holy spirit has been leading and telling him that we need to go to africa! we have been really trying to listen to the spirit and when we hear him speaking to us- listening and obeying. he has been revealing himself to us over and over again and it all leads us in the direction of africa so we were excited and scared and wondering what this is going to look like- how it would pan out and what exactly god had in store for us. will be missionaries there? will we just go for a short while and see if thats what He wants for us? then somehow we came to the conclusion that we need to adopt a baby from Ethiopia! we have prayed and prayed and talked and talked about it and we feel like the lord is asking us to rescue a child from poverty or death or worse. and it is just an extra bonus that we finaly get to have a baby of our own! God is so faithful and it is exciting to know that this baby is from him! we covet your prayers as we begin this long process!

merry christmas to all! it has only been one month since i last posted so i should probably catch you up on my life. i am still 26 years old and although i am often mistaken for a 17 year old, i am not. marme and kdub came to OKC for christmas...it was a relaxing joyous time filled with laughter and tears, except there were no tears. it really was so wonderful to have them here, i love being taken care of by my mommy, she is my precious. i also love when they pay for everything... i also love that they are completley happy just hanging out and watching movies and stuff, even though i felt like i needed to entertain them...i guess a little song and dance would have been nice.
violet (my puppy) recently lost her virginity. she is fixed so no babies were concieved, but she was playing in the yard with her best friend (and cousin!) bruno and he took a piece of my baby girl that we can never retrieve...i dont look at her the same anymore...knowing that she is tainted, and by her cousin nonethless! sick.
lets see, what else is going on in my world...
i have the flu today and were having a big ice storm here...eric got sent home from work and so weve just been laying in bed, watching movies (the illusionist and lady in the water) and napping. its been so cozy and relaxing! i like when eric serves me sprite with a drop of fresh orange juice in it, i like to call it "the sick girls spritzer". does anyone remember when we had that big ice/snow storm in the winter of '04? we shared a big beautiful townhouse with jess and ryan and we all were trapped in the house for days and days...i think jess and i were feeling crafty and we each croche'd 4 or 5 scarves. i still have one of them and its not a pretty sight. we tried to sled down the giant hill outside the house but everywhere in the city was sold out of sleds...so we went to joes crabshack for lunch...but eric and i dont like seafood, so we got little salads...remember how the ice was so thick on our cars that we had to hit it with a hammer?
i think that you all should know that i havent cooked a meal in like a month. except for when the parents were here we cooked a few times, other than that i think weve eaten out for dinner every night for a good solid month...odly enough i dont think ive put on any pounds...wierd. maybe its because were not eating at fast food, cause that would just be gross....im talking, on the border, panera bread, pie wie, moes, mazios pizza you know, the good stuff. mmm.
i want to propose a dare.
i dare all you people who read this blog but NEVER comment...to comment today. just today, so we know youre out there...ive heard rumors of secret readers and we want to take this time to acknowledge you. you dont have to say anything profound (i obviously, didnt put a ton of thought into this post) just note saying, "im here". 

DELL-icious

guys! great news! eric got a new job! he had an interview at Dell on wednesday morning and they called him on thursday morning to offer him the position! we are so excited...it is like were finaly grown-ups...no more stupid jobs...the best part about it is that god gave us so much more than what we were hoping for or needed...weve been broke for so long, i cant imagine not having to eat at taco bell and ordering according to how much change is in the seat cracks. (of the car, not our asses) maybe i will stuff spare change in there just for old times sake...(the car, not our asses)
the other best part about this job is that there are great medical benefits- so in other words i can go to the doctor and figure out why we cant get preggers. we havent had medical insurance for a while now and so have just had to sit and wonder whats wrong and what gods doing. the insurance is effective the days he starts (january 8th) so i will be in that doctors office on that very day! halleliua! seriously, this is such an answer to prayers, it makes me cry.

thank you jesus...

i have never cared about jude law. isnt really my type. hes a butt hole for cheating on his hot wife...so i dont have much respect for him....but i saw his new movie "the holiday" this weekend with a few friends....now, i not only like him, but i love him in a very sexual way. (ew thats gross, but i think you get the picture) i suggest all you girls out there see this movie and be prepared to want to make out with judas, i mean jude.
p.s. the movie is cute too. i give it 3 thumbs up, aside from cameron diaz' major over acting.

food, folks and fun...

wow, it has been almost a full month sice i posted last...wierd. i shant go into the details as to why i havent, but just know that i have been keeping up on everyone elses...just not commenting much...wierd.
it has been a lifelong dream of mine to have dinner parties. im not talking about having a bunch of friends over for pizza or whatever, im talkin dinner party. so i had my first one! on saturday night i invited a few of my nearest and dearest overand we wined and dined. let me spell it out for you, play by play.
they arrived promptly at 7:30. the house was warm and bright with the lights of the christmas tree and garlands. there i stood in the kitchen finishing up the final preparations for a fabulous meal that was soon to be devoured. the ladies visited and chatted as we fininshed setting the table....softly laden with a cream tablecloth. in the center there was a large centerpiece made of christmas greens, candles and red orbs. (yes, orbs, otherwise known as balls, christmas balls) we gathered in the dinning room and sat to begin the feast. on our plates we beheld toasted 3 cheese ravioli with a roasted red pepper and tomatoe dipping sauce, tomatoe canapes which consist of a tiny tart like shell filled with tomatoes, onions and olives- topped with cheeses and bacon pieces. then there was a spinach salad with toasted almonds that had been sauted in brown sugar until they were crispy and candied along with mandarin slices and a vinigarette. for desert we had chocolate molten cake topped with freshly made whipped cream and rasberry sauce drizzeled on top.
it was a night of food folks and fun. (what commercial is that from??)
now i want to have a dinner party every weekend. and i just might do it. what happened to the good old days of dressing up and being formal every once in a while? it was a fun little change and might i suggest you give it a try? yes, i might.

dear sweet sarah...

ok. ok. i know it has been weeks since i posted last, but i have had (and am still having) some dificulties with the computer.
i would like to tell you about a dream i had the night before last. if you think i mistyped something or something doesnt make sense- it is because it was a dream. doy.
i finaly had a baby! she was a precious little girl, about the size of a small freckle or pin head...i believe her name was sarah. she was pink, because she was a girl, of course. i was so filled with joy to finaly have my precious baby (i dont remember eric being there, but im sure he was) but everyone at camp kept taking her away. they just wanted to love on her and show her off, but i never got to hold her and that was all i wanted. sarah would be missing for hours and i just needed to see her! chelan always took her away to hold and play with. finaly it i got her back and was holding her when all the sudden i tried to pick her up, off my jacket sleeve, and i plucked her pink little wings off! then, i couldnt find her! she was gone! i looked all over my arm and the ironing board but she was gone forever....i cried and cried and sobbed and wailed because my poor tiny baby was out there all alone, with no wings...i waited so long for her and now she was gone. then, i read sarah sherks diary. aparently, she wasnt too happy about it when she found out. i felt really bad and she was really mad.
isnt this sad?! and maybe a little funny! i was so sad when i woke up- i told eric all about it and between laughs he tryed to be very sympathetic and sad with me. but i knew he didnt love her like i did.
the creepy thing is that i told my marme about it and she had a dream a few weeks ago...i had a tiny baby, and marme was taking care of her for me. she kept her in a glasses case and used the lens cleaner cloth as a sleeping bad for her. for some reason, marme had to rush her to the hospital but kept driving in the wrong direction. finaly, as she was backing up, she backed right off a cliff into a giant mud pit! her and "tiny baby" were under the mud and she knew they were goners...when all of the sudden, someone pulled them out of the giant mud pit. the end.
what does this mean? are these dreams of deep and spiritual meaning?
actualy, eric and i came up with a few theories... we have a had alot of flies in our house latley...(perhaps why my baby was like a fly) and also, we liked the name "miles" for a baby girl (yes, a girl, we like boy names for girls) and then chelan names her new baby miles! (hence, the reason chelan "stole" my baby from me) :)
give me your thoughts on the matter.

INTRODUCING THE NEW TARA....

I HAVE RECENTLY DECIDED TO START WORKING OUT…I THINK IT IS DOING MY BODY GOOD. TAKE A LOOK AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK…I NEED THE HONEST TRUTH HERE PEOPLE.
HERE I AM AT THE GYM… actualy this was taken a few years ago, in the 80's.



















HERE I AM WATER SKIING…in my swim cap.
















HERE I AM DOING GYMNASTICS….













HERE I AM RUNNING IN A LITTLE RACE CALLED THE OLYMPICS... in my dangerously short shorts and with armpit hair.



















THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR MAKING ME WHO I AM TODAY. YOU ARE THE REASON I HAVE THESE CHISELED ABS AND STUNNING FEATURES. (WHICH DOESN’T MEAN THAT I TOO CANT NOT DIE IN A FREAKISH GASOLINE FIGHT ACCIDENT) (ZOOLANDER, PEOPLE, ITS FROM ZOOLANDER)

fall, wreath, soup...

im so excited that its fall! oficialy, were in the fall season and it makes me happy and warms my soul. (you should know that instead of "warms", i accidently typed "worms")
Today i made this wreath...i think it makes me feel more festive if i decorate my house, or front door, with seasonal decor...you know, so the neighbors can know that its fall. i made a loaf of banana bread the other day and even though, i suppose bread isnt considered fall-y, it made the house smell delicous and sweet. these are the kinds of things that i want to do (and eat) all day long in this crisp, cool weather...starbucks caramel apple cider (also known as "cac" for arwen and other starbucks employees), toasted pumpkin seeds, carmel corn (moms recipe of course), i want to go for a walk everyday...eric doesnt usualy want to, but sometimes i can make him come with me and it is a joyous occasion, i also want to eat soups of all sorts and kinds...potato cheese soup, broccoli soup, chicken noodle soup and my fave- minestroni. in honor of my old friend, DWITGER and in the spirit of fall i will give you the very first recipe i ever made- minestroni.
Minestroni Soup
ingredients:
2 carrotts 1/2 can kidney beans
1/2 and onion 1 can stewed tomatoes
2 celery stalks 3/4 can tomatoe sauce
1/2 of a zuccinni 1/2 pack italian sausage
2 red potatoes 1 sprig rosemary- fresh
salt and pepper to taste
dice all vegis. put small amount of ovile oil into pan and soften, brown onions, then add carrots and then other vegis. pour into crockpot, add remaining ingredients and let simmer 2-5 hours. (depending on your heat setting) turn the temp up to high, for a quicker meal.
* i like to add a little red pepper flakes or tobasco, for a spicy version!

kind of like a potato...

This is what came up when i googled jones woods. it does remind me of him a little...

a day in the life of me...

Here is me with little charles, it was a hard day...
who wants to hear about my new job?! i started this week and it has gone great thus far. here is how my day goes...i arrive at their house at 7:00am (sick, i know), charles has just woken up and so i feed him and change his diaper and then put him back to sleep at about 7:30, at about 8:00 i take a little nap until 9:00 and then wake up and eat breakfast while watching Ellen and the view. then i read my biblia and have quiet time. charles wakes up at about 11:00 and i feed, dress, change diaper, lotion his fat little body and comb his fro. we then go for a walk while it is still cool outside and he falls asleep in the stroller..we get home, he goes to bed and sleeps until i leave at about 4:00. could there be a better job?! it is quite fabulous, although i must confess, i cant wait for him to be awake just a little more so that we can actualy play!

these shoes WERNT made for walkin'....

These are the shoes i bought for my birthday (august 14th, thanks for all the cards). i may have gone a little overboard, but we rarely have the extra cash to buy such things so it was well justified. (side note- the magenta pair is actualy from sarah sherks wedding, but theyre so cute i had to show them off.) sorry for the ackward angles, you try taking a good picture of your own foot! i have decided that a great pair of shoes can make any outfit fabulous, so ladies, put on your stillettos and work what you mamma gave ya.

thus sayeth the lord...

"why lord? why dont i ever blog?"
"because, my child, you are too busy doing my work, the work of the my kingdom"
"but lordy, my blogmunity needs ricipes and they need to know how i am living my life!"
"yes, dear one, but for now, i want you to go to that coctail party tomorrow night and you needed to throw that amazing wedding shower last night, and plus you had a freaking huge garage sale last weekend, so dont beat yourself up."
"youre right lord, im super-d-duper busy, my friends, if theyre friends at all, will comletley understand...and lordy, maybe you could bless these dear bloggers with a betty crocker cook book so they can make their own dinners."
"all in due time, all in due time"

thats a wrapper...

dwitger, dwiger, what to make for dwitger... eric and i make a few different kinds of wraps. we love wraps, we feel just a smidge healthier when we eat them. today i will pass on legacy of chicken ceasar wraps. a deliciously crisp choice for those hot summer days. and it only takes about 10 minutes to make!
"Chicken Ceasar Wraps"
ingredients:
garlic herb or spinach wraps (which are sold at your local superwalmart in the bread section)
a chicken boob or 2
ceasar dressing
lemon juice
romain lettuce
1 tomatoe
garlic salt
parmasan cheese

grill your boobs (your chickens boobs) in a saucepan. season it with a little salt, pepper, garlic salt a little lemon juice and ceasaer dressing. cook it long and slowly so that it soaks up some of that ceasar flavoring. once it has cooled a little, chop that chicken up into bit size pieces. tear up your lettuce and toss it in a good amount of the ceasar dressing. lay the lettuce in the wrap and top it with the chicken and your chopped tomatoes. sprinke with parmesan cheese and wrap it up!

Tazmania 1993...

this will be a short blog, right to the heart of the matter.
i was chatting with a few friends the other night and somehow, we ended up reminising about days gone by...more acuratly, outfits gone by. i took the cake with this winner of an outfit that was unfortunatly worn in about 7th grade...to church.
i borrowed my dads white button up dress shirt (obviously, about 12 sizes too big). it seemed like a good idea to tuck that into my short black mini skirt. i then proceeded to put on my new, totaly rad tazmanian devil tie. to tie the whole outfit together i wore (whore?) my fake doc marten black boots with my tazmanian devil socks that i pulled up to my knees. why lord? why?

pei wei...

ok. its friday, i had a crazy busy day yesterday, after the husband and i had a lovely relaxed dinner at pei wei...mmm. it was good...so i was thinking of giving you an asain inspired meal for this lovely dwitger....even though it is friday, and not thursday. i think i will make up a rule that if i forget or dont have time for thursday dwitger, i have the right to do a "make up " session on friday and get no grief for it. and if i do get any lip from you people, there will be NO SOUP FOR YOU!
so here it is...not so much asain inspired... unless your an asain living deep in the heart of mexico. i like to call it..."salsa". no, let me use my creative juices and dig deeper....i will call it, "la salsa", no, "salsa al la E and T". yes! that is what i shall call it! so here it is,
"salsa al la E and T"
ingredients:
4 roma tomatoes (depending on the size, you may want more)
half an onion
about a quarter of a green pepper
1 clove of garlic
1/4 of a japepeno (you can add more or less, dpending on how hot you want)
1/2 can of "Rotelle" (this is a key ingredient, that adds alot of flavor)
a little lime juice
salt and pepper to taste.
just add all of these ingredients together, and either put in a food processor, blender ect. my suggestion is that you eat this salsa with "Tia Rosa" tortilla chips, you can get these at walmart and they are so thin and delicious, just like at a restaurant.
now, this may seem like a boring recipe, so simple, you may say, so childish, but i challenge you to think outside the box- we have come up with lots of recipes that we use this salsa in! i will give you one today, so that you can transform this simple side dish into a main dish!
i shall call it...grilled chicken with cheese melted on it, topped with fresh salsa...no, southwest chicks n' salsa, no...chix n' mix. yes! thats it! "chix n' mix", and no, its not the same as chex mix, very different.
"chix n' mix"
ingreients:
your fresh homemade slasa
chicken boobs, or breasts, whatever youre more comfortable with.
a few slices of cheese (we like cheddar or pepper jack)
now, grill your chicken with any mexican type seasoning you like, then lay a slice of cheese on it until it melts (you may need to pop it in the microwave) and then top with a big dollup of fresh salsa. thats it. it is so simple and yet so delicioso!!

pump up the jam...

i want to write about how i have been blessed this past year or so...we are at a new church, called Bridgeway. it is not church of christ, there is a loud worship band and people worship how they want- its crazy(well, for us c of c'ers), and we love it. i have never experienced jesus and his grace like i have since weve been there. i can feel his presence as soon as we begin to worship and i literaly, get goosebumps every sunday. they ask people to come forward toward the end of services and people pray over you and it is a time of healing and intimacy. how come ive never experienced this before? ive always known jesus and have had a close relationship with him, but now its on a whole different level. i am often brought to tears during the worship time and it isnt tears brought out by the emotional experience, it is tears that i cant stop, brought out by being in the close, devine presence of jesus. tears that are brought out because i am speaking words of adoration to him- right to him, and i can feel him right there, soaking it up.
the wierd part is that ive never liked having loud instruments durring worship, i want to be able to hear myself, hear everyone else. but i have found that now i love the strings or horns or whatever else, i actualy like that is a bit louder than i used to prefer. as a girl who was always in choir, always enjoyed music, i have always been caught up in the melody, am i hitting the right notes, are my harmonies sounding ok? now, i can focus on the actual words im speaking and i could care less what i sound like, im just blending in to what is an amazing heavenly sound!
ive also found that i like to worship with my eyes closed, all the time. when my eyes are open, im watching the worship leaders, watching the little girls dancing in the isle, seeing which friends are here ect, but as soon as i close my eyes i am brought to a place where it is just me and god and there are no distractions.
now that i have experienced things like this and know how good it can be, how i long to go to church, how refreshing it is to leave the building and feel completley filled up, i want everyone to be able to find their "Bridgeway". i hope that all of you out there in bloglandia are going to a church that gives you goosebumps every sunday, and if youre not- find it! dont settle for any less than goosebumps.

pie hole...

ok. its dwitger, yeah yeah yeah, blah blah blah. im sending another recipe out there...but i must say, i am bored with my own posts. i only have so much time to write these little messages and i have to keep up with dwitger and i also try to write on saturday since its my day off, but crap, when i can only write once or twice a week...recipes get old! should i switch dwitger to every other thursday? i mean, believe me, ive still got tons of good food up my sleeve, but should i spread it out a little??
anyway, here is erics birthday mud pie: i think i will call it...erics butt pie, no...chocolatey delicious. no, erics chocolatey deilious butt pie. yep, thats it.
"erics chocolatey delicious butt pie"
ingredients:
oreo pie crust
jar of caramel ice cream topping
2 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 pints of you favorit ice cream (i use coffee or some sort of chocolate or both)
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup toffee chips (optional)

in a small saucepan, heat 1/2 c. caramel and the vanilla to a boil and then let simmer for about 6 minutes. (dont simmer too long, i did once and it turned into a hard cany shell that could not be broken, literaly) its better to undercook the caramel. pour mixture into oreo crust and put in freezer for about 15 minutes. scoop 1 pint of ice cream into pie shell and sprinkle half of both chips on top. repeat with next pint of ice cream and chips, then drizzle with remaining caramel from the jar. freeze for about 4 hours.

i really hope you enjoy erics butt, have a slice and take a big ol' bite! its a little piece of heaven, one of my faves. i shared erics butt with some friends the other day and they ate it right up- loved it. so i hope you and your family enjoy the smoothe flavors of erics butt.

yo ho yo ho a hot mans wife, thats me...

why is violet so pissed? i dont even know...
tuesday was erics birthday! he is now 25 years old, yes guys, i know, im old enough to be his mommy- im 26. (well, i will be in a few weeks) anyway, his family has a tradition that everyone decorates the birthday persons bedroom before they wake up on the big day, so of course he and i have carried on the tradition and he woke up to surrounded by yellow crepe paper dangling from the cieling fan and draped all over the bed. side note: eric and i recently decided that we wanted new hobbies. things that we could do instead of watching tv...i took up oil painting, in the footsteps of my daddy and he took up making wooden model ships. although, his little ships were mucho expensivo so he hadnt really done anything yet. (end of side note)
so, when eric woke up he was surrounded by presents of all shapes and sizes- one size amazingly representing a ship. sadly, i could not afford the boat, but luckily his mom and dad could. but i did make him my own ship- out of popcicle sticks, something i am quite handy with! this masterpiece was made only out of little popcicle sticks and the sails were fashioned from $20 bills. (so he could buy all the tools he needed to make his ship.) we both had to work on this day of erics birth, so that was kind of sad, but life. after work we went out for dinner with his fam and saw a movie. this too is a silvestri tradition, to go to dinner and a movie on anyones birthday, fathers day, mothers day, thanksgiving, christmas eve, st. patricks day, martin luther king day...any holiday really. it was a joyous occasion.
instead of cake i made eric an ice cream mudpie. with oreo and caramel crust filled with ice cream and chocolate and toffee chips...mmm...i will share the recipe next dwitger.
so, that was erics birthday experience, it was low key, but devine. i love that guy...he is my precious.