$50 Starbucks Gift Card Giveaway Over at the New Blog!

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Hey, y'all! I'm in the process of completely moving over to A Dash of Sarah, my NEW blog!
Right now, there's a HUGE giveaway going on at my blog, thanks to the one-and-only Jennifer over at her NEW blog, Busy Being Jennifer! (It seems like re-branding is taking over for bloggers in Texas!)
Go check out the two-winner giveaways going on NOW by CLICKING HERE or by clicking the lovely picture below:




Good luck, everyone!

Sunday Snaps Link Party: Week 8

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Hello everyone! Today's "Sunday Snaps" is a bittersweet one, because this will be the very last Sunday Snaps link up opportunity. Julie and I are so sorry to end it, but sometimes good things have to end for better things to fall into place, right? Between my school and work dual-schedule and trips out of town to see family, Sunday Snaps has sadly become too much of a burden to host on this blog. 
I will miss enjoying all of your photos each week and seeing what you all have been up to lately. Each blogger who has linked up in the past, please know that I think each and every one of you are EXTREMELY talented! I will still be checking in with y'all to see how you're doing, and to view your lovely photos :-) Thank you for the opportunity to connect with y'all... I have greatly enjoyed it! Please feel free to wear your "I was FEATURED on Sunday Snaps!" button on your blog for as long as you please; you worked hard on your photos and posts, and you deserve to brag about it!
And so, time to feature last week's top three (IMO) pictures:

Photo by Katie Stories I absolutely LOVE the large, muraled golf ball and the beautiful background scenery!

Photo by My Borrowed Heaven I'm loving the way Meg grabbed the still of the children jumping, with their feet and shadows in focus and the children themselves blurred in the background!

Photo by Our Life in a Click I love this photo simply for the fact that it shows the behind-the-scenes on the crazy work and moves photographers will put themselves through in order to grab a beautiful shot. It's all worth it for the final product!
Congrats to those who were featured! Don't forget to grab your special "Featured" button and display it proudly!

<div align="center"> <a href="http://www.sarahbtexas.blogspot.com" title="Sarah B Texas @ City Girl Gone Country"><img src="http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg634/SarahBTexas/Snap%20Shot%20Sunday%20Stuff/wasfeaturedSSbutton.jpg" alt="Sarah B Texas @ City Girl Gone Country" style="border:none;" /></a></div>
And now, time for the VERY LAST Sunday Snaps Link Up! (Remember you have until late Friday night to link up ANY post from this week containing a picture!)
Rules:

• Please follow both of your hosts! (Myself and Jules)
• You MUST provide the party button somewhere in your post in order to link back to this party (available to the right on my sidebar). Failure to do so may result in your link-up being removed.
• Link up to specific posts, not just your blog.
• Please only link up to three blog posts each week. 
• HAVE FUN! And follow some of your fellow link-up bloggers while you're at it! ;-)

Summer '12 California Trip

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A few weeks ago, the boyfriend and I hopped on the plane en route to Orange County, California. Joe had been to California once before, but I told him that trip didn't count since it was for work and he was only in LA area for 24 hours. 
Not only did my parents want to see me (at least) once during my summer vacation from classes, but they wanted to meet Joe, and I was craving a break from the Texas weather. What better way to beat the heat than to leave the kitchen--am I right?!
Now, how do you show someone ALL of your hometown in just three days? Especially when your hometown is in the beautiful state of California? I decided it was time to get my tourist gear on and show Joe the landmark sites and attractions that make my home-state a great place to visit. From Newport Beach to the Huntington Beach disc golf course, from Old Towne Orange to Main St. in Huntington Beach, from Disneyland to UC Irvine area, I gave my man the glorious, drawn out tour of California, making sure he saw everything from the beautiful beaches to the hole-in-the-wall diners and bars.

Pictured: Myself in front of the Newport Beach shore line. We went to the beautiful shores of Newport Beach so Joe could get the full effect of California Beach scenery. Isn't this panoramic feature cool?! Joe downloaded the PhotoSynth app on his iPhone to be able to capture beautiful panoramic scenes while we were on vacation.

Pictured: Joe and myself at Taco Mesa in Costa Mesa. I made sure to show Joe the difference between Tex-Mex and Surf-n-Turf (California) Mex. We enjoyed some beach-style Mexican seafood at Taco Mesa with complimenting Sangria.

Pictured: Joe posing with Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse. What So-Cal vacation would be complete without a trip to Disneyland? Because I worked at the Disneyland Resort for a few years, I had been gifted several complimentary tickets seasonally to use with family and friends. I took advantage of these tickets and shared "The Happiest Place on Earth" with Joe for a full day. We're talkin' 10 AM to 11 PM with no stops in between!

Pictured: Joe and myself in front of the Hollywood Blvd. mural in California Adventure. I made sure to take advantage of every photo-op available, like this surprisingly realistic mural in California Adventure.

Pictured: the World of Color lake in California Adventure. I thought California Adventure was the perfect "sample" to show Joe different highlights of my hometown state. Just look at the mix of sunlight, lake, and palm trees pictured!

Pictured: Joe and myself in front of the brand new Cars Land. Cars Land was merely an idea when I moved to Texas last year. I had heard the rumors and seen the walls being blocked off for where they considered putting the new attractions, but I never got to see the final product in all its glory. It was great to experience a Disney "first" with Joe.

Pictured: myself in front of the Cars Land scenery. Doesn't it look like I'm actually on the side of the Grand Canyon or some place of the sort?! Loved the realistic details in Cars Land. 

Pictured: The outside building of the Hollywood Tower of Terror ride. This is by far one of my FAVORITE rides in Disneyland as a whole. I was so happy when I saw they wait was a mere 7 minutes for this one! I grabbed Joe's hand and dragged him through the spooky hotel, and giggled as he screamed on all the drops! Hee hee.

Pictured: Minnie Mouse on Main St. in Disneyland. After we were done enjoying all that California Adventure had to offer, we headed across to the world-famous Disneyland and began to take on all the popular rides at the resort.

Pictured: Joe and I on the Space Mountain ride. It was near the end of the day; Joe and I were exhausted. We had gone on over 15 rides, saw several parades and shows, watched the fireworks, and walked around for hours. But I couldn't let him leave the park without riding on my absolute FAVORITE ride in Disneyland--Space Mountain. He was a little hesitant to go wait in the 15-minute line, but once we sat front row for the last roller coaster of the day, he enjoyed every moment of the ride, and thanked me after for making him go on it :-) 

Pictured: Joe and myself in our California shirts. What summer trip would be complete without a souvenir? At the end of our Disneyland trip, during our walk back to the car through Downtown Disney, I stopped and picked up this shirts as a conclusion to our trip. I figured they were convenient and something we'd actually wear and recall our fun trip with each time we use them :-)

So that, in total, was our fun California trip. Joe concurred that he got to see most of California, and that he had a wonderful time. My family loved meeting him, and it was great to be back on my stomping grounds... even for just a few short days.
How many of you went on fun trips this summer? Maybe even vacationed in a different town than your own? Link those posts up, I would love to see! :-)

Photography Link Up: Sunday Snaps Week 6

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Hey everyone! I hope you had a great week with the start of September and the return to classes. Pumpkin Spice Lattes are out at Starbucks, and Fall is not too far away! Now, if this Texas weather could get on board with the upcoming season change, everything would be fine and dandy ;-)
Here are some of the top highlights from the previous link up week:
Photo by Life's a Beach
Photo by Finding My Way in Texas
Photo by The Grant Life
LOVE every single one of the above photos! Great framing, great job capturing the moment, beautiful focus, and beautful lighting! Good work, ladies! :-)
If you were featured, please don't forget to grab a button and brag about it on your page!

<div align="center"> <a href="http://www.sarahbtexas.blogspot.com" title="Sarah B Texas @ City Girl Gone Country"><img src="http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg634/SarahBTexas/Snap%20Shot%20Sunday%20Stuff/wasfeaturedSSbutton.jpg" alt="Sarah B Texas @ City Girl Gone Country" style="border:none;" /></a></div>
And now it's time for the beloved, weekly photograph link up you all know and love! I can't wait to see what y'all have in store this week! Be sure to tell your friends so they can join in on the fun, too :-) (Remember you have until late Friday night to link up ANY post from this week containing a picture!)
Rules:

• Please follow both of your hosts! (Myself and Jules)
• You MUST provide the party button somewhere in your post in order to link back to this party (available to the right on my sidebar). Failure to do so may result in your link-up being removed.
• Link up to specific posts, not just your blog.
• Please only link up to three blog posts each week. 
• HAVE FUN! And follow some of your fellow link-up bloggers while you're at it! ;-)

A little more sneak-peek to my Vaca-time

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I know, I know. I'm behind... REALLY behind. I've been on two trips and have nothing to show in the blogging world for it except an extremely overdue post up on Sunday Snaps and a bunch of emails asking what corner I ran to hide in. 
Rest assured, I'm alive! I stupidly bravely planned a four-day trip with my sweetheart to visit his family in Michigan and take in his hometown. What makes this so brave? The fact that the minute I would touch back down on Texas soil I'd be hitting the ground running with the Fall semester. Who likes playing catch up? Not me.
SO, now that I've gotten my classes, books, and homework all taken care of and under control, I'll give you a little sneak peak into our Labor Day weekend MI trip. At some point, I will be posting a Summer Vacation wrap up with highlights from both our CA and MI trips, but for now, a few teasers will have to do ;-)

Joe and I were fortunate enough to be taken to the Frederik Meijer Botanical Gardens by his mother. It was breathtaking!

I took full advantage of the beautiful plants, flowers, waterfalls, and sculptures available at the gardens with my trusty Canon Rebel!

Joe's mother fired up the bonfire pit one of the nights we were there, and it was such a delight to sit by the fire as the sun went down and take in the lake's beauty.

We both had a great time. I enjoyed getting to see the Mister's hometown, and I think he enjoyed showing me the ins and outs of Michigan. I would LOVE to go back again sometime soon!
What did you do for the Labor Day weekend? Anything exciting or different? I'd love to see! If you're a college student like me, hang in there! I know the initial start back to classes is so hard!
Until next time...

Link Up: Sunday Snaps Week 5

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Can you believe we've been at this link up for FIVE whole weeks?! I certainly can't. I'm so sorry for my procrastination at its finest delay on this week's post... I had been in Michigan on vacation (and boy, was that a wonderful break from this Texas hell weather!).  THANK YOU to all who participated in Week 4's link up! Here are some of the highlights from last week: 
Photo by Making Pinterest My Reality
Photo by Our Life in a Click
Photo by The Chunky Goddess
Congrats to those of you who were featured this week! Don't forget to grab yourself a FEATURED button and boast about your skills:

<div align="center"> <a href="http://www.sarahbtexas.blogspot.com" title="Sarah B Texas @ City Girl Gone Country"><img src="http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg634/SarahBTexas/Snap%20Shot%20Sunday%20Stuff/wasfeaturedSSbutton.jpg" alt="Sarah B Texas @ City Girl Gone Country" style="border:none;" /></a></div>
And now, without further delay, here's the WAY overdue link-up for this week! (Remember you have until late Friday night to link up ANY post from this week containing a picture!) Rules:

• Please follow both of your hosts! (Myself and Jules)
• You MUST provide the party button somewhere in your post in order to link back to this party (available to the right on my sidebar). Failure to do so may result in your link-up being removed.
• Link up to specific posts, not just your blog.
• Please only link up to three blog posts each week. 
• HAVE FUN! And follow some of your fellow link-up bloggers while you're at it! ;-)

Sunday Snaps Week 4: 08/26

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MAN, is it really Sunday ALREADY?! Where did the time go? As they say, time flies when you're having fun! My trusty co-host Julie reminded me that our Sunday Snaps link-up is on today, and I couldn't believe it! I hope y'all are having a great end to your weekend :-) Here are my personal favorites from this past week!
Photo by Life's a Beach
This photo makes me want to go find the nearest drive-in movie theater and book a date, pronto! I love the lit up drive-in sign with the cars lined up right next to it!
Photo by The Chunky Goddess
How adorable is this photo? I seriously LOVED playing with Mr. Potato Head dolls growing up (who else loved them some Toy Story movie time?), so this instantly became one of my favorites!
Photo by My Mind's Lens
Kaeley has blown me away yet AGAIN this week! I LOVE the focus on this shot, and the way her angle sheds light on how long and seemingly never-ending the tracks are. BEAUTIFUL!

Great job to those whose pictures were chosen this week! Don't forget to grab a button if you were featured!

<div align="center"> <a href="http://www.sarahbtexas.blogspot.com" title="Sarah B Texas @ City Girl Gone Country"><img src="http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg634/SarahBTexas/Snap%20Shot%20Sunday%20Stuff/wasfeaturedSSbutton.jpg" alt="Sarah B Texas @ City Girl Gone Country" style="border:none;" /></a></div>
And now, without further ado, here's today's link up! (If you need an example of what kinds of posts to link up, feel free to view any of the old link-ups/posts in the blog archive, or take a look at my link-up post from this week! I went ahead and linked up my recipe post from earlier this week.) 
Rules:

• Please follow both of your hosts! (Myself and Jules)
• You MUST provide the party button somewhere in your post in order to link back to this party (available to the right on my sidebar). Failure to do so may result in your link-up being removed.
• Link up to specific posts, not just your blog.
• Please only link up to three blog posts each week. 
• HAVE FUN! And follow some of your fellow link-up bloggers while you're at it! ;-)

Culinary Creations: Aloha BBQ Chicken

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Once in a while I'll invite my boyfriend, Joe, over to my place after work for a homemade dinner. I pretend am pretty sure that he enjoys this part, because I try to spice things up and come up with meals he wouldn't normally attempt at his place.

Last week I struck some luck and created a recipe that was a sure winner in both his and my book. I had been craving fruit all day and wanted to incorporate it into my dinner plans. Now, while I would be perfectly fine with a bowl of fruit for dinner, I don't think Joe wouldn't fancy it too much after a long day's work. I love the mixture of tangy and spicy flavors, so I decided to pull out some seasonings to create my 5-step masterpiece:

Sarah's Aloha BBQ Chicken

Ingredients (makes for two servings):

• 2 Chicken Breasts
• 1 Can of Pineapple Rings
• Juice from Can of Pineapple Rings
• BBQ Sauce (I used Kraft Hickory Smoke BBQ)
• BBQ Rub (I used Weber "Smokey Mesquite" Rub)
• Aluminum Foil
• Oven-safe Dish

Directions:

1) After thawing and cutting off excess fat from your chicken breasts, apply your choice of BBQ rub liberally to your chicken, rubbing the spices in with your fingers. Place both pieces into an oven-safe dish (I used corning ware) and set aside. At this time, pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees.

2) Open the can of sliced pineapple rings and empty the juice contents into a mixing bowl. Set aside the can and pineapple rings for later. Then, gradually mix in your BBQ sauce of choice until your mixture has a somewhat-thick consistency. You don't want your mixture to be too soup-like (as a reference, I used half the bottle of BBQ sauce in order to achieve my desired consistency).

3) Cover the chicken breasts with the mixture you have just made, saving 1/4 cup of the mixture for later use. Cover the remaining sauce and place in your fridge. Then, slice the pineapple rings in half and place them over the chicken and the mixture. 

4) Cover your oven-safe dish with aluminum foil, and bake in the pre-heated oven for one hour. Then, remove the aluminum foil, pour the remaining mixture over the pineapple rings, and cook uncovered for 15 more minutes. This will allow for the pineapples to caramelize and retain the savory flavors of the sauce.

 

5) Allow 10 minutes cooling time to give the chicken a chance to reabsorb its juices. Then, serve with corn-on-the-cob, baked beans, or your BBQ side dishes of choice. Bon Appetit! 

Mahalo for checking out this recipe, let me know if you try it, and how you liked it! As always, I'd love to see pictures :-) ALSO, if you liked this enough to want to try it later, PLEASE pin it! ;-)

PS: I tried this same recipe out on my family. They all LOVED it! I used 8 chicken breasts (quadrupling the rest of the ingredients), and all but one-half  of a chicken breast were gobbled up by the end of the party :-) I know YOUR family will love it to! It's the perfect main dish for a luau/Hawaiian theme party.

Linked-Up to:

Shrinking Kitchen

Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Fireflies and Jellybeans

My Romantic Home

A Vision to Remember

Be Different... Act Normal

Funky Junk Interiors

Six Sisters' Stuff